Hazlias Hand: The Old Dominion Aura of Death Armylist

The Aura of Death tournament list created by Nino was already one of the most copied tournament lists in 2023 and has established itself as one of the most aggressive and successful lists in the German meta in 2024. This is largely due to the latest updates that have propelled certain elements of the Old Dominion to the top of the food chain. It offers an effective combination of fast engagements, early access to elite troops, tactical flexibility, and the ability to maintain pressure on the opponent. Essentially, it can handle any matchup. Only lists with extremely strong shooting require a higher level of skill in positioning and understanding of the game. In this article, we will examine the list and provide some tactical insights for its use. 

List:

== (Warlord) Strategos [160]: Legio I 'Primigenia', Aventine Armor, Eternal Discipline
 * Praetorian Guard (5) [275]: Profane Reliquary
 * Legionnaires (3) [100]:
 * Legionnaires (3) [100]:
 * Kataphraktoi (3) [200]:

== Archimandrite [110]:
 * Legionnaires (3) [100]:
 * Bone Golems (3) [210]:

== Archimandrite [110]:
 * Legionnaires (3) [115]: Optio
 * Legionnaires (3) [100]:
 * Bone Golems (3) [210]:
 * Bone Golems (3) [210]:

The basic strategy of this list is to take control of the battlefield through fast engagements and tactical maneuvers. The majority of the damage is caused by the Aura of Death. Depending on tier level, the Bone Golems cause 3-5 auto-hits per unit and the Praetorians always cause 4 auto-hits. Therefore, it is advisable to deploy the Praetorians widely, or later on with the Strategos's Supremacy. Since all one needs to do is engage the opponent, often a Move Charge is sufficient. This builds up high range pressure while simultaneously nullifying many special rules such as impacts from the opponent.

Whether the Archimandrite, with the second spell action, or the Strategos is used as the Warlord depends on one's own playstyle. The Archmandrite makes the list more stable, while the Strategos allows for better engagement. Since I find the Strategos more sensible for this list, the majority of this article will focus on using him as the Warlord.

Roles of the Regiments and Heroes

The cornerstones of this list are the Warlord, the Strategos, and the Praetorians. With D2 + Shield, Tenecoucis, 6 rerolls, and the option for Bastion +1, as well as 5 wounds, we have a regiment with impressive staying power to withstand even the fiercest battles. Apart from flank attacks before the regiment has activated, or regiments with Linebreaker, there is little that wants to engage with the Praetorians. Especially since they appear on the battlefield in Round 1 and can choose a zone they want to retain. As undead, they cannot be inspired and cause most of their damage through Aura of Death. Therefore, it is advisable to park them in forests or water to further reduce damage from the opponent. It is important to keep an Archimandrite within range to heal early or increase the Dark Power level for the regiment. This allows one to use Bastion early as a Draw Event and, depending on the tier level, additionally as an action to reach D5. There should be no hesitation in bringing them aggressively forward so that they are the focus of the opponent's attention and he concentrates on shooting and other light attacks on them. The overall damage generated is almost negligible in the first two to three rounds, and often no damage occurs at all if there are only a handful of hits.

The Archmandrites act as supporters. When the opportunity arises, they heal or contribute up to seven hits through Hazlias' Baptism. Especially with -1 to the opponent's armor, often weakened regiments die. They rarely buff Aura of Death. Early on, it may also be important to increase a Dark Power level to better protect the Praetorians or activate one of the other good Memories of Old. Especially since the Aura of Death of the Bone Golems and the Bastion of the Praetorians are cumulative. But it can also be relevant for Legionnaires and Kataphraktoi, although the Kataphraktoi are usually one of the last regiments to appear on the battlefield.

The Legionnaires perform three important tasks: They generate as many early activations as possible, so that the opponent often has to activate valuable regiments before our own important units need to act. The Optio regiment, very rarely the transport option for an Archmandrite, can run 17" onto the battlefield and either score points in round 2 or intimidate/bind overly aggressive Light regiments that are on the opposite flank of the Praetorian regiment and push the Reinforcement Line back. The other Legionnaires are appropriately fast with 12", and above all, the Command Stand counts as 3 Stands from Tier 2 onwards, so small 100-point Legionnaires are worth 5 Stands and can comfortably score alone. With D1 + Shield and without Resolve, an opponent without Cleave must land ~18 hits to eliminate the regiment. This is usually a task that takes several rounds. In the late game, they block flank attacks on the active regiments and otherwise run into the zones where their stands contest the opponent or score points for me.

Gameplay

With the Optio Legionnaires and the Praetorians, it should be possible to score at least one, often even two zones almost safely in round two. By round three, most regiments should have arrived on the battlefield thanks to the +1 on the Reinforcement rolls, to establish contact at the beginning of round four with the help of Supremacy. Bone Golems are ideal for this. With a movement value of six and the Unstoppable ability, they can reliably attack targets in a range of about 28" in round four. Praetorians achieve almost identical ranges and can often gain a few additional inches with Supremacy. Both units benefit greatly from Aura of Death four, to still cause damage even after performing a Move Charge. Afterwards, many hit points are in the opponent's face, through which he has to fight his way. Meanwhile, auto-hits rain down consistently, and plenty of attacks follow the principle of quantity over quality. If more quality is needed, the Kataphraktoi come into play. With two stands wide, they almost always find a gap with a Move Charge to contribute 12 Brutal Impact two hits. They rarely decide an engagement solely for themselves, but as a balancing act or to handle small regiments, they are ideal.

Conclusion:

The Aura of Death tournament list is an extremely effective and versatile choice in the current Old Dominion meta. Its ability to initiate fast engagements, maintain control of the battlefield, and put pressure on the opponent makes it a dangerous and often very uncomfortable challenge for any opponent. Through skillful use of available units and tactics, players with this list can surprise their opponents and achieve decisive victories.