Unit Strategy Review: How to Use Empress Kiova

[rai12]

If you would like to write a strategy guide like this one and join our writing circle, please contact us here. We ask that you don't use this format without permission to preserve the high quality of the strategy guides and avoid confusion. Thanks!



Unit Strategy Review
Unit: Empress Kiova
Author: Rai12 (With thanks to the Unit strategy Review writers)

Often considered the support unit for the Einar Imperium it is easy to forgot that Empress Kiova is the imperial ruler of Lindesfarme. This quote from her bio can give us some clues regarding her place in battle. “The Empress is never seen without her personal escort of Imperium. When attacked, Kiova draws a rune-engraved sword and sings out in a clear and icy voice. Her song is a hymn of battle; its words bear an ancient magic. It is a prayer of protection for those who serve her.” Unfortunately this quote can also lead to misconceptions about her usefulness in battle; she can excel on her own as well as alongside the Einar Imperium. In the following guide we will work to eliminate these misconceptions and outline her strengths.

Let’s begin with her base stats:.

Analyzed Statistics:
Cost – 90 - Knight Class
Size – Medium - Vulnerable/ Semi-Concealable
Life - 5 - Average
Move – 5* - Average
Range – 1 – Melee
Attack – 3 - Average
Defense – 4 - Average
Gift of the Empress Kiova: Allows Kyrie that follow Einar to re-roll failed defense dice. - High Tactical Advantage
*Stealth Flying: Disengage with Flight. - High Tactical Advantage

In-depth Analysis:
We shall now look carefully at Empress Kiova’s statistics, and draw strategies from our conclusions. Let us start with her classification. Below is an explanation of Agatagary's cost classification:

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:
Statistically Empress Kiova is average. But, despite her mediocre statistics, the Gift of the Empress Aura and Stealth Flying catapults her to a Knight class unit. She is a figure that you want to keep alive as long as possible. Her aura can be devastating as it alleviates one of the greatest weaknesses of the otherwise fantastic Einar Imperium; their survivability. But, despite the extreme usefulness of her power, Empress Kiova should not be left on the sidelines; Empress Kiova, as her bio suggests, should be launched straight into the fray.

Offense:
Offensively Empress Kiova is average. She has a melee Attack of 3 and a Movement of 5 which gives her a threat range of six spaces. Her Stealth Flying ability gives her a boost offensively in that she has greater flexibility in determining the target and location of her attacks. This ability is what takes an average unit an makes her exceptional.

Survivability:
Empress Kiova has average survivability. She has a Life of 5 and a Defense of 4. Her Stealth Flying ability increases her survivability, as it lets her retreat from sticky situations and find a more tactical place to position herself. Empress Kiova’s figure has a slim sculpt so you should be able to find some cover behind high terrain or larger figures. Remember, her wings and her sword are not hit zones. Her wings actually help to hide her raised arms, so keep her back turned to the enemy. Empress Kiova does not have any immunities against the auto-kill/ injury abilities in the game. This includes Dragon Swoop, Poisonous Acid Breath, Lethal Sting, Ullar Enhanced Rifle, to name a few. As a flying character she is immune to Jotun’s Throw ability.

Strategy:
When Empress Kiova is considered for inclusion in an army, she is rarely thought of as a unit in her own right, merely seen as a boost to the Einar Imperium. We will look at ways to utilize her by herself as well as alongside the Einar Imperium.

The Gift of the Empress Aura is Empress Kiova’s greatest asset on the battlefield. This ability can change the Einar Imperium from expensive cannon fodder into a sword wielding nightmare for your opponent. The Gift of the Empress Aura is most effective in preventing ranged damage while the Einar Imperium are advancing into melee position. However, since she does not bond with the Einar Imperium it can often be difficult to gain the greatest benefit from this ability. The key to utilizing Empress Kiova in this capacity is to not think of her as a support unit. Support units follow behind the soldiers who protect them. Empress Kiova should be launched into the middle of the battle first, heralding the coming of the Einar Imperium. With a Defense of 4 and Life of 5, she is more durable than an entire squad of the Einar Imperium. She is also less costly. Sending her in to battle first accomplishes a number of things: You can engage ranged units to prevent them from firing on the Einar Imperium. When the Einar Imperium are in the middle of the battle, and most vulnerable, they will be within the range of the Empress’ aura. Because the Empress is so vital in the survival of the Einar Imperium she may draw some attacks away from them. Additionally, once you commit the Einar Imperium to the battle, you cannot afford to place turn markers on Empress Kiova and give up six attacks per round.

Alternatively, if you plan on using Empress Kiova and the Einar Imperium defensively you will want to utilize the same general strategy. Position Empress Kiova in front with the Einar Imperium a few space behind her. Keep them within the range of her aura. Once the battle comes to you launch your attack. If your opponent sends in ranged troops lead with the Empress to tie them up and then attack with the Einar Imperium. If your opponent send melee forces let them engage the Empress and attack with the Einar Imperium.

Compared to other units in the 80 to 90 point range she holds up fairly well: she has an average Attack and the highest Defense found among the Kyrie Warriors; only Concan has a higher Attack. In fact, she has the same stats as the melee brawlers Finn and Thorgrim but she is blessed with an additional point of Life and Stealth Flying (being one of only five units that has it), which is one of the most tremendously useful abilities in the game–and at 90 points she is the least expensive of the these units! Stealth Flying is Empress Kiova’s main strength and when combined with even her average statistics it makes her an incredibly versatile unit. While she will not dominate in any aspect of the battle if you utilize some guerilla tactics and adapt to the changing tides of the battle she will help you prevail. The key to using Empress Kiova correctly, by herself, is to work off of the weaknesses of your opponents army. Use her to attack figures with low defense. Have her tie down figures with low attacks. She can out maneuver slow moving units. And, with Stealth Flying she can retreat from any sticky situation.

She can be used as a decoy to lure away some of your opponent’s forces. This type of maneuver works well whether you have the Einar Imperium in your army or not. Send her out on her own to perform a wide flanking maneuver. If you have the Einar Imperium present your opponent will think that they will be following her. If you don’t your opponent will think that you are trying to sneak her behind his front line to attack. The best case scenario is that your opponent sends out some of his ranged squads to deal with her. With height advantage she will have a Defense of 5 to shrug off a few rounds of standard ranged attacks. If your opponent has placed two or three markers to take out the Empress, place all of your markers on the Einar Imperium or your fast moving assault troops. Send them directly into the middle of your opponents primary forces, leaving Empress Kiova to fend for herself. This maneuver is unexpected, especially if you send the Einar Imperium into battle without Empress Kiova’s protection. It is a risky move and definitely one your opponent will not expect. If your opponent has targeted Empress Kiova with his first two turn markers and his units are far enough out of range of the Einar Imperium, you may be able to get off six or twelve unanswered attacks. Once your opponent has a chance to bear down on the Einar Imperium they will eventually fall. Try to get them in range of Empress Kiova’s Aura as quickly as possible after the initial attack, if she is still alive. There are times that your opponent will ignore the Empress, thinking her insignificant, when you perform this maneuver. If this is the case you can utilize one of the strategies below to take advantage of your opponent’s miscalculation.

Empress Kiova can be utilized as a hit-and-run unit, causing chaos deep within the enemy lines. Utilizing her Stealth Flying she can move from target to target effortlessly, reaching units your other melee units can not reach. The purpose of this tactic is to cause as much damage to as many units as possible. This maneuver works best once the battle lines have been drawn and your opponent has set his plans in motion. Send the Empress in by herself to take out one squad figure at a time. Keep her moving. Target a separate figure six spaces away on every turn. This tactic is most effective if you target a different squad on every turn. Knock the ranged squads of three down to two units. All the while trying to avoid being swarmed. Once you have passed completely through the ranks, send her back. Only target squads, as a single attack is typically more devastating to a squad then a hero, unless your opponent has multiple common squad cards for one unit. This tactic will not only cause some damage to your opponent’s forces, but will also cause a significant disruption in his tactical plans. Depending on how your opponent responds, you can either play this maneuver out to it’s inevitable conclusion or half way through you can follow it up with a direct assault with the Einar Imperium. The Empress will end up taking a lot of damage as she becomes the primary target of your opponents forces. If you are planning a two step assault you will want to do it quickly. Commit two turns to Empress Kiova, position her in the middle of your opponent’s forces, and then switch to the Einar Imperium, or another assault unit.

Finally Empress Kiova can become an unlikely assassin. Unlike most units she has the ability to choose her target on every turn, even while engaged. In the middle of a skirmish she can quickly jump to a strategic target to cause some damage, and possibly eliminate them. Focus on the support heroes like her fellow Kyrie Warriors, Kelda, Raelin, and Taelord. Even heroes that have already taken some damage make good targets. The minimum this tactic will accomplish is to force your opponent to change his focus. If you inadvertently choose the wrong target, and she does not cause any damage, utilize her Stealth Flying to get her out of there.

Optional Strategy

Hit-and-Run Decoy
This is an optional alternative to the hit-and-run tactic discussed above. This is the tactic that utilizes Empress Kiova to dodge through your enemies forces causing as much damage as possible. Instead of continuing this maneuvering until the Empress falls, only make one pass through your opponents army. Hit two or three squad figures during this pass, and then position her on the opposite side of your opponents forces. Use her as a decoy to split your enemies forces. He will have to commit some units to make sure that the Empress does not make another pass through. While he is doing this send in your assault troops into the middle of your opponents army and wipe them out.

Unit Maneuvering Example 1: “Imperium Flank”
If you are fielding Empress Kiova with the Einar Imperium the Empress will be a primary target for your opponent. Use this to your advantage. This team makes a good flanking unit. They are fairly maneuverable and can be a deadly force. If you perform a wide flanking maneuver with the Empress and the Einar Imperium it will force your opponent to respond in kind. Your opponent will have to commit some forces to his flank. Typically it will be a ranged squad. His goal will be to eliminate the Einar Imperium as quickly as possible. The Einar Imperium can engage most ranged squads once they are in range to be attacked. The exception would be a Laglor or Deathwalker 9000 boosted squad. In any case with Empress Kiova within five spaces and a height advantage the Einar Imperum should be able to fend off one round of ranged attacks with no problem. The purpose of performing the wide flanking maneuver was to get your opponent to send a ranged squad out on their own with no support. After your enemy performs the first attack send your Einar Imperium to eliminate the ranged squad. They should be able to eliminate a squad of three or four units with little problem. The following turn you need to send Empress Kiova up to regain the advantages of the Gift of the Empress Aura or withdraw the Einar Imperium back to safer ground.

If your opponent mistakenly sends melee units after you the Einar Imperium will more then likely get the first attack. If you are confident that the Einar Imperium can eliminate the melee figures send them in, otherwise send in some ranged units as back-up.

Unit Maneuvering Example 2: “Front-line Decoy”
This maneuver can be a little risky. You will need he Einar Imperium in your army and it would also be beneficial if you had Raelin. This maneuver works best against opponents that are fielding a bunch of melee squad units along with support units like Raelin, Taelord, or Marcus Decimus. You will set up the Einar Imperium as your front rank of melee units. Supported by Empress Kiova and possibly Raelin the Einar Imperium should be able to withstand one round of melee attacks if needed. The Einar Imperium are typically one of the primary targets on the board. So your opponent will send what he can against them, hopefully along with the best support units he has. Once engaged or close to engagement activate the Einar Imperium. The best scenario is that you would have multiple targets to choose from. Either stand your ground and slice through your opponent’s melee squads, or utilize your Stealth Flying and perform a surgical strike against one of your opponent’s key support figures. If your opponent did not bring out any key hero units you need to make a decision based on his turn marker placement. If he is focusing all of his markers on his frontal melee assault you may want to consider flying the Einar Imperium across the board to take out any hero figure that will not be activated this round. You will need to have established a second line of melee units to protect your support units. The Einar Imperium can cut their way through your enemies units until they reach the primary target. This can be a devastating attack if your opponent was holding back a major unit for clean up.

For additional information and strategies for the Einar Imperium please see the Einar Imperium Unit Strategy Review.

Units to Avoid:
Gladiatrons/ Major X17: Cyberclaw completely negates Empress Kiova’s Stealth Flying ability. Empress Kiova should avoid engagement with a large number of these unit, as they are typically followed by four boosted attacks from the Blastatrons. If Empress Kiova becomes engaged with the Gladiatrons, send in the Einar Imperium immediately to clear the area.

Samurai: Empress Kiova’s average Attack of 3 is not high enough to penetrate the defense of most Samurai units. This will leave her susceptible to Counter Strike. Samurai are also a bane to the Einar Imperium. There Counter Strike completely negates the Gift of the Empress Aura. The Einar Imperium’s Double Attack gives the Samurai Counter Strike two chances to succeed.




For additional information see the Book of Empress Kiova

[Zombie Hoard]

Thanks! Now I can own my freind!

[nerdyninja]

hmmm. I think I'll use her this sunday

[Taeblewalker]

These are the highest compliments you can pay us, when these guides inspire you to take another look at a unit you haven't used in a while or have been using less effectively. Thanks!

[ThrasherDarkrai]

Originally Posted by Taeblewalker

These are the highest compliments you can pay us, when these guides inspire you to take another look at a unit you haven't used in a while or have been using less effectively. Thanks!

Funny that your first post of the day is in a Strategy Forum thread. :P
I agree with Taeblewalker here. This is a nice strategy guide, and is one of the few Dund/DW7K like Unit Strategy Reviews that actually want to make me try out the unit again!