Warmachine Bracket Final Four and [Spoiler] The Championship

The final four would all be good picks for my next army. As a consolation prize to the losers, I will start buying a few of their models to practice on while I paint the winner. There are two matches to resolve before the championship. Here is a look at round three:

Match #1 Gators v. Mercs
This is pretty tough call. Here are the advantages for Gators:
Close Combat. They are a dedicated close combat fighting force with some ambush options.
Cool Characters. I like all the warlocks, the Ironback Spitter, and Wrongeye.
Underdogs. I think most of the local guys would consider an all Gator force to be underpowered. This will force me to focus on good tactics.

And here are the advantages for Mercs:
Lots of Jacks. There is a wide variety of models for this army and can be fielded along other armies as well
Flexibility. Similar to the first, the army allows a wide range of play styles.

The Gators' main disadvantage is the small number of models available. Since the army I am making will be about 35 points, I will have to buy duplicate models or do some heavy converting.

The Mercs main disadvantage is that I just don't find them to be as cool as the Gators.

Win: Gators

Match #1 is Trollbloods v. Skorne
Here are my thoughts on the Trollbloods: They will be fun to paint and model. They have a wide range and can be done well in many different color schemes. They have a neat look and a variety of casters. I like the big Dire Trolls and would have to get several of them.

For the Skorne, they have a more limited color pallette, but a wider variety of creatures. The army has some nice "gotcha" abilities backed up with tough combat capability.

I have seen Skorne played, but not the Trollbloods. I have looked at both rulebooks and seen all the miniatures. The main advantage that Skorne has is in the variety of their warbeasts. Trolls will have to wait for another tournament. Win: Skorne.

And now, The Championship Match!

Sorry if this is short, but I have already listed my likes and dislikes ad nauseum. I would be happy with either of these armies, but right now Skorne just has a stronger stable of models. If Privateer releases a new Blackhide Wrastler in the next month or two I will probably change my mind, but what they have out now just can't beat all the stuff from Skorne. Plus, I love playing bad guys.

Win: Skorne!

Stay tuned for my next bracket, when I choose my first warlock...

Cheers,

Maniple