Sword Knights
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Sword Knights |
Unlimited Only This model can only be used in the Unlimited game mode. You can see the other models with / without mk4 rules on this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules. |
Among the oldest of the knightly orders in western Immoren, the legendary Sword Knights are one of the cornerstones of Cygnar’s armies. Since the advent of the warjack, the Sword Knights have adapted their time-honored tactics to deal with monsters of metal as well as flesh. Trained to fight against as well as alongside warjacks, the knights are as adept at striking at a warjack’s weak points as they are at coordinating deadly coordinated attacks.
Contents
Basic Info
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Abilities
- Entire unit
- Defensive Line - While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 DEF against melee attacks and cannot become knocked down.
- Flank [ Faction Warjack ] - When this model makes a melee attack against an enemy model in the melee range of a friendly Faction warjack, this model gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional damage die.
- Penetrating Strike - When this model hits a warjack, warbeast, or horror with a melee attack, you can choose to have the model hit suffer 1 damage point instead of a normal damage roll.
- Officer only
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'Jack Marshal
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Officer
- Granted: Reposition [3"] - While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Reposition [3"]. (Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3"] can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.)
- Tactics: Combined Melee Attack - Models in this unit gain Combined Melee Attack.
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- Standard only
- Standard Bearer - While this model is within 5" of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD.
- Take Up - If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1" of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
Weapons
- Leader, Grunts, & Officer
- Battle Blade - 1" reach, P+S 10 melee weapon.
- Standard Bearer
- Unarmed - This model has no weapons.
Theme forces
- Cygnar
- Other Factions
- Infernal players can use this unit in the Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Sloan is leading the army.
- Mercenary players can use this unit in the Llaelese Resistance theme. They become Llaelese models and gain Pathfinder.
Thoughts on the Sword Knights
Sword Knights in a nutshell
Sword Knights are very cheap and decidedly average melee units, perfect examples of what you can expect from a light infantry. MAT6 P+S10 attacks are usually the standards to which the survival of other models are being measured. They may also teach you to better understand the bell curve.
In Cygnar this unit is currently available only in the Heavy Metal theme force, one with next to no buff for infantry units. However, they can cure some of the inherent weaknesses of this theme.
- They bring cheap bodies to score in circular zones, a duty mostly being done otherwise by minimum units of Field Mechaniks.
- They can form screening for you, and in pairs they are surprisingly good at surviving a charge, thanks to their elite DEF levels.
- Due to flanking, they are capable of removing enemy jammers around your jacks, with their high precision attacks.
In short, they are a unit suitable for players with whatever skill cap: they can be cheap cannon fodders, or start layering buffs on them, and watch them perform way above points.
Thoughts on the CA
The Officer and the standard bearer are both eligible for Defensive Line, but the usefulness of the the CMA and Reposition heavily depend on your meta as well as the Sword Knights' intended rule in your list. In general, if you are using them as screeners or cannon fodders there's few reason to inflater their cost further despite the cheapness of the CA. If you want to buy them, consider that the UA is only 1 point cheaper than expanding the unit to its full number, which gives you 3 more attacks and 2 more bodies for board control.
If you are willing to exploit the synergies offered by the officer, you should consider the usefulness of his abilities to your battle plans.
- CMA is good to shore up your hitting against jamming infantry if their melee reach exceeds that of the jammed warjack's, thus rendering you unable to activate the Flank bonus without activating said jack first. If you happen to encounter infantries with elite DEF (like Blightblades or Kayazy Eliminators) you better rely on removing them by some other means (electro leaps, or flanking), but sometimes CMA is your only option. Keep in mind though that since they lack Practiced Maneuvers or Tactician (save for the Llaelese Resistance under Ashlynn2, and have only 1" reach you can't cram up all of them for a single large CMA.
- Whether or not you rely on Flank to clear up jamming units, the 3" Reposition is a good way to clear up charge lanes after you removed said units from the path of your warjacks' advance.
The Jack Marshal ability on the Officer's card is a trap. At first it seems good to have a jack around on demand to activate Flank (especially since you can have cheap Mercenary jacks with 2" reach in the Llaelese Resistance), but it makes the officer a high priority target. Also he lacks Drive so in 99% the most you can get out of this ability is to reactivate inert jacks from your slain battlegroup commanders or autonomous jacks from other jack marshals.
Combos & Synergies
This unit is grateful for any support you can spare on them. Question is, whether or not could you spend your resources better on another unit? If they become too dangerous, they may also attract the attention of the enemy's big guns (which is not always a bad thing).
- Any Cygnar warjack, especially those with a 2" melee range, to get the most out of Flank. Consider the Lancer, either colossi, the Centurion or the Stormclad. Just watch out for electro leaps - it is not Storm Division.
- Maddox finds the unit a great target for Dauntless Resolve no knockdown tough is an unreliable but potentially frustrating tarpit
- Archduke Runewood - He is a great support solo, making your knights all the more accurate with his Veteran Leader ability. The occasional Pathfinder and Path to Victory can be super useful as well.
- Gabriel Throne offers you another Pathfinder opportunity, Stir the Blood and a way to get Tough to combine with the no knockdown of Defensive Line.
- Alongside a caster with Positive Charge (Jakes2, Sturgis1 or Stryker2), being near a Friendly Faction Warjack starts to make them really dangerous.
- If you can combine all of the buffs above, they become the equivalent of MAT 11, P+S 14 weapon masters.
- And if you apply Runewood's Path to Victory and get a charge with them, that's MAT 13 with 4D6 for damage. If you need Pathfinder you can take from either Throne or Runewood depending on whether you want accuracy or additional damage.
- If you can combine all of the buffs above, they become the equivalent of MAT 11, P+S 14 weapon masters.
- You can take them in Llaelese Resistance and have them marshal a merc jack there, like a Nomad, a Mangler or a Talon. They also provide some much needed damage potential thanks to flank there and can be screened by rolling fog
- Crosse2 wants to have 10+ Unit for Lifebound to collect lots of souls. Said units should also be a problem for the opponent once it is delivered because Lifebound discourages dealing with them. Sword Knights fit the bill decently because of their high damage potential with flank.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- You've got to get your order of activation spot on to get the most from them.
- You must accept that they are cheap and will probably take casualties.
- Hopefully your opponent will underestimate them and go after juicier targets.
- Being Base to Base can be a problem against blast damage and models with Killing Spree
- Rhupert has awesome synergies with the knights - but you must play in the Llaelese Resistance theme to use both of them.
Tricks & Tips
- Like Sniper, Penetrating Strike happens instead of your normal damage roll. If you happen to roll it, and fail to crack armor, you cannot claim its guaranteed 1 damage point.
- Although an Ironclad or Ol' Rowdy are not the best Warjacks to activate Flank, if you use Defensive Line correctly the Warjack can catch your own troops in the AoE and not leave your Sword Knights to die easily.
- This can be particularly useful under Stryker2's feat.
- It also means they can be good targets for an Earthquake from Stryker1 to knock down enemy models they are close to.
- Being immune to knockdown, they can form a wall against pop&drop tricks, defending your warcaster.
- Against a less experienced opponent, you can run them up in defensive line in front of their warbeasts, baiting him on trampling them. If they don't get an extra die on trampling, or hitting them by default, they will likely need to boost to get them under their feet.
- Flank only triggers on friendly faction warjacks. Keep that in mind, if you happen to have marshaled Mercenary jacks in your list.
Other
Trivia
- The Battle Blade is a traditional weapon found in the capital city of Caspia.
- The unit (not including CA) was released in Warmachine: Escalation (2004)
- The CA was released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
Other Cygnar models
Rules Clarifications
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Rules Clarification : Unarmed (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Defensive Line (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Flank (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Penetrating Strike - None yet. (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : 'Jack Marshal (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Officer (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Tactics vs Granted (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Tactics vs Granted (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Reposition (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Combined Melee Attack (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Standard Bearer (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Take Up (Edit)
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Note to Editors |