Are Minions a Big Boy Faction Now?

Having a shit day, well week if I'm honest but I've got some time while I wait for other people so I going to take a break and think about Warmachine. Also blogging from my phone for the first time so we'll see how that goes.

With the releases in Wrath Ret moved up to the point where I now feel that Ret is as good as any of the original factions in the game. Their colossal and Vyros2 also helped a fair bit as well. However up until the most recent release I was not confident that minions were on the same page. Now though I think they may be. So briefly

what do you need to be a big boy faction?

You need answers for:
High ARM - Pigs have warhogs and Midas has Battle Lust. Rask has upkeep removal and Fury.
High DEF - Rask has upkeep removal, Drang has pack hunter, Calaban has Gatormen with Carnivore.
Top Tier Casters:
Haley2 - Rask handles the match up. Carver and Midas can probably do alright too.
Asphixious2 - Slaughterhousers remove from play so pigs have game. Rask can gator toss through the clouds, cares a lot less about excarnated bile thralls and can make himself unkillable.
Lylyth2 - Barnabas absolutely destroys her. Rask has a game.
Morvhana2 - Yep she's here now - Carver, Rask has a game.
Irusk1 - Rask. Pigs can probably do it with Sturm and Drang.

You need to have someone scary that other factions should be worried about and in this case it is Rask.

Minions are also starting to develop their own character, for example their warbeasts are kind of mopey but carried by their excellent casters. I won't be bringing them to the super series because I don't have nearly enough prep time but I will bring them to a tournament this year. I think a pairing of Rask and Midas or Carver or Sturm and Drang or Barnabas is very competitive. In the end that will be the test but I think it says a lot that I am
confident enough in the faction to try.