Questing Knight Marikan To Spotlight

Nozuki takes great care in choosing those He gifts with cyphers, which makes Marikan To one of His more curious champions. None suggest that she is unworthy. Indeed, on the surface, few seem more deserving. It is simply that Marikan did not need Lakmi. A tremendously skilled archer and scout, Marikan To already led her fellow Sarva and fulfilled her role in an exemplary fashion. Lakmi’s manifestation led many to wonder what Nozuki saw in Marikan To that might warrant such a companion. They are right to wonder.

Marikan To made her reputation as perhaps the most skilled Sarva in a generation. She infiltrated High Priestess Zineda onto the rich world called Colony X16 and guided her through its dangers for weeks. Marikan single-handedly sabotaged the slip engines of the Red Shield paladins’ juggernaut Crimson Aegis, which opened the Horracia Sector to our ships. Her ability to sniff out ambushes, to discern safe paths through treacherous terrain, and to discover the size and disposition of enemy forces had already passed from rumor to legend before Lakmi appeared. 

The owl—a silent, deadly hunter and symbol of wisdom and insight even among the noh—is a strikingly appropriate cypher, and she has only enhanced Marikan To’s uncanny abilities. In addition to her fieldcraft and combat skills, Marikan is fully aware of the power of information and the wisdom to use it well. Her skill at laying ambushes, the unerring accuracy of her reports, and her keen insight made her the most popular and sought-after Sarva in our fleet. Even the Kyojin are surprisingly responsive to her directions. This led to me naming her Satra, Master of the Sarva, Lady of the Hunt.

Noh Empire’s lineup expands with another impressive re-sculpt from Ignition Core Games: Marikan To and her cypher Lakmi are on the hunt anew in Relic Knights. 

With a move stat of 6-6, Surefoot and Stealth, Marikan To can freely move around the battlefield to strike before retreating safely to cover. Her Cadre Ability is straightforward: discard a card to add 3 damage to an attack targeting a wounded unit.

When attacking, Marikan To has two options. Heartseeker’s 6 damage becomes a threat when the melee attack is pressed, gaining Piercing 3. At range, Arrow Storm punishes opponents who rely on aura and AoE effects with a press that deals 3 damage to enemy units within 3” of the target. This is particularly useful against previous releases like Shattered Sword and Black Diamond that tend to keep their units close together. Arrow Storm’s ability to damage multiple units makes it an efficient way to meet the requirements of her Cadre Ability. 

Marikan To’s Fade Away allows her to support her allies with two powerful effects. First, Compel 4 allows for a tactical reposition, setting up an attack or protecting a unit by moving them out of danger. As there are no targeting restrictions, it can also be used on an enemy unit to move them off an objective or break cohesion. The press allows you to remove any effect tokens, such as Burning, Bind, or Hobble, keeping her allies in fighting form.

Marikan To’s defense action, Shadow Scale, has a press with a unique effect that prevents her from being targeted by ranged attacks. This makes her quite a problem for cadres that rely on ranged attacks, limiting their ability to focus fire on her.

Her cypher, Lakmi, is highly mobile with a move stat of 8-6 and Fly. Stalk gives your cadre a little extra mobility and fits nicely with Noh Empire’s aggressive style. Past Knowledge allows you to set up for future attacks or shore up your defenses by returning up to two cards from your discard pile to your hand.

Marikan To is an excellent choice to lead any Noh Empire cadre thanks to her ability to respond to constantly changing conditions. Her Cadre Ability is universally useful, making the Void units from the Radiant vs Void Two Player Starter good options for recruitment as well.

Our next update will cover Noh Empire’s Relic Knight, the embodiment of Nozuki’s strength and brutality! Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss this or any other Relic Knights update.