Aristeia! - Aristo Analysis - Valkyrie

¡VICTORIA O VALHALA!

Blunt as a sledgehammer. Valkyrie charges to the Scoring Zone and seizes it. If Valkyrie has chosen you, there’s no place in the HexaDome where you can hide. She will find you, and she will beat you. Or worse, she will trap you and make you watch your team’s defeat.

VALKYRIE: THE NORSE FURY

After leaving behind a life of thievery and pillage aboard a pirate vessel, Valkyrie has finally found her true calling inside the HexaDome. Whoever stands between her and the title of Bahadur she will gladly crush underfoot.

From her nom de guerre to her appearance—bulging muscles, long blond braids—to her weapon of choice, everything about Valkyrie suggests a shard of Norse mythology come to life under the thick permafrost of the planet Svalarheima. And she might very well be exactly that, given the gaps in our knowledge of her past, the truth of which lies buried under permafrost-thick layers of ‘access denied’ sigils.

This is what we do know: as a teenager, Mia Anderson obtained a brief measure of infamy as a crew member of the Defiler.  Anderson took to charging straight at enemy barricades armed with little more than a heavy axe and a war cry, and even the most steadfast defense fell like a house of cards before her warrior’s advance.

But, as they say, a pirate can either be famous or long-lived. The Defiler’s reputation for savagery and audacity eventually drew the attention of the Mayasphere. After making one too many headlines, the ship’s fate was sealed when the Foreign Company—the Human Sphere’s most media-friendly mercenary company—took on a bounty against it. This was the world’s first chance to see Mia Anderson in action, fighting to repel an attack as vicious as the ones her crew had wrought. She was eventually captured, but not before she downed four of the Hannibal’s men.

The authorities looked leniently upon Mia’s case, and she was sent to a juvenile correctional facility. A few years later, when she was released from the system, a certain businessman named Hannibal was waiting for her with an offer: a position on his budding Aristeia! team, which he planned to staff with the societal refuse of the Human Sphere.

Since that day Valkyrie has proved herself against the likes of Maximus and Miyamoto Mushashi, and has become a front-runner for the title of Bahadur. Nobody seems likely to stop her now, for who could staunch the flow of an avalanche?

“There she goes! Hear her roar: ‘Victory or Valhalla!’”

Valkyrie is an Aristo from the "Soldiers of Fortune" expansion, joining the game alongside her fellow PanOceanian, Hannibal. Although there is no metal model, or alternative sculpt, available for Valkyrie her expansion (and those which have come since) have been noted by most hobbyists as a significant improvement over the level of detail found on the plastic models in the "Core 8".

One issue which has been noted is that the soft plastic is ill suited to a pole weapon of the kind Valkyrie wields. As a result it often bends, although it is, at least, flexible enough to seldom break.

However, the texture of her cloak and detail on her armour and accessories both make for a fantastic model, which takes easily to simple paint and shading and also rewards detailed paint work.

Valkyrie is often characterised as an "Off-Tank", based on her solid Defense. But with relatively limited Brawn, only middling Hit Points and no Taunt mechanic this isn't really a great way of describing her. At the same time, her Frostbite Action is an effective tool for locking down neighboring opponents. So she can play that way if you need her to, especially alongside another likewise partway Tank.

One key thing to understand about Valkyrie is how high her damage output can be as long as she maintains her mobility. She has decent Agility, so Disengage isn't usually too much of a problem unless you get her pinned by an actual Tank. But Charge of the Valkyrie plus her main Switch combine into the ability to dump any 3HP or less character (and often even tougher targets) straight into the Infirmary. Add onto this the range edge and solid mobility which she offers, and Valkyrie can be seen as a truly deadly addition to your team.

Don't be afraid to move away and then back towards an opponent in order to get the maximum of three Orange Dice for three Movement Points spent before the attack. "Fade and Charge" is a valid melee approach.

Thanks to the effects of Benediction of Freyja, and her Switch again, as long as she has contact with a reasonable number of opposing Aristos, Valkyrie can put out solid damage even in situations where she has been pinned down.

But the real game winning ability is the very last thing on her Character Card. Benediction of Thor makes it nearly impossible to shift Valkyrie once she is in a Scoring Zone. This, combined with her Defense, Hit Points, Agility and reasonable Speed turn her into a Scorer. Even the Range on Charge of the Valkyrie and "after resolution" Effect feed into this capability and further embed her value as one of the true all-round Aristos.

When considering Valkyrie's Tactics it's easy to get drawn in by the flashier "Selfish" options which she brings to your deck. But that would be a mistake.

The flexibility offered by "Generous" Tactics like Ice Wall is one factor which should never be overlooked. It's invaluable for adding extra resilience wherever you need it in your team, or your turn.

But where this card particularly shines is in combination with offensive Switches which draw on Block results. Adding an Ice Wall onto Valkyrie is very likely to produce at least one more Success, from raw results or by firing her Switch.

And Valkyrie is far from the only Aristo who can use Block results offensively, which only further reinforces the value of these types of Tactics and the flexibility they add to your deck.

The rest of the selection of Tactics which we are considering for our Norse demi-goddess are "Selfish", but still very worthwhile.

Earlier we mentioned the importance of mobility for Valkyrie, which should make any Manager instantly recognise the value of adding three Movement Points. Odin's Breath can allow Valkyrie to move up to a group of opposing Aristos, drop Frostbite and then hit a target with a full Red + 3 Orange + 3 Blue in a single devastating strike.

It's also valuable to get extra movement for a turn where you want to get into a Zone AND eliminate an enemy Aristo who beat you there.

But the greatest value of this card often comes when Valkyrie is sent to the Infirmary, which does happen from time to time, and which can be crippling when you consider how important it is to move her before attacking. This Tactic allows that where it would otherwise be impossible.

Valkyrie's Cry can serve a number of possible purposes, and thus offers a range of tactical possibilities when included in your deck.

First it can be used to finish off an already damaged Aristo and free Valkyrie to move, especially to move into a new target.

Secondly it can be dropped after a slightly disappointing attack to finish off an opponent who Valkyrie herself has just hit and really wanted sent to the Infirmary.

And last, but certainly not least, it can simply be used as an "opportunity attack" to take out a third party Aristo while Valkyrie herself focuses on another target (which can produce multiple Frags in a single Activation).


Last, but certainly not least, Frostburn can be used to really stymie an opponents key play.

Obviously it can allow you to pin down a pesky Scorer who will otherwise have a clean run at the Scoring Zone, and this is the classic play for this Tactic.

However it's important to also remember that adjacent Immobilized opponents offer Valkyrie extra dice on her attacks. So this Tactic can also be used, functionally, as a bonus Die play for an attack which you really need to stick.

Don't overlook the potential for this card to also lock down Strikers who won't have the range to continue to engage as the combat moves to a new Scoring Zone as well. Both Melee and shorter range Shooters can both suffer from this (basically anyone other than the Major!).

As a genuine all-rounder, Valkyrie can slot into nearly any team or scenario. But as a melee oriented striker she does benefit from a team mate who can enhance her mobility, and with decent hit points she is also very grateful for healing.

She is actually very effective at providing the dice she needs for solid attacks herself, meaning that some support characters benefit her less than other, similar, Aristos. But she certainly can benefit from a genuine Tank, or off-Tank, who can Taunt to draw fire away and minimise the extent to which she is exposed to focused enemy Strikers.

Given her need for mobility, and inability to shift them herself, Valkyrie particularly benefits from a Support who can help her remove or flip Status'. While she has good range for a Melee based Aristo, that's still "for a Melee based Aristo", and she particularly suffers if Immobilized herself, or from reduced Energy and Speed. 

Scenario wise Valkyrie really is suitable everywhere. She has solid mobility, high damage output, decent toughness and is impossible to shift once in place. There isn't a Scenario yet where she's not a solid pick.

For more on Valkyrie, follow the link below:

https://aristeiathegame.com/blog/item/484-in-depth-valkyrie

To see our thoughts on her regular team-mate Maximus, head this way:

https://heartofthehyperpower.blogspot.com/2019/06/aristeia-aristo-analysis-maximus.html

One last thing to note is that our favorite child of Svalarheima is coming to Infinity the Game, the tabletop wargame set in the Aristeia! universe. And if this art is anything to go by, she's going to look amazing!



So, what do you think about this Viking angel of death?

How have you used her?

Is there anything you think we've missed?