Reaching Tendrils

Had a game of Malifaux with 50 soulstones. Strategy: Corrupted Ley Lines. Deployment: Standard. Schemes: Breakthrough, Take Prisoner, Assassinate, Hidden Martyrs, Research Mission

My crew:

 Kirai & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Lost Love (martyr)
Drowned
Shikome + Killer Instinct
Seishin
Onryo (martyr)
Dead Doxy

Pool: 7

Schemes: Breakthrough, Hidden Martyrs

Opponent had:

Asami & Amanjaku
Ama No Zako
Ohaguro Bettari
Minako Rei
Kamaitachi
Shadow Emissary
Akaname

Pool: 6

Schemes: Breakthrough, Assassinate

Turn 1:

On first turn, Kirai summons a Shikome, who tries to navigate to get to enemy deployment zone soon enough. It is slowed down by a Minako Rei summoned Katashiro, which I try to charge with Seishin. For some reason Seishin failed to remove it.

Datsue Ba, Drowned and Ikiryo were closing in to the middle, while Ama No Zako, Shadow Emissary and Ohaguro Bettari were doing the same on the opposing side. Both masters were behind their respective frontlines. Ama No Zako already engaged Ikiryo and did some heavy damage in.

Asami summons an Obsidian Oni to engage my hidden martyr Onryo whom I had pushed to the front to hopefully get it killed.

Turn 2:

Summoned Shikome gets to enemy deployment zone after disengaging from Katashiro. 

A brawl in the middle ensued in its full. Lost Love soothed most of the apparently spiritual damage away from Ikiryo. Ohaguro Bettari lured Datsue Ba to forefront where Shadow Emissary charged the old judge and heaved her to Ama No Zako.

Duel of the lanterns burned through plenty of my soulstones, but the judge of souls survived. In turn, she (along with Drowned) brought Ama No Zako down to three or two hit points remaining. Ikiryo was still left to activate, but she was not the one who would kill Ama No Zako, thanks to slow from Akaname, and, well, the fact that when she activated, Ama No Zako was no longer there. 

I tried to take Ikiryo by the hand and lead her out of the melee, but there was this "drats" moment when I said that "now's the time for black joker since it hasn't come up yet." And there it was. 

Obsidian Oni bursts into bits and damages Onryo, but doesn't kill.

Katashiro isn't interested about Seishin engaging it, and instead flutters to my deployment zone and slaps a scheme marker on board. 

Both players score strategy, and opponent reveals Breakthrough. Ten Thunders leads 1-2.

Turn 3:

Either last turn or this turn there was a sudden explosion of Tengus everywhere. Two of them were summoned with one action. These were then trying to heal Ama No Zako with mediocre success. Ama No Zako didn't have the time to wait and charged Onryo instead, killing it. Your sacrifice was much appreciated.

Minako Rei charges Seishin, who had not been activated yet. She gained Fast from the deed and speeded to strategy marker on my left side.

I didn't want so many models there sowing scheme markers, so Kirai disengaged from Shadow Emissary or Ohaguro Bettari and shot Katashiro dead with spirit barrage. 

Summoned Shikome plots a scheme marker in the enemy deployment zone, and the other Shikome runs as fast as it can towards enemy strategy marker on the right. 

Both players score strategy, but Resurrectionists get to reveal two schemes, Breakthrough and Hidden Martyrs. Points go 4-3 for Ressers.

Turn 4:

My first activation is to bring Shikome to enemy strategy marker and put a scheme marker to enemy deployment zone.

Kirai has... some troubles. Namely, a dragon and Asami's mother look-a-like raining death on her for two rounds. Resurrectionist master was in a bad shape that even Lost Love couldn't fix to healthy levels. Certainly she drained action points away from opponent like Hamelin, but she was not able to hold on to her hit points - opponent would score assassinate reveal this turn.

Even Minako Rei had charged her, and to deny her from reaching my strategy marker on the right, Kirai summoned Onryo to block her. To my horror I realized then that I might actually kill Kirai with the two summon upgrades I had going on.

Opponent charges Ama No Zako to my point scoring Shikome and kills it. Then one of those pesky Tengus removes the essential scheme marker. Two victory points, gone.

Opponent reveals Assassinate, and points even out to 4-4.

Turn 5:

Since game was far from complete, we continued for fifth round. Ohaguro Bettari and Datsue Ba had died somewhere along the game, but Ikiryo was still in the game. Dead Doxy had received the lodestone from dying Shikome. 

After Shadow Emissary fails to kill Kirai, she is down to two hit points remaining and I had two models with summon upgrades. Doomed. Just for giggles Kirai then hit Minako Rei and got the karmic debt. Kirai had just one hit point since summoned Shikome had activated.

Minako Rei succeeds in one of the more stylish assassinations I've yet seen: she attacked Onryo, which procced vengeance, which killed Resurrectionist master.

Since reaching tendrils is a gun action, Ikiryo had engaged Asami, as well as Dead Doxy. Asami ends the game by killing Ikiryo with a random severe injury, and had used last stone to get Pulled here & there trigger. She pulled herself away, then pushed Minako Rei to corrupted ley line in the middle and pushed Dead Doxy away.

Opponent scored assassinate and strategy, and I had to suffice for only Hidden Martyrs. 

It was tough and exciting game where draw hinged on just one reaching tendrils.