Grandfather's Gardeners - Warband Review
Grandfather's Gardeners: A Warband of Nurgle
Grandfather's Gardeners are a coterie of Plaguebearers devoted to Nurgle, led by the relentless Phleghmus. Their mission is to spread Nurgle’s garden throughout Embergard.
This small Tallyband of Plaguebearers is led by Phleghmus[1], accompanied by Slunge[2], Bug-Eyed Dripterus[3], and Strewg[4]. The warband is completed by the overgrown Rot-Fly, Squort[5].
Fighter Characteristics
Phleghmus, the leader of Grandfather's Gardeners, has a Move of 3, a Save of 1 Block, Health of 4, and a Bounty of 2. He wields a staff with a Range of 2, 2 Hammers, and the special Damage characteristic Blooming Harvest (more on this later). When inspired, Phleghmus gains accuracy with his staff, increasing from 2 to 3 Hammers.
Strewg wields a trident and has a Move of 3, Save of 1 Block, Health of 3, and Bounty of 2. His trident has a Range of 2, 3 Swords, and uses Blooming Harvest. Upon inspiring, Strewg’s Health increases to 4, and his attack improves from 3 Swords to 3 Hammers, significantly boosting accuracy.
Slunge carries a plague sword with Range 1, 2 Hammers, Blooming Harvest, and Ensnare. His stats include Move 3, Save 1 Block, Health 3, and Bounty 1. When inspired, Slunge’s attack changes from 2 Hammers to 3 Swords, which reduces accuracy but increases potential successes.
Bug-Eyed Dripterus is armed with a melee weapon of Range 2, 2 Swords, and the Blooming Harvest characteristic. He has Move 3, Save 1 Block, Health 3, and Bounty 1. Upon inspiration, Dripterus’s attack changes from 2 to 3 Swords, similarly reducing accuracy but increasing the chances of success.
Three of the four Plaguebearers—Strewg, Slunge, and Dripterus—are equipped with a melee weapon with a Range of 2. This extended range increases their threat radius, allowing them to engage enemies from a safer distance. This not only enhances their offensive reach but also helps protect them from immediate retaliation.
The final member, Squort the Rotfly, has a Move of 4 (with Flying), Save of 2 Dodge, Health of 2, and Bounty of 1. Squort’s melee attack has a Range of 1, 2 Hammers for 1 damage, and a Crit Grievous effect. When inspired, Squort’s attack improves to 3 Swords for 2 damage, still with Crit Grievous.
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| Nurgle's Garden |
How do the Gardeners inspire?
Each Gardener inspires upon taking enough damage to become Vulnerable. This condition allows them to benefit from being damaged—especially when combined with Imperturbable and Blooming Plague (explained below). The main issue with this inspiration mechanic is that it can be difficult to manage and is vulnerable to counterplay by a skillful opponent. As such, a player of the Gardeners should view inspiration as a bonus rather than a requirement in a game.
Note with the Gardeners their Durability is likely higher due to their warscroll abilities.
Warscroll Abilities
Imperturbable: Uninspired friendly fighters cannot take more than 2 damage in a single turn.
This ability serves two functions. Firstly, it prevents all fighters, except Squort, from being slain by a single attack. Secondly, it makes it easier for Strewg, Slunge, and Dripterus to become inspired. Each of these three Plaguebearers starts with 3 Health when uninspired, so Imperturbable can help them become Vulnerable if an enemy inflicts 2 or more damage (which will then be reduced to 2).
Phleghmus also benefits from Imperturbable, as it ensures he cannot be slain by a single attack. However, since he starts with 4 Health, he’s still unlikely to be inspired, as two 2-damage attacks can kill him before he becomes Vulnerable.
Squort is the only warband member that does not benefit from Imperturbable, unless he gains additional Health through upgrades.
Overall, this ability dovetails well with Blooming Plague, as it can keep fighters alive until they’re healed. Imperturbable nicely reflects Nurgle’s daemonic resilience. Against fighters that only cause 2 or less damage, however, the ability is pointless—but even in those cases, it will still counter upgrades and ploys in an opponent's deck that boost damage potential. Rating: 4 out of 5.
Blooming Plague: This ability provides the primary "flavor" of this warband; it represents the cyclical nature of life, death, and decay, as seen throughout the Maggotkin in Age of Sigmar and the Wurmspat in the first edition of Warhammer Underworlds.
How does it work?
During the Muster Warbands step of Setting Up, place a generic token on the "Start" space of the warband tracker.
Advance the token 1 space clockwise under these conditions:
- After your turn.
- After damage is inflicted on a friendly fighter.
- After your turn if your warband holds more treasure tokens than your opponent.
Possible Playstyle Pairings
Main Playstyle: Mastery
Strike – This warband lacks the speed and strength for an aggressive playstyle. Additionally, this playstyle does not interact enough with the Blooming Harvest warscroll ability. Rating: 2 out of 5.
Take and Hold – The Gardeners can take Treasure tokens, but their slow speed, lack of ranged abilities, and low Saves could make it difficult to capture and hold them, especially tokens in enemy territory or those with specific numerical values. Rating: 3 out of 5.
Flex – This warband is well-suited for Flex play. The Gardeners should occupy Treasure tokens to progress the Blooming Plague cycle, potentially scoring Objectives along the way. With inspiration, they can reliably deal damage. Flex is a good fit. Rating: 4 out of 5.
Mastery – The Mastery playstyle tends toward specific objectives. The only available deck, Countdown to Cataclysm, is geared toward progressing the Cataclysm Counter. The Gardeners could excel here, though it will require substantial bookkeeping. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Conclusion
I’m thrilled to try this warband! As a longtime fan of Nurgle Daemons (I’ve had a Nurgle army since the mid-1990s), the aesthetic alone is enough for me to want to play. The fighter characteristics and how they interact with warscroll abilities are particularly appealing. These daemons have the durability expected of Nurgle’s Plaguebearers, though not necessarily the agility to avoid damage. This warband may not be beginner-friendly and could have a relatively high skill ceiling, but time will reveal their potential. I foresee Strewg and Squort as crucial warband members—Squort for his speed and independent damage output, and Strewg for his accuracy when inspired, especially when upgraded to deal 3 or more damage. Phleghmus inspired has the same profile as Strewg, but he is less likely to become inspired. As such, much of the heavy lifting will need to be done by Strewg (and if inspiration can be engineered on Phleghmus - I am thinking Total Collapse, from the Countdown to Cataclysm deck) if you intending to go on the offense. Equally, you could use Scream of Anger from the Blazing Assault, to Inspire a fighter and move the Blooming Plague tracker around. There appears to be plenty of deck interactions with this warband.
I’m excited to spread Nurgle’s Gardeners through the Underworlds and hopefully in an upcoming tournament!
What are your thoughts on this warband? Will you be picking them up?
Checkout my Warhammer Underworlds for more articles.
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