One of the major frustrations that Troll players have had stems from our lack of a non-character heavy with reach. It has felt like a missing piece from our arsenal, putting us into a problematic situation of somewhat reduced threat ranges.
When you look at it in simple numbers, it's a 1.5" lower threat range. That doesn't seem like so much, in some ways, but when you place it on the table, it's a huge difference, especially in Steamroller play. That 1.5" is the difference in effective placement across a Steamroller zone to threaten the other side; for example, the Scythean is a lower PS than our beasts generally achieve, but with 2 reach attacks, a Chain Attack that will usually hit on our beasts, and a solid Fury 4, in addition to Speed 6, meaning an 11" threat range. By comparison, the Mauler is a SPD 5 non-reach at PS 16 base, meaning an 8.5" threat range, for the same price.
That's not meant to be an exhaustive comparison, simply some input on what it can feel like on the board. That's in a vacuum, and comparison across factions is wildly inaccurate at the best of times because of relative strengths. For example, Rush with the Axer, or Lanyssa, or Grim1's gun, can bump our speed, and the Mauler's Rage animus puts him up above the Scythean... and so on. I'm well aware of factional differences; this was simply a convenient comparison.
In thinking about this, I've been trying to look at the Axer as a viable option. At 6 points for an 18/22 defensively and 6/14 offensively, with a very good animus, it's really more than a simple light, but less than a heavy. However, we also have access to some of the best damage buffing in the game; the Mauler can turn the Axer into a PS 17 beater, which is very respectable for a light. It may not kill an ARM 20 beast, but it can start a very efficient piece trade, and with a little help can remove some less hardy beasts/jacks from the table.
My two major speculative placements for this have been with pMadrak and Hunters Grim, with pGrim as a standby. I'm also considering eDoomy, but I'm trying to leave him on the shelf for the moment, as he saw a lot of play for me for some time. He's definitely a potential placement, however; he can give the Axer some very large threat ranges with a little help.
pMadrak's two major advantages are obvious: Carnage and the feat. In combination, these two can send the Axer way above his expected points value; he synergizes excellently with both, since Reach helps ensure continued hits, and Carnage taking him to MAT 8 will reliably hit most targets. pGrim similarly solves MAT issues, but can also increase his charge range with his gun. Additionally, Axers can be an excellent Primal target if you take Rok, which can provide you with a MAT 10/POW 16 Axer. This may not be enough damage to take down most heavies, but is excellent for the infantry mulching that pMadrak excels at.
The Hunters Grim has been the focus of my experimentation, however. With a little work, these guys can solve both the PS and MAT issues of beating up on enemy models. Mortality is a brutal spell, and in combination with the Mauler swings the Axer up to effective PS 19. This is in range to remove or severely damage other heavies, and against an enemy beast will likely remove 1-2 aspects if it fails to outright kill. It can easily cripple systems on jacks, similarly, and if you're lucky might blow out the Cortex. Additionally, the Hunters Grim give Axer's a free charge if Grim's gun hits, bumping their expected damage against an ARM 20 heavy (assuming all attacks hit) to approximately 27 damage. This can be aided by the Knockdown gun, which can remove the need to roll to hit. Against anything ARM 19 or lower, if knocked down, you're essentially looking at a near-guaranteed kill.
This is only a solution with one warlock, but it's been interesting, and has yielded excellent results. Axers are fairly cheap, can work well off the flanks, and it helps them become more than simple "animus-bots". I've been getting excellent work and matched my expected points return on them recently, with a few opponents surprised at the damage they can lay out.
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