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I'm farely new to warmachine and i'm planning to start a Stryker army for 500 pts. I'm going for a balanced drop and pop strategy list and this is what i've came up with so far. Help would be highly apreciated

Commander Coleman Stryker
- Ironclad
- Lancer

-GMCA
-Journeyman Warcaster
-LongGunners (8)
-Sword Knights (7)
-Rupert Carvolo, Piper
-Trencher Chain Gun Crew

------499/500 Pts-----------

My main doubts are between using an Ironclad another heavy jack like the centurion, and if the Trencher Chain Gun Crew is usefull or not for it's points worth, because Eiryss or Gorman Di Wulfe seem like also a good choice for the same points, or maybe even boost up the Longgunners and the sword knights. I've thought fielding stormblades first but then they seemed too fragile for their points.

Wait and see if you're interested in Ol' Rowdy, the character
version of the Ironclad. It costs about 20 points more, and
you get a crit that affects more models (though it might
include friendly models if you're not careful), and you can
spend 1 focus to pay back melee attacks against it with
melee attacks.

It also has a base MAT 7 and improved ARM stat. Very nice.

I think the Trencher Chain Gun Crew doesn't have enough
to really recommend it in the list and especially not with
Stryker. They'd do much better with Haley or someone
else.

Thanks for the quick answer
I've beem leaning more into using Gorman, his Black Oil action is prety cool together with earthquake and I like his mini alot.
When does the Legend expansion come out? is there a date on it yet? I've read some stuff about it here, and I liked Ol'Rowdy and the black 13th alot but i thought it was still quite a while until it came out.

Stryker will likely be fairly tapped for focus at the end of a normal turn (figure upkeep on Snipe, AS, leaves only enough for 2 for each jack). You might be better off limiting his range (dropping the lancer) and upgrading the IronClad for a Cent. (a more defensive option) or using the points elsewhere.

JR can upkeep Arcane Shield and pop out a Arcane bolt every turn. The alternative (running a hunter with JR) is pretty typical, you wind up with a lower power shot that hits more often, but is armor piercing, and boost-able.

you can't really go wrong with sniped-longgunners

The chain gun's overall damage is fairly limited by opponent's positioning (spreading out); and by being an unreliable AOE. The Longgunner OSB would be a better alternative.

Rupert's value is questionable, the Knights won't need him (as they should be in base-to base with the Ironclad)

so, re-working slightly:
-Commander Stryker
-- Ironclad

-JR
--Hunter
-LongGunners (6)
-Longunner OSB
-Sword Knights (6)

I'd suggest with the remaining points some StormGuard who are a much better value points-wise than the 'Blades
that leaves you 3 shy of 500

I was thinking of actually moving the sword knights along with the lancer in the middle, so that they could benefit from his Reach to flank and also use him to channel earthquake. Jr would be upkeeping arcane shield on the knights so that they can get across the field alive (hopefully). I would use ironclad mostly in the center since i didn't want his tremor to affect the sword knights and the long gunners would be looking over middle section and the other flank. I do like the stormguard but they seem a bit more fragile than the SK who would be in defensive line and with AS.

Probably just a misunderstanding. He probably just missed
that you've already decided not to use Stormblades.

Ah nevermind i confused the stormguard with the stormblade units
I honestly don't know stormguards that well since i don't own the book describing them.

Soil wrote:I was thinking of actually moving the sword knights along with the lancer in the middle, so that they could benefit from his Reach to flank and also use him to channel earthquake. Jr would be upkeeping arcane shield on the knights so that they can get across the field alive (hopefully). I would use ironclad mostly in the center since i didn't want his tremor to affect the sword knights and the long gunners would be looking over middle section and the other flank. I do like the stormguard but they seem a bit more fragile than the SK who would be in defensive line and with AS.

I've yet to get a lancer + SK unit to feel effective (the lancer tends to be disrupted / die to shooting before the unit gets close to anything).

SG are +2 DEF (against charges) and +1 ARM from non-tight-formation SK; with blur and a potential second AS in the army; I'm really not seeing them as being that 'fragile'.

YMMV; good luck and all that.

Your first list is ok, just drop the trencher gun. It doesn't fit into the list.

The ironclad is faster than cent so I think it fits just fine to the pop and drop list. Just get the sniped long gunners some nice position to threaten and then work the arcane shielded lancer & sword knights on one flank and stryker with IC on the other. GMCA running around dropping solos and making general mayhem.

Pretty classic cygnar concept and works fine, just watch the focus on stryker, you can either cast or fight on one turn not both.