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Old March 9th, 2011, 06:58 PM
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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:
  • Sir Hawthorne - Heroscape's "Dark Knight" is oftentimes regarded as the strongest of Death Knight bonders. He has great stats and comes with a relatively cheap price tag, as long as he doesn't stab you in the back! He is the only Unholy Bonding hero that is capable of attacking multiple times, which is something the Death Knights really benefit from, only being able to activate 2 members at a time. He is also the only Unholy Bonding hero that sports a Special Attack, so be sure to bring him along if you're up against figures like Deathreavers, Mezzodemons or Goblins where a Special Attack will be useful. Being a Human Champion, Sir Hawthorne has synergy with the Knights of Weston and the MacDirk Warriors. The stalwart Knights may make a good screen and can establish some control on the map while moving Hawthorne into a position from which to attack while the Death Knights are advancing. I don't advise use of the MacDirk Warriors here, as they don't make a great screening unit and have similar mid-game uses as the Death Knights when taken out of their element. I'll explore Sir Hawthorne a bit more below.
  • Venoc Warlord - ahhh, the King of Synergy himself. The Venoc Warlord is a very diverse figure, and really opens up a lot of early (and late) game options for a Death Knight army. Much like Sir Hawthorne, he also has other bonding connections with the Roman Legionnaires and the Armoc Vipers, which may be efficient in gaining map control and setting up a screen (Romans) or quickly securing glyphs (Armocs). The Venoc Warlord also grants a movement bonus to Scouts; by their nature, Scouts are great units to mobilize in the early game, using their superior movement to gain optimal position on the map and disrupt the enemies' plans. Zetacron might be able to use the movement boost to get to high ground and use his great range to strike at an important opponent's figure, forcing the enemy to respond to the threat and put him in a position where the Death Knights can take advantage. Theracus can take advantage of the movement boost to carry a figure into enemy territory to cover the advance of the Death Knights. The Mohican River Tribe and the Elite Onyx Vipers have strong special powers against ranged attackers that force an enemy to close into melee to attack, which shortens the distance that your Death Knights need to travel to engage. The Fyorlag Spiders have great speed, can capture important glyphs quickly, and also bring along a Predator such as a Wyvern to disrupt the opponent's opening setup. Venoc Vipers boast the same great speed and, after you spend an OM or two positioning the Death Knights or cheerleaders, can charge out to engage the enemy in the middle of the battlefield to stall their advance, and also receive a boost to their Frenzy power (as do the Elite Onyx Vipers). Speaking of the Frenzy Enhancement, the Aubrien Archers receive the same enhancement, and can dictate the location of the battle in the early game by using their long bows to outrange enemy units, allowing the Death Knights to strike at a point on the map accessible to them.
  • Dumutef Guards - the Dumutef Guard was the figure speculated to receive the most benefit as a target of Unholy Bonding when the Death Knights were released, and they do certainly have a new use now. With the Dumutef, I think it's important to remember it's Class - a Guard. The Dumutef can use it's large size and double base to block off choke points (especially on the road when they get their attack and defense bonus), and also even to conceal Death Knights behind them from the sight of ranged figures. Also due to their size, they're immune to those special powers discussed above that can bypass the Death Knights' defense, and can look to press that advantage against those figures. Lastly, many times forgotten is the Devourer Attack Enhancement offered by the Dumutef Guards - an additional attack die to any adjacent Devourer. These include the Shades of Bleakewoode and Marcu Esenwein; both of whom are excellent units to grab glyphs quickly. The other Devourer is the Anubian Wolves, who also sport decent survivability and synergize with another of the Unholy Bonding heroes - Khosumet. While these synergies exist, they are difficult to pull-off since adjacency with the Dumutef Guard is required. I believe the best way to play Dumutefs with the Death Knights is to treat them as a 3-man melee squad, using the Dumutefs to block up choke points when necessary and use their Large immunities and Road Strength to your advantage whenever possible. However, if you're playing a team game, make note that Devourer Attack Enhancement affects friendly figures. So, if you're fielding Death Knights with Dumutef Guards, your teammate can field Devourers and use your positioned Dumutefs to his advantage.
  • Air Elementals - This is the hero I see talked about the least in correlation to the Death Knights, but who I think deserves some more attention. We said earlier that a big problem of the Death Knights is that they're too slow to make a strong advance into enemy lines. The Air Elemental is significantly faster than Death Knights are, and with its Stealth Flying, may be able to make it to the bank ranks of the enemy to attack a key figure, especially one with Flying, like Raelin or even a Dragon, where it gets a bonus for Air Mastery. Even more intriguing though is the Air Elemental's effect on melee figures. A strength of the Death Knights I haven't really hit on yet is in the draft format - since their Unholy Bonding heroes are so diverse in their uses, a player can draft Death Knights and react to the opponent's draft when they choose their heroes. If you see the opponent drafting melee figures, Air Elementals are your choice. By using the Air Elemental to bond with your Death Knights against an opposing melee force, you no longer need to worry about giving up the first strike. Position your Air Elemental out in front, and your Death Knights behind it. The melee units will be forced to stop in the Swirling Vortex or go around, and your Death Knights will get the first strike against these foes. If they choose not to advance into the vortex or to flank, you can bring up more reserve Death Knights and more Air Elementals to increase the proximity of the screen. Against melee, you'll want to be continuously activating Air Elementals to re-establish the Swirling Vortex once some figures have penetrated it, and your Death Knights have engaged them. I'll also mention that Air Elementals have obvious synergy with Kurrok the Elementalist and his other Elementals. While Kurrok and his forces could be a decent opening wave, and he could quickly setup an Air screen of 3 Elementals and regenerate them, I think that Air Elementals are better suited with Death Knights by themselves when you're expecting to be facing a melee horde. Most of the time, the 120 Points spent on Kurrok (before the rest of his Elementals) could probably be better spent elsewhere - maybe even on 2 more squads of Death Knights, or 1 squad and 2 more Air Elementals.
  • Khosumet the Darklord - We all know that Khosumet is a weak figure, but he does pick up a bit more synergy here. The only reason I would recommend to play Khosumet with your Death Knights over the other available heroes is if you plan on making extensive use of other figures that synergize with him. Khosumet's Relentless Attack Enhancement will grant an extra attack die to any friendly figure with the Relentless personality, which immediately includes all of your other Unholy Bonding heroes. Additionally, there are other Relentless figures out there that not only get this enhancement, but also receive separate enhancements from other Unholy Bonding heroes. The Anubian Wolves, as well as also taking advantage of Khosumet's Unleashed Fury boost, can also benefit from the Devourer Attack Enhancement of the Dumutef Guard. The Venoc Vipers benefit from the Scout Leadership and Frenzy Enhancement of the Venoc Warlord. Finally, the Minions of Utgar get even better use of Relentless Attack Enhancement, get even greater use out of Taelord's Attack Aura, and can also move Taelord with Utgar's Orders. Again, as Khosumet's Aura is restricted to adjacent friendly figures, playing a team game is probably the best way to get the most use out of it.
  • Taelord the Kyrie Warrior - Taelord was perceived by some to be in the greatest need of a squad like this, and he certainly benefits from having the Death Knights around. Taelord's Attack Aura makes their Soul Weapons much more useful - an increase of 1 die to their attack coupled with a 2-die reduction in the opponent's defense is quite a swing. Also, much like the Air Elemental, Taelord has Stealth Flying that he can use to go behind enemy lines, though I think that's less advisable than it is with an Air Elemental. Also, as I mentioned above, Taelord has some synergy with the Minions of Utgar, who also benefit from Khosumet. The Minions, with their Flying and 6 defense, can setup an early screen. Their axes are also strong enough to deal with the higher defense figures that might give the Death Knights trouble. Another figure that receives a great benefit from Taelord is the Omnicron Snipers. Much like the Aubrien Archers, they can dictate the location of the battle with their range of 7, drawing the opponent in so the Death Knights can pounce. They can also decimate opposing forces with their Deadly Shot when under Taelord's aura.
Optional Strategies:
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:
  • The Black Rider - A look at the On-Going Collaboration of Theracus Bombs will also delve into this strategy a little bit. Sometimes called the "Hawthorne Bomb" or the "Grungebomb", Sir Hawthorne riding Theracus into battle can be a very effective opening strategy for the Death Knights. The strategy involves Theracus getting some of the early, first round order markers to use his Carry special power to take Sir Hawthorne close to the enemy starting zone. At this point, Theracus can take a glyph that's close enough so Hawthorne can run into the zone himself, or you can double-engage a large hero like Major Q9 or a Dragon with both Theracus and Hawthorne. Once Hawthorne is in position, order markers shift to the Death Knights. Through Unholy Bonding, Hawthorne rampages through the enemy units with his Blind Rage Special Attack, forcing the opponent to deal with him while your Death Knights move up in tow, getting the head start onto the battlefield that they need to make up for their slow speed and melee restriction. Hawthorne's life and defense should ensure that he stays around a while. As an added bonus, if Hawthorne does stab you in the back, he'll be far away from the rest of your army. This strategy works even better when you also include the Venoc Warlord, since Theracus will get his movement boost, and the Viper Warlord's speed will ensure that he catches up to your Death Knights that were advancing while Hawthorne was doing his thing. Hawthorne, Venoc Warlord, Theracus, and 3 squads of Death Knights comes to 430 Points, with tons of options left to round out an army of any size.
  • Knights of the Afterlife - Another good unit to use as an opening force happens to be a very thematic one - the Phantom Knights. These tormented spirits may not have chosen to confine their souls to their weapons, but they're still formidable on the battlefield. Their Insubstantial 3 power forces ranged units without a special attack to close to melee to attack them, especially if they're holding an important glyph or position on the map. Again, this allows the Death Knights and their bonding heroes to close faster and helps dictate the location of the battle. Additionally, their Stealth Flying, 6 move and strong defense make them ideal figures to penetrate to the back lines of enemy forces and attack key parts of the opponent's army. Those attributes work well to balance out some of the Death Knights' weaknesses.
  • Krav Maga Fishing - The Krav Maga Agents have oftentimes proved to be the best unit in Heroscape to dictate the location of the battle (not named Major Q9). Their high movement and range allows them to oftentimes get height advantage, and they have the magic 7 range that lets them back pedal and force shorter ranged squads to come off of their perches. Furthermore, Stealth Dodge makes them very difficult to kill without closing to melee. They make a great opening unit to follow up with Death Knights, especially if Taelord is around to boost their ranged attack to 4, which allows them to strike terror into even the stoutest heroes' hearts. Taelord, 2 squads of Death Knights and the Krav Maga Agents comes to 400 Points, leaving some room for some screening units or more attackers if you wish.
Units to Avoid:
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)

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Last edited by killercactus; March 9th, 2011 at 07:03 PM.
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Old March 9th, 2011, 07:15 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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Old March 10th, 2011, 12:41 AM
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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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Old March 10th, 2011, 03:25 AM
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr

I love the death knights. Thanks for the hints.

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Old March 10th, 2011, 07:30 AM
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr

Nice article Killometer!!

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Old March 10th, 2011, 07:46 AM
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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.

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Old March 10th, 2011, 10:28 AM
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr

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Originally Posted by ZBeeblebrox View Post
Nice article Killercactus!!

Killercactus is almost the same guy as Killometer. Except one is actually good in the tournament setting...


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Old March 10th, 2011, 11:08 AM
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Re: Unit Strategy Review - How to Use Death Knights of Valkr

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Nice article Killercactus!!

Killercactus is almost the same guy as Killometer. Except one is actually good in the tournament setting...

And the other one owes ET86 a butt-whooping.

Someone mark this down. The next time I can make GenCon (probably next year), I'm gonna wreck ET86 in Heroscape.

With Runa.

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Old March 10th, 2011, 11:44 AM
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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.

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Old March 10th, 2011, 03:32 PM
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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.
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Old March 10th, 2011, 03:43 PM
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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.

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Old March 10th, 2011, 04:49 PM
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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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