Monday, 10 June 2019

Aristeia! - Aristo Analysis - Maximus




MAXIMUS: THE ACCLAIMED HERO

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PAIN, ONLY VICTORY."


He puts the 'A' in Aristeia! The epitome and defender of the grand values that define this sport, a natural-born leader, protector of his companions, and scourge of his opponents, Maximus' resplendent smile and shield-bearing silhouette fan the flames of passion in the
hearts of sports fans across the Human Sphere.

Maximus is the square-jawed hero every kid in the Human Sphere wants to grow up to become. Maximus is the ‘A’ in Aristeia!

Most Aristeia! fighters build a persona around their unique abilities and equipment, a bigger-than-life canvas on which to project a compelling story. By dint of editing and various audio-visual technologies, they forge their legend as superheroes or fearsome heels in the eyes of billions.

Maximus is no exception to this, but he also serves a political function. He lives out a message PanOceania is constantly broadcasting to Humankind at large, playing the role that the hyperpower claims to play for the Human Sphere. He’s the shield of Justice that makes order possible, the armor that safeguards the standard of living every society is entitled to. Maximus is the perfect stand-in and spokesman for his nation: Courteous and unfailingly wholesome, yet still a titanic, unassailable bulwark.

In the HexaDome, as in his many feature mayafilms, Maximus plays the lead. He offsets the limitations of his bulk with masterful positioning, and can serve his tactical roles—zone defense, man-to-man lockdown, teammate coverage—robustly despite his lack of serious firepower.

Maximus is the epitome of fair play and teamwork. He’s been at the peak of the competition for a whooping eight years and is showing no signs of slowing down.

“Say your prayers and eat your vitamins!”


Maximus, or "Max" as we will refer to him from here on in, is one of the original "Core 8" Aristos from the Starter. With two metal models available, both the limited edition metal "standard" sculpt and the "Thermopylae" skin as well as the plastic original he's a great choice for the more discerning hobbyist. While the detail on the plastic original sculpt isn't outstanding, the power armoured form is more forgiving of the medium and both metal models are magnificent.
Max is the classic Tank, with massive Hit Points, the best Defense, top rank Brawn for locking down opponents, a solid Taunt mechanic firing as a Switch and an Automatic Skill which allows him to take damage for other Aristos. On the other hand this is balanced by limited Initiative, Speed and a Melee-only attack with only limited damage potential.

Lurking in this basic outline of the Aristo are a couple of small "tricks" which help to make Max more that he might appear at first glance. Obviously there's "Implacable", his other Automatic Skill, which allows him to keep moving around the Hexadome more effectively than his Speed suggests. But his Agility also feeds into this surprising mobility, as it's nearly impossible to actually stop him moving away from, or past, an opponent. Only a handful of other Aristos (Murtair, Kozmo and Gaia) have even a 1-in-6 chance of stopping him with a Critical Block.

His low damage output, strong positional passive abilities, and ability to move freely  past opponents makes for an Aristo who often performs at his best when he's taking two Move Actions, playing for position rather than damage. This also means that he's usually a great early pick for the Running Order, as you don't lose much from him missing an attack, but you gain a lot by getting him into a position that your other Aristos can move into safely and your opponents will have difficulty moving past.

One issue Max suffers from is difficulty in getting out his Taunts. While the Jotum's Shield Attack action is very likely to give you the Switch, that's only got a range of 1-1, and with Max's movement limitations you aren't firing it all that often. Contender shots aren't the most reliable way of pulling a Block and Special result either, meaning you'll most often be Taunting opponents when they target you (never the best situation, unless you can flip the state with another Aristo).

In terms of basic team synergy Max is strong when paired with Aristos who benefit from being on the front line (Melee or short range Strikers) and especially any with low Hit Points and Defense who he can help to keep alive 'through the opponents turn. He is the Aristo most likely to take damage without going to the Infirmary, so more so than any other benefits from the support of a Healer. Activating early allows him to protect other Aristos who move up to join him, but he can also keep Aristos up before they move, making him a great late activation to allow Scorers to stay up before diving into the zone.


In terms of his tactics Max is what I term a "Generous" Aristo. Some Aristos have Tactics which mainly (or only) play on themselves or their own Activation, which I call "Selfish". But most of what Max is putting into the deck can be used by other Aristos, including some of his best.

One great example of this is "Block".

It's not a complicated Tactic, in fact it's as simple as they come. Adding two blue dice to any roll before you make it is a solid option. This instantly turns any Defense into a solid Defense and can make a massive difference to activating Switches.

It's that second part which really makes this card shine for me. There are a lot of Aristos who fire offensive Switches off of Block and Special results, and adding two blue dice can significantly improve your chances of putting a target down.

Probably the single most powerful Tactic which Max brings to the game, "Scram" can, in a moment, totally alter the disposition of an opposing team and allow for unopposed scoring in a turn where they opposition were a about to pull off the opposite.

As a card available during the Activation of any one of your Aristos, "Scram" combines well with highly mobile team mates. Either those who can produce a burst of speed to get across the Hexadome and into a Scoring Zone before using it, or those who might need a little help to Disengage before putting on that same burst of speed.

Because it allows you to hit all adjacent Targets, "Scram" does combine well with an Aristo who already has the ability to Displace a single target, often allowing you to reach the center of a Scoring Zone with such an Aristo and throw up to the whole opposing team out.
Max's third Tactic is another great choice for sharing, and really comes into its own when he's working with another source of Taunt. 

"Freeze" isn't often particularly useful to Max himself. This is because of his excellent Brawn, and largely Melee ranged Taunt. If an opponent is next to Max then there's a good chance they are stuck there anyway. And for Max to reliably Taunt opponents he needs to be next to them.

Of course, Displacement is a thing, so some canny opponents will be able to escape Max before moving, making this a good option to shut that possibility down.

It's at its strongest when combined with another Aristo with a Taunt but less of an ability to pin down their Taunted target. In this case it's lack of any range restriction can allow you to lock down a target anywhere in the Hexadome.

Last, but certainly not least, is the only "Selfish" Tactic which Max is bringing to the table. And what a selfish card it is!

The perfect response to your opponent stacking a Red + Triple Orange (and more) attack in order to actually throw Max into the infirmary by overwhelming firepower, "Adamantine" instantly makes all their effort for naught.

Now, note the timing carefully. This comes in after Switches, so your opponent CANNOT use their Success' for anything else in order to avoid the effect. But that also means that you can't pull it early to avoid them firing Switches either.

This Tactic makes it nearly impossible to take Max down in a single turn, as it's a rare team which can throw out multiple efforts strong enough to put our boy into the Infirmary. So it's a perfect late game play to stop a high-damage opponent removing our Tank before he scores for the win.


Now, this raises the question, what are the best matches for Max in terms of Scenarios?

Many dismiss Max in the high mobility Scenarios such as Assault, Conquest and Scorched Earth, but we've already discussed why that's a mistake. He's more mobile than he first appears and actually brings quite a lot to these kinds of Scenarios. But it's fair to say that they aren't his strongest suit.

King of the Hill is one of the best situations for Max to find himself in. Making it tough for opponents to remove his Team, while being literally the toughest target int the game himself. All you need is some way of keeping him from getting Displaced everywhere (I favour "shoot Hexxer first" as an approach, myself) Max on the Hill can turn into an automatic win.

His low damage output can be a disadvantage in missions where eliminating the opposition is the core goal, such as Carnage, 'though that is also mitigated by his toughness which makes him just as hard to eliminate and the fact that he can take hits for his less well defended Team.

Because of the shorter distances for scoring, Max is an outstanding pick for any of the Ziggurat Scenarios. Even without moving he can sometimes make it from one Ziggurat to the next with just Displacement, especially against opponents spamming cheap attacks.





As always, give us your thoughts below. Do you like Max? How do you use him? Is there anything we have missed?





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