Warmachine – Why Trollbloods Are a Great Faction Post Nerf
Let’s talk about a few reasons why you should not only keep your Trolls, but why you should be excited to play them.
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Living In a Post Nerf World
Trollbloods: the Rocky Balboa of Hordes, the Super Saiyans of the Iron Kingdoms. Able to take a hit and punch back harder. Two very powerful Trollblood lists just had huge nerfs in the last errata, but the faction is as resilient as their fluff suggests. Without Weapon Master on Warders, and Calandra’s tier benefits switched around, a lot of Troll players may be feeling like it’s time to get out of the faction.
Let’s talk about a few reasons why you should not only keep your Trolls, but why you should be excited to play them.
Calandra is Still Awesome
Calandra doesn’t need 11 free points. She is a fantastic caster in her own right. Troll units can run with a ton of buffs independent of the caster, and Calandra’s ability to force rerolls and protect her army make her extremely powerful. With the Mountain King’s buff from the previous errata, her tier is likely still decent if not one of the biggest boogeymen in the game. Out of tier, taking Croak Raiders provides some fierce range offense while Scattergunners keep them safe from jamming and Starcrossed protects them from getting hit.
Warders Have a Role
Look, there’s no getting around the fact that Warders aren’t as good as they were, but that doesn’t mean they’re garbage now. It means they have to fulfill a different role than they did before. Focusing them on holding zones and being difficult to handle while the rest of the army kills big bads is still viable. A Some armies will only have a few heavies that are able to reasonably deal with Warders. Kill those, then let Warders run the table with Troll buffs getting them to POW 17.
Lots of Fun, Awesome Models to Use
Remember these guys?
Grim1. Madrak2. Doomshaper3. Burrowers. Fire Eaters. Glacier King. Long Riders. Dhunian Knot. Croak Raiders. Grissel1 with fast units. There are so many cool units, casters, and beasts to use! Trolls have a lot of unique strengths, some of which have been passed over and ignored while Runes and EE have been so dominate. Branch out, try some new synergies, and have fun!
Others Won’t Have Lists Tailored For Yours
No doubt that Runes and EE was (and possibly still is) an extremely strong pair. However, there is something to be said for being unpredictable. When your opponents know your pair and how it works better than you do and know their plan against it, they can build a bigger advantage against you. So bring on the Grissel2 with Scouts, Fire Eaters, and Croak Raider list and surprise your opponents.
Okay, maybe not that list specifically…
You Still Have Runes of War
Runes of War is still bonkers. It’s insane how strong that list is, and the Runeshaper change gives it a different tool to use. Between Runes of War and EE, which list your opponents thought was stronger probably depended on which faction they played. One of them took a hit, but everyone still has to deal with Runes of War.
Not the End of the Kriels
No denying that it sucks to have your favorite models and lists nerfed, but there is still a lot of competitive life in Trollbloods. There are excellent options, superb strengths, and a lot of room for creativity to develop strong strategies. Put the extra lights and Warders on the shelf for a bit and flex some other Trollblood muscles. Get out there and prove that there is more to your faction!
Here is a pair of lists to kick off your dojo and try out:
How are you all taking it?
