Aristeia! - Scenario Breakdown - Frenzied Dance

Join the Frenzied Dance

In the second installment of our series examining the Scenarios using the "B-Side" of the Aristeia! board, with the "Ziggurats" used for Scoring instead of the standard Deployment Zones, we are looking at the Ziggurat version of Conquest, Frenzied Dance. 

As always this, and all the Aristeia! Scenarios for the current season of the AGL, are available from the Downloads Section of the Aristeia Website. Once you have played a few games with the introductory set of Scenarios in the Reference Guide I highly recommend checking these out.

This Scenario contains a known miss-print in the English version. -V- has confirmed in this thread that the first sentence in the section Conquering Ziggurats should read "A Character has conquered a Ziggurat at the end of their Activation if they are the only Character on the three Scoring Spaces of the Ziggurat". Which is a fairly substantial change.

To Conquer a Ziggurat an Aristo must be the only Aristo in that Ziggurat at the end of their Activation. If they have a Team mate in the Ziggurat then they don't Conquer it (so be careful Displacing or Placing your Team mates). If there is an opposing Aristo in the Ziggurat then they don't Conquer it, so be careful not to risk too many contested captures in a round.

As you only Conquer Ziggurats by ending your activation in them you will, by default, be defending them to some extent. Of course, the tougher the Aristo the more difficulty your opponent will have. States, Abilities and Tactics which help to keep your Aristos up and in position are all invaluable to prevent having a Ziggurat you have captured taken away.

This also means that you need to be prepared to challenge your opponent for control over at least some Ziggurats in order to win the game. Initiative to get in first will be useful, but Frags will also be important.

So our most recent game is actually a very good example of the Scenario being played correctly:

Also note that you clear the Conquered Ziggurats each Round. This means that you need to be able to either hold a Ziggurat, uncontested, over several Rounds or keep moving to take them again.

This makes the final activation in a Round valuable, if you have a highly mobile Aristo to get to any Ziggurat your opponent left unoccupied (or you have managed to make unoccupied). But it also makes activating before your opponent to get into one of the "contested" Ziggurats (assuming you both have two you can secure safely) to Conquer it before your opponent can do the same (and block them at the same time) significant. This means Initiative is valuable on both ends, and any Aristo (or Tactic) which can offer modification there will be highly effective.

On the other hand, effective Melee Strikers also offer the opportunity to simply eliminate the occupying Aristo, and Displacement effects will likewise free up the Ziggurat for you to take it yourself. Any Aristo who, either by Displacing or simply dealing enough damage to reliably send an opponent to the Infirmary, can clear their own Ziggurat is very useful.

All this taken together means that you can't rely on your Aristos being close together as most of the time they won't be able to be closer than Range 5 at best occupying multiple Ziggurats. So short range Support Aristos may suffer due to their Team being too spread out for them to be able to effectively aid them. 

Although the overall structure of the Scenario makes it very difficult for most Tanks to do their job well, there can be good reasons to still consider these Aristos. Simply being able to reliably hold a Ziggurat in the face of overwhelming firepower is a very valuable capability to bring into Frenzied Dance. Plus their secondary abilities can also be (situationally) useful. It's hard to KEEP Max out of a Zone with Displacement, for example (unless you aren't attacking anywhere else).

Ranged Strikers can also be very useful as they can take a Ziggurat away from the opposition while still reaching out to "touch" the other Team. If they can reliably eliminate an opposing Aristo then they will be able to clear the way for your Scorers to pick up an empty Zone as well. Many of these Aristos also offer useful backup Scorer potential, or useful defensive utility. Obviously the counter plays for this are Dazzle (on your opponents Ranged Strikers and Controllers), Hidden and Smoke, all of which allow control over incoming attack options.

With the potential to score up to 4 points in a single Round (especially with a well mixed team with offensive potential, scoring capability and staying power) some bold and aggressive strategies can be rewarding for the Manager who is willing to risk them. However even a moderately strong open, securing two "safe" Ziggurats and finishing with two "contested" Ziggurats Conquered can ultimately net the same outcome.

The fact that it's so difficult to wipe out an opponents scoring entirely will keep Teams in the contest far longer than you might expect. So if you do take losses make sure you get the points you can to stay in the chase.

It is worth remembering that the distance from the Deployment Zones to the nearest Ziggurat is only two spaces, so even a slow poke like Maximus can get into the Ziggurat and punch someone in the face with his shield in a single Activation. But it's ALSO only 8 hexes to go from one Ziggurat to the opposite Ziggurat, so most Aristos can fling themselves across the Hexadome with a double Move action to Conquer a Ziggurats on the opposite side. This means that a lot more Aristos than you might initially expect can potentially get to any Ziggurat which you leave unoccupied.

One hilarious aspect of the Deployment offers the opportunity for a lot of fun with the right Aristos. This is the fact that either Team can Deploy within any of the Deployment Zones, even adjacent to other Aristos. This can open up opportunities for a dedicated Melee Striker (like Shona, for example) to eliminate an opposing Aristo before Conquering a Ziggurat your opponent intended to secure, or a powerful Controller (like Gaia) to lock down opponents (as you see her execute in the match above) before they get to play. 

Particular standout PanOceanian Aristos for this Scenario include Valkyrie (for her ability to eliminate an Aristo and take a contested Ziggurat, Immobilisation Action, and defense against Displacement), Dart (for her strong ranged damage output, along with Hidden for defense against ranged attacks and ranged control) and Gata, who can hit any Ziggurat on the table with ease.

From the Rivals there are some particularly potent threats and also some fantastic Combos. Obviously hEXx3r can be strong here, clearing out Aristos from Ziggurats she wants to Conquer while moving herself (or her Team Mates) in. Bixie is astonishingly effective thanks to the positioning of the Blocked spaces opening out her mobility. Mushashi also brings the mobility and damage output to be a real threat in this scenario.

A couple of other tips relate to Deployment. Don't overlook the fact that you can use the Central Deployment Zone. It's so seldom an option that it's easy to forget. And don't forget to drop your Aristos into the Deployment Zone which allows them the best opportunity to get extra points. This is not a time for sticking to "your" Deployment Zones for a whole match.

Overall, this Scenario comes down to movement, positioning and the ability to keep your Aristos up. But due to the closeness of the Ziggurats even a little movement can make a huge difference. 

Let us know what you think about this Scenario, and our writeup. Obviously these are the first parts of a series, so we'd love to know if this suits what you want to know about Aristiea! Scenarios in general.

Aristeia! - Scenario Breakdown - Witchland

Into The Witchland

For Managers who are relatively new to the action in the Hexadome, one of the best steps to expanding your Aristeia! experience can be looking at the wider range of Scenarios available from the Downloads Section of the Aristeia Website.

Along with the selection of more advanced Scenarios for the standard board layout, there are a series of Scenarios which use the "B-Side" of the Aristeia! board and introduce the concept of "Ziggurats".

These holographic columns designate new Zones on the table, which are used for Scoring instead of the standard Deployment Zones. 

For those of you new to the concept, the Ziggurats use the three legged symbols printed on the B-Side of the board. They mark the three hexes in contact with the Ziggurat, but we've found that adding a template to the board is very useful.

It's their location in the Hexadome which really kicks these Scenarios up a notch. The distance from the Deployment Zones to the nearest Ziggurat is only two spaces, so even a slow poke like Maximus can get into the Ziggurat and punch someone in the face with his shield in a single Activation. But it's ALSO only 8 hexes to go from one Ziggurat to the opposite Ziggurat, so most Aristos can fling themselves across the Hexadome with a double Move action and arrive to score no matter where the Zone is moved.

This means that pinning Aristos with solid Brawn, and totally repositioning them is usually stronger than smaller displacements (although the latter is still very useful in terms of controlling who is in the Scoring Ziggurat THIS turn). You are also going to want to look for solid Initiative, as getting into the Zone first, and into a strong blocking position, is a strong and easy play for most Aristos. Straight blocking your opponents from the Zone is very possible.

For more on the new Scenarios in general check out the official Corvus Belli write up here:

https://aristeiathegame.com/blog/item/634-new-scenarios-for-the-hexadome-b-side

When considering Witch Land specifically as a Scenario it's good to nod to the "standard" Scenario which it draws from, Assault. Starting closer to the Scoring Zone, and with the Ziggurats being closer together than the Deployment Zones, means that there is less of an emphasis on extreme movement in Witch Land, however.

This opens up a wider range of Aristos, particularly slower Melee Aristos like Shona Carano and 8-Ball, and makes them stronger in terms of Team selection. It's even possible for the likes of Maximus to get into a Scoring Zone from one of the two nearest Deployment Zones with just the one Move Action, and he doesn't need a lot of help to cross from one to the opposite if that's where it goes in the following Activation (often pulling that off thanks to his Automatic Displace).

With the Deployment Zones split 1, 3, and 5 or 2, 4 and 6 both Teams have a good chance of getting even their slower Aristos into the first Scoring Ziggurat, as both are able to deploy into one of the two closest Deployment Zones. As these same Deployment Zones continue to be used for deploying from the Bench this situation is maintained throughout the Match. This also means that there is no real opportunity for aggressive Melee Striker spawning, and the central Deployment Zone is largely a safe space for more vulnerable Aristos to stalk.

As with Assault, the Scoring Ziggurat does not shift if nobody scored any Victory Points in the round. This can make for interesting last turn plays, 'though the actual scoring can make this challenging.

Unlike Assault there is no reward for holding the Scoring Ziggurat unopposed, and getting only one Aristo to the Ziggurat will net you only one point. You need to get an Aristo into all three of the hexes in order to score the max. This tends to slow down scoring, and regularly results in 2-1 scoring splits which helps to keep matches closer and results in few early finishes.

While this might seem to encourage Frags (and eliminating an opposing Aristo certainly helps to prevent them scoring in that Round) be somewhat careful that you aren't gifting your opponent a positioning advantage. The short range from the Deployment Zone and the Ziggurats means that every Aristo can move to score even with a -2 Energy State. At the same time, your opponent needs 3 Aristos on the board to get 3 VP, so if you can consistently put at least 2 into the Infirmary then they will struggle to pull back an early lead.

Obviously, Displacement and Immobilisation are still going to be powerful key elements in engaging in this scenario. Don't rely too heavily on movement penalties, as many Aristos will still be able to cross the shorter distances required for the Ziggurats. Just like the Scoring Zones the Ziggurats tend to be relatively exposed so having a strong Ranged Striker to sweep can be a powerful choice.

With the requirement to stack three Aristos into the Ziggurat in order to obtain maximum points there is a premium on Aristos who can offer strong close range support. Aristos who have the Defense and Hit Points to be able to take a beating and keep running will also be useful, as are any abilities which prevent Displacement (Automatic Abilities like Valkyrie, Hidden like Dart and Tactics like Gata).

The Deepwater Dragons Pre-Season Team of Dart, Maximus, Mendoza and Valkyrie was very strong in this Scenario. They were regularly able to get full 3-point opening Turns and then maintain scoring pressure with Valkyrie and Dart cutting in, and/or eliminating 2 opposing Aristos. Mendoza was a sleeper Strike option and also helped keep the whole team up for the duration. Maximus is amazing drawing Hit Point damage off the other Aristos, and Dart is fantastic for picking off the opposition and chip scoring.

Other fantastic PanOceanian options for this Scenario include Prysm (who will nearly always be in range for her Taunt), Gata (who is always an amazing Scorer, but also has the opportunity to do a lot of Dazzling with the Zones closer) and Gaia (who is fast becoming one of my favorite options for movement control, especially aggressively offensively). For a totally different approach you could also build around Hannibal and maximising damage output, on the logic that a team permanently in the Infirmary can't score.

Looking across at the Rivals, obviously hEXx3r is going to bring a lot to this Scenario, as is Hammerhead. Both have good movement and the ability to Displace opponents to score and prevent others from doing so. Likewise 8-Ball and Mushashi are going to be strong choices for their abilities.

For an example of Witchland being played, you should check out my recent match with the Deepwater Dragons vs the Cherry Bombs. This match highlighted how effective Frags can be to disrupt your opponents scoring, and showcases Valkyrie as a potent force in the Scenario:

So, that's Witchland. We've really been enjoying the Ziggurat Scenarios, and we highly recommend that anyone should give them a go. They aren't really any more complex than the Scoring Zone based Scenarios, so there isn't a barrier to newer Aristeia! Managers taking them on either.

One thing is for sure, they open up a much wider range of competitive Aristos, and for that alone they deserve a place in your play rotation.

Let us know what you think about this Scenario, and our writeup. Obviously this is the first of a series, so we'd love to know if this suits what you want to know about Aristiea! Scenarios in general.

Dragons vs Thunderbolts in Frenzied Dance at the Tempest Hexadome!

Watch TEMPEST HEXADOME from KNlGHTH00D on www.twitch.tv

Join me in the Tempest Hexadome for this throwdown between the Deepwater Dragons and the Thunderbolts. This was our third match in the Regular Season of the Auckland Aristeia League, played with the Koorie Queen Mod, live streamed thanks to https://www.twitch.tv/knlghth00d

The Dragons team: Dart, Eclypse, Gaia and Valkyrie
Selected from a full roster of: Dart, Eclypse, Gata, Gaia, Koorie Queen, Maximus, Mendoza and Valkyrie after Koorie Queen was banned by the Thunderbolts under the Koorie Queen Mod.

The Bad Wolves team: Eclypse, hEXx3r, Lunah and Mushashi
Selected from a full roster of: 8-Ball, Bixie, Eclypse, Hannibal, hEXx3r, Lunah, Massacre and Mushashi after Massacre was banned by the Dragons under the Koorie Queen Mod.

Scenario: Frenzied Dance

I had hilariously over-analysed the scoring zone and convinced myself that it was different from the usual Ziggurat missions. But it's not. However with the zones being "cleared" of affiliation after each Round the importance of having stickability was paramount.

I had intended to run a rendition of my "All The Hidden, All The Time" Team with Dart, Eclypse and Koorie Queen joined by either Valkyrie or Gaia. When the 'bolts banned Koorie Queen I simply pulled in both of my "last choice" Aristos, which proved to be an excellent decision.

The match was dominated by my opening play with Gaia, pulling both Obliteration and Epirogenesis with my mulligan, which placed her last aggressively positioned behind Lunah and the 'bolts Eclypse who she pulled into a corner and pinned down with Gorgoneions for the duration.

Combined with three Frags on hEXx3r and one on Mushashi (who spent the entire match so far out of position that he never got to actually make an attack across four rounds) from Valkyrie and Dart made for a nearly impossible match for the 'bolts.

Tune in next week for the first of a series of Aristo Analysis videos from KN1GHTH00D, starting with the alleged "Queen of the Hexadome" ('though after tonight I suspect the Dragons media team are going to be disputing that title) hEXx3r.

As always, check it out at 8:30pm Wednesday Night, New Zealand time at: https://www.twitch.tv/knlghth00d

Dragons vs Bad Wolves in Broken Land at the Tempest Hexadome!

Watch TEMPEST HEXADOME from KNlGHTH00D on www.twitch.tv

Join me in the Tempest Hexadome for this throwdown between the Deepwater Dragons and the Bad Wolves. This was our second match in the Regular Season of the Auckland Aristeia League, played with the Koorie Queen Mod, live streamed thanks to https://www.twitch.tv/knlghth00d

The Dragons team: Dart, Gaya, Maximus and Mendoza
Selected from a full roster of: Dart, Eclypse, Gata, Gaya, Koorie Queen, Maximus, Mendoza and Valkyrie after Valkyrie was banned by the Bad Wolves under the Koorie Queen Mod.

The Bad Wolves team: Maximus, Murtair, Shona Carano and Taowu
Selected from a full roster of: Bachnann, Bixie, Hammerhead, Kozmo, Maximus, Murtair, Parvati, Shona Carano and Taowu after Kozmo was banned by the Dragons under the Koorie Queen Mod.

Scenario: Broken Land

Losing Valkyrie threw me initially, as she was pretty key to my plans for how to play this scenario. Holding a Ziggurat AND bonus points for killing opposing Aristos in the Ziggurat AS WELL AS bonus points for killing while in the Zone?

Yeah, she was the right ban to pick.

However that just opened me up to picking Gaya, who I was probably going to hold back from in favour of Valkyrie. And boy, OH BOY, did Gaya work out well.











We have another match next Wednesday, playing Frenzied Dance against the Mollusks, streaming live on Twitch from 8:30pm New Zealand time. Join us for the latest action from the Tempest Hexadome!

Dragons vs Cherry Bombs in Witchland at the Tempest Hexadome!

Watch TEMPEST HEXADOME from KNlGHTH00D on www.twitch.tv

Join me in the Tempest Hexadome for this throwdown between the Deepwater Dragons and the Cherry Bombs. This was our first match in the Regular Season of the Auckland Aristeia League, played with the Koorie Queen Mod, live streamed thanks to https://www.twitch.tv/knlghth00d

The Dragons team: Dart, Eclypse, Koorie Queen and Valkyrie
Selected from a full roster of: Dart, Eclypse, Gata, Koorie Queen, Maximus, Mendoza and Valkyrie after Mendoza was banned by the Thunderbolts under the Koorie Queen Mod.

The Thunderbolts team: Hannibal, Lunah, Massacre and Prysm
Selected from a full roster of: Eclypse, Gata, Hannibal, hEXx3r, Laxmee, Lunah, Massacre and Prysm after hEXx3r was banned by the Dragons under the Koorie Queen Mod.

Scenario: Witchland

I had walked in wanting to run close to what I actually put on the table, with my initial plan for the team being Dart, Eclypse, Gata and Koorie Queen. But in response to the Bombs Team selections I decided to put in Valkyrie instead of Gata.

As things played out I was relatively pleased with that choice, although in retrospect the relative mobility of Gata and her ability to Dazzle might have been just as useful as the damage output from Valkyrie as the Bombs didn't have a lot in the way of Displacement for Valkyrie to ignore.

We have another match this Wednesday, against the Bad Wolves, streaming live on Twitch from 8:30pm New Zealand time. Join us for the latest action from the Tempest Hexadome!

Dragons vs Thunderbolts in Witchland at the Tempest Hexadome!

Join me in the Tempest Hexadome for this throwdown between the Deepwater Dragons and the Thunderbolts. This was an early taster of how the final game from the Otono Cup would play out, live streamed thanks to https://www.twitch.tv/knlghth00d

The Dragons team: Maximus, Valkyrie, Mendoza and Dart
The Thunderbolts team: Hannibal, Massacre, hEXx3r and 8-Ball

Scenario: Witchland

This match is actually from the end of April 2019, but I had another game of Witchland in the Tempest Hexadome against the Cherry Bombs streaming live on the 3rd of July which I'll have up soon.

Aristeia! - Aristo Analysis - Shona Carano

"There can only be one left."

Shona Carano is a living legend of Aristeia! who has returned to claim what belongs to her in her own right: the Bahadur title.

SHONA CARANO: Weapon teacher and living legend

The audience ratings of the primal show Yajurveda dramatically dropped at the start of the fourth season. Vissiorama gathered all their brilliant minds to seek a solution. After some deliberation, the executive management of programming approved Jake Wilson plan, an ambitious young man who was the deputy director of Maya’s marketing department. Wilson offered himself as the executor of the operation and straw man, so that Vissiorama’s reputation wouldn’t be affected in case something went wrong.

Wilson gathered and studied the profile of several candidates whose common traits were youth, good physical condition, combat experience, and the mastery of some exotic weapon. He also valued the existence of moral principles that were easily manipulated. After an exhaustive screening process and a subsequent rejection of the first candidates, it was the turn of a neoterran fencing champion, Shona Carano, who didn’t hide her involvement with a pro-human movement that denounced the labor invasion of synthetics in various areas of the society, as well as in several Maya shows.

Jake Wilson, pretending to be an activist from another anti-synthetic group, contacted Shona to help them disrupt a Yajurveda battle. The plan was to sneak her in one of the shows, where she would defeat the synthetics before the cameras, and this way, demonstrate the superiority of humanity. To achieve such a feat, Shona needed an exceptional weapon. In addition to access to the show, Wilson gave her detailed information about the whereabouts of a sword, an almost mythical object, placed in the Caledonian mountains of Ariadna.

Shona managed to get a sword comprised of Teseum, and with Wilson’s help, stormed in during a Yajurveda broadcast - confronting all the synthetic fighters in a legendary epic melee that ended with Shona raising her victorious sword over a mountain of lifeless synthetic bodies. She was immediately arrested, and released after a short negotiation with Vissiorama. Jake Wilson incriminated himself, following his own script and disappearing from the scene. This had been Yajurveda’s touch of death. The audience cheered Shona’s performance, that was being reproduced over and again in the spectator comlogs all over the Human Sphere. No one wanted synthetic fighters anymore, and so Yajurveda would become Aristeia! and Shona, its first great addition. However, Shona was an consummate fighter who didn’t know how to cope with being a star in the world of entertainment. She decided to abandon the show after several seasons, tired of always being in the first position, but never champion because she didn’t stick to the rules of show business. However, leaving the competition didn’t mean leaving the sword aside. After her departure from Aristeia!, Carano focused on her career as a weapons teacher and became a trainer of the Aquila Guard, the elite of PanOceania’s NeoTerran troops.

Recently, Wally Tortollini, the scourge of Maya stars, has been pouring proven and very compromising information on Carano - evidence of her involvement of Vissiorama and its interruption in Yajurveda. That includes the telemetric data that shows that the parameters of the synthetics would have been reduced to magnify her most lauded feat.

Twenty years later and angrier than ever, Shona Carano has reappeared in the surprise presentation of a new team named after the five-times-Bahadur, Final Boss. As he explained, Carano showed up at the damn door of his mansion, with her old Tesseum blade with a new and modern PanOceanian grip. With her chin pointing at him defiantly, she said, “I’m on your team. Like it or not, I’m in”.

She went straight to training after the visit. She seeks now triumph without tricks. She’s motivated to claim what she lacks and belongs to her by right: the Bahadur title.

Shona Carano is an Aristo from the Legendary Bahadurs expansion for Aristeia! This makes her part of the second wave of Corvus Belli plastic models. These all feature deeper, crisper detail and more complexity in the design and textures than the original "core 8" plastics.

In the case of the Shona model the face, costume and detail tooling are all very good, with the only issue being her sword. Although the detail on the sword is good, the plastic material suffers from being too soft for these kinds of elements and it bends easily.

If the sword is replaced, or drilled and reinforced with a metal rod, then this miniature becomes an excellent piece, which will suit simple techniques for modestly skilled hobbyists but still reward the talent and effort of truly skilled painters.

At first glance Shona's attributes are not particularly impressive. Her Initiative, Speed, Energy, Brawn and Agility are all average. While her Hit Points are above average, her Defense is low for a Melee character.

Her universal Switch is useful, being able to Flip State tokens on her own card, but expensive at one Block and one Special. Her secondary Attack is relatively likely to fire it however, especially if you have a "Block" Tactic to add into the mix.

As a melee oriented Striker it's Shona's Attacks which are critical, and "Broadsword" is a cracking attack. With a Red, Orange and two automatic Successes it is the most reliable unmodified Attack in the game. The unusual range is usually helped by Shona's Automatic Ability, or liberal use of her secondary Attack. Note the Switch, which introduces solid control over all but Tanks, if you can get more Special results into your roll.

"Hit the Blade" has better flexibility in range, which helps keep Shona operating even if she gets Dazzled, noting also that it has a decent chance of allowing her to Flip that or any other inconvenient State. While low damage it will regularly fire its first action Switch, allowing Shona to Displace herself, and it can be worthwhile to trade two Successes to Displace your Target (especially if you won't deal Damage due to Blocks anyway).

Unlike many other Strikers Shona doesn't have an Ability to lean into, she's basically all about the Attacks. This makes her a particularly focused Striker, and more dependent on support than others. However the range of Attacks, and their Switches, give her solid Control.

As part of firing her primary Attack, Shona has an Automatic Skill which triggers at the beginning of the Actions Step of her Activation. This allows her to Displace, if she is Adjacent to an opposing Aristo and if she immediately afterwards declares "Broadsword". This has been FAQ'd to clarify that Shona can use another Action if the Displacement is somehow cancelled or reversed, leaving her unable to execute the Broadsword Attack.

Like most of the Legendary Bahadurs, Shona Carano is a purely "selfish" Aristo in terms of her Tactics. All of them fire only for her and most only during her Activation.

The first option which Shona offers for your Tactics deck is the excellent "Amputate". This is a Tactic which has the potential to be match shaping, so you should ensure that you have either drawn out your opponents "NO!", or any other Tactics which negate Successes or reduce the Dice pool, before play. Or, simply hold your own "NO!" in reserve.

This Tactic allows you to perform the "Amputate" Attack for no Action Points during Shona's Actions Step at Range 1-2 and throwing 3 Orange. If it inflicts a single Hit Point of Damage it immediately adds Damage tokens equal to the Targets Hit Points Attribute. In other words it immediately sends them to the Infirmary, regardless of their current health (barrng timely Tactics play).

Obviously adding extra Dice is useful, but particularly in terms of mitigating the cost, Imposing the -2 Energy State, as triggering Shona's universal Switch can mean the State is entirely cleared by the end of her Activation.

Our next potential pick is "Vigour", which also plays during the Actions Step of Shona's Activation. The value of this Tactic is entirely dependent on the other Aristos in your team, making it an interesting "team work" Tactic, regardless of it's "selfishness".

If you have a couple of opponents who are Stunned or Dazzled then Shona can really go to town on them, with "Broadsword" dropping to a cost of 2 Action Points, but ESPECIALLY "Hit the Blade" which now only costs 1 Action Point. Throw in Hannibal to up the damage output and you can MACHINE through opposition.

Don't overlook the advantage of ignoring Smoke either, as this can make all the difference against an opponent relying on Smoke to slow down your damage output, especially with "Broadsword".

The third option Shona affords her manager is excellent for handling opposing Melee Strikers. "Riposte" takes Shona's Defense and both improves and enhances it.

One of the best aspects of this tactic is the fact that you only have to drop it when your opponent declares an Attack on Shona. Note that it works at Range 2 as well as against Adjacent targets, so it can sometimes help against ranged attacks too.

With an extra Blue and two Orange Shona becomes both hard to hurt, very likely to trigger her universal Switch AND very likely to deal damage to the opposing Aristo. In fact there's a strong likelihood, against most other Melee Aristos, that she will take them down in their own Attack.

Best of all the protection runs 'till the end of the Round, making it even harder for opponents to put Shona down, and making it even more likely she'll put one of theirs down in return.

The last choice which Shona presents is a free Action, the only one available to her (other than the default "Move"). It only plays during the Actions Step of her Activation.

"Whirlwind" allows the "Whirlwind" Action, which throws a Blue and Yellow dice. Note that it doesn't have any triggered Effects, but only an automatic Effect, so you don't need to fish for Success results, just Blocks and Specials for the action Switch.

With an automatic Hit Point being dropped on every opposition Aristo at Range 1-2, and an extra one for every Block plus Special you can Switch out, this can be devastating against a concentrated group of opponents. Really only Smoke shuts it down well.

In terms of her selection, Shona is stronger in Scenarios where she doesn't have to be as mobile, as mobility isn't her strongest asset. This makes her a weaker pick for the moving Scoring Zone missions like Assault, but still solid in the Ziggurat Scenarios. Her damage output is both reliable and high, making her a strong pick for the likes of Carnage.

Shona is a good example of a highly focused Aristo, similar to Maximus, who is very strong in one aspect of the game but also commensurately weaker in others. This makes it important to be confident that her selection suits the needs you have for the Scenario.

This same consideration also feeds into team selection with Shona. She benefits a lot from defensive enhancement, making an effective Tank, or an Aristo who can help prevent opponents targeting her with Hidden or Smoke before she Activates, very valuable. And while her Defense isn't excellent, she does have enough Hit Points to benefit from good healing support.

Further driving up her damage and Switch output with the right Support Aristos, offering additional Orange or Yellow dice helps bump the already strong aspect of her game into the truly unstoppable. Few opponents will stand up to Shona backed by Hannibal or Laxmee.

Enhancing her mobility with Gaia or hEXx3r also adds a lot, and can help overcome that shortcoming and help her contribute more in a wider range of situations in the Hexadome.

So, that's the first Aristo, the woman who took down Yajurveda and ushered in the current age of Hexadome sporting combat.

If you are interested in more on Shona, check out the official write up here:

https://aristeiathegame.com/blog/item/630-in-depth-shona-carano

As always, we'd appreciate your thoughts. Not just on this article but on the series as a whole as well. Are these articles suiting what you want from Aristeia! content?  Is there something more you'd like to see from them?

But, also, do you use Shona?
What kind of Team do you like to run her in?
Have there been any Scenarios where you felt she was really strong?
Has she been effective for you?
What limitations have you run into?

Let us know your thoughts.