Loudest thunder: my top 10 Ten Thunders

Well it’s a rainy day so I’ve been thinking about Malifaux and decided I’d do a run down of some of my best and worst in faction models. I’m going to start out with Ten Thunders

To make the list, the model in question must have either a great card, or a great model, or just great character. So a model that embodies the faction can make the list even if it isn’t too good!

10 Railworker.

I just love these guys. For 5ss, you get a tough little bugger that doesn’t drop corpse markers. He counts as a scrap markers. Nice and tough with armour and a neat df trigger on tomes. Plus the models look great and they hit quite hard in melee for a 5ss model . As a bonus, Mei Feng can Railwalk using them. Pair with Kang against Ressers and spread around some pain.

9 Mr Graves

Yes he looks like Mr Potato Head, but he is a really great model and has nice fluff. His “Show ya the door” is sweet and gets him round a bit faster. He works well in nearly any TT crew so gives you plenty of options and he pairs well with Mr Tannen. He is actually quite tough and hits well too. A great package.

8 Yan Lo

Yes he sucks on the table (see my previous blog posts, and most of the internet), he’s a tank that no one cares about because he is useless at everything (or there are other cheap models that could do the job instead). But his mechanic is so much fun and his model is one of the most characterful that Wyrd have done. Boy does he suck though. Worst master in the game? Not quite but he is in contention!

7 Yin the Panangang 

Nasty looking model, and nasty on the table. Can fly and hand out a neg flip to WP duels, and then surprise surprise can attack WP and push. Plus her mass of viscera is like hard to wound, but is different so not cancelled by attacks that ignore hard to wound. Push her into an opponent and really tarpit them. 

6 Katanaka Sniper

Oh boy are these guys good. Models aren’t great but on the table they are just nasty. Handy with a gun at range or in melee (unlike a lot of snipers). You can just push them into trouble with From the shadows and still have them kill some scheme runners, or sit back and hand out the pain. With critical strike and a good flip, you can drop a Guild Guard a turn (that was fun, showing Lucius how to really snipe). 

5 Toshiro

Only at number 5 because there are some amazing models in the top 4 spots, but this guy is great. Like a mini Nicodem in your TT crew. Use him to hand out fast, push, and summon. Not great in melee but handy. 

4 Kang

The Hulk himself. Pity the fool of a Resser or Construct that is careless around him. These positive flips to attack and damage. That heal wounds up to the turn number. Take Hard Worker to ignore armour and hard to wound. Buff nearby Railworkers in melee or even a Katakana Sniper at range. Smash stuff with the melee 7 shovel/hammer. Kang SMASH.

3 Chiaki

The bacon butty of the TT. You forget how good it is compared to flashier meals, then when you take a bite, you are in heaven. Incorporeal, condition removal, can hand out slow, a bonus heal and manipulative. I”ve lost count of how many times this swiss army knife of a model has actually won me the game. 

2 Sensai Yu

I’ve only just started using him, but my goodness is he awesome and filthy. Move 7. Yep. That’s bloody fast. With an amazing push that can hand out fast or slow. Give a friendly model steroids or make an enemy feel like they are moving through quick sand. Hits stop enemies using 0 actions till the end of the turn. Can ignore a lot of conditions and immune to enemy pushes etc. Able to borrow a 0 action off a friendly leader too. Plus with Promising Disciple he can attach any upgrades that a leader discards. Possibly one of the best models in faction or even the game in his niche.

Drum roll please for top place

1 Shenlong

This guy just embodies the Ten Thunders for me. Fast, great stats, hard to kill and ridiculous healing. Awesome triggers and can switch styles on the fly. Can push models and move scheme markers. Can do Drunken Kung Fu, Brutal MI with burning, or the Crouching Tiger/Leaping Dragon flying stuff. He’s immune to damage from poison and burning conditions, and can choose whether or not to remove poison, burning or focused at the end of a turn. Plus if he likes your conditions he might steal them for himself. Not the hardest, most lethal master, but he can turn his hand to nearly anything and buffs his crew like you wouldn’t believe.