Shrike

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Shrike Cryx Light Warjack

The Shrike soars against the weight of its great tempered-steel wings by virtue of the roaring fires of its necrotite engine and the dark spells woven into its frame. Following the predatory instincts instilled in its cortex, the Shrike surveys the field of battle from aloft before plunging into the formations of the living to scythe through the ranks with its bladed wings. The appearance of Shrikes is often a precursor to a larger Cryxian force.

Basic Info

Shrike
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Medium SPD 7 STR 7 MAT 7 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 15 ARM 13 CMD N/A ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 20 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE N/A COST 6 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Warjack - All warjacks share the same set of special rules. Most notably being big and stompy. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.

Abilities

• Construct
• Flight
• Blade Rush - While making a trample power attack, this model ignores free strikes and does not stop when it contacts a model with a medium or larger base, an obstacle, or an obstruction. This model makes trample attacks against models regardless of their base size.
• Smasher - This model can make trample power attacks without spending focus and gains an additional die on trample attack rolls.
• Threshing Blades - This model gains +4 to its trample power attack damage rolls.
• Trample Power Attack - This model can make trample power attacks.

Weapons

• Vicious Beak - 0.5" reach, POW 4, P+S 11 melee weapon.
• Wing Blades - 0.5" reach, POW 4, P+S 11 melee weapon.

Theme Forces

• Cryx
  • Black Industries
  • Dark Host
  • The Ghost Fleet
  • Scourge of the Broken Coast. Shrike gains Gang Fighter in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army. It gains Accumulator [Soulless] in this theme.
  • Mercenary and Convergence players can use it by either:
    • putting it under the control of Asphyxious4 in various themes,
    • putting it under the control of Mortenebra in Strange Bedfellows.

Thoughts on Shrike

Shrike in a nutshell

The Shrike is a focus-independent trample machine, and does best as an anti-infantry model. Free tramples over anything within 10", attacking at MAT 7 + 3d6 and hitting at POW 11 is quite respectable on a 6 point package. And of course, you can always buff those numbers upwards.

The free tramples means you can operate outside your caster's control range (or be on a jack marshal) and still operate near peak efficiency. Its P+S is high enough to threaten light/medium single-wound infantries, including elusive solos. Lastly, with a respectable SPD7 and a medium base finding somewhere you can trample to is usually not as difficult as it is with a large or huge based model.

Combos & Synergies

• Mortenebra2 - Fail Safe ensures that the Shrike remains operational even on a single HP. Locomotion can add crucial extra inches, while Spell piercer can help you with annoying upkeeps. You might have better target for all these spells, but under her feat there's hardly any engaged target the Shrike cannot hit.
• Lich Lord Venethrax - Terminal Velocity is yet another source for extra accurate tramples against living models.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The main drawback to the model is that, to get a decent trample off, requires your opponent to setup his models in the optimum position for you.
• Typical bonejack - infuriatingly high DEF, but tinfoil ARM; stay away from auto-hits.
• It takes only 10 damage to knock out your Movement system completely, greatly reducing the capability of the Shrike.
• Even with P+S 11 it will not really hurt heavies.

Tricks & Tips

• The shrike has two initial attacks, including one that cannot be crippled, so the Shrike is still a decent anti-infantry warjack even if it cannot trample.
• Your trample damage roll is STR + 4 + 2d6. (It's not P+S + 4 + 2d6)
• If the enemy managed to turn around your Shrike (with Telekinesis for example), remember that you can change facing before trampling, and you do not have to have LOS to your trample target (something to remember against the Witch Coven).

Other

Trivia

• Released in Reckoning book (2015)
• The real world Shrike is a bird known for impaling its prey on thorns, barbed wire, and etc.

Other Cryx models

Cryx Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Agathia - Aiakos2 - Asphyxious1 - Asphyxious2 - Asphyxious3 - Coven - Deneghra1 - Deneghra2 - Deneghra3 - Goreshade1 - Goreshade2 - Goreshade3 - Mortenebra1 - Mortenebra2 - Rahera - Scaverous - Skarre1 - Skarre2 - Skarre3 - Sturgis2 - Terminus - Venethrax
Warcaster attachments	The Withershadow Combine - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Skarlock Thrall - Doctor Stygius (Partisan) - Madelyn Corbeau (Mercenary)
Other Warjack Controllers	Jack Marshals: Iron Lich Overseer       "Junior Warcasters": Aiakos1 - Asphyxious4 - Deneghra0
Light	Cankerworm - Deathripper - Defiler - Helldiver - Nightwretch - Ripjaw - Scavenger - Shrike - Stalker
Heavy	Barathrum - Corruptor - Deathjack - Desecrator - Erebus - Harrower - Kharybdis - Inflictor - Leviathan - Malice - Nightmare - Reaper - Seether - Slayer
Colossal	Kraken - Sepulcher
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units	Asphyxious4 - Bane Knights - Bane Riders - Bane Warriors - Bile Thralls - BO Boarding Party - BO Ironmongers - BO Smog Belchers - Bloodgorgers - Marauders - Carrion Thralls - Cephalyx Drudges - Cephalyx Overlords - Mechanithralls - Necrosurgeon - Revenant Cannon - Revenant Crew - Satyxis Gunslingers - Satyxis Blood Witches - Satyxis Raiders - Scharde Dirge Seers - Scharde Pirates - Soulhunters - The Devil's Shadow Mutineers - The Withershadow Combine
Solos	Aiakos1 - Agrimony - Axiara - Bane Lord Tartarus - Bloat Thrall - BTO Mobius - Captain Rengrave - Darragh Wrathe - Doctor Stygius - Deneghra0 - Gerlak - Hellslinger - Iron Lich Overseer - Machine Wraith - Master Gurglepox - Misery Cage - Necrotech - Ol' Grim - Pistol Wraith - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Satyxis Raider Captain - Scrap Thrall - Skarlock Thrall - Severa Blacktide - Soul Trapper - Warwitch Siren
Battle Engines & Structures	Wraith Engine
Theme Forces
Black Industries - Dark Host - The Ghost Fleet - Scourge of the Broken Coast
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Cryx Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2020.12

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Warjack      (Edit) The Cortex/Induction core rule means a warjack cannot have more than 3 focus at any time (maybe 4 if they're really special). Many abilities give out focus and don't state an upper limit (such as Convection and Empower). Despite not stating an upper limit, they are always "hard-limited" by the core rule. A warjack can have more than 3 focus during a turn, though. For instance, a knocked down warjack can Power Up and be Allocated 2 focus, then spend 1 to shake knockdown, then another model could Empower it back up to 3. Warjacks cannot spend focus outside of their activation. For instance, they can't boost free strikes or trigger Powerful Attack on Broadsides. (Infernal Ruling) Inert warjacks Abilities that say they cannot be used if the model is stationary (such as Shield Guard) cannot be used while a warjack is inert, either. Refer "Warcaster Destruction", page 59 of the core rulebook.

Rules Clarification : Construct - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification:  : Flight      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

Flight doesn't ignore: Impassable terrain and hazardous terrain Templates that stay in play and do damage to models moving through them (such as a Scather). Free strikes. Trampling with a flying model (Edit) Flight allows you to trample "over" medium- and larger-bases. Although you trample "over" them, you don't get to make a trample attack vs them and you don't ignore their free strikes. Refer the core rulebook. Unless, of course, you have an exception like Blade Rush. Flight on a Cavalry model (Edit) Although you can move over obstacles/models while charging, if you want to stop and make Impact Attacks while you fly "over" models you need to stop in a legal position. You can't make Impact Attacks while your flying horse is on top of obstacles, models, etc. Charging through models (Edit) You can't charge all the way through your charge target, with the intention to turn around and face them once you're on the other side. Because you aren't able to satisfy the "must keep the charge target in melee range" clause at the point after you are through the model but before you turn to directly face. At that point the target is behind you, not in your front arc, and thus not in your melee range. Your melee range only extends to your front arc. Refer to the latest errata. You can still "skim" through the edge of their base, if you're careful and smart with your positioning.

Rules Clarification : Blade Rush - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Smasher      (Edit) Smasher is a "gain", so you can still boost it if you want.

Rules Clarification : Threshing Blades - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Trample Power Attack      (Edit) Sometimes this ability is given to a model type that can't normally trample. If that model is a warjack or warbeast (such as the light warjack Shrike) then it needs to pay a focus/fury to do a trample. If that model is not a warjack/beast (such as the Battle Engine Gun Carriage) then it can trample for free. See also the Trample rules recap - there are several Infernal Rulings that we have not repeated here.