Spoilers Archives - The Tactical Squad

Chaos Spoilers From Against the Great Enemy

August 26, 2016August 26, 2016 Jon Leave a comment

The 5^th War Pack in the Deathworld cycle, Against The Enemy, should be hitting store shelves pretty soon. As the final pack in the cycle will contain the Chaos warlord Vha’shaelhur, Against The Enemy will be the last pack in the cycle with non-signature cards from the Chaos faction. Fantasy Flight Games was kind enough to give us an early preview of the three Chaos cards in the pack and they offer a little something for ever flavor of Chaos!

The first card is the Purveyor of Hubris, a 4 cost army unit.

The four cost army unit slot is in an interesting place right now when the game’s focus is on elite units. This cycle has seen a huge shift towards cards that empower Elite units, making them easier to get into play, protect them while in play and punish non-elite units. A four cost army unit must have some pretty good stats and abilities to be played instead of an elite unit. Maybe it’s just his sweet whispers but, I think the Purveyor of Hubris stats and abilities are good enough to warrant a place in a deck. The 2 command, 3 ATK and 4 HP are on par for a four cost unit and the ability, even though it can’t lock down a planet single-handedly, the purveyor can definitely help keep some support units away from the battle. Also if it happens to be at a non first planet, it is very unlikely to have your opponent try and take command away from it due to the cost penalty. Definitely might see some play depending on the meta and how prominent the elite decks are. One interesting trait about Purveyor of Hubris is that like Slaanesh’s Temptation we’ve seen at least two Slaanesh cards now which are designed to tax an opponent’s unit deployment. While Slaanesh might be the prince of desire, he’s all about denial: because we all know that we want what we can’t have. In this case it’s little units, those sexy little things…

The second unit from the pack is the Sickening Hellbrute, an Elite Nurgle unit with a beefy health stat and a novel ability that really amps up the pain and suffering.

Although Sickening Hellbrute has a pretty low ATK stat, the fact it has Brutal will mean it can definitely dish out what it can take. The interesting part of this unit is its ability, which affects both players and is a forced reaction. Having every unit take an extra damage when it’s attacked at a battle is definitely going to benefit players who are ready to do the math, with both players subject to the Hellbrute’s ability when their unit is declared as a defender. One consideration would be playing it with Zarathur, High Sorcerer who would deal 2 damage when a unit is declared as a defender. This would also mean Zarathur taking an extra damage when he is attacked making it easier to assassinate that tricky wizard, something which is already a problem for Zarathur players. This unit might also be decent in a Necron deck as Necrons have the cards to mitigate some of the extra damage, plus they are able to take the Techmarine Aspirant can allow the unit to take advantage of the Brutal trait much faster. Some synergies for this card include the new Disciple of Excess to keep him put, and because the Sickening Hellbrute has the Nurgle trait his planet can be a target of Fetid Haze which can makes him even more fearsome against fewer, or already damaged units.

The final card, Cloud of Flies is an attachment with a pretty simple damage dealing ability that can only be granted to army units with the Nurgle trait.

Similar to the Hellbrute, this card ability affects both players forcing them to assign 2 indirect damage among their units; similar to Fetid Haze, the cloud can only target non-nurgle units, so this ability generally favors Chaos players. Cloud of Flies seems like an especially terrifying ability if more than one copy enters play at a single planet, since it triggers every round. Two of these on a planet can easily lead to eight or six indirect damage over two turns if their #blessed units remain in play.

However, this card might have some drawbacks: even if you play mostly Nurgle units or run big health units that can easily brush off the damage, so this card may not offer a lot of value. Like a lot of Nurgle cards this is going to reward players who are doing the math, or you play all Nurgle units and you come out two damage ahead. In both cases I think there are too many things to take into consideration to make this worth the costs when there are so many other better chaos attachments to play.

The Tactical Squad would like thank FFG for allowing us to share these early spoilers with the community. Feel free to comment and let us know what you think of these cards and whether they will find their way into your decks.

Eldar Spoilers from the Unforgiven War Pack

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 Lizrrdbreath 2 Comments

The first pack in the Death World Cycle, Jungles of Nectavus, introduced some new themes and mechanics to the game. Two of these new concepts have been the introduction of cheaper army units that provide a boost to Elite units at the same planet and cards with the Deep Strike mechanic. With the Unforgiven War Pack just around the corner, The Tactical Squad is very happy to warp in some spoilers and share two Eldar cards that continue with the concepts mentioned above.

The first card is the Adherent Outcast. Its ability pretty much translate as elites will now be harder to kill through attacks at this planet. Most elites will in theory end up with 8 to 12 health while at a planet with this unit. However, unless this unit can be protected, most times it will probably be the first unit attacked and thus in practice the extra health will not be a factor over multiple attacks. This card with just a single Elite at a planet is not going to swing the battle in a big way, but if it is a close battle with either an Elite vs a swarm of army units or one Elite vs another, this card might be just enough to turn the balance in your favour or keep a damaged Elite unit alive long enough to get one more attack off before it dies. Some interesting units to play with this are the Fire Prism, with its ability to effectively cancel two attacks per round or the Sa’cae XV88 Broadside with the ability to gain Area Effect (2). You could even Gift Of Isha it in in a pinch to hopefully throw the math in your favour, although I think that is a pretty desperate play. Even more interesting is this card being used in a Necron deck with the Lynchguard Sentinel, as they can protect this unit while they are ready. Overall, I am not completely sold on this card, I feel I would rather just take another 2 cost unit that hits harder and just hope my elites survive long enough to get their attacks off before they die.

The second spoiled card is Concealing Darkness and is a Deep Strike event that has no regular cost and thus can only be played through Deep Strike. For a cost of 1 resource, in addition to the 1 resource to put the card in reserve, you are now able to ambush in any Eldar units at that planet until the end of the phase. This can allow you to threaten a planet win with a lesser deployed force. If the enemy ends up sending their warlord to that planet or deploys a lot of units there you can easily counter, if they don’t you can hopefully win with the few units you have at the planet and save those units in your hand for the next planet. However, with the decent command that most Eldar units have, it is tough not to play them out during the deploy phase to take advantage. This is especially true of units with the Mobile keyword or the ability to jump to another planet. Where this event becomes really useful is for units that are usually first targets for any attacks. Some examples are the Iyanden Wraithguard, Starbane’s Council or the Furious Wraithblade. Being able to bring these units in on your terms allows you to get the most of the damage they are dealing. We also can’t forget about the Mighty Wraithknight, being able to exhaust every enemy unit along with Warlords is something that shouldn’t be taken likely. Note that you don’t have to Ambush in your units all at once, you can pull them in one at a time, only as necessary and only when it is your turn to swing. I think this card fits nicely with how the Eldar play, they already have lots of units with Mobile or Mobile-like abilities and this card just allows them to be more versatile in what planets their units decide to fight at.

Hope you enjoyed the two spoilers from the Unforgiven warpack. The Tactical Squad would like thank Fantasy Flight Games for allowing us to share these with you. Until next time.

Legions of Death Spoilers

May 14, 2016May 14, 2016 Jon Leave a comment

Legions of Death is expected to be at your gaming store by the end of May. As the community eagerly wait for the soulless Necrons the Tactical Squad is happy to share two Necron cards from the latest upcoming deluxe expansion.

The first spoiler is a four cost army unit.

Immortal Legion

This card has similarities to the Lone Wolf with slightly better stats at an increased cost and a slightly less limiting ability. These boosts do come with a negative though, as the action is limited by the enslavement dial. Due to that I think this unit works better in a deck that is all Necron units or has very few enslaved units as you will want to keep your enslavement dial on your opponent’s faction. However, if you are able to keep your enslavement dial matching your opponent’s faction you will be able to threaten their warlord no matter where they go. The fact that Space Marines are able to negate a lot of damage makes the Lone Wolf a dangerous unit for any opposing warlord to go against even if it won’t get a swing in during the first battle round. Similarly, he Immortal Legion with its 1 extra health and attack along with the Necron ability to heal damage makes this unit a dangerous risk for any warlord that thinks they can win a battle on their own.

The second spoiled card is a 2 cost support that definitely is a nice fit with Immortal Legion.

Master Program

This support has a pretty decent cost but it does require another Drone card to be sacrificed. Presently, we have seen a few cards with the Drone trait and the number and play-ability of these cards will influence how often this card gets played. However, if you are able to get this out and a Drone card out without too much of a resource hit, the ability of this support cannot be understated. The ability means that an attack against a Necron unit that doesn’t kill that unit is pretty much negated. This can make Necrons units with higher health that much harder to destroy, let alone readying that unit. Triggering this after all enemy units have attacked can change the tide of a battle. Even, just having this out with a Drone card on the table should make an opponent think twice about sending their warlord to a battle on its own.

Both of these cards seem like they will be able to fit nicely into decks commanded by any of the 3 Necrons warlords we have seen although with The Immortal Legion the deck might want to keep to mostly Necrons units. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the cards in the expansion will work with these and the other cards that have been spoiled. The battlefields of Warhammer 40,000: Conquest are going to be a wash of grey and green in the weeks to come and expect things to be very different once these soulless entities hit the table. Again The Tactical Squad would like to thank Fantasy Flight Games for allowing us to share these cards with you the community.

Let us know your opinion on these cards or the Necron faction in general, we always love to hear your comments and feedback. From the rest of The Tactical Squad I want to thank you for listening and supporting us. Until next time.

Jon Yeo

Wrath Of The Crusaders – Eldar Spoilers

April 1, 2016April 2, 2016 Jon Leave a comment

We are now over half-way through the Planetfall Cycle and with most of the factions getting new warlords or interesting cards, it feels like the Eldar have flown under the radar. As we approach the end of the cycle we are starting to see how the Eldar cards in this cycle fit in with their upcoming warlord as well as bringing some interesting updates to the both Eldorath Starbane and Baharroth. The Tactical Squad is happy to share three previously unrevealed Eldar cards from the upcoming War Pack, so let’s jump right in. Read More

Ork Spoilers from Boundless Hate

January 1, 2016January 1, 2016 Jon Leave a comment

FFG left us a nice holiday gift under the tree – some spoilers for the upcoming Boundless Hate War Pack! So, as a belated holiday gift for all of you, we are happy to have the opportunity to pass these spoilers on to you. So don’t delay, rip off the wrapping paper and jump right in.

Front Line ‘Ard Boyz

This card is a decent four costs unit that provides a nice ability to the Ork side of the faction wheel. Comparing this against the Tau’s Fire Warrior Elite, for an extra resource this unit gains one extra ATK and an extra command icon, which is a decent gain. The ability allows Ork units with Brutal to avoid receiving a fatal blow for a bit longer, providing them an opportunity to get those stronger swings in. Throw in a Kustom Field Generator and this unit becomes a real pain for your opponent. Attachments such as Rune-Encrusted Armor and Hostile Environment Gear are also great options for this unit. For Orks, Chaos and AM the 4 cost unit slot is already pretty crowded, but being able to keep certain units alive through an extra opponent attack or for another round should not be overlooked.

Ramshackle Trukk

The Ramshackle Trukk is the newest Ork Elite unit. As an Elite unit it hits really hard with 7 ATK, however the low health of 3 is offset by the Goes Fasta! specialization. Most likely, regardless of whether you or your opponent has initiative, this unit is going to get its attack in before dying. Getting more than one battle out of this unit might be hard to do, since there is a good chance it will have taken some damage and will have dropped back to 3 health before it gets a chance to go back up to 7 health or even get back into a battle. Due to that, this card should be reserved more for decisive battles or closing out the game. One might consider using this instead of a Goff Nob or more interestingly if one can build a specialized vehicle deck that uses Dozer Blade. The 2 command icons are nice, but seems like a waste on this card.

Rok Bombardment

The Rok Bombardment uses the new mechanic where card effects are based on planet symbols, however in this case, the effect is only a bonus, the main effect is still valid on any planet no matter the symbols. Orks have many ways to make use of the Brutal mechanic and this card plays right into that as the effect boosts those Brutal units’ attack the next time they attack. The effect will be more valuable in units with higher health or if there are ways to keep certain units alive longer, like using the new Front Line ‘Ard Boys. The 2 shields are also always nice, however right now Orks are spoiled with 2 shield events, all of which are pretty good. Dakka, Dakka, Dakka! is most likely to be the card swapped out for this with both cards deal one damage to units. Rok Bombardment usage is more situational but doesn’t have the negative of exhausting your warlord. Overall, a very interesting card that might require some experimentation.

Overall, these are some great cards. They all provide some new and interesting mechanics to the Ork faction side of the wheel and I personally look forward to getting them into my decks. I, and the rest of the Tactical Squad, would like to thank Fantasy Flight Games for giving us the opportunity to share these spoilers with you.