Warhammer Underworlds: The Grymwatch Faction Focus
The newest Warband joining Warhammer Underworlds is under the microscope in today’s Faction Focus from Games Workshop.
Just in time for things to get creepy, Games Workshop has released more info on the Ghoulish Warriors of the first Flesh-Eater Courts Warband: The Grymwatch.
These twisted warriors are “defenders” of the people who live in the lands of Beastgrave. They’ve “sworn” to “protect” them and totally not prey on them and eat them or anything like that…
Anyhow – let’s take a closer look at the Warband itself and what it can do in the game.
The Grymwatch Inspiration
Before we dive into the Warband’s individual models, let’s chat about their Inspired Trigger.
“There are fewer than two enemy fighters in your territory at the end of the action phase.”
Your Territory is your side’s game board, as defined by the glossary section on page 38 of the Beastgrave Rules. That basically means that if you can keep your enemy in their own territory (or game board) on the first turn, you’ll be able to flip the entire warband. However, this also gives your enemy a really good case for rushing in and trying to prevent that from happening.
Now, on to the fighters!
Duke Crakmarrow
The Leader of this warband Duke Crakmarrow plays a key role in your damage output. Once he becomes inspired he can really amp-up the damage as he gains cleave with his attacks. Furthermore, he also games some extra speed and defense. His Muster/Ghoul Call Action is also a great way to surprise the enemy. As long as he stays up he’s going to be a problem for your enemies. That also makes him a pretty big target…
Gristlewel, Greatsword
Gristlewel is a pretty heads-up fighter in your warband. He’s got a Great Club and can dish out some pain and he’s relatively quick once inspired. He’s not the toughest combatant however so use that speed to strike when the time is right for you and not your opponent.
Master Talon
Master Talon is kind of weird. He’s got Crypt Ghoul and Hunter as keywords – that opens up a lot of upgrade options which is good because he’s not super impressive on paper. However, he does have a cool mechanic when he becomes inspired. As enemy fighters who are adjacent to him are taken out of action, he gains a feast counter. For each counter he has, he gains +1 wounds. Theoretically, he could become pretty beefy!
Night’s Herald
Night’s Herald isn’t much of a combatant solo. However, when he gets Inspired, he becomes a very useful support option. He causes adjacent enemy fighters’ attack actions to have -1 die down to a minimum of 1. That could really tip the odds in your warband’s favor.
Royal Butcher
When the Butcher becomes inspired, he gets 4 dice on his attacks plus he gains Ensnare. He’s your finisher in many cases – if you can keep him around long enough to do his thing.
Valreek The Tracker
Valreek The Tracker does have the Hunter keyword but lacks the Crypt Ghoul keyword – that means, much like Gristlewel, you can’t bring her back in using the Duke’s ability. That said she’s pretty solid in terms of stats for this warband – so use her wisely.
Duke’s Harriers
Duke’s Harriers are just that – Harriers! They pretty much ignore the effects of Lethal Hexes and can even move through occupied hexes. Plus they are pretty stinkin fast! They are perfect for blocking enemies movement options or just causing problems.
Run The Gambits
Horrifying Spectacle will help you inspire your Ghouls if you can’t meet the condition. Pack, Advance! is a great way to get some extra movement to surround an enemy or support an ally. And Scrabbling Claws forces your target to discard an upgrade.
Important Upgrades
Upgrades are going to be important for this warband to use wisely. Many cards this season trigger off the Quarry keyword. Hunter’s Nose is a great option to create those synergies in your deck – plus is makes Valreek even deadlier! Impervious Delusion will help your warband stay alive verse harder hitting ones and Seized Weapon is not only hilarious, it’s a pretty great upgrade at that.
Play The Objective
The Warhammer Underworlds team is saying that the Grymwatch is a fairly flexible warband – they can play pretty aggressive or they can play the objective game pretty well. The Objective Cards above are great for playing into those strengths of the warband.
That’s all for the Grymwatch – they are coming to Pre-Order this weekend. Are you ready for the Feast?
