Overview:
In a lot of ways this is still a work-in-progress for me as I am still playing a lot of Cassius right now, and learning a lot of new things in every game. Part of the impetus for writing this now is to start to really analyze more of his potential. Cassius is definitely one of the most interesting warlocks in the Circle Orboros stable as he brings a super unique element in Wurmwood. From a fluff perspective the stories is amazingly interesting as Cassius isn't really the power here, its Wurmwood, and Cassius is just the vessel that the ancient being uses to communicate. I do actually plan to update this article as time goes on and/or a new revelation occurs to me. There are also definitely others who have written about this guy and enjoyed tournament success with him, so I'm not trying to convince anyone that I'm breaking new ground, just that I want to discuss him and help people understand (as well as myself to understand better.
Quickly before jumping into a lot of the details just talk about some of the statlines. You can obviously get this information from the card, war room, and so on, but its important to touch on a few of them in a general sense before breaking things down. Cassius is pretty basic, he's FURY 6, SPD 6, MAT 6 DEF 14 ARM 16, but he does have 20 damage boxes, which is pretty uncommon for both Circle Orboros and the game at large. Wurmwood's stats are even more mediocre, but the special abilities we go over below will be more telling. He's DEF 5 ARM 16, no SPD and CMD 10. Really there the important things to remember for later are going to be the ARM and CMD.
Weapon: Genesis [Cassius]
Cassius' is by no means the kind of warlock that you're going to be putting on the front lines to get into melee, but he does have an interesting weapon. At P+S 12 its probably pretty middle of the road, but it does also have reach like all of the Circle warlocks excepting Grayle and it is of course a Magical Weapon. The interesting piece of it is that it has the Fertilizer rule. For those who don't know, what that means is that if Cassius boxes a living or undead model with this weapon, a 3" forest template is centered on the model and then it is removed from play. This is important for a lot of reasons.
Removing things from play can obviously deny your opponent things for his feat, abilities and so on. It however also removes a resource for Cassius to use unfortunately, but we'll discuss that more later on. Creating a forest template can be hugely important though as well. Means that he probably can have Treewalker enabled, or a Prowl trigger for many things in the army. Might also just impede the movement of the enemy. As an important note, Fertilizer does not specify enemy, so if you need a forest somewhere really desperately you can always kill one of your own models.
Ability: Black Roots [Cassius]
Cassius ignores the firing into melee penalty when he makes magic attacks that are against models in Wurmwood's CMD range. It might seem that this is sort of a "freebie rule", its quite clutch however. At FURY 6 he can definitely use any advantage to his attack rolls with spells that he can get. Furthermore, often because of his spell list you might want to just run one of your own models to a spot to target with the spell, and this way he's not getting too much DEF to make that a frustrating endeavor. Won't always be the biggest deal, but it is absolutely crucial to remember throughout your game.
Ability: Treewalker [Cassius]
This ability is always an interesting one to me, but its fairly important here too I'd say. First, Cassius ignores forests for drawing LOS. Important note there is that he does NOT ignore concealment granted by forests, but it is good to know how he can draw LOS. If he's standing in a forest, he gets +2 DEF against melee. He probably shouldn't really be IN melee, but if he is, standing in a forest to make him a 16/16 is a pretty helpful ability. The final part of this is that it basically grants the same rules as flight as long as you're in a forest where you can go through an obstruction or model if you can completely clear it. I don't think I've ever had the final part come up, especially not on him, but its probably another thing that's important to take note of.
Advantage: Pathfinder [Cassius]
He's a Circle warlock, which means he's a Circle warrior model, which means he has Pathfinder. That's just how our factions goes, and that's fantastic. Not a whole lot to say about Pathfinder on him that hasn't been said about Pathfinder in general.
Ability: Altar of Sacrifice [Wurmwood]
Wurmwood gains a soul token for each living model that is destroyed in its command range. It can have up to 5 souls on it at a time. If Wurmwood is in Cassius' control area at the start of his activation, Cassius can remove soul tokens from Wurmwood to put fury on himself at 1 fury per soul.
This ability is basically the reason that you play Cassius! You get to have up to 11 fury to play with on basically any of your turns if you play it right and a little bit dependent on what the enemy has brought to bear. Big thing that is important here is that Wurmwood cares not whether the souls come from his army or the opponent's army. Another sort of thing I want to kind of be transparent about is that a lot of people say something along the lines of "he's a FURY 11 caster", false. He's still only FURY 6, meaning that his magic attacks are rolled as any other FURY/FOCUS 6 warlock/warcaster is, so you'll need to boost more often than you might like and/or will want to engineer ways to not need to in order to get the most mileage out of your fury.
Ability: Companion [Wurmwood]
Wurmwood is part of Cassius' battlegroup and if Cassius is killed, Wurmwood is removed from play. Cassius doesn't have any battlegroup-wide effects to that isn't too important. The other piece of this will only ever matter in a 2-caster game, which is pretty rare I would say.
Ability: Ghost Shield [Wurmwood]
Wurmwood gets +1 ARM for each soul token currently on it. When you're toting a tree around, its important that the tree has some defensive ability. This one is straight forward, its more important to use distance and Prowl to keep it safe, but sometimes that ARM is going to be a big difference maker. There are a lot of things that ignore stealth, but most of them have low POW, getting Wurmwood to even ARM 18 can be a big difference, and that ARM 21 can definitely matter quite a bit too.
Ability: Immobile [Wurmwood]
Wurmwood has no movement or action, cannot be knocked down or moved. Front arc is 360ยบ, has no melee range, cannot engage and is automatically hit in melee. Its a tree, of course it doesn't move around. What this basically is saying is don't get it shot at, don't get it in melee unless absolutely unavoidable.
Ability: Prowl [Wurmwood]
Wurmwood gains Stealth while in terrain that provides concealment, AOE of a spell that provides concealment, or the AOE of a cloud effect. Prowl is extremely important for Wurmwood. When you're hit by basically anything but snake eyes at range, you need to make sure that you can keep too many ranged attacks from getting there. This will keep you safe against most things aside from Legion warbeasts. Building your list to produce ways to hide Wurmwood regardless of the terrain on the table to begin with is important and will definitely be a piece of list construction that is discussed.
Ability: Sympathetic Link [Wurmwood]
When Wurmwood would be damaged, the damage is assigned to Cassius, this model does not suffer that damage, and the damage is further transferable by Cassius. Again, this is a huge thing to know about his army, if the tree is taking damage, which is sometimes easier since its immobile, its the same as Cassius taking the damage. Sometimes that's ok, because ARM 21 is better than 16. Othertimes, DEF 5 against range and automatically hit in melee is really bad for Cassius. Positioning Wurmwood is super important, primarily for this reason.
Advantage: Advanced Deploy [Wurmwood]
Since it doesn't move, and has to be placed by one means or another, its important that it can start a bit farther up the table. Only things you really have to watch for then are some of the REALLY long guns like sniped Defenders or Hunters on the top of turn 1.
Spell: Curse of Shadows
COST 3 RNG 8 Upkeep and Offensive - Target model/unit suffers -2 ARM, cannot make free strikes. A model can advance through an affected model if it has enough movement to completely move past its base.
This is a very important spell in Cassius' arsenal. There are only a few Circle warlocks with damage buffs outside of the Gorax, and fewer still that are not restricted to warbeasts or the battlegroup. This means that you can actually get quite a bit of work done with your infantry which is good because Cassius definitely wants to see some infantry brought along for souls.
Most people will read this spell as being -2 ARM for a model/unit an then just move on. However, it is a LOT more than just that for certain. Immunity to freestrikes I find to be very important as it lets you do things like utilize Sprint or Light Cav moves more than you typically would since leaving a model alive won't incur a free strike. It can also be a big deal for getting your melee troops beyond the first line of infantry and deeper into their army.
Spell: Hellmouth
COST 4 RNG 8 AOE * POW 12 Offensive - If the attack misses, nothing happens. If it hits, before rolling damage, push models that are within 3" of the model hit 3" directly toward it in the order that you choose, then center a 3" AOE on the model, all of the models under the AOE take a POW 12 and if they are boxed they will be removed from play.
This spell is probably the 2nd half of the reason that you play Cassius! I'm actually going to bullet point out some things for this spell that are useful.
- Infantry removal. Its important that we don't ignore this aspect even though its the obvious one. Hit an infantry model with it, pull in everything within 3" and hopefully kill it all. POW 12 makes this pretty good, as the vast majority of infantry in the game is going to typically die to POW 12s. It also doesn't sound like its that big, a 3" AOE is obviously only going to tag so much stuff it would seem, but you're pulling things into a base and then dropping it and 3" basically makes it impossible to spread troops out far enough most of the time.
- Target your own model. Shifting Stones, Mannikins, any infantry model or even an objective is a fine target for Hellmouth. A lot of these things will mean that you don't have to boost to hit even, which is fantastic. Shifting Stones can get themselves to a lot of positions on the table that your opponent won't see, Black Roots normally means you don't care about firing into melee, and it means that you shouldn't have to worry about pesky spells like Iron Flesh and so forth
- Movement. Need to get a guy out of a zone? No problem, run a guy behind him about 3", throw Hellmouth at the model you ran, and then the guy is out of the way. Something that you don't want Curse of Shadows on is engaging model(s) that you need out of the way, same thing. Lot of stuff you can do here.
- Assassination runs. This is sort of an extension of my point on movement, but depending on the game state, you can have a Warpwolf Stalker or Ghetorix threaten a LONG way. Normally because of LOS issues you'll need a reach heavy to do this, but you can teleport (or double teleport the heavy to within 3" or less of something that their caster is also within 3" of, hellmouth that something and then activate their heavy and finish the job from there.
I'm not so certain that this isn't one of the sections I might be revisiting with even more tech later on in my warmachine life, this spell is that good and he's able to cast 2 of them in a turn potentially, its really important.
Spell: Stranglehold
COST 2 RNG 10 POW 11 Offensive - Model damaged by Stranglehold forfeits movement or action during its next activation, chosen by its controller.
At first glance, you might think like "oh, this is just the shitty nuke spell that they added to him so he'd have something". You're not entirely wrong, but this is an extremely powerful "shitty nuke". Reason being is that this is a spell that lets him change his game from being tuned to dealing with infantry with Hellmouth to being tuned to dealing with lots of heavies. You're going to need to boost to hit and damage a lot more than you might like here is the only unfortunately part of the situation, so often consider it will cost 3-4 fury rather than 2. At POW 11, also realize that even boosting, if stuff is over ARM 21, damaging will be sketchy unless you can get Curse of Shadows on it too.
There are other things a spell like this can do too of course. Being able to get Cassius or a Gallows Grove deep to use it to take out support pieces can certainly be great. Its also one of the better spells for Geomancy since Cassius would love to do a few other things and they can basically boost for free.
Spell: Unseen Path
COST 2 RNG CTRL - Can only be cast while Wurmwood is in Cassius' control area. When it is cast immediately place Cassius within 2" of Wurmwood or Wurmwood within 2" of Cassius. Model can not advance this turn after being placed by Unseen Path.
Ostensibly this is the spell that Cassius is supposed to use to actually move Wurmwood to different positions on the table. Wurmwood can also be placed by other means (only one really being Shifting Stones). This spell also makes Cassius highly mobile, given that its within 2" there are a lot of combinations of teleporting Wurmwood, casting Unseen Path once or twice to get to a position that was unexpected. Can also help you get a long assassination in melee that isn't expected. Using it after Cassius charges up or is teleported up to get to safety is also a great use. Or teleporting Wurmwood forward for soul collection and then using Unseen Path to bring it back to a safe location.
Feat: Forest of Judgement
Wurmwood's command range becomes a forest. Enemy models knocked down in Wurmwood's command range suffer 1 damage point. Lasts for one round.
At first read this feat seems mediocre, and I think I've heard people focus a lot on the 1 damage for being knocked down. Forests however are fantastic pieces of terrain, they block LOS if you're more than 3" inside of them or completely behind them. Additionally, it provides concealment, triggers things like Prowl and Treewalker which can be important for a lot of Circle models, and its rough terrain for a lot of things since Pathfinder isn't amazingly common, but don't over plan on that just because many factions do have ways around that.
Playing with the feat is an important skill to playing Cassius, because knowing how close or far away that Wurmwood should be when triggering it is going to be a good idea. It can definitely help you with scenario as well.
A quick note to remember though, which won't come up too frequently, but the 1 damage point comes from the feat and not from any other source of damage. So, for instance, if you were to Hellmouth a bunch of Tough models while under Forest of Judgement, and they make their Tough check initially, then die from the 1 point of damage, you would get a soul token from them.
Army Composition:
Cassius definitely wants a lot of different things, and can be built to take on a lot of different armies. I find that he tends to want more support than a lot of other casters might require because he needs to make sure that he's getting work out of his spell list more than anything. He's definitely able to take on a large range of things if built for them, and does not have nearly as many bad match-ups if you build his army properly.
Warbeasts:
Argus: Everyone owns 1-2 of these from buying into the faction with a battlebox most likely. Shortly after those battlebox games you don't seem to see too many of them. I'm afraid that's likely to continue here as well. While Tracker, the Argus' animus providing Pathfinder can be interesting, I don't think its at all good enough to consider inclusion here.
Argus Moonhound: Fantastic addition to the faction from Exigence! This is one of the few ways for Circle to improve its attack outside of warlock buffs. Also, with Pathfinder he's very mobile on the feat turn. Furthermore, his ability to use Hunting Howl to remove Stealth and Camouflage from enemy models is absolutely great for the faction as well! I think there are definitely pieces that this model synergizes well with, such as Winter Argus, Pureblood Warpwolf, Tharn Bloodpack, Reeves, and a few others as well and if you're bringing any of those, then I would definitely consider the Moonhound.
Gorax: This warbeast is a steal for 4 points. Primal is an animus that is always nice to have on hand as it buffs a warbeast's MAT and STR for when you likely need it. He's no slouch himself either as he is FURY 4, and POW 12 can get to POW 16 with Curse of Shadows and Primal. If you have another living warbeast, and there are a couple that I definitely recommend, then you definitely want to be considering this model.
Razorwing Griffon: There is actually a lot of utility here, 3 POW 12s can do a lot of work when they can be boosted, and he get get them to POW 16 with Primal and Curse which is pretty solid. His ability to trample is also quite handy, and he can boost those attack rolls too with his animus. I'm not certain that any of this is what this list needs though, so for the time being he's not really in my head for a spot. Certainly could be something there I haven't explored though.
Rotterhorn Griffon: Another one of our great releases from Exigence, this model is a great addition for 4 points, or 3 points if you're going to be bringing Una the Falconer with you. That said, one of their biggest advantages is the ability to easily kill off low ARM / high DEF infantry models. Hellmouth is already extremely good at doing that and I find that the points are pretty tight. The other thing that they're great at of course is that they bring the Acceleration animus, I for the most part haven't been playing models that take advantage of that, but if it changes then that consideration becomes more important. At this time I have not been considering him with Cassius.
Scarsfell Griffon: This light warbeast has the same stats as the Razorwing griffon, same point cost, and the biggest difference is that instead of having 3 POW 12s, he has 1 POW 12 and 2 POW 11s as well as not having Blade Rush, Threshing Blades, the ability to Trample and the Amuck animus. He does have Long Leash, Hunter and Shadow Shift. Personally, I still think Shadow Shift either needs to be not limited to self or needs to cost 1, but regardless it is what it is. There are some instances that I could see bringing this with Una that might be good, but that's all untested. He's also a requirement for Tier 4 of Giants of Stone, so if you have a strong build there I think that you actually might be able to figure out ways to use this model. At the moment though, I haven't felt that Cassius is exactly the place.
Winter Argus: I have actually really liked this model whenever I've given him a chance. That said, even with the sprays, I think that I might look a lot of other places. I'm sort of bothered that it doesn't have Pathfinder also when a lot of the other things do. That said, there could be something here, but its not something I'm presently exploring.
Woldwatcher: This model for a large amount of MKII was not considered worthwhile. I would say over the last 18 months we have seen that is not the case. I think he IS worth consideration, as for one thing, he can Shield Guard shots at Wurmwood. Also a mixed bag is that he brings more Fertilizer attacks to the game which I went over with my discussion on Genesis. I'm not presently playing one, but I've definitely considered it.
Woldwyrd: Forgot actually to mention this model when talking about the Argus Moonhound, but its another one that is a great idea to pair up with that warbeast. Being able to make shots, and screw with the enemy's spell casting can be great, and then in addition he also brings an animus that can really be a detriment to those casters who want to be able to cast things. He's a little frail though so keep that in mind. I'm not sold necessarily on playing him with Cassius, but he could definitely be interesting enough to warrant some play testing. If I get a chance I'll report any more findings with him.
Feral Warpwolf: Being able to warp for SPD, STR or ARM is very good as always! MAT 7 and 3 initials makes this guy one of the best beaters in the faction for sure. Lack of Pathfinder and reach can definitely be something to hold him back. I often am finding myself using him when I have more ways to bring the enemy to him, need a heavy to deal with more ARM, or can give him reach. I think he could be played as the 2nd heavy in the list if you're going that route, but so far that has not been how I have approached list building for Cassius.
Gnarlhorn Satyr: You want to perform some slams? This is the warbeast for you. Slams for free, slams farther away, and can follow up when he does. Bounding animus is actually the best animus that isn't ever used I might say. With that in mind though, I think you need to have the right list to put that in there and normally that means you want to have more beasts in your list. There might be a build where this guy is at home, but I haven't found it yet.
Pureblood Warpwolf: There are always 2 things to consider when putting this into a list. Do you need a fantastic ranged spray attack and/or does Wraithbane make sense for your list. Those are the pieces he normally brings to the table, and they can both be terrific. The warps that he brings can certainly come in handy as well and allowing other models to Warp Ghostly can always be handy. This is a case to potentially consider a Moonhound in your list as well. He's not going to be the melee monster that things like Ghetorix, Feral or even the Stalker are, but does bring you weapons you can normally use the entire game.
Riphorn Satyr: This model is pretty much always in contention with the Feral for the other beat stick heavy in a list. That said, he bring a Bulldoze animus which could prove helpful, and does have a few other things up on the Feral. I'd probably look when you feel you need another melee beast in a list at this guy and the Feral and figure out which is right for your list.
Shadowhorn Satyr: I will admit that I love the idea of this model and rarely, if ever, have I been able to find a place for him in any of my lists. One of the biggest problems with this guy is that A) power attacks often only delay the game more, and B) colossals also made it so that he was marginalized further. That said, there are some interesting interactions with Reversal/Set Defense and Forest of Judgement. I don't know that he's absolutely a lost cause by any means, but so far I haven't really found that this is the place for him.
Warpwolf Stalker: Pathfinder, three different Controlled Warps that are all extremely relevant and reach are some of the reasons that this warbeast is included in tons and tons of Circle lists. Lightning Strike animus is another big reason for him to be in the list. Being able to hit, and then run back into the Forest of Judgement, or throw it out on 3-4 higher value melee troops is also really important. If you're going to bring a melee heavy, its hard to not be considering this guy.
Wold Guardian: If you could put Flesh of Clay on Wurmwood, I'd probably take him in every list. He does get up to POW 19 with Curse of Shadows, and the ability for some knockdown is always nice. If you're playing the Giants of Stone I would definitely be looking at this guy since he hits hard without a lot of the draw backs of the Woldwrath. Otherwise, you probably want a Warpwolf in a lot of cases.
Woldwarden: Our trusty geomancer. Cassius does love Geomancy to keep things at bay with Stranglehold or to get Curse of Shadows out there. The other thing he loves is the Wild Growth animus which helps trigger any Treewalker in the list, as well as triggering a lot of the models with Prowl that tend to come along for the ride. Its for those reasons that he's currently been seeing play in my lists. Through testing its possible that he could lose that spot to any number of models, but for now he's been working out well.
Brennos the Elderhorn: At the time of this writing this model hasn't been released. He's definitely an oddity as Circle warbeasts go, he has a pretty reasonable gun at RNG 12 POW 11 and Thunderbolt. His animus is really interesting as is the ability to cast another model's animus. He also has Pathfinder which I've found on more than one occasion to be important for playing around Cassius' feat. That said, I feel like he's looking for other warbeasts to work with at least 2 of his abilities and Cassius isn't too often looking to bring more beasts in a utility fashion. I'm very unlikely to do any testing with him until he's released, but this isn't where I'm feeling like he's going to fit when I do.
Ghetorix: When you want something dead, this is the place that you go. He's a bit more tanky than the standard Warpwolf, he has Terror which will matter a few times, but mostly, you point him somewhere, and what ever is there you can kill. If you're feeling like your list needs to rachet up the damage, and Ghetorix is available, I'd recommend bringing him along!
Megalith: King of our construct warbeasts, there are few lists that couldn't benefit from Megalith. He can geomancy Stranglehold and Curse of Shadows very well, and he also brings the ability to help troops to hit along with more rough terrain out there. Weight of Stone can be a clutch ability, as are his POW 16 fists over the POW 15 of the standard Woldwarden, his extra fury, and ability to automatically remove damage. Certainly give him consideration if he's available for this list.
Woldwrath: Featured prominently as part of the Giants of Stone theme force, and in fact I would almost contend that they made the theme force entirely just so that Circle would have more theme forces with some of their new releases featured. The biggest problem that I see is that a lot of factions do have things with Pathfinder that are able to do something if they can draw LOS to something. Since huge based models can't ever fail to have LOS drawn to them from anything but obstructions, this doesn't do the trick. On the other hand there are some synergies with his 4" AOE knockdown fists, as well as his animus being very helpful with potentially saving Cassius a lot of fury in boosts. As I have been typing up this analysis piece I've definitely been having more ideas with the magic monkey going through my head, but at present I'm going to be sticking with the lists that do not have him.
Units:
Cassius is definitely a warlock who's going to be bringing units to get work done as well as help to fuel Wurmwood so that he can keep using his amazing stock of spells. Often you'll want to be looking at points-efficient units with him, and I'd say he's definitely the opposite of the idea of playing small units or solo-spam because that normally costs more points. I'd say a Cassius list with fewer than 2 units is definitely going to run into some trouble trying to execute his game plan.
Druid Stoneward & Woldstalkers [Circle Orboros]: I love the way that these guys play, they definitely embody the type of ranged unit that Circle loves. Flexible with dealing more damage, being more accurate, increasing their threat range, or providing the ability to back up. They also never fail command checks because the Druid has Stoneheart and the other 5 models are Constructs. That last part however is why it is my opinion that they never have a place with Cassius. You want things on your side that can turn into souls, and only 1 soul per unit is just not getting it done.
Druids of Orboros [Circle Orboros]: One of the most iconic units in Circle, and they're packed with utility. They are also a bit pricey at either 7 points for 6 models or 9 points for 7 models if you bring the UA. One of the things that they really do is help your matchups against Cryx (anti-magic) or Legion (elemental protections, and sometimes anti-magic). More to report later perhaps.
Reeves of Orboros [Circle Orboros]: Reeves get a lot of hell from Circle players basically because they aren't Nyss Hunters. There is some justification to that, and to some degree people are missing out on some nuance. Nyss are a unit that is going to be able to deliver both in melee and at range. Reeves are going to be delivering at range, and really are going to want to bring as many War Wolf solos as you can get into your list. To me, the power of this unit really lies with the synergy of the War Wolves. That said, do they belong with Cassius? I think that they definitely could, but again only with the War Wolf setup. I'd likely be looking to find room for 1-2 Moonhounds as well if I'm looking to bring these guys.
Sentry Stone & Mannikins [Circle Orboros]: This unit is always an interesting inclusion I think. It does actually have some synergy with Cassius though. Providing forests for things to hide in with Prowl (like Wurmwood) is definitely good and the Mannikins are great Hellmouth targets to shoot in the back since they cost you basically nothing. Three points of things that aren't going to turn into souls though is definitely the spot where you have to have a lot of good reasoning for bringing them along.
Shifting Stones [Circle Orboros]: Staple of the Circle Orboros faction for certain. If you're new to the faction, learn to play with these. If you've been playing forever, you already know that these are terrific. You'll definitely be using them in some different ways with Cassius. They're great for teleporting Wurmwood around, Cassius sometimes needs to be teleported. Additionally, non-stealth shifting stones are useful for targeting with Hellmouth so that you can be as guaranteed to not miss as you can be. They of course are useful for setting up a long range assassination with a heavy as well.
Tharn Blood Pack [Circle Orboros]: I love playing the Ravagers because mostly of their interactions with Forest of Judgement and in their case the melee game. I think, and you'll read about this in the section from the Wolf Riders, but it would probably not work out soul-wise to have both units that are fewer models for the points. I have considered using another melee unit that I get more bodies for the points and then using these guys instead of the Ravagers, but haven't for a variety of reasons (a big one being that they aren't painted actually). I have played and gotten a lot out of having some POW 15 bow shots, and POW 13 in melee is solid too. They could also be great to get some Sprint animus on so that they might actually get to boost some of their bow shots.
Tharn Bloodtrackers [Circle Orboros]: There is a reason that other factions are jealous of some of our infantry and normally Bloodtrackers with Nuala attached to them ranks highly. I have played them here, and they are definitely a strong choice as always. Being a weapon master against infantry is always a good thing, letting them hit way above their pay grade at a range that most things aren't able to. They're also pretty efficient for the points in how many bodies they bring to the table. The only thing that tends to be a tough call for them is that Prey can be a tricky ability to rely upon for making sure that they're accurate. Having advanced deploy though too will certainly lead to you having a unit that can be significantly up the table quickly.
The only place that I feel like I start to question them is that they tend to be stellar against basically any variety of infantry until you get to ARM 21+ with multiple wounds. They're also not the type of unit that you are going to dig really deep into the enemy lines with. Absolutely a unit you should consider playing here if Nuala is not tied up in another list.
Tharn Bloodweavers [Circle Orboros]: Great unit for Cassius! They can make themselves into POW 11 weapon masters vs infantry, their Bloodburst ability is improved if you're hitting a unit that's been nailed with Curse of Shadows already, and Dispel is always a good thing to have. They bring a decent points to models ratio to your list and can add a lot of utility. I don't always find room for these ladies, but I feel like I'm always trying to see if there is a point here or there so that I can get them into the list. Would definitely love to see a supporting solo or attachment for this unit at some point, but they're in general a great unit to bring!
Tharn Ravagers [Circle Orboros]: I have been loving this unit with Cassius. They synergize amazingly well with his feat, making them DEF 15 if someone does manage to be able to even see them to make attacks has been huge, its even better against things like Cryx who often don't have ways to easily hit things at that DEF. You always want to bring the Tharn Ravager Chieftain attachment, the Shaman is much more optional I would say, but can definitely be a solid addition to make them have 8 bodies. They don't have the most amazing ability to stick around all game which isn't a bad thing since they become souls, but they are definitely tougher to kill. The ability to actually see through the forest is a great asset on his feat turn.
Tharn Wolf Riders [Circle Orboros]: I have played around with this unit, but along side Ravagers. I think that the unit is strong with its ability to hit and run, prey, luck, light cav, and massive speed. They are 2 points per model though, which is a bit on the expensive side frankly. I don't think that's the absolutely end of the world for them, but if you're going to go with them I think you need to have another unit that is bringing a lot more bodies for the points. They of course have some fantastic interactions with Curse of Shadows too, and DEF 15 is a pain for a lot of things to deal with.
The Death Wolves [Circle Orboros]: These guys haven't been released yet either so I haven't gotten any reps in with them with any of my warlocks just yet. With the ability to keep up standing, accurate attacks, the ability to kill a lot of models, I think that these guys are going to be a great staple for the faction. I'm not sure if they're the right ratio of models to points for Cassius though.
Warpborn Skinwalkers [Circle Orboros]: Fairly prominent in Cassius' initial theme force Widower's Wood is probably enough that a lot of people are looking at them. The problem there is that they're much more at home in a list that needs more of a speed bump that can do work than a unit that does more work than they do but might be more of a glass cannon. The Alpha definitely makes them a terrific unit though, and there might be something there. For the 11 points there are normally other heavy infantry units to take a look at I think. If the theme force allowed another Alpha I think I'd be much more excited to see if there is something to these guys. As it is, I have a tough time finding these points unless there is a theme force build that I'm just not seeing.
Wolves of Orboros [Circle Orboros]: Circle's cheap unit with reach is actually pretty solid. The UA brings ranked attacks (decent, but meh) and Power Swell, which can turn them into POW 9 weapon masters for a turn, you can get some work out of that. They also have CMA and Powerful charge, which makes them a lot better than they're given credit for, and they might be the only 6 point unit with 10 guys that has native Pathfinder, which I realize in Circle comes a lot, but explains a lot of how they're balanced. Points for bodies is definitely a piece of the puzzle we've talked about more than once. I think if you bring them along though, you find room for morraig in the list, nothing like having a potential POW 15 with 5 dice for damage!
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters [Minion]: There is a reason that this unit pops up all over the place in tournament lists, its really solid. Pathfinder, Hunter and CRA (as long as Cylena stays alive) is pretty great, then combine with DEF 15 and SPD 7 and RNG 12 POW 10 weapons as well as POW 9 weapon master swords. In Circle I find these guys most people immediately compare to the Reeves, which is fair, and they have +1 MAT/RAT from them, but don't have the Snap Fire situation so certainly play differently. Curse of Shadows is a great spell for them when they get into melee, and can help out their POW 10 bow shots often too.
I find at the points, the other place I'm comparing them is to the Bloodtrackers. Bloodtrackers are definitely better at the skirmish game where they throw their spears and then back up, but aren't getting as deep into the lines and can't hit quite as hard in melee. Where Bloodtrackers might be throwing into something at effective POW 13 and 3 dice for damage, if they have to get into melee they are regular POW 13 charges. Nyss on the other hand won't hit nearly that hard at range without giving up volume of attacks, but they will go to effective POW 11 weapon master charges with the right application of Curse of Shadows. Being able to threaten 19" with a walk and shoot is something to keep in mind here too.
Bog Trog Ambushers [Minion]: I've eyeballed this unit with Cassius now for a while actually. They are 8 points for 10 bodies which is a decent points to souls ratio. They also allow for you to mess with people's approach and their mental game since they often will funnel things into the middle, lest they just throw points away to the Bog Trogs. Clumping up models is exactly what someone slinging Hellmouth around would want. That said, SPD 5 isn't great, but they do have reach, Pathfinder, and Powerful Charge + CMA can definitely help them get some work done.
Farrow Bone Grinders [Minion]: This might be one of the most underrated units in all of Hordes honestly. You can buy a min-unit for only 2 points and the leader model can use Bone Magic to cast the animus of a model that has been destroyed, can use Craft Talisman to increase spells range for a Warlock by +2 and they can also use Arcane Bolt at RNG 12 POW 11 and potentially be up to Magic Ability [9]. The most important statistic for these guys might be their point cost thought 2 points for 4 bodies or 3 points for 6 bodies is fantastic for bringing your own souls to the table. Sometimes what you do is have your Gorax just kill off a couple of them to make sure you have the souls on Wurmwood. Definitely consider bringing these.
Farrow Brigands [Minion]: This is a unit that I don't own at all so I will admit I haven't done a lot of thinking about them in this list until writing this post actually. They definitely do have the victim stats you might want since they could get work done and then die to feed the tree. However, at RAT 5 without access to CRA and MAT 6 with no other way to improve that really, they aren't that bad, its just really that they aren't that great either.
Farrow Razorback Crew [Minion]: Light Artillery is in my opinion not all that great in Warmachine/Hordes in general, and furthermore I don't know that I think it plays to any of the strengths of Circle for a model that is basically not going to move, but is going to shoot. I think some armies have a place for some artillery, but not with Cassius.
Farrow Slaughterhousers [Minion]: I have personally not been playing this unit, but a lot of people will swear by them in a Cassius list. At 6 models for 6 points you're not doing too badly with points for souls. They bring Finisher which makes them situational weapon masters, that's great, as well as Take Down which is a mixed bag with being able to stop Tough checks and the like, but also not providing Wurmwood with souls. The down sides are that they are SPD 5 and no Pathfinder, so they aren't the most mobile unit in the world, and often if you're including more than a single unit of them, you're going to need to consider bringing Saxon Orrik along for the ride.
Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers [Minion]: At first I'd probably just flat-out say that because they're undead that they aren't really worth considering. However, they do something interesting where they kind of let you double dip with Cassius depending on what the other unit is. Every time a model dies you could potentially be getting both a corpse and a soul from it. Corpse turns into another Bog Trog and the soul of course later becomes a fury point. With the VERY low DEF they are probably the perfect models to use for Hellmouth targets as well. If you can get something within the paltry threat range of 8.5" for the Bokor, throw in Curse of Shadows and a lot of zombies as boosts and it might be something. Finding 6 points for these guys still feels like it would be a bit of a feat though.
Gatorman Posse [Minion]: They do a lot of the same things that I discuss with the Skinwalkers, only they don't natively have Pathfinder without giving up other options. This is a fantastic stand-alone unit for sure, but at this time it is not one that I have considered playing with Cassius.
Swamp Gobbers Bellows Crew [Minion]: This unit is fantastic mostly because its 2 models for 1 point and they produce a 5" cloud. Used to trigger Prowl on Wurmwood or anything else, block LOS to a few things. I would recommend that you bring either these guys, Druids, Sentry Stone or come up with some other method to trigger Prowl for Wurmwood. I think this unit costs like $8 too, so that's a bunch of good!
Solos:
This is a more interesting category of models. I think you're going to see a few solos fit, but most of the time its going to be the ones that are definitely lower on the point scale, or provide an obvious synergy with something else.
Blackclad Wayfarer [Circle Orboros]: Almost any list can justify this guy. SP 8 POW 12 is always a good thing, doubly so at Magic Ability [7]. Hunter's Mark is fantastic for changing some of the dice math too, and then there is the fact that he's immune to elements and Phase Jump is often useful. Doesn't hurt that he's MAT 7 with a reach magical weapon either though. If you think you need him, bring him along, he's also not required though of course.
Gallows Grove [Circle Orboros]: For many people this was a model that made Cassius viable. Having played a while with him, I think that the +2" from the Bonegrinders was probably enough for him to be viable, but obviously having arc nodes so that he can stay safer is a huge advantage, plus sometimes being able to turn off Tough and other forms of healing is great as well. I haven't played less than 2 of these in any Cassius list I've ever fielded I don't believe. Best part that a lot of people don't realize ... Gallows Groves are living models, so when they're killed they will also provide a soul to their tree granddaddy.
Lord of the Feast [Circle Orboros]: I think he could be played here, but on the other side I'm also not entirely sure that I feel like he's a great addition. He's certainly worth 4 points in general, but 4 points is also a tough squeeze. Its furthermore a lot of work to ever get 4 points or more out of him. Might be a strong piece, but needs to have a good game plan not covered by other things.
Reeve Hunter [Circle Orboros]: I have pretty tempted to try this guy out. He has Hunter, and theoretically the ability to go through 6 models between snap fire and quickwork. That said, some of that is certainly "living the dream" and he's 1 model for 2 points. I like the idea of the 7 point package with 3 War Wolves and 2 of these guys, might be something there. I have also liked the idea of these sitting in the back and just trying to shoot 2 infantry a turn. POW 10 isn't the best thing ever, but definitely can kill its fair share of models. He's a guy I think would do well to see a bit more play than he does in general. At the moment, I'm not testing him, but there could be something to this guy to try here.
Tharn Ravager White Mane [Circle Orboros]: I do love the Tharn models with Cassius, and doubly nice that they still get the corpse while wurmwood gets the soul. At 3 points though this guy starts to be a bit too high on the curve for what he does I think unfortunately.
Una the Falconer [Circle Orboros]: She's been in other lists for me, so I haven't played her much here. A lot of her abilities are definitely at home with Cassius, with Bird's Eye and such. With that in mind though, I haven't really felt that a pricey, but efficient package is really what Cassius needs. She's one of the best additions for Circle in quite some time, but her talents are probably better off in some of the other lists out there.
War Wolf [Circle Orboros]: This guy costs 1 point, has Gang Fighter with anything in the faction which brings him to MAT 8 and POW 13. The most important part of the puzzle though is that he has Sic'em, which lets him charge a model that was hit by any Reeve model (at range or in melee) out of activation once per turn. Since they're also SPD 7 and have Hunter, this lets them get to a lot of places, and do some interesting things. They also are medium bases, so they can certainly jam up models like a heavy. 1 point for one model is decent enough too. They need some Reeve models in the list to shine I think, but with some time it seems like a package that can do some work.
Wolf Lord Morraig [Circle Orboros]: A lot of points in one package, but if you have the pieces in the list he can be a monster. Light cav is always great. Reach, POW 13 weapon master with Flank [Wolf of Orboros] is going to get a lot of big hits in. Prowl and his stat line also make him a pretty potent choice. I can't really see bringing him along without the unit of Wolves personally, but if you do he's definitely going to put a hurt on a few things.
Alten Ashley [Minion]: RNG 14 POW 12 guns are always something to pay attention to. If you think you really need to be taking some long range shots, give this guy a chance. I personally haven't
Brun Cragback & Lug [Minion]: They do have Pathfinder and Lug can absolutely hit hard when called upon to do so. Paying 9 points for only 2 models when already not likely running too heavy of a battle group doesn't seem like something that makes a lot of sense though.
Croak Hunter [Minion]: Does have hunter, but at 2 points I feel like there are just too many other things to consider before trying to justify this.
Dahlia Hallyr & Skarath [Minion]: Of all of the lesser warlock and warbeast combinations this is the one that I'd most consider because it brings the most utility. That said, I still don't think the 9 point package of either not-infantry or not-battlegroup is worth it here.
Efaarit Scouts [Minion]: These guys definitely seem interesting to me. SPD 8 with a RNG 12 gun is always something to pay attention to I would contend. The gun being armor piercing is definitely interesting too. At POW 7 though, without the ability to boost, its not going to do a lot of damage necessarily, but with Sniper letting you choose a column when it targets a warbeast/warjack you could have something. They do also have Pathfinder which is handy, and Curse of Shadows only seems helpful for them. That said, 3 points is a little steep for this list I feel like.
Feralgeist [Minion]: Included as an option in Widower's Wood, which is unusual since Minion models are rarely included in non-Minion theme forces. I suppose he does allow for some very interesting placement of Hellmouth, and can contest a zone or flag sometimes that becomes hard for the opposing force to deal with it if lacks magical weapons. That said, its a point that isn't a living model, nor really contributing much. I'd probably pass here.
Gatorman Witch Doctor [Minion]: Undead and Tough is a great combination for any unit, making sure that they don't break, stopping a lot of other mechanics and Tough of course helps your guys maybe stick around from time to time. That comment about stopping a lot of other mechanics though is the one that has me leaving this guy in my bag rather than on the table with Cassius
Gobber Tinker [Minion]: I don't find it too terribly likely that I'm bringing along anything that this little guy can repair, and if he's not using his repair skill I don't know that I think this guy makes the cut.
Gudrun the Wanderer [Minion]: I haven't ever really been able to justify this guy's 3-point cost in Circle. With Maximus available in the faction now and doing a large percentage of what this guy does I don't know that I see that changing either. Can't recommend with Cassius.
Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress [Minion]: This is an option that I hadn't been really considering until I started to write this article. I'm now trying to decide if she maybe fits in the list. For Circle, she gets immediately compared to the Blackclad Wayfarer, and I often feel that the Wayfarer wins out on that because the spray is better than her single model nuke. They both bring Hunter's Mark though, which is big. Where they definitely differ is the defensive abilities, she's a 15/11 with prowl while he's a 14/13 with immunity to all elements that aren't corrosion. Nearly a wash, but situationally one can definitely be better than another. Where she DOES have an ability though that the Blackclad doesn't is Winter Storm. Winter Storm removes Eyeless Sight, Flight and Pathfinder from models that begin their activations in her CMD (which is 9), I've been considering that this might be a good ability to have during Cassius' feat turn primarily. I plan to do some testing here.
Maximus [Minion]: Model has just been released, and I think he's a very solid new release. He's definitely a great follow-up model if you can position it right since if he's delivered, he'll definitely earn his keep. Abomination in a lot of the Cassius lists though feels like it might be more of a detriment for an army that tends to have infantry as its means of doing work.
Rorsh & Brine [Minion]: Not doing enough for 9 points to warrant bringing them over a faction beast option or over more infantry.
Saxon Orrik [Minion]: Standard 2 points of Pathfinder on a Stick with some of the most ridiculous statlines for a character solo. If bringing a number of Minion units/solos that lack Pathfinder he's probably worth consideration. If not, Circle brings their own Pathfinder.
Thrullg [Minion]: Hordes 3-point package of upkeep and animi removal. Problem here is that its a melee means of removal, and he's only MAT 7. He does definitely have a place in some lists, but for the points if I'm looking for upkeep removal, I'm likely to find 2 more points so I can bring the Tharn Bloodweavers.
Totem Hunter [Minion]: The premier solo / small unit hunter! I think you might be able to justify this guy in a list, but of course you also have to consider that he's again 3 points for his package, and I don't know if this list really needs that all that badly. Could be something here, at the moment I'm exploring other options though.
Viktor Pendrake [Minion]: If you want to tune your list for dealing with Circle and Legion, this guy is going to be able to deliver for you. Something else to remember is that his Beast Lore ability says warrior model/unit, which means that you can Beast Lore Cassius and he can utilize boosted Strangleholds or Curse of Shadows on beasts, which can really come in quite handy.
Wrong Eye & Snapjaw [Minion]: I talked about it with Brun & Lug, but the simple fact is that if I wanted to have a 9 point package that was mostly focused on a single warbeast, I'd play one of the many 9 point warbeast options from Circle.
Battle Engines:
Not a category that I see Cassius looking at too often, but lets go ahead and discuss the two options that he does have in this category.
Celestial Fulcrum [Circle Orboros]: I've discussed a lot about the detriment of huge bases with the Woldwrath, but much of the same applies here. The Fulcrum DOES love having Curse of Shadows out there, because boosting things like a POW 15 attack can certainly be a good time for it. That said though, its a lot of points in something that isn't in his battlegroup, isn't souls and is probably best when I need an infantry killer that does work against troops. At the moment, I don't really see that I want to recommend this model here.
Sacral Vault [Minion]: Some of the new hotness that Circle picked up from Hordes: Exigence that a lot of people are talking about. Its a VERY good battle engine and a lot of Circle warlocks will be bringing one along for sure. Cassius is not one of those warlocks however. There are 2 big reasons, one being a similar detriment that other huge bases have and were discussed with the Celestial Fulcrum and Woldwrath which is that the LOS blocking from the feat does not apply here (though things needing Pathfinder are still slowed down. The much bigger problem is that it really wants to gather souls, and its going to be competing with Wurmwood who needs the souls more.
Theme Force: Widower's Wood
Prior to discussing the list I'm currently playing I think we should look at the theme forces. This is the one that comes first and was printed in the Forces of Hordes: Circle Orboros book.
Permitted Models/Units:
- Warbeasts: Circle construct warbeasts, Circle heavy warbeasts
- Units: Druids of Orboros, Reeves of Orboros, Sentry Stone & Mannikins, Shifting Stones, Warpborn Skinwalkers
- Solos: Feralgeist, Reeve Hunters, War Wolf solos, Lord of the Feast
- Battle Engines: none
Tier 1: Only include models above. Warpborn Skinwalkers become FA:U. Additionally, increase FA on War Wolf solos by +1 for each unit.
Tier 2: Army includes 2+ Warpborn Skinwalker units. Deployment is extended 2" forward.
Tier 3: Army includes Lord of the Feast. Wurmwood begins the game with 3 soul tokens.
Tier 4: Army includes 1+ Warpwolf Stalkers. Models/units in the army gain Stealth the first round.
You can tell that this was during some of the first forays into theme forcing at Privateer because this one is sort of all over the place if you ask me. It also doesn't have a ton of reasons to bring it. The extra deployment and souls could be nice, but that's a lot of points in things that aren't going to really help turn into souls. Most of the cheap souls options aren't in the list either. You can bring Shifting Stones which is very important, but can't bring Gallows Groves (they didn't exist at that time). Another interesting quirk here is that because of how its worded, you can actually bring all of the character warbeasts we have, which is more than a bit unusual for theme forces.
If you were going to play this one, I think the money is at trying to abuse the ability to bring a lot of War Wolf solos with Cassius. Its pretty easy to be able to bring an additional 3 of them just by bringing the unit of Reeves they need for their support and the requisite units of Shifting Stones.
If you were going to play this one, I think the money is at trying to abuse the ability to bring a lot of War Wolf solos with Cassius. Its pretty easy to be able to bring an additional 3 of them just by bringing the unit of Reeves they need for their support and the requisite units of Shifting Stones.
Theme Force: Giants of Stone
This theme was created after Privateer had a better sense of how to build them around a theme and a narrative and was released in a No Quarter issue. Its pretty obvious though that this one was built around trying to find a home for a lot of models that were released after the Forces theme force.
Permitted Models/Units:
- Warbeasts: Griffon warbeasts, Wold Guardian, Woldwarden, Woldwrath
- Units: Druids of Orboros, Shifting Stones, Tharn Bloodweavers
- Solos: Blackclad Wayfarer, Gallows Grove
- Battle Engines: none
Tier 1: Only include models above. For each warbeast, add 1 Gallows Grove for free and ignoring FA.
Tier 2: Battlegroup includes 1+ Woldwraths. Models in his army gain Spell Ward during the first round.
Tier 3: Army includes 1+ Blackclad Wayfarers. Blackclad Wayfarers gain Ambush.
Tier 4: Battlegroup includes 1+ Scarsfell Griffons. Deployment is extended 2" forward.
It does let you bring a lot of what you'd like with Cassius, such as Shifting Stones and Gallows Groves. I've discussed above that Druids and Bloodweavers are solid with Cassius for a lot of reasons. Ambushing Blackclads definitely feel like they could be an interesting dynamic too. Requiring a Woldwrath at such a low level though is more than a bit frustrating to me, and the bonuses here aren't spectacular. You probably can get 2-4 free points depending on how you build the list, but there aren't a ton of souls out there for Cassius to utilize.
My Current List:
Cassius the Oathkeeper (*6pts)
* Gorax (4pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
* Woldwarden (9pts)
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters (Cylena and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
Farrow Bone Grinders (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
* Stone keeper (1pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt) (1pts)
Tharn Ravagers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
* Tharn Ravager Chieftain (2pts)
* Tharn Ravager Shaman (2pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
* Gorax (4pts)
* Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
* Woldwarden (9pts)
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters (Cylena and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
Farrow Bone Grinders (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
* Stone keeper (1pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt) (1pts)
Tharn Ravagers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (9pts)
* Tharn Ravager Chieftain (2pts)
* Tharn Ravager Shaman (2pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
This is definitely a list that is still in flux, but this is the latest list that I've played. As I change thins I will try to add a section at the bottom for revisions to this article and to this list. The latest change was to bring the Nyss Hunters along, and when I did I was pretty happy about it. They are great with Hunter on the feat, they can mix it up in melee, and bring a solid gun to the mix too. Ravagers have always performed with Cassius for me and the rest really I went over above.
If any changes are going to happen it might be around the Woldwarden, Bone Grinders, the Ravager Shaman in the more near future. I could see the battlegroup getting a bigger shake-up too, as well as considering some of the other units I discuss in that section.
If any changes are going to happen it might be around the Woldwarden, Bone Grinders, the Ravager Shaman in the more near future. I could see the battlegroup getting a bigger shake-up too, as well as considering some of the other units I discuss in that section.
Matchups:
Cygnar
At first blush you would probably be thinking that Wurmwood with things that might ignore Stealth, and long range guns that it would be a bad matchup. The reality is that its not as long as you play it wisely, but for a few exceptions.
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Pistoleers: First thing though to pay attention is that Gun Mages are about the only way they actually ignore Stealth. Keeping Wurmwood at ARM 18+ is going to be enough to all but ignore that however.
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team: If they brought the Black 13th along though, definitely do your utmost to take out Lynch so that Fire Beacon doesn't become a problem for you.
Triumph: Rarely seen warjack does have the ability to ignore Stealth if he stands still, so if you do see him, make sure he can't draw LOS to Wurmwood some other way and/or that you're keeping the tree safe in other ways (distance, higher ARM, etc).
Captain Allister Caine: This guy loves nothing more to feat and shoot at something he basically can't miss. His threat is 19" for the most part, and he's definitely able to give himself the ability to remove Stealth. In general, this is not a game you want Cassius for I would say. I do think you might be able to play it, but you're going to have to do a lot of work to make sure that you keep Wurmwood safe here, or just getting to Caine early on with an assassination.
Captain Jeremiah Kraye: Biggest thing is that he brings Mage Sight into the equation and has a lot of manueverability to put it into the right place to make Wurmwood a major liability. Try to avoid this matchup, or recognize that you have to be incredibly cagey.
Captain Kara Sloan: Mostly just realize that she can shoot to 16" while aiming and ignore Stealth, and Cassius doesn't want to be taking 4-dice damage shots the entire game. She's playable I think, but you have to absolutely be aware of this threat.
Major Markus "Siege" Brisbane: Similar to Kraye, but Mage Sight can be a major problem. Its harder for him to get it everywhere, but not terribly so. His feat will also put a bigger hurt on things from a distance, so this is a place to be careful certainly.
Lord Commander Stryker: Basically, you want to kill Runewood here if you can, and then he's less of an issue, but Velocity means that Stryker can move 12" and has reach and that's without a charge, so 14" and overload means he doesn't have to get to you with too much left and its going to hurt. Be careful how you place Wurmwood, and if possibly get some damage on him early too.
Protectorate of Menoth
This one can be an interesting match. Protectorate has a lot of control-type abilities so playing around them can be tough. Harbinger's feat can also be more of a problem than normal due to the list usually wanting to play more infantry. You need to be aware of their anti-magic abilities, anti-range and any other control abilities that might hamper what Cassius wants to do, as well as anything that would threaten Wurmwood as always
Exemplar Errant Seneschal: He has Hunter and gives Hunter to any Errant's in his CMD range. Definitely important to know for the feat turn and anything else you were hoping to keep safe with a Forest or other LOS blocking.
Reclaimer: This guy takes souls of Menoth stuff, so just keep that in mind that the closest soul gatherer wins when doing that
Covenant of Menoth: Almost certainly will be turning off spells against you within 10" and its very difficult to kill unfortunately.
Choir of Menoth: One of the units you always see and for a good reason. If they're using Shielding its going to make it harder to take care of their jacks with Curse of Shadows or stop them for a while with Stranglehold.
Exemplar Errants: I mentioned them above, but they're also almost always immune to spells, so you'll want to be targeting your own models with Hellmouth or using your infantry to try to get them dead.
Holy Zealots: They too can be spell immune and also can only be damaged by feats and spells on their mini feat turn. This is another case where you want to throw a Shifting Stone or some other model into the middle of them and then throw Hellmouth out there.
Visgoth Juviah Rhoven & Honor Guard: Definitely want to watch out for Menoth's Sight removing giving a model the ability to ignore Stealth. Wurmwood doesn't tend to want to be taking shots from a Redeemer or Reckoner.
Khador
This is definitely a faction that Cassius likes to see across the table most of the time. They rely on a lot of infantry to get their work done, and you have Hellmouth. There are definitely a few things that you have to make sure you keep your eye on in the faction like anything else. Stranglehold is often enough to slow down the things you need to keep away from. There aren't too many gotcha sort of things to look out for in this faction, except for...
The Old Witch of Khador: Augury is an ability that she has which allows for warjacks (and herself) to ignore cloud effects and forests when determining LOS.
Cryx
Cassius is one of the matchups that Cryx is going to often hate to see. Hellmouth is an extremely good spell against the masses of undead. Almost all of the models that you would like to bring along for the ride are often good for killing more Cryx infantry. If you know you really, really need to tune this matchup, it makes sense to try to find some room in your list for Druids, but I wouldn't say that they're strictly necessary either.
Goreshade the Cursed: Watch out for Phantom Hunter on something big like the Kraken. It can ignore your feat for drawing LOS.
Lich Lord Venethrax: Soul Harvester will shut down your soul production for his, just make sure you don't rely on the unit with that (or one he might cycle it to) to kill your models for souls and you'll be fine.
Ghostly/Ghostwalk: This is ability on a lot of things in Cryx, just remember that it makes it easy to get to Wurmwood in melee sometimes when it otherwise wouldn't
Retribution of Scyrah
Another faction that people often are afraid Cassius can't play into, I would contend that is incorrect. One of the biggest things the faction needs is the ability to shoot, and Stealth (from the amounts of Prowl that the list has) and things that block LOS are never what they want to see.
Soulless Escort: Most people forget that this guy has Mage Static which will make Hellmouth and Curse of Shadows a very sad RNG 3.
Mage Hunter Strike Force: Mostly, you just need to make sure that you have your Prowl models actually triggering Prowl so that they are mostly useless. However, do remember that your feat is not going to stop them from drawing a bead on things (again other than triggering Prowl).
Dawnlord Vyros / Vyros, Incissar of the Dawnguard: Bird's Eye is definitely an ability that is a pain in the ass for Cassius. It's basically going to mean, and especially in the case of Vyros2, that your feat isn't going to stop a ton, or possibly anything. Keep your tree extra safe!
Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn: Feat gives out Stealth mitigation, so its important to make sure that you're keeping things blocking LOS to Wurmwood and at least 2-3 souls on it if not more.
Convergence of Cyriss
Hellmouth is terrible for their infantry recursion, they hate being moved around, and you should have enough control and spells to deal with the ARM brick. That should cover a significant amount of this faction.
Assimilator: Ground Pounder is definitely something to watch out for as it will ignore Stealth and at POW 12 it'll start to chip away.
Mercenaries
A bunch of different warcasters and abilities here, mostly just make sure that you've brushed up on what the Earthbreaker and Galleon do and that's going to cover a big amount of what you need to handle.
Monstrosities / Cephalyx Drudges: They all have Eyeless Sight, so be careful on placement.
Cylena Raefyll and Nyss Hunters: They, as discussed above, have Hunter which you need to also keep in mind for your feat turn same as they help on the feat turn.
Orin Midwinter: Make sure to prioritize this model or casting spells will be a big problem. Fortunately, he has to get pretty close.
Trollbloods
Trolls are another faction that Cassius does okay with. Stranglehold does a lot to stop their big guys. Curse of Shadows for helping deal with their ARM. Hellmouth and other long range shots for taking out the Krielstone guys is all good for you.
Stone Scribe Elder: He can turn off Stealth, but normally the Krielstone is pretty far back so I don't know if this has ever come up.
Pyg Burrowers: Watchout for these since they can hit Wurmwood pretty easily and their POW 14s are not something you want to deal with. Since they pop in and out they can be tough to slow down with the feat.
Trollkin Scouts: These guys have Hunter is probably the only thing to keep in mind.
Mulg the Ancient: Mostly just watch for Runebreaker from the warlock being a big enough area that you can't cast, could be a problem.
Troll Axer: Rush is something you want to make sure you know where its coming from since Pathfinder into your forest makes a big difference.
Grim Angus: Between Marked For Death and the fact that Grim has True Sight you definitely have to be very careful with your placement. It don't take too many boosted POW 13s from 17" out to take you down.
Hunter's Grim: Big one here is that they bring Mage Sight, so all the things that I said about Kraye and Siege will apply here as well.
Circle Orboros
If you're playing Circle you should be able to watch out for the mirror match. Kromac and Mohsar can be tricky to deal with for certain though. Keep any eye out for all of the things I've talked about above.
Skorne
Mostly bringing a lot of melee, make sure you're using a lot of Stranglehold in a lot of these games to control things. I'm not going to talk about it separately, but watch out even more than usual for the Molik Missile. There are a few other things to keep in mind here though too.
Tyrant Vorkesh: Will make the Cetrati immune to your spells, which will definitely put a hampering on things.
Extoller Soulward: This guy is Eyeless Sight on a stick, something with a big gun or a long threat range getting that is the difference from an aggressive feat turn and losing the game.
Titan Gladiator: Rush is one of those things that you have to watch out for here, especially combined with the Extoller.
Cyclops Shaman: has a gun with Ghost Shot, so make sure that you're using Prowl well.
Despoiler: the animus is definitely going to put a hamper on things if it gets too close and he does have Eyeless Sight even without the Extoller.
Supreme Aptimus Zaal: Direct Spirits means that you have to 100% rely on your own army to produce souls since he's always going to be directing the souls of his army to his army.
Legion of Everblight
There aren't any gotchas to look out for here, because this whole faction is trouble for Cassius. Eyeless Sight on all of the beasts, and most lists being big on battlegroup is going to be important to note. I would say if you have 1 or less Ravagore the game is playable without being a mess. It its 2+ Ravagores, well, that's going to be some trouble for sure.
Minions
There generally isn't too much to worry about here, but make sure that you're thinking through everything and playing smart, and you'll be fine.
Conclusion:
This is absolutely the longest blog post that I have ever written, and it feels good to have completed it. Definitely shows that Cassius is a great warlock for Circle to play. I think that I may take on some of the advice from a podcast that I recently listened to and aim to play 100 games or more with Cassius. I will also be updating this article as I go along and hopefully will also include some of the other casters that I am trying to get in more games with while I build up Cassius.
