Control Elements in Skorne Part 3: Threat as Control

So far, I've talked about control and denial abilities that directly prevent the opponent from taking certain actions.  Basically, our abilities that say, "You can't do that, because I'm stopping you."

But Skorne has another way to control an opponent's actions.  We can say "Don't do that, or else..."

"Or else what?"

Yes, I'm talking about threat projection.  Mostly assassination threat, but also the threat of taking out important pieces like Colossals, heavies, or key units.  Anything that would make a savvy opponent think twice before putting one of their models where it would otherwise like to go.  I'm going to talk about a couple of the key units we have for threatening assassinations and removal, as well as some of the 'casters who make things a lot more dangerous for opponents.

Our biggest assassination threat pieces right now are Molik Karn (a classic) and the Aradus Sentinels (relatively new).  Both are are high-damage and long-ranged models that make 'casters really evaluate how far forward they can afford to be.

The Molik Missile has been around a long time now.  Just between Rush and Side Step, and Reach, Molik can threaten up to 17" from his starting location.  Add in any other speed boost, and it can get pretty silly.  Makeda 2 is the ultimate Molik slinger.  Backed up by Road to War and Leash, Molik threatens 22" from his starting location: further than most ranged weapons (including a full advance before shooting).  Side Step doesn't just add to threat range though.  Molik can use it to walk around intervening models up to 4" (6" or further if he also has Train Wreck from a handy Bronzeback)

He's also more than capable of finishing off most 'casters.  With Mat 7 and Future Sight, he's accurate enough to hit up to Def 17 reliably, and he's usually a P+S 15 Weapon Master with Enrage.  If he gets to most Warcasters with 4 or 5 Fury open, he'll kill them in a couple of swipes.

Aradus Sentinels can have a pretty similar threat range.  With Far Strike from a Cyclops Raider, they threaten 17" after a full advance.  Add in any speed buff, like Abuse, Mobility, or Road to War, and that threat increases to 19" or even further.  The catch with this is that each Sentinel can only really get one attack (barring Ancillary Attack from the Willbreaker), so you usually need two of them to kill a 'caster for sure.  However, one hit is sometimes enough to kill the flimsier Warcasters, and three or four over the course of the game is usually enough to seal the deal on anyone short of the Butcher or the tankier Warlocks.  These shots are also very hard to avoid due to Arcing Fire and help in the form of Eyeless Sight from Extoller Soulwards.

Threats like these add to a control game because they limit where a 'caster can be.  Against Molik, a 'caster should stay pretty far back, and make sure there aren't any models close enough that Molik could bounce off with a Side Step to reach the 'caster.  Against Aradi, 'casters need to make sure they're staying within 1" of screening models, because otherwise, they could be toast.

This kind of control really shines in a list with other control elements, presenting a scenario where it's difficult for your opponent to commit at all.  If you can punish your opponent for any kind of commitment - possibly by just smacking their 'caster off the table - you can really put them on the back foot and control (eh? eh?) the flow of the game.

For example, here's a version of a pretty popular Morghoul 1 list floating around right now that I'm copying from Bronzeback and Sides. (A pretty new blog, but a very good read so far.  Tyrant Wilson - PG_SadPander on the forums - is a lot more into the competitive scene than I am, and he's really digging into Skorne at a high level).

Master Tormentor Morghoul (*7pts)
*Tiberion (11pts)
*Aradus Sentinel (8pts)
*Aradus Sentinel (8pts)
*Cyclops Raider (5pts)
*Basilisk Krea (4pts)
Croak Raiders (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (3pts)
Paingiver Task Master (2pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (2pts)
Extoller Soulward (2pts)
Extoller Soulward (2pts)


The combination of Morghoul 1 plus Aradi has been discussed pretty extensively in various places, and it's very effective.  If you look back through my old, old posts, you'll find me trying to reproduce the magic with Cannoneers because I thought Morghoul had potential with a strong ranged element, but that didn't hold a candle to a list like this.

This list presents its better matchups with a dilemma.  It's very difficult to win a ranged fight against this list.  The Aradi are going to be Def 15 Arm 25 against shooting if they need to be, and they're backed up by a decent amount of healing and a Shield Guard from Tiberion.  Meanwhile, this list spits out at least 2 but up to 4 poison AoE's per turn, as well as a mess of fire shooting from the Croak Raiders, and pot shots from various support other models.

But if you try to rush into melee, you're running into Morghoul's Feat, which is a massive hit to the amount of damage you'll inflict to the front line with either beasts or 'jacks.  Those models will then have to face Tiberion, who is a great spot removal piece due to his accuracy and hitting power.  He also has a very decent melee threat range with Abuse (11"), which means many lists risk being charged and then facing Morghoul's Feat in addition to the shooting.

So you can tear opposing lists apart either way, and depending on your positioning, you can force the opponent to play right into your hands, which is exactly what you want from control.


I won't go too much further into detail with this post, it's mainly just to get the wheels turning about adding threat as a control element, but I feel like I'd be leaving something very important out if I didn't mention Zaal 1.  He's an amazing 'caster with a huge amount of flexibity, and he plays one of the meaning threat projection games in Skorne: not because his ranges are longer, but because nearly anything is a potential assassination vector.  Last Stand and Zaal's Feat will turn anything with multiple attacks into a murder machine.  Even something with just one attack, like a Void Spirit, can end the game.  Zaal's assassination potential will always keep an opponent who knows what he can do on their toes.

Special thanks to Ben from the Source meta for pointing me in the direction of threat projection with this series.  The next installment will probably be a while coming as I ponder what we've got and what I want to think about.