Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by Elven Lord

Are there any characters currently on the table?

Check the first post. There are six units currently being reviewed.

[superfrog]

Kon-Tar-Na by dok

The Marro are Heroscape’s defining race, which makes them a challenge for Fanscape. Can we create customs that fit with the Marro feel and class structure while also bringing something new to the table? And are there sculpts that work? Let’s see how dok’s design stacks up.

Balance
Kon-Tar-Na looks possibly underpowered at first glance, with no big impressive stats. But Leaping Assault/Taste of Blood is a power that is hard to quantify without playing experience. I started my testing with the stipulation that Leaping Assault/Taste of Blood had to be a powerful combo.

Theme
Kon-Tar-Na fits the Marro naming scheme for hivelords (Su-Bak-Na and Tor-Kul-Na are the other two male ones), so that’s a pass. I agree with Scytale’s analysis of the figure: it looks like a Marro through my Fanscape-colored glasses. Relentless is how I would expect the figure to play, and fits the sculpt quite well.

Creativity
I like the implementation of a leaping attack. It’s simple and straightforward. The combination of the special attack and the ability to move and attack again is pretty unique, so it’s creative enough for me.

Playability

Kon-Tar-Na doesn’t have spectacular stats, and I ran several tests where he wasn’t all that helpful. But he does have his uses. With strategic play, he can use Leaping Assault to get height almost every time, which can lead to two attacks of 6 in a turn. 4 defense is enough to keep away low attack squads (I ran a game in which he killed 15 zombies without taking a single hit), and when paired with nagrubs, he can regain some of his lost life. He also bonds with Death Knights, but that really isn’t a great use of Death Knights, so I won’t devote space to it here.

Hero-heavy matchups aren’t good for KTN. But he feasts on squads. The 3 space range on Leaping Assault makes it practically impossible for an opponent to avoid risking 2 of their squad figures against him. I’d recommend building an army with help against hard-hitting heroes, but Kon-Tar-Na can deal with weaker heroes pretty easily if the dice are with him.

Summary
I was becoming skeptical that KTN was doing enough to merit his price tag. But as I continued testing, I found that he just needed the right matchups to really do well. He looks menacing, but maybe let someone else in your army take down Charos. As long as you do that, he’s well worth his point cost, and really fun to play.

I vote to induct Kon-Tar-Na into the Soldiers of Valhalla

[superfrog]

On another note, sorry for being gone so very long. I'll hope to crank out a few more reviews this summer!

[Scytale]

I know it's taken a while, but here is the card for Cormin the Dark. The PDF will be released shortly.

[Cleon]

I like this dude

[Scytale]

The PDF for Cormin the Dark can be found here.

[raXas1516]

Originally Posted by Scytale

The PDF for Cormin the Dark can be found here.

Awesome unit! What is the mini used for it?

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by raXas1516

Awesome unit! What is the mini used for it?

D&D Half-Elf Hexblade from Aberrations

[raXas1516]

Originally Posted by Scytale

D&D Half-Elf Hexblade from Aberrations

Thanks, looking forward to trying him out!

[wriggz]

Kon-Tar-Na by dok

First was a huge skeletal Dragon with its Marro rider. Then came the terrifying Giant Marro and the edible Nagrubs. Next, the product of genetic manipulation in the form of a massive snake. Finally we are presented with the saber wielding Kon-Ta-Na. We shall see if this latest addition deserves to be held in the ranks of the Hivelords of the past.

Balance
When I look at Kon-Tar-Na, I see a fast moving, conditionally multi-attacking and potentially healing unit. To me this brings to mind the Brothers Cyprien and Nicholas Esenwein. Each has a substantial cost, can dish out significant damage, and are often paired with other units (Nagrubs, Sonya Esenwein, or Thralls).

After a first reading of Kon-Tar-Na, he doesn’t seem to live up to the legend that is Cyprien, but with his significant 5 attack and bonding options, does appear to outclass Nicholas when attacking their target prey of common squads that are likely to spread out.

Theme
First the figure: I’m much less of conservative when it comes to Marro than many others. Humans aren’t all the same colour, so why should Marro be? Throw genetic experiments and varying degrees of technology into the mix and the sky is the limit. Does it have skin? No? Can I see its bones and muscles? Yes? Then it might be a Marro.

As for the stats, powers, and characteristics, he has mighty legs for leaping, giant swords for 5 attacks, a sizable mouth for eating Nagrubs, and a glint in his expression that implies he loves destroying things. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is being Relentless. When playing I found he was more effective as opportunistic scavenger than a relentless predator. Relentless also grants bonding with the Death Knights, which although un-thematic for me, gets a pass based purely on the other options available.

Creativity
Adding another Hivelord, without stepping on the others toes is no simple feat, but I feel that Kon-Tar-Na succeeds. Kon-Tar-Na's is able to navigate hilly terrain that vexes Tor-Kul-Na and handle squads better than Wo-Sa-Ga or Su-Bak-Na, but not outclass either as a hero killer, makes him a perfect addition to the set. I even felt the Hivelords complemented each other when drafted together with a pack of Nagrubs.

The interaction between Leaping Assault and Taste of Blood was powerful, but due to the lack of leaving engagement and the destroyed figure condition, was never over powered. I found it to be both an intuitive and elegant design.

Playability
The first few tests I ran, I sent Kon-Tar-Na strait into the fray to wreak as much havoc as possible and found, like many heroes he would often fall to focused fire before earning his points. Even so, with his solid stats there were times when he could hold his own against high defense commons like Minions and 6 Attack from easily acquired high ground is a threat to strong heroes like Nilfheim.

When played well, Kon-Tar-Na can be excellent against common squads, skirting around the edges of battle, reliably destroying 2 figures per turn. With their 6 move it was not difficult to keep a squad of Nagrubs in tow, which either could heal a wound the following round or soak up a direct attack. There was even one test where Kon-“Tarnation”-Na was able to storm a hill held by Raelin backed 20th Maine Volunteers; a sad day for the yanks.

One of my favorite test builds was pairing Kon-Tar-Na with the other Hivelords and Nagrubs for instant army synergy. Switching between heavy hitters like Su-Bak-Na or Wo-Sa-Ga for attacking high life heroes and Kon-Tar-Na for taking out squad figures with Hivelord Bonding, breathed life into lesser used Hivelords. Whether drafted alone or part of a cohesive army, Kon-Tar-Na was usually a threat on the board.

Summary
To be honest the Marro are one of my least favorite factions, and one that I didn’t feel needed more units. Despite my bias, I felt that Kon-Tar-Na brought something new to the faction, and specifically added a valuable option to Hivelord builds. Best of all, I feel his addition would remove some dust off some under used units.

I vote to induct Kon-Tar-Na into the SoV.

[Ixe]

Urk by Ninja Status and superfrog

Can this goblin commander boldly lead his forces into the Halls of Valhalla or will his rabble crash against the gates?

Balance

Urk is clearly outclassed by similarly priced units on his own, placing his real use alongside goblin squads. The Goblin Cutters are already a powerful squad, leaving concerns if he can make an army of cutters too powerful. This question, as well as how he functions in armies using Horned Skull Brutes, will be covered in the Playability section.

Theme

Urk is a goblin commander which is common for D&D. Others have raised concerns that the little goblin can command bugbears but this still fits the theme for me. Bugbears in D&D are often dim-witted brutes that can follow orders as long as it suits them, like joining a mob. Once the chips are down, however, they are still more than willing to use their commander as expendable rabble.

Goblin Sneak Attack is a thematic power for a goblin and really drives home his bold personality. With his low survivability and potentially high attack, Urk definitely lends himself to bold plays to carry the battle in a swift strike or die in the attempt.

Creativity

Mob Swarm is a novel commander power without being an order marker sink. Goblin Sneak attack couples nicely with Mob Swarm to augment his attack and add further value to his synergy.

Playability

As a goblin commander, Urk has synergy with both the Goblin Cutters and the Horned Skull Brutes. These forces can be played independently or mixed, but of them the Goblin Cutters are the most concerning as they are a competitive squad.

The Cutters are a squad that is almost too cheap for its own good, easily filling up the start zone with points to spare. For low-cast battles, Urk is a great addition to the Cutters since he can provide them a strong attack to help break through high defense units the cutters otherwise struggle against. The cutters don't lose much in the process, either, since an order marker on Urk will not lose them too much on board position (Mob Swarm is a little less efficient than just moving cutters). More commonly competitive armies pair the goblin cutters with a high cost hero and Urk still fits well in these armies. Order Markers are a little more of a concern but he provides an expendable, high attack option if points are available.

Urk actually fairs quite well alongside just the Horned Skull Brutes. With the Brutes, his Mob Swarm is actually more relevant than his big attack. Instead of providing a high attack while not giving up too much on board position, he provides the bugbears board position without giving up too much on attack. When put alongside a squad like the Deathreavers, Urk can provide just enough movement to set up the Brutes to Barge into Battle and devastate the enemy. When the time comes and Urk has done his job getting his army into position, he can easily be sacrificed into Expendable Rabble to keep the real muscle of your army alive.

In my opinion, mixed armies of Cutters and Brutes are a bit of a trap. While the two have seemingly good synergy with each other, it overlooks that cutters are at their best when they scurry away from engagement and win a war of attrition. The Brutes, however, cut down on crucial goblin numbers to win this attrition war and provide pressure to put the cutters in engagement where they can fall quickly. Balancing order markers becomes a concern and in the end the few times the Brutes can actually use expendable rabble pales in comparison than if they just fought with Deathreavers instead or if the Cutters went into battle alone. Urk complicates this last army by adding in another unit for Order Markers, but I would say that he does improve the scenario if that is what your heart is set on. Here he can function to bridge the gap between the two armies by moving brutes up while primarily using the cutters, but even then you can be reliant on an initiative switch to actually set up a turn worth-while.

Summary
Urk is a welcome addition to any given goblin army without being overpowering or strictly better than other options. He provides fun tactical play and subtle strategic differences depending on his forces. While he doesn't solve all the problems a goblin army can have, he can be worth his points in any of them as a bold commander to lead them to victory.

I vote YEA to induct Urk into SoV.

[MegaSilver]

I hate to be a bother but I was wondering how Ashi-Dhulu was doing.