Age of Sigmar: How to Play Soulblight Gravelords
Today, we look at how to play the Soulblight Gravelords faction. Undeath is a stone groove.
Parodying the noble houses of Azyr, Soulblight vampires are linked through a complex web of lineages and bloodlines, many of which possess their own particular quirks. The greatest serve in the Legions of Blood and Night, the armies of Mortarchs Neferata and Mannfred von Carstein respectively. If you want an army of irresistible undead warlords leading servants with unflinching loyalty, this is the faction for you.
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Who are the Soulblight Gravelords?
The Soulblight Gravelords are the legions and dynasties of undead led by Soulblight vampires. On those nights when the skies are darkest, and the winds blow cold, the Gravelord hosts rise from their crypts and march under the sinister glow of the realms’ moons and clouds of shrieking bats. Directed by the will of their vampiric overlords, they are a constant scourge upon civilization, filled with the cruelty and malice one would expect of Nagash’s champions.
These vampiric champions lead dynasties of their vampiric kin, accompanied by allied Deathrattle Wight Kings and covens of Necromancers able to raise hordes of Deadwalker zombies.
Why Play Soulblight Gravelords?
Definitely a tactically interesting force, the Soulblight Gravelords offer a lot of flexibility in both play style and army composition. Manipulation and small unit buffs are the name of the game, and you can thwart your enemy’s attempts to weaken your units with various effects and abilities.
Strengths
- A large number of wounds make you very hard to displace.
- The army comes with many easy-to-use, interlocking synergies.
- Some of the best combined healing and recursion in the game.
Weaknesses
- Also, like the old army, once your Heroes go, your army isn’t far behind.
- So many options in the book fit well in this army that finding the right balance can be difficult.
Soulblight Gravelords Rules
Battle Traits
- The Hunger – Friendly Vampire heal once per turn, at the end of any turn (friendly or enemy).
- The Unquiet Dead/ The Rising Dead – These two rules allow Deathrattle/Deadwalker units to deploy off-board and pop up later in the battle.
- Deathly Invocation – Any Hero can trigger three nearby Deathrattle/Deadwalker unit to heal or bring back models.
- Endless Legions – Once per turn (yours or opponents) command which brings back a destroyed Deathrattle/Deadwalker unit.
Battle Formations
- Legion of Shyish – Deathly Invocation triggers on an extra unit.
- Deathstench Drove – End-of-turn pile-in moves and mortal wounds for Deadwalker units.
- Bacchanal of Blood – Boost to Vampire casting and charging.
- Deathmarch – Buff to charging Deathrattle.
Heroic Traits
- Lash of the Sire – Limited (D6″) Hero phase movement for a nearby friendly unit.
- Unbending Will – Buff the control score of a friendly unit.
- Unhinged Rampager – A nice, reliable re-roll charge.
Artefacts
- Orb of Enchantment– Once per game, give an enemy hero Strike-last.
- Shard of Night– Ignore save modifiers (still great on a Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon!)
- Amulet of Screams– does Mortal Wounds to nearby Wizards when they cast spells.
Soulblight Gravelords Key Units
In a Soulblight army, these are some units you’ll always want to consider.
Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead
The big baddie of arguably the whole game (psh, move over Archaon), Nagash makes horrible plans while twiddling his bone mustache. He is almost half a standard armies points and he gets to play like it, returning full strength replacements units to the battlefield to his hearts content (your opponent will have to be careful about killing that tenth Blood Knight, that’s for sure!).
Neferata, Mortarch of Blood
One of Nagash’s Vampiric Lieutenants, Neferata, commands the Legion of Blood from atop her Dread Abyssal, Nagadron. She deftly enhances her troops and makes a fearsome fighter herself. Get a unit of Skeletons to benefit from her Twilight’s Allure and cast Dark Mist on them to make a truly immovable block.
Vengorian Lord
This vampiric monster is a brutal leader while not being quite as pricey as a Lord on Zombie Dragon. Also nice is that any buffs apply to all his attacks since he doesn’t have a mount, so no Companion profiles. He just looks like one!
Blood Knights
A full unit of vampiric cavalry makes for an amazing hammer unit. Hit them with some buffs and start wiping away units of infantry.
Black Knights
While not the most outwardly powerful selection in the group, they are a fast screen with MW potential that can quickly eliminate hidden threats like warmachines. Paired with a mounted Wight King, they’ll do work, and then you can bring them back with Endless Legions.
Deathrattle Skeletons
A solid choice to hold the line and an objective. Their resurrection mechanic (Skeleton Legion) means they will last much longer than they really have any right to.
Grave Guard
An old and still solid staple, Grave Guard hit with a solid bag of mortal wounds. Their biggest issue is their lack of speed.
Dire Wolves
Fast and resurrectable, meat screens- what is not to love? Man’s best friend, even in death.
Fell Bats
A fast and wounds-dense unit for its points, Fell Bats are great for sneaking a back objective. However, it will only work on an unprotected one, as Beast means they have a maximum control of 1.
Sample Army
Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords
Battle Formation- Bacchanal of Blood
Regiment 1
- Vengorian Lord w/ Lash of the Sire
- 5 Blood Knight
- 5 Blood Knights
- 20 Grave Guard
- 20 Grave Guard
Regiment 2
- Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon w/ Shard of Night
- Askurgan Trueblades
How to Play Soulblight
Counter your enemy’s buffs and then hit them where it hurts while charming them into inaction. When your boys die, just bring them back and keep the pressure on long enough for your sweepers to take out the stragglers.
~Care for a Drink, I’ve got just the thing…
