Review: Devastation

I did this for Reckoning, but personally I think that Devastation is more interesting especially since it includes the faction I play! Here's my break down of the latest anthology from Privateer Press.Trollbloods

Trollbloods

Hoarluk Doomshaper, Dire Prophet

There is no doubt about it, we're going to be seeing a lot of this guy on the table. The "mini-feats" that the scroll bearer brings are definitely solid much of the time, and is only the tip of this ice berg. The biggest deal about him is that his feat makes Trolls in his battlegroup basically invulnerable for a turn, especially considering his no-move and no-knockdown spell. Given how hard Trolls can hit and how much work they can do with their beasts, this is a very good caster. I think that the internet is probably a bit too high on him at the moment, but I do think that he's bringing a solid option to the table for Trollbloods.

Glacier King

Trollbloods players have continued to be down on the Mountain King, but in this 2nd round of Gargantuans, I think they did get a quality piece.  Windthrower is a fantastic gun, with ROF 3, RNG 12 POW 14 and Thunderbolt there's definitely a lot to do there.  Add in its animus which the 3" distance on its effect rather than 2" is huge.  It brings a lot of utility for Trollbloods and brings the point cost down.  Lets not forget that it will make you stationary on its first hit in melee too.  I'm expecting to see plenty of this guy.

Pyg Bushwacker Officer & Mortar

There are certainly some things going on with this unit attachment.  Combined Arms is one of the strongest abilities to give to a CRA unit as it will do a lot to normalize your accuracy and make sure that you're closer to the middle of that curve with your rolls like you want to be.  Camoflage is never a bad deal either, especially with the new synergy with the Glacier King.  Slip Away feels like it will be a situational sort of thing, but when it comes up I suspect that it will be a pretty big deal.  What I may like the most is the inclusion of the Morter.  First, it ensures that the unit gets a gun on every model they have.  Also, more accuracy due to Range Finder, and it can still be CRA'd with from the rest of the unit and starts at +2 more POW.  Arcing Fire makes it great for picking out pesky models hiding behind them.  I'm thinking that this release does make it compelling to try out this unit again, but I don't have high hopes for seeing too much of that out of most Trollbloods players.

Dhunian Knot

In any other faction I would say that this unit is utterly broken.  Having access to 3 Puppet Masters for 3 points is amazing.  The only balancing factor here is that Trolls already have so much support that these guys probably have to replace something else or face the typical Trollbloods problem of too much support and not enough work.  There will certainly be many lists these make the most sense to have in there, and there will be plenty where they aren't needed as well, terrific new release for Trollbloods.

Circle Orboros

Kromac, Champion of the Wurm

I've obviously discussed a lot of what I enjoy about Kromac2 already in my other blog here: Kromac2 List Discussion, but the more and more that I play him, the more that I think I can play him into, especially depending on how he's built.  For a warlock who at first blush seems to be extremely simple and straight-forward he actually has a lot of depth of what he does.  Absolutely a fantastic addition to the faction and I look forward to a lot more exploration here!

Storm Raptor

Unlike a lot of people I am very excited to try this model out whenever it finally gets released! Brings a really solid gun, at RAT 6 which is pretty unusual, and frankly between the leaps that gun gets, the electroleaps his melee attack gets and Plasma Nimbus I'm not aware of another model that can put out as many attack rolls in only one package.  The downsides here are that its MAT 5, which means he's going to need someone who can bring a MAT fixer and probably you're going to want Primal to come along a lot of the time too.  I'm less concerned about the defensive profile, because at DEF 12 and ARM 18 its not obviously the best profile, BUT it still does have 46 boxes and with Circle's ability to bump up DEF (Forced Evolution, Vortex, Primal Howl, and Rock Wall) there is definitely something to the idea that it can be more survivable than it initially seems.

Something that I think is good to address here because I hear it with basically all the gargantuans, but the concept that "I don't think its going to be better than 2 heavies" I think is non-sense.  The two are so different that the comparison is almost irrelevant.  In Circle it seems pretty clear that they're not willing to give us guns this good without them costing a lot of points, and I don't necessarily know why, but this is the situation that we're in.

I also have a lot of faith that this model is going to look absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to see what it looks like when Griffon's Roost Painting gets done with the model!

Blackclad Mist Riders

Biggest surprise in the book for me! I really like the flavor of these guys, and I really enjoy the utility that they might bring to the table.  Pretty good survivability with Camouflage and easy access to turning it on with Blizzard.  They can do some work against a variety of targets, on a good turn potentially generating 3 attacks each (charge, mount, and spell).  Light cavalry is almost always just better to have than the normal cavalry rules.  With all of this in mind, I'm not entirely sure yet who I think they guys want to be played with, but I'll definitely be trying to see what I can do with them!

Tharn Bloodweaver Night Witch

This is a fantastic two point solo for Circle! Grievous Wounds and Killing Spree are fantastic, so is having a pair of initials and a way to boost.  Definitely have to be careful with those boosts so that you don't kill the model, but they are at least there. I'm excited to see what this model does with a few of our warlocks.  I'm additionally excited to see what they can do with giving the Bloodweavers Killing Spree seems like its pretty intriguing as well!

Skorne

Zaal, Ancestral Advocate

Skorne players are in a pretty mopey place if you read any forums right now, and I'm not sure that they need to be.  Zaal2 does a fantastic amount of stuff for Immortals in my opinion, and they were already a unit that I think needed to get more play honestly.  Skorne also has access to some solid infantry that is very cheap (3 different options for 4/6 units to start with).  The key to him is going to be fiddling with a list to get the right balance of things, working out the right turn to feat, and then getting the most out of Transference.  Always be on the look out for your opponent getting a little bit too close too and then roast him with 15 fury worth of Sunder Spirit.

Desert Hydra

Are 6" sprays long enough is the big question here for me. With someone like Hexeris2 or another Skorne warlock that can assist in improving his RAT 5 there is going to be a lot of destruction. His hit points and defensive profile are certainly nothing to write home about, but if he lives, with regeneration and snacking he should actually be able to retaliate pretty reliably. Also, like any good Skorne piece, if it gets into melee it'll hit like a truck.

Extoller Advocate

This is a fun UA for the Immortals and I think will prove to be strong when it starts to hit the table! Helping to increase hitting power, as well as mitigating terrain in some cases, and so on is pretty strong.  Still brings some of the strong parts of being an Extoller some times too.  This has been known for some time, but I don't think you'll see a list with only one unit of Immortals played without this guy too often any more.

Legends of Halaak

The final Hordes faction to get their 3-man character unit, and here is Skornes.  Four points is a fantastic price point, and they hit pretty hard for those points.  We're not quite to the Great Bears with their damage output, but they will hit pretty hard and they have access to damage buffs and defensive buffs in Skorne as well.  They don't do anything super fascinating, but they are definitely a quality 4-point unit to throw in a list I think.

Legion of Everblight

Saeryn & Rhyas, Talons of Everblight

The Twins. Honestly, I look at them and realize that there is a TON going on here, and I don't think that evaluating them from reading their card entries is ever really going to tell the whole story.  Having 2 full-on Warlocks is kind of amazing to me conceptually, but I think that also means that they might break your brain.  I think if someone wants to try to carve out a niche in this faction, that putting about 100 games with this pair under your belt is going to go a LONG ways!  Neither model has too terribly amazing of spells, nor is the feat all that spectacular when you read it.  Knowing exactly how to play this duo though I think could be a nightmare for your opponent.

Blightbringer

If Privateer's goal was to create a strong Gargantuan that could provide support throughout the game, and close it out well at the end, this is absolutely their success.  The blight-effects that they have are definitely great a force multiplication for Legion, and do a lot to get more of their infantry on the table potentially.  I absolutely expect to see a lot of this gargantuan on the table in the coming year.

Grotesque Banshees

This is a new take on the Grotesque unit and I think for 5/8 that its definitely interesting to get a unit on the table that is going to be tough to kill at range, but can still get into the mix and put down a lot of sprays.  At RAT 5 its not all that exciting, but they are immune to blasts and POW 13 sprays are really good.  I'm not sure in Legion, where no one ever wants to play a lot of infantry, that there will be a ton here to see, but I do think its a good release for them, and certainly heralds that a plastic box with these and the originals is coming down the pipe soon.

Grotesque Assassin

Non-character solo, has a couple of initials, Sprint and buffs the Grotesque's Units.  I think it does a decent job of that, having a couple of melee attacks that are good, along with Sprint, Flight and SPD 7 I think its actually pretty strong.  Giving Stealth to those other units is likely to help you out too.  I don't know that I expect to see a lot more of this guy over Deathstalkers, but I do think its viable.

Minions

Battle Boar

I said this months ago when this book was just being announced, which was that Minions hopefully weren't getting a warlock, but were instead getting good releases. This was one of those steps in that right direction, only 4 points and bringing Rabid to the table for Farrow is fantastic. There really isn't a compelling reason NOT to play this guy in that faction, especially paired up with this next guy...

Splater Boar

This release is amazing for Thornfall. This is the closest to invalidating a model I have ever seen from Privateer, because he's almost certainly going to replace the Gun Boar for probably everything but the Dr Arkadius theme force. Having alchemical mask is great feature because it lets him ignore so many things when shooting. On top of that getting Acid Touch for immunity from Corrosion (corner case) and +2 damage in melee for target (amazing) is a fantastic addition to this faction!

Blindwalker

Heavy warbeasts in the 7-point range are definitely an oddity in the game in general, and this one is basically no different. Shield Guard on an ARM 20 beast is always going to be valuable, and the potential to be an arcnode is interesting, but at the moment there aren't too many spells that most Blindwater players are looking to channel.  As is normally the case for this low-cost, it has a pretty low POW for a heavy.  Not the most compelling release for Blindwater, but seems like its niche might be something that a few lists will like to have.

Croak Raiders

There is a reason that everyone is talking about this unit right now.  Every time I read this unit its just a little bit better.  Almost every number on these guy's card you kind of expect, if you've ever read an entry for Minions, to be about 1 less than it is.  Every rule on their card is fantastic.  Being able to apply Oil to models to set them up for more boosted fire damage rolls is phenomenal.  If you play Minions these guys definitely give you a good reason to dust off Calaban or Barnabus certainly.

These guys are definitely completely solid outside of Minions though, which is what is so exciting about them.  I'd say they benefit Circle perhaps the least as they have only a single Fire attack right now (Celestial Fulcrum has a fire attack), but they're still a pretty well costed unit that could fit well with any of our Warlocks that don't care about faction models too terribly much.  They turn a LOT of attacks in Legion on since all of their beasts pretty much have ranged attacks that are fire based.  Skorne I think with the Incindiarii benefit quite a bit from this unit as well, especially since they have the Task Master who is already phenomenal with all the Minions in the game.  Trollbloods can do a decent amount with them with the couple of fire attacks that they have too.

I expect to only see more of this unit, not less.

Farrow Brigand Warlord

There is a lot going with this 3 point package.  Yes, yes "he's too many points" or "Brigands are terrible".  I'm not expecting him to change things around so that there are Brigands in non-Farrow lists.  I don't know that I especially expect him to change what lists want Brigands in them even in Farrow.  That said, for 3 points you do get a lot.  Starting with him you get the option of 2 RNG 10 POW 12 attacks, that you could also use in melee due to Gunfighter (but you can't use them AND the Axe which is important to notice).  MAT 7 RAT 6 is great, and DEF 12 ARM 16 with 5 wounds definitely helps him stick around better than his Farrow friends.  He's also going to provide the unit with Gang, Prowl, and Reform which are all fantastic abilities, definitely propping the unit up quite a bit more than people think.

I do want to address some of the complaints, but Reform is STILL a great ability.  "But, but, you can't maintain Dig In if you Reform!" Mweh. Yes, this is the case.  Something you'll see with Privateer (that I hope continues) is that they're placing a higher priority on having to actually make tactical decisions, rather than just having stuff always be obvious (Croak Raiders however are NOT an example of this).  You won't use Reform every turn.  You won't Dig In every turn.  Learning which is the key.  I see this guy being included in lists with Lord Carver at the moment, and I think that's a good place for people to start with his model.

Gremlin Swarm

Definitely an odd ball.  I've gone back and forth on this model, having Stealth and Incorporeal is certainly something that is to be noted.  With Apparition they can essentially "advance" 8" or run 14", which gives them a variety of things that they can do to position.  Clearly they would be stronger if more people played more warjacks, but its still probably the best piece I can think of for holding a zone.  Fun model for sure, doubtful that they'll make a big splash on the game though.

Lynus Wesselbaum & Edrea Lloryrr

This unit makes me pretty happy to see because its starting to give Hordes a few more options to start competing with the sheer number of Mercenary options available to most of Warmachine.  Giving any model a boost to hit that it wouldn't normally get can be an amazing change to a game.  They also have ranged attacks, Edrea ignores Stealth, and they have ways to stay safe.

Hutchuck, Ogrun Bounty Hunter

A very exciting release for Hordes! One of the things that often prevents me in Circle from bringing more infantry to the table is just a massive lack in assistance on ARM mitigation for a big target. This isn't going to help against living things, but most of them are already more manageable much of the time. Add to that his knockdown option and his Brain Damage option, along with hitting pretty hard himself, and you can add all of that up to a really solid Minion option to bring along to the fray.