Skorne Skorne Skorne :D (part 1)

This is going to be long and a little rambly.  My goal is to put up some lists I'm eager to try, and go through my thinking with everything that's changed for the models I'm using.  I also have a tournament coming up.  The games will be spread out over a couple of weeks, which is nice because I'm busy most Saturdays.  So in addition to talking about out most improved stuff I'd like to try, I'll go into my lists for the tournament, and how I'm planning to run them.  If you're in the Twin Cities meta, and you're playing in this tournament, you probably don't need to read about my lists, right?  I mean, who worries about Skorne?

Lists and such after the break!


I'm probably most excited about the much-needed upgrades to Hexeris 1, Makeda 1, and Morghoul 2, so I'll start with them.

Hexeris 1

Lord Tyrant Hexeris (*28pts)
*Despoiler (19pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Archidon (10pts)

Siege Animantrax (17pts)
Extoller Soulward (3pts)

Praetorian Ferox (Leader and 4 Grunts) (20pts)
Venator Slingers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (13pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)

I am incredibly excited for Hexeris 1, who I really enjoyed in MkII.  He traded Influence and Spirit Leach, two pretty cornercase attack spells, for Sunder Spirit and Parasite.  Sunder Spirit is a great little workhorse nuke that I like a lot as the Skorne version of Arkantrik Bolt or Razor Wind.  It's very fluffy, and I'm happy to see more of it.  Parasite is incredible.  Parasite on a Warlock who can channel?  Incredibler.  He also picked up Great Power to help him focus on offensive spellslinging, and the models you take control of from his Feat now ignore Free Strikes while you control them.

Parasite gives Hexeris the ability to deal well with armor at range, so I knew I wanted some shooting.  I also wanted a fast list that could take the fight to the enemy, eliminate a lot of infantry quickly, and crack armor easily.  Solid improvements all around help me out with that.

With AD, the Slingers will be in range very early, and have the option of setting off Feat chains in enemy infantry, wrecking a Parasited 'jack, or debuffing a mid-Def model for the Animantrax to hit more easily.  The Animantrax got faster, cheaper, and more accurate, and I'm really itching to try it out with something like Parasite to power its gun and melee potential.  Last, but definitely not least, is the Archidon, which is hugely powerful for Hexy 1.  Long Leash lets it put Parasite where I really need it, and gives Hexy some better options with Obliteration and Sunder Spirit.  Better stats and a lower price make it even more useful as a "medium" warbeast.

The basic plan splits the list into 3 teams.  Team 1 is the Archidon and Ferox, who I usually see doing a flanking maneuver.  The extra firepower that a Archidon-node gives the Ferox really opens up their options in terms of when and how they engage, and Parasite on whatever they're about to attack cranks their hitting power through the roof.  I see this team as being my primary early offense, and what will give the enemy the most trouble as the rest of the list gets into position.  Team 2 is the Venator Slingers and Animantrax.  They're a fast shooting blob, with the Animantrax able to commit to melee ahead of the real heavies.  They both do very respectable damage at range with a little help from Parasite, and the Animantrax might like Flare for some ranged work.  Team 3 is the heavies and Hexy.  They'll be needed to do some cleanup and late-game piece trading, and will probably be needed to take out a Gargossal if the Animantrax goes down.  Early on, Death March goes on the Ferox, and Soul Slave on the Archidon.  Hexeris Feats the turn either my ranged stuff or Ferox are getting range on infantry.  He'll probably Parasite something juicy, and let the opponent's infantry go after it, especially if there's just the one unit.


Makeda 1

Archdomina Makeda (*29pts)
*Despoiler (19pts)
*Molik Karn (19pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Scarab Pack (Leader and 3 Grunts) (10pts)

Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)

Praetorian Ferox (Leader and 4 Grunts) (20pts)
The Legends of Halaak (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)

Oh em gee.  Makeda 1 really changed.  Subjugation of Will turned into Field Marshall [Shield Guard], The Lash switched from expensive nuke with a forgettable rider to a legit threat extender.  And she picked up Jackahmmer, an incredibly nasty spell with a lot of applications.  Finally, her Feat got a complete overhaul from a nearly useless version of her MkII Feat.  Now her Feat lets her keep living warrior models alive by taking damage, and gives living models (including Warbeasts) Retaliatory Strike.

I knew I wanted a list that could take advantage of Makeda's new tricks.  That meant some quick and hard-hitting heavies for Jackhammer and The Lash, and some powerful infantry for her Feat.

Molik Karn got a little cheaper and a little stronger, which is excellent.  Makeda also got a lot better at supporting him.  Molik's high Mat (higher with Carnage) and maneuverability make him one of the best models we have for using Jackhammer.  For maximum threat range shenanigans, Makeda can have him attacking targets up to 21" away if The Lash connects.  The Legends were hugely improved, and are going to see play in a lot of lists.  Makeda does great things for them, like making them Spd 9 Mat 10 weapon masters who don't die (except to Grievous Wounds) on the Feat turn.  Bloodrunner Master Tormentors picked up Weapon Master.  They were already good, but this lets them do a lot more, and they're great for clearing infantry and taking advantage of Makeda's Feat.

The basic plan is kind of similar to Hexeris, but with a bigger emphasis on melee.  With her Feat, Makeda can do a massive amount of damage and stay in the game really well.  The Bloodrunners will deploy together, either with the Ferox, or on opposite flanks.  The Beasts will move quickly up the middle along with the Legends, and the Scarabs will spread out to give Shield Guard to the models that need it.  I want to commit to melee with the units early on, and use the Feat to keep them in the game, then have the heavies charge in and clean up whatever the units don't destroy.  I'm not quite as confident about the final form of this list.  Makeda 1 got a lot more flexible, and I might want to run something a little brickier with her after a few runs.


Morghoul 2

Lord Assassin Morghoul (*29pts)
*Mammoth (38pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Archidon (10pts)
*Aptimus Marketh (5pts)

Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (5pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)

Paingiver Bloodrunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)

I've owned Morghoul 2 for a while because the model is pretty, but I've never played him because it seemed like a lot of work, and a pretty boring playstyle.  Well, Morghoul now has a better Fury stat, slightly better damage output, and 2 significant improvements on his spell card that make him a lot more appealing to me.  He picked up Mortality, one of the best debuff spells in the game, and something that he uses very well in conjunction with his Feat.  He also switched out Ghost Walk for Shadow Play, an upkeep spell that makes target model Incorporeal for each of your turns - great for getting a fast piece past enemy lines.  He also gives Parry to Bloodrunner models - very significant given that they all have either Sprint or Reposition.

I decided I wanted a combined arms theme for this list.  I wanted to be able to use Morghoul's Feat either to go all in for an assassination setup, or to hang back and have a little improved shooting.

I've already talked about Bloodrunner Master Tormentors picking up Weapon Master, but regular Bloodrunners also traded Combined Melee Attack for Gang, making them much more powerful.  Definitely powerful enough to be the main line of attack for Morghoul.  Aptimus Marketh got a little bit cheaper, which makes him seem a little easier to take.  Morghoul 2 now has two decent spells for him.  Mortality is the big one, but I'm sure I'll have him throw out Flesh Hooks every once in a while.


Tournament

That's it for the most improved category.  The tournament is going to be a 3-list Masters event, and I wanted to try out our ADR Warlocks.  I wasn't able to get my mitts on a special edition Zaadesh 2, so I'll be limited to Naaresh, Mordikaar, and Xekaar.  Here are the lists.

Master Ascetic Naaresh (*32pts)
*Tiberion (22pts)
*Bronzeback Titan (18pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Cyclops Brute (8pts)
*Basilsik Krea (7pts)
*Agonizer (6pts)

Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)

Paingiver Bloodrunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
The Legends of Halaak (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)

Objective: Bunker

Vanguard Specialists
*Titan Sentry (15pts)
*Archidon (10pts)
*Cyclops Brute (8pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (5pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (2pts)

I'd been running Naaresh with a Mammoth, but as good as his Feat is on it, I've been feeling like the walk-and-gun playstyle is a bit slow for Naaresh, who wants the threat of a Cyclone-assisted assassination on the table.  Hence this list.  The Titan triad is where the bulk of the hitting power comes from.  Tiberion and the Bronzeback are both massive damage pieces, and the Gladiator is a perfectly capable heavy itself (as well as adding Rush).  The Brute is there to deliver a heavy, be a Shield Guard, and give Naaresh access to Safeguard.  The Agonizer and Krea are for support, and I feel they're both good enough to warrant inclusion in the main list.  The infantry in the main list is also geared toward moving fast and hitting hard.  The Bloodrunner pod can deliver the battlegroup against some lists, flank hard against other lists, and generally be a massive nuisance.  The Legends are fast, hit hard, and are a great target for Blur if Naaresh isn't putting it on himself.

The specialists let me brick up extra hard, add Sprint to Naaresh's options and gain an extra fast model, or put Orin in there to stop certain spellcasters from doing their thing.

Overall, this list is the closest one out of my three to being all-comers in the current meta, and has the tools to play into heavy armor or some heavy shooting.  It has decent tools against infantry, but I wouldn't want to go up against a weapon master swarm.  The amount of infantry I see in most lists should be fine.  I'm intending to drop this into most Protectorate, Trollbloods, Cygnar, and Retribution I see (although very control-oriented casters might warrant a different drop).

Void Seer Mordikaar (*29pts)
*Despoiler (19pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Archidon (10pts)

Mortitheurge Willbreaker (4pts)
Void Spirit (4pts)
Void Spirit (4pts)

Praetorian Ferox (Leader and 4 Grunts) (20pts)
Praetorian Swordsmen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (13pts)
*Command Attachment (Officer and Standard Bearer) (4pts)
Tyrant Commander and Standard Bearer (6pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (5pts)

Objective: Bunker

Vanguard Specialists
*Cyclops Brute (8pts)
*Basilisk Krea (7pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor (4pts)
Paingiver Bloodrunners (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
The Legends of Halaak (8pts)

I've played around with Mordikaar a fair amount since MkIII started, and I like him pretty well.  He's quite flexible, and probably would be my all-comers list if there was less armor in the meta right now.  As-is, I'm bringing him mainly as a soft control caster who uses threat ranges and the fact that his army absolutely does not care about terrain to try to pin my opponent down and pick them apart.  The Ferox and Archidon are very fast, and can get into some very interesting places.  My main plan will be to use them in tandem with the Swordsmen, and hold the Glad and Despoiler back far enough to stay safe, but close enough to spawn Void Spirits.  My experience so far is that Ferox are good enough to make Revive worth casting, and are some of the nastiest models out there (along with the Archidon) for springing Essesnce Blasts on people.  The Swordsmen should probably be Karax, and they might die too fast, but they're also a lot of fun, and respectable enough that I might want to be Reviving them assuming my Ferox are safe and they're still in a position to be valuable.

The specialists are in case I feel I need to drop this list into a paring that includes both a lot of guns and a lot of armor cracking.  By putting the Stealth models, Brute, and Krea in, I can make myself very gun-resistant while maintaining most of my speed and the recursion.  In particular, the Bloodrunner module along with the Ferox means I have a good jamming game.

This list is my go-to against combined arms type lists, like you'd often see in Retribution, Mercenaries, and Minions.  It can also tear up infantry pretty badly, so if somebody's answer to Skorne is dudespam, Mordikaar can answer that.  This list should also be effective against opponents who use speed and trickiness to win, but don't usually have great armor, like Circle, Legion, and Cryx.  It definitely has game into Wurmwood.  It might be ok into Tuna, but I haven't tried that matchup (or theorymachined it much).

Beast Master Xekaar (*31pts) - Winds of Death
*Titan Cannoneer (17pts)
*Aradus Sentinel (16pts)
*Aradus Sentinel (16pts)
*Titan Gladiator (15pts)
*Basilisk Krea (7pts)
*Agonizer (6pts)
*Aptimus Marketh (5pts)

Mortitheurge Willbreaker (4pts)

Venator Slingers (Leader and 9 Grunts) (13pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (7pts)

Objective: Effigy of Valor

Vanguard Specialists
Siege Animantrax (17pts)
Extoller Soulward (3pts)
Extoller Soulward (3pts)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker (4pts)
Venator Reivers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
*Command Attachment (Officer and Standard Bearer) (4pts)
Venator Flayer Cannon Crew (0pts - Theme Benefit)

And now we get to Xekaar.  I decided to run beast heavy shooting, which is pretty competent at melee.  The shooting heavies are the backbone of the list.  The Gladiator is there for speed and melee hitting power.  The Krea, Agonizer, and Marketh are all there to help Xekaar use his spell list, and not immediately die.  The Slingers help out with shooting, and with AD, can help me not get locked into scenario.  Overall, the plan is to advance slowly while shooting, and make the opponent come to me.  Once in melee, the list will still hit hard, especially if Xekaar can land a Mortality or two.

The specialists give me a little more flexibility.  I will probably sub in the Animantrax at some point, but it's in a high state of disassembly right now.  The Soulwards are there for anti-Stealth, and anti-Living duties.  The Reivers are there in case I really want to double down on shooting, and give me a free Flayer Cannon into the bargain.

This list is pretty strong into armor skew that's dependent on melee, like some Khador, Skorne, and Trolls.  With the Krea, it stands a good chance of winning a shooting match against some Legion lists.  With the specialists, it might be able to play into Circle, and I have theorymachined out a strategy against Una.  The real question is whether there is any game against Wurmwood and other casters.