Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

[superfrog]

I concur with Scytale's . Reasonable changes to reinforce the theme and boost the effectiveness of a unit that felt a little weak in a few theme areas as well as offensive output.

[wriggz]

I'm excited to try the out. Up to reviww

[wriggz]

Oh any up to review Shards of She-Kul-Ra despite my abhorrence to repaints.

[SkyWhale]

Thank you! I sincerely hope the Shards prove themselves worthy of causing the repaint.

And since I've seen it in the original post as well, I probably ought to point out that I spelled it Shards of She-Kal-Ra. Reasoning behind this is to have it feel more similar to Tul-Bak-Ra (the Overlord) rather than Tor-Kul-Na (the Hivelord). That "Kal" can be pronounced either with the "a" like that in TBR's "Bak" or like Superman's Kryptonian name.

[wriggz]

Agrith-Naar by @Sir Heroscape

Where once a man stood, now appears a Dark rift. From the inky black pool emerges a frenzied manic demon, salivating with hunger. Though few speak the dark tongue in Valhalla, the shrieks escaping from its maw can be loosely translated as… “Where’s the Beef?”

Balance
At first pass, Agrith-Naar appears to be a bargain considering his considerable attack output. A flying figure with 5-attack that can roll 6 dice from high ground with Whirlwind Assault can roll 10 or even 15 dice when attacking an inexperienced or neglectful opponent. Looking at the math, Agrith-Naar has a 68% chance of wounding a 4-defense figure on flat ground to 85% chance against a 3-defense figure from high ground. This improves to 90% and 98% when attacking multiple figures. All that attack power reduces the sting of Starved making the Demon look all that more inviting. Of course, any deal with devil is inherently misleading. While 6 life and 3 defense gives Agrith-Naar above average survivability, lives lost to Starved while moving up the board and poor attack rolls, easily reduce him to functionally a 4 or even 3-life figure. This dependency on distance to become engaged, and luck of attack rolls negates any attack output to the point that in most games a solo Agrith-Naar under preforms.

However, much like many of the bonding heroes of the past, Agrith-Naar is tailor made to benefit from the Acolytes of Vorganund’s Blood Summoning. When drafted with the Acolytes the cost of moving Agrith-Naar up the board is a flat 16 points (destroyed Acolyte) rather 20 or 40 points in wounds, improving the value of Agrith-Naar. It is important to note that even in a game where Agrith-Naar could engage after one activation (thus only losing one life) the in-game point value of a delivering a full life Agrith-Naar to the front lines is far more valuable than the 4 point difference, due to the demons attack potential. Furthermore, the Acolytes’ meager stats relinquish them to the very definition of canon fodder for more powerful units. Taken as a package Agrith-Naar and Acolytes can be compared to other fodder squad builds such as Mellifera and Amberhives, Pel and Dreadguls or Grimnak and Blades. Each of these bonding cores offer unique playstyles and options such that Agrith-Naar is free to stand among them.

As with any bonding hero it is important to compare it with its direct competition for the coveted blood summoning. Skull Demon’s significantly lower point totals and cheerleading attributes are different enough that they can add to a Agrith-Naar build while not outshining alternative builds. I found Morgoloth to be the closet comparison, with a personal preference for Agrith-Naar lead armies, but the Darklord still serves many different purposes in various other armies. Finally, out right pairing Corvor with Agrith-Naar has become one of my personal favorite armies, which I will detail below.

Theme:
If you wanted to design a Demon whose only purpose was to feast on the blood of its enemies, this is how you do it. It is always nice to see personalities and classes that are so obvious (Ravenous/Devourer) that you are hard pressed to imagine any other options. Agrith-Naar is further fleshed out in its base stats, with a high base attack of 5 (easily 6 attack from high ground) representing the demons ferocity and 3 defense representing Argith’s berserker focus on satiating its hunger. As I alluded to earlier drafting Agrith-Naar feels a bit like a deal with the devil as he appears to be a strong figure, but poor play or luck can quickly leave you wishing you had reached for a less risky figure. Agrith-Naar fits in well with other “self defeating” Valkrill units like the Thralls or Acolytes, trading their own life for the destruction of others.

Creativity:
The restraint shown here with the Starved is considerable since the designer could have easily added a bunch of bells and whistles like rolling the 20-sided die or movement mechanics, but instead decided to make a simple but effective power. Opting to represent Agrith-Naar’s 4 arms with Whirlwind Assault instead of some fancy multi-attack special attack is elegant in its simplicity. I enjoyed how playing Agrith-Naar and the Acolytes created push your luck gameplay moments where either a strong turn could feel overwhelming to my opponent, or a weak turn resulted in a wounded Agrith-Naar and one less Acolyte on the board due to Dark Pact. While others may prefer to spread out risk, I found having Dark Pact and Starved stack differentiated Agrith-Naar, and made for more exciting, albeit more swingy games.

Playability:
On their own the Acolytes are one of the weaker squads unable to boost their meager attack and defense stats, allowing more leeway in the attack output of a Demon hero verse its point total. The sunken cost of drafting multiple squads of fodder, destroyed figures resulting from Blood Summoning and failed attacks when using Dark Pact offsets the frustration an opponent may feel after Agrith-Naar drops onto the front line and clears out a squad of poorly placed figures. Agrith-Naar and Acolytes define the phrase “Feast or Famine”, bringing turns where it felt like your opponent was attacking you or turns where you can decimate an un-prepared defense. As I have hinted, due to Whirlwind Assault’s limited range smart opponents can usually avoid devastating turns, while unexperienced players can suffer more to the ravaging demon.

I found Agrith-Naar was most enjoyable to play when paired with Corvor and a few squads of Acolytes. In this build, after developing the Acolytes, I would lead with Agrith-Naar. Like a hungry Great White, Agrith-Naar is the definition of a shark unit, devouring activations until he either starves to death or falls to enemy fire. Agrith-Naar demands attention when dropped on the front line with full life, which can distract opponents from paying attention to moving Acolytes. With 5 attack dice, flying and no sense of self preservation, you can decide between trying to engage as many squad figures as possible to thin the heard or focus on a key figure like Raelin or Spartacus to cripple an army. By the time Agrith-Naar falls, the Acolytes should be further developed allowing for Corvor to be summoned to clean up Agrith-Naar’s scraps. The more damage Agrith-Naar inflicts the better for Corvor, who despite having 7 life does not survive long to focused fire.

It is possible to find uses for Agrith-Naar outside an Acolyte build but they usually come at a cost of giving up board control. Playing Agrith-Naar as a clean up hero with or without the Acolytes requires your opponent coming to you, and precious lives can be lost to starved as you hunt down stray figures rarely getting the benefit of Whirlwind Assault. In scenarios with objectives like dungeon runs or capture the flag, Agrith-Naar can find more value acting as an ambush predator, activating only when a target moves into range. Like the Warriors of Ashra, Agrith-Naar is well suited for Heat of the Battle set ups, but also benefits for smaller format maps that may only require one activation to find his next dinner.

Summary:
Agrith-Naar expands on the self-defeating trope and relentless aggression that defines Valkrill. He fits in well with other demons, slotting into the symbiotic (parasitic?) relationship with the Acolytes. Due to the high risk/reward of taking a turn with Dark Pact and the possibility of negating Whirlwind Assault with careful play, I don’t expect Agrith-Naar to tear up the tournament scene, but he can hold his own against mid-tier bonding armies and while still having break out games against higher rated units.


I vote Yea to induct Agrith-Naar into the SoV.

[Sherman Davies]

Hi all, I'd like to resubmit Nordlung for consideration:





Changes from the initial submission:

1. The gun's special attack now has a Range of 7 and a different effect than OM removal. It's also been renamed to Shock Rifle SA.

2. Added the umlaut to his name, which I neglected to do initially. It's intended to fit in with Heroscape's generally Norse-influenced lore and to be a bit of a callback to Dund, everyone's favorite doggin.

3. New name for the breath weapon SA, also chosen for its vaguely Nordic feel.

4. Cost adjusted to 160 as a result of my personal playtest experiences with this version. So far I've found that in spite of some superficial similarities to Nilfheim and Moltenclaw, in games he plays a little more like Mimring and Zelrig due to the longer range, so I've attempted to cost him accordingly.

[wriggz]

Love it, up to review Nordlung

[Vydar_XLIII]

Looks like I have quite a few to vote on, yay!

Shards of She-Kal-Ra Submission: I'm quite excited about these. I like the idea and the powerset. to review.

Wulfling Hunters Resubmission: I agree that Scy and sf's critiques were addressed. Still ready to give them a spin. to review.

Nordlüng Resubmission: This version of him addresses all my past concerns. to review.

[nyys]

Originally Posted by Sherman Davies

Hi all, I'd like to resubmit Nordlung for consideration: ...

I love this mini!

[Scytale]

I am not a fan of the non-Jandar restriction on Nordlüng's Rifle. It can be explained away thematically, but I don't see a need to, either thematically or in terms of gameplay. It just feels extraneous. But that's not enough for a downvote.

Otherwise the change to Shock Rifle is spot-on. It's still feels like an ability that's just there to give it an ability, but that's fine for theme and its level of effectiveness. The name changes are fine. The price drop of 5 points is a shrug; in my experience Nordlüng tends to be feast-or-famine-ish with bonus value against specific units, and 5 points doesn't make much of a difference for a 150+ point unique unit anyway.

to review Nordlüng

[Scytale]

The Shards of She-Kul-Ra by @SkyWhale have received 4 Yea votes to review (superfrog, Scytale, wriggz, and VydarXLIII) and moves forward in the process.

The Wulfing Hunters by @Shiftrex have received 4 Yea votes to review (Scytale, superfrog, wriggz, and VydarXLIII) and move forward in the process.

[vegietarian18]

I've been asked to retire as an SoV judge, as I haven't been super actively lately. So I'm doing that. I want to say thank you to all the work the SoV judges do!