Theme - Wolves of Winter
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Theme - Wolves of Winter Khador Theme Force |
Theme Force Deleted This mk3 Theme Force has no equivalent in mk4. You can build a similar army in Unlimited Khador (if/when the models in this theme get ported to mk4 rules) |
The ruthless Greylord Covenant seeks absolute arcane mastery. Khadoran ingenuity created the first steam engines, and through the efficient sub-cortexes of the Behemoth, the advanced targeting algorithms of the Grolar, and by rushing four colossal Conquests to the front line before first Stormwall stepped out of the factory, modern Greylords have lived up to that pioneering achievement. Although some among them are bound by tradition and caution, others embrace any means to increase the technical and occult might of their nation; thus the study of accursed Orgoth relics. The ability to command the ancient fellblades is the first fruit born of that research. Now criminals, deserters, and rebels are shackled to these dark artefacts, their wills broken by the deranged voices of the blade's past victims, and then unleashed upon the enemies of the Covenant, proving that there is no tool that cannot be turned to suit the agendas of the Greylords.
Theme Rules
- For the core rules on how Theme Forces work, see this article.
Theme Restrictions
An army made use the Wolves of Winter theme force can include only the following Khador and Mercenary models:
- Khador warcasters
- Non-character warjacks
- Drago
- Ruin
- Doom Reaver models/units
- Greylord models/units
- Battle Mechaniks units
- Void Archon solos
- War Dog solos
- This army can also include one Mercenary solo and one Mercenary unit that will work for Khador.
- These models/units can be included even if they have the Partisan [Khador] rule.
- Mercenary units in this army can have attachments, including Koldun Kapitan Valachev.
Models allowed
This list was last updated: 2019.10 (Edit)
Warcasters
- All Khador warcasters
Warjacks
- All non-character Khador warjacks
- Drago
- Ruin
- Other character warjacks can be taken, but only if they're in their bonded model's battlegroup.
Units
Solos
- Butcher4
- Fenris
- Greylord Adjunct - (Warcaster Attachment)
- Greylord Forge Seer - ('Jack Marshal)
- Koldun Lord
- War Dog - (Warcaster Attachment)
Mercenaries
- Void Archon
- Up to one other solo
- Up to one unit, that may include Valachev
Requisition Points
You can spend each Requisition Point on either:
- One Greylord Ternion unit
- One Khador CA
- One other Small- or medium-based Khador solo with a point cost of 5 or less
Theme Bonuses
- Before you take your first turn, choose up to two friendly non-warcaster Doom Reaver or Greylord units to gain an apparition token. A unit with an apparition token has Apparition. At any time during your activation phase you may remove an Apparition token from a friendly unit. Once per turn, any time during your activation phase, if you have less than two apparition tokens among friendly units, you can put an apparition token on a friendly non-warcaster Doom Reaver or Greylord unit.
- Apparition - During your Control Phase, place models with Apparition anywhere completely within 2" of their current location.
Thoughts on this Theme Force
Wolves of Winter in a Nutshell
Hordes of insane berserkers, wizards in fur hats, and so on. It offers the largest amount of troops with magic weapons, which can ruin your friendly neighborhood incorporeal-spam list's day. It also has a bit of an assassination threat up its sleeve - more than one 'caster has met their end after eating a couple ice cages and then being beaten to a pulp by a doom reaver (or four).
Theme Weaknesses
Narrow Selection
The biggest weakness this theme has is the lack of depth in your unit choices; you get Doom Reavers and Greylords, and your mechanics, that's it.
Terrain Mitigation
The lack of Pathfinder on the base doomreaver unit, the ternions, and the Koldun Lord can be a problem. You will have it on the Greylord Outriders, and the Doomreaver CA can cast it as a spell. The Apparition bonus can sometimes let you get around for terrain, for instance getting out of a forest before the unit activates. If these tools are not enough, the right 'caster and/or merc choices can help mitigate it, but in the end this theme wants to apply fellblade and ice cage to face, and rough terrain can hamper you.
List Building Tips
This list can be run as vintage Doom Reaver spam (how many Weapon Master units does it take to get to the center of the MK3 brick meta?), as a temptingly squishy cloud wall that punishes any overextension with rampant Stationary effects, or as anything in between. Though Doom Reavers aren't usually classified as jamming units, you can run them into enemy charge lanes, then un-jam them with Apparition to go after tastier targets.
- The sweep spot for a doom reaver centric army is usually 4 units with 2 attachments. This gives you enough bodies to matter, while still leaving enough points for support.
- One or two Ternions are usually enough. They provide hit fixing with Ice Cages and Recursion with Bond of woe
- Two Koldun Lords always. They are a great toolbox solo and their options only increase with the addition of further Greylords.
- The Void Archon is the best model in the theme. They are fuelled by the myriad of souls in your army, and protect them from being stolen by enemy harvesters. Most people use two.
- Forge Seers have a niche with the Sorschas & Beast 09 and can be cute in jack-heavy armies because with Koldun Lords that 4 free focus from empower, but you can skip them else wise. Jack Marshaling cost too many points for too little benefit and a 4 point empower bot with awful stats and poor speed is a hard sell.
- Fenris an okay combat piece. Usually, you won't find you need him though and for 8 points you can get a much better Archon.
- Ruin is frankly the best character jack in the faction. His inclusion is usually well worth it.
- Drago - Do not use him with anyone else but the Vlads due to Unstable. Even then, Vlad likes a Devastator or Destroyer way more.
- In Zerkova2 lists you generally want two units of Greylord Outriders to lean in hard on her feat. With Vlad2 they can be okay too, because Hand of Fate and sprays go very well together.
Starting a 25 point Brawl list
In 2020.10 Phillip Melvin, one of the LOS authors, put together this list for the Brawlmachine format. He even wrote about it's playstyle and expanding it beyond 25 points, which you can read here.
- Fenris: [8 pts]
- Koldun Lord: [3 pts]
- Greylord Ternion: [Free] (5 pts)
- Doom Reaver Swordsmen: [10 pts]
- Command Attachment: [3 pts]
For more Brawlmachine list ideas, see Category: Brawl List
Casters Thoughts
His original theme force in Mk2 was all about the Doom Reavers, and he still hangs nicely along with fellow homicidal maniacs. Under his feat, the Swordsmen can cause untold carnage in the enemy lines, and since your front-line troops are mage static, you can spare your sweet support spells to your battlegroup. Add in Ruin to get an army with excellent anti-magic capabilities.
He enjoys moving up the board behind waves of bodies and clouds, both of which this theme provides. Don't forget to position the Argi in front of him, so if they are shot they trigger Vengeance.
Irusk is an odd choice for this list, as he loves to buff his infantry, and can't, due to spell ward. However, Solid Ground is CTRL range spell which offers a massive bubble of no-knockdown tech. What's better than tough doom reavers? No Knockdown Tough Doom Reavers. He also offers a smaller bubble of tactician, allowing any of his infantry to move through each other and draw LOS through each other. Artifice of Deviation is niche here, but can make a huge difference against the right opponent, as the spell places the AOE into play; it is not directly cast onto the doom reavers and thus bypasses their spell ward.
Irusk1 is a much stranger choice, though his battle plan, Reveille is interesting here; it mitigates the need to spend 3 points on the Doom Reaver UA (for Rise), but it requires Irusk to play uncomfortably close to the front lines. However, Irusk1 has an amazing feat which makes anyone around him irritatingly difficult to remove.
Ever want to make your opponent blink and say 'wait, how?' before shoving a doom reaver with stealth down their throat? Malakov2, by himself or with the help of the Greylord Escort, can make your opponent's nightmare a reality. Malakov offers the battle plan Sneak, which grants Prowl to a unit. He can then cast Veil of Mists or the Escort casts Blizzard, which place 4" AOE clouds on the table. Prowl+Cloud=Stealthed wrecking balls. The effect is larger with either Sorscha on the table (Sorscha0 is not allowed in this theme), as they offer Fog of War which blankets an entire area in concealment. Same effect as a cloud, larger area, but still requires Malakov for his battle plan. Apparition can also be used to get Doom Reavers into the back arc of things, where they can cut throats as by Malakov's other battle plan.
The Greylord Adjunct can give her Eyeless Sight, which helps ignore some aspects of LOS (but not all) for her feat to be fully utilized. The frozen models can be smashed to pieces by Doom Reavers, whom she can also protect with Fog of War, and can be upkept for free thanks to the Adjunct.
The Adjunct also gives her some much needed range on her Freezing Grip. Additionally the theme brings its own damage buffs in Canker Frost, which is good since Sorscha does not have any damage buffs herself (but buffs to-hit expertly by freezing enemies).
Vlad2 Wolves of Winter is the penultimate competitive list for Khador, usually paired with either Warriors of the Old Faith or Jaws of the Wolves. Vlad's kit takes very well to Doomies, as his feat asks for non-character models and the theme has them en masse. Wind Blast and Wind Ravager from the Kolduns protects them on the advance from shooting. With the speed increase from the feat and Apparition you can get the alpha strike easily. Once you are there, use Arcane Might to let Doom Reavers boost their rolls. Hand of Fate is amazing on Outriders too as an independent flanking force.
She buffs spellslingers, plus occasionally allows the removal of Doom Reavers in your way via Sacrificial Lamb to fuel your jacks. Not the most efficient way to use them, but if it opens up a lane for assassination, so be it.
Note that while she is a Greylord, and her guards are Doom Reavers, the unit is neither a Doom Reaver or Greylord Unit, and thus can not benefit from the theme benefit of apparition. Shame.
Other
Trivia
- This theme force pays homage to two MK2 theme forces: Butcher2's "Mad Dogs of War" and Zerkova1's "Wolves of Winter," for which it is named.
- Spoiled 2017.08, released 2017.09
Other Khador models
Rules Clarifications
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Rules Clarification : Apparition (Edit)
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Rules Clarification: Theme Forces (Edit) Themes that change a model's Faction [Show/Hide]
Rerolling the starting roll [Show/Hide]
Warjacks/Warbeasts with bonds [Show/Hide]
Including Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Number of Mercenaries
Mercenaries and Ranking Officers
Other
Including Partisan Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit)
Requisition Points [Show/Hide]
Free models and Specialists (ADR) [Show/Hide]
Unit Attachments [Show/Hide]
When to apply theme benefits [Show/Hide]
See also these Theme-Specific Rulings [Show/Hide]
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