Weekly Waffle # 391 – Precision in a World of Blood and Feathers
23rd August 2025
This week for the Weekly Waffle I have been continuing with my Guild Ball adventure. But I have also been getting teased with new projects that I can see on the horizon. Work is continuing to be very busy with lots of travel so hobby time has been at a premium. But I have had some hobby time and I’ve enjoyed that time.
So this week’s hobby time has been spent on painting Mataagi. I didn’t really have a plan for him and as I was working on him he ended up straying into what I think of as more of a Hunters field. So not as much red and turquoise visible. But a lot more leather on show.
I made a couple of mistakes cleaning these guys up. The arrow in the bow got broken and I couldn’t find it. And the elbow drawing the arrow is a bit squared off. Im assuming that was my mistake as opposed to a printing error. A bit of green stuff could have fixed this but they are display pieces so I didn’t bother.
Overall though, even though there is less of the turquoise and red I think it still fits in well with Devana, Ikaros, and the goal. Although now I have a few finished I think the bases need a little extra so I’m going to look for some gamers grass to just add that little extra. It will also bring them a little more in line with my existing teams.
But what do you think.
You can see more Guild Ball miniatures at my gallery here
So now that you know what Mataagi looks like how does he fit into the game. And more importantly what is his function within the Falconers team.
Well if the Falconers were a choir, Mataagi would be the one singing a single perfect note while the rest of the team tears their lungs out in operatic fury. No fanfare. No theatrics. Just clinical, deadly purpose. He doesn’t flap about, and he doesn’t dive in like some mad raptor in heat. He watches. He waits. And when the time comes? He strikes like the cutting edge of a prayer.
There’s an argument to be made that Mataagi is the only Falconer who actually understands subtlety. He’s the professional in a team full of zealots, fanatics, and adrenaline-fueled orphans. And if you’re the kind of player who values precision over spectacle, you’ll find Mataagi is less of a Guild Ball player and more of a scalpel wrapped in feathers.
Let’s get straight to the mechanics, because Mataagi is a deceptively simple piece with a terrifying ceiling.
He throws spears. That’s his deal. Sounds basic—until you realise those spears are everywhere, all the time, and that once you’re marked by them, the rest of the Falconers descend like vultures. His Throw Spear attack isn’t just chip damage—it’s the opening movement in a very ugly dance. It softens targets, it spreads Harrier markers, and it’s often the first clue your opponent gets that they’ve just been added to a kill list.
Want control? He brings it. Want damage? He enables it. Want mobility? Yep, Mataagi’s got Glide and enough reach to reposition into nightmares. He’s the perfect second striker, harasser, enabler… and the best part? Your opponent often forgets about him—right until their captain has a spear in the kidney.
Let’s talk Death from Above, Mataagi’s signature move. It’s beautifully thematic: a flying, spear-hurling descent that combines movement with pain and area control. In gameplay terms, it lets him hit multiple targets while leaping around the board like a predator with a PhD in battlefield geometry.
It’s not just flash for flash’s sake. It’s synergy. Death from Above triggers damage and drops Harrier markers. That means Mataagi isn’t just contributing—he’s amplifying the entire team’s output. It’s the equivalent of handing your whole squad a knife and saying, “Don’t thank me—just finish the job.”
Thematically, Mataagi is an anomaly. The Falconers as a whole are about spectacle. Birds screaming from the heavens, brutal takedowns, operatic drama. But Mataagi? He’s calm. Cold. Effective. He’s the still air before the dive. The shadow that passes over the prey. You get the feeling that if the rest of the team disbanded tomorrow, Mataagi would still be out there—spear in hand, mission unfinished, no fuss.
He’s not here for revenge, or family, or to prove himself. He’s here because he knows how to kill—and someone has to do it right.
And that’s the real contrast. Devana leads with blood. Ikaros soars with dreams. Minerva plans. Mataagi? Mataagi executes.
Let’s be brutally honest. Mataagi doesn’t win games on his own. He’s not a striker, not really. He’s not tanky. He’s not a midfield bruiser. What he is, is the connective tissue that makes Falconers tick. He spreads the Harrier aura. He chips. He controls. He softens. He sets the table for the rest of your hungry, bloodthirsty birds.
He also punishes bad positioning. Opponent groups up a little too closely? Spear time. Someone forgets a support model on the flank? Dead now. Mataagi turns your opponent’s hesitation into Falconer advantage.
And when he does go for a goal? It’s with the kind of brutal efficiency that makes you nod slowly and whisper “yes” like you’ve just seen someone butter toast.
If you want flash, look elsewhere. If you want the striker that makes the highlight reel, you’ve got Ikaros. If you want brute force, call Rundaas. But if you want precision, real, surgical impact, then Mataagi is your man.
He’s the spear behind the curtain. The raptor who never flaps. The kill that no one saw coming.
Minerva watches. Ikaros soars. Devana screams.
Mataagi?
He just wins.
That’s it for Guild Ball this week. But I have been laying plans for future projects. Puppets war have a new resin release which I have ordered. Or at least that’s what I thought I had done. It turns out I’ve ordered my next PuppetsWar project but it’s currently a pre-order. So the mini isn’t quite ready yet.
It just means it will be a bit longer before it arrives but I can live with that. I’ve also ordered a load of magnets as there are a lot of options with this one. Most of which will be available with a bit of time spent making sure the magnets are all on the correct way. The fact that the minis are designed to be magnetised I think is fantastic. To me it shows they have been designed by someone who wants to give you lots of options. Without having to buy lots of different versions of the same model.
Unlike some companies whose only goal seems to be to make you buy as many of the same mini as possible. Just so you can field the different versions as and when you want. I understand some accountant will think you are going to spend more money. But when you have a finite hobby spend I’d rather go with something that gives me options.
Anyway that’s it for this week. The plan is to keep up the Guild Ball until I get the Falconers completed. But I’m not sure who I will be bringing you next week. But until then I hope you enjoy whatever you have planned for the week. And most importantly stay safe.
