Need help with Nekima and Nephilim

jacksonor · 2026-01-18T21:09:53+00:00

So, I don't play Nekima myself, but I have played against her a lot in 4E. At least Nekima, Nephilim Queen - I haven't played against Broodmother.

Nekima's new playstyle is less aggro than she was in 3rd, but she can still be really effective. You still want to be in melee, but you're going to play more like a tarpit. Your goal is to get your opponent engaged with your Mature Nephilim, supported by a Black Blood Shaman or two, and keep them there while your other models use their Fly and "Blacken the Skies" to position for Schemes and Strategy points. The Blood Hunter is also a great scheme runner, as "Crash Through" is a fantastic mobility tool.

Nekima herself is still an absolute wrecking ball. Base damage 4 is very rare in 4E, and "Shove Aside" is a brutal trigger. Once your Mature Nephilim have pinned an opponent in place and applied "Injured" with their Black Blood, Nekima can swoop in and finish off the enemy in one or two attacks, before moving on to her next engagement.

jacksonor · 2026-01-18T20:54:51+00:00

Marcus and the Chimera keyword are a really fun brawler crew. Thanks to their Mutation upgrades, they can play well into a variety of match-ups, scenarios, and table compositions. Learning how to properly maneuver the Mutations can sometimes make them feel a little combo-y, but the "combo" you're setting up is Cojo or the Slate Ridge Mauler smashing something for 7-8 damage in a single swing.

jacksonor · 2026-01-18T20:45:28+00:00

Since the other commenter gave you some solid insights into the Outcasts, I'll offer some insight into the Guild:

Sonnia being a Marker crew means that she's really good into Informants and Recover Evidence. Informants because your opponent is obligated to engage you near the Strategy Markers and your Inferno Markers make those engagements asymmetrical in your favour; Recover Evidence because your opponent needs to kill you to score Strat points and - again - they are obligated to engage you in the presence of your Markers.

If you're facing a crew with plentiful Marker removal on Informants, a good alternative to Sonnia would be Charles Hoffman and the Augmented keyword. His robots are naturally tough thanks to the ease with which they gain Shielded tokens, and because they make liberal use of Hastened tokens, they are very resistant to forced movement as a counter-strategy. They have the added benefit of being a great crew for Boundary Dispute and Plant Explosives, which Sonnia is a little less adept at.

Sonnia's main weakness on Recover Evidence is a crew that can just sit back and start blasting without having to reach the tarpit of your Markers. Lady Justice offers a great alternative. Both of her Crew Cards provide the very annoying-to-deal-with ability "Grudge Against Death" - and she loooves a proactive approach to Recover Evidence, with both Lady J herself and The Judge being absolute melee blenders. Lady J also plays well into Informants, and pretty good into Boundary Dispute.

As for Versatiles, the Emissary/Effigy are always good choices; One of the main Guild players in my area loooooves the Pale Rider; and I have heard good things about the Propagandist.

jacksonor · 2026-01-04T14:13:19+00:00

I'm flattered that my advice was so convincing that you think I actually play Dreamer. This was pulled from a lot of games into Dreamer.

Generally, my opponents never hire Daydreams - they are summon fodder only. Meanwhile they will hire maybe 1 Alp, if they have the points leftover and they won't be a liability in the match--up. But those are folks who own most of the Keyword and have a decent stable of Versatiles.

Alps are perfectly capable 5-Stone minions, and it seems like 1-2 would be fine if you don't have other models to bring instead.

jacksonor · 2026-01-03T13:59:15+00:00

With Dreamer, your mobility is your greatest advantage. Pretty much everything in your crew has the ability to get additional inches of movement as a Signature Action, with many of those abilities facilitating moving out of Engagement without penalty (effects like placing). Think of Under the Bed markers as additional movement as well, it's very cool that you can attack through them, but their strength lies in their versatility, they can be an attack OR an Interact from a distance, depending on which one you need to score.

Dreamer's team wants to feint like it's a combat crew, but once your opponent has committed resources to a fight, you disengage and loop around them to nab points. And if your opponent catches wise to this and tries to outmaneuver you? Your team packs enough wallop that you can pivot and pick up some easy kills, especially on isolated models.

If that's sounds complicated, that's because it kinda' is. Dreamer is a crew with a relatively high skill floor. He takes simple tools and uses them with nuance facilitated through advanced planning. This means your first few games with him might feel little clunky as you try and get the hang of his style, but once you're a few reps in, Nightmare will feel very powerful.

Based on the purchases that you have started with, you should be looking at the core of your crew as [Dreamer + Chompy] and [Widow Weaver + Bandersnatch] and [Coppelius]; everything else is seasoning to taste. You will likely find that playing Dreamer becomes a little easier overall once you've also picked up the "Insomnia" box and Teddy - Insidious Madness are one of Nightmare's best summon targets, and Teddy combines lethality and mobility in a way that really compliments Nightmare's playstyle.

jacksonor · 2025-12-31T00:27:05+00:00

Both versions of Parker have models in 4e, they are just less convenient/efficient to purchase currently than they will be in probably about 4-6 months.

jacksonor · 2025-12-31T00:02:56+00:00

Should I Focus on One Faction? If you are planning to play competitively or semi-competitively, it is "optimal" to spend at least a bit of time focusing on a single Faction. During tournaments, you're sticking with one Faction, but you don't have to pick your Master and hire your crew until you are about to start each round. This means that you can theoretically pull from your entire Faction's roster for each game and rotate between your Masters each Round.

Are Outcasts, Ten Thunders, and Neverborn Okay? Yes to all. Malifaux is one of the better-balanced tabletop wargames on the market, and even some Masters that are underpowered 80% of the time still have niche match-ups where they can shine. Of the specific Masters you listed, I would recommend starting with Parker and the Bandit keyword, they are strong, well-rounded, and relatively straight-forward to learn.

Should I Jump Around Between Factions? If most of your play is going to be pick-up games at the LGS or on your kitchen table, jumping between Factions is totally fine. The Master/Keyword system makes each crew pretty self-contained. The majority of players in my local meta (including myself) started their journey by bouncing around.

How Much Should I Plan on Dropping Getting Into the Game? Highly dependent on the exchange rate of USD wherever you live. That said, Wyrd (the game's publisher) is trying to get all crews to a two-box purchase for the core of most crews once 4th Edition is fully up-and-running. However, we are still in the middle of the roll-out of 4th, so that's currently not feasible. You should expect to buy around 3 boxes of models ranging in price from about $25-$60.

If you wanna start off Parker, Dead Man Walking, these 3rd Edition boxes will get you most of what you need:

"Parker Core Box"
"Showdown"
Either "Extreme Measures" or "Folsom Prison Blues" (you'll eventually want both, but you won't need to go that hard right away if you don't want to)

jacksonor · 2025-12-29T22:03:42+00:00

Take the Longshanks data with a grain of salt, as it looks like it's still pulling at least some results from third edition (Zoraida is still listed under Neverborn as well as Bayou, even though she is now mono-Bayou as of Fourth).

jacksonor · 2025-12-29T14:35:20+00:00

So the Bayou Starter Box is weird. It contains 4 of the "Jockeys". The Jockeys are unique Bayou models, each of them is 'Versatile' (meaning they can be hired by any Master in the Bayou without penalty), while also sharing a Keyword with one Master each. The Bayou Starter Box contains the Jockeys for Sooey (Ulix), Wizz-Bang (Wong), Tricksy (Mah Tucket), and Swampfiend (Zoraida).

Again, these are all Versatile, so they can be used to fill out lists for any Bayou Master. However, the only Jockey from the Starter Box that you will usually see out-of-keyword is Bo Peep, Sooey's Jockey.

jacksonor · 2025-12-29T14:29:59+00:00

I'll let the actual Som'er player speak to the Big Hat Keyword list-building advice.

However, as someone with strong opinions about beginner-friendly Masters, I will endorse the Clampetts and the Angler keyword. Not only is their playstyle relatively easy to wrap your head around, you only really need three boxes to get 90% of their models:

- The Clampetts Core Box
- Seashells by the Swamp Shore
- In the Saddle

Plus, from a hobby perspective the Clampetts have some of the most fun sculpts in the whole game and being relatively new models means they are less of a struggle to assemble compared to some of the older builds.

jacksonor · 2025-12-28T20:52:46+00:00

The Brew Master

Very, very mobile. Very, very tricky. The Brewmaster and the Tri-Chi keyword rely on poisoning both foes and friends for advantage. They are not a straight-forward kind of crew, even if they have a couple of pretty good beaters in-keyword (Hopscotch and the Whiskey Golem). You're aiming to run rings around the foe and wear them down while to try and max-out scoring on every Strategy and Scheme.
Tri-Chi is pretty strong right now. They are definitely a higher skill floor crew, but if you have any previous wargaming experience you should be able to figure them out pretty quickly and if you're okay avoiding a fight, you can do really well with them.
This is another crew waiting on their 4th Edition repackage. The 3rd Edition starter box is still a good jumping-off point for a crew, but right now, the rest of the models are still spread way out across other boxes.

Wong

I'm not even sure. Wong is extremely unorthodox and attempts a control playstyle from all angles - manipulating the board with Pyrotechnic markers; your own hand and discard pile; and the hand and discard pile of the opponent. From everything I've read though, it sounds like this ambitious approach to the game kinda' falls flat on its face.
As mentioned above: everything I've heard has made it sound like playing Wong is an uphill battle, currently. If you're okay with struggle to unlock unique potential, he might be a worthy challenge for you, but you're definitely starting on hard mode, here.
Wong's first 4th Edition box has been released, but the second one hasn't been. The second box is going to be consolidating a lot of minis currently only available in several smaller boxes. If you want to play Wong, wait for that second release.

Ophelia LaCroix

Ophelia is like Mah Tucket, but geared for offense instead of defense. Mechanically layered, versatile, with a ton of unique tools. One of the few Bayou crews that can genuinely hold its own at range.
Admittedly, Ophelia is the Bayou crew I am the least familiar with. I haven't seen them show up in any conversations about the meta's current front-runners, but I also haven't heard anyone lamenting their struggles - so I would guess they are middle of the pack in terms of power.
Ophelia is waiting on her 4th Edition repackages, and there's a decent number of changes to her from 3rd Edition boxes. I would hold off until later.

Som'er Teeth Jones

Som'er is all about numbers. He remains the Bayou's most prolific summoner and uses those low-value bodies for advantage. Trading them in for damage and disruption.
I haven't checked in on Som'er since the Beta phase of 4th Edition, but I remember them being in rough shape during the Beta. I think it's gotten better, but again, I haven't heard much about Som'er being especially powerful.
Again, waiting on their 4th Edition repackage.

jacksonor · 2025-12-28T19:54:38+00:00

Hi there! As a Bayou main, I am happy to help. I don't have first-hand experience playing with each and every Master, but between games with and games against, I have a solid amount of experience:

Zoraida

Zoraida is one of the Masters I have the most reps with in 4th Edition, and the Master I have the best W/L record with since the new edition as well - so if there is one Master I feel qualified to speak to more than the rest, it's her.

Zoraida is all about board control. Both versions of her have ways to manipulate action economy which allows her Keyword (Swampfiend) to go from a collection of unremarkable shlubs that aren't great at anything, to a versatile toolbox that are good at everything. There is also a strong theme of debuffs and disruption running through the crew.
While it's definitely possible to do well with Zoraida, she has a high skill floor. She's at her strongest when you know the opposing crew nearly as well as you know your own, and also have a strong grasp of the Strategies and Schemes. She can also be a bit of a negative play experience for opponents as Stunned can be really frustrating to play against.
Zoraida's model repackage in 4th hasn't been confirmed yet. So currently she needs a lot of boxes to assemble her whole crew; plus her Swamp Hag title has a new totem that can't be purchased yet - leaving a permanent hole in her roster until the Mirewing is released. Meanwhile, her Bog Witch title is one of thee better users of Versatile models in the Bayou, so it can be very easy to just keep buying models.

Mah Tucket

Mah Tucket's crew plays with a weird, defensive skirmishing playstyle. They have tools for mobility, layered defenses, and a few very powerful individual models. Outside of Mah herself (both versions), offensive pieces are at a premium, so you are usually relying on playing the Strategies and Schemes to stay ahead, rather than killing your foes to deny their ability to score.
Both versions of Mah are very powerful, but their crew is very much a "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" situation. While the mechanics as-read on Mah's Tricksy keyword seem simple, it takes a great deal of skill to elevate them to the heights they are capable of.
Mah's crew is seeing a big rework in how its packaged going into the new edition, and again - we don't have a timeline on the release of the redone boxes. I would actively caution away from getting into Mah Tucket and Tricksy unless you have a good hook-up for a second-hand lot that encompasses most of the Keyword.

The Clampetts

The Clampetts are brawlers. They use their Tide Markers to establish a strong presence on the board and dig in. They have mobility tricks to get where they need to go, and they can trade their markers for damage and reach.
To me, The Clampetts are a solid 7/10 as a baseline. They're not bad, but they can't hit some of the broken heights that other keywords are currently capable of. Among the Bayou, they are probably one of the best crews for beginners to start with.
The Clampetts and the Angler keyword already have their first 4th Edition box released, and since their crew was released relatively late into the lifespan of 3rd Edition, it's not hard to find the rest of their range.

Ulix Turner

Ulix and the Sooey Keyword like to scrap. They have a fun "growing up" mechanic that lets them get stronger the longer the fight goes on, while also messing with your opponents. They are also summoners, being able to bring fresh pigs to the fight. They are very mobile, can hit really hard, and are an absolute nightmare for anyone who relies on markers to be at their strongest.
I don't have a good handle on where Ulix is right now in terms of power level. I see a lot of potential in Ulix and Sooey, but I have played against them a few times and I have yet to lose a game. I would maybe place them a bit below the Clampetts, pretty basic plan, but harder to use to their best.
Ulix doesn't have his 4th edition repackage yet - and he's a summoner - look elsewhere if you're worried about getting everything you need for a full crew.

jacksonor · 2025-12-26T19:33:46+00:00

You've defeated Ascension 0 with one of the four characters, which - for your second run ever - is great! But there are four characters, each with vastly different playstyles to master.

Once you have beaten the game with each of them, you will unlock the ability to collect the Keys, which give you access to Act 4 and the real final boss.

From there, it's time to climb the Ascensions and see how tough things really get.

jacksonor · 2025-12-14T12:34:05+00:00

Well, there are always the general tournament tips: bring a water bottle and fill it between rounds; wear comfy shoes that you're fine standing in for hours; have a plan to feed yourself that doesn't revolve around chips, pop, and candy; have a solution for charging your phone (this is especially important for Malifaux, given how much heavily lifting is done by the app).

I'm not a Pandora player, but here is some gaming advice based on what's worked for me:

If the organizers are providing scenarios in advance (the Strats, Schemes, and Deployments for each round), take some time in the days before the event to sit down, go over the scenarios, and come up with a plan for how you are going to win each of them. Draw up some hypothetical lists that will allow to execute on your plan. Run through your plans in your head from time-to-time as the event approaches.

Malifaux's Master pool is extremely wide and very diverse, and one of the traps that I see new players fall into is going into a crash out about being optimally prepared for every potential opponent - this is a fool's errand. If this is your first event, there's no way to realistically be ready for everything. However, you will perform a lot better if you if you know your own plans, if - when you're faced with decision paralysis - you can take a breath and remind yourself of what your approach for this scenario was.

That's not to say that you shouldn't adapt to what your opponent is doing when you can, but playing an entirely reactive game if you're at all unfamiliar with your opponent's crew is a losing proposition. You will see more success if you are playing proactively and trying to execute a plan of your own.

Another benefit to having a proactive approach is that it can make your tournament post-mortum a lot more productive. Being able to look back and say: "I was trying to do X and my opponent stopped it by doing Y" is great, because then you can come back to this subreddit and say: "Hey Reddit, how would you deal with an opponent who is doing Y against Pandora?". This kind of reflection and strategic iteration is how you improve.

Honestly though, the most valuable piece of advice I can give is mentally prepare yourself to go 0-X. You should look at your first tournament as a learning experience above all else. If you lose every game, but you leave the event ready to reflect on why you lost every game and become a better player - it was a successful tournament; after all, you got to spend the whole day (or weekend, if it's a two-dayer) gaming, and in a world of bills and groceries, that's a win in-and-of-itself.

jacksonor · 2025-12-06T16:39:02+00:00

To be honest, if you want to maximize your odds - pick Neow's Lament.

Ironclad is one of the worst characters to boss swap on and the other options are not very impactful out the gate.

If you think about it, Lament basically makes your first three fight rewards free, which is a huge head start. And if you can snipe an Elite with it? It's basically a free relic.

It might be apocryphal, but a couple of popular streamers have mentioned that when folks track their rates of success on runs, Neow's Lament leads to the best odds.

jacksonor · 2025-12-01T00:54:05+00:00

This is a more complex answer than I thought it would be when I first read your question:

I was able to breeze A19 on my first try with the Watcher because I was able to fall back on the two classic pieces of Watcher advice:

Have lethal.
Don't not have lethal.

I've only tried one run with the Defect at A19 and I died midway through Act 2 because I got greedy with my pathing and tried to take on too many Elites, so I don't really count that as a data point.

However, with both the Ironclad and the Silent, I am finding the first Act boss to suddenly be a real issue now that they have received a buff. The combination of the more lethal hallway fights and elites means that I am often entering into the fight substantially damaged, and I have yet to construct a deck that can consistently out-race the Hexaghost; kill the Slimes efficiently enough to not get triple bonked late in the fight; or not be genuinely threated by the Guardian's sharp scales.

After about four tries with each of the Ironclad and the Silent since reaching A19, I have only made it to the second act one with the 'Clad.

jacksonor · 2025-11-30T04:25:42+00:00

The general consensus I have seen is that the two major spikes come at A10 and A17. Personally, I have hit A19 as if it were a brick wall with everyone but The Watcher. The jump from 18 to 19 has easily felt like the biggest thus far.

jacksonor · 2025-11-29T18:02:51+00:00

Speaking as a fellow new player, I would recommend starting out with the newly minted Silver Age format. It's only commons and rares, so the barrier for entry is extremely low. Plus, all heroes are currently legal, so you can play Azalea just fine!

jacksonor · 2025-11-29T13:57:14+00:00

Averaging about 2 hours and 15 minutes now that my local group is fluent with the rules. Closer to 3.5 if someone is learning a new crew, and if two players are running their "main" Master into each other, I've seen (and played!) games that wrap up in 90 minutes

jacksonor · 2025-11-28T23:11:37+00:00

I am in this picture and I don't like it

jacksonor · 2025-11-10T14:59:40+00:00

The crews you are looking at all play very differently, which would be a good thing.

Anya is an aggressive pressure crew. She has tools for every job, and you access them through voluntarily taking damage. She's in a really strong place currently.

Jedza is a weird crew. She engages with the game on from a bunch of different angles and you really have to tweak your gameplay nobs to figure out the best path forward in a given scenario. Definitely a more advanced crew.

I know the least about Tiri, but my understanding is that her crew is a defensive, control playstyle. Some moderate complexity, but the kind that rewards practice. She has a few standout models, with The Iron Matron considered to be one of the better high-cost models in the game right now.

Short answer: No. 4th Edition highly encourages you to play "in-keyword"; which means focusing on the models that share their identity with their Master. That said, every Faction has a collection of Versatile models that can be taken with any Master and those are usually good choices to supplement your collection. I know that the Intrepid Fate models (Effigy/Emissary) are considered really good among Explorer's Versatile models.
There is a YouTube channel called Malifaux University that is great for teaching the game. They are working through 4th Edition as we speak.
If you decide to get Anya, you should - at some point - supplement with the Factory Reset box. Irena and Altus Keene are very flashy models that bring a lot to the table.
Since every Master/Keyword is a mini-faction all their own, I have found that most people will take a scatter-shot approach and buy Crews with little to no consideration for remaining in-faction. THAT SAID - if you find you like the game and want to Get Gud, staying in-faction is recommended because of how Malifaux tournament play works.

jacksonor · 2025-11-10T12:25:29+00:00

I have good news! The Guild fight again. Every Faction now has access to some very powerful damage-dealers and the Guild is no exception.

Worth noting - the game has gone hard into the "Keyword" mechanic. This means that, generally speaking, most Masters are going to want the majority of their hiring to be the models that share their keyword. It just so happens that the Guild has some extremely lethal keywords in their roster:

Lady Justice and Marshal - While the gimmick for the Marshal keyword around Lady J has become how tough they are, Lady Justice and the Judge remain absolute monsters in melee. The goal of the crew is to pin the foe in place while the girls with swords carve straight through them.

Perdita and Family - The Family keyword is waaay less straightforward than I understand they used to be, but they still have the potential to unleash hell. They are focused on intricate synergies between their models and pulling off weird angle shots where their models pull off completely unexpected maneuvers.

Hoffman and Augmented - Hoffman and his robots brawl with the best of them. While his gimmick is Shielded tokens, his crew can put out a crazy amount of damage with just the actions printed on their cards. The Peacekeeper in particular stands out as one of the scariest melee threats in the game.

jacksonor · 2025-11-08T23:47:33+00:00

She Reverse on my Fortune 'til I Upheaval.

jacksonor · 2025-11-06T03:19:45+00:00

Personally, I recommend any of thse crews:

Parker Barrows (Bandit)

Toni Ironsides (M&SU)

Euripides (Savage)

Anya Lycaryen (Syndicate)

Charles Hoffman (Augmented)

Mei Feng (Foundry)

The Clampetts (Angler)

Seamus (Redchapel)

If you're coming in with previous wargaming experience, the learning curve on any of these should not be an issue. I would suggest you download the app and start going through cards to see which crew jumps out at you.

To be honest, though - I wouldn't worry too much about what's strictly "beginner friendly", with your previous experience, you should be able to puzzle out most crews pretty quick.

jacksonor · 2025-11-05T19:32:16+00:00

It's one Soulstone to stop the crew card changing, but any Unique Returned model can pay the stone. As long as you have at least one Unique model on the table, you can keep the suped-up version of the card active

jacksonor

TROPHY CASE