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Okay, so I haven't played Malifaux yet but my friends all do and I have decided to jump in on the action. They play at around fifty soulstones so I have been trying to do some research and build my lists and buy it all at once so I can start painting.

List 1
Colette
Totem: 2x Mechanical Dove
Angelica
Cassandra
Coryphee
Coryphee
Mannequin
Mannequin
Performer
Performer
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50 Soulstones

List 2
Viktoria of Ashes
Viktoria of Blood
Bishop
Johan
Taelor
Rusty Alyce
Desperate Mercenary
Desperate Mercenary
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44 soulstones (don't know what to spend the rest on)

Firstly-don't do Colette as a beginner. I did and never won, and she was so hard to use that it put me off the game for a long time. I'd suggest Ramos or Rasputina for Arcanists if you want to play that faction. Colette's crew rely on deception and being able to read the game and predict what will happen. They are not strong, or all that tough, and require a good knowledge of the rules, both theirs and the game's. Not a forgiving way to start your Malifaux journey! Second- Viktorias, start with the box, taelor is awesome, and ronin give you good, rounded support. Add bishop to that box and you're laughing, it's a very versatile crew that can take on all comers, especially when Taelor gets in amongst folk. The Ronin have guns, never forget that!

Well, I ended up buying the first edition Viktorias box (doh!) So trying to see what I can make out of the contents plus a few blisters or two.

The first edition box still gives you a pretty good selection.

The big thing with the Viktorias is that they are hard hitting but fragile. However, they share healing and buffs, so if the enemy doesn't finish them off quickly, they can recover from damage quite well.

There are often two possible approaches with them. You can try and launch one of them as a bit of a sacrifical missile at the enemy, as they get quite a few movement tricks they can use to move each other forward. If you can get one of them buffed and into the enemy ranks quickly, they can do a lot of damage. However, unsupported, they can often perish very fast.

The other approach is a more cautious method. Bring several other heavy hitters, and use them to help draw attention as you approach. Try and use Ronin to protect your front line, since they can potentially kill themselves for extra resources if the opponent doesn't finish them quickly enough. If they can buy you enough time for the Viks (and some friends like Taelor) to safely reach combat, the enemy is going to be in for a world of hurt.

My big advice with them is learn to make good use of cover while advancing across the board. Also, you're going to want an Outcast Faction Deck to get the M2E cards for the Viks. The good news is that doing so will also get you the generic outcast upgrades, which includes several that are quite good for the Viks if you can find room for them. (Scramble for Bonus movement, Survivalist to help stay alive, and Tally Count to profit from all the killing they do. And even Oath Keeper if you really want to maximize how many actions you can take at once.)

Wow, thank you for the reply. I am getting more and more excited for this game and I don't even know how to play yet haha! I can't wait for my first game.