Sword Knights
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Sword Knights |
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.
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Basic Info
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Abilities
- Entire unit
- Defensive Line - While B2B with one or more models in its unit, a model with Defensive Line gains +2 DEF against melee attacks and cannot become knocked down.
- Flank [Faction Warjack] - This model gains +2 to melee attack rolls and an additional die on melee damage rolls vs enemy models in the melee range of a friendly Faction warjack.
- 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, this model 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 the 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
- Hearts of Darkness. They can only go in this theme if Sloan is leading the army. They become Infernal models in this theme.
- Llaelese Resistance. They become Llaelese Mercenary models in this theme and gain Pathfinder.
Thoughts on the Sword Knights
Sword Knights in a nutshell
Sword Knights are 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.
This unit is currently available only in the Heavy Metal theme force, one with the highest point-threshold for free models, and next to no buff for infantry units (save for the 2" deployment zone extension). 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, however, the CMA and Reposition's usefulness depend on your meta. If you are going against jacks and beasts, MAT 6 is generally enough to land blows on your target (exceptions might include Cryx bonejacks, Legion or Circle beasts). Penetrating Strike allows you to to crack ARM no matter what, so in most cases you'll end up with the same damage with individual attacks, as with the CMA. If you happen to encounter infantries with elite DEF (like Blightblades or Kayazy Eliminators), you better rely on removing them by some other means anyway (electro leaps, or flanking).
Flanking also vastly increases their accuracy and damage output, plus their 1" reach, combined with the lack of Practiced Maneuvers counters you to cram up all of them for a single, huge CMA. As for the Reposition, most of the time you'll be either running, or being engaged with them, thus, rarely have the opportunity to make your 3" move. You may put this to use, if you want to remove jammers around your jacks, and want to get clear of their charge lane.
As for the Officer's jack marshal trait, it enables him to command a cheap jack to flank with. Though it looks good on paper, he has no drive, so in most cases it is a dead ability on his card, unless you want to take on inert jacks from your slain battlegroup commanders, or autonomous jacks from other jack marshals.
The biggest issue is the price, however. Heavy Metal allows you the least amount of free models, so you will rarely choose this attachment as your free card. Buying it for a minimum unit clocks in only 1 point cheaper than a full unit with 3 more attacks. Add it to a max unit and for a point cheaper you could bring 2 minimum units with one more attack and more board presence.
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.
- Alongside a caster with Positive Charge (Jakes2 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 12 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 can combine all of the buffs above, they become the equivalent of MAT 11, P+S 12 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
Drawbacks & Downsides
- It's a special order model.
- 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 : Tacticsvs Granted (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Tacticsvs 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 |