Its been a while now since the Warlord cycle ended and, while it has taken me a bit longer than intended, there is still a lot to be gained from going back to take another look at those War Packs. I think that, for the Tactical Squad, The Threat Beyond may have been one of the most anticipated War Packs at the time it was originally released. Astra Militarum had mostly been floundering since the Core Set and the pack seemed to include great cards for many factions. With the Warlord cycle in full swing, I think the impact was taken very much in stride. Looking back now this may have been the biggest release of the cycle. But enough build up; let’s talk cards.
Astra Militarum
I don’t think anyone anticipated this War Pack more than fans of the Astra Militarum. Colonel Straken was largely a let down and Torquemada Coteaz was an opportunity to start fresh.
Coteaz himself is a very unique and powerful warlord. The combination of his stats and ability proved to be one of the most efficient setups of any warlords we’ve seen so far. Starting with eight cards and eight resources opens up the possibility of much more powerful and efficient first turn plays. One card and one resource may not seem like much but it really does make a world of difference and makes him the go to for AM combo heavy decks. Even with all the upsides Coteaz suffers from a base ATK of 0 and the need sacrifice unit to be able to contribute to a fight. Attacking for 3 is very powerful and provides tremendous assassination potential. Requiring a unit to sacrifice to have an ATK of 3 means that this warlord will be left high and dry if he doesn’t have support and that his staying power is minimal.
Support comes in many forms for the inquisitor. His signature army, Coteaz’s Henchmen, is the exactly the support needed. Though the unit lacks hitting power they have a great combo power. If, in a turn, Coteaz and a henchman or two are the target of a Preemptive Barrage you will be able to make four to five ranged attacks from the units affected. Because of this, a single henchman at a planet can make an opponent very cautious.
As you can imagine a Coteaz deck will require that a lot of units be sacrificed over the course of a game. The Emperor Protects means that units that are sacrificed can still factor in to the longer term. Beyond this use the card is only a single shield, making it harder to make use of often.
Next up, the signature squad includes one of the most interesting signature attachments in the game. The Glovodan Eagle is a suprisingly versatile piece of gear. For the first couple of weeks after release one local Toronto player managed to repeatedly surprise just about everyone with some of the combos she achieved.
Finally, we round things out with the signature support, Formosan Black Ship. A great utility for an even greater value, this support giving the signature squad the staying power needed to swing the tide of a battle.
All told, Torquemada Coteaz and his signature squad are one of the most powerful in the game. Unfortunately the inquisitor is also one of the most difficult warlords in the game to use.
Space Marines
The Threat Beyond isn’t a particularly important War Pack for Space Marines but it did bring three very interesting new options to the table. Possibly the best option provided is the Firedrake Terminators. This Elite unit may be one of the best in the game, having good command and ATK, decent HP, and an excellent ability. As Elite units are given more support the Firedrakes’ stock will only grow, especially if swarm continues to be prominent in the meta.
Marines also get two other decent cards, the Imperial Fists Siege Force and the Nocturne-Ultima Storm Bolter. Both of these cards have interesting abilities but may have limited use at this point. The storm bolter is too expensive for what it offers, though a 2-shield card that can be tutored via Earth Caste Technician is still useful. The siege force on the other hand is a good value but has limited scope. As the game sees more Ally cards released the siege force will improve in value and the Planetfall cycle seems like it will provide the opportunity. (Editor’s Note: There have already been 3 new Ally units introduced in the first 2 packs of Planetfall)
Orks
This War Pack was a big release for Orks, and by extension AM and Chaos, because of the two very powerful common units provided. The first of the units, the Snakebite Thug is another in the series of efficiently costed units with a drawback. Fortunately for the git the draw back is a minor one at worst and in some cases can even be a boon. Combo the fact that this unit is a Warrior and that it can be used with Staging Ground the utility is too much to ignore.
The second unit, the Evil Sunz Warbiker, is the Ork faction “Warlord Groupie”. As one of the 2 cost groupies it is a great value, especially due to the combo potential with Staging Grounds.
Finally Orks also get the unique support Mork’s Great Heap. Because this support is so expensive and you can only have one in play at a time it can be a difficult include. Though it does seem that many Ork players do find a single copy to be a worthwhile include for its occasional appearance.
Chaos
Chaos get the veggies of this War Pack. The cards included aren’t flashy or exciting but generally they are good to have available. The Noise Marine Zealots perhaps exemplify this the most. The Zealots help fill in the 3 cost slot in the faction’s curve, something Chaos needed more than many people realized. And in Zarathur they are a prime target for Infernal Gateway, raising a threat that players need to be constantly conscious of.
The other cards given to Chaos have a lot of potential for growth. Turbulent Rift has a great ability but suffers from the need to use Elites. As support for the trait expands though the value of this card will increase. Cacophonic Choir on the other hand has good utility in the swarm heavy meta but doesn’t quite seem to fit in any of the warlords released to date.
Dark Eldar
For once in the Warlord cycle Dark Eldar get almost nothing in the War Pack. Kabalite Halfborn, Slake the Thirst, and Shadow Field are all decent cards with some possible uses but to date have limited reason to go in a deck.
Eldar
For Eldar utility is the name of the game in The Threat Beyond. Mighty Wraithknight is a very powerful combat unit with an interesting ability. The exhaustion does hit your own units but if played correctly it can be easy to work around. Maybe you opponent has a lot of Ranged or the majority of your combat forces are in HQ, this effect will help balance that battle.
Next Seer’s Exodus, an unassuming card, brings a new powerful trick to the table. I think a couple copies of this card is a great choice to include in any decks using Eldar cards. Seer’s Exodus provids a way to get out of bad situations you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. An excellent counter to Aun’shi and other assassination warlords, it leats you play riskier than you normally would be able to.
Finally the children of Isha get Slumbering Gardens. Right now this card has next to no use. Maybe in the future we will see a reason to play it.
Tau
Closing out the War Pack as always are the Tau. First they get the Fire Warrior Grenadiers. This unit is ok for its cost but it lack of printed command hurts. If the Ethereal units available continue to expand, especially 2 or 3 cost options, this unit may become more popular, but until that time they will likely rarely see use.
Finally the very last card in the War Pack is maybe the most talked about. Ksi’m’yen Orbital City is a super powerful card that really completes the Aun’shi deck. The Orbital City takes all the downsides of the Ethereal trait units and turns it into a great advantage.
Conclusion
As the first cycle of Conquest wrapped up this War Pack helped bring the game’s initial development to a close. I think it was The Threat Beyond that really helped cement many developing themes. This War Pack will be a staple for quite a while.