In competitive turn-based games like Gloomhaven or similar strategy RPGs, facing off against a Sawbones character can be a real challenge. Known for their medical mastery and support capabilities, Sawbones are often underestimated in direct combat. But when you understand how their deck works, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how to play around their healing and crowd-control abilities, you can dominate a Sawbones player with clever positioning, timing, and decision-making. This guide will explain how to effectively counter and outmaneuver a Sawbones using solid game knowledge and tactical play.
Understanding the Sawbones Role
The Medic Archetype
The Sawbones is a support-focused class known for high sustainability, buffing allies, and removing negative conditions. They don’t deal overwhelming damage, but their utility can drastically change the flow of battle. A Sawbones thrives when they can keep others alive, apply shields, or disrupt your status effects.
To dominate a Sawbones, you need to disrupt their rhythm. Once you strip away their ability to sustain or support others, their impact drops significantly. Understand that you’re dealing with a hybrid character part healer, part tactical disabler and your approach must reflect this versatility.
Key Abilities to Watch For
- Healing cards: Cards like Mobile Response Unit can provide AoE healing or remove negative conditions.
- Stun/disarm tools: Some of their utilities include ways to disarm or hinder you, especially with area-of-effect patterns.
- Initiative plays: Many of their cards have mid-range initiatives, which can let them react or lead depending on the combo.
If you let the Sawbones operate freely, they can keep allies standing long past their expiration point. That’s why your priority should be pressure and control.
Targeting Sawbones Weaknesses
Limited Damage Output
Sawbones aren’t built to go toe-to-toe with heavy damage dealers. Their attacks are moderate at best, and their best cards are often defensive. Take advantage of this by forcing direct confrontations. If the Sawbones spends cards defending themselves, they have fewer tools to help teammates or reposition strategically.
Card Burn and Exhaustion
Like all Gloomhaven-style classes, Sawbones must manage their cards carefully. Many of their healing and buffing cards include burn mechanics. If you push the Sawbones into overusing these abilities early, you can exhaust their deck faster than normal.
- Force movement: Make them move more than they want to, wasting stamina.
- Apply pressure: Continuous damage forces them to burn heals or shielding cards.
- Deny resting turns: Keep the pace up so they don’t get to rest comfortably.
Interrupt Their Positioning
Many of the Sawbones’ skills rely on specific area patterns or range limits. Pull or push effects, traps, and terrain manipulation can reduce their effectiveness drastically. Keep them away from the center of the action, and don’t let them sit in a safe backline either push them forward or force retreat.
Best Strategies to Beat a Sawbones
Outpace Their Utility
If you’re playing a high-damage or assassin-style character, your goal should be simple: hit hard and hit fast. The Sawbones can’t out-heal burst damage indefinitely. Use status effects like Wound or Poison to cut down their healing effectiveness. Target the Sawbones early in the initiative order before they can heal allies.
- Use Wound: It cancels the effectiveness of their healing over time.
- Use Immobilize: This can shut down their positioning-based buffs.
- Use Focused Attacks: Target them before they can activate their support skills.
Split the Field
A common Sawbones tactic is clustering with allies to hit multiple targets with AoE healing or conditions. If you can separate them from the group either by terrain, movement abilities, or baiting you reduce their efficiency. They may have to choose between helping an ally or preserving themselves, which limits their influence over the game.
Control the Tempo
Sawbones players often rely on a mid-range initiative style. You can abuse this by shifting tempo. Either rush with fast-acting cards to outmaneuver them or play slow and force them to act first, then punish the positioning they choose. Either way, keep them guessing they’re at their best when they can plan multiple rounds ahead.
Choosing the Right Class or Loadout
Characters That Counter Sawbones
If you’re playing in a class-based setting like Gloomhaven, some characters naturally counter the Sawbones playstyle better than others. Here are a few examples of characters and approaches that help you dominate a Sawbones:
- Scoundrel: High burst potential makes it difficult for the Sawbones to keep up with healing.
- Mindthief: Can disable with status effects and disrupt their actions.
- Brute: Can push, pull, and reposition the Sawbones away from allies.
Items and Enhancements
If items are part of your build, go for enhancements that either increase mobility, apply conditions, or manipulate initiative. Boots that allow jump or high-range movement can help reach the Sawbones quickly, while weapons or enchantments that apply Poison and Wound can make their healing practically useless.
Psychological Pressure and Mind Games
Make Them Overreact
Sometimes, dominating a Sawbones isn’t about raw damage it’s about psychological play. Force them to commit to healing early by threatening damage. If they blow powerful cards too soon, they’ll be weak in the later rounds. Make them waste a big AoE heal on only one ally or themselves. This drains their resources while you stay in control.
Bait and Switch
Let them think they’re the target, then pivot to an ally they’re trying to protect. Once they overextend to support that ally, you can either pounce or force a poor retreat. Always make them question where their help is needed most. Confusion is your weapon.
Endgame Dominance
Winning the Long Game
If you haven’t taken the Sawbones out early, don’t panic. As their hand runs low, they’ll have fewer tools to disrupt you. Play carefully, conserve your energy, and focus fire when their options run out. At this point, they’re a shadow of their former support powerhouse. You’ve outlasted them, and now it’s time to finish the fight.
Dominating a Sawbones requires more than just brute force. It takes timing, positioning, and psychological pressure. Understand their limitations, push them into resource exhaustion, and never let them sit comfortably behind their team. By controlling the tempo, spreading damage wisely, and staying unpredictable, you remove their strongest advantage their consistency. Whether you face them in Gloomhaven or any strategy RPG with similar archetypes, these tactics will help you control the match and come out on top.