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Grand Cathay · 144 points
Are Cathay Crane Gunners good?
Cathay Crane Gunners are good against armour and poor at long range. In my testing they were the second-best short-range unit into Knights and Ironbreakers, but kept only 59% of that damage at long range.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Cathay Crane Gunners at
- Role
- Close-range armour breaker
- Good against
- Knights of the Realm (2.4, 4th), Ironbreakers (2.7, 2nd), Rat Ogres (3.4, 4th)
- Struggles against
- Skaven Dregs (3.1, 15th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (2.5, 13th)
- Range
- Needs to get close (59% kept)
Close-range armour breaker is the job Cathay Crane Gunners did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 10th-of-18 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with Cathay Crane Gunners: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range. Those volleys were part of the 2,160 I ran across 18 shooting units, and these were the Cathay Crane Gunners results.
No simulation is perfect, and my Cathay Crane Gunners results are no exception: the dice fall on open ground, with no magic, no extra characters and no opponent making decisions. With ten volleys per result, Cathay Crane Gunners (2.9) and Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen (2.9) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Read the Cathay Crane Gunners results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
My verdict
I think Crane Gunners earn their place as an armour answer that has to get close. If you want a unit that punishes from across the table, the Iron Hail Gunners in the same army did that far better in my tests.
Best and worst targets for Cathay Crane Gunners
Cathay Crane Gunners by target. Ranks out of 18. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 1.1 | 10th | 2.4 | 4th |
| Ironbreakers | 0.8 | 8th | 2.7 | 2nd |
| Empire State Troops | 1.9 | 13th | 3.1 | 12th |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.6 | 12th | 3.1 | 15th |
| Rat Ogres | 2.5 | 5th | 3.4 | 4th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.3 | 15th | 2.5 | 13th |
Range and armour
At long range Cathay Crane Gunners kept 59% of their short-range damage, so they need to get close to do the job. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (2.6).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Cathay Crane Gunners averaged 2.6 wounds at short range. That puts them 2nd of 18 for cracking armour.
How I set up the test
8 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Grand Cathay shooters
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners144 pts · 3.7 avg short, 3.4 avg long
- Cathay Sky Lantern150 pts · 2.2 avg short, 2.2 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Bretonnian Peasant BowmenKingdom of Bretonnia · 2.9 avg short
- High Elf ArchersHigh Elf Realms · 2.9 avg short
- Sisters of AvelornHigh Elf Realms · 3.2 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Cathay Crane Gunners for shooting armour and Rat Ogres at close range, and not for long-range support, where they lost 41% of their damage, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Cathay Crane Gunners best at shooting?
Rat Ogres: Cathay Crane Gunners did 3.4 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Knights of the Realm, at 2.4, but that still ranked 4th of 18, because every unit struggles there.
Are Cathay Crane Gunners better at long or short range?
Short range. Cathay Crane Gunners kept 59% of their short-range damage at long range, 16th of 18 for holding up at range. They averaged 1.7 wounds at long range against 2.9 at short range.
Are Cathay Crane Gunners good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Cathay Crane Gunners averaged 2.6 wounds per short-range volley, 2nd of the 18 units I tested.