AoS: Beasts from the Eightpoints
Forget lions and tigers, let’s talk about Sphiranxes and Fomoroids! Here’s some thoughts and tactics for the two new Warcry Monsters in AoS.
Next weekend, two more monstrous Beasts from the Eightpoints will be available to wrangle into your Slaves to Darkness armies, the Mindstealer Sphiranx and the Fomoroid Crusher. Here’s my thoughts on the new beasties, and how you might want to use them on the battlefield.
Mindstealer Sphiranx
A psychic predator that loves toying with its prey before finishing it off, a Mindstealer Sphiranx is a nightmare for low bravery units. They’re fast, with a 10” move, and have 10 wounds, so they have little problem getting to and staying in combat. It has some pretty snazzy attacks, 3 with its claws that hit and wound on 3 and deal 2 damage with 1 Rend, and 2 with its tail that hit on a 4, wound on 3, and deal 1 damage, but its real power comes from its abilities. First, it can implant nightmares with its Telepathic Dread ability, subtracting 2 from the Bravery of EVERY enemy unit within 12”, which can be a problem considering how much damage it can already do when it fights.
However, its more frightening ability is the Dominate Mind skill, which can potentially force an enemy unit to fight last until the next round, meaning it’s especially devastating if you went first. Combined with the Telepathic Dread and the nasty range of attacks this kitty has, that could potentially mean a single turn unit wipe to battleshock. Of course your opponent can always just spend a command point to allow them to pass, but then that’s a command point they don’t have for something else. Use this ferocious feline to tear apart your enemy’s battleline and knock stubborn enemies off objectives.
Fomoroid Crusher
If you need a one model wrecking ball to remove dug-in enemies (like in the new Siege battles introduced in Wrath of the Everchosen) look no further than this cyclopean bruiser. He’s a beefy boye with 10 wounds, and he can hurl a massive chunk of rock at his enemies, giving him two 12” shots that hit and wound on a 3 and deal 2 damage with 1 Rend. Should he be facing an enemy holding a piece of terrain, he can just shrug and shake the supports, dropping pieces of the roof or overhanging branches. Every hero phase, he can select a piece of terrain within 6”, then roll a d6 for every other unit within 6” of that feature, dealing d3 mortal wounds on a 3+. Against armies that love to camp terrain, like Shootcast, Tzeentch, or Cities of Sigmar, this can be a great asset.
And to get him there and do damage while you’re doing it, look no further than his Rampage ability, which triggers any time he charges. Once he finishes, pick an enemy unit within 1” and roll a number of d6 equal to his charge roll, dealing a mortal wound for each 6. Once he’s there, he can pummel his foes with his Crushing Fists, giving him 4 attacks that hit and wound on a 3 and deal 2 damage each. For a close combat powerhouse with terrain hate and a bit of ranged power, this is the one-eyed monster for you.
Will you be using either of the new monsters in your lists?
