Age of Sigmar: Gloomspite Gitz Review: Faction Overview
Gloomspite Gitz has bounced onto tabletops and boy is there a lot to unpack! Let’s get started Age of Sigmar fans!
Over the next few weeks we will be taking an in-depth look at each of the “subfactions”, (Moonclan, Squigs, Troggoths and Spiderfang) with deep dives on their MVP units and their place in the meta. Be sure to check back in regularly for new articles on everyone’s favorite sneaky greenskins!
If you’ve been following the game for a while now, it’s no secret that Destruction has needed some love for quite some time. While Destruction housed some of the powerhouse factions of GHB1, like Bonesplitterz, Beast Claw Raiders and Ironjawz, most of these factions are starting to show their age. Destruction needed a facelift and GW delivered! Gloomspite Gitz follows the recent trend of “Faction-Kin” books that combine multiple armies into one super force and provides sweeping updates and new rules to all parties involved. Featuring an all star cast of Moonclan, Squigs, Troggoths, and Spiderfang, Gloomspite Gitz are already poised to be one of the most visually appealing armies that you can field in Age of Sigmar. Now, with a plethora of new Artifacts, Spell Lores Command Traits and new units to boot, Gloomspite are looking to be a very solid faction for any new player looking to invest or any veterans waiting for an update.
New Year, New Moon
So, what does the new Battletome bring to these factions? I think the first thing that we need to look at is the awesome internal balance of the book. Gloomspite Gitz features an incredibly solid roster of hordes, spell casters, beat sticks, monsters and even endless spells. While we will be going into each of these in depth in our individual subfaction reviews, I think it’s important to take a look at the big picture. This means that the army is as close to future proof as a battletome can get. As new editions come out and new metas rise and fall, Gloomspite has enough of a varied roster that they should be able to adapt well to meet new situations. So, let’s take a look at some tools that will survive the ages.
Small Base Sizes
Yes, the humble base size. Many players can overlook the value of 25mm bases. With even 1” range on weapons, you’re getting 2 ranks into combat, and the sheer volume of attacks that represents can get out of hand very fast. If you look at the general trend with GW basing, they’ve been moving away from 25mm bases moving all the basic demons like Bloodletters and Demonettes onto 32mm. The fact that Grots retain 25mm bases is actually a huge boon, while being appropriate to the faction as well.
Magic for Days
Since the first Sylvaneth Spell table to the release of Malign Sorcery, it’s been clear that magic isn’t going away in AoS, and good lord can Gloomspite cast magic. With some of the angriest debuffs outside of Nurgle on Spiderfang, objectively better Purple Sun, and a myriad of bonuses to casting, Gloomspite are poised to be very solid casters for as long as there is magic in the game.
Mortal Wounds
Ahhh the classic “you don’t get a save” mechanic. Gloomspite have lots of easy access to Mortal Wounds via spells, particularly Mork’s Mighty Mushroom, which will likely be a staple horde clear go to for not only the Gitz but anyone who can ally them as well. Spiderfang armies, or even auxiliary units, have decent mortal wound potential, as do MSU Rockgut Trolls. If all else fails you can simply slap “I’m Da Boss, Now Stab Em’ Good” on a unit of Stabbas from the Loonboss and watch them go to work.
Gotta Go Fast
It’s a game of inches and more often than not simply getting across the board can be the difference between winning and losing a game. Whether you’re racing to an objective or charging up the table to alpha strike your opponents army, Gloomspite has many tools to get you there. With squig cavalry that moves minimum 2D6 inches and can run and charge under the moon, to stock 10” move spiders that ignore terrain for moving, Gloomspite has no trouble getting from point A to point B (outside their own high model count traffic jams.) Even slower moving Grots have movement tricks at their disposal. Access to deepstrike is always a good tool to have, and the more competitive you play, the more valuable it becomes. With spells like the Hand of Gork, you can easily redeploy massive blocks of Stabbas onto objectives or to threaten your opponents back lines.
Next Time we dive into the sub-factions! What do you all think of the new Battletome?
