This is the top three AoS lists for LVO 2025 Age of Sigmar Champs that took place in the US on the 17th, 18th and 19th of January 2025. It saw 304 players vying to be crowned champion. LVO runs a Swiss Round with 5 rounds over 2 days. Then there is a top cut with top 8 competing against each other sudden death style.
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The Top Three AoS Lists
Cities of Sigmar Ironweld Guild Army Drops: 5 Spell Lore – Spells of the Collegiate Arcane Prayer Lore – Scriptures of Sigmar Manifestation Lore – Forbidden Power
General’s Regiment Callis and Toll (230) • General Toll’s Companions (0)
Jeremy Lefebvre: This list is built to be flexible and have an answer to most things. At the same time, being tough and able to take a beating. It wants you to get stuck in combat with it, and then let the dark shards pick off units with a mass volume of shots, and leave the heroes to hunt wizards or priests to remove buff pieces from the option army.
The threat of Callis and toll cause most people to stay castled up for longer than they want, or risk losing their wizard. This allows the Darkespawn knights and hammers to control the center of the board. Executors were a threat to anything that got to close to the dark shards.
This a very movement-dependent army, as all of the cities stuff needs to stay with 12” of a hero, and figuring out the activation of orders is not an easy task. This helps by having 6 heroes in the list. I rarely had more orders than I could use. And if you do, just use suppressing fire and try to make a unit fight last.
The darkshards ended up doing more than I thought they would in some of the games. Other like against Fish or pigs, they just got tagged and barely got to shoot. With all the move orders and forbidden power. Cities are much faster than you expect.
The list being 5 drops did not affect anything, if anything it helped the army function better. As cities, I am never getting to pick turn orders. And always have to deploy like I am going first or second. But now with the changes I get a second honor guard. First was almost always bodyguard on Callis and Toll, making them extra hard to remove. Which ended with giving the dwarfs or drakespawn Anti-X or Field sergeant (+2) to Doralia. The flexibility is just added to help fill any holes in the match-up. Don’t over extend and focus on getting tactics is what this army wants to do. It doesn’t have the states to beat most armies in a slug fest, but enough to stall and hopefully win on points.
Maggotkin of Nurgle Plague Cyst Drops: 3 Spell Lore – Lore of Malignance Manifestation Lore – Aetherwrought Machineries
General’s Regiment The Glottkin (510) • General Lord of Blights (130) • Gift of Febrile Frenzy • The Witherstave Putrid Blightkings (380) • Reinforced
Roland Rivera: Despite not including much in the way of points changes, the latest Battlescroll was very kind to the Maggotkin of Nurgle, and the major reason why is the Field Sergent Honour Guard ability. +2″ move for infantry is a massive boon to units like Putrid Blightkings, whose most salient flaw is their lack of speed. We saw Nurgle finish on the podium at the Everwinter GT a few weeks ago, and this result at LVO proves that this was no fluke. Nurgle can no longer be considered an underdog army after these results.
The name of the game for Mike’s list is 2 reinforced blocks of Putrid Blightkings, which are some of the toughest infantry in the game thanks to their 3+ save that is backed up by a 5+ Ward. This toughness is only bolstered by the presence of Bloab Rotspawned, which can impose -1 to hit against anything within 7″ on a 4+. Lastly, Bloab and The Glottkin (more on him later) can both cast Fleshy Abundance, which can either heal a unit or impose -1 to wound rolls for attacks against it. These defensive abilities make chewing through 10 Putrid Blightkings a daunting task for virtually any hammer.
Mike also added some extra bite to those Blightkings by way of the Lord of Blights. Not only is he the Field Sergeant for that ever-critical +2″ to move (+3″ once you consider the Gift of Febrile Frenzy, which means those Blightkings are often moving a whopping 7″ instead of their base 4″), but he is also giving your Blightkings +1 to Rend against anything charging them. If you get your positioning just right, you might be able to use The Witherstave it is carrying to slap strikes-last onto a charging opponent. The Glottkin can also add some offense through both their respectable personal damage and his ability to let you get multiple units into combat faster via their Blighted Stampede ability.
Lastly, the list sprinkled in a bit of utility with Rotmire Creed (which adds shooting and a way to impose disease at a distance) and Horticulous Slimux (which can pop out some Feculent Gnarlmaws for blocking space and potentially spreading some more disease). Between its obviously staunch durability, sneaky-good offense, and a bit of utility tricks, this list is a force to be reckoned with, and it showed its mettle during its run.
Hedonites of Slaanesh Seeker Cavalcade Drops: 2 Spell Lore – Lore of Extravagance Manifestation Lore – Forbidden Power
General’s Regiment Keeper of Secrets (420) • General • Strongest Alone • Pendant of Slaanesh Blissbarb Archers (300) • Reinforced Blissbarb Seekers (320) • Reinforced Blissbarb Seekers (320) • Reinforced Blissbarb Seekers (320) • Reinforced
Regiment 1 The Masque (140) Seekers (140)
Faction Terrain Fane of Slaanesh
Celefaze: If anyone loves spamming an intentionally limited variety of units to incredible results in competitive AoS, it’s the legendary Tom Guan. This list takes that approach and runs with it, focusing primarily on the incredibly efficient wound density, surprising shooting output, appreciable (if rend 0) high volume melee, and overall appreciable speed of blissbarb seekers. 3 units of 10 of them are the stars of the show, enhanced further with the Seeker Cavalcade battle formation, allowing the cavalry in the list to retreat without taking mortal damage and still charge (though unfortunately for him still unable to shoot).
Blissbarb seeker shooting is notable for a fairly decent -2 rend if targeting a unit contesting an objective that the Slaanesh player doesn’t control; incredibly effective in a mission pack that largely favors armies that want to claim the middle and stand on objectives for most of the game. This is amped up further by the “Euphoric” status that can be handed out to a coincidental 3 units, giving both their shooting and melee attacks (including companion attacks) crit 2 hits.
To allow the mounted archers to do what they do best, Tom has included a small cast of support units: a 5-pack of standard seekers and the Masque, which provide him with cheap and flexible units to take the flanks and otherwise accomplish whatever tasks may require being deep into enemy territory. A unit of 20 blissbarb archers offers a highly efficient, longer ranged unit to provide supporting fire, and the Keeper provides both an independently operating, self-healing beatstick as a competent melee threat, as well as a vector by which he can return the daemonic seekers back to the board for continued utility if they happen to be wiped out at any point.
An unsurprising addition to this list is the Forbidden Power manifestations, the bridge in particular as an “out” for his ranged units, being able to teleport out of combat while still being able to shoot in the same turn. The fairly large bases involved have the added advantage of taking up quite a lot of real estate on the board, and can keep his opponent from bringing their full offensive force to bear against his wound-dense units if placed well.
His path to victory through the event was against a number of armies simply unprepared to deal with the strengths of the list, and unable to fully exploit its weaknesses. 2 Stormcast lists that largely wanted to shoot and pin down units, which this list excels at either avoiding or fleeing from combat with, 2 Tzeentch armies that want to tie down in melee, damage at range and control the board, a mirror match against a mostly foot archer build for Slaanesh, and a primarily horror-focused rendition of flesheater courts. He was stopped in his tracks by a very resilient (and surprisingly fast) Glottkin/blightkings Nurgle list in the semi-finals, piloted by Mike McAbee.
Overall, this list shows that skew is very much alive and well in competitive AoS at the moment, and that Hedonites of Slaanesh are far from a “solved” army, with surprisingly unusual builds able to find their way to top tables with a good pilot at the helm, such as Mr. Tom Guan.
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Ironjawz Weirdfist Drops: 3 Spell Lore – Lore of the Weird Prayer Lore – Warbeats Manifestation Lore – Krondspine Incarnate
General’s Regiment Ardboy Big Boss (120) • General • An’ Eye For Da Fight Brutes (400) • Reinforced
Noel Fundora: The Hakkin Krew is a really great inlcusion in any list. The ability for it not to be tied down in your movement phase is immense. Having a mobile monster for tactics and flank fighting is fantastic in an otherwise slow army. The Ardboy bricks with 6+ wards are a challenge for most opponents to chew through. And while the Ardboy bricks tie up your opponents for several turns, the Pig and Brutes can clean house. Well played and great showing!
This is the top three AoS lists for the GAF Jamboree 2024 that took place in the UK on the 12th and 13th of October. It saw 36 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.
Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.
If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?
Also if there’s a one day or two day tournament you’d like us to cover drop us a comment on this post and we’ll have a look at it for you.
Peter: I’m very pleased to say that we’ve been joined by top US player Mckenzie Ewing (who you’ve probably seen appear quite a few times on our top 3). Mckenzie will be helping us out with comments on Lumineth, Idoneth, and Sylvaneth.
Mckenzie Ewing: So the list is very interesting as Mike is using the mobility of foxes even with the nerf. However, with Teclis as a magical powerhouse able to throw out the Morbid conjuration spells with ease, it creates a multitude of threats for the opponents to attempt to deal with. The sentinels provide an excellent range damage battery that your opponent has to deal with while you are getting mortal wound bombed by Teclis and Shackles thrown at your face. I like the variety of units post battle scroll and happy to see Mike pilot the list to a 5-0, job well done!
Stormcast Eternals Vanguard Wing Drops: 3 Spell Lore – Lore of the Storm Manifestation Lore – Twilit Sorceries
General’s Regiment Karazai the Scarred (480) • General Praetors (150) Vanguard-Raptors with Longstrike Crossbows (340) • Reinforced
Regiment 2 Neave Blacktalon (340) Lorai, Child of the Abyss Neave’s Companions
Connor Irwin: Congratulations to Dominic for an excellent showing for the shiny champions of Sigmar at GAF. Let’s take a look at what he brought to the table.
Starting from the bottom, Neave and her companions are an interesting choice. The RoR is widely considered more effective outside of a Stormcast army but brings with it an IDK wizard with a neat warscroll spell but no lore. Not to worry, free access to three interesting manifestations keeps Lorai busy. Twilit Sorceries isn’t one you see every day (ie Morbid… Still) and includes the spell portal, geminids, and palisade. All interesting tools for blocking and slowing down an unwelcome advance. Neave herself is a blender in the right company, and the whole package is capable of taking and swinging a punch, especially with some of the close proximity objectives have to wyldwoods in this season’s battleplans.
Moving up the list, big daddy prime perches in a regiment with some good stuff tech. Cheap and useful hounds to screen and win tactics, the knight-vex with all the trimmings (mirror for shooting cover, staunch for an in-territory OC boost), and lastly the ascendent vigilors to boost the hit chance on an unlucky enemy target in their sights for other stormcast units.
Speaking of Karazai, that murder machine with anger issues that would turn a Mangler squig green, sits atop this list as warmaster-general, unlocking the still-auto-include longstrikes and taking a unit of praetors for good measure. The combo here is Bodyguard for the Honour Guard 24-25 GHB season rule, putting in enemies in combat with the massive 140mm based Karazai while the praetors are wholly within 6″ of him (they always are) at a -1 to combat attacks. This pairs nicely with the praetor bodyguard mechanic (5+ ward for both them and Karazai while in combat range of him) and Karazai’s rampage lowering a unit in combat with him’s attacks by -1 as well. So Dominic flies his 20 health ragebeast on a 3+ save to somewhere useful, drops in his praetor safety blanket from azyr to turn on the brick wall and dares someone to try and lift him. If you don’t succeed in one go you’re probably in trouble since damage only adds more jaw attacks, Karazai’s best weapon. There are simply not a lot of armies that can pull that off, since very few reinforced hammers are still viable at -2 attacks. Coupled with longstrike covering fire support and vigilor +1 to hit buffing (frees up all-out-defense) you can see how these overlapping features are a recipe for success.
Important to note the absence of the stormportal, as this event was prior to the new tome, points, and unit releases… which all would hurt it not one bit. Love to see Stormcast good stuff getting it done so congratulations again to Dominic for the excellent results.
Kruleboyz Light Finga Drops: 3 Spell Lore – Lore of the Swamp Manifestation Lore – Morbid Conjuration
General’s Regiment Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha (290) • General • Slippery Skumbag Man-skewer Boltboyz (220) • Reinforced
Noel Fundora: The double teleport and slipper Vulcha makes this list a nightmare to play against for pure melee armies. The death riders evidently had the speed to hunt them down, but the others not so much. And the big brick of Gutrippaz backed by Sludgey makes for a great hammer. Dense blob of wounds that’s -1 to be hit and packs a serious punch. MKs ever the efficient unit play a wonderful role as always.
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Idoneth Deepkin Akhelian Beastmasters Drops: 2 Spell Lore – Lore of the Deeps Manifestation Lore – Primal Energy
General’s Regiment Eidolon of Mathlann, Aspect of the Sea (350) • General • Ancient Pride • Armour of the Cythai Akhelian Ishlaen Guard (360) • Reinforced Akhelian Ishlaen Guard (360) • Reinforced Akhelian Leviadon (480)
Peter brought an interesting list that nails the “small number, high quality” lists I’ve seen a lot of lately. He’s focused here on both an effective castle with a huge board presence and a ton of mobility for scoring battle tactics and jumping between objectives.
The Leviadon can keep either one or both units of the eels nearby to increase their already substantial defenses. While the Ishlaen don’t have the potential killing power of Morsarr Guard, they weather fights much better, and still boast a large number of attacks. The Leviadon isn’t adding too much to them, but it maintains their ward without requiring a charge, which can extend the life of the unit in a prolonged combat.
Peter has opted to bring a relatively magic-heavy character suite as well. With two wizards boasting three spells between them he is fully capable of extending the threat range of his army. Steed of Tides is a powerful tool to have, and the fact that it’s Idoneth’s unlimited spell makes it even better.
All said, Peter had a good showing with an army that is not quite meeting its initial meta expectations, and I look forward to seeing what lists he cooks up in the future.
This is the top three AoS lists for the Throne of Skulls that took place in the UK on the 27th and 28th of July. It saw 68 players vying to be crowned champion in a 5-game tournament.
Before I jump into the Top Three AoS Lists, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.
If you like what we’re doing, why not join our Patreon and help keep it going?
Also if there’s a one day or two day tournament you’d like us to cover drop us a comment on this post and we’ll have a look at it for you.
The Top Three AoS Lists
Regiment 1 Zogrot Hexgaze King Brogg, General 520 points Thugg Skullsplitter Gate-Breaker Mega-Gargant 500 points Heroic Trait: Furious Temper Skarn the Brutal Mancrusher Gargant 160 points Drakk the Kunning Mancrusher Gargant 160 points
Regiment 2 Morgut Bonecaster Kraken-Eater Mega-Gargant 470 points Artifact of Power: Glowy Lanter Ghaz the Stabba Mancrusher Gargant 160 points
Manifestation Lore: Da Idol of Gork Krondpine Incarnate
Peter: Our guest writer today requires no introduction, only to say the man is a living legend and to check out his awesome YouTube channel here!
Anthony Magro (AoS Coach): Firstly, you’re a legend Michael for naming your heroes. Everybody should name their heroes on their army list! Be like Michael!
Let’s talk about Michael’s take Sons of Behemat. This list has my preferred build of 3 Mega-Gargants and 3 solo Mancrushers due to battleplans having up to 8 objectives and the current battle tactics not being favourable to a 4 big boy build. King Brodd is a staple in almost every SoB list thanks to the Power of Behemat prayer, durability with 40 wounds, and strong damage profile. Put a CP aside every turn to cast Magical Intervention on Brodd to ensure you’re hitting that chanting value of 5 each battle round. Speaking of magic, Sons don’t have a native wizard so the Glowy Lantern artefact selection gives you access to 1 manifestation lore that you can summon as if you were a wizard. The Krondspine is a great choice for an army that only has 1 summon per turn to bring on another combat threat, however; Morbid Conjuration and Primal would equally bring value to a Sons army.
The Gate-Breaker is your highest damage dealer which only gets better with the Furious Temper trait for extra attacks once per battle. The rarely seen Kraken-Eater returns from 3e hiatus as a utility piece thanks to its solid shooting, melee, unique rules like kicking objectives around the table (and potentially changing their value) and auto-slaying models when stuffed in the net. If this was my list I would have had the Warstomper in the Kraken-Eaters slot, especially with the hindsight of 2x Nighthaunt match ups at this event because it gains extra attacks on the Boulderclub for every 5 models in the target unit… but Michael went 5-0, so I’ll sit down, shut up, and applaud. The 3 solo Mancrushers are a nice choice because they do enough damage, can run and charge while wholly within 12″ of a Mega-Gargant, will help you score Take the Flanks and Seize the Centre, and can be left on objectives without overcommitting.
The key to getting the most out of Sons isn’t building into ultimate combat damage (though running Kragnos and the 3D6 charge aura ability is definitely fun) but playing smart with board control, using those big bases to block off objectives, using your large health characteristics to overpower your enemies, and praying to your dice gods that they bless your attack sequences. Michael’s leveraged his strengths and come out on top against some of the top meta picks right now.
Disciples of Tzeentch Wyrdflame Host 2000 Points Drops: 2 Spell Lore – Lore of Change Manifestation Lore – Morbid Conjuration
Regiments General’s Regiment Kairos Fateweaver (440 Points) • General Blue Horrors and Brimstone Horrors (240 Points) • Reinforced Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch (60 Points) Flamers of Tzeentch (240 Points) • Reinforced Screamers of Tzeentch (100 Points)
Regiment 1 Lord of Change (360 Points) • 1 Rod of Sorcery • Illusionist • Nine-eyed Tome Pink Horrors (280 Points) • Reinforced Screamers of Tzeentch (100 Points) The Changeling (160 Points)
Dalton Kahle: He utilizes what makes tzeentch strong, all the minuses to hit from the Lord of Change make his horrors a nightmare to move off objectives, and then if you do destroy them, the lord of change brings them back and they just keep adding to the blue horrors. All this is happening while the changling is doing his movement shenanigans, and the screamers are moving around to capture the edge objectives and pick off smaller units. The flamers are there to throw out a good number of shots that do d3 damage and combined with Kairos’ innate spell, can have rend and take out priority targets. All of this is in addition to the spell slinging happening from Kairos, the LoC, and the Changling, doing a lot of damage, debuffs, endless spells, and summoning the spawn back if it dies. All of this makes a good control list that is hard to shift off objectives and what you kill can come back at half strength with the LoC’s ability.
Nighthaunt Death Stalkers 2000 Points Drops: 3 Spell Lore – Lore of the Underworlds Manifestation Lore – Krondspine Incarnate
Regiments General’s Regiment Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed (180 Points) • General • Ruler of the Spectral Hosts • Lightshard of the Harvest Moon Dreadblade Harrows (160 Points) Hexwraiths (160 Points) Hexwraiths (320 Points) • Reinforced
Fittsy: Focussing a bit on the differences to a lot of the other NH lists you see floating around these days (pun intended)… We see a start with 3 drops instead of 2 to get a Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed who makes a good bearer for the Ruler of the Spectral Hosts and Lightshard of the Harvest Moon (return half a unit OPB and +1 attack for all within 12 OPB). It’s nice to see the Grimghast Reapers and Cairn Wraith combo seeing some time on the field. The Cairn Wraith adds a nice +1 attack to the Grimghasts within 12 if it is in combat. This is a quite nice choice that works defensively as an alternative to Bladegheists. The Bladegheists don’t need a supporting piece though and points per damage come out on top most of the time but this choice has worked for Philip. It’s great to see Cairn Wraiths back on the table as one of the OG staples of Nighthaunt.
With a potential two casts from Reikenor and 1 from the Guardian of Souls, there is some sense to taking the Krondspine over the Morbid for the manifestation. There’s also a good bonus in this army, which has quite a few units as the Krondspine can easily get out of the way of the relatively many units in this army, letting them roam around and charge. The Krondspine also nicely can do away with the opponents Endless Spells keeping the board cleaner. Last but not least, we see not 1 unit of Glaivewraith Stalkers just because the points fit, but we’ve got a reinforced unit. Good on ya Philip for flexing and bringing the poor old horsey boys out to play and taking a 3rd with them!
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Kruleboyz Middul Finga 2000 Points Drops: 4 Spell Lore – Lore of the Swamp Manifestation Lore – Krondspine Incarnate
Noel Fundora: Oh boy, do I love me some Kruleboyz. Middul Finga is going to make those 2×6 Boltboyz even more threatening at 15 – or 21-inch range. The third target being a flex for what you need, which means you have the choice of a lovely killbow standing still and walloping a monster from 27″!!! Slippery Skumbag Vulcha, lovingly named Slippery Pete, is a side skirmisher like no other. Nearly impossible to pin down, he is going to threaten side objectives like its nobodies business. A breakaboss is a proper can opener, and the sludge is making that unit of 20 Gutrippaz kill just about anything. Looks like Phil’s 4 wins were against primarily melee armies, which Kruleboyz excel at controlling on the battlefield. Bullying them with dirty tricks and Morruky kunnin is just what the doctor ordered. Very well fought Phil, congratulations on the 4-1. This army is damn difficult to pilot, and that is one hell of a road to victory!
The dirty tricks, guerilla style tactics, and absolute Kunnin’ of the Kruleboyz has been captured in this faction pack. These Morky Orruks are chock full of devious tools you can use to force your opponent to play the game on your terms. They sport bad saves, Crit (Mortal), debuffs, and nasty nasty tricks.
Battle Traits
The Kruleboyz employ their Dirty Tricks, a suite of Once per Turn (Army) abilities that allow them to manipulate the battlefield to their plans. They get progressively less reliable the more you use them per battle round, so choose carefully. They include giving an infantry unit Crits on 5s (Venom-Encrusted Weapons), teleporting an infantry unit to a terrain piece (Sneaky Sneakin’), shutting off a unit’s +1 damage on the charge (Lethal Surprise), and making a unit fight last (Noisy Racket). Every single one of these tricks can be game warping. Your opponent cannot reliably call battle tactics when they cannot predict where you will be or if you’re going to debuff and stab them before they get to fight you in combat. That lack of certainty makes the game so much more difficult for your opponent, and so much more fun for you. What we lack in durability, we make up for it in being able to hurt them before they hurt us, or just avoiding the fights all together.
Battle Formations
While wholly within 3” of terrain, the Kruleboy Klaw will make your units invisible to enemies outside of 12”. Your mileage may vary based on how your terrain looks on the table. If there is plenty of area terrain, you will be absolutely feasting with a terrifying anti-shooting formation. The Middul Finga will give 3 of your Boltboy or Beast-skewer units an additional 3” range to shoot in your turn. That may not seem like a lot at first, but the difference in spacing between your Boltboyz shooting 12” vs 15” makes the world of difference on the battlefield. After getting shot, a 5” move enemy will have a 10” charge towards you vs a 7” charge. We have a number of tricks to prevent the enemy from getting to us, this is just one more. Meanest Beasts will give all your companions Crit (2 Hits). If you like Birds, Lizards, and Troggs, enjoy it! Lastly, my honest favorite is Light Finga. This allows you to use the Sneaky Sneakin’ dirty trick twice per turn! The possibilities for trickery here are endless. You can’t kill what you can’t catch.
Heroic Traits
Egomaniak gives your Hero a 4+ pass off to infantry within 3”. If you have a buff piece Sludgeraker that you really want to keep safe, Egomaniak can help. Backstabba allows you to inflict mortal damage at the end of any turn based on how many of your units are in combat with a single enemy unit. It is quite thematic. It is both not particularly flashy as well as quite niche. However, there is a case for it if you want to run many small units. Slippery Skumbag gives the Hero the chance to retreat from combat on a 3+ before the fighting starts. Again, you can’t kill what you can’t catch. Slap this on a 12” flying Vulcha and watch him go.
Artefacts of Power
Eye-Biter Ash gives an enemy -1 to hit and wound for a single turn once per game. No thank you. Mork’s Eye Pebble gives you a 5+ ward aura for an entire turn as a reaction to an enemy declaring an attack. Only once per battle, but that is quite the boost in durability. The Swamp Staff will give your Swampcalla +1 power level. This makes a Swampcalla a 2 cast wizard on +1 to cast which you will absolutely find value in. If you give it to a non-wizard Hero it just gives them an unbind. Again, no thank you.
Spell Lore
Da Black Pit is going to be a horde breaker on 6s which is just fine. Mork’s Kunnin is +1 to save until your next turn. No wonder we lost Mystic Shield, the Kruleboyz TOOK IT! (Right on theme – Peter) And we will happily keep what durability we can find. Choking Mists is a -1 attacks debuff, which is quite nice. The range of wholly within 18” can be limiting, but it’s a nasty debuff nonetheless. The spells cast on 5, 6, and 7 respectively which is very doable with our Swampcalla’s innate +1 to cast.
Heroes
Gobsprakk, the Anti-Wizard wizard himself. 14 Health on a 5+ 6++ make him quite squishy. His weapons sport Anti-Wizard (+1 Rend) which makes him a funny little mage hunter. The damage he does is not why you bring him, though. He is quite fast, inflicts D3 damage on unbinds (D6 on an unbind of 10+), and has a once per game 3d6 unbind. At power level 2 with no innate bonuses, he is a worse caster than a Swampcalla Shaman with the Swamp Staff. He does however come with a spell that can inflict mortals on high health targets. Gobby absolutely has a place in your lists if you want the tasty Anti-Wizard tech.
The Swampcalla Shaman can fit comfortably in any list. His Pot-Grot token is what gives him that innate +1 to cast. Slap an extra power level on him with the Swamp Staff and he will sling spells left and right. But if he casts a 4 or less on the dice, the Pot-Grot dies and he loses his bonus to cast. If you’re like me, get that out of the way Turn 1 so you’re not disappointed later. His Foul Elixir ability allows you to give an infantry unit +1 to save, but it only lasts until the end of the turn. If you’re up against a lot of fight lasts or need to send in more than one unit, given gone of them a bit of a durability boost on a 3+ is really nice.
The Killabosses come in 3 variants all of which serve very different purposes. The Killabos on Corpse-Rippa Vulcha sits at 14 health on a 4+. He may not be the tankiest, but the opponent has to commit a fair bit to knock him down. Flying 12” makes him the perfect candidate for Slippery Skumbag, making him and absolute nuisance on the flanks. He makes redeploys for Gutrippaz automatically a 4, which is a nice sprinkle of reliability. And he has charge impact hits, doing more mortal damage with higher charge rolls. He himself does not do a boatload of damage, but he definitely does enough to make the edge of the board he controls a difficult path to tread.
The Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof is a bit bulky at 10 health on a 3+. He buffs infantry with +1 to hit while taking objectives you don’t control, and adding 3 to the control score of a unit. His tankiness and control buffs makes him a good little squad leader for objective snagging.
The Killaboss with Stabgrot will give +1 to wound to infantry when they receive All-out Attack. +1 to wound is a rare buff to come by and it does a good job at boosting up those damage numbers. He can also get a 5+ ward once per game to survive the combat phase, but he is a little buff piece that you should be keeping nice and safe anyways.
The Murknob with his Belcha-Banna is going to give a 6+ ward to all the Kruleboyz wholly within 12. A decent buff. He is also control score 5 which is not nothing.
The Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast is a very interesting piece. He is, unfortunately, a bit pillowfisted in combat. His output is not where he shines. He has his Sludgeraker Venom ability to give a non-Hero unit with a weapon that has Crit (Mortal) +1 damage. That is an immense spike in damage for your Gutrippaz or Monsta-killaz. It is not limited to once per phase so you can have multiple sludges buffing different units. It is, however, on a 2+. I have never seen more 1s rolled in critical situations than for abilities like this. Regardless, it is still a very potent buff. He can also hand out -1 to wound at the end of the turn for an enemy that he hurt but did not slay.
Swampboss Skumdrekk is simply worse than the Sludgeraker. He does not get the Sluderaker Venom ability, but instead can give a Hobgrot unit Crit (Mortal) on their melee weapons. He also picks a target and gives all your Hobgrots +1 to wound against that target. The hobgrots are simply not strong enough to warrant an entire build around them using Skumdrekk, but the list is certainly funny.
The Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth is your resident can opener. He can take damage at the start of combat to get extra Trogg attacks which are rend 2 damage 3! He heals every turn to stay topped off and has a rampage to squish an infantry model. This monster is going to be the damage piece that does not rely on Crit (Mortal).
Units
The Gutrippaz are going to be your most wound dense unit. Don’t let the 5+ save scare you as we have 2 ways to buff that, which is more than most armies. On a 3+, they are going to be -1 to be hit by any non-Hero units that target them. Their Crit (Mortal) are going to help push damage forward, and skyrocket with Sluderaker Buff.
The Monsta-Killaz sport Rend 1 and Anti-Monster (+1 rend) in addition to their Crit (Mortal). They have lots of Anti-Monstertech. They can make a monster fight last and they can shut off Monster’s rampages. They don’t get the -1 to be hit for defensiveness, but they are slightly hittier than Gutrippaz.
The Man-Skewer Boltboyz are your primary shooting output and they do a pretty good job of it. Their missile weapons have Crit (Auto-wound) and you have two options when shooting. An 18” profile with rend 2 or a 12” profile with an extra shot at rend 1. Both are damage 2 so quite a bit of damage will come out from these boyz at decent range, not to mention an innate +1 to hit if they stand still and have not been set up.
The Beast-skewer Killbow will be your premier monster silver bullet. It is 2 shots at rend 2 damage D6, Anti-Monster (Rend +1) and Crit (Auto-Wound). Any opponent running monsters will want to steer clear of this things 24” range. It rocks the same ability of +1 to hit if it stood still, but also makes the damage characteristic 6 against monsters (only for a single one of your killbows). 2 shots at rend 3 damage 6 will make any monster quake in their boots, and that is a valuable tool to have.
Hobgrot Slittaz have an 8” range shooting attack and a cheeky retreat out of combat at the end of the turn. They serve as roadblocks and that is about it.
Marshcrawla Sloggoth will hand out an aura of run and charge to your infantry units. They are all movement 5 so this can help them go screaming up the board.
Final Thoughts
I think that this Faction Pack really nails the essence of Kruleboyz. They are Kunnin’ and they fight unfairly. You force your opponent to fight unfavorable battles on your terms and prevent them from making any choices without second guessing themselves. Your dirty tricks are just that, dirty. Kunnin’, but brutal, these Morky Orruks are sure to be a force to reckon with.
The Ironjawz sport high damage and some limited movement shenanigans in their faction pack. These Gorky Orruks are here for a proper scrap, and they have the tools to bring it. They have access to some solid offensive buffs that send their damage even higher, but are quite vulnerable to debuffs as most of the damaging units are going to be hitting on 4+s. .
Battle Traits
Getting to use Mighty Destroyers to move in any hero phase (into combat if we so choose) allows us to be quite tricky with positioning. Locking down enemy cavalry that need their charge bonuses is a big boost to our defenses. The WAAAGH is the classic Orruky pedal to the metal big red button that can help crack through defensive buffs and debuffs once per game.
Battle Formations
The pigs getting bonus movement from ‘Ere we Come! feels a bit like a hat on a hat, given how fast the pigs already are. They would probably benefit from this as much as the others. The cascading +1 to hit for destroying units in Smashin’ and Bashin’ is really nice, particularly with how precious command points are. A good number of our units sport the durability to take a hit and fight back once they’ve received that benefit. If you’re a gambler, getting +1 attacks on an 8+ charge makes Ironjawz Brawl an absolute thrill ride. It is unmodified though, so no help from the WAAAGH makes this a bit unreliable, albeit very fun. Hordes of Brutes and Ardboys with 3+ saves getting 6+ wards in Weirdfist is a small boost in durability, but your Warchanters and Weirdnobs will have to stay quite close by to keep it up. This feels like a stand on circles formation rather than a run forward and smash one.
Brutal Warlords Heroic Traits
Getting impact hits from Hulking Brute is pretty underwhelming. A +1 to charge aura from Mega Bossy is quite nice, assuming you’re fielding the likes of a Megaboss who wants to be doing the charging. That aura coming off of the Maw-Krusha base will cover quite a bit of ground. The real winner feels like An’ Eye for da Fight. Consistent 4s on redeploys mean so much for denying tactics, denying charges, stealing objectives, and so on. That reliability is a valuable tool.
Da Boss’s Hoard Artefacts of Power
+10 Control score from Trophy of Skulls is really amusing and will help a more elite Ironjawz army steal points off of swarms. The 6+ ward from Armour of Gork is a bit underwhelming, but a Maw-Krusha with 18 health on a 3+6++ definitely has a place. The Amberbone Whetstone for a bit of extra rend for a Megaboss feels alright, as the poor boys are sitting at a pillowfisted rend 1 base.
Spell Lore
The spells are all cast on 6s and 7s, making them quite doable with our lack of bonuses. Bash ‘em Ladz as our unlimited spell for Crit (2 Hits) makes our volume of attacks even MORE volume, which I do love. Pair it with +1 damage and you’re off to the races. Mighty Headbutt isn’t winning any awards, but if you ever find yourself needing to kill 1 or 2 health worth of stuff that is tying you up, it will be there for you. Da Great Big Green Hand of Gork is here to whisk us away relatively reliably. The new redeploy has made teleport charges a bit more difficult, so just teleport such that you have more than 1 option for aggression and you will be a-okay.
Prayer Lore
The Warchanter beats all happen on a prayer of 4+ with a bonus on an 8+. The Killabeat is our ever sought after +1 damage, affecting 2 units with the bonus. It does, however, only last until the end of the turn, so we will have to be quite deliberate with its use (a cheeky magical intervention perhaps). The Fixin’ Beat is a D6 heal, D3+3 with the bonus. It’s not bad for keeping our heroes topped off. The Get ‘Em Beat is +1 to charge, with an extra charge die on the bonus. This one feels like it’s asking to be saved up for.
Heroes
The Big Boy himself, Gordrakk, is unfortunately lacking in some areas. Rend 1 across the board hurts. He gets Anti-Hero (+1 Rend) and Anti-Monster (+1 Rend), so he CAN get to rend 2, but he needs to be fighting very specific targets. He has a rampage to neuter enemy monsters, which is ok. He gives out an aura of +1 to hit on the WAAAGH, which is quite good. And as Megabosses do, he ramps with bonus attacks for helping destroy units. He has very specific use cases which simply aren’t available in every matchup.
The generic Megaboss on Maw-Krusha faces a similar deficit in being rend 1 across the board, but his Anti (+1 Rend) rule is infantry! He has impact hits, which double against infantry and the ability to pile 2d6. I can picture the Maw-Krusha dancing around screens, squishing them, beating up infantry hammers, and powering through to safety.
The Megaboss on Foot is quite expensive, and with the single pip of rend he is not doing a ton of damage on his own. What he does do is give Brutes +1 attacks until the start of your next turn, as well as an additional +1 attacks in the combat phase. The Brutes, Wrekkaz, and Ragerz will be feasting.
The Warchanter is our only priest (power level 1) and he can generate ritual points by slaying enemy models in combat. Nothing flashy about this warscroll. The Weirdnob is similar. He is our only wizard (power level 1) and gets +1 power level if he is near a 10+ model Ironjawz unit. They are simple support heroes propped up by our lore. The extra power level is nice, but that will require you to run at least some big units.
Zoggrok Anvilsmasha is going to hand out Crit (Mortal) to a unit. With as many attacks as we have, that is really strong. He does it on a 4+, 3+ with the tongs weapon option, rerolling if his token is alive. He only loses the token if he makes a save roll of 1, so just hide him in some obscuring and smash that anvil. His other weapon option lets him smash enemy wards in combat, but I think we know what his role is.
The Ardboy Big Boss will add 1 to Ardboy Shield bashes and allow them to roll 3 additional rally dice. Bricks of Ardboys will greatly love his support.
The Tuskboss gives out extra momentum to your other Maw-Gruntas. As that momentum adds up they will hit like absolute trucks, but as with most of our profiles it all hits on 4+s. Very vulnerable to debuffs to hit, unfortunately.
Units
If damage is your aim, then Brutes are your game. They are absolute blenders. Little idiots still cannot contest objectives against them and they sport a tasty 3+ save. The Wrekkaz (Anti-Infantry +1 Rend) are your infantry squishers that can run and charge. Alternatively, the Ragerz (Anti-Monster +1 Rend) are your big boy hunters. They also get run and charge with strikes-first on the charge, making them great candidates for counter charge. All these folks having the Brute keyword makes them love love love a friendly megaboss.
The Ardboys are the big units you can field, with Anti-Charge (=1 Rend) and the shield bashes for some cheeky mortal damage. Another great target for the counter charge. Their volume of attacks also make them a good target for Zoggrok’s mortal damage.
The Gore-Gruntas are Anti-Cavalry (+1 Rend), a bit of a rare rule that cements them firmly as an Anti-Cav silver bullet. Their impact hits also do bonus damage against Cav. They sit pretty at a 3+ save, making them a very interesting piece.
The Maw-Gruntawith Hakkin’ Krew gets a very cool movement rampage that allows it to move out of combat, through models, inflicting damage and gaining momentum on the way and allowing it to charge elsewhere. The Gougers go up to a 4+ save as opposed to his big brothers’ 3+s. What he does get is a Strike Last rampage that becomes more reliable with more momentum. Combat order manipulation is at an absolute premium so this is valuable.
Final Thoughts
The Ironjawz sport big damage, mobility tools, and good durability. Some problems in the current landscape include the plentiful debuffs to hit and Anti-Infantry Rend rules. Those 3+ saves don’t mean what they used to when everyone and their mother can access Anti-Infantry Rend. That being said, the damage potential is high enough to raise an eyebrow. With Counter Charge and Mighty Destroyers, you are going to have to really consider your positioning against this army.
The forces of Order aim to bring peace to the Mortal Realms by stamping out evil. Forces of Stormcast Eternals, known as Stormhosts, would travel across the Realms liberating the pathways between realms known as Realmgates. Cities were then strategically erected around these places of power at the behest of the God-King Sigmar himself. Populated by the Humans, Duardin, and Aelves, these Free Cities came to be known as the Cities of Sigmar. Bastions of Order, these Cities serve as the garrison to crusades launched all across the Mortal Realms.
Playstyle
The Cities of Sigmar Battletome boasts a strong variety in play styles that include high durability, strong mobility, long range shooting, powerful magics, and formidable melee. What you will enjoy about Cities is being able to have your cake and eat it too. The wide variety inherently within the warscrolls and allegiance abilities will allow you to mix and match all of these archetypes to your heart’s content. Whether you aim to castle up and charge forward the Cities of Sigmar (CoS) will enable you to achieve that and more.
Allegiance Abilities
The delicious bread and butter for CoS lies in their Orders. Orders are special abilities your CoS HEROES can utilize. At the start of the battle round, you give each of your heroes an order, face down such that your opponent does not know what they are. You can then trigger them throughout the battle round at the appropriate times. This “trap card” style ability allows the CoS player immense flexibility on a turn by turn basis. You can’t have more than 3 of the same order out at the same time, and a unit cannot be affected more than once by the same order in the same phase. At the end of the battle round, you discard any that are not revealed and start anew.
The first two orders can be given to any CoS HERO. Advance in Formation is revealed at the start of the movement phase. Any unit that starts a normal move within 3” of this HERO gets to add 3” to their move characteristic. This means you get the opportunity to move the hero in range of a different unit that wants to receive the bonus. Castelite units with the Fortified Position ability can use said ability even if they made a normal move as long as they end within 3” of this HERO. We will get into what all that means when we discuss the warscrolls. Counter-Charge is revealed at the end of the enemy charge phase. You pick a unit that is not in combat and within 3” of this HERO. That unit can attempt a charge, and if they make it their rend is improved by one until the end of the turn. Anything that allows you to act in your opponent’s turn is very powerful, a Counter Charge being amongst the best of them. Your opponent can carefully position all they want and you can surprise them with one more unit that they did not intend on fighting.
The next three orders can only be given to your HUMAN CoS HEROES. Return Fire is revealed when a friendly unit within 3” of the HERO is targeted by a shooting attack. After that attack, a HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of that HERO that is not in combat can make a shooting attack. Any enemy archers will have to think twice about who they shoot! Suppressing Fire is revealed at the start of your shooting phase. Pick one HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of this HERO. If that unit shoots and puts all its attacks into one target, roll two dice against that unit’s bravery adding the number of models slain by that attack. If the roll exceeds the target’s bravery, that unit is suppressed until the end of the turn (meaning it has strikes last). Soften up a target with some missiles before charging in and you may be able to give it strikes last in addition! Engage the Foe is revealed at the start of your charge phase. Pick a CoS HUMAN within 3” of the HERO, not in combat, and has not fought yet in the battle. If that unit makes a charge move, they will get +1 attacks until the end of that combat phase. This will make your melee threats even more threatening on that initial impact.
The next two orders can only be given to your DUARDIN CoS HEROES. Form Shieldwall is revealed at the start of the enemy combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit with 5 or more models within 3” of this hero to get a 5+ ward and strike last. A surprise jump in durability that can catch an opponent off guard. Grim Last Stand is revealed at the start of your combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit models within 3” of this hero and gives them an explode on death. The explosion is 3” range measured from the unit and causes 1 mortal wound on a 5+ per slain model. This one leaves a lot to be desired as it does not seem to stack up to anything that we have seen so far.
The next two orders can only be given to your AELF CoS HEROES. Strike Them Down is revealed at the start of the charge phase. One CoS AELF unit within 3” of the hero will get strike first if they charge this turn. This combos very well with Counter-Charge. A unit can benefit from more than one order in the same phase assuming it is not the same order. Swift Disengage is revealed at the end of the combat phase.One CoS AELF unit within 3” of this hero can immediately make a retreat move. This is a very nice piece of out of phase mobility, and we love abilities that let you do things out of phase.
Subfaction Traits Summary
There are a whopping 11 Free Cities to choose from as your subfaction! You may find some to be more impactful than others, however each will definitely provide a niche that you may find enjoyable! A number of these will specifically lay out how allies can interact with them. As a reminder, allies will not get the subfaction keyword nor are they CoS which means they cannot have or receive orders.
Hammerhal Aqsha lets one of your Aqsha HEROES have two different orders instead of just one order. You also get an extra CP at the start of your hero phase if you have an allied Aventis Firestrike on the battlefield. This is going to be outclassed by some of the other cities as getting a single additional order or CP per round does not a subfaction make.
The Living City enables you to deepstrike up to half of your Living City or Sylvaneth units during deployment. One or more of them are set up wholly within 6” of the board edge and more than 9” away from enemies at the end of your movement phase. If deepstrike excites you and you would like to bring along your Sylvaneth toys, go nuts!
Vindicarum units are able to rally while within 3” of enemies, and your Vindicarum Flagellants can rally on a 5+. This one is not particularly flashy as no other unit will have an improved rally. Large blobs of Flagellants with defensive buffs tarring up the board and exploding on death while rallying back certainly is a choice you can make. However, they are so fragile that they may not survive to see the rally. And with the 10 wound cap on rally, it might be that much more difficult to pull off.
Tempest’s Eye units, Kharadron Overlords skyvessels allies, and the units embarked in said vessels are able to retreat and shoot. This is an alright touch of mobility, and could be exciting for the flying duardin enjoyers that want to bring their lads into Cities!
Greywater Fastness allows you to issue All-out Attack in the shooting phase to three Greywater Fastness units. The first two times you issue it, it does not cost a CP. If you’re a fan of tanks or lads with firearms, this could improve your output in the shooting phase.
Excelsis gives all your Excelsis monsters an additional wound. It also gives your Freeguild Cavaliers the ability to do some mortal wounds in the combat phase. After they fight, pick any enemy within 3” and roll a die for each model in the Cav unit. Each 4+ will deal a mortal. There are some formidable monsters in the book, so if you wish to beef them up and then sprint around with the very fast Cavalry, this may be the option for you!
Hallowheart stands out as the magical subfaction, allowing your Hallowheart wizards to cast on 3d6 rather than 2d6. If the unmodified casting roll was 10+, they take D3 mortal wounds after resolving the spell. We will review the spell lore shortly but getting the chance to 3d6 cast your critical spells at the cost of maybe D3 mortal wounds is the deal of a lifetime.
Lethis stands out as the premier PRIEST subaction. Your HUMAN Lethis non-WIZARD HEROES become PRIESTS and gain access to the Lethis specific prayer Morrda’s Embrace which is a 4+ 12” range ward turn off (your Stormcast PRIEST allies will also get this). The range is a bit short, but a ward turn off is a phenomenal tool to have in addition to the generic and Cities specific prayer scriptures.
Settler’s Gain WIZARDS get +1 to cast and your general will generate an additional CP if they are within 3” of a Lumineth Realm-Lord ally. This is another magic subfaction and while it feels less flashy than Hallowheart, it offers some nice consistency.
Hammerhall Ghyra allows you to bring 1 additional reinforced CoS unit than normal and make all of your HUMAN units bravery 10 while they have 10 or more models. This one seems like a miss. There are tools that will allow you to deal with battleshock so this just doesn’t seem necessary.
Misthavn lets you pick 3 Misthavn units at the end of the hero phase that are outside 12” of enemies. Those units move D6”, or 2d6” if they are mounted. This move can end within 3” of enemies. This is a really nice touch of mobility and will give your already speedy cavalry even more room to move. Being able to end within combat has so many implications including shutting off unleash, redeploy, counter-charges, certain commands, and so on!
Spells and Prayers
There are two spell lores in the CoS tome, one for HUMANS and one for AELVES. The Lore of Collegiate Arcane for HUMANS has a whopping 8 spells. Fireball (CV6 range 18”) is a hordebreaker (roll a number of dice equal to the number of models in the unit and do mortals on x) on 6s. This one is not winning any awards. Mystifying Miasma (CV5 range 18”) is a single target debuff for no running and -2 to charge. This could help slow down some folks that rely on run and charge and the range is really nice. Pall of Doom (CV7 range 18”) is a single target debuff to shut off commands. Some units rely more heavily on commands than others. When they DO rely on it, woof does it hurt to take that away. Pha’s Protection (CV7 range 18”) is a single target HUMAN buff to ignore all modifiers to save rolls. Giving a high base save unit an ethereal save could prove quite useful. Rain of Jade (CV7 range 12”) is a single HUMAN model heal, rolling a dice for each wound allocated and healing it on a 5+. This is only for models, not units. Not sure if you are casting this over the other options but could be ok to heal up a durable monster that is heavily injured. Transmutation of Lead (CV7 range 12”) is a hordebreaker on dice value that exceeds the target’s save characteristic. Shutter in fear bricks of ok save models! Twin-tailed Comet (CV7 range 18”) lets you pick an enemy unit and draw a line to one model in that unit. Any HUMANS that the line touches get bravery 10 for the turn and then that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. This one is really really niche. Wildform (CV7 range 12”) is a single target HUMAN buff for a 3d6 charge. Yes, I would absolutely take more mobility thank you very much. The Lore of Dark Sorcery will give your AELVES a less whopping 3 spells to choose from. Sap Strength (CV6 range 18”) is a single target debuff for -1 to wound. Bonuses to wound don’t come sound too often so this one can hurt. Umbral Hex (CV6 range 12”) is a single target debuff to roll 2d6 instead of 1d6 for battleshock tests. Pair this with Pall of Doom and the battleshock phase will be terrifying. Tenebrael Blades (CV7 range 9”) is a single target AELF buff. Any enemy that this AELF unit targets in melee will be treated as having a save characteristic of “-” which means 7+.
Amongst these two spell lores, there are a number of interesting tools you can utilize to buff yourself or debuff your opponent. With all the casting bonuses you may have access to based on the subfaction you choose, this is a toolbox that you can have at the ready.
Rune Lore is the prayer scripture with 3 prayers your DUARDIN will have access to. Rune of Unfaltering Aim (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff with that will give +1 to hit with missile weapons. Copters and Bombers rejoice? Rune of Oath and Steel (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff that will give enemies -1 to wound in melee against that unit. Yet another durability buff for blocks of DUARDIN. Rune of Wrath and Ruin (CV3 range 18”) is a single target damage prayer. On 6 dice, each 5+ is a mortal wound. On 3 or more mortals, that target cannot benefit from bonuses to save. Two consistent buffs and an inconsistent debuff.
Command Traits and Artefacts
YourHUMAN generals will have access to four command traits from Sentinels of Order. Diving Champion will make your general a PRIEST and give them access to the prayer Hammer of Sigmar (CV4 range 12”). The prayer is a +1 to wound AoE buff centered on the chanter. +1 to wound is nothing to sneeze at, but you’re still asking for a 4+ without rerolls. Grizzled Veteran is only for your FREEGUILD generals and it makes it so attacks can only wound successfully on unmodified rolls of 4+. This is a significant bump in durability. Master of Ballistics will improve your general’s All-out-Attack, giving +1 to wound in addition to +1 to hit when issued to a CASTELITE unit. If you want to go all in on Fusiliers or Steelhelms, this could be a good consideration. Fiery Temper allows this general to reroll charges. If this general makes a charge move, all other CoS units wholly within 18” also get to reroll their charges. If you live by the ABCs (Always Be Charging) this is a fun command trait for you.
Your HUMAN HEROES have access to 6 artefacts of power from Treasures of the Cities. Brazier of Holy Flame lets you roll a dice each time a HUMAN model flees from battleshock while wholly within 12” of the bearer. On a 4+, that model does not flee. Could potentially mess up coherency if you are not careful, but between this and all the potential bravery buffs I do not foresee HUMAN bricks running to bravery. Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope (great name) gives +3” to the range of missile weapons used by HUMANS wholly within 12” of the bearer. Steam Tanks and Fusiliers shooting from even father is going to be tough to handle! Shemtek’s Grimoire is a once per battle debuff to enemy wizards. You use this at the start of the enemy hero phase to give their wizards -D3 to cast for that phase. This is very niche, but if you want to go high drops for extra artefacts this is an interesting inclusion to make your army more magically dominant. Sigmarite Warhammer will just give one of the bearers weapons an extra pip of rend and damage. If you like a smashy Griffon, this is your golden ticket. Flask of Lethisian Darkwater is a once per battle D6 heal at the end of any phase. Once per battle abilities need to be REALLY good to keep up with the other options you have access to. D6 is just too inconsistent. Glimmering is a once per phase reroll for a hit, wound, or save roll for the bearer. Not sure why one would take this over some of the other options.
Your DUARDIN generals will have 3 command traits to choose from Lords of the Mountains. Of Mighty Lineage allows your general to pick an enemy HERO within 3” at the start of the combat phase, giving your general strikes first if they target the enemy HERO with all their attacks. Not sure if Mighty Lineage is going to earn much Mighty Mileage. Insurmountable Resilience allows you to roll a die for each wound allocated to this general at the end of the combat phase, healing the wound with each 3+. The beefiest DUARDIN HERO is 6 wounds on a 3+ save in the Warden King. I am not seeing how you can reliably take advantage of this. Master of Ancient Lore makes your general a PRIEST, and gives them an extra prayer from the scripture if they are already a priest. The scripture is not particularly inspiring. A common theme you may be noticing is that the DUARDIN are looking like they got the short end of the stick, pun intended.
Your DUARDIN HEROES can pick from 3 artefacts of power from Ancestor relics. Book of Grudges lets the bearer pick an enemy unit while out of combat. On a 4+, DUARDIN get +1 to hit that enemy unit until a different one is picked. The coinflip requirement hurts. Piledriver Gauntlets (best name yet?) allows the bearer to roll a dice for each enemy unit within 3” at the start of the combat phase. Each 4+ will give them strikes last. The bearer must forgo their chance to fight in order to do this. More coin flips, more feels bad.Heavy Metal Ingot allows the user to ignore negative modifiers to their save rolls as long as they have not made a move in the same turn. That 6 wound 3+ save Warden King may be a bit tougher to kill with this, but it is only 6 wounds after all.
Your AELF generals will have access to 3 command traits from Dreaded Leaders. Unparalleled Duelist will deal 1 mortal wound to an enemy for every hit roll that targets the general and does not produce a hit. Most of the AELF HEROES are not particularly tanky, so this may not be as good as it looks on paper. Secretive Warlock will give a wizard general +1 to cast and unbind. Simple, not flashy, but consistent and can combo with your subfaction. Although, your AELF WIZARDS are only single casters. Draconic Blood-pact is specifically for your AELF HEROES that are riding a Black Dragon. The general can take 1 mortal wound to give the Black Dragon mount attacks +1 attacks. This is alright if you like The Dragons themselves hit on 4+s base. I am not sure an AELF general’s role is to be fighting on the front lines. They have warscroll abilities that may better suit them elsewhere, which we will cover later. Your AELF HEROES will be able to choose from 3 artefacts of power from Exotic Armaments. Shadowshroud Ring will once per battle allow the bearer to become invisible to enemies outside of 12” until the start of your next hero phase. This may prevent them from being sniped if they didn’t already benefit from Look Out Sir! Venomfang Blade will make one of the bearer’s weapons deal an additional D3 mortal wounds on 6s to wound. Again, not sure your AELF HEROES are sprinting to the front lines to use this. Anklet of Epiphany will add 6” to the range of their spells while they are wholly on a terrain feature or contesting an objective. This one definitely has a use!
Warscrolls
HUMANS HEROES
The Alchemite Warforger is a single cast WIZARD that can choose at the start of the hero phase between +1 to cast or forgoing their spell for +1 to save for all HUMANS wholly within 12”. Their warscroll spell Blazing Weapons (CV7 12”) will give all HUMANS wholly within range 1 mortal in addition on 6’s to hit in melee. This one wizard packs both utility and a pretty banger warscroll spell. If you manage to get this off, your damage will skyrocket.
The Battlemage has a couple of loadouts to choose from. Those options are 2 extra weapon attacks (haha no GW I don’t think so), a 5+ ward, a once per battle casting of an additional spell at the cost of 1 wound, a once per battle 2+ D3 mortals wounds at 12”, 6” extra to the range of its spells, +1 to cast, or +1 to unbind. While these rules are neat in theory, the last 3 seem like the only options you would ever realistically choose for this single caster. And even then, it is probably the range.
Pontifex Zenestra, Matriarch of the Great Wheel, premier priest and utility piece for the Cities of Sigmar. They get a dispel and a +1 unbind, a 4+ ward, and a 2+ D3 mortal wounds ability within 3” after it fights and at the start of the combat phase. Their warscroll prayer Vessel of Sigmar (CV 3) allows you to pick 1 of three effects: a 5+ ward for all HUMANS wholly within 18”, +2” to the move characteristic of all friendly HUMANS on the field, or 2+ D3 mortal wounds to every enemy WIZARD and PRIEST on the field. If Zenestra is wholly outside of your territory when they chant this, they get to pick 2 effects. In a HUMAN focused army, Zenestra is an absolute banger pick providing you some immense options to flex between.
The Freeguild Marshal and Relic Envoy is a cheap order carrier that can once per battle make some of your HUMANS count as two models on objectives. He can make a HUMAN unit receive a free command once per turn and gets a 4+ ward next to the Freeguild Command Corp he deems his retinue. He is quite tanky for a little foot hero and has some utility behind him. Bringing along a cheap and safe hero for orders and investing more points into your units is quite feasible.
The Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal is nothing to write home about. It can give your Cavaliers +3 to charge when it uses Their Finest Hour and can make your Cavaliers fight immediately after it does. Your Cavaliers are already quite mobile so this may be putting a hat on a hat.
The Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk feels like a bit of a miss. It can increase the range of your Fusiliers’ missile weapons by D6, but with the movement order their effective threat range is already quite high. It can do some damage and has a rule to unreliably kill some models in a target. Your points may be better spent elsewhere.
Galen and Doralia ven Denst are interesting inclusions. You get two heroes for the price of one leader slot, meaning you get to carry around more orders. You are bound to run into wizards or daemons in most matchups, and they can be quite nasty with those targets as they get double damage against them. They have the added utility of being able to shoot down endless spells, which is nice. They do not have many wounds, so their 5+ ward can only keep them around for so long.
Haskal Hexbane and Hexbane Hunters can do a respectable amount of damage against the HERO that they target to hunt. Haskal is an additional HUMAN that can carry orders for your HUMAN focused army. That is about the extent of this package’s usefulness.
The Freeguild General on Griffon is quite the competent fighter and equipping it with the right enhancements can make it both killy AND hard to kill. 14” fly will have this unit screaming across the battlefield. Once per battle it can be given two orders rather than one, which is nice. And this monster can Monstrous Rampage Roar two units rather than one, which is very good.
The Battlemage on Griffon is equally fast, has exploding hits on the damage 3 beaks, and bonus damage against monsters which makes this unit somewhat formidable in combat. They are locked into Wildform if they take a spell from the lore, but that is one of the best ones so I am not bothered by this. The warscroll spell (CV7 18”) is a straight line of 2+ D3 mortals which is alright, but the unit has plenty of other things it is good at.
Battlemage on Celestial Hurricanum is a single caster. If they choose a lore spell it must be Twin-tailed Comet. In your hero phase you can pick 1 enemy unit within 18” and roll a number of dice equal to the current battleround. Every 2+ is going to be D3 mortal wounds. The Hurricanum is going to give your HUMAN units +1 to hit while wholly within 9” of it.Their warscroll spell Chain Lightning (CV6 range 18”) lets you pick one unit in range to suffer D3 mortal wounds. Then, every enemy within 6” of the target will suffer D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. Essentially, the Hurricanum is just going to spray mortal wounds around the table at a confident range. The unmounted Hurricanum is exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount.
Battlemage on Luminark of Hysh is a singler caster as well. If they choose a lore spell it must be Pha’s Protection. They have a 30” range shooting attack that will create a straight line and deal D3 mortal wounds to any unit it touches on a 2+. The Luminark is going to give your HUMAN units a 6+ ward while wholly within 9” of it. Their warscroll spell Burning Gaze (CV6 range 18”) will allow them to do D3 mortal wounds to a unit. The damage is doubled against a 10+ model unit or tripled against a 20+ model unit. The unmounted Luminark is also exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount. You already get a ward from Pontifex Zenestra if you are focusing on HUMANS so I am wholly uncertain why one would take the Luminark over the Hurricanum.
Thalia Vedra is reasonably killy, has a 6+ ward, can hold 2 orders, has a fight last monstrous action against enemy monsters, and can issue rally to units in combat while she is also in combat. That rally works on 4+s. While niche, she absolutely has use cases and comes equipped with very neat rules that could provide you with nice tools.
Steam Tanks are good. The Steam Tank Commander is exactly the same as the Steam tanks except for a couple extra weapons and the very neat ability to double issue commands to Steam Tanks for the price of 1 CP. They are all 12 wounds on a 2+ save. If the Steam Tank Commander is your general, your Steam Tanks will be battleline. They have single shots at 24” and a multitude of shots at 12”. With 8” move and the movement order, these Tanks can absolutely pepper you with bullets at great effective ranges. They also have impact hits and damage 2 attacks in combat which is nothing to sneeze at. They also have a special rule that allows you to roll 2d6 in the hero phase. If you beat the number of wounds currently allocated to them, they can run and shoot/charge or they can get extra shots. If you want to run a giant killy wall of steel forward at your opponent, Steam Tanks are going to be formidable.
HUMANS UNITS
Steelhelms are your only HUMAN non-conditional battleline. They actually have some very cool rules. They can consecrate an objective they control that has no enemies. Your HUMANS will have a 6+ ward as long as they control it. And when they receive All-out-Attack or All-out-Defense, they can share it with another unit of Steelhelms. Their real purpose is to just fill battleline slots very cheaply and exist a screen with some durability in a 4+ save, which they do well!
Wildcorp Hunters can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. They have a pregame move, which is always really good. They are invisible to enemies while in cover or more than 12” from them and get an extra rend to their missiles while near terrain. They have some shots at 18” range. Altogether, they are alright and can take advantage of all the synergy within HUMAN focused armies.
Freeguild Cavaliers are battleline if your general is Freeguild. They are a speedy 10” move with a formidable 3+ save. They get bonus rend and damage on the charge, which will make them the perfect starts for your cavalry focused builds.
Freeguild Fusiliers can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. This unit can shoot at 24” if they are fortified or 12” if they are not. If they move, they are not fortified (unless they benefit from the movement order). While fortified, they ignore negative modifiers to their save from missile weapons. Once per battle, they can reroll their hit rolls. This unit can be menacing with a multitude of shots at a distant range, especially when paired with the artefact Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope and the command trait Master of Ballistics.
Flagellants are battleline if your army includes Pontifex Zenestra. They spit mortals when they die on a 5+ to an enemy unit within 3”. There are certainly builds that could have you running hoards of them, but it seems like it is outclassed by some of the stronger options you have access to.
The Iornweld great cannon has the same Fortify rules as the Fusiliers. While it can do some damage, I am wholly uncertain why you would ever take it over Fusiliers.
One of the highlights of the book, a gang of absolute stars, the Freeguild Command Corps. This warscroll is dense with absolutely stellar rules amongst its 6 models. The unit can be a retinue for a Freeguild General on foot which gives that general a 4+ ward. The Arch-Knight and Mascot Gargoylian together have 7 damage D3 attacks which is nothing to sneeze at. The Whisperblade has a damage D6 attack and a boardwide once-per-turn command deny on a 4+. The command still counts as being issued and the command point is still spent. It may only be a coinflip, but if you have ever needed to reroll a critical charge this is a very scary coinflip that has no range or triggers holding it back. The Great Herald makes this unit a totem. Any HUMANS wholly within 12” of this unit white it has the Great Herald gets +1 to run and charge as well as an additional D3 to retreat moves. The War Surgeon allows you to pick 3 HUMAN units wholly within 12” at the end of your hero phase. Those units heal D3 wounds, or return D3 wounds worth of models if no wounds are allocated. The Soul Shepherd allows you to roll a die each time a model flees from a HUMAN unit wholly within 12”. On a 4+ that model does not flee. In this single warscroll you have the means to interrupt opponent commands, heal your own units/return models, prevent battleshock, gain extra mobility, and do some damage. If you want to play with HUMANS, I think you will be hard pressed not to include at least one unit of Freeguild Command Corps.
DUARDIN
DUARDIN HEROES
The Cogsmith can issue commands to Gyrocopters and Gyrombombres anywhere on the battlefield. That’s it. The Runelord is your DUARDIN PRIEST, gets an unbind, and has the warscroll prayer Forgefire(CV4 range 18”) that can give a DUARDIN unit an extra rend in melee. The Warden King (if they are your general) can pick an enemy unit at the start of the battle and all your DUARDIN will automatically wound with melee weapons on hit rolls of 6. They can also make a DUARDIN unit fight immediately after they do. These are your 3 options for DUARDIN heroes. If you like spamming helicopters, the Cogsmith can help somewhat. The prayers offer some value, which the Runelord will enable you to access. And the Warden King can help take down a single tough target. These heroes’ use cases are not far and wide.
DUARDIN UNITS
Ironbreakers and Longbeards are going to be your non-conditional battlelines. Ironbreakers have a 3+ save and when they Form a Shieldwall they get a 4+ ward rather than the 5+. Longbeards can have a 4+ save for rend 2 attacks or a 3+ save for rend 1 attacks. They will also prevent nearby DUARDIN models from fleeing to battleshock on a 4+ for each model. Neither unit is going to be particularly hitty, nor are they particularly tanky with 1 wound a piece. That being said, the DUARDIN have access to a number of buffs and orders that could make these little lads more formidable. Hammerers are going to do just that. They may have a 4+ save, but they do have 2 attacks at 2 rend and 2 damage. They will also give a Warden King a 4+ ward, but I am not sure you want the Warden King near danger with how few wounds they have. Irondrakes will be your shorty DUARDIN with 1 attack a piece at 15” range (2 attacks if it did not move and is not in combat). This is, again, outclassed by some of your other options for missile weapons.
Gyrocopters and Gyrbombers each sport 3+ saves and 12” fly. The Copters will have a choice between long range damage D3 attacks or shorter range damage 1 attacks with more shots. The Bombers will have damage 2 attacks at 18” range as well as 2+ D3 mortals for any enemies it flies over. The damage on these units is nothing to write home about, but what they are is absolutely mobile. If you want to play fighter choppers in your fantasy wargame, you certainly can with these units.
AELVES
AELF HEROES
There are 3 main keywords that will separate the AELVES: Serpentis, Darkling Covens, and Scourge Privateers.
Black Dragons are the big monsters that your AELF HEROES can ride. The Dreadlord on Black Dragon (Serpentis) is 14 wounds on a 4+. Its damage is unimpressive, which is unfortunate because its warscroll would lead you to believe you want this thing to be a fighter. You can forgo some of its weapon options to have a shield that will make it always save on 6s regardless of modifiers. It gets bonus rend and damage on the charge with a lance, some horde killing with its breath, and gives reroll charges to all your Serpentis units (Drakespawns and War Hydra). With the mediocre damage and middling combat enhancements, this one feels like a bit of a miss.
The Sorceress on Black Dragon (Darkling Covens) is not much better, unfortunately. The 5+ save is quite tough to swallow. The damage is worse and it has a warscroll spell. Bladestorm (CV6 range 18”) lets you roll 9 dice against a target and do a mortal for each roll below their save characteristic. It is a chaff clearer which is fine? It can double issue to your AELF units (specifically only the Darkling Coven ones) and that is it. This too feels like a miss.
The Black Ark Fleetmaster (Scourge Privateers) is an interesting utility piece. When it issues All-out-Attack to your Scourge Privateers, they also get +1 to their attack characteristics. Attack rolls of 1 that target this unit in melee reflect 2 mortals back to the attacker, which is funny enough. The special command alone is a reason to consider bringing this in an AELF build that wants to focus on Corsairs.
The Sorceress (Darkling Covens) is going to be a very popular inclusion for an AELF hero. They can kill a Darkling Coven AELF model to get +2 to casting. It may only be a single caster, but it is a cheap one. Its warscroll spell Word of Pain (CV7 range 18”) will deal D3 mortals and give -1 to hit to the target. A good bit of utility packed into a small package, but the real bang for buck comes with how the Sorceress interacts with Black Guard.
A serious miss comes in the form of the Assassin. It can do mortals on 6s, be invisible near AELVES (to units outside of 12”), and gets strike first on the charge. It is 5 wounds on a 5+ save. Your hero slots should not be spent here.
AELF UNITS
Starting with the Darkling Coven units, the Blackguard are going to be battleline if you take a Darkling Coven AELF as your general. Their damage is basic but their real value comes in their Steel and Sorcery ability. This unit and a Sorceress within 3” of it will have a 4+ ward. Yes, that means a big old block of Black Guard can effectively double their wounds just for having a Sorceress nearby. This tool will allow this unit to be a very effective tar pit for your opponent to slam their head against. And if you happen to get a Tenebrael Blades off they will also output a respectable amount of damage.
The Bleakswords and Dreadspears are cheap non-conditional battleline. Their damage is unextraordinary and their warscroll abilities give them exploding 6s to hit and +1 to hit on the charge respectively. They exist to fill battleline slots and screen for your good units, one of which is not Darkshards. Tenebrael Blades does not work in shooting and their shooting attack is quite bad without it. If you want to have a missile unit, don’t pick Darkshards.
Executioners are quite expensive. They have damage 2 base and 6s to hit will cause 2 mortal wounds. Not much else to discuss there. Moving on to the Scourge Privateers. Black Ark Corsairs have loads of attacks and with the help of the Fleetmaster they can get even more. Paired with Tenebrael Blades, this unit can absolutely blend whatever it may touch.
Scourgerunner Chariots have damage D3 attacks at 18”, which is just 3 against monsters. These harpoons can benefit from the Fleetmaster so if you have a lot of monsters stomping around your meta, these Chariots will keep them in check.
Kharybdiss has the Scourge Privateers. It is a relatively cheap monster that can get you a roar. It shuts off rally and inspiring presence within 12”. The damage is not remarkable, but it has its utility which is worth not nothing.
Finally, we have the Serpentis units. Drakespawn knights are a 3+ save base and have bonus damage and rend on the charge. They’ve got 10” move so they fit kind of nicely into the relatively hitty and somewhat durable cavalry category. Drakespawn chariots do impact hits and that is really about it.
Warhydra is meant to do damage and heal after combat. I do not think 12 wounds on a 4+ save is enabling to do that very effectively.
Darkriders have the same random Shadowblades keyword that the Assassin does. It does not do anything which is similar to this unit. They have a 4+ save and some attacks on not great profiles. They shut off commands for enemies within 12” on a 5+. Not sure that justifies including the unit.
Grand Strategies
There are four Grand Strategies to choose from in the book. Exemplar of the Acadamae Martial asks you to complete 4 battle tactics from the book. These are never the best pick as battle tactics can be way too finicky. Reclaim for Sigmar! asks you to have 1 CoS unit wholly within each quarter of the battlefield. Dedicating four units to four separate spots might be asking too much with objective based missions. Hold the High Ground wants you to have any friendly units and no enemy units within 12” of the center of the battlefield. This one is really easy to deny for your opponent. Banners Held High asks you to have more STANDARD BEARERS or TOTEMS than your opponent at the end of the game. Plenty of armies do not have too many standard bearers, but this one is really just asking you to kill your opponents units. You were already going to do that, so this one is the safest pick in the bunch.
Battle Tactics
You will have access to 6 battle tactics in this tome.
Bring Full Arms to Bear asks you to pick an enemy unit, use the Suppressing Fire order on it, and destroy it. This will require you to make a nice balancing act of shooting a unit with enough firepower that you kill enough models to beat their bravery, but not so much shooting that you outright kill the unit before you get the chance to suppress it.
Raise the Banner has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take it with a Command Corps unit that has their Great Herald. This is a reliable tactic because the Freeguild Command Corps is too good of a toolbox to not include in your list.
Blackpowder Bombardment asks you to kill 3 or more units in your shooting phase. The book packs some powerful missile weapons so this is possible but very risky.
Mount the Charge has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take that objective only with mounted units that made a charge move that turn. Cavaliers and Griffons are great so this is a pretty free tactic if you are planning on bringing them. Strike Without Warning asks you to charge with 3 or more CoS AELF units. With the strikes-first after charging and retreat after combat orders your AELF units have access to, charging with 3 units is very doable.
Iron Might asks you to fight with 3 CoS DUARDIN units and have no DUARDIN units destroyed in that turn. Given the variety of durability buffs you can dish out your DUARDIN, this tactic is doable albeit extremely niche.
Final Thoughts
The HUMANS feel like they are leading the pack in this book. They have the warscrolls and enhancements to make a variety of lists that can all perform well. The AELVES feel almost as good with slightly fewer options, but a lot of really good tricks. I think a Sorceress and Blackguard can fit into any list. DUARDIN feel a little lacking compared to the other options in the book. All that being said, if this book asks you to do one thing it is to find synergies to excel with. And the orders are a very interesting mechanic that can catch out plenty of opponents or force them into unideal decisions as they face down the barrel of your trap cards. I think there is so much potential for creative list building and skill expression in this book, and I hope CoS folks get their fair share of fun out of it.
Credit to Rhinoceruption, a prolific Cities of Sigmar player who offered great insights on this article.
