Warmachine: Best of the Best – Legion Warlocks
Ranking the top three Legion of Everblight Warlocks in Warmachine and Hordes.
Chalkboard here from Chalkboard War, continuing my series of articles on Warmachine and Hordes that examines the “Best of the Best” attributes across all models and factions. We’ll examine the top Feats, Spells, Abilities, Weapons, Stat Lines, Damage Grids, and anything else that appears on model entries in the game. All to give you a sense for which models are among the best on those categories.
This Week, it’s time for Legion of Everblight to show their leaders. The fallen who worship the dragon sure do have a lot of options, though their recent theme lists have slimmed down the top contenders pretty well. From hitting hard to some seriously nasty defensive shenanigans, Legion has more than a few Warlocks that can get the job done.
So let’s get right to it! The following are my list of the top three Legion of Everblight Warlocks. At the end is a bonus “Dishonorable Mention” for the one that is more regular blood than dragon’s blood.
Number Three: Kallus, Devastation of Everblight
Do not overlook the new toys. Kallus2 is a great warlock that can run both infantry and beasts with effectiveness, and that makes him especially powerful if he’s included in Masters format where he can use ADR to his advantage. I’ll talk about both sides of his game.
The Beasts side is a bit tricky–it’s all about enabling their alpha strike by getting targets on fire. With damage already meted out a little from setting foes ablaze, the follow-up on feat turn with already-speedy Beasts can be absolutely devastating. It means getting things lit, but the good news is that between his spells and options available to Legion, Kallus2 has some strong variety in how he can deliver the heavy blows.
On the infantry side, he’s got some great effects. Battle Lust and Blazing Path both let his infantry shine. With higher defense infantry in faction, they can use Blazing Path as a distinct defense–especially against opposing infantry that may struggle to hit some of the DEF 13 and 14 options in the faction. And battle lust can have lots of uses: from pushing heavy hitters over the top to allowing some of the lighter-striking infantry to become one-turn weapon masters. Not a bad look. Overall I think he offers good steady damage that can also spike as needed, with ways to deal with lots of list. Definitely a great warlock for the faction right now.
Number Two: Fyanna, Torment of Everblight
So many readers may not be surprised to see Fyanna2 make the list. The Oracles of Annihilation theme is a powerful one, and in her hands it really sings. That doesn’t mean that other warlocks cannot use it effectively, but Fyanna2 has the market cornered on lists that are really tough to answer.
The core of it lies in her Feat. +3 DEF and the ability to move without free strikes after an enemy misses the model. Add in Oracles with a bunch of serpentine beasts that cannot be knocked down and already have high Defense. That’s a really nasty look, and many armies simply cannot handle being unable to retaliate on Feat turn.
And it’s not like Fyanna is all defensive. She gives Overtake to her Beasts for even more threat range. She’s got an armor buff for her lowest defense beast to keep it safer, Admonition to keep herself safe, and Fury to really spike the damage on the attack. It’s a great package for a Warlock, and one of the harder puzzles for many lists in the current meta. There are some answers (Kreoss2 comes to mind as stopping her Feat cold with a counter-feat). But those answers are often too specialized for people to bring to a tournament (Kreoss2 comes to mind–as he’s got little else of note).
Number One: Absylonia, Daughter of Everblight
Remember how Fyanna2 was powerful because of what she could do with the already-nasty Beasts in faction. Yeah. Absylonia2 is even more deadly. Woe to the force that happens to leave a model anywhere near her.
Let’s run her numbers. All told, Abby2 can add +2 SPD, +2 MAT, +2 STR, Flight, and 2″ reach to all her battlegroup–and that requires she simply kill a model and Feat. Not to mention the fact that her Beasts can run, charge, or power attack for free. Always. Just because.
With the ability to heal her beasts, Reposition [5″] to strike and withdraw, and a great set of personal assassination abilities, Abby2 is a force to be reckoned with. Her only real limitation is that her abilities lead her to a Beast-heavy army rather than supporting troops. That said, Legion is not a bad faction for Beast-heavy options. She’s a great warlock that can really leverage her force in a scary way. Earns her a spot at the top in my book.
Dishonorable Mention: Saeryn, Omen of Everblight
Saeryn1 does have some neat tricks in her kit. High DEF that increases against ranged attacks, a 12″ with Far Strike Grievous Wounds applicator, and some solid spells. She has one to protect against debuffs, and another to control where opposing warcasters can stand (by limiting their ability to use Focus or Fury) which can be great for scenario play. And Breath Stealer is a great debuff as it hits Speed and Defense.
So why dishonorable mention? Mainly Saeryn1 suffers from a fall from grace. There was a time (Mark II) where Saeryn had one of the best time-walk Feats in the game. Models in her battlegroup could not be targeted by melee attacks. It meant getting fast Legion beasts up into an enemy’s face for an alpha strike, then being largely immune to the retaliation. For Mark III, it became +3 ARM and retaliatory strike. Which is not bad at all, and there are a lot of Warlocks that would love to have that as a Feat. But somehow I cannot help but recognize that Saeryn1 is a shadow of her former self. And so even with a decent kit, I still find her somehow to be my lackluster choice. I’m sure some enterprising Legion players will no doubt prove me wrong.
~ Does this ranking fit your thoughts? Did we miss a critical attribute? Was a great model overlooked, or a powerful interaction missed? Is Number One really that good? Do you think the “Dishonorable Mention” is not so dishonorable after all? Let us know in the comments below!
To watch the worst of the worst hit the tabletop, check out Chalkboard’s Warmachine and Hordes blog at:
www.chalkboardwar.com
