Warmachine: Trollbloods Second Looks
Take a second look at these two Trollbloods Warlocks for Warmachine and Hordes.
Chalkboard here from Chalkboard War, with the seventh in a series of second looks articles that address those Warmachine warcasters and Hordes warlocks that deserve a second look as the Mark III meta crystalizes. Now that both the WTC 2016 and Warmachine Weekend are in the books, and with the January adjustment errata still distant, it’s a pretty crystalized time in the game. There’s a strong consensus that certain warcasters and warlocks are the “best” right now, and despite some exploration of the new “promoted” lesser warlocks and junior warcasters, there’s a lot of cycling through the same top few usual suspects. That means it’s a perfect time to think about some of the overlooked warcasters and warlocks, to see if there are some Warmachine and Hordes leaders that have something to offer but are simply being missed in the meta.
When it comes to Trollbloods, like Circle Orboros there’s an obvious culprit to look at first: Madrak2. Get some play in now, as my sense is that something will adjust just a bit (my $0.02: Grim Salvation just a bit less powerful). He’s certainly dominant right now, as he offers so much in offense and defense. The other consensus choices seem to be Calandra and Ragnor, who give two different variations on a slightly more defensive list structure that can still connect on offense. With such solid core Warlocks available, many others are getting some attention but none in particularly deep fashion. However, there are two that I found to be a bit absent in a lot of discussions, both of whom offer some intriguing elements to consider: Borka Kegslayer and Grim Angus.
Second Look: Borka Kegslayer
Ahhh Borka Kegslayer. So survivable. That’s his primary draw as a Warlock, along with a couple of crazy offensive buffs for his force. On the survival side, he’s got Stumbling Drunk to get him out of melee trouble if he’s lucky (and give ample Fury for transfers), Wind Wall to deny shooting, and Arcane Ward as a buff. If he puts it on himself, and considering his Unyeilding in melee, he can get up to Def 16 Arm 19 no-knockdown tough and untargetable by spells/auto-missed by non-magic ranged attacks. That’s a tough nut to crack, even before he wanders away in lucky cases. On the offensive side, he’s got threat extension and force-wide melee knockdown in his tool kit. You’ve got to be a bit daring with Borka to get the most from him–he’s got to draw just enough focus on himself from the foe, which can open them up/blunt their attacks on the rest of the force. If it goes according to plan, Borka can survive some heat and then lead your force to a crushing victory. He’s a good choice, particularly for newer Trollbloods players (those most likely to follow consensus best trends with a faction). It’s a bit random, but trust that Borka will give you some real defensive power to drive a force.
Second Look: Grim Angus
This choice depends a whole lot on whether your local meta is strongly teching against gunline forces/shooting, though Grim1 does not exactly need to run a full gunline to be successful. I actually like Grim1 leading a mixed arms force, counting on his flexibility to be able to face against numerous forces. His debuff can aid his force in killing, and blunt effective counter-assault thanks to the hefty speed debuff plus prevention of power attacks. Grim excells at targeted spot removal with some ranged support, though it takes getting somewhat close to foes. He also has multiple methods of applying knockdown at range, which can set up line-of-sight assassination tricks as well as attrition advantage. He doesn’t put on the big shine defensively that a Calandra or Ragnor can provide, but he’s got enough on Feat turn to give some serious counter-punch feel to Trollbloods. And that’s where they excel. If nothing else, it’s worth taking a second look at Grim Angus for his varied toolkit.
~ So how do Borka1 and/or Grim1 do when you give them a second look? Do they offer enough that they’re worth taking instead of the current “consensus choice” warlocks in Trollbloods? Could they be a solid half of a pairing? Do they ask a question of opponents’ lists that’s worth another round of consideration?
And if you haven’t seen it lately (or ever), take a second look at Chalkboard’s Warmachine and Hordes blog at:
www.chalkboardwar.com
