Theme - Storm Division

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Cygnar Logo.jpg Theme - Storm Division

Cygnar Theme Force
Flame in the Darkness - Gravediggers - Heavy Metal - Sons of the Tempest - Storm Division

Cygnar’s Storm Division is an autonomous military force that delivers the flash of lightning and the roll of thunder to the battlefields of Immoren. The division couples the latest voltaic weaponry and hardware produced by the Cygnaran Armory with the service of skilled soldiers. More Storm Knights fight with the Storm Division than with any other force in Cygnar, and with the aid of accomplished stormsmiths these elite warriors make up a highly mobile army capable of bringing the fury of the storm to Cygnar’s enemies.

Lord General Coleman Stryker

Theme Rules

For the core rules on how Theme Forces work, see this article.

Theme Restrictions

Firefly

An army made using the Storm Division theme force can include only the following Cygnar models:

  • This army can also include one Mercenary solo and one Mercenary unit that will work for Cygnar.
    • These models/units can be included even if they have the Partisan [Cygnar] rule.
    • Mercenary units can have attachments, but not a Ranking Officer.

Full model list

Savio Montero Acosta
The models allowed in Storm Division are:   [Show/Hide]

This list was last updated: 2020.02   (Edit)

Warcasters

  • All Cygnar warcasters

Warjacks

Units

Solos

Battle Engines

Mercenaries

  • Up to one unit
  • Up to one solo
(★) Because these models are specifically allowed in this theme, they don't use up your Mercenary slot.

Requisition Points

You can spend each Requisition Point on either:

Theme Bonuses

Major Katherine Laddermore
  1. Cygnar models/units in this army gain Immunity: Electricity.
  2. Storm Knight models in this army gain Unyielding.
    Unyielding - This model gains +2 ARM against melee damage rolls.

Recent Changes

2021.06 Storm Division Dynamic Update

  • No changes to the theme itself, but lots of models within the theme got errata'd.

Thoughts on Storm Division

Template:Recent Change

Storm Division in a nutshell

Storm Lances

Do you like Storm Knights or Stormsmiths? Well, good news! This is the theme for you. If you intend to maximise the benefits from the theme, you are likely to have quite a strong melee force. Before the 2021 June Dynamic Update this almost exclusively meant Storm Lances since the rest of the (mainly single-wound infantry) choices were questionable at best. It is yet too early to say how the update shapes this theme on the long run but it surely brought some quality-of-life updates to the maligned models in general.

The main selling points are:

  • Every friendly Cygnar model is safe from your electro leaps and lightnings - worry not of shooting near your repair crews.
  • Most of your troops sport decently high accuracy and damage.
  • Cygnar's low ARM casters are protected from Electro-Leap lightning shenanigans.

Theme Weaknesses

Storm Strider

Terrain Mitigation

Pathfinder is quite limited. For an army that can skew towards melee quite easily, this can become a big issue. Your main way to get Pathfinder in this theme is to take the Stormblade Infantry CA or utilise your Warcaster or your single Mercenary solo:

Low to medium model count

Being an army of elite soldiers typically means you might have a lowish model count. Also, they have average DEF and ARM scores - the latter is somewhat alleviated in melee thanks to the theme benefit. To alleviate this issue you may want to...

1) Protect your investment of expensive elite soldiers with abilities that improve their armour. Of which lots of Cygnar casters do.

2) add in a few Stormsmith Stormcallers into your list. At 1 point each they offset this issue and for what they are they score flags well.

List Building Advice

Stormsmith Storm Tower
  • Stormblade Captain - if you favor Storm Knights, his Tactician rule makes like a lot easier for getting your different units into place.
  • Taking a Journeyman Warcaster is almost always worth it. Both Stormblade Infantry and Storm Lances have decent armor that can be made pretty great by the inclusion of Arcane Shield.
  • It's all about the lightning, so bringing models such as the Firefly to increase your damage output is a good idea. Just keep in mind that all of your in-faction models are unable to arc lightning into the enemy. That goes to your mercenary choices who are Partisans.
  • Your mercenaries are not safe from lightning. Keep that in mind if you sent an important support solo within arcing range. On the flip side, get your cheap cannon fodder troop run forward (even outside formation) to act as a "spark-node" to call down lightning on demand into a squishy but important enemy model without remorse.

Starting a 25 point Brawl list

In 2020.09 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.

Maddox1: [+30 WJP]
Lieutenant Gwen Keller: [Free]
Stormguard Infantry x10: [15 pts]]
Field Mechanics x4: 3 pts

Total RRP: USD $171 (based on PP's online store prices 2021.05)

For more Brawlmachine list ideas, see Category: Brawl List

Caster Thoughts

Major Beth Maddox

She has a great spell list for Storm Division.

  • Stormblades make particularly good use of Dauntless Resolve because they cannot be knocked down the turn they use Iron Zeal making them potentially very difficult to kill.
  • Onslaught can provide the Faction-wide pathfinder you need to deliver your powerful melee attacks across the battlefield.
  • Her feat Thundering Rage heavily amps up the power your Stormknights already powerful attacks. It should allow you to crack some very hard armor skews.
  • Being a Stormknight herself, she will benefit from Laddermore or any Stormblade Captains you include.
Stryker1

Armor skew list with ability to remove single heavy targets and annihilate infantry.

  • Playing the Storm Strider in a pair plus a Hurricane can be incredibly durable with invincibility with two of them being ARM 27. Add some Fireflies and the electrical guns are accurate and can crack armor rather effectively.
Stryker2

He favors melee oriented gameplay making him good for Storm Division.

  • Deflection can make Stormknights hard to kill at range with small arms fire.
  • Stormknights are also very grateful recipients of Strkyer 2's feat. The extra movement and attack are very powerful seeing as they operate off of their powerful attacks.
Haley3

She has a wide set of tools allowing the Storm Division to operate in a wide number of matches.

  • Storm Lances are absolutely worth reviving and can use the Ghost Walk to disengage and/or reposition without risking free strikes.

Other

Trivia

Other Cygnar themes

Cygnar Logo.jpg       Cygnar Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters Caine1 - Caine2 - Caine3 - Constance - Darius - Haley1 - Haley2 - Haley3 - Jakes2 - Kraye - Maddox - Nemo1 - Nemo2 - Nemo3 - Sloan - Stryker1 - Stryker2 - Stryker3 - Siege1 - Siege2 - Sturgis1
Warcaster attachments Squire (Cygnar) - Madelyn Corbeau (Merc) - Reinholdt (Merc) - Wyshnalyrr (Merc)
Other Warjack Controllers

Battlegroup Controllers: Caine0 - Nemo4 - Jakes1 - Journeyman - T. Warcaster Lieutenant
'Jack Marshals: Runewood - Strangewayes - Anson Hitch - Stormblade Captain - T. Master Gunner - Gun Mage CA - Stormblade CA - Sword Knights CA

Light Charger - Firefly - Grenadier - Hunter - Lancer - Minuteman - Sentinel
Ace - Thorn
Heavy Avenger - Centurion - Cyclone - Defender - Hammersmith - Ironclad - Reliant - Stormclad
Brickhouse - Dynamo - Gallant - Ol' Rowdy - Thunderhead - Triumph
Colossal Stormwall - Hurricane
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units

Arcane Tempest Gun Mages - Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team - Field Mechaniks - Legion of Lost Souls - Long Gunner Infantry - OoI Resolutes - OoI Vigilants - Precursor Knights - Rangers - Silver Line Stormguard - Storm Lances - Stormblades - Stormguard - Stormsmith Grenadiers - Storm Tower - Sword Knights - Tempest Blazers - Tr Cannon Crew - Tr Chain Gun Crew - Tr Commandos - Tr Express Team - Tr Long Gunners - Tr Infantry - Tr Mechaniks
Special CA : Captain Jonas Murdoch (Mercenary unit) - Special WA: Morrowan Battle Priest (any unit)

Solos

Arcane Tempest Rifleman - Archduke Runewood - Captain Arlan Strangewayes - Captain Maxwell Finn - Commander Anson Hitch - Dreyfus1 - Dreyfus2 & Flubbin2 - Grand Master Gabriel Throne - Glyn Cormier, Illuminated One - Gun Mage Captain Adept - Journeyman Lieutenant Allister Caine - Journeyman Warcaster - Harlan Versh, Illuminated One - Lieutenant Allison Jakes - Lieutenant Bastian Falk - Lieutenant Gwen Keller - Major Katherine Laddermore - Major Harrison Gibbs - Morrowan Archon - Savio Montero Acosta - Squire - Stormblade Captain - Stormcallers - Tr Buster - Tr Master Gunner - Tr Patrol Dog - Tr Warcaster Lieutenant - Viktor Pendrake

Battle Engines & Structures

Nemo4 - Storm Strider - Trencher Blockhouse

Theme Forces
Flame in the Darkness - Gravediggers - Heavy Metal - Sons of the Tempest - Storm Division
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Cygnar Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Unyielding - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Electricity      (Edit)

  • When electricity arcs/leaps, you ignore models with Immunity:Electricity. The arc "skips" them.
  • If you attack a model with Immunity:Electricity, the arc/leap won't go anywhere at all. The arc is "grounded".
  • Incorporeal models do not have Immunity: Electricity (they just ignore non-magical damage). As such electricity can arc/leap to and from incorporeal models.
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Rules Clarification: Theme Forces     (Edit)

Themes that change a model's Faction   [Show/Hide]
  • Many themes swap which Faction a model counts as. They're slightly inconsistent with how exactly this is worded. Despite this inconsistency - whenever a model is considered a different faction to normal, it will not be its original faction. (Infernal Ruling)
For instance Lukas stops being a Crucible Guard model when taken in an Infernal army, and as a consequence he cannot take Toros or Vanguards in Infernals. (Infernal Ruling)
Rerolling the starting roll   [Show/Hide]
  • You cannot use the theme benefit to reroll if it is a draw. Instead both players reroll until there is a loser, and then the loser can use their reroll benefit (if they have it). (Infernal Ruling)
  • If both players have a reroll, first the original loser uses their reroll.
    • If the original loser still loses, fine.
    • If the original loser now wins, the other player can use their reroll.
    • If it is now a draw, both players reroll until there is a loser. Then the player that hasn't used their theme benefit reroll can still use it, if they want.
Warjacks/Warbeasts with bonds   [Show/Hide]
  • A warjack/warbeast with a bond can always be included in a theme force, whether or not they're in the list of allowed models, but only if they're controlled by that bonded model.
  • This applies even if that bonded model isn't a full warcaster/warlock (changed as of 2018.06).
Including Mercenaries   [Show/Hide]

Number of Mercenaries

  • If your "up to one Merc" ...
    • ... can take warbeasts/warjacks, then you can add warbeast(s)/warjack(s) (without exceeding your "up to one" allowance)
    • ... comes with a Companion model, then you'll get that Companion (without exceeding your "up to one" allowance)
  • There is a bug in Warroom that allows you to not only take one Merc solo/unit, but the entire FA of that Merc solo/unit. It's a bug.

Mercenaries and Ranking Officers

  • Adding a Ranking Officer to a Merc unit doesn't increase the number of Merc units you can take.

Other

  • See also the section on Partisans
Including Partisan Mercenaries   [Show/Hide]

Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit)

  • Partisans are Mercenary/Minion models, so there are two ways you can add them to a theme force:
    1. Freely: If the Partisan is on the list of allowed models, then you can take as many as you want plus another Mercenary unit/solo. (Infernal Ruling)
      They can be explicitly allowed (for example Jaws of the Wolf allows "Kayazy models/units" so Partisan Kayayz can be used freely).
      They can be implicitly allowed (for example Scourge of the Broken Coast allows "living Cryx models/units" and Partisan Cephalyx fit that criteria, so they can be used freely). (Infernal Ruling)
    2. Limited: If the Partisan isn't on the list of allowed models, it does use up your "Up to one Mercenary/Minion" slot, so you can only have the one.
  • Whether you used option 1 or 2 above, once they're in your theme force they count as a Faction model and so:
    • They can be taken as a Requistion Option (if they fit the Requistion description).
    For example Lanyssa can be taken as a free solo in the Legion of Dawn theme. (Infernal Ruling)
    • They will get any theme benefit that they fit the description for.
    For example Storm Division gives all Cygnar models Immunity Electricity, so Partisan Mercs in that theme get immunity too.
    For example Nemo4's Mechaniks get Reposition [3] in Heavy Metal. (Infernal Ruling)
Requisition Points   [Show/Hide]
  • You can choose the same Requisition option as many times as you like, as long as it doesn't put you over a FA limit.
  • You can't mix and match models from different options. Say one option allows 3 Machine Wraiths and another allows 3 Necrotechs. You can't use your Requisition Point to get 2 Wraiths and 1 Necrotech.
  • If you have an option that allows one other solo, you can't use it to get something already on the list. For instance, Ghost Fleet allows 3 Misery Cages (which are FA 4) for one Requistion Point, and it allows 1 other solo. That "other solo" can't be a 4th Cage.
  • If your theme allows "3 weapon attachments" as a Requistion Option, you can spread them into different units. (Locked Thread)
  • Models with the Man-Sized rule count as small-based models for the purposes of being a Requistion Option. (Locked Thread)
Free models and Specialists (ADR)    [Show/Hide]
  • If your theme only allows one merc solo, you can't have one in your main list and a different one in your specialists.
Unit Attachments   [Show/Hide]
  • If a unit is allowed in a theme, any-and-all of its attachments are allowed too. Exception: Ranking Officers are not allowed unless explicitily mentioned.
  • If the theme force gives a benefit to a specific unit, any-and-all attachments to that unit will benefit too. Even if it is a "generic" attachment like the Void Leech. (Infernal Ruling)
    For example, a Trollkin Sorcerer will gain Serenity if its attached to a Dhunian Knot unit in a Power of Dhunia theme force.
  • If your theme allows "3 weapon attachments" as a Requistion Option, you can spread them into different units. (Locked Thread)
  • A non-character unit with a character attachment (i.e. Captain Karli) still counts as a non-character unit. (Infernal Ruling)
When to apply theme benefits   [Show/Hide]
  • With reference to special abilities that themes give to models, Ranking Officers, adding new models, and/or taking control of models:
    1. Theme force benefits are applied when you construct your list or put a new model into play. A model already in play will not lose or gain any theme benefits mid-game based on any changes of faction status or otherwise. (Infernal Ruling)
    2. However, if the theme gives a benefit to models "at the beginning of the game" (such as Devourer's Host letting models begin the game with 1 corpse token) then this benefit does not apply to new models that are put into play mid-game. (Locked Thread)
    • Example 1: Sons of the Tempest says "ATGM units in this army gain Pistoleer". If your opponent takes control of one of them, it keeps Pistoleer while under their control even though it's currently not "in the army".
    • Example 2: Storm Division gives Immunity:Electricity to "Cygnar models in the army." If you include a Mercenary unit with a Ranking Officer, they will get the theme benefit and also keep it even after the Ranking Officer dies.
    • Example 3: Stange Bedfellows gives solos Swift Vengeance. If Nemo4 creates a new solo mid-game, that solo will have Swift Vengeance.
See also these Theme-Specific Rulings   [Show/Hide]
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Rules Clarification : Black Industries      (Edit)

  • The entry which allows "Cephalyx models/units" only applies to Partisan Cephalyx. That's because the theme's rules start off with "this army can only include the following Cryx models"​. Partisan Cephalyx are the only ones that fill that condition.
  • The Cephalyx Agitator also works for Cryx and can go in Black Industries but, because it is not a Partisan, it will use up your Mercenary solo slot.
  • (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Creator's Might      (Edit)

  • ​Elias Gade is allowed in Creator's Might. (Infernal Ruling)
  • You can spend the "Two Vassal solos" requistion option on one Vassal Mechanik and one Vassal of Menoth. Warroom has a bug and tells you that you can't. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Flame in the Darkness      (Edit)

  • You can take any number of Mercenary jacks. You can also select two additional jacks from Khador and Cygnar in any combination you like. Character warjacks with a bond don't count against this limit of 2. (Infernal Ruling)
  • There is a bug in Warroom that allows you to take two Cygnar and two Khador jacks.
  • Morrowan Battle Priest:
    • If your warcaster is a Cygnar model that makes every unit you take a Cygnar unit, and Battle Priests can be attached to any unit.
      Warroom has a known bug where it doesn't allow this interaction.
    • If your warcaster is a Mercenary or Khador model, though, the only units the Battle Priest can attach to are the Morrow ones.
    • If you attach the Battle Priest to The Devil's Shadows Mutineers then it can be returned via Blood Bound. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Llaelese Resistance      (Edit)

  • It is 2 Cruicible or 2 Cygnar or 2 Menoth.
    You can't take more than 2, and you can't mix and match from multiple Factions. (Infernal Ruling)
  • You can have a non-character unit with a character attachment (i.e. Captain Karli). (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Talion Charter      (Edit)

  • The 3rd benefit is "Sac Pawn [Sea Dog trooper]", not just any Sea Dog. (Infernal ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Bones of Orboros      (Edit)

  • Una1 cannot be taken in this theme (yet) due to the conflict between the theme's "Only Construct warbeasts allowed" and Una1's "Must take warbeasts with flight". There are no construct warbeasts with flight (yet). But if/when there is, then Una1 can be taken in this theme. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Devourer's Host      (Edit)

  • Bradigus1 is not legal in this theme. The theme only allows living warbeasts, his rules only allow construct warbeasts, and you can't just 'skip' his battlegroup - you have to spend your warbeast points.
  • If you create a new model mid-game (ie with the Well of Orboros and that model can have corpse tokens, that model does not enter play with a corpse. Because it's not the beginning of the game. (Locked thread)
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Rules Clarification : The Wild Hunt      (Edit)

  • The animus benefit doesn't apply to enemy warbeasts. (Infernal Ruling)
  • The animus benefit doesn't stack with the Druid Wilder's Herding ability. (Infernal Ruling)
  • When it comes to other things that alter COST (such as Lamentation), follow basic maths: Double/halve first, then add/subtract.
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Rules Clarification : Oracles of Annihilation      (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : The Exalted      (Edit)

  • If a Construct model loses the Construct advantage mid-game, it keeps the theme benefit anyway. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Band of Heroes      (Edit)

  • Boomhowler2 uses up your Minion slot. His Fell Calls ability is not enough to make him a "Fell Caller model/unit". (Infernal Ruling)
  • Boomhowler3 does not use up your minion slot on account of having the Champion keyword.
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Rules Clarification : The Blindwater Congregation      (Edit)

  • Void Leeches attached to a Gatorman Posse will gain Snacking, but they won't gain extra hitpoints. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Magnum Opus      (Edit)

  • If Mosby is attached to a Mercenary weapon crew unit, they would gain 3" reposition and would not lose it if Mosby is no longer in the unit. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Hearts of Darkness      (Edit)

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