Category Archives: Briomdar

Idoneth Deepkin – Faction Review (Jul-Nov ’22)

With the release of the Battlescroll: Galletian Reinforcements I’ve been able to go back through the data from the release of the General’s Handbook and tidy everything up. In doing so, I though it may be cool to give you a run-down of how each faction performed under the current General’s Handbook until the Battlescroll took effect.

The data used for analysing these results was taken from 110 Grand Tournaments between 3rd July 2022 and 6th November 2022.

Idoneth Deepkin

Region Comparison – Popularity

Idoneth Deepkin saw their highest popularity in Europe with 4.6% of players choosing the faction for tournament play, while at the opposite end of the world the uptake was only 1.2% in Oceania.

Region Comparison – Win Rates

Oceania had the highest win rate with 80.0% (insane!), while North America had the lowest with 44.0%.

Scandinavia was the only region which didn’t see the Idoneth achieve a 5-0 result.

Subfaction Analysis

SubfactionPlayersWin Rate
Briomdar755.56%
Mor’Phann3055.33%
Fuethan2551.19%
Ionrach3451.18%
Dhom-Hain947.78%
Nautilar4541.74%
None/Unknown1850.00%
Faction Total16849.23%

There appears to be a fairly even spread between 3-4 subfactions, with Mor’Phann being the most successful of those at 55.33% and Nautilar having the least success at 41.74%. These tables often go to show how much difference the subfaction allegiance abilities can make to an army.

Top 10 Idoneth Deepkin Players

You may notice that some players have a better World/Nation ranking than players above them in this table. This is due to players playing with multiple factions. These players have been ranked on their top 4 Idoneth Deepkin results only.

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Top Three AoS Lists for Christmas Special

This is the Top Three AoS Lists for the Christmas Special that took place in the UK on 17th and 18th December. It involved 8 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

Allegiance: Ogor Mawtribes
Mawtribe: Boulderhead
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Frostlord on Stonehorn (445)
Mount Trait: Metalcruncher
Huskard on Thundertusk (330)
General
– Blood Vulture
– Command Trait: High Priest
– Mount Trait: Rimefrost Hide
– Prayer: Keening Gale
Frostlord on Stonehorn (445)
Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Rockmane Elder
– Universal Spell Lore: Flaming Weapon

Battleline
3 x Icefall Yhetees (120)*
Stonehorn Beastriders (310)*
Weapon: Blood Vulture
Stonehorn Beastriders (310)*
Weapon: Blood Vulture

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters

Total: 1960 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 84
Drops: 6

Danny: When you take the new Ogor book to an 8 player, xmas themed event, you are essentially roleplaying. The Mawtribes like it best where its chilly, they love a good ol’ festive feast, and they have lots of reindeer Stonehorns to pull fat men with beards into the action, delivering ‘presents’ as necessary, and claiming their cookies’n’milk tithe as they go. It’s the only explanation for their being 3 OM players – just under half the field.

Thomas’s interpretation of the christmas myth packs 3 big beasties – who, let’s be honest, just generally ram into you and do very bad things in a variety of slightly different ways. They’re backed up by Yhetees who can run and charge while within 15″ of a Thundertusk, and are eligible to fight within 6″ – and two more non-hero murder-reindeer. Boy oh boy does this list want to deliver you your presents, forcibly and fast! Hope his opponents felt festive while being very roughly sleighed!

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Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
Enclave: Briomdar
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Akhelian King (250)*
General
– Bladed Polearm
– Command Trait: Unstoppable Fury
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Mount Trait: Voidchill Darkness
– Lore of the Deeps: Steed of Tides
Isharann Soulscryer (150)*
Universal Prayer Scripture: Curse
Scinari Loreseeker (160)*
Allies

Battleline
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)*
Reinforced x 1
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)*
Reinforced x 1
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)*
10 x Namarti Reavers (170)*

Units
2 x Dracothian Guard Fulminators (230)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Horrorghast (40)
Purple Sun of Shyish (90)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1940 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 2 / 4
Allies: 160 / 400
Wounds: 90
Drops: 1

Patrick: The fact that half the lists at this event where the new golden child of AoS goes to show how versatile the Idoneth can be. The standard Murderking and Namarti Reavers are present, keeping the core of the army to a consistently powerful turn 2 and 3. This list would see a major advantage at an Ogor-heavy event, since the Ironblasters can’t take you off the table turn 1 if you aren’t on the table to begin with. A relatively small cadre of units will start on the board, while Briomdar allows the Soulscryer to keep three units to the side, who can come in at an advantageous moment.

This list deviates from the norm by taking advantage of some strong reinforcement units. The Scinari Loreseeker is going to make life difficult since it can be deployed up the board turn one, and at 160pts makes a decent sacrificial unit, since any ranged attacks would have to target him. His distance from the rest of the army also means that he’s siting on a 3+ save, and if he deploys in cover and uses all-out-defense he’s on a 3+ ignoring 2 points of Rend. The Fulminators round out the list by providing a relatively quick, tough unit that can consistently deal mortal wounds, which is something that Idoneth lack.

Overall this list has a high skill level to play well, but Kieron played well, and I imagine frutrated their opponents to no end.

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Army Faction: Ogor Mawtribes
Subfaction: Underguts

LEADERS
Frostlord on Stonehorn (445)*
Mount Traits: Rockmane Elder
Butcher (135)***
General
– Command Traits: Gastromancer
– Tenderiser
– Artefacts of Power: Arcane Tome
– Spells: Blubbergrub Stench

BATTLELINE
Ironguts (270)**
Ironguts (270)**
Leadbelchers (170)**

ARTILLERY
Ironblaster (170)*
Ironblaster (170)***
Ironblaster (170)***

OTHER
Gnoblars (100)*
Gnoblars (100)*

TERRAIN
1 x Great Mawpot (0)

CORE BATTALIONS
*Battle Regiment
**Bounty Hunters
***Grand Battery

TOTAL POINTS: 2000/2000

Danny: Now, Leighton has opted for a slightly different kind of Christmas spirit, choosing to deliver coal to all the naughty children on the other side of the board from afar with great prejudice, from 3 Ironblasters and a unit of Leadbelchers, in the sub-faction that gives extra rend to ranged attacks, which let’s just say doesn’t take a tactical genius to see the appeal of.

In his defense, he also definitely does not leave the elves on the shelf (well, they’re more like mountain goblins but you get my drift) capable of doing d3 mortals to stuff within 6″ at the end of any move action, which the recent FAQ decided was clearly easily understood by all and not in the least bit troubling on a 20 body 100 pt unit.

A Stonehorn is also there because why wouldn’t you? And he’s got a Butcher for company, whipping up all the trimmings for those hungry Ironguts and packing Blubbergrub Stench, allowing Rhinox units to be treated as Monsters, which gives them all sorts of cool shit. Oh – did you forget that Ironblasters are pulled by Rhinoxes? Oh yes – now they roll dice equal to their charge roll + 2 and do MWs on 6s after pumping you full of lead, just in case a small part of your body was still twitching, cold and alone in the dirt.

Also 2 units of Ironguts waddle around just obliterating anything they get into combat with with 3 rend 2 damage 3 attacks each and a once per game double fight.

I wonder if GW just really wanted to see lots of Ogors around xmas (and under various xmas trees, preferable wrapped up…) because it certainly is their season!!

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Allegiance: Fyreslayers
Lodge: Lofnir
– Grand Strategy: No Place for the Weak
– Triumphs: Bloodthirsty

Leaders
Auric Runefather on Magmadroth (360)*
General
– Command Trait: Blood of the Berzerker
– Artefact: Axe of Grimnir
– Magmadroth Trait: Coal-heart Ancient
Auric Runeson on Magmadroth (320)*
Ancestral War-axe
– Magmadroth Trait: Flame-scale Youngblood
Auric Runeson on Magmadroth (320)*
Ancestral War-axe
– Magmadroth Trait: Lava-tongue Adult
Auric Runemaster (125)*
Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal
Gotrek Gurnisson (485)*
Allies

Battleline
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Bladed Slingshields (160)*
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Bladed Slingshields (160)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Runic Fyrewall (40)

Core Battalions
*Battle Regiment

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 485 / 400
Wounds: 102
Drops: 1

Brett: When the book dropped I thought we’d see a lot more Lofnir/Magmadroth lists, but it seems Lofnir lodge hid it’s secrets well. Greyfyrd is a bit more common, probably down to the difficulty in assembling 3 to 6 Magmadroths. Runeson on a Magmadroth is battleline in Lofnir, there are 4 battlelines in the army. They’re expensive, but a Magmadroth has as many wounds as a Mawcrusha (18), and have a better breath weapon. But their damage output isn’t as impressive. And the Runeson is no Megaboss. In Lofnir each Magmadroth gains a mount trait (up to 3 anyway) and they come with burning blood just in case you wound 1 in melee. The biggest advantage of Lofnir and Magmadroths is the additional mobility they bring. But that mobility makes it easy to outstrip your support (Vulkites and Runemaster). If you aren’t careful it’s easy for an army to engage each as separate pieces instead of an army.

The same is true of Gotrek, great model but with only 4″ of movement he can be played around. And that slow movement means scoring is hard and they are vulnerable to shooting. Jon lost to 2nd and 3rd who had a lot of firepower. Jon also drew with Rob in his 3rd round, notable against Tzeetch. Durable with some fun tricks it will be interesting to see what the next GHB offers Fyreslayers who don’t love the current missions and Galletian Veterans. With very few warscrolls the centre of most armies with either Vulkites (1W with a 4+ save) or Hearthguard (2W, 4+ save) who suffer against bounty hunters.

Final Tournament Placings

Top Three AoS Lists for Raccoon Rumble

This is the Top Three AoS Lists for Raccoon Rumble that took place in Germany on 17th and 18th September. It involved a massive 120 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

Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
Subfaction: Filthbringers
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Rot Coven Rotbringer Sorcerer (120)*
General
– Command Trait: Master of Magic
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of Malignance: Rancid Visitations
– Lore of Malignance: Gift of Disease
Rot Coven Rotbringer Sorcerer (120)*
Lore of Malignance: Rancid Visitations
– Lore of Malignance: Cloying Quagmire
Rot Coven Rotbringer Sorcerer (120)*
Lore of Malignance: Blades of Putrefaction
– Lore of Malignance: Magnificent Buboes

Battleline
10 x Putrid Blightkings (500)**
Reinforced x 1
5 x Putrid Blightkings (250)**
10 x Plaguebearers (150)**
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)***
1x Dolorous Tocsin
2 x Pusgoyle Blightlords (220)***
1x Dolorous Tocsin

Units
3 x Nurglings (105)*

Endless Spells & Invocations
Umbral Spellportal (70)
Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws (60)
Shards of Valagharr (50)

Core Battalions
*Warlord
**Expert Conquerors
***Bounty Hunters

Additional Enhancements
Spell

Total: 1985 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 142

Danny: Nurgle take gold in Germany with an off-meta (for Nurgle, anyway) Filthbringer list, eschewing Drowned Men and the pre-game move for the Rotbringer Coven and their really quite impressive magical prowess. Multiple excellent spells on durable platforms with a combined +3 to cast/unbind can compete with all but the very best casters in the game, and with Nurgle’s excellent lore full of debuffs and longer-range disease point delivery systems, they shore up the slowness and lack of range the army typically has.

Of note elsewhere is a reinforced Blightking blob to gum up the mid-table, and the 2x 2 Blightlords for mobility – not that they don’t also slap. For those looking at the odd-at-first-sight Endless Spell list, and who haven’t learned the hard way, the way it works is this: Shards halve the movement of something, count as an additional way of putting out disease points, and then Gnashing Jaws chomps through – dealing the difference between a 3d6 roll and a unit’s movement as MWs – hence Shards. Nasty combo and a big win, especially as Colin had to chew through double Seraphon, Tzeentch (whose mortals typically threaten Nurgle tankiness), the hyper-mobile Sylvaneth and scary ol’ Nighthaunt!

Peter: We’re lucky enough that Colin is a member of our Discord. I asked him what he thought the vulnerability of the list was and how opponents should approach playing it.

Colin: I don’t think there is really much counter potential for this list. Of course, you can try to split the list, then I could get into trouble because I don’t have many units. The wizards are of course important for my list, but I have made the experience that the list remains super stable even if I lose my wizards.

Most people focus on the 10-strong squad of Blightkings, but that’s the wrong approach for me. The opponent should rather focus on the other smaller units. Alone, 10 Blightkings with a 4″ move do nothing on most battleplans.

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Allegiance: Seraphon
Constellation: Fangs of Sotek
– Mortal Realm: Ghur
– Grand Strategy: Show of Dominance
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (265)***
General
– Command Trait: Arcane Might
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Spell: Stellar Tempest
Skink Starpriest (130)
Spell: Hand of Glory
Skink Priest (90)***
Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (140)***
Artefact: Serpent God Dagger

Battleline
5 x Saurus Guard (115)**
30 x Skinks (225)**
Boltspitters & Moonstone Clubs
– Reinforced x 2
10 x Skinks (75)**
Boltspitters Celestite Daggers & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (75)***
Boltspitters Celestite Daggers & Star Bucklers

Units
2 x Salamander Hunting Pack (280)*
Reinforced x 1
2 x Salamander Hunting Pack (280)*
Reinforced x 1

Behemoths
Bastiladon with Solar Engine (250)

Endless Spells & Invocations
Purple Sun of Shyish (70)

Core Battalions
*Bounty Hunters
**Expert Conquerors
***Warlord

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 4 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 116
Drops: 11

Danny: Fangs of Sotek again! In their defence, the FAQ to turn scaly skin off skinks has meant the Starborne sub-factions are worth taking again, which is good for diversity overall, even if how good Seraphon are in general is a wider issue.

Tristan’s take on the teleporting skink gang is fairly standard – he’s got the 30 blob there, the 2x 10 objective grabbers, and the shooty core of 2x 2 sallies (nasty with the option to teleport) and the Solar Engine which, combined with Purp Son is putting out 9 rend 2, damage 2 (3 vs chaos – and Colin’s Nurgle still beat him!) shots at long range.

It’s an incredibly solid list archetype that I doubt we’ll see much deviation from in a while, but big up to Tristan for keeping up the concentration over a long tourney against some tough opponents and armies!

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Allegiance: Idoneth Deepkin
Enclave: Briomdar
– Mortal Realm: Ghyran
– Grand Strategy: Take What’s Theirs
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Eidolon of Mathlann, Aspect of the Sea (325)*
General
– Command Trait: Endless Sea Storm
– Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
– Lore of the Deeps: Steed of Tides
– Lore of the Deeps: Counter-current
Isharann Soulscryer (150)*
Universal Prayer Scripture: Guidance
Isharann Soulrender (120)*

Battleline
10 x Namarti Thralls (130)**
10 x Namarti Thralls (130)***
20 x Namarti Reavers (340)***
Reinforced x 1

Units
Akhelian Allopexes (330)**
Razorshell Harpoon

Behemoths
Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur (400)
Allies
– bound to Eidolon of Mathlann, Aspect of the Sea

Endless Spells & Invocations
Purple Sun of Shyish (70)

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Bounty Hunters
***Expert Conquerors

Additional Enhancements
Spell

Total: 1995 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 1 / 4
Allies: 400 / 400
Wounds: 78
Drops: 9

Danny: An interesting IDK list that drops a few common pieces in favour of a Spinedog and an Eidolon, who may not be as slap-happy as the King, but do offer a huge amount of utility and versatility. Overall though, it looks like a pin-and-cushion list – 20 Reavers can rain down serious hurt on whatever the Spinedog ties up, while the lone shark caps objectives and the two Thrall blobs – who can certainly pack a punch once the Eidolon gets the -1 save debuff off on folks and/or the inevitable Sun gets into range.

The Soulscryer in Briomdar completes the game plan by offering a few units the chance to start in reserves to threaten early board control or objective yoinking – the Enclave allowing for an extra unit to go into reserves and for them to come in outside the table edge too. The list performed admirably, losing only to Seraphon and taking down some meta-factions en route to 3rd- congrats Stephan!

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Allegiance: Fyreslayers
Lodge: Vostarg
– Grand Strategy: Master of the Forge
– Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Auric Flamekeeper (90)*
Auric Flamekeeper (90)*
Auric Runemaster (125)*
Artefact: Volatile Brazier
– Universal Prayer Scripture: Heal
Auric Runesmiter (135)**
Runic Iron
– Prayer: Ember Storm
Auric Runeson on Magmadroth (320)**
General
– Ancestral War-axe
– Command Trait: Blood of the Berzerker
– Artefact: Axe of Grimnir
– Magmadroth Trait: Coal-heart Ancient
Battlesmith (150)**
Artefact: Nulsidian Icon

Battleline
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)***
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)***
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)***
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)****
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)****
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers with Fyresteel Handaxes (170)****

Endless Spells & Invocations
Runic Fyrewall (40)

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage – Magnificent
**Command Entourage – Magnificent
***Bounty Hunters
****Expert Conquerors

Additional Enhancements
Artefact
Artefact

Total: 1970 / 2000
Reinforced Units: 0 / 4
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 162
Drops: 12

Danny: Fyreslayers infamously don’t have a huge roster to work with, and they seem to have settled largely into either Magmadroth spam or Hearthguard spam, for obvious reasons. But Jan here is not content to follow the pack, and has opted instead for…Vulkite spam! The little guys that could don’t set the world on fyre at first glance, but their combined weight of attacks and relative durability can make for serious board control. Two Flamekeepers no doubt hung out nearby, absorbing the power of all their little fallen breathren before multiplying the power of the rest, allowing for a steady trickle of combos and shenanigans – such as the powerful combat-phase charge.

A fun, unusual list that managed 4 wins, showing it clearly has (lots of little) legs!

Final Tournament Placings (Top 32)