Shamblers update #2

Another quick post before my next big Gator theorymachine rage/rant/inane collection of thoughts. Part 1 of my observations here.

I've been thinking about Shamblers a bit more, and managed to get in a game in with them yesterday playing Maelok tier vs Lich3. I wanted to see how an all-undead list fared vs a Cryx horde, but Lich3 likes to take a few jacks so that kinda sucked.

The turning point of the game was failing to kill a Necrosurgeon with a charging incorporeal Gatorman (not being able to reroll sucks, as does lack of guns), which resulted in enough P+S 17 McThralls to come back and destroy my ARM 20/22 Gatormans and that flank collapsing on itself.
I made two sizable mistakes - one was loading up Snapjaw unnecessarily so Wrong Eye had no transfers and got 2-shot by non-charging Bane Knights (rookie mistake one makes after not playing WE for a month), and forgetting to Revive a Gator before activating its unit, which would have put a bit more pressure on Lich3 and maybe bought me some time.. Otherwise it was just a matter of bad dice and a tough matchup (undead + armor + Banes).

Anyway, about the Shamblers - I don't feel that they are great in Blindwater. Most of my experience playing them is that they die easily to stuff that usually doesn't even touch Gators (blast damage, POW 10 guns, evil stares), and then jam up charge lanes (usually your own). Their stats are understandably atrocious (and far worse than McThralls - lol Cryx), although with CMA they can do some light-lifting.

In this game I think I killed as many Shamblers as he did, and then my Gators were Zombified most turns so there were almost no living models on the table to generate more - I think I got 3 tokens before the Bokor died.

Basically the only new things they bring to the Gators is:

1.  a body recycling mechanic, and 
2.  a RNG-3 boostable stationary magic attack. 

#1 is not that great in Blindwater due to low model count in lists that aren't Rask tier (even then you're probably not getting many bodies since everything ambushes). #2 is cute and useful to have around but not that reliable as a strategy.

They don't really bring anything to the Maelok tier - it would be a different story if the whole unit got AD. Then with tough + making new guys they could be a serious jammer unit. Alas they don't, so it's the same Posse story.

My initial impressions remain the same: Shamblers are not terrible, but not really good either. Probably better in Circle, Skorne and perhaps Legion.

• Barnabas - would rather have more Posse.
• Maelok - would rather have more Posse. Feat + Death Pact + tough would make them mildly annoying at ARM 17, but not worth the opportunity cost.
• Rask - Call to Sacrifice on more/cheaper bodies that can potentially recycle seems good.... but better than MAT 8 CMA Furied Ambushers? Remains to be seen.
• Calaban - would rather be Rask.
• Non-Gators - wooooooooooo!

TL;DR - play better stuff, better.