[Survival of the fittest] : Yliss

[Berf]

Well, I've been away a loooong time, and I'm really sorry about that (work and everything).
So here is something to start anew, tips and tricks about the good use of your favorite fighters, that I translated from the french forum. And we shall begin with Yliss, mistress of the slaves. What ? Yliss is not your favorite fighter ? Well, it's probably because she's hard to use. Let me explain...

Introduction:
Sister Yliss was the first leader for any Matriarchy team, but is now overshadowed by other sisters, like Kandjara, Ditta or Magdalena, especially since the Black Order starter has been replaced by the Red Order one.
She is a typical support character, staying behind your front line while providing your Slaves with excellent boosts. A great asset and leader, she still is trickier to handle than fighting-prone sisters.

Analysis:
If we stick to her stats, we see that Yliss will more than often be your Leader, with her 5 PSI value (top score to this day for the Matriarchy, though shared with Magdalena and Gabriele) and her valuable SPD 6. On the downside, her low CBT value indicates clearly that she is not fit for combat. Even if she can benefit from the Techno-killer ability, don't forget that she is not very tough and can die easily, with only VIG 3 and not so much CP. This holds true in almost all the situations, particularly when facing the ISC, with their basic protection, but don't miss the chance to finish off weakened opponents (heavily wounded AND no AP left) with Tech equipment, like the Resistance, some Convoy or Askaris fighters.
That being said, Yliss remains a typical support character, as her abilities show it clearly:
Yliss is THE slave queen. She can do all sort of things to them, allowing even 10 points weaklings to become lethal threats. Her two main abilities – Miraculous extension and Religious inspiration – are AP consuming, which is a double-edged sword. You can use them almost anytime and it doesn't cripple your SP reserve, as opposed to SP consuming abilities, but you need to be extra careful when positioning Yliss, so as not to let her exposed to retaliation when she is out of AP. Also, it can be really hard to choose from using her abilities or completing your Mission (if it requires AP to complete, like picking up Artifacts for example).
Again, your main concern with Yliss (and most of the Matriarchy, especially the Black order) is positioning. Keep her safe, behind some powerful (enhanced) slave(s) and try to keep at least one AP to dodge (she is quite good at dodging with her high SPD) if you send her forward. Her abilities have good range, so it is not that difficult to stay out of trouble, and if you feel threatened, she can retreat easily seeing as your high SPD enables you to interrupt most of your opponents. It's also a key to boost your slaves at the best time.
- Miraculous extension: this ability is one of the best. It allows any Slave type fighter to remain a threat the all round, even if incapacitated, so wounds become (almost) unimportant. A temporarily immortal slave is useful in any situations, let's see why: your Slave charges or get charged, he can – I'm sorry – will retaliate no matter what. A CBT 5 immortal slave can be troublesome for a lot of opponents (especially the big brawlers), seeing as they have almost no good choices. Respond ? It will not prevent the Slave from attacking, and will cost them AP that could be used more efficently (fulfilling Missions or attacking these damn sisters); dodge ? Again it costs AP and the Slave will surely be alive at the end of the round, so he can carry on next round; do nothing ? Great ! The higher the CBT of the Slave is, the better, and if he can attack twice, it is even more troublesome. Now if you're not in the mood for combat, say for example you're playing a nice objective Mission, well your Slaves will be able to activate these Gun turrets, pick up Artifacts or convert Idols even if smashed to a pulp. Just keep your AP, die like a good slave and carry on the Mission.
Now, a careful opponent will notice that a good slave is a dead slave, so keep in mind that most of your slaves will die when targeted by this ability. After all it's the only way for your opponent to prevent them from going around all game, and Black order sisters without slaves can't pack so much punch, so better deal with the latters when they come runing to you.
So send your slaves to the death, but choose wisely in which order, to better confuse your opponent.
- Religious inspiration, aka Miraculous extension deadly sidekick. This allows your slave to be the most efficient killer no matter what, as he ignores wounds and poison effects ! An immortal slave ignoring wounds is such a pain that most opponents will flee before such perfect slayer. Again, it all comes down to positioning Yliss and her target well, so your slave is closer to his prey at the end of a round and you can start the next round with Yliss by interrupting (or bidding if required), boost the Slave and let your opponent wonder what to do (should I stay close to this horror or get away and... fall into the arms of the others/fail to complete my mission/etc.). As opposed to Miraculous extension, this ability is almost solely intended for combat efficiency, so don't waste AP with this if you don't need it, but try to stack the two abilities on the same slave for maximum results.
- Slave mistress: it costs 2 SP and can only be used once per game, so better be sure to use it well. It allows you to activate a slave right after Yliss, without your opponent being able to interrupt you. Basically, you have a SPD 6 slave. Like Religious inspiration, this ability is mainly used for combat, you can see why. Target a Wrath-Man with a Violent knock TC, activate Yliss, stack your previous abilities on him, withdraw and activate the Slave mistress to charge with your Wrath-Man (bringing him outside his Inquisitor induced ability and giving him +2 CBT). CBT 9, ignores wounds and death... His target better be prepared, or it will be wiped out without mercy. Slave mistress is a game changing ability, mainly because it can allow your slow-ass salve to make the most of every boosts he can receive previously and kill almost anyone. Kill the right opponent and the rest of the game can become easier by far, even if your slave dies in the process (but what do you care if you lost a 15 points slave when your opponent lost his 30 points Leader/healer/fighter ?). On some occasion, Slave mistress can also be used as a Mission saver, for example if you're playing Holy relics and you need your slower slave to make a run for it. Don't underestimate the strategic uses of this ability, even if its killing efficiency is more noticeable.

Useful Tactical cards:
- Violent knock: with 3 dedicated slaves (Wrath-Man, Torture-Man and the Berserk), this TC makes a powerful killer out of an already well boosted slave.
- Medicinal Herb: a defensive TC, seeing as immortal slaves can heal themselves back to life if needed. It can change everything depending on the Mission.
- Synergy: play it the round you know you will use the Slave mistress ability and you have a 4 AP slave, along with providing Yliss with one extra AP, useful for dodging. Don't forget the range limit though, as your targeted fighters must be within 10cm of each other when you play this card.

Awesome interactions:
- Wrath-Man: one of the most powerful slaves, Wrath-Man is more efficient with Yliss than with Kandjara, because his Uncontrollable despair ability is easier to trigger with Yliss than with Kandjara (again, location is key). A true killer who can make the most out of Yliss abilities.
- Torture-Man: Yliss body-guard and another war-machine. Unlike Wrath-Man who is more of a big guy killer while away from the pack, Torture-Man must stick close to the sisters (location people) and can mow down weaker opponents with his Fentic barbary ability, all thanks to Yliss abilities.
- Arya: an awesome pair, as Arya can provide a much needed freedom of movement for your slaves with her Brutal order ability. This way, your boosted slave can catch the cowards who ran away much easier, even with their low SPD.
- Gabriele: the almighty duet. Gabriele being a Sister AND a Slave, she can take advantage of Yliss abilities with tremendous results when combined with her own abilities. But unforunately, she cannot be targeted with the Religious inspiration ability, as she doesn't have a lower PSI than Yliss (who said you only need to give her a Rage token ? Oh right, Gracianne...). Just be sure that when you lose Gabriele, she has already done her job.
- Magdalena: mixing Black and Red order ? Once you tried it, you can't get enough. Both have activation related abilities, enabling a landslide of pain for your opponent. And the Command ability of Magdalena can be bring the Slave mistress at its best: a slave activated with a SPD 6 and Yliss still able to use her AP afterwards. Try to play the Synergy TC at the same time and you got 4 AP for Yliss AND the slave. So beautiful.
Good interactions:
- Dog-Man: for 10 points, this little fellow can become a real problem for your opponent when targeted by Yliss AP abilities. Miraculous extension is particularly useful when facing shooters, as Dog-Man hates those (low VIG and SPD).
- Berserk: as an Inquisitor related slave, the Berserk is quite good with Yliss, but not compulsory. He can do as good with Kandjara if needed. On the upside, he doesn't need the Religious inspiration, as you want him wounded, so it saves AP for Yliss.
- Leyla: not so much of a slave booster, but Leyla can be used to finish off wounded opponents (the ones on which you unleashed your boosted slaves) easily with her Perversion and 6 way to kill abilities.
- Gracianne: slaves with Rage token (tokens if you manage to play the Enragement TC) are always bad news for your opponent, so imagine if these slaves are boosted by Yliss on top ot it.

Suggested teams:
Yliss – Gabriele – Arya – Wrath-Man – Dog-Man ; long range killer team
Yliss – Gabriele – Gracianne – Torture-Man – Pain-Man ; close range killer team
Yliss – Magdalena – Alena/Leyla – Torture-Man – Pain-Man ; balanced team, quite powerful
Yliss – Kandjara – Torture-Man – Colossus-Man – Pain-Man – Dog-Man ; tricky but powerful

Author : Bidule

[Addam]

These are very interesting, and appreciated. Thanks for the write up.