The Tactical Squad

A Newbie’s Outlook on Conquest, Warhammer 40K and Wine - Alex Bosch will talk about decks, trends and various topics that strike his fancy while deep into several glasses of wine.  A guest article from Alex Preston-Bosch. I sit at the table filled with dread.  The inevitability of my demise swells inside as I place my warlord on the table. My opponent gives me a look of pity and surprise that has become far too familiar in these past few months. This is the opening scene of any game when playing our infamous Dark Eldar warlord, Urien Rakarth. Now, I will be the first to admit that my confidence in poor Urien isn’t high enough to bring him to a tournament quite yet, but lately I have been turning those looks of pity into disgruntled sighs as I send volley after volley of ranged damage raining down onto the enemy units across the table. So here is how I learned to love Urien again, by accepting what he was and not trying to make him anything he wasn’t.

Urien, in his natural state, is an event warlord, pure and simple.  You gotta play by his rules or he will make your life miserable and that means Torture events and ONLY Torture events. But that’s not such a bad thing.  There are many Torture events that are quite good, particularly if you’re lucky enough to get Urien’s signature attachment, the Ichor Gauntlet, which can be devastating if your opponent is investing in expensive units. That being said, we all know events can only go so far and that’s where our old friends Baleful Mandrake and  Altansar Rangers come in. It’s hard argue against the fact that Ranged is one of the more powerful keywords in Conquest right now. Being able to destroy your opponent’s units before they can even take a swing at you is a beautiful thing. The issue being that there are few units besides those two that are worth their cost. With only six Ranged units you’re most likely only going to take out one to two units before your opponent comes in and smashes your frail space elves to pieces.  And since Torture events are so valuable it’s never fun to use them as shields when you could be causing your opponent misery. Enter Hypex Injector.  At 0 cost it’s return on investment is amazing considering just how many cheap Torture events you have at your disposal. Throw this baby on one of your Ranged units and you can ready it every time you use one of your T__orture events - Urien’s signature event, at 0 resources, is always a fine choice - and enjoy pinging your enemies with Ranged attacks for days. Besides that, it’s a simple game of making sure you have plenty Torture events to play, and that means winning command. While resources are great, it’s cards that really matter with Urien.  More cards equals more cheap events you have to play equals fewer options your opponent has. Urien has to be played surgically, so it’s not about winning every battle.  Just the ones that matter.  So don’t try to win every planet; you most likely will not have enough Ranged units to spread around. While Warlock Destructor can hold it’s own in a fight, if you try to win planets you don’t need, you might regret that investment later. So focus your combat units on the planets that mean victory for yourself (or your opponent) and spread out your command units to win you those precious cards you need while Urien command snipes. He isn’t that great in a fight and he rarely has to be at a planet for his events to have an effect on the game.  Once he is bloodied the deck becomes an uphill battle.

I personally have done quite well with this deck. I have played it for a month and have won about 60% of my games. Swarm decks, unsurprisingly, are the hardest to deal with.  So limiting your opponent’s command is very important. I have tried swapping in some Biel-tan Warp Spiders but ended up removing them in favor of the new Prophetic Farseer from Decree of Ruin. Getting rid of shields means less T__orture events have to be used to kill off units.  Plus, getting to pick what your opponent draws next is both informative and can limit their choices, which you should never turn your nose up at. While the new Dark Eldar _Location _Holding Cell is nice, I find it hard to find a place in the deck at the moment, but it may make a cameo in the future. Obviously, I think the key thing this deck needs is an additional 2 shield Torture event to replace Suffering, which is mainly there for the shields - though but it can trigger Twisted Wracks in a pinch.  So here’s hoping FFG will give us a new option in the future. Below is the deck list that I have been playing with and while making it I had a glass of Mcmanis Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, it was strong, sweet and a little bit of a bite - just like my man, Urien.

Urien Rakarth

[table width=“250px”] Army Unit (26)[attr colspan=“2”] 2x Twisted Wracks 3x Baleful Mandrake 3x Altansar Rangers 3x Incubus Warrior 3x Prophetic Farseer 3x Rogue Trader 3x Warlock Destructor 3x Void Pirate 3x Sslyth Mercenary [/table] [table width=“250px”] Support (1)[attr colspan=“2”] 1x Urien’s Oubliette [/table]

[table width=“250px”] Attachment (10)[attr colspan=“2”] 1x Ichor Gauntlet 3x Hypex Injector 3x Suffering 3x Promotion [/table] [table width=“250px”] Event (13)[attr colspan=“2”] 4x Rakarth’s Experimentations 3x Power from Pain 3x Searing Brand 3x Visions of Agony [/table]

Now you might be thinking, okay, I not including Archon’s Terror. That’s more expensive now so it isn’t really as powerful as it is in other Dark Eldar decks.  Not that 3 cost out of the question, since you’re also triggering a Hypex. And maybe you’re right.  Feel free to swap it for Suffering or even the Promotion if you’re finding you just don’t need them. The real sin is no Klaivex Warleader? Madness! I would tend to agree if it wasn’t for that dang 4 cost. In a pitched battle, if I am planning on using several events, even at their reduced cost I find putting 4 resources into clearing a single unit quite expensive where another 3 damage from a Mandrake might do. That’s just my opinion though, so perhaps you’d rather swap a couple in instead of having the Prophetic Farseer.  If so, I say give it a shot and drop me a line so I know how it played for you! And that’s about it, let me know what you think of this deck, and what you would like to see to make Urien “da bomb”. Cheers.

Its been a while now since the Warlord cycle ended and, while it has taken me a bit longer than intended, there is still a lot to be gained from going back to take another look at those War Packs. I think that, for the Tactical Squad, The Threat Beyond may have been one of the most anticipated War Packs at the time it was originally released. Astra Militarum had mostly been floundering since the Core Set and the pack seemed to include great cards for many factions. With the Warlord cycle in full swing, I think the impact was taken very much in stride. Looking back now this may have been the biggest release of the cycle. But enough build up; let’s talk cards.

Astra Militarum

I don’t think anyone anticipated this War Pack more than fans of the Astra Militarum. Colonel Straken was largely a let down and Torquemada Coteaz was an opportunity to start fresh.

Coteaz himself is a very unique and powerful warlord.  The combination of his stats and ability proved to be one of the most efficient setups of any warlords we’ve seen so far. Starting with eight cards and eight resources opens up the possibility of much more powerful and efficient first turn plays. One card and one resource may not seem like much but it really does make a world of difference and makes him the go to for AM combo heavy decks. Even with all the upsides Coteaz suffers from a base ATK of 0 and the need sacrifice unit to be able to contribute to a fight. Attacking for 3 is very powerful and provides tremendous assassination potential. Requiring a unit to sacrifice to have an ATK of 3 means that this warlord will be left high and dry if he doesn’t have support and that his staying power is minimal. Support comes in many forms for the inquisitor. His signature army, Coteaz’s Henchmen, is the exactly the support needed. Though the unit lacks hitting power they have a great combo power. If, in a turn, Coteaz and a henchman or two are the target of a Preemptive Barrage you will be able to make four to five ranged attacks from the units affected. Because of this, a single henchman at a planet can make an opponent very cautious.

As you can imagine a Coteaz deck will require that a lot of units be sacrificed over the course of a game. The Emperor Protects means that units that are sacrificed can still factor in to the longer term. Beyond this use the card is only a single shield, making it harder to make use of often. Next up, the signature squad includes one of the most interesting signature attachments in the game. The Glovodan Eagle is a suprisingly versatile piece of gear. For the first couple of weeks after release one local Toronto player managed to repeatedly surprise just about everyone with some of the combos she achieved. Finally, we round things out with the signature support, Formosan Black Ship. A great utility for an even greater value, this support giving the signature squad the staying power needed to swing the tide of a battle. All told, Torquemada Coteaz and his signature squad are one of the most powerful in the game. Unfortunately the inquisitor is also one of the most difficult warlords in the game to use.

Space Marines

The Threat Beyond isn’t a particularly important War Pack for Space Marines but it did bring three very interesting new options to the table. Possibly the best option provided is the Firedrake Terminators. This Elite unit may be one of the best in the game, having good command and ATK, decent HP, and an excellent ability. As Elite units are given more support the Firedrakes’ stock will only grow, especially if swarm continues to be prominent in the meta. Marines also get two other decent cards, the Imperial Fists Siege Force and the Nocturne-Ultima Storm Bolter. Both of these cards have interesting abilities but may have limited use at this point. The storm bolter is too expensive for what it offers, though a 2-shield card that can be tutored via Earth Caste Technician is still useful. The siege force on the other hand is a good value but has limited scope. As the game sees more Ally cards released the siege force will improve in value and the Planetfall cycle seems like it will provide the opportunity. (Editor’s Note: There have already been 3 new Ally units introduced in the first 2 packs of Planetfall)

Orks

This War Pack was a big release for Orks, and by extension AM and Chaos, because of the two very powerful common units provided. The first of the units, the Snakebite Thug is another in the series of efficiently costed units with a drawback. Fortunately for the git the draw back is a minor one at worst and in some cases can even be a boon. Combo the fact that this unit is a Warrior and that it can be used with Staging Ground the utility is too much to ignore. The second unit, the Evil Sunz Warbiker, is the Ork faction “Warlord Groupie”. As one of the 2 cost groupies it is a great value, especially due to the combo potential with Staging Grounds. Finally Orks also get the unique support Mork’s Great Heap. Because this support is so expensive and you can only have one in play at a time it can be a difficult include. Though it does seem that many Ork players do find a single copy to be a worthwhile include for its occasional appearance.

Chaos

Chaos get the veggies of this War Pack. The cards included aren’t flashy or exciting but generally they are good to have available. The Noise Marine Zealots perhaps exemplify this the most. The Zealots help fill in the 3 cost slot in the faction’s curve, something Chaos needed more than many people realized. And in Zarathur they are a prime target for Infernal Gateway, raising a threat that players need to be constantly conscious of. The other cards given to Chaos have a lot of potential for growth. Turbulent Rift has a great ability but suffers from the need to use Elites. As support for the trait expands though the value of this card will increase. Cacophonic Choir on the other hand has good utility in the swarm heavy meta but doesn’t quite seem to fit in any of the warlords released to date.

Dark Eldar

For once in the Warlord cycle Dark Eldar get almost nothing in the War Pack. Kabalite Halfborn, Slake the Thirst, and Shadow Field are all decent cards with some possible uses but to date have limited reason to go in a deck.

Eldar

For Eldar utility is the name of the game in The Threat Beyond. Mighty Wraithknight is a very powerful combat unit with an interesting ability. The exhaustion does hit your own units but if played correctly it can be easy to work around. Maybe you opponent has a lot of Ranged or the majority of your combat forces are in HQ, this effect will help balance that battle. Next Seer’s Exodus, an unassuming card, brings a new powerful trick to the table. I think a couple copies of this card is a great choice to include in any decks using Eldar cards. Seer’s Exodus provids a way to get out of bad situations you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. An excellent counter to Aun’shi and other assassination warlords, it leats you play riskier than you normally would be able to. Finally the children of Isha get Slumbering Gardens. Right now this card has next to no use. Maybe in the future we will see a reason to play it.

Tau

Closing out the War Pack as always are the Tau. First they get the Fire Warrior Grenadiers. This unit is ok for its cost but it lack of printed command hurts. If the Ethereal units available continue to expand, especially 2 or 3 cost options, this unit may become more popular, but until that time they will likely rarely see use. Finally the very last card in the War Pack is maybe the most talked about. Ksi’m’yen Orbital City is a super powerful card that really completes the Aun’shi deck. The Orbital City takes all the downsides of the Ethereal trait units and turns it into a great advantage.

Conclusion

As the first cycle of Conquest wrapped up this War Pack helped bring the game’s initial development to a close. I think it was The Threat Beyond that really helped cement many developing themes. This War Pack will be a staple for quite a while.

Boundless Hate arrived on the shelves of your friendly local gaming store just a couple of weeks ago. As we all start altering our decks or throwing together all new ones with the two included warlords, the next War Pack Deadly Salvage is already on the horizon. Fantasy Flight Games was kind enough to provide The Tactical Squad with some spoilers from that very pack. We thought we would try a different format for this spoiler article, so let’s sit in as Alex and Jon discuss the three Tau cards from Deadly Salvage. Jon Yeo: Boom, first card…

JY: So apparently Mont’ka is one of the two primary Tau combat tactics, the other being Kauyon Strike. Alex Cybulski: Yeah, Liz said something about this being the “ambush tactic,” and Kauyon being something about air superiority. AC: If you ask me they are both pretty damn big surprises. AC: WE BROKE UR TANK. JY: Actually, Kauyon is the ambush, this is more the patient strategic strike. AC: It’s getting so I need a damn interpreter for Tau culture.  Anyways, little blue men jump up and say SURPRISE. JY: Haha. Enough fluff though. This card is pretty interesting, it provides a first strike attack, which can happen even before ranged. AC: Pretty great with Space Marines or Traitorous AM. JY: Yeah, you were running a Commander Shadowsun deck with mostly Space Marines in it weren’t you. Are you planning to throw this in? AC: Anything with Soldiers is going to get a nice little alpha strike. People might be down on this because of no attachments or groupie modifiers. But something like Standard Bearer from the Necron Deluxe Box or For The Tau’va and you’ll have tons to attack with. JY:  Yeah, there are some limitations with it and I think that makes it a little more situational than Kauyon Strike.  Plus the fact you have no choice and all soldier units get exhausted might cause some timing issues as well. AC: Still, ambush cards that make the Tau outside Aun’shi more ambush-y is welcome IMHO. JY: Yep, it does do some interesting things in Aun’shi, by keeping Ethereal units around. Overall, decent card, one or two of in a deck maybe, especially with Shadowsun or Commander Starblaze. JY: Next card in the pack is a unit, and a big one at that.

AC: This guy has the best stereo system of the Tau spheres. JY: Haha. Another suit Tau unit that loves his attachments. Although, I don’t think his ability works with Shadowsun’s Stealth Cadre or Gun Drones though. (Editor’s Note: Alas, it does not.) AC: Ugh, he is great Even The Odds fodder though. Deploy him, dig deep. Then ETO one of his attachments onto a friendly and swing for MASSIVE CRAB DAMAGE. JY: Yeah, I think pretty much any combination of Tau attachments on him is pretty good. AC: This is only going to get better with more attachments. But, he’s a 6/5 with Auxiliary Armor and and he’s got 2 command icons for 5 cost. Pretty good, all told. JY: The shuffle mechanic is a nice bonus as well if you whiff on your Earth Caste Technicians. AC: Or end up burying your signature support. Among which Tau have the best. JY: I know the feeling. What would your ideal combination of attachments be? AC:  Ground effects and thick rims. JY: Haha.  I’m not sure if the _Ethereal_s will allow Xzibit near this thing. AC:  

JY: Haha. I think the best combination of attachments would be two Auxiliary Armor for a 8/6 for 5 cost. AC: Last card?

JY: I think this is mainly for Commander Starblaze, but this works great in the Commander Shadowsun deck you are running, Alex. Are you sure you can’t somehow see the future and were planning ahead. AC: Hopefully prophetic visions would have helped my W/L ratio lately. This obviously plays well with Starblaze and maybe Shadowsun, but clearly no love for our little monk Aun’shi. JY: Not sure if Aun’shi needs any more support love. I feel like this should have been the original cost reducers from the core. If those cost reducers were -2, I think we would see more of them. AC: I think the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Fugliest, most boring art evaaar tho. JY: Yeah, I agree, although most of the cost reducer art is so-so. JY: Oh man, I am just thinking of all the money that Starblaze can save. Assault Valkyries for 2 are so dreamy. AC: Yeah, like all cost reducers, just a risky proposition. JY: I think the -2 is worth the risk though in this case, especially with his signature support, you can get a discount than swap it out for the fully costed tau unit. AC: Tau’s economy game is getting very very real. JY: Yeah, I really want to build that Shadowsun/SM deck. Alex, you have inspired me. AC: That’s why I’m such a trendsetter. Alright, Jon, it’s been fun! JY: It has been. We should do this again some time, Alex!   We would like to thank Fantasy Flight Games for letting us share these spoilers with you. So, what do you guys think of the new Tau cards, how well do they serve “The Greater Good”? Let us know in the comments. Also, let us know if you liked the format. We look forward to hearing from you.

In this episode of the Tactical Squad, Alex, Jon, Liz, and Travis reviews the contents of the latest Planetfall War Pack Boundless Hate, and bring a few spoilers from the upcoming Deadly Salvage.

This week’s episode is brought to you by Face to Face Games

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We’re almost back on schedule.  This week we have the 4th round of the 2015 Canadian National Championship for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, filmed back on September 4, 2015 at Fan Expo in Toronto, Canada.  Jon joins Travis this time and we talk through match between Julien Vasquez, playing Packmaster Kith and our own Travis Provick, playing Packmaster Kith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCQatctiT1c    

When the Wahammer 40,000: Conquest Living Card Game was released in 2014 the core set included 7 playable factions. However, the rulebook stated that there would be a total of 9 playable factions. In 2015 the first of those two additional factions - the Tyranids - was released. In my first article, Buying Guide - The Basics, I talked about the structure of the Living Card Game format and game a general overview of some good starting purchases. In this article I’m going to talk about getting started with the Tyranid faction.

General

Someone who hasn’t seen much of the 40k universe in the past would might think of the movie Starship Troopers the first time they see the Tyranids. The comparison would be apt and one can imagine that Robert Heinlein’s original novel served as inspiration for Games Workshop back in the day.  The Tyranids are a swarm based faction that can combine a press of tiny bodies with the brute force of some enormous units. Mechanically, these space bugs focus on generating and buffing tokens, infesting planets to gain additional benefits, and start out with a unit that acts as a second pseudo-warlord.

Starting out, Tyranids are actually one of the fastest and cheapest way to get into Conquest and be competitive. You can have almost everything you could ask for with just a single core set and the Great Devourer deluxe expansion. The expansion is chock full of Tyranid goodness, including two warlords - each with their signature squad, five synapse units, and a host of army units, events, attachments, and supports. The core set provides you with the rulebook, tokens, planets, and the neutral cards needed to supplement your deck. Because there aren’t many War Packs released to date that include Tyranid cards there isn’t much more to say beyond the recommendations I’ve already made. As more of the Planetfall cycle is released there will be a greater selection and thus more options to choose from.. We’ll revisit this recommendation towards the end of the cycle, so come back and take a look again in a few months.

In this episode of the Tactical Squad, Mark, Alex, and Travis talk about the latest goings on in the world of Conquest and cover some strategy for mulligans! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKYOySQphyE https://www.facebook.com/TheHiveTyrant/ https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/1/13/join-the-2016-regional-elite/ This week’s episode is brought to you by Face to Face Games

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After an embarrassingly long delay, The Tactical Squad is happy to bring you the third round of the 2015 Canadian National Championship for the Warhammer 40,000: Conquest LCG that took place on September 4, 2015 at Fan Expo in Toronto, Canada.  We only have one commentator on the mic this time as Travis breaks down the match between Stephen Kerr, playing Captain Cato Sicarius and John Gobeil, playing Eldorath Starbane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFpRmbE1VtI

The Warhammer 40,000: Conquest Living Card Game by Fantasy Flight Games was released at Gencon in 2014. Since its release the game has seen its card pool grow continuously and the community has developed along with it. While this is exciting, it means that the game may be more daunting and expensive to enter. This buying guide will introduce prospective players to the Living Card Game model, explain what comes in different products, and give suggestions about what products will give players a good selection to get started with.

The LCG Model

For players new to the Living Card Game model created by Fantasy Flight Games the selection of available product can be somewhat confusing. This is the model used for most of their card games, including Android: Netrunner, Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, A Game of Thrones, and more. Product is generally released as set packs of cards with no randomness involved. As a result players collect more like a board game with expansions than a Trading Card Game.  If you know what you are getting in a pack then there is no “chase” and no need for an expensive secondary market.

The base card pool in the Warhammer 40,000: Conquest LCG is available in the Core Set. This box includes enough cards for two players to play a game, all the tokens and components you will need, a Learn to Play Guide, and a Rules Reference Guide. There is only one copy of most of the cards provided in the core set, with a small selection of cards that come with two copies. After owning a core set the most common way to expand your card pool are War Packs. These are packs of 60 cards, most often a warlord and the 8 accompanying cards of their signature squad along with three copies of 17 different cards. These are grouped in cycles of 6 packs that follow a number of shared mechanics or narrative themes, and release one pack at a time over the course of 6 to 8 month

s. Finally, players can also expand their collection with Deluxe Expansions. These are less frequent releases, usually only one or two a year, and include 155 cards along with inserts detailing any new rules and any additional tokens or components you may need for those rules and abilities. At this point it is hard to tell what will be in these but it seems that each will predominantly be cards for a single faction.

How Many Core Sets?

So now that you know how the LCG model works for the Conquest LCG you’re probably wondering what you need to get started. Well, this mostly depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. If you just want a fun game to play casually I would recommend just starting with a single core set. The selection of cards available offers really simple deck building and is enough to sit down and have an enjoyable board game experience with a friend. I would really suggest players start here is they are unsure about collecting the game. It is a great game, but you don’t need every expansion to have a great experience. For a player who is more certain that they want to play this game in a more dedicated manner, I would suggest starting with two core sets. The core set is  excellent to crack open and get started right away, but unfortunately it provides only basic deck building options. If you’ve played other card games then you will know that the more copies of a given card you have in your deck the more consistent your play experience will be. Unfortunately there is only a single copy of most cards in the box, meaning a second core set is required to get creative or begin to compete with players with larger collections. Finally, for someone who is interested in jumping right into competitive play, then 3 core sets is strongly recommended. A lot of the strongest cards in the game come in the core set and for complete deck building options a third box is needed.

After the Core Set

Now that you know how many core sets you are going to get, how can you expand your collection to start building new and interesting decks? Well that depends. Are you interested in playing a certain faction? Do you want a bit of everything? If you are looking for some variety I will give you a few suggestions below, but I would also encourage you to peruse the cards in each pack at ConquestDB or CardGameDB. If you’re interested in a specific faction I would suggest you check out my other articles for each specific faction as they become available on this site.

**_

Decree of Ruin_** (Planetfall cycle)

The first War Pack of the Planetfall cycle, this pack offers a number of new mechanics that add more interest to your game! It includes two versatile and interesting warlords to expand your options and great cards for almost every faction. This pack has the added bonus of a lore insert which is the first installment of a six part story narrating the events of the cycle. This pack is also the latest pack at the time of writing, so it offers the opportunity to enjoy the experience of following along as new packs are released.

_**

Zogworts Curse**_ (Warlord cycle)

This War Pack comes with the Ork warlord Old Zogwort, a strange but straight forward warlord. He is very fun and doesn’t require any cards in particular to work well. You also get three great common Astra Militarum cards that are great for use in Militarum, Space Marines, and Orks. Tau, Chaos, and Dark Eldar also get some staples for use in their respective factions. Review

 _**

The Scourge**_ (Warlord cycle)

The second War Pack of the Conquest LCG’s first cycle of expansions, The Scourge introduced a second Chaos warlord in the way of Ku’gath Plaguefather. This curious warlord opens a whole new playstyle, different anything else we have. Along with the powerful new warlord the War pack includes several key cards for Orks, along with some major options for Astra Militarum, Tau and Dark Eldar. Review

This week on The Tactical Squad podcast, the gang’s all here.  Liz, Alex, Jon, Mark and Travis discuss the recently announced Necron deluxe expansion and what alt art promos they want to see next now that we are all getting a Promotion.  We briefly discuss recommended changes to the round structure in the new Warhammer 40,000: Conquest Tournament Rules and Alex tries to catch us off guard with a surprise Reaction Phase question.

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