It has been around a year since I decided to focus on Winter Guard Kommand and try to actually figure our how it works. I have played basically two different lists. One Stalingrad-style list under Irusk2 and one Gun Carriage based list under Vlad1 (in addition to a few variations of the themes). I think it is about time to evaluated how Winter Guard Kommand has worked, what is good and bad, and what I have learned.
There is nothing more Khador defining than disciplined Winter Guards pushing forward towards the enemy. It is pure human resolve (OK, supported by a few of Khador's finest Warjacks) against all the strange horrors of this world; and lately not of this world.
While it was the lure of the wonderful Khador 'jacks (and Man-O-Wars) that originally drew me into the Khador ranks; it is fair to say that, to a large degree, it is the ranks of lowly Winter Guards that have kept me here. There is something strangely satisfying about placing a bunch of painted Winter Guards on the table. Despite the fantastic Warjacks at our disposal, masses of Winter Guards just looks better than a large number of 'jacks.
I have been playing almost exclusively Winter Guard Kommand for the last year and a half. My second list have been Armored Korps under Sorscha3 (see here for a description of that list). Even though, my daily schedule doesn't allow a lost of games, I have managed somewhere in the vicinity of 50 games with my Winter Guards. I haven't managed to write up all of them. However, most of them has been detailed here at The Greylord Archives.
I originally started with a Stalingrad style list under the command of the Winter Guards best friend: Supreme Kommandant Irusk's (Irusk2) orders. The Winter Guards were led be him through two different iterations of the lists. Later, Irusk was send to care for other duties, and Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Prince's (Vlad1) was put in charge of a very different version of the Winter Guard Kommand. He went through two iterations.
Here follows an attempt to write up my experiences with the Winter Guard Kommand under two different commanders, and two very different lists.
While it was the lure of the wonderful Khador 'jacks (and Man-O-Wars) that originally drew me into the Khador ranks; it is fair to say that, to a large degree, it is the ranks of lowly Winter Guards that have kept me here. There is something strangely satisfying about placing a bunch of painted Winter Guards on the table. Despite the fantastic Warjacks at our disposal, masses of Winter Guards just looks better than a large number of 'jacks.
I have been playing almost exclusively Winter Guard Kommand for the last year and a half. My second list have been Armored Korps under Sorscha3 (see here for a description of that list). Even though, my daily schedule doesn't allow a lost of games, I have managed somewhere in the vicinity of 50 games with my Winter Guards. I haven't managed to write up all of them. However, most of them has been detailed here at The Greylord Archives.
I originally started with a Stalingrad style list under the command of the Winter Guards best friend: Supreme Kommandant Irusk's (Irusk2) orders. The Winter Guards were led be him through two different iterations of the lists. Later, Irusk was send to care for other duties, and Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Prince's (Vlad1) was put in charge of a very different version of the Winter Guard Kommand. He went through two iterations.
Here follows an attempt to write up my experiences with the Winter Guard Kommand under two different commanders, and two very different lists.
Winter Guards under Irusk2
Irusk not only helps Winter Guards staying alive, he also has a few tricks up his flag to make them more dangerous. Fire for Effect really helps artillery, and Battle Lust combined with Kovnik Joe's Bear Strength turns a Winter Guard into a P+S 12 Weapon Master. This is equivalent to our Doom Reavers! There is nothing more satisfying than having a unit of Winter Guards charge through a forest (thanks to Irusk's feat) and kill a colossal or gargantuan (see an Archangel go down here).
Finally, he has a really big flag. Who doesn't want to follow a really big flag?
Army composition
Irusk has been in command of two different armies. The first one was a proper Stalingrad list, where he used as many Winter Guards as he could find (for a thorough discussion of the list, see here). The main idea was to have enough Winter Guards to outlive the opponent; a Marauder for dealing with huge bases; possibly in cooperation with Battle Lust'ed Winter Guards; and a Spriggan for long range charges and dealing with clouds. The Lady and his boyfriend were there to hand out magical attacks. The complete list can be seen to the left below.
| Khador Army - 74 / 75 points [Theme] Winter Guard Kommand [Irusk 2] Supreme Kommandant Irusk [+27] - Marauder [11] - Spriggan [17] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [4] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [3] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [0(5)] Winter Guard Infantry (max) [10] - Winter Guard Infantry Officer & Standard [4]. - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (max) [13] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (max) [13] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Lady Aiyana & Master Holt [8] Also at conflict chamber. | Khador Army - 75 / 75 points [Theme] Winter Guard Kommand [Irusk 2] Supreme Kommandant Irusk [+27] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] - Greylord Adjunct [4] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [4] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [3] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [0(5)] Winter Guard Infantry (max) [10] - Winter Guard Infantry Officer & Standard [4] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (max) [13] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (max) [13] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Also a conflict chamber. |
The second attempt at the list did some changes (for a more detailed discussion, see here). First of all, Lady Aiyana and friend simply did not do anything. At 8 points, they are far too expensive compared to what they do. Also, in the mean time the fantastic Greylord Adjunct had appeared. He solves a lot of Irusk problems. Most importantly, he upkeeps a spell for free and can also handle clouds far better than the Spriggan. Speaking of the Spriggan, this is another example of something too expensive; at least in this list. So it also went away, and in came the fabulous Triple Marauder Goodness. Marauders are a dream when it comes to huge bases, of which there are so many; and combined with the Field Guns there are now so many knockdown possibilities; something which the Winter Guards and Mortar love. The full list is detailed to the right above. The picture below depicts the complete army in its second edition.
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| Irusk and his stoic Winter Guards (2nd edition) |
Battles
The main plan behind Irusk's battles were to throw him at everything an anything to figure our what works. The table below summarises the battles and their results (some of them also has links to their battle reports). It is quite clear that Irusk did not have a lot of success. Out of 15 battles, he only managed to win four of them.
Let's look at the ones he won. He beat Mackay1 and her Crucible Guards; Absylonia and he Legion of Everblight; Makeda and her Skorne; and Morghoul and his Skorne (the latter actually doesn't count, as Irusk won on a technical error by Morghoul's handler, who forgot that Morghoul is a Weapon Master). So besides Irusk apparently being able to only beat women, why did he win?
Mackay1 is, herself a huge-base and here she also brought another huge-base, the Railless Interceptor (battle report here). The main reason that Irusk was victorious here was the fact that Mackay is a huge-base. She got scared of the Marauders (and rightly so), attempted to avoid them, but finally succumbed to them. In only three rounds, she was killed by the biggest strength in Irusk's list. The rest of his army was more or less decimated.
More or less, the same story can be told for the match agains Absylonia (battle report here). She brought an impressive three huge-bases. The game was, more or less about keeping them occupied by feeding Winter Guards to them, and then hitting them with Marauders and overcharged Winter Guards (Irusk's Battle Lust and Joe's Bear Strength). That did the trick.
Finally, the battle against Makeda is probably the odd one out (for battle report, see here). She did bring a single huge-base, which also spend most of the time being scared and not joining the battle. Irusk won on the clock after an assassination attempt on him failed. I think this was kind of deliberate (not surviving the assassination) as at this point Irusk could play his Winter Guards pretty fast, and the opponent had a lot of Immortals to move around. Nevertheless, lady luck smiled at Irusk.
In general, the three wins were won on the ability to kill huge-bases and keeping them sufficiently safe to actually make it into battle. This typically involves a lot of dead Winter Guards. This is a valid strategy, leaning of survivable Winter Guards to get the Marauders to finish the show.
Let's look at the many losses. We can divide them into two different groups: The winnable (Mackay, Siege and Harbringer), and the un-winnable (Iona, Ossrum, Goreshade, Syvestro and Reclaimer.
Let's look at the ones he won. He beat Mackay1 and her Crucible Guards; Absylonia and he Legion of Everblight; Makeda and her Skorne; and Morghoul and his Skorne (the latter actually doesn't count, as Irusk won on a technical error by Morghoul's handler, who forgot that Morghoul is a Weapon Master). So besides Irusk apparently being able to only beat women, why did he win?
Mackay1 is, herself a huge-base and here she also brought another huge-base, the Railless Interceptor (battle report here). The main reason that Irusk was victorious here was the fact that Mackay is a huge-base. She got scared of the Marauders (and rightly so), attempted to avoid them, but finally succumbed to them. In only three rounds, she was killed by the biggest strength in Irusk's list. The rest of his army was more or less decimated.
More or less, the same story can be told for the match agains Absylonia (battle report here). She brought an impressive three huge-bases. The game was, more or less about keeping them occupied by feeding Winter Guards to them, and then hitting them with Marauders and overcharged Winter Guards (Irusk's Battle Lust and Joe's Bear Strength). That did the trick.
Finally, the battle against Makeda is probably the odd one out (for battle report, see here). She did bring a single huge-base, which also spend most of the time being scared and not joining the battle. Irusk won on the clock after an assassination attempt on him failed. I think this was kind of deliberate (not surviving the assassination) as at this point Irusk could play his Winter Guards pretty fast, and the opponent had a lot of Immortals to move around. Nevertheless, lady luck smiled at Irusk.
In general, the three wins were won on the ability to kill huge-bases and keeping them sufficiently safe to actually make it into battle. This typically involves a lot of dead Winter Guards. This is a valid strategy, leaning of survivable Winter Guards to get the Marauders to finish the show.
Let's look at the many losses. We can divide them into two different groups: The winnable (Mackay, Siege and Harbringer), and the un-winnable (Iona, Ossrum, Goreshade, Syvestro and Reclaimer.
The winnable should obviously have been won. However, the gods do not always favour the bold. The match against Mackay1was actually progression quite ok (battle report here). However, I played too slow and managed to clock myself. The next two games were using the old list with only one Marauder and a Spriggan. The first was against Siege2 and his Gravediggers (battle report here). This one was touch and go; at least until a used some Rifle Corps as charges instead of shooters. I think I lost this because of poor planning. Finally, Harbinger, which is a match up that should be manageable (battle report here). This was another example where I was too slow. Irusk was, more or less in control, but I spend far too much time and ended loosing on the clock. So, to sum up two of them were lost on being too slow, and the last one on basically just not playing good enough.
Most of the un-winnable were known before the games began. However, on purpose Irusk was pitched against anything and everything. It is a good way of learning a list's weaknesses and its possibilities. To begin with was Ioan and her Tharn (battle report here). Irusk simply haven't got the tools to deal with tough, healing, no knockdown, unit surfing Tharn Ravagers. Next up were Ossrum and his bunch of bunnies (battle report here). This is one of those match-ups where I haven't got a clue. I have also tried Armored Corps under Sorscha3 against such a list. Yet, I always come up short. Those bunnies are either spraying the pants of my troops or shooting them to smithereens. The are really fast as well. I'm clueless. Goreshade4 is one of those that potentially could have gone both ways (battle report here). I basically just lost to a better player. More speed would have been nice here. Syvenstro is actually Winter Guard unfriendly, in particular when they are supported by Irusk. Crucible Guards have all sorts of sprays and clouds that removes the thing that keeps Winter Guards alive. This was also under the old list, where there are not enough Marauders to be a threat. Finally, the Reclaimer with his handfull of faith on the Judicator (battle report here). Nothing here to see, move along.
All in all, most of the un-winnable are just that with the Irusk list. In particular with the first list, where the Spriggan simply did not pay off; and there weren't enough Marauders. With the amount og huge-base around, a single Marauder is too easy to neutralise. Also, despite Irusk keeping his troops alive. Their threat ranges (for charging) are too short to keep the enemy honest.
| Faction | Warcaster/Warlock | Theme | Result | Battle report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | Iona1 | The Devourer's Host | Lost | Report |
| Crucible Guards | Syvestro1 | Magnum Opus | Lost | Report |
| Mackay1 | Prima Materia | Won | Report | |
| Mackay1 | Prima Materia | Lost | Report | |
| Cygnar | Siege2 | Gravediggers | Lost | Report |
| Legion | Absylonia1 | Oracles of Annihilation | Won | Report |
| Mercenaries | Ossrum1 | The Irregulars | Lost | Report |
| Minions | Maelok1 | Blindwater Congregation | Lost | - - - - |
| Protectorate | Reclaimer1 | Exemplar Interdiction | Lost | Report |
| Reclaimer1 | Exemplar Interdiction | Lost | - - - - | |
| Harbinger1 | Faithful Masses | Lost | Report | |
| Retribution | Goreshade4 | Legions of Dawn | Lost | Report |
| Skorne | Makeda3 | The Exalted | Won | Report |
| Morghoul2 | The Exalted | Won | - - - - | |
| Xekaar1 | Winds of Death | Lost | - - - - | |
| Won-lost | 4-11 |
Conclusion
Irusk clearly has a few thing going for him. First of all, he excels in keeping Winter Guards alive. Thus, begin able to deliver the 'jacks to the enemy. There is also the surprise move of Winter Guards killing colossal when under Battle Lust and Joe's Bear Strength. However, there are far too many things out there that can kill Winter Guards, and Khador 'jacks without a speed buff simply doesn't cut it. Speaking of 'jacks. It is clear, that with all the huge bases out there, triple Marauder is a thing. The original combination of a single Marauder and a Spriggan doesn't work. Backup is important. From now on I will only run 'jacks in, at least pairs (not character 'jacks obviously). There is also an issue with low MAT/RAT and general damage output.
All of these issues led mw to the second version of the Winter Guard Kommand list with: Vlad1, triple Marauders, double Gun Carriage and Winter Guards.
All of these issues led mw to the second version of the Winter Guard Kommand list with: Vlad1, triple Marauders, double Gun Carriage and Winter Guards.
Winter Guards under Vlad1
In addition to the MAT/RAT fixer, Vlad brings two other important things that Irusk could not help with. Namely, Boundless Charge and most importantly his feat, which doubles the base speed of his Warjacks. This is huge for a Khador 'jack. A Marauder can now threaten things a mighty 14" away under both feat and Boundless Charge. Normally, only 12" as Vlad tends to be focus strapped. Yet, 12" threat range really keeps opponents, and in particular huge-bases honest.
Army composition
Vlad took up the torch where Irusk left it, and was also in charge of two different versions of the Winter Guard Kommand. The first one was pre-Oblivion and before the proper introduction of the Greylord Adjunct. The main idea was to deal with some of the limitations found when playing Irusk.
It, obviously contained the famous and feared "Triple Marauder". Nothing beats the backup to the backup. They are primarily there to keep huge-bases under control. I don't think I can praise this setup enough. It simply works. Two Marauders can take out any huge-base in the game; and with a bit of finesse they can do so from 14" away. When not killing huge-bases they are good at knocking stuff down for the Rocketeers to rain rockets on. Speaking of knocking down, the two Field Guns and the two Gun Carriages are also pretty good at this. There is no end to the number of knockdowns this list can produce.
The first list also contained a single Artillery Kapitan and a Mortar. They are best friends forever, since the Mortar couldn't hit itself if it tried. Aimning, a Kapitan and in a pinch Joe actually enables it to hit. Of course everything under Signs & Portens makes for a happy group of Winter Guards. The full list can be seen to the left below.
| Khador Army - 74 / 75 points [Theme] Winter Guard Kommand [Vladimir 1] Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Prince [+28] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [4] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [3] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [0(4)] Winter Guard Mortar Crew [0(5)] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (min) [8] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (min) [8] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Gun Carriage [17] Winter Guard Gun Carriage [17] Also at conflict chamber. | Khador Army - 75 / 75 points [Theme] Winter Guard Kommand [Vladimir 1] Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Prince [+28] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] - Marauder [11] - Greylord Adjunct [0(4)] Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [0(4)] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [0(3)] Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan [0(3)] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Field Gun Crew [4] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (min) [8] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Rifle Corps (min) [8] - Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6] Winter Guard Gun Carriage [17] Winter Guard Gun Carriage [17] Also a conflict chamber. |
With the arrival of Oblivion and changes to the Themes a few minor adjustments were made to the list. I my opinion, the Mortar simply did not perform. The theme allows for two Kapitans to be taken as a requisition choice. So, two are now in the list. I personally think that they are among the most underrated models. They offer Fire and Displace to the Field Guns, allowing them to aim and move; they offer +2 RAT to the first cannon on a Gun Carriage (and re-roll scatter); and they are very cheap scoring or contesting pieces. At two for the price of none, they are the best choice a requisition.
Removing the Mortar and adding a Kapitan also made room for the Adjunct. Another brilliant piece, which really does a lot to the list. He gives +2 range to Vlad's spells, which is actually huge for Boundless Charge; He offers Guidance for Eyeless sight and Magical damage, which is really good typically on a Field Gun; Also an extra cloud is always nice; Finally, his spray often comes in handy in the late game. The full list is detailed above to the right.
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| Vlad and his valiant Winter Guards (1st edition) |
Battles
The plan for Vlad was to a large degree the same as the one for Irusk: throw him at everything and anything. This is simply the best way to learn the strengths and weaknesses. The long term goal was to figure out what the list is good against, and what it is bad against. This can then form the basis for a good paring.
It is clear that Vlad was much more successful than Irusk. Of the 22 battles I have been keeping track of, he won half! He should have won more, but was sometimes let down by the man behind the line (that's me, in case you were wondering).
Let's look at the impressive list of the games he won: He easily beat Orion1 and its Convergence of Cyriss; he beat Gearhart1 and his Crucible Guards twice (he should also have won the last match); He beat both Siege1 and Sloan1 running Cygnar; he beat Butcher3 twice and Irusk2 once (just demonstrating that he is better); He beat Harbinger1 and her Protectorate twice (and lost once); and finally, Gorshade4 and the crazy elves once (and lost twice).
Convergence is a bit peculiar with their weird focus manipulation. It turned out to be a surprisingly easy match (battle report here). There wasn't a lot to be learned from this match, except for Joe demonstrating how to kill a huge-base, and perhaps the joy of Blood Boon.
I still don't like Crucible Guards, despite now getting the hang of them. Gearhart1 is, more or less the standard 'caster I see across the table. Vlad manage to fight him thrice and emerge victorious twice. The first game saw the joy of the Triple Marauder living up to the idea of a backup to the backup (battle report here). Also, the two Gun Carriages really did solve a lot of infantry-related issues. The second game, which unfortunately haven't got a battle report, did go more or less the same. The Gun Carriages doing crowd control, and the Winter Guards being killed to bring the Marauders to their targets. Finally, the third game was one of those that should have been won (battle report here). Vlad was in control for most of the game. However, he was let down by me when I got overly greedy trying to kill stuff instead of thinking. This was one of those examples where a toe in a zone is better than a dead enemy trooper.
Cygnar is Cygnar. A lot of blue guys running around claiming running away from the fray is a "tactical retreat". Vlad managed to beat Siege1 and his Heavy Metal (battle report here). Siege brought two huge-bases, so party time for the Marauders. Siege did try to shoot Vlad to death (a lot). But, cleaver positioning of the Winter Guards ready to scarify themselves brought victory to Vlad. The second win was against Sloan1 and trenchers, actually more 'jacks than trenchers (battle report here). Six Hunters and two Grenadiers are a lot of shooting under Sloan1. However, it doesn't matter how hard you shoot, you are going to kill only one Winter Guard per shot. Finally, Vlad lost to Nemo3 and more lightning that one cares to remember. Winter Guards are clearly not a good match against lightning jumping around.
What can be said about Infernals. They are clearly not something Vlad and his Winter Guards should be thrown at. Nevertheless, they were (battle report here). There really isn't anything to say besides that.
Civil war is never pleasant. Yet, Vlad has been sent to the front to deal with imposters and frauds. He managed to beat Butcher3 in Jaw of the Wolf twice (battle report here, none for the second). In both cases it was the same story: Vlad ensured that assassination runs by Butcher were unsuccessful and retaliated by killing him. One highlight was assassination by Gun Carriage (in the battle report). A knocked down Butcher is a sad Butcher. Vlad also beat his predecessor, who apparently have been assigned a lot of crazy half-naked men (battle report here). I honestly feel that Wolves of Winter under Irusk2 is not really a match for Vlad1 and his Winter Guards.
Unfortunately, Vlad did also manage to loose to other Khador players. He lost once to fake-Vlad playing Jaw of the Wolf (battle report here). This was an example of the man behind the line laying Vlad down. I made too many mistakes. Most importantly moving Vlad out of cover and into the range of an overcharged Behemoth. Don't do that. Speaking of mistreating Vlad, this is exactly the same situation for the last loss. This time to Strakhov1 running also Jaw of the Wolf (battle report here). Again, Vlad was doing pretty well until the man behind the line thought it would be a brilliant idea moving Vlad without thinking too much about it. This time it wasn't Behemoth that Vlad came within range of, it was Beast 09. The result was the same. I should learn to stop and think sometimes!
Ossum is still trouble. It simply can't seem to get the hang of it (battle report here). Yet, this time it was really really close. Ossrum got saved by a hail Mary, where he pulled some fancy foot work out of a Driller and killed Vlad; seconds before a Marauder would have killed him.
Harbinger and her Faitfull Masses has been so ubiquitous that it is almost boring. Vlad managed to win twice (battle report here and here). Both were by assassination by Marauder. For Harbinger to be efficient she has to play within threat range of a supercharged Marauder. She really doesn't like that. The strategy is to weather the storm until an opening for a Marauder appears. Then feat and win. The lost game against Harbinger was proceeding according to plan. But, Vlad having played Harbinger a lot assumed it was a walk in the park. I got sloppy - and lost.
The Crazy elves are difficult. Vlad lost three matches, twice against Goreshade4 and Legion of Dawn (battle report here, none for the second match). This matchup should actually be ok. He did manage to win once (battle report here). Yet, matches against the elves are always pretty close. I think I just got beaten by better players. Vlad also lost against Garryth2 and his Defenders of Ios. That was a matchup lost before the first dice was rolled. It contained double Trident and an Arcantrik Force Generator. There really isn't anything this list can do about that.
Finally, Skorne is one of those factions that I, surprisingly haven't see a lot across the table. This game saw Vlad beating the fat guy and his two turtles, or so it should have been (battle report here). Once again Vlad was let down by the man behind the line. I got preoccupied with killing stuff and not actually winning the game.
| Faction | Warcaster/Warlock | Theme | Result | Battle report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convergence | Orion1 | Clockwork Legions | Won | Report |
| Crucible Guards | Gearhart1 | Magnum Opus | Won | Report |
| Gearhart1 | Magnum Opus | Won | - - - - | |
| Gearhart1 | Magnum Opus | Lost | Report | |
| Cygnar | Nemo3 | Storm Division | Lost | - - - - |
| Siege1 | Heavy Metal | Won | Report | |
| Sloan1 | Gravediggers | Won | Report | |
| Infernals | Zaateroth1 | Dark Legacy | Lost | Report |
| Khador | Butcher3 | Jaw of the Wolf | Won | Report |
| Vlad1 | Jaw of the Wolf | Lost | Report | |
| Strakhov1 | Jaw of the Wolf | Lost | Report | |
| Butcher3 | Winter Guard Kommand | Won | - - - - | |
| Irusk2 | Wolves of Winter | Won | Report | |
| Mercenaries | Ossrum1 | Hammer Strike | Lost | Report |
| Protectorate | Harbinger1 | Faithful Masses | Won | Report |
| Harbinger1 | Faithful Masses | Lost | - - - - | |
| Harbinger1 | Faithful Masses | Won | Report | |
| Retribution | Goreshade4 | Legions of Dawn | Lost | Report |
| Goreshade4 | Legions of Dawn | Won | Report | |
| Goreshade4 | Legions of Dawn | Lost | - - - - | |
| Garryth2 | Defenders of Ios | Lost | - - - - | |
| Skorne | Rasheth1 | Disciples of Agony | Lost | Report |
| Won-lost | 11-11 |
Conclusion
I think the second iteration of the Winter Guard Kommand list under Vlad1 is done. I can't see what I would like to change. It has everything that makes sense in this context.
As I have played the last list I have really learned what separates a good player from a mediocre (I'm clearly the latter). Many of the losses I have incurred were basically down to me making sloppy and annoying mistakes, like not toeing a zone or being preoccupied with killing stuff rather then actually winning the game.
Some of the games were lost basically before the first dice was rolled, just because it was a matchup that Vlad couldn't deal with.
Finally, some were also lost simply because the opponent were a better player. This is fair and there is only one way to deal with this. Be better yourself.
There are clearly some matchups it is really bad against. It struggles against multi-wound heavy infantry, as well as tough and healing units. Also, soul or corpse manipulating armies are bad news. It is so so against armies that do not enjoy the long game. Some it can deal with, some not (read Infernals). To deal with this it needs to be paired with something that can deal with one or more of these issues. This might be a well played Armored Corps list (I have never managed to play one well) or perhaps Jaws of the Wolf (under Old Witch2?). Since this list is not a classic Stalingrad-style list, it might actually be paired with a Wolves of Winter list under Vlad2?
Nevertheless, this Winter Guards and Vlad1 list is now solid, and I will happily return to going forward.
Winter Guard Kommand Going Forward
What can I say? I love Winter Guards. There is something about the stoic men and women of Khador valiantly battling all sorts of magical beasts and horrors. They do so without any fancy tricks of souls, corpses or magic mumbo jumbo.
The current list is, in my view as good as it gets and I don't think I will modify it any more. It will now just be a steady tool in the wonderful toolbox of Khador.
There are, however many other ways to take a Winter Guard Kommand list. I have always wanted to try a 'jack heavy list where the Winter Guards are kept to a bare minimum. Perhaps Butcher3 with a lot of (clam) 'jacks and just enough Winter Guards to offer Sacrificial Pawn. That could deliver him for the assassination run he so craves. I have also been playing with the (crazy) idea of running Strakhov1 and, wait for it, two min units of Assault Kommandos with all the trimmings. Strakhov offers a similar feat, and the Assault Kommands can deal with tough and healing units. Finally, Sorscha might be in play again. Her main problem is lack of 'jack speed.
Dear reader, if you have made it here, I'm impressed. All in all, Winter Guard Kommand is a fantastic theme and I think Vlad1 has found his home in it. If you haven't tried it, give it a spin. It is effective and a lot of fun to play.
Until next time.
For the Motherland!
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