Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Just starting out and got the Avenger/Hammersmith/Centurion box.

I can find lots of opinions on the Hammersmith (it's a beatstick) and the Centurion (it's indestructible) but I can't find a lot of opinions on the Avenger.

Wondering if I should assemble this as an Avenger...the quake cannon looks cool, but the others seem more useful.

Best option? Magnets.

But if you are stuck with one, the Avenger definitely has it's uses. It can knock down large swaths of the enemy when used with certain casters (eHaley and Sloan) because of multiple shots, and it can also help clear LOS for assassination lanes for shooty assassins like eCaine. It can probably do more, but that right there is two decent reasons to find a place for one. And it's no slouch in melee either, particularly against other jacks if it gets in there first, to allow anything else that is going to hit it to not need to boost to hit at all.

The Avenger is a relatively new Warjack in the Cygnar arsenal.

Three things really stick out to me about the Avenger:
1. Slow speed of 4. Cygnar really doesn't have any speed buffs, and when we have some fantastic Warjacks that are SPD 5+...
2. Low MAT/RAT. OK, MAT 6 isn't too bad, but RAT 4 is the deal breaker. In order to knock stuff down with the Seismic Cannon, you have to directly hit the target. Now, Cygnar has a lot of RAT buffs, but it takes resources (specific models, focus, or spells).
3. Cost of 9. Seriously, this Warjack should have cost 8 at most. 9? You're talking Ol' Rowdy, Stormclad, Defender and Gallant cost- and that's the order of Warjacks I'll take before I consider taking an Avenger.

Great things about the Avenger: ARM 19 in a faction with ARM buffs. This is awesome. The Seismic Cannon- even if you miss, it's still a huge AOE with great blast damage. Finally, the Stun Blade- why doesn't every Cygnar Warjack have a Stun Blade? :(

Basically, the Avenger needs a lot of help to really do well, which isn't a bad thing. Cygnar has the tools to make it useful. It's just how much you want to work to make it useful.

 Tamwulf wrote:


1. Slow speed of 4. Cygnar really doesn't have any speed buffs, and when we have some fantastic Warjacks that are SPD 5+.

pNemo, eNemp, Kraye, Darius and especially eHaley all disagree with the bold part of this statement. Also the snipe casters and gun mages all want to add that while snipe does not make the jack technically faster it does increase the threat range on the gun.

 Mordekiem wrote:

 Tamwulf wrote:


1. Slow speed of 4. Cygnar really doesn't have any speed buffs, and when we have some fantastic Warjacks that are SPD 5+.

pNemo, eNemp, Kraye, Darius and especially eHaley all disagree with the bold part of this statement. Also the snipe casters and gun mages all want to add that while snipe does not make the jack technically faster it does increase the threat range on the gun.

Hear hear! Ehaley can help even the slowest 'jacks brang tha heat! (Ghetto-tastic spelling mode off). Still, I'm not sure that I would want to devote the resources to a 9-point 'jack when there are so many better options.

What models do you already have for your army? That would be helpful to know before anyone could make a solid recommendation specific to your particular situation.

Mordekiem wrote:

 Tamwulf wrote:


1. Slow speed of 4. Cygnar really doesn't have any speed buffs, and when we have some fantastic Warjacks that are SPD 5+.

pNemo, eNemp, Kraye, Darius and especially eHaley all disagree with the bold part of this statement. Also the snipe casters and gun mages all want to add that while snipe does not make the jack technically faster it does increase the threat range on the gun.

grayshadow87 wrote:

 Mordekiem wrote:

 Tamwulf wrote:


1. Slow speed of 4. Cygnar really doesn't have any speed buffs, and when we have some fantastic Warjacks that are SPD 5+.

pNemo, eNemp, Kraye, Darius and especially eHaley all disagree with the bold part of this statement. Also the snipe casters and gun mages all want to add that while snipe does not make the jack technically faster it does increase the threat range on the gun.

Hear hear! Ehaley can help even the slowest 'jacks brang tha heat! (Ghetto-tastic spelling mode off). Still, I'm not sure that I would want to devote the resources to a 9-point 'jack when there are so many better options.

What models do you already have for your army? That would be helpful to know before anyone could make a solid recommendation specific to your particular situation.

pNemo is one of the squishiest Warcasters in the game, and doesn't see much table time. eNemo is awesome, but you're not going to run an Avenger with him. Kraye- I can see that. However, Kraye loves Ol' Rowdy, Minutemen, Hunters, and Defenders. eHaley makes everything better.

The thing is, yes, those Warcasters can all make an Avenger work, but there are better choices for all those Warcasters. I stand by what I said- you can make the Avenger work, but there are better 'Jacks and ways to spend your resources. That's not to say the Avenger is a bad warjack, just that we have better warjacks.



FYI, I built my own Avenger as soon as Legends dropped, and used it extensively.

Please! Let us know what you have, and we can help you make a good choice for the future. What Warcasters do you like? How do you like to play? Gunline, melee, Run n'Gun, scenario/Steamroller?

Haven't played a lot yet, but I have
Battle box stuff
Gun mages with officer
PHaley
Journeyman warkaster

And I bought the Avenger box because I wanted another beefy, heavy jack to back up the ironclad.

(Trying to finagle a decent 35 point army out of this...I'm new to w, so I am shooting more for solid/fun/interesting rather then super competitive.)

Hmm... I'm thinking the Hammersmith. IIRC he is a point cheaper than the other two options, and has the ability to knock things around the board. While he's a bit slower than your Ironclad, he could provide a nice second round of beatings if your Ironclad beats him to the front lines (which will most likely be the case).

On a side note, since you already have the Gun Mages and their UA, I'm going to say you could wait on getting the Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team (although you should definitely get them in the near future). You might want to invest in a ranged jack to run around with your Gun Mages since the UA offers them the ability to marshal and give the benefit of rune shots. The Cyclone can be fun in that role, since it basically allows you to spray out a metric crap-ton of shots.

I would recommend the centurion or avenger before the hammersmith. The hammersmith is quite potent in melee but it is very hard to get the charge with due to it's short range. The centurion's protection against charges and reach help it hit it's target much more reliably.

Hammersmith is rather potent with Nemo2 as he fixes a lot of it's problems.

 Dais wrote:
I would recommend the centurion or avenger before the hammersmith. The hammersmith is quite potent in melee but it is very hard to get the charge with due to it's short range. The centurion's protection against charges and reach help it hit it's target much more reliably.

Ah, you do raise a fine point. And in the event that ComTrav ever wants to add sword knights in the future, a centurion could be a nice flank assistant.

Personally I want to run an Avenger marshaled to Gun Mages in a Siege list. 4 extra inches in range due to the rune shot makes it more likely it'll be able to aim, and I play rangers with Siege anyway so accuracy isn't that big of a deal...