Hobby Goals - June 2024

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At the start of June, I had two remaining Warhammer Underworlds warbands: the Shadeborn and the Brethren of the Bolt. I set myself a goal for the month: to paint at least one of these warbands.

Painting

I chose to start with the Brethren of the Bolt, a five-miniature warband. Having played Warhammer for many years, I envisioned my Brethren adorned in the blues of Azyr, inspired by the Celestial wizards of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. I aimed for a variety of blue robes to avoid a uniform look. As usual, I began with the most basic miniature, Acolyte Arcus, to establish the color palette for the entire warband. Once satisfied, I progressed through the other miniatures, culminating in painting the leader, Pater Filius.

The Brethren of the Bolt

By the end of June 2024, I had successfully 'painted a Warhammer Underworlds warband' once again (for a total of 43 miniature so far this year). Only one warband remained: the four fighters of the Shadeborn. Additionally, I purchased a pair of Pusgoyle Blightlords to complete my Maggotkin spearhead, for 4th Edition Age of Sigmar.

Gaming

Alongside painting, I decided to deepen my understanding of a few more Underworlds warbands. I realized that to elevate my competitive skills, I needed to anticipate my opponent's strategies. Knowing their moves would allow me to respond effectively or thwart their objectives.

I built three decks for three warbands I had neither played with nor against:

  • The Thorns of the Briar Queen with Seismic Shock.
  • Da Kunnin Krew with the Malevolent Masks.
  • The Gnarlspirit Pack with Force of Frost.

My first game was with the Thorns against the Crimson Court paired with Hungering Parasite. I conceded at the end of Round 2 after losing both the Briar Queen and Varclav, who are key wizards. The vampires were formidable, with a deck that flowed seamlessly. The Thorns managed to score some Glory by interacting with objective tokens, but I realized their playstyle leaned more towards Swarming Aggro rather than Hold Objective.

Thorns of the Briar Queen

I concluded that the warband needs to inspire to survive, which means closing in on the enemy. When the Thorns charge, they activate their Wave of Terror ability, enhancing support effectiveness. I believe this warband could excel with Rimelocked Relics (hello Leyfrost Conduit) or possibly Malevolent Masks. However, focusing too much on the wizards could be a trap.

In my second game, I used Da Kunnin Krew against the Bladecoven paired with Rimelocked Relics. This game ended in a worse defeat than the first, with only one Glory by the end of Round 2. The Bladecoven set up and retreated, limiting my charges due to Da Kunnin Krew's move characteristic of 3. Without early Glory, I couldn't play any Mask upgrades, causing my objective deck to brick.

Da Kunnin Krew

I realized that Da Kunnin Krew has a Flex playstyle. Their slow movement requires drawing the opponent's fighters in. Therefore, they need objectives that can be scored in their own or neutral territory without enemy interaction. This provides the seed Glory needed to kickstart the warband before launching an attack.

The third game saw me fielding the Gnarlspirit Pack against Hrothgorn's Mantrappers paired with Breakneck Slaughter. Despite losing three fighters in the first round, I won the game with Sarrakkar Blackwing, the leader, taking on the Mantrappers single-handedly and amassing twenty Glory.


The Gnarlspirit Pack

Playing this warband was a revelation. The Gnarlspirit fighters inspire easily and can transform into beasts with additional benefits. Their objective cards align well with the warband's goals. As I played, I discovered numerous nemesis decks that could pair with them. Moving forward, I plan to play this highly synergistic warband more frequently.

Thoughts

Pestigor

As I near the completion of the Underworlds range, I'm starting to speculate about the next warbands to be released. For the Wintermaw season, I anticipate both a Chaos and a Destruction warband to be unveiled in the coming months. For the Destruction warband, I'm predicting an Ogor Yeti, as it would be a great fit for the Deathgorge setting. Furthermore, this is one of the few Ogor miniatures that hasn't yet been produced in plastic. For the Chaos warband, I foresee a group of Nurgle Daemons or perhaps some Pestigor (Nurgle Beastmen). Currently, Nurgle is the only Chaos faction with an essentially unplayable warband. Additionally, all the latest Chaos warbands have been Daemon-centered.

Red items were completed this month, purple items in previous months)

Checkout my Hobby Goals for more articles

That is all for this month. Bye for now.

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