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Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkrill
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Unit Strategy Review Unit: The Death Knights of Valkrill (Moltenclaw's Invasion: Valkrill's Legion) Author: killercactus These warriors were once Knights of valor and honor, but have either been cursed by the dark powers or given themselves to the darkness and now exist as the Death Knights of Valkrill. They carry their very souls in their weapons, and their presence strikes fear into the hearts of even the most valiant. However, their imposing presence has yet to manifest itself into Valhalla. Perhaps this guide can help you to use these unholy warriors to strike fear into your opponents. Analyzed Statistics: Move: 5 – Average Range: 1 – Melee Attack: 2 – Poor* Defense: 5 – Tough *Soul Weapons Defending figure rolls 2 fewer defense dice - Medium tactical advantage. Unholy Bonding Before taking a turn with the Death Knights of Valkrill, first take a turn with any non-Huge hero with the Relentless personality (Sir Hawthorne, Dumutef Guard, Air Elemental, Venoc Warlord, Khosumet the Darklord, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior) - High Tactical Advantage In-Depth Analysis: Of course, with all of these strategy articles, we use Agatagary’s guide to rate the figures, based on chess pieces. Pawn Class: (expendable, units that can be useful, but are not worth enormous trouble to protect) Bishop Class: (more useful than a pawn, but still somewhat expendable) Knight Class: (units that are interestingly powerful and can have a significant impact on the game in of themselves. It is advisable that they be kept alive, but if absolutely necessary they may be sacrificed) Rook Class: (units that almost inevitably have a significant impact on the game, and whose death should be avoided as much as possible) Queen Class: (devastatingly powerful or important units that should be protected at all costs) Class: Bishop The Death Knights are, contrary to what their name and class would suggest, Bishop class units. One of the fundamental mistakes I believe is made when playing the Death Knights is using them as a Bread and Butter type squad, which better suits the Pawn class. At 30 Points per figure, Death Knights are not expendable enough to recklessly attack an opponent. Care should be taken to put them in the best position to maximize their abilities, and they should only be sacrificed in times of desperation. Threat Range: 5 Move + 1 Range = 6 spaces, which is average for a melee figure. Survivability: As far as squad figures go, Death Knights have solid survivability with a defense value of 5. They should be able to shrug off weaker ranged attacks while they make their advance, however attacks of 3 and 4 dice (from ranged units on high-ground, for instance) will find ways through their armor. Since only 2 Death Knights (and their bonded hero) can be activated per turn, it's difficult even with 5 defense dice for the Death Knights to survive a straight-on advance. Also, their Medium size means they are vulnerable to many special powers that cause wounds that bypass their defense dice, such as Poisonous Acid Breath, Fledging Acid Breath, Engagement Strike 15 and Ullar Enhanced Rifle Special Attack, amongst others. It should also be noted that Death Knights are fairly small in stature, and also very sleek. This lends nicely to hiding behind trees and battlements, and even other figures (Dumutef Guards come to mind and being both large figures behind which to hide, and also Relentless heroes). When advancing with the Death Knights against a ranged force, take care to try and find these safe spots on the map. Lastly, as Undead figures, they are immune to the Zombies Rise Again special power, which will help them survive longer in a fight against the Zombies of Morindan. Offensive ability: At first glance, the Death Knights' offensive ability seems meager, with only an attack value of 2. However, these creatures of death have a surprise in store for their adversaries, as their Soul Weapons can pass through a foe's armor easily. Soul Weapons causes defending figures to roll 2 fewer defense dice when defending against a Death Knight, which can make their attacks much stronger. You might believe that this makes Death Knights well-suited to take on high-defense squad figures and tough heroes, but you would be mistaken. When attacking a unit with say, 6 defense dice, Soul Weapons only reduces the enemy's defense by one-third, or 33.333%. That isn't bad at all, but an attack of 2 still only yields .296 wounds on average against a defense of 4; an increase of .142 average wounds. Compare that to a figure with a lower defense rating - say 4. Reducing the defense from 4 to 2 is a 50% reduction in defense, and yields .556 wounds on average; an increase of .26 wounds. What this means in laymen's terms is that Death Knights get more bang for their buck when attacking lower-defense units - until that unit's defense falls below 2. They are also better suited to attack heroes rather than squads, as the reduction in defense dice increases the chance for a single attack to inflict multiple wounds. Lastly, it should be noted that one of their bonding heroes - Taelord - can increase their attack value to 3 while keeping close to them through their Unholy Bonding. This increase, when combined with Soul Weapons, can really turn the dice in favor of the Death Knights. Tournament Readiness: Medium The Death Knights are a squad with decent survivability, a defense-reducing power and the ability to bond, which puts them at a medium level of tournament readiness. However, remember that Death Knights are Bishop class units and not Pawns. They don't make up the backbone of an army, and probably shouldn't be your first wave of attack. Against most units in the current metagame, they will not be able to survive a direct assault. Strategy: The Death Knights are a unit that takes some thought and some cunning play to really get the most from. You can't play them in a straight-forward manner as you can with Marro Stingers, or turtle on high ground as you can with the 4th Massachusetts Line - they need to rely on clever play. As I mentioned in the last section, Death Knights are not an ideal first wave of attack. Because of their slow movement, lack of range, and ability to only activate 2 members per order marker (along with a bonded hero), they are ill-suited to survive a direct advance into enemy territory, especially if that enemy includes ranged figures or a tough screen. Also, they can't disengage without risking leaving engagement attacks and don't have the speed to flank their opponent, so they won't be good assassins (even though their Soul Weapons might make it seem so). They have strong defense, but are just too expensive and their numbers are too little to make an effective melee screen. So, how should they be played? In general, Death Knights can function well as a second wave of attack, or in other words, as a mid-game unit. Pair them with other units that excel as a first wave of attack, and use your first wave to thin the ranks and disperse the enemy units, and also to cover the Death Knights' advance. There are many ways to do this and many figures that excel in the early game in different ways; some of which I've included in the Optional Strategies section. Some other examples would be Death Chasers of Thesk and one of their bonding heroes, Krav Maga Agents, Deathreavers, or other screening or ranged units that can work to gain control of the map or glyphs. Other ways to consider units to include with the Death Knights in an army is to look for units that synergize well with their Unholy Bonding heroes. The Death Knights have one of the widest assortments of bonding heroes in regards to other units that synergize with them. Each hero really brings a unique element to the army and encourages a different style of play for a different situation. Here is an analysis of each hero that can take a turn with Unholy Bonding, situations in which they may be useful and some suggestions for other figures that synergize with them:
So, now that you have all of these units to use with the Death Knights as a first wave of attack, and all of these different synergies to manage, how should you do it? Well, the answer is to try and anticipate what your opponent will be fielding (either by watching his drafts or by analyzing the maps and metagame) and draft your heroes and other figures in order to maximize your advantages. This type of versatility is why I really enjoy playing and analyzing the Death Knights. However, here are some additional options to consider:
Auto killers/Defensive Bypass: As I talked about in the survivability section, the Death Knights' 5 defense dice is a strong asset for them, but units like Braxas and the Red and Black Wyrmlings can reduce or ignore that altogether. Dumutef Guards are immune to all of these abilities, and are good figures to use to try and help deal with some of the threat. Braxas is especially dangerous, as she can wipe out many expensive Death Knights in a single turn. Air Elementals are effective against her as they're heroes, so her Breath is less effective, and their Air Mastery allows for a boost. Still though, it will take a lot of attacks from Dumutefs and Air Elementals to kill Braxas, and she can always disengage. Even units like Cyprien Esenwein, the Marrden Hounds and Kee-Mo-Shi are dangerous, and none of the Unholy Bonding heroes are immune to Chilling Touch, Marro Plague or Toxic Skin, though Soul Weapons should strike some fear into them. Units with High Defense: The Death Knights, even though they can reduce the defense dice of their opposition, still only attack with 2 dice, and will be hard-pressed to pierce thick armor. Bring something else along (or something to boost their attack, like Taelord) to deal with these threats. 4-figure Ranged Squads: Death Knights don't want to try and charge into the Wait The Fire squads. Phantom Knights are great assets here to act as an opening wave, as are the Krav Maga Agents, and even other 7 range squads to try and force the battle to take place on your terms. Gladiatrons and Blastatrons also pose quite a problem. If you can stay away from them, I'd advise it. If not, and you can counterdraft something like Omnicron Repulsors, that's your best bet. Units that Don't Rely on Their Defense to Survive: Soul Weapons are very ineffective against units like Venoc Vipers, Goblin Cutters and Ashigaru since those units aren't relying on their defense to survive. Even units like Isamu and Mezzodemon Warmongers that have alternative methods of surviving can give Death Knights problems. Against these foes, Hawthorne becomes an even greater asset with his Special Attack and ability to attack multiple figures. For additional information see: The Book of the Death Knights of Valkrill (Moltenclaw's Invasion) Like battle reports? Click Tourney Reports (New 10/21/2012 - Cutters / Brutes!) KC's Maps Click KC's Customs Scaper of the Week #57 Last edited by killercactus; March 9th, 2011 at 07:03 PM. |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Great guide! I enjoyed the in-depth look at the Air Elemental and Khosumet synergies...Heroes that aren't typically associated with the Death Knights.
There are so many bonding options with these guys... |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
A very fine article. I think the death knights really need to see some more play after reading this. I do have problems fielding mid game units however.
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
I love the death knights. Thanks for the hints.
Creator of Nowdays. |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Nice article Killometer!!
C3V Current Broadcast 4/29/2015 C3V Testimonial from " Easily the best quality classic customs I have ever seen" MY MINIATURE COLLECTION -- NEW VALHALLA |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Good read.
I love the Death Knights and now will be able to play them better. Thanks. If a chicken and a 1/2, can lay an egg and a 1/2 in a day and a 1/2, how long would it take a grasshopper with one wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a cucumber? |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Killercactus is almost the same guy as Killometer. Except one is actually good in the tournament setting... |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Quote:
Someone mark this down. The next time I can make GenCon (probably next year), I'm gonna wreck ET86 in Heroscape. With Runa. Like battle reports? Click Tourney Reports (New 10/21/2012 - Cutters / Brutes!) KC's Maps Click KC's Customs Scaper of the Week #57 |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
I recommend phantom knights + move glyph + Just Passing Through + ET86 not being able to roll shields. It worked out great for me.
Last edited by dok; March 10th, 2011 at 11:45 AM. Reason: I should have bought a lottery ticket after that game |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Great read - I forgot you did unit strategy articles. I was just thinking that I have never played them because they are so intimidating with all the possibilities I didn't know what to do with them. I was just about to lookup to see if there was an updated synergy chart to see all the units that they bond with and what they synergize with up to two levels away, but this does that and more. I think I will try the Krav or Nakitas, Raelin, 3 squads of DKs, and some Dumutefs/Air Elementals as 3rd squad members. I do like the GrungeBomb idea too though.
A couple of things I think you neglected to discuss in depth. One is the use of Raelin with them. I think Raelin is a great addition since then they are 7 defense and can become a great come-and-get-me army. Raelin IMHO is a much better choice then Taelord because you can use excess 100 points on Range, a screen, or one more squad of DKs and bonded AIs/DG. The other thing is how many squads (and bonded units) to field? I think being a 2-squad unit they need at least 3 squads to be effective, but they maybe loose efficiency at 5 because you need to spend points on bonded units too, so 3-4 squads is optimal in a sub-550 point game. Then I guess you can see how much points you want to spend on bonded units vs. other units such as Raelin, range, or a screen. C3V/SoV cards @ 3/page PDF / LeftOn4ya's Customs (including Jurassic World) / Competitive Unit Alters / New? Start Here! Unit Debates REVIVED - #76 Tandros Kreel vs Torin "Today is a good day to die... but the day is not yet over"
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
Uh-oh.
I didn't talk about Raelin because I don't think she's good at all for protecting DKs. Increasing defense from 5 to 7 isn't really a big deal at all unless the opponent is throwing 4+ attack dice at them. Later when I'm not posting from my phone I could get some numbers from the probability tables showing how much 2 extra defense really helps against smaller attacks. Sure, Raelin always helps some, and she's very good at keeping the multiple-life bonding heroes alive, so I'd only play her with DKs if you're worried about keeping Hawthorne, Mittens, Taelord or Khosumet (shudder) alive, or you're playing other lower defense squad figures. Like battle reports? Click Tourney Reports (New 10/21/2012 - Cutters / Brutes!) KC's Maps Click KC's Customs Scaper of the Week #57 |
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr
On the other hand, if you're playing Krav/Taelord/DKx2, then ponying up for Raelin to protect the Krav (and Taelord) makes a lot of sense.
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