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I have just started playing warmachine awhile ago and have 7 games under my belt and am still new to it all (5wins and 2losses). I'm looking forward to my first 50pt game and have thrown together a list. I have a idea on how to play them but would appreciate feedback from more experienced players. My collection is limited so it effects my options.. Such as I don't yet own Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich to completely boost my winterguard and full complete the 'winterguard death star' as it has been explained to me prior.


Butcher1
Sylys Wyshnalyrr 2
Behemoth 13

Manhunter 2
Widowmaker marksman 2

Iron fang pikemen 9 + black dragon UA 2
Kayazy eliminators 3
Widowmakers 4
Winter guard infantry 6 + 3x winterguard rocketeers 3
Winter guard infantry 6 + winter guard UA 2
Winterguard field gun 2

Total of 49

Widowmakers are my favorite unit and have done great for me so far. My idea is to move up both winterguard units from both side while having my pikemen move up the middle. UA unit more focused on Bob and weave + iron flesh using combined ranged whenever possible. Rocketeer unit hanging back a tad firing AOE's moving closer for late game attacks. Field gun hopefully on elevated terrain so I can take shots across the board, not sure where else to position it since it doesn't have arcing fire. Might leave a gap from behind the rocketeer unit to get line of fire on a target, shifting the meat shield guard to open various lines of fire. The Kayazy eliminators close behind the UA unit to charge threw if not center them near the behemoth and move them in any direction a priority target is deployed (solo, warcaster). Behemoth will be behind the pikemen shield wall that'll be moving up taking shots on the enemy units with bombards arcing fire. Widowmakers and manhunter will advance deploy together, find some terrain or elevation to park them on to shoot and have the manhunter run at or charge whatever eventually comes for them. Sylys will obviously take charge of the up keep for iron flesh (my UA unit isn't charging anything) affording me more focus for spells and my behemoths sub cortex until it needs to punch things. The behemoth won't charge anything until the pikemen hopefully charge, damage and most likely get heavily damaged in return opening lines for the Behemoths to run in.

Is that a decent idea of what to do with them? Any weaknesses or strengths I'm ignoring here? Do I have anything wrong here? Thanks for reading.

The other players play Tanky Xerxis Skorne, Tanky krielstone Trollbloods, gun line Cygnar always with a cyclone warjack, A variety of Menoth, Cygnar with colossal and warp wolf heavy Circie Oroboros.

I would attach the UA to the larger unit, Bob and weave and especially the spray would be far better on that unit because it has more men.

I know you haven't got Kovnik Joe, but seriously get Kovnik Joe. He is so instrumental to a unit of winterguard, that he should be bought with them.

Sylys doesn't go quite as well with butcher as he would with other casters. Free Iron Flesh is fun, but Butcher only has one offensive spell. Most people bring the war dog, to give him immunity to free strikes.

If you can get behemoth to charge on the feat turn, you'll cause massive damage. Just remember that the range on behemoth is quite short, and butcher1 has no way of speeding him up.

 welshhoppo wrote:
I would attach the UA to the larger unit, Bob and weave and especially the spray would be far better on that unit because it has more men.

I know you haven't got Kovnik Joe, but seriously get Kovnik Joe. He is so instrumental to a unit of winterguard, that he should be bought with them.

Sylys doesn't go quite as well with butcher as he would with other casters. Free Iron Flesh is fun, but Butcher only has one offensive spell. Most people bring the war dog, to give him immunity to free strikes.

If you can get behemoth to charge on the feat turn, you'll cause massive damage. Just remember that the range on behemoth is quite short, and butcher1 has no way of speeding him up.

Thanks for the feedback. So swap Sylys with Kovnik Joe and add the Wardog for a even 50pt list. Never used the Wardog before so that'll be interesting.

is 2pts a big point investment for paid upkeep and one extra focus on the butcher without taking advantage of the benefits from Sylys's other boosts?

I have yet to successfully charge in Behemoth on Butchers feat turn, I look forward to seeing that massive damage first hand.

It depends on the caster.

Butcher only has one offensive spell, and he isn't that good at casting it. While sylys would help him hit with it, it isn't really worth it. Plus, the two spells he is most likely to cast, will be cast on the first turn, so there is no need for the increased range. Full throttle, his final spell, has a range of CTRL, so sylys' ability won't work anyway.

But mostly, it's because sylys is as fragile as a Cryxian bone jack, and he has no defensive abilities. Butcher likes to run near the front, and sylys needs to tag along too. So he is more likely to be shot.

This is my 50pt pButcher list.

It is fast enough to keep your opponent out of zones, hits hard enough to knock 30pts off the table under feat and can assassinate if needed. It is also extremely focus efficient in that Ruin rarely needs focus and the Koldun Lord can give the out a focus leaving Butcher camping 4 most turns (after upkeeping Fury and IF) Oh and it's manically fun to jam the zones then move up and use Null Magic from Orin Midwinter, then the next turn taking out key solo's hiding behind the opponents jack with his lighting attack.

The Butcher of Khardov (*6pts)
* Ruin (10pts)
* Juggernaut (7pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters (Cylena and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
* Koldun Kapitan Valachev (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Winter Guard Infantry (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
* Winter Guard Infantry Officer & Standard (2pts)
* 3 Winter Guard Infantry Rocketeers (3pts)
Goblin Tinker (1pts)
Kell Bailoch (2pts)
Koldun Lord (2pts)
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich (2pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (2pts)
Widowmaker Marksman (2pts)