Last time we talked about the Holy Empire of Abel and a doctrine called The Shield and Spear. I discussed the Shield Doctrine and how to make the best use of your most difficult to damage characters. Today I’m going to talk about how the Empire capitalizes on the position granted by the Shield doctrine with the Spear. (Also tossing out some awesome backgrounds by AT artist Wen Yu Li!)

Characters in the Empire are remarkable for having statlines that are just above average for the most part. Attack and damage stats for the majority of the characters sit comfortably at fives, with just a few fours and sixes scattered throughout. These stats mean that while few of the Empire’s characters are combat powerhouses like Alastor or Ophiel, no one on your team is a slouch. They make up for their lower attack stats with access to the Combat Mastery organization advantage, which grants your whole team Critical Mastery, and even makes your current Crit Masters hit on an 8+. Empire combat characters generally have powerful ki attacks, allowing them to overcome most opponents with higher base stats. Combine this with a plethora of stackable buffs available in faction, and a properly prepared Empire team should be able to take on all comers.

While attack and damage stats are important for making sure you can do the job once you get in position, the most important stats for my Spear doctrine are AP regen (of course) and Speed. In regard to speed, with Odin and Macbeth plodding along at spd 6/10, you might wonder what I’m referring to. When using the shield and spear, I don’t blitz my faster models ahead to get an alpha strike on the opponent. Instead my spear hangs back, waiting for the enemy to impact the shield before striking. Having an average speed of 8/12 determines just how far away you can be from that front line shield and still make it into combat with your best special attacks. Pay close attention to those characters that have a special charge attack like Claire Adelheid or an upgraded Agent, and characters that can buff themselves up for massive damage on a regular charge like Samiel the Black Lion.

If your opponent engages your shield with a hard target, (Anything with Damage Resistance or models with an armor stat of 5 or higher) be ready to double team that model with two Spears. This is why speed is important. It allows your spears to spread out across the board and get to the engagement that most needs their attention.

Bringing these two Doctrines together, I’ve come up with a list that looks like this:

300 Lvls
Organization Advantage: Emperor’s Armor
Yuri Olsen (Support)
Macbeth (Shield)
+Rafaels Gift
Lillian Virgil (Support)
+Aura
+Weapons of Azrael Team
Daniella Meris (Ranged Support)
+Either Armor Piercing Weapons or Elemental Weapon
Claire Adelheid (Spear)
+Tempus Fugit
Samiel the Black Lion (Spear)
+Orb of Power

This list uses Daniella to lure the enemy into Macbeth, who is not only armor 6, but with a healing counter from Lillian and Rafael’s gift, heals 5 points of damage back every turn!

Once the enemy commits, Samiel can attack and Claire can burn Tempus Fugit to charge practically anyone she wants. Yuri Supports the formation with all of his abilities, and can jump into the fight in the late game to clean up. Watch out for lists with lots of negative state effects, as even with Lillian’s Protective Aura, the team is on the low end for Resistance.

Starting after the break, I’m going to break down a few key models and how to get the most out of each character.

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