Tournament Battlereport from Victorum Liubice V Game 1 W'adrhŭn against W'adrhŭn

Hi,

Gregor (Discord Finster) asked me if I could write match reports for the Lübeck tournament, which I actually didn’t want to do because I’ve been short on time over the past few days. That’s also why there haven’t been any reports on the numerous test matches. And also because I’m currently feeling a bit lazy when it comes to writing.

As some of you might have noticed, I’m currently playing a lot of W’adrhŭn and trying out various combinations, as I really like the revised version of the faction. I understand that some players miss the earlier flexibility of the chants and the ability to play three to four regiments with a third action. However, overall, I find the W’adrhŭn to be at a good level and very well-rounded. There are two or three standout strengths, and I utilized one of them in my list, which I played at the November tournament in Lübeck:

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"Bringer of Most Massive Destruction"

The W'adrhŭn [2000/2000]

== (Warlord) Chieftain Lord Snipie, BMMD [130]: Conquest, Vision

• Veterans (3) [170]
• Veterans (3) [170]
• Slingers (3) [150]

== Predator [100]: Famine

• Braves (3) [130]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
• Apex Predator Bob (1) [190]
• Slingers (3) [150]

== Predator [100]: Famine

• Braves (3) [130]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
• Apex Predator Bobs Freund (1) [190]
• Slingers (3) [150]

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This list is packed with "good stuff" and includes Braves twice for holding objective zones. It works great because Veterans, Braves, and Slingers all gain the Vanguard ability thanks to the Chieftain, which puts a lot of pressure on the opponent. In my opinion, you wouldn’t even need to play the Chieftain as a Warlord, since the Warband would still gain Vanguard. However, that’s a topic for another time, especially if the upcoming update for the Hundred Kingdoms doesn’t convince me and I end up terrorizing the battlefields with a handful of flying dinosaurs instead.

The centerpiece of the list is the three regiments of Slingers. Initially, like Finster, I played 4-stand Slingers with a character, but Nino and the “Pommesmann” always managed to trade them off unfavorably. So, the weekend before the tournament, I decided to go with 3 units of Slingers and double Apex instead of Tontorr. Thanks to the support from the Veterans, they can reliably use “Singing Bullets,” which means they always count as being within effective range (18 inches). They also benefit from the Battlecry effect, which gives them an 8-inch move with the Conquest Chant.

I often read that some players don’t rate this unit very highly, which I can’t quite understand: Slingers hit an average of 14 times with V3 and aiming, or about 9 hits against units with Loose Formation. Even without aiming, they often deal enough damage thanks to Torrential Fire to wipe out most regiments in under a turn. Even Ashen Dawn and Talos eventually fall under 42 hits. In my opinion, they don’t strictly need a Predator, but I wanted Flank for them. Without a Predator, I would prefer 4 stands over 3. However, I lacked the models for that across three units.

To protect my Slingers, I included the Hunting Pack. While they can’t withstand much if attacked, they deal absurd amounts of damage and are extremely mobile. The two Veteran regiments with Flurry and War are a serious threat to high-value targets, and if anything is left standing, I still have the two Apex. Whether these are a better choice compared to a Tontorr or a large regiment of Thunder Riders is debatable, but I just love big dinos! Also, the Movement 8 argument made by the “Pommesmann” was simply convincing.

The list wins most games in rounds three or four, as I have five Light regiments, two of them with Flank and all with Vanguard. In other words, the plan is to rush, overwhelm, and dominate. If the opponent doesn’t apply early pressure themselves or hit hard the moment they enter the battlefield, I trade units to their disadvantage or hold them off long enough to win with a significant points lead.

Of course, other factions like Spire, Nords, Old Dominion, and especially City States have extremely strong and aggressive early-game capabilities. City States in particular outmatch W’adrhŭn in this area, and both Old Dominion and City States have some of the best Heavy regiments in the game, which can pose real challenges for W’adrhŭn. Let’s not even get started on the Stryx and Moroi. However, many players have little experience with a rush list against other rush lists, and I wasn’t keen on buying three boxes of Quatl.

I should probably explain the Visions mastery on my Warlord, as it’s been frequently argued in the group that it’s unnecessary and too expensive in my list, since only the Chieftain benefits from it. For me, however, it’s crucial to avoid rolling dice whenever possible. In all scenarios, I want two, ideally three, regiments scoring in round 2. I can only achieve that with Flank, and thanks to Vanguard, they quickly make it into the zones.

Now, on to the first match and the tournament. Despite the A1 highway closure and a detour through Hamburg, we arrived at the venue on time. Nick had already prepared sandwiches and set up the tables, so I could jump straight into the first game against Jonas (Discord Callidus), also playing W’adrhŭn. Jonas had participated in the last tournaments in Bremerhaven and even beaten Nick in one, which made me very interested in our duel. At the Kelpie Con, we had briefly discussed the changes to the dinos, and he played something different this time than the Predator list from Kelpie Con:

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The W'adrhŭn [1995/2000]
== Chieftain [100]: War

• Veterans (3) [170]
• Veterans (3) [170]
• Slingers (3) [150]
• Braves (5) [220]: Aberration
  == (Warlord) Thunder Chieftain [170]: War, Resilience
• Thunder Riders (3) [220]
• Warbred (3) [180]
  == Mounted Predator [125]: Death, Death's Gaze
• Raptor Riders (3) [180]
• Apex Predator (1) [190]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
  

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We also talked about the Impact-3 Raptors with Shock, and I wanted to kill them very quickly, even though they were just 4 stands with a character. Against an army with such poor defense rolls, they can be extremely destructive. However, Jonas hadn’t tested his list yet. I, on the other hand, had played W’adrhŭn a lot since the update and had played so many games with them in the week leading up to the tournament that I was almost tired of the faction. This made me feel fairly confident.

Additionally, W’adrhŭn vs. W’adrhŭn on the Breakout scenario was a much better matchup than against City States, Hundred Kingdoms, or Old Dominion. I was hoping to face those factions only in the final scenario if possible.

~~~ Round 1 ~~~

My first impression was that the terrain would be completely irrelevant, but every single piece ended up playing a role at some point. We rolled for our reinforcements, and I only got my automatic selections. Thanks to Flank, I at least had two units of Slingers and one Hunting Pack. Jonas selected his Raptors and rolled for one unit of Slingers.

I got to go first and set up my first Slingers at the top of my deck, followed by the Hunting Pack, another unit of Slingers, and then the Predators, as I needed both tokens for the next round. Jonas structured his deck similarly, with Slingers, Raptors, and his Predator at the bottom.

Luckily, I got to start and placed my first unit of Slingers centrally, pushing them far forward to potentially bait the Raptors. However, Jonas wasn’t interested in taking the bait. He placed his Slingers to the right, slightly pulled back, to avoid being shot at. I positioned my Hunting Pack so it had to move and could potentially use the hill for cover next round. On the far left, behind a massive, impassable mountain, Jonas’s Raptors appeared in a neat column formation.

~~~ Round 2 ~~~

In the second round, I rolled for everything, while Jonas only got his automatic regiment in the form of the Veterans with a Chieftain. This gave me a card advantage of 12 to 5, allowing me to score zones without being punished for it immediately. I placed my Hunting Pack at the top of my deck, followed by one unit of Veterans, double Predators, Braves, Slingers, and the rest, ensuring I had enough tokens for round three to do some serious damage.

Jonas started the round and shot one stand of my Hunting Pack, as he didn’t have enough tokens to chant. I pushed the Hunting Pack forward and moved one unit of Veterans into the zone on the flank, while Jonas gathered tokens and quickly ran out of activations. My Slingers dealt far too little damage to his Slingers, I caused one damage to the objective, and I positioned four regiments on the left side. The Hunting Pack advanced to the front, followed by the Braves and Slingers for support and fun.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t position the Braves in the zone in a way that allowed them to score and also charge around the corner. At that point, though, I didn’t mind. The important thing was scoring 7 points, and I wasn’t too concerned about who would go first in the next round.

~~~ Round 3 ~~~

Jonas got the rest of his units, and I got one Apex. Since I had a Hunting Pack in charge range on both the left and right, I simply put both of them at the top of my deck. One would definitely die, and then that card would already be out of the deck. If both survived and charged, the game would essentially be over for Jonas. My third card was a unit of Slingers, as I wanted to take advantage of the chant and, if necessary, shoot at the Raptors, which had already taken some light damage in the previous round. Next came a unit of Veterans with characters to destroy the objective with Impact and Clash, followed by some filler cards and options to keep chanting with the Slingers. Finally, at the bottom, I placed another unit of Veterans to ensure I had two Conquest markers for the next round. Nothing unusual or experimental, I had a lead and wanted to expand it further.

We rolled, and I got to start. The Hunting Pack on the left charged into the Raptors and promptly killed them. Unfortunately, the Predator managed to take out two stands of my little dinosaur friends with Die Fighting, which was quite annoying. Still, I thought the trade was worth it, as that stand was a nuisance and not worth the effort to deal with otherwise. Jonas, of course, had his Raptors at the top of his deck, which he now had to set aside, and his next card was the Slingers. They chanted and shot down the Hunting Pack on the right flank.I destroyed an objective with my Veterans thanks to Impact hits, failed to shoot his Slingers, and repositioned slightly. Then, on the right, Jonas moved up his large block of Braves, to which I responded by placing Bob, the Apex, across from them. Bob got his name because Nino's Archimandrite once baptized him in Hazlia's name as Bob.

In the center, Jonas deployed his Warbread and Thunder Riders, but positioned them in such a way that my Slingers couldn’t shoot at them effectively due to cover. Not much of an obstacle for Slingers, though, two units with Torrential Fire dealt 5 damage to the Warbread. Toward the end of the round, I moved my Veterans into the right zone using Move + Reform. Then Jonas cheekily placed his Hunting Pack directly in front of my Warlord, intending to briefly contest the zone. However, with the chant, these regiments became significantly more valuable, though Jonas liked their position and didn’t want to move them. I think the new +1 chant, which all cults now have, is excellent, much better than some people on Discord give it credit for. It might not seem like much at first glance, but it helps immensely. With three zones under my control and the objective secured, I significantly extended my lead.

~~~ Round 4 ~~~

was very satisfied. My last Apex, Bob’s friend, was about to enter the battlefield, and at worst, the center would collapse. I quickly measured, and the Thunder Riders couldn’t reach the Veterans with a Move-Charge. Perfect! So my plan was to stall Jonas and activate the right side as late as possible. The only thing that needed to die beforehand was the Hunting Pack in front of me, as it could deal too much damage to the Veterans otherwise.

I started, and my Slingers shot down the Hunting Pack. His Veterans then charged into my Braves on the left. So I sent my Hunting Pack in front of his next Veterans, and it also died shortly after. I pushed my Braves into the zone, and his Apex targeted my Slingers with a Move-Charge. At least the Apex was in water, which reduced the damage significantly. My Slingers dealt a little damage but were effectively out of the game after that.Next came the characters from both sides. My Apex advanced, while his last stand of Slingers made some minor moves. My Veterans in the right zone... well, they might as well have been trimming their toenails, they did absolutely nothing. Then it was the Thunder Riders’ turn. They decided to charge the objective. My Chieftain card give me a marker, while his Warbread moved slightly forward. Well, if he was going to offer me such an opportunity, I was happy to take it. I chanted something and had my Veterans flank the Thunder Riders. After all, the Warbread couldn’t flank me this turn. After Impact hits and Clash, the Thunder Riders were wiped out, and my Slingers managed to take out two stands of Warbread. At this point, only his Apex and Braves were left dancing around, but neither dared to get too close.

~~~ Round 5 ~~~

The game was over at this point, as I could now hunt his Braves with my two Apexes. And that’s exactly what I did for two rounds. Eventually, the Braves made a Move-Charge against one of the Apexes, but it wasn’t enough to get them to safety. My other Slingers held the center, while the Veterans waited in the zone. Jonas briefly considered trying to rush against the ranged fire, but taking out the Slingers and Braves on the right flank took a round longer than expected. This left me perfectly positioned to get two shooting phases on his Apex.

A fortunate start to the tournament, thanks to some key initiatives for me. What really won me the game was Flank and the Reinforcement rolls. This allowed me to score early and force Jonas into my game. I know that he later used this list to defeat Melanie’s Old Dominion, but I didn’t catch more than that. For me, the next game was up, and the pairing system had a sense of humor, it paired me against Jonas' clubmate, Benny. He immediately sought revenge for his defeated comrade. Benny had recently won the Hamburg tournament with his City States, and my hopes of winning were slim when Nick announced that we would be playing Melee next.

Turnierbericht vom Victorum Liubice V Spiel 1 W'adrhŭn gegen W'adrhŭn

Moin,

Gregor (Discord Finster) hat mich gefragt, ob ich Spielberichte zum Lübecker Turnier schreiben könnte, was ich eigentlich nicht machen wollte, da mir in den letzten Tagen die Zeit fehlt. Daher gab es auch zu keinem der zahlreichen Testspiele einen Bericht. Deswegenund  auch, weil ich gerade etwas schreibfaul bin.

Wie der eine oder andere mitbekommen hat, spiele ich zurzeit sehr viel W'adrhŭn und probiere verschiedene Kombinationen aus, da mir die überarbeitete Version der Fraktion sehr gut gefällt. Ich verstehe, dass einige Spieler die frühere Flexibilität der Chants und die Möglichkeit, drei bis vier Regimenter mit einer dritten Aktion zu spielen, vermissen. Aber insgesamt finde ich, dass die W'adrhŭn auf einem guten Niveau und sehr rund sind. Es gibt zwei, drei Stärken, die herausstechen, und eine davon habe ich in meiner Liste genutzt, die ich auf dem November-Turnier in Lübeck gespielt habe:

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"Bringer of Most Massive Destruction"

The W'adrhŭn [2000/2000]

== (Warlord) Chieftain Lord Snipie, BMMD [130]: Conquest, Vision

• Veterans (3) [170]
• Veterans (3) [170]
• Slingers (3) [150]

== Predator [100]: Famine

• Braves (3) [130]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
• Apex Predator Bob (1) [190]
• Slingers (3) [150]

== Predator [100]: Famine

• Braves (3) [130]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
• Apex Predator Bobs Freund (1) [190]
• Slingers (3) [150]

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Diese Liste ist vollgepackt mit "Good Stuff" und hat zweimal Braves zum Punktezonenhalten. Das Ganze funktioniert super, weil Veterans, Braves und Slingers dank des Chieftains die Vanguard-Fähigkeit bekommen, was ordentlich Druck auf den Gegner ausübt. Meiner Meinung nach müsste man den Chieftain nicht einmal als Warlord spielen, da die Warband auch so Vanguard erhalten würde. Das wäre aber ein Thema für später, falls das kommende Update für das Hundred Kingdoms mich nicht überzeugt und ich stattdessen mit einer Handvoll Flugsauriern die Schlachtfelder unsicher mache.

Das Herzstück der Liste sind die drei Regimenter Slingers. Ich hatte zuerst, wie auch Finster, 4er Regimenter Slinger + Charakter gespielt, aber Nino und der Pommesmann haben die mir immer ungünstig abgetauscht. Daher habe ich mich das Wochenende vor dem Turnier für 3 mal Slinger und doppelt Apex statt Tontorr entschieden. Dank der Unterstützung durch die Veterans können sie zuverlässig „Singing Bullets“ einsetzen und zählen damit dauerhaft als in effektiver Reichweite (18 Zoll). Außerdem profitieren sie vom Battlecry-Effekt, was ihnen mit dem Conquest-Chant eine Bewegung von 8 gibt. Ich lese oft, dass einige Spieler diese Einheit nicht gut finden, was ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen kann: Die Slingers erzielen bei V3 und Aiming im Schnitt etwa 14 Treffer, oder 9 Treffer gegen Ziele mit Loose Formation. Selbst ohne Aiming machen sie, dank Torrential Fire, sehr oft genug Schaden, um die meisten Regimenter in unter einer Runde auszulöschen. Selbst Ashen Dawn und der Talos gehen unter 42 Treffer irgendwann in die Knie. Meiner Meinung nach brauchen die auch nicht zwingend einen Predator, aber ich wollte unbedingt das Flank.Ohne Predator würde ich aber 4 Stands den 3 vorziehen. Fehlten mir bei drei Einheiten aber die Modelle zu.

Um meine Slingers zu schützen, habe ich das Hunting Pack dabei. Zwar halten die nicht viel aus, wenn sie angegriffen werden, aber sie machen absurd viel Schaden und sind extrem mobil. Die beiden Veteranen-Regimenter mit Flurry und War sind eine ernsthafte Bedrohung für wichtige Ziele, und falls noch etwas übrig bleibt, habe ich immer noch die beiden Apex. Ob diese die bessere Wahl gegenüber einem Tontorr oder einem großen Regiment Thunder Rider sind, ist fraglich, aber ich liebe einfach große Dinos! Außerdem waren das Movement 8 Argument vom Pommesmann einfach gut. Die Liste gewinnt die meisten Spiele in Runde drei oder vier, da ich fünf Light-Regimenter habe, zwei davon mit Flank und alle mit Vanguard. Sprich, der Plan ist dran, drauf & drüber. Wenn der Gegner nicht ebenfalls früh Druck macht oder massiv zuschlägt, sobald er das Schlachtfeld betritt, tausche ich Einheiten zu seinen Ungunsten oder halte ihn lange genug auf, um mit einem ordentlichen Punktevorsprung zu gewinnen.

Natürlich spielen auch andere Fraktionen wie Spire, Nords, das Old Dominion und vor allem City States ein extrem starkes und aggressives Early Game. Gerade City States sind darin den W'adrhŭn überlegen, und sowohl das Old Dominion als auch die City States besitzen einige der besten Heavy-Regimenter im Spiel, die den W'adrhŭn wirklich Schwierigkeiten machen können. Von den Stryx und Moroi wollen wir gar nicht erst anfangen. Aber viele Leute haben wenig Übung mit einer Rush-Liste gegen andere Rush-Listen und ich hatte keine Lust, mir drei Quatl-Boxen zu kaufen.

Vielleicht sollte ich noch die Visions-Masterie auf meinem Warlord erklären, da in der Gruppe oft argumentiert wurde, dass es in meiner Liste überflüssig und zu teuer sei, da nur der Chieftain davon profitiert. Für mich ist es aber entscheidend, möglichst nie würfeln zu müssen. In allen Szenarien möchte ich zwei, am besten drei, Regimenter haben, die in Runde 2 punkten. Das erreiche ich nur mit Flank, und dank Vanguard kommen sie schnell in die Zonen.

Jetzt aber zum ersten Spiel und dem Turnier. Trotz A1-Sperrung und Umweg über Hamburg waren wir pünktlich beim Turnierort, und Nick hatte bereits Brötchen geschmiert und die Tische aufgebaut. So konnte ich direkt mit dem Frühstück ins erste Spiel gegen Jonas (Discord Callidus), ebenfalls mit Wadrhun starten. Dieser war bei den letzten Turnieren in Bremerhaven auch immer dabei und hatte in einem Turnier Nick geschlagen, weshalb ich sehr interessiert an unserem Duell war. Auf der Kelpie Con hatten wir uns kurz über die Änderungen bei den Dinos ausgetauscht er spielte etwas anderes als die Predatorliste von der Kelpie Con:

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The W'adrhŭn [1995/2000]
== Chieftain [100]: War

• Veterans (3) [170]
• Veterans (3) [170]
• Slingers (3) [150]
• Braves (5) [220]: Aberration
  == (Warlord) Thunder Chieftain [170]: War, Resilience
• Thunder Riders (3) [220]
• Warbred (3) [180]
  == Mounted Predator [125]: Death, Death's Gaze
• Raptor Riders (3) [180]
• Apex Predator (1) [190]
• Hunting Pack (3) [120]
  

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Wir hatten auch über die Impact-3-Raptoren mit Schock gesprochen, und die wollte ich, obwohl nur 4 Stands mit Charakter, sehr schnell töten. Gerade gegen eine Armee mit so schlechten Schutzwürfen können die extrem zerstörerisch sein. Jonas hatte seine Liste aber noch nicht getestet. Ich hatte die Wadrhun seit dem Update oft auf der Platte und hatte auch die Woche vor dem Turnier so viele Spiele damit gemacht, dass ich fast keine Lust mehr auf die Fraktion hatte. Das machte mich entsprechend zuversichtlich. Außerdem war Wadrhun vs. Wadrhun auf Breakout deutlich besser als gegen City States, Hundred Kingdoms oder Old Dominion. Die wollte ich alle am liebsten nur auf dem letzten Szenario als Gegner.

~~~ Runde 1 ~~~

Mein erster Eindruck war, dass das Gelände komplett irrelevant sein würde, aber jedes einzelne Stück kam irgendwann zum Tragen. Wir würfelten, und ich bekam nur meine automatischen Auswahlen. Dank Flank immerhin doppel Slinger und einmal Hunting Pack. Jonas wählte seine Raptoren und erwürfelte einmal Slinger. Ich durfte anfangen und legte meine ersten Slinger nach oben, gefolgt vom Hunting Pack, Slinger und den Predatoren, da ich die beiden Tokens für die nächste Runde brauchte. Jonas baute sein Deck ähnlich mit Slinger, Raptoren und unten der Predator. Freundlicherweise durfte ich anfangen und stellte die ersten Slinger mittig, schön weit vorne, um eventuell die Raptoren anzulocken. Doch Jonas hatte daran kein Interesse. Er stellte seine Slinger rechts etwas zurück, weil er nicht beschossen werden wollte, und ich stellte mein Hunting Pack so, dass es sich bewegen musste und ich nächste Runde eventuell die Hügelkette als Deckung nutzen konnte. Ganz links, hinter einem riesigen, unpassierbaren Berg, erschienen dann die Raptoren in einer netten Kolonnenformation.

~~~ Runde 2 ~~~

Für die zweite Runde erwürfelte ich alles, und Jonas bekam nur sein automatisches Regiment in Form der Veterans mit Chieftain. Damit hatte ich einen Kartenvorteil von 12 zu 5 und konnte die Zonen punkten, ohne dafür direkt bestraft zu werden. Nach oben legte ich mein Hunting Pack, einmal Veterans, doppel Predator, Braves, Slinger und dann den Rest, sodass ich für Runde drei genug Marker hatte, um direkt schlimme Dinge zu tun. Jonas fing an und erschoss einen Stand vom Hunting Pack, weil er nicht genug Tokens hatte zum Chanten. Ich schob das Hunting Pack nach vorne und auf der Flanke einmal Veterans in die Zone, während Jonas Tokens sammelte und schnell ausaktiviert war. Dann noch viel zu wenig Schaden an den Slingern mit meinen Slingern, ein Schaden am Objektiv und ich platzierte vier Regimenter auf die linke Seite. Das Hunting Pack ging ganz nach vorne, dahinter die Braves und Slinger für Spiel und Spaß. Leider konnte ich die Braves in der Zone nicht so positionieren, dass sie scoren und gleichzeitig mit einem Charge um die Ecke kommen, aber das war mir zu dem Zeitpunkt egal. Wichtig war, dass ich 7 Punkte machte und es mir fast egal war, wer nächste Runde anfing.

~~~ Runde 3 ~~~

Jonas bekam seinen gesamten Rest und ich einen Apex. Da ich links und rechts ein Hunting Pack in Chargereichweite hatte, legte ich einfach beide ganz nach oben ins Deck. Eins würde definitiv sterben und dann wäre die Karte schon mal aus dem Deck. Wenn beide überleben und chargen, war das Spiel für Jonas vorbei. Als dritte Karte gab es einmal Slinger, weil ich den Chant ausnutzen wollte und zur Not auf die Raptoren schießen. Die hatten von der Vorrunde schon leichten Beschussschaden bekommen. Dann kam mit Charakteren ein Trupp Veterans, um das Objektiv mit Impacts und Clash zu zerstören, gefolgt von ein bisschen Alibi-Zeug und Optionen, immer mit Slingern zu chanten. Ganz unten dann noch einmal Veterans, um zwei Conquest-Marker für die nächste Runde zu haben. Also nichts Ungewöhnliches oder Experimentelles. Schließlich hatte ich einen Vorsprung und wollte den gerne weiter ausbauen. Wir würfelten und ich durfte anfangen. Also ging das Hunting Pack links in die Raptoren, und die starben auch brav. Leider nahm der Predator auch gleich zwei Stands meiner kleinen Dinosaurierfreunde mit ins Grab durch Die Fighting, was sehr lästig war. Trotzdem fand ich den Tausch gut, da der Stand nervig rumstand und eigentlich nicht die Mühe wert war, getötet zu werden. Bei Jonas lagen natürlich die Raptoren oben, die er jetzt zur Seite legen durfte, und als Nächstes kamen die Slinger. Die konnten chanten und erschossen das Hunting Pack neben sich auf der rechten Flanke. Ich erschlug ein Objektiv mit den Veterans Dank Impacts, versagte dabei, seine Slinger zu erschießen, und positionierte mich etwas. Dann kamen rechts der große Braves-Block, und ich stellte ihm gegenüber Bob, den Apex. Dieser hieß Bob, weil Ninos Archmandrite ihn irgendwann mal im Namen Hazlias auf den Namen Bob getauft hatte. Mittig stellte Jonas noch Warbread und Thunder Rider, aber alle so, dass die Slinger nicht drauf schießen konnten bzw. nicht gut wegen Deckung. Das war für Slinger kaum ein Hindernis, und zwei Slinger mit Torrential Fire machten 5 Schaden an den Warbread. Gegen Ende der Runde platzierten sich noch meine Veterans in der rechte Zone via Move + Reform. Dann stellte er sein Hunting Pack frech vor meinen Warlord. Die wollten kurz in die Zone, um zu verweigern. Aber dank Chant waren diese Regimenter deutlich mehr wert, aber Jonas mochte die dort trotzdem und wollte die nicht umstellen. Der neuen +1-Chant, den man bei allen Kulten hatte ist in meinen Augen gut und viel besser als ihn manch ein Discord gerade macht. Das sieht auf den ersten Blick nicht viel aus, aber hilft.Mit drei Zonen und den Objektiv baute ich meinen Vorsprung zudem deutlich aus.

~~~ Runde 4 ~~~

Ich war sehr zufrieden. Mein letzter Apex, der Freund von Bob, würde auf das Feld kommen, und im schlimmsten Fall würde die Mitte brechen. Also kurz gemessen, und die Thunder Riders würden nicht an die Veterans kommen mit Move-Charge. Perfekt! Also wollte ich Jonas hinhalten, um die rechte Seite möglichst nach ihm zu aktivieren. Nur das Hunting Pack vor mir sollte bitte vorher sterben, weil es mir sonst zu viel Schaden in die Veterans drücken könnte. Ich fing an, Slinger erschossen das Hunting Pack und seine Veterans chargen links meine Braves. Also ging das Hunting Pack vor die nächsten Veterans und starb dann auch. Ich schob Braves in die Zone, und sein Apex nahm mit Move-Charge die Slinger ins Visier. Immerhin war der Apex auch im Wasser und machte damit nicht viel Schaden. Die Slinger machten ein paar Schaden, aber waren quasi raus. Es folgten auf beiden Seiten Charaktere. Mein Apex marschierte auf, sein letzter Stand Slinger machte noch ein paar Dinge. Meine Veterans in der rechten Zone schnitten sich die Zähnennägel oder so, sprich, taten gar nichts. Dann war der Thunder-Rider-Block dran und entschied sich, das Objektiv zu chargen. Bei mir kam der Chieftain, und seine Warbread bewegten sich etwas nach vorne. Naja, wenn man mir das so anbietet, dann chanten wir irgendwas und fallen den Thunder Riders in die Flanke mit den Veterans. Schließlich konnten die Warbread mir in dieser Runde nicht mehr in die Seite fallen. Nach Impacts und Clash war das Regiment Thunder Rider tot, und die Warbread wurden von den Slingern um zwei Stands erleichtert. Also waren nur noch der Apex und seine Braves etwas am Tanzen, aber die trauten sich beide nicht, zu nah ranzukommen.

~~~ Runde 5 ~~~

Das Spiel war durch, weil ich jetzt mit zwei Apexen seine Braves jagen konnte. Das tat ich dann auch zwei Runden lang. Die machten irgendwann einen Move-Charge gegen einen der Apex, aber das reichte nicht, um sich in Sicherheit zu bringen. Meine anderen Slinger deckten die Mitte ab und die Veterans warteten in der Zone. Jonas überlegte noch kurz, zu versuchen, gegen den Beschuss anzurennen, aber das Töten der Slinger und Braves auf der rechten Flanke brauchte eine Runde länger als erwartet, und ich stand dann einfach ideal, um zwei Schussphasen auf den Apex zu erhalten.

Ein glücklicher Start ins Turnier, durch ein paar wichtigen Initiativen für mich. Wirklich gewonnen hat mir das Spiel Flank sowie die Reinforcement-Würfe. Dadurch konnte ich früh vorpunkten und Jonas mein Spiel aufzwingen. Ich weiß, dass er mit dieser Liste später noch das Old Dominion von Melanie besiegte, aber mehr hatte ich nicht mitbekommen. Für mich stand das nächste Spiel an und das Paarungsprogramm hatte Humor, und Jonas' Clubkamerad Benny gegen mich gepaart. Dieser forderte umgehend Rache für seinen besiegten Kameraden. Er hatte vor kurzem das Hamburger Turnier mit seinen City States gewonnen, und meine Hoffnung auf einen Sieg waren gering, als Nick sagte, dass wir als Nächstes Melee spielen würden.

Mahabharati Initiates - Sorcerer Kings Guide (english)

Mahabharati Initiates

Mahabharati are warriors who stand between mortals and sorcerers, tasked with overseeing sorcerers and their summons; they are bonded from childhood to an elemental being whose powers grow with their experience and mastery.

Cost:

• 160 points for a glass cannon with clearly defined roles.

Strengths:

• Arcane Conduit: If the regiment ends the round in a zone, it grants a ritual marker. Cumulative with a character’s Arcane Conduit.
• Cleave 1: Reduces the enemy’s armor by 1 in melee with a Clash attack.
• Linebreaker: Ignores shields and the Bastion draw event of the enemy.
• High Attack Power: With Clash 3, Attack 5, Cleave 1, and Linebreaker, even some of the best-protected units only have D1 or D2 against the Initiates.
• Wizard (1): Hinders enemy spells and serves as a solid base for Sorcerer King rituals.
• Eminence: When this regiment is targeted by a spell from an enemy priest or sorcerer, it gains +2 Evasion and counts as +5 Stands for scaling purposes.
• Standard Bearer: The standard bearer is free and adds +1 Movement to the second movement action per round, with a reroll for charge rolls.
• Medium: As a medium regiment, the Initiates can score.
• Children of Ash: You can choose if they gain the Born of Flame or Born of Air trait when creating the army list.
• Born of Flame/Air: When a friendly sorcerer casts a fire or wind spell (depending on the trait chosen), this regiment instantly heals 2 wounds. This also creates synergies with other faction abilities.

Weaknesses:

• Low Defense: With Defense 2, Resolve 4, and 4 wounds per stand, they are vulnerable to concentrated attacks and can suffer heavy losses, especially from ranged attacks.
• No Elementals: While Movement 6 and the banner are solid, in an army that can sometimes take a third action, they are a bit slow and may need protection.

General Tactics:

The Mahabharati Initiates work well as a "trade-up" unit, meaning they’re often traded for enemy units that are far more costly. With Cleave and Linebreaker, they deal considerable damage to heavily armored melee units, such as knights and praetorians. Their flexibility as either a fire or wind unit makes them adaptable to mono-element lists as needed.

One major downside is that they typically need protection to safely reach the battlefield, something Sorcerer Kings armies rarely have access to. Comparing them to the similarly priced Sword Dancers is a tough choice: Initiates excel with Cleave and versatile synergies, while Sword Dancers tend to be more durable and often match the Initiates’ damage output through additional attacks and impacts. However, the Initiates’ smaller size (Size 1) does make them easier to manage when using brute-force ranged attacks.

The Eminence ability rarely makes a significant impact in most games, so it’s often overlooked. Although it might be tempting to pair the Initiates with a sorcerer to gather extra ritual markers, this tends to make them an easy target for enemy attacks. Other regiments are generally better suited for such combinations, as they’re less vulnerable. For this reason, I’ve found that running the Initiates as MSU without characters is optimal; even the Raj, their most obvious support character, offers the least out of the three sorcerers in terms of synergy.

Mahabharati Initiates - Sorcerer Kings Guide

Mahabharati Initiates

Mahabharati sind Krieger, die zwischen Sterblichen und den Zauberern stehen, mit der Aufgabe, Zauberer und ihre Beschwörungen zu überwachen; sie sind von Kindheit an mit einem Elementarwesen verbunden, dessen Kräfte mit ihrer Erfahrung und Meisterschaft wachsen.

Kosten:

• 160 Punkte für eine Glaskanone mit klar definierten Aufgaben.
  

Stärken:

• Arcane Conduit: Wenn das Regimentam Ende der Runde in einer Zone ist, gibt uns einen Ritual Marker. Ist kumulativ mit dem Arcane Conduit eines Charakteres.
  
• Cleave 1: Reduziert die Rüstung des Gegners im Nahkampf um 1 mit einer Clash-Attacke.
• Linebreaker: Ignoriert beim Gegner Schilde und das Bastion Draw Event.
• Hohe Angriffskraft: Mit Clash 3, Attack 5, Cleave 1 und Linebreaker haben viele der am besten geschützten Truppen im Spiel nur D1 oder 2 gegen die Initiates.
  
• Wizard (1): Behindern gegnerische Zauber und sind für manche Rituale der Sorcerer Kings ein solider Ausgangspunkt.
• Eminence: Wenn dieses Regiment Ziel eines Zaubers eines feindlichen Priesters/Zauberers wird, erhält es +2 E und zählt für Scalingals +5 Stands
• Standartenträger: Der Standartenträger ist kostenlos und gibt +1 Movement bei der zweiten Movementaktion pro Runde sowie eine Wiederholung des Chargewurfs.
• Medium: Als Medium-Regiment können die Initiates punkten. 
• Children of Ash: Man kann sich beim Armeelistenschreiben aussuchen, ob sie die Sonderregel Born of Flame oder Born of Air erhalten.
• Born of Flame/Air: Wenn ein befreundeter Zauberer einen Feuerzauber bzw. einen Windzauber auf das Regiment wirkt, heilt es sofort um 2 Wunden, je nach gewähltem Born of... Außerdem gibt es Synergien mit anderen Fähigkeiten der Fraktion.

Schwächen:

• Geringe Verteidigung: Mit Defense 2 und Resolve 4 sowie 4 Wunden pro Stand sind sie anfällig für konzentrierte Angriffe und können schnell Verluste erleiden. Gerade Beschuss tut schnell weh
  
• Keine Elementals: Movement 6 und ein Banner sind eigentlich gut, aber in einer Armee die auch dritte Aktionen haben kann sind sie etwas langsam und müssen beschützt werden
  

Allgemeine Taktiken:

Die Mahabharati Initiates eignen sich hervorragend als „Trade-Up“-Einheit: Man tauscht sie gegen gegnerische Einheiten, die wesentlich teurer sind, da sie durch Cleave und Linebreaker in der Lage sind, an starken Nahkampfeinheiten wie Rittern und Prätorianern erheblichen Schaden zu machen. Dank ihrer Flexibilität als Feuer- oder Windeinheit kann man sie nach Bedarf in die Armeeliste einbauen, sodass sie in Mono - Elementlisten passen.

Ein Hauptnachteil der Initiates ist jedoch, dass sie meist Begleitschutz brauchen, um sicher das Schlachtfeld zu erreichen, etwas das Sorcerer Kings-Armeen selten zur Verfügung steht. Der Vergleich mit den ähnlich teuren Sword Dancers bringt eine knifflige Entscheidung: Während die Initiates durch Cleave und flexiblen Synergien glänzen, sind die Sword Dancers stabiler und verursachen durch mehr Attacken und Impacts oft vergleichbaren Schaden. Die Initiates sind allerdings auch nur Größe 1, was gerade für unseren Brute Beschuss eine Erleichterung ist.

Die Eminence-Fähigkeit kommt in den meisten Partien so selten ins Spiel, dass sie oft vernachlässigt werden kann. Es scheint verlockend, die Initiates mit einem Zauberer zu kombinieren, um zusätzliche Ritualmarker zu sammeln, aber dies kann dazu führen, dass sie zu sehr im Fokus gegnerischer Angriffe stehen. Für diese Kombination eignen sich meist andere Regimenter besser, die weniger anfällig sind, weshalb ich die Initiates bisher stets ohne Charaktere und nur als MSU gespielt habe, auch, weil der offensichtliche Buffcharakter Raj ihnen am wenigsten von den drei Magiern zu bieten hat.

Battlereport 2. Kelpie Con Tournament: Game 3 Sorcerer Kings against Hundred Kingdoms

Overview
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3

Hi,

after Nino and Nauth practically conspired at the last tournament not to face me, Nino just didn't enter the zone to reduce the difference, I was finally able to get my well-deserved revenge on Nauth. This time, however, he didn't bring a Spire but the Hundred Kingdoms, and we played the Melee scenario. Before I get into that, here’s my army list as a reminder:

Sorcerer Kings [2000/2000]

== (Warlord) Maharajah [140]: Shu'laat, Court of Air
 * Dhanur Disciples (3) [140]:

== Sorcerer [130]: Jadoo Kavach, Court of Fire
 * Rajakur (3) [120]:
 * Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
 * Rakshasa Bakasura (1) [260]:
 * Rakshasa Bakasura (1) [260]:

== Maharajah [150]: Niyantran, Court of Fire, Lord of Conflict
 * Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
 * Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
 * Rajakur (3) [120]:
 * Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:

Nauth played the revised Hunter Cadre and only one unit of Ashen Dawn. Marcus, also known as Pommesmann/Bremer, the other Hundred Kingdoms player, even opted to forgo the Ashen Dawn, as they had become too expensive for both players with the latest update. Instead, they relied on the Crimson Tower. Both had a similarly sized block.

The Hundred Kingdoms [2000/2000]

== Chapter Mage [105]: School of Fire, Focused
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:

== Warlord Priory Commander Sealed Temple [145]: Olefant's Roar
* Order of the Sealed Temple 3 [205]: Standard Bearer
* Order of the Sealed Temple 3 [205]: Standard Bearer
* Order of the Ashen Dawn 3 [260]:
* Order of the Crimson Tower 5 [375]: Standard Bearer

== Warlord Imperial Officer [90]: Brace for Impact, On Your Feet
* Men at Arms 3 [105]:
* Mercenary Crossbowmen 3 [105]:
* Hunter Cadre 3 [195]: Veterans, +1 Volley, Standard Bearer, Null Mage

We essentially see a standard list here. The only special feature is the Commander with Olefant's Roar in the Crimson Tower. This significantly increases the damage potential of the regiment and is enough to wipe out almost any opposing regiment in the Charge Clash, provided you manage to get the Charge Clash. Otherwise, nearly a quarter of the army's points become irrelevant. In the first two games, the Crimson Tower performed excellently for Nauth against the Nords and also against the Wadhrun Tontorr, and in this game, they were supposed to disrupt my plan and give him a true Gandalf moment like at the end of The Two Towers.

We played the Melee scenario, and the terrain was anything but favorable for me. In the center was a body of water that didn't restrict the movement of cavalry, while the forests at least offered some protection against ranged attacks. Nauth got the side with an unfavorably placed house in the corner. However, thanks to his Imperial Officer as Warlord, he could already claim three zones in round 2, while I had no corresponding options. Perhaps Nauth overlooked all this and set up his army with its back to me; then it might actually work out. In that moment, I truly wished for a different opponent, maybe even Nino's Old Dominion Rush list. However, as became apparent a few days later, Sorcerer Kings stand little chance against such Old Dominion lists, which can overrun you by round 4 at the latest.

The knights were therefore the lesser evil, but still a difficult matchup in an unfavorable scenario and on a table that was not advantageous for me regarding the terrain. In short, it was once again time to ask my patron Arioch for assistance.

In round one, the Hundred Kingdoms played alone and were able to deploy all three Crossbow units. The Chapter Mage positioned himself centrally, while the other two regiments were placed slightly to the left and right of him. In round two, I was allowed to enter the game as well and rolled for three additional medium regiments. Naturally, I chose all my mages and also opted for a regiment of Sword Dancers. Nauth was only allowed to place his automatic regiments: Man-at-Arms, Sealed Temple, and the Hunter Cadre in the deck.

As a Sorcerer King, I had to first bring my regiments onto the battlefield before I could use the character cards. After all, I want rituals. After a brief consideration, I decided to place the Sword Dancers far down the field to set them up as far from the Hunter Cadre as possible. This way, I might eventually be able to target the Sealed Temple. Since Nauth had eight cards and I had seven, I hoped for a correspondingly favorable positioning.

Nauth started the round with his characters. Meanwhile, I moved my Dhanur and the Sorcerer centrally onto the battlefield. Then, Nauth placed his Man-at-Arms in the left zone, and I wondered why he didn’t put the Hunter Cadre or the Sealed Temple there. He explained that he didn't want these units in the small zone because he needed the space for later moves, and the Sealed Temple could threaten a larger area from the small zone. This reasoning was sound, but it allowed me to place my one-man army, the Muscle-Fire Maharajah, directly opposite him. Of course, Rajakur was there as his bodyguard, so he wasn’t really alone. Since even having two doesn’t create a Skar round, I also placed the Sword Dancers out of courtesy. On the other flank, his Hunter Cadre finally appeared, allowing Nauth to solidly collect ten points with two large and one small zone. I, on the other hand, had three rituals again: Conflagration with one and two tokens, and Intrusive Thoughts with one token.

In round three, Nauth brought the Crimson Tower and the second Sealed Temple into play. It seemed that the Lord of the Seven Darknesses was favoring me, as I was allowed to place all my cards into my deck. I placed the Wind Maharajah and the Flamecaster at the top. I wanted to use these three for alibi activations before the important units followed: the Sword Dancer, the Sorcerers, Rajakur, the second Sword Dancer, both Bakasuras, Dhanur, Rajakur again, and finally the last Maharajah.

Nauth began again and reformed his Man-at-Arms widely to trigger Bastion. After that, the proceedings stalled for a while: I set up my units while Nauth positioned his Crossbows. In addition to the Sorcerer and the Fire Maharajah, a regiment of Flamecasters also entered the game. But suddenly, the Sealed Temple moved forward and performed a Move Charge into the Flamecasters on the right. One Flamecaster died in the process. Now I could cast Sandstorm on the Sealed Temple and attack their flank with Rajakur. The attack initially caused only minor damage, but later the Dhanur shot at the Sealed Temple before they entered the zone, leaving only a battered knight behind. Nauth made this move to position my Rajakur such that they were showing him their flank. One regiment of Crossbows took advantage of this and shot at the Sorcerers from their movement. However, after only two hits and one wound, I was quite satisfied with that.

One Bakasura appeared on each flank, and on the right, I deliberately positioned him slightly further away than the Hunter Cadre could reach. The Hunters therefore moved a little closer, while the Crimson Tower positioned themselves to the right of the small zone. The second Sealed Temple entered the zone to score points. On the left flank, everything went as planned: I sent my Sword Dancers against the Man-at-Arms with a Move Charge, followed by the Fire Maharajah. While I couldn’t claim the zone, I was able to deny it to my opponent, thus generating an additional token. With that, I had scored my first two points, bringing the score to 2:17. Additionally, since I had two characters in zones, I received two Conflagration cards for my deck. One Conflagration and Intrusive Thoughts were still there, both with one token each.

In round four, I had the bonus for going first and several important targets to take care of. My focus was on the Man-at-Arms as the primary target, so I placed Conflagration and the Sword Dancer at the top of my deck. Following them were the Maharajah, Dhanur, the Sorcerers, Rajakur, Flamecaster, the second Sword Dancer, Rajakur again, the Maharajah, the Bakasuras, and lastly another Conflagration. I contemplated for a long time whether I would need the second Conflagration earlier, but ultimately decided against it. The threat posed by the two Bakasuras should deter Nauth from making overly aggressive maneuvers, and I wanted to avoid overextending my army. After a quick prayer to Arioch, I began the round and activated Conflagration, which achieved ten hits against the Man-at-Arms with a Burn to Cinder. Immediately afterward, the Sword Dancers attacked, defeated the last survivors, secured me six points, and then executed a Move Charge into the flank of a Crossbow regiment, which was left with only two hit points.

Nauth wanted to start with the Man-at-Arms to grant them D4 and hoped to potentially eliminate a Sword Dancer. However, the combination of Niyantran, Burn to Cinder, and the Sword Dancers finally achieved the desired effect, and dark memories returned to Nauth. That is THE Fire Maharajah with all the hits! Correct.

Nauth activated the Commander’s Supremacy and revealed the Sealed Temple after the Man-at-Arms, which attempted a Move Charge against the Dhanur. The attack was successful and caused eight hits. With D2 and R3, the Dhanur should survive, and since no other enemy units could apply pressure, my triumph seemed inevitable. But Arioch was apparently displeased with my hubris. I failed both armor and morale rolls, and my Warlord went to an early grave. This forced my Fire Maharajah to activate earlier than planned and he could only apply Aura of Death 4 to the Sword Dancers. Nauth moved forward, shot at the Sword Dancers and Flamecaster, but the results were mixed for him. Then I was allowed to use the Sorcerers, who placed Sandstorm on the fresh Sealed Temple and fired at the wounded Sealed Temple through Rajakur’s regiment, which promptly fell. Shortly afterward, the second Sword Dancer defeated their brothers, and the remaining Crossbow also fell to Aura of Death. Four dead regiments in exchange for my Warlord. I was only somewhat pleased with that.

Nauth conceded the left flank and placed the Ashen Dawn behind the small zone, as they couldn’t enter it without a banner. Now lacking scoring regiments, he had to place the nearly 500-point block of Crimson Tower in the zone. Naturally, I was very pleased with that. I thanked Arioch for having placed the second Conflagration at the end of my deck, and my patron seemed to honor this: The Hunter Cadre achieved ten hits against a Bakasura, which, however, only suffered three damage. With a score of 19:24, I had made good progress, having two rituals, both with three tokens each.

In round five, I placed a Bakasura on top, which was positioned high due to the ritual from the last round. This created the opportunity to attack the Crimson Tower from the flank. Although they had many hit points, with Jadoo, Aura of Death, and the Ashen Dawn—who might not be activated early—this could be a good plan. Luckily, Nauth started and spared me from making this mistake. The Ashen Dawn moved in between and blocked access to the zone. So instead, the Bakasura attacked the regiment of the Chapter Mage and defeated it, earning me four points. However, after a few alibi activations, I noticed a flaw in my calculations: my second Bakasura was protected from the Crimson Tower by two Flamecasters, but they were in range of the Hunter Cadre and the last Crossbows. They shot and eliminated them. Then the Crimson Tower targeted the Bakasura, which at least took one knight with it thanks to Last Word. This was a setback, as I suddenly faced many knights and had no clear plan on how to effectively fight them. I knew I had to bind them to prevent them from slaughtering a regiment from my army every round, but of course, that would also cost me points. So I needed to find a solution to push them back at least somewhat.

I concentrated my army on the left flank and cast Sandstorm on the Crimson Tower. Then the Rajakur engaged in melee, but they achieved only limited success. Ultimately, I faced the decision to either attempt a risky flank attack on the Crimson Tower with a Sword Dancer regiment or to score points. I chose the attack and managed to defeat another of the Crimson Tower. This prevented the Crimson Tower from potentially wiping out both regiments next round with a Clash Charge. I positioned the other Sword Dancers so that the Ashen Dawn could only attack my troops if they left the zone. Thus, we moved into the next round. Unfortunately, I only held one zone and could only complete one ritual. Another remained for round seven. The score was 27:35.

It would have been ideal to start, but Nauth thought the same and began the round. The Crimson Tower wiped out my Rajakur, and the Hunter Cadre only managed to take down one of my Sword Dancers. Pleased, I took this opportunity to position the Maharajah's Rajakur, and with a later double Burn to Cinder into the flank, I was able to wear down the Crimson Tower. 4 hits + 1-8 is just great. This brought me much-needed six points. Something similar happened at his small zone: The Ashen Dawn were forced to do nothing. Only then did the Sword Dancers attack, followed by the Bakasura on the flank. I killed enough to advance and bring the monster into the zone. Nauth still had one Ashen Dawn, two Stand Crossbows, and the Hunter Cadre. I started in round seven, and his army died. Nauth insisted that we count up, and scoring four zones over four rounds was already quite valuable. Enough to finish the awards ceremony with five points more than Nino and thereby narrowly win the tournament ahead of him.

Post-Mortem of the Army List:

As mentioned elsewhere, the recent update for the Sorcerer Kings has hardly changed anything. The increased cost of Flamecasters is frustrating; however, the upgrade of the Wind Brutes is a positive change. The fact that monsters now generate ritual tokens when they are in zones offers a nice synergy, but in my opinion, it’s more of a "nice to have" than an element to actively play for—perhaps with the exception of the Maharajah on Mahut.

What poses a serious problem for the Sorcerer Kings (and currently for the Dweghom as well) is the meta shift. It seems that many players are now relying on a fast light rush with the Nords, Wadrhun, Spire, City States, and Old Dominion: often, there are 6+ cards in play starting from round one, and by round two, powerful units are jumping right into your face. Be it Moroi, Thorakites, Stryx, or other aggressive troops. Additionally, these armies currently have a very strong scenario game, which complicates the situation for Sorcerer Kings. Spire, in particular, is problematic because they now have various ways to weaken the opponent’s defense while activating multiple times. The Old Dominion Moroi rush also makes it particularly difficult for Sorcerer Kings to win games. Not only are they in position by round two, but they also bring interference. As long as you’re not playing in a really advantageous scenario and have very good reinforcements, I see no hope. It would also help if the opponent failed to roll for reinforcements, which would level the playing field.

Therefore, I can understand the frustration of many players with the faction. Nonetheless, I am confident that we will receive some new regiments in the first half of 2025 that will allow us to remain competitive.

Army List:

Air Maharajah & Dhanur Disciples: Their task is to annoy the opponent and deal residual damage, which they do reliably. If necessary, the Maharajah can also give them rerolls when no Flamecasters are available, which I find quite practical.

Sorcerer with Jadoo Kavach & Court of Fire: Still an indispensable element in my army. Jadoo is incredibly powerful, and Sandstorm is essential against many opponents if you want to keep up. The only downside is that the Sorcerer doesn’t have access to the Conflagration ritual.

Maharajah with Niyantran, Court of Fire, and Lord of Conflict: An experiment I tried, but I believe the Scimitar would have been a much better choice. I chose Niyantran because I thought it would also ignore Interference, which unfortunately it does not. I might play him more often if I get the box with the "Muscle Maharajah." In principle, the 30 points for these upgrades could also be invested more sensibly elsewhere.

Rajakur: The perfect mainstay for Sorcerer Kings and an excellent bodyguard for mages. With Resolve 3 and Hardened, they are convincing, and they remain my first choice for protecting the mages.

Efreet Flamecasters: A solid option for the Sorcerer Kings. I understand why many currently use them in mass, but I don't want to acquire too many of them. I hope that soon other creatures will be added for more varied lists.

Efreet Sword Dancers: In the Charge Clash with Jadoo, they make 28 attacks, which is enough to take out many enemy units, and the models look fantastic. Without a ritual, they don’t come into play as often, so I’ve tried playing without them a few times, but I like them too much to remove them from my lists. I’m even considering fielding a Maharajah in a unit of 5, but such tests will probably not happen in the foreseeable future as I'm currently experimenting a lot with Wadrhun.

Rakshasa Bakasura: My boys! I love them, even if they weren't quite as outstanding in this tournament as before. The extra Resolve suits them well and makes the Ravanar seem more interesting. In my opinion, they are still a bit too expensive, but they look fantastic, and an 18" threat range on characters is something to keep in mind.

Closing Words

The tournament at Kelpie Con was the third year in a row that we were there with Conquest: Last Argument of Kings. In the first year, we only had demo games, and now we have small but fun tournaments. I’m glad that we will again have the opportunity to host a tournament there next year. The three games were not only entertaining but also enjoyable, and I had a lot of fun, even if double kill points were a bit exhausting.

I chose the Sorcerer Kings at short notice because many Hundred Kingdoms players were present, and I personally enjoy playing against different things. For the last two tournaments this year—only two, as my schedule is already very full—I have no idea what I will play yet.