The Second Caster Dilemma, pt 3 - eKrueger

Mohsar has settled into position as my go-to second caster, however he's a little trickier to learn than I had first guessed, and his feat doesn't seem to mesh well with my more defensive style of play.

Since I already have the model, I figured it was time for a write up on the next caster I'm considering - Krueger the Stormlord (or eKrueger, for those of you savvy with the shorthand).




Pros:
- Fury 7
- VERY Strong spell list (Gallows, Storm Wall, AND Telekinesis? holy crap)
- Great ranged attack (Sustained Attack and ROF 3)
- Ludicrously powerful feat, but also universally useful
- Flight makes him hard to pin down
- Strong stat line - he's going to be tricky to kill!

Cons:
- Bit of a one-trick pony (movement shenanigans)
- Can't pump out a lot of damage on his own
- Spells have relatively short ranges

eKrueger is pretty much the master of movement shenanigans - Gallows to pull enemies closer, Telekinesis to move enemies and friendlies into better positions, and his feat to push the enemy back (literally) and seriously slow them down. Storm Wall makes a great addition to the party as well, since it'll help protect my important models as they advance to face the enemy and seriously hinder enemy shooting. Storm Wall also illustrates the trend of "random powerful large scale defensive spell" that I'm seeing in every Circle caster so far; Deflection on pKrueger, Solid Ground on pBaldur, Sunhammer (sort of) on Mohsar, etc. I'm going to break up my review a bit to focus on what I feel are going to be his strong points.

1. Feat.
eKrueger's feat is a good one - enemy models in his control area are pushed slightly back and have their SPD reduced by 2. Not only will this push enemy models off control points, it will prevent just about everything the opponent has from charging on the next turn, allowing friendly models to get in closer and get the jump on them next turn. Given the quite squishy nature of Circle models, getting the charge will often mean the difference between victory and defeat.  It also helps that his feat plays almost straight into my style of reactionary play.  All in all, superb feat.

2. Spells
I'm looking forward to playing eKrueger simply to be able to use Gallows more. The Old Witch is one of my main Khador warcasters, so I know how much of a game changer it can be if used correctly. It also means that I won't be taking eKrueger without at least a geomancer and a gallows grove (or several), as it's range leaves a bit to be desired. Telekinesis is also a wonderful spell, and both it and Gallows mesh so wonderfully with the Gnarlhorn's abilities that I can easily see taking the big goat with eKrueger for some well positioned grand slams. Storm Wall is going to be useful in keeping enemy shooting off of me, though again spells like this are a bit of a staple of Circle casters. Lightning Storm is a good AOE infantry clearer, however I don't see myself using it too much where there are Gallows targets available.

3. Weapons and Abilities
On his own, eKrueger has some powerful abilities and a nice feat, but he's got some big gaps in what he can and can't handle. Unlike pKrueger, he looks to be pretty good against multi-wound heavy infantry or light beasts thanks to his lightning bolt ranged attack - ROF 3, Sustained Attack, and POW 12 means that for 3-4 focus (boosting to hit), he can be reasonably expected to take out single targets like Tyrant Vorkesh, Bane Lord Tartarus, and most light warbeasts with decently lucky rolls. However, he lacks any spells that boost friendly infantry (though he does have Inspiration), and beyond Lightning Storm he's going to have a tough time dealing with lots of infantry if they spread themselves out. Luckily, I recently picked up a Lord of the Feast....

4. Synergies
- Woldwarden/Megalith: his spell list is practically tailor made for Geomancying, so one of these two will likely be in every list I've got. I can see more utility with the Woldwarden, as I'll undoubtedly be using it mainly as a gallows-slinger, and Megalith's face smacking abilities won't see much play.
- Woldguardian: All the movement shenanigans eKrueger can dish out pretty much negate this guy's main downside (low SPD). Combined with the durability and transfer-when-full-fury ability, this guy is going to see a lot of play time with eKrueger as my second heavy hitter.
- Gnarlhorn Satyr: I doubt any warlock (besides Mohsar) can make better use of his slamming abilties, and the ability to realllly line up the shots makes the Gnarlhorn a good choice. Unfortunately, he'll be vying with the Woldguardian for his spot, so I'll have to see which I like better.
- Warpwolf Stalker: berserk and reach solves most of my anti-infantry worries, and this guy's ability to absolutely maul an enemy heavy on a single charge makes him my first choice in heavy hitter.

- Druids of Orboros: more movement shenanigans! eKrueger's feat will also let them get in closer to make use of their spells, so they're a good choice in any list that can afford them.
- Stoneward and Woldstalkers: they're a pretty self contained unit that can fry infantry or lights pretty well, and they come with their own speed boost! I actually think they'll do well with eKrueger, if for no other reason than they don't really need much from him except Storm Wall for protection.

- Lord of the Feast: solves most of the infantry issues if the Stalker has bigger fish to fry. I don't have much experience with him.
- Blackclad Wayfarer: more speed boosts are always welcome, and his spray will help quite a bit with enemy infantry.

5. Army Lists
Here's the lists I'm going to start him with:

eKrueger 15pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldwarden
Gallows Grove

All the basics in one package.  The only thing I worry about is that I'll be running the beasts pretty hot just to keep the warlock full on fury.

eKrueger 35pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldguardian
* Woldwarden
Stoneward and 5 Woldstalkers
Blackclad Wayfarer
Lord of the Feast
Gallows Grove

... I really want to play this list.  It's compact, chock full of heavy hitters, and just about everything will mesh very well with what eKrueger beings to the table. It lacks fury management, but with 2 construct warbeasts (one of which will be on geomancy duty), I shouldn't have much of a problem with frenzy.

eKrueger 50pts
Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker
* Woldguardian
* Woldwarden
Druids of Orboros (Leader and 5 Grunts)
* Druid of Orboros Overseer
Shifting Stones
* Stone keeper
Wolves of Orboros (Leader and 9 Grunts)
* Wolf of Orboros Officer & Standard
Blackclad Wayfarer
Gallows Grove
Lord of the Feast

The 50pt list sees a pretty significant change - I've dropped the Woldstalkers and added full units of Wolves of Orboros + UA, Druids of Orboros +UA, and Shifting Stones + UA. The reasons for this are a little complex, but essentially boil down to the fact that I had 3 points left and it was either drop the Woldstalkers (Druids are better at the job anyway) and pick up a big unit of Wolves of Orboros, or spend 3 points on models I didn't think would add much (Wilder/2nd Gallows Grove or Sentry Stone & Mannikins). While eKrueger doesn't really give much to the Wolves, they can give quite a bit to the rest of the list -- they're quite self sufficient, cheap, can act as a screening unit that won't get in the Druids' way (yay Ranked Attacks!), delivery a punch on the charge thanks to Power Swell on their UA, and give me an expandable melee unit to tie things up in combat (see "tarpit" or "throw under the bus without a second thought").


All in all, I'm looking forward to using him in my next few battles. Unlike Mohsar, eKrueger is going to play MUCH more aggressively thanks to his spell list, and seems like he'll play a bit like a more in-your-face version of pBaldur.

Thanks for reading!