Cygnar: Black 13th Strike Force in the Balance
The Black 13th have a resculpt. No longer puny malnourished children, they’re full grown adults ready to shoot down Cygnar’s enemies.
What Is It?
This is the re-release a the classic character unit for Cygnar. It is a 3 model unit that costs 10 points. The unit is comprised of 3 solo type stat models named Lynch, Watts, and Ryan.
They were one of the best investments for Cygnar in the last edition. But, they have take a back seat to the Gun Mage Captain of late.
What Does the Black 13th Do?
The Black 13th are a shootemup unit with RAT8 . This means they can hit even DEF15 with normal dice rolls. They also have a high defense of 14 with Prowl. If they can find some concealment they can stay relatively safe from non blast type return fire. The Black 13th have magic guns and a rule called concentrated fire. Similar to the Circles shrimp constructs these guys get bonuses for each other model hit. Usually means Watt and Lynch blast some stuff and Ryan gets 2 POW12 shots cause she learned how to shoot with 2 guns and didn’t teach her bros. Also after killing a model they can use Swift Hunter to get into better positions or hide behind corners.
Like all gun mages the Black 13th have 3 special bullets they can choose to fire:
- Black Penny- Ignoring melee penalties for shooting engaged models.
- Snipe- +4″
- Brutal Damage- Extra dice of damage.
Lists With the Black 13th:
The Black 13th are probably not a unit you want to build your army around. However, they do synergize with most of Cygnar’s caster stable. Snipe from Sturgis/Stryker1/Caine1 means they can always choose brutal damage.
My personal fave is Haley1. Her feat gives them some extra ummph!. Blitz gives an extra attack to each of the members of the Black13th. Temporal Barrier can lower defense ensuring the Black13th’s accuracy.
75 points Cygnar
Haley1+28
-Defender 16
-Defender 16
-Centurion 17
-Hunter 11
Arcane Tempest Rifleman 4
Arcane Tempest Rifleman 4
Captain Arlan Strangeways 4
Gun Mage Captain Adept 5
Trench Buster 6
6 Trencher Infantry 10
Black 13th 10
This list has some crazy first strike elements in it. The feat turn could easily cripple a heavy or 2 and Arcane Vortex, the shield guard from the trench buster, and Temporal Barrier keep you relatively safe from reprisal.
After feating, get the Black 13th into 10″ of a juicy target and start firing! Shoot with either Watt/Lynch, and then drill it home with 3 brutal damage shots from Ryan.
Revenant’s Opinion on the Black 13th:
Cygnar has a lot of ranged units to choose from and the Black13th are quite pricey for what they bring to the board. They can’t see through Stealth, they don’t really hurt heavies without lucky dice, and a stray AOE blast damage kills them more often then not. Rangers are a point cheaper and provide great utility for the rest of your army. 2 Gun Mage Captain’s are the same cost and can win you games with the combination of true sight/flare/snipe/shadow fire/brutal damage.
The models look way cooler then the previous version, but they lost a whole lot of great rules from the previous edition.
The Black13th are a solid C+ unit but, Cygnar has better choices at the end of the day.
~What do you think BoLS of the Black 13th? Do you like the new or old sculpts? Please share in your comments below.
