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Old August 24th, 2019, 05:21 PM
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Re: Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

Kha by @kolakoski

Kha is capable of slipping between the lines of an enemy force to strike where he’s most deadly, but can this dashing serpentfolk slither into my heart?

Balance: Finding an easy comparison for Kha is surprisingly difficult, but Arthur of Sherwood is probably the closest. Both bring multi-kill potential to the Rogues at a similar point cost. With better hero killing potential and a bit more flexibility in choosing his targets, Kha looks to have the advantage over Arthur’s speed and T-glyph utility. At only 75 points, Kha risks offering a little too much for his cost, but the design doesn’t appear blatantly unbalanced.

Theme: The restraint on Kha’s stats ties the whole design together nicely. While not terribly strong or durable, he uses guile and dexterity to get the upper hand. Plus, 5 range seems about right for his little wrist-mounted crossbow.

Creativity: This unit shines in its clever re-use of existing powers. Normally stacking multiple attack-based powers on a design is inadvisable, but the combination of Double Assault and Poison Weapons provides a wealth of interesting decision-making. Disengage works well on the card in that it allows those decisions to stay relevant and engaging, and in doing so avoids feeling tacked-on.

Playability: It didn’t take me long to decide that Kha is a joy to play. He’s an excellent low-investment unit to try and get the most out of, his powers practically daring you to take the risks that will make this affordable unit pay off big time. Of course, it isn’t quite so easy. Kha excels at attacking figures or positions that have already been weakened, where the opponent won’t be able to easily counterattack. This makes him preferable as a mid-game unit, where he can find opportunities to launch a Double Assault with less fear of reprisal.

His multi-attacking option is his most important power, particularly in Rogue builds where those are a rare commodity. While Poison Weapons looks like it would limit him to an anti-hero role, it actually functions to even out the value of him targeting heroes versus squads--without it, it would almost always be preferable to keep him sweeping squaddies off the board while leaving heroes to the likes of Locksley or Darrak. This design decision plays out well in practice, as it means you always have to make meaningful choices about who Kha should target.

Ultimately, my main concern with Kha was that he might be a little too consistent and versatile for his points. As an offensive bonding figure with powers useful against both heroes and squads, Kha almost always has the potential to do some damage. Making the most of him requires some setup, though, and it can be tricky to find the time for Kha to rush in without him taking serious fire on the enemy’s next OM. This problem is compounded by high-defense units, who will usually survive his initial assault and be able to retaliate in force. While Kha has a certain amount of freedom to choose his targets, his best damage is done in melee, making him difficult to use as strictly an assassin. In bad matchups, you can save him for the endgame, but doing so doesn’t make the most of his abilities.

Overall, my initial worries about Kha’s balance did not bear out in testing. That being the case, and as I very much enjoyed my time playing him, I vote to induct Kha into the SoV.
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