Wolves of Winter under Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Champion's orders (Vlad2)

The wisdom of the internet argues that Vlad2 is the perfect Warcaster to lead a Wolves of Winter list. Here is my take on how a horde of crazy semi-naked manics, support by wizards in funny hats can defend the honour of the Motherland. 24 Doom Reavers, 14 Greylords, two Archons, and two 'jacks are under Vladimir Tzepesci's orders. Any short comings in Vlad's performance are solely the fault of the man behind the lines.

Wolves of winter is the perfect past time in a crazy period. It consists, primarily of crazed half-naked people hurling them selves at the enemy without any regard for their own safety. I am told that Vlad2 is the perfect leader of the crazy bunch. I have to admit, I have never really gotten Vlad2. He seems to be carrying an interesting toolbox, yet not really being really good at anything. 

I have been playing quite a lot of Vlad1 in Winter Guard Kommand, so lots of squishy infantry is nothing new. However, where Winter Guards are disciplined and equipped with ranged weapons, Doom Reavers are quite the opposite. Let's give it a try.

In the text below, I'll go through the different models and some rationale behind the composition of the army.

Vlad 2

Vlad 2

Vlad2 is the second incarnation of Vladimir Tzepesci. He it to a certain degree still a purely support caster with a hail Mary potential to finish a game by assassination. On paper, he looks like a front line fighter. As with Vlad1, this is a trap. 

He has three passive abilities: Great Power, which allows him to upkeep a single spell for free (of which he has four); Might of Kings, which gives him +2 STR (making his blade P+S 16) and +2 ARM (making him ARM 18), if he is damaged; and Righteous Vengeance, which gives him Vengeance if a friendly model is killed within 5" of him – there should be amble opportunity here with all of the easily killable Doom Reavers around. Finally, his sword is a 2" reach weapon with P+S 14 and Thresher.

Vlad brings six spells to the table: Arcane Might, which allows friendly Faction models to boost using Vlad's focus; Assail for improving 'jacks; his trademark spell Hand of Faith, which is a discount version of Signs & Portens from his earlier incarnation; Martial Paragon for improving himself; the standard damage spell Razor Winds; and his area control spell Wind Blast. He probably wants to upkeep Hand of Faith (for free thanks to Great Power). Assail will most likely also be an upkeep (on the Marauder, I would think). On the approach, he probably wants to cast as many Wind Blast as possible, which is three if he is happy being naked. Once the lines meet he probably wants to switch Assail with Arcane Might. This should give his army 5-7 boosts depending on whether or not he wants to be naked and/or cycle Hand of Faith. All in all, he can quickly be starved of focus.

His assassination potential is good if the moon and stars are all aligned. Assuming that he has managed to get Martial Paragon up in the previous round, and has been damaged, he will be MAT 7 on three die (hitting DEF 17 on the average), having one Thresher attack on the charge with the possibility to buy an additional 7 at P+S 16. I do, however think that this might be a trap. If he is not damaged, he will only be P+S 14 (which is actually rather weak, with an average damage output of just 21); Casting Martial Paragon on a assassination round will cost him two attacks and "just" allowing him to hit DEF 17 instead of DEF 14 (on the average); and if he fails, he dies! In the current meta, having ARM 18 (and this assumes that he has already been damaged), a just slightly above average DEF of 15, and just a maximum of 18 boxes are old man stats.

All in all, I think that where Vlad1 is a good, simple and powerful support caster, Vlad2 requires much more finesse to unleash his full potential. 

Arcane Might

Arcane Might is an interesting spell. It basically allows a warrior model (friendly faction) to use Vlad's focus for boosting. This is particularly interesting in an army where most of the infantry cannot be targeted by spells. This is a way to increase a Doom Reaver's efficiency, whilst getting around the issue of not being able to cast spells on them. However, as with many things about Vlad2 it can easily become a trap. He will quickly run out of focus if warriors start using it. So, use with care.

Assail

Where Vlad1 had Boundless Charge, Vlad2 has this spell. It allows a Warjack to charge, slam and trample  for free, whilst getting +2" Movement, and increase the distance something is slammed by 2". On the downside it does not give Pathfinder. However, it is an upkeep (potentially for free) and applies not only to charges. This should go on a 'jack as early as possible, and could even be cycled on the right turn. My choice would be a Marauder to begin with, and then cycled to Ruin if required. 

Hand of Faith

This is his signature spell. It is a reduced version of his previous incarnation's signature spell Signs & Portents. This version is half the price to cast and an upkeep; unfortunately it is also only unit/model. Here this only means either the 'jacks, himself or some of the Greylords. I actually think that in this list, it will be less important than other spells. It does, however work as a deterrent, as I think it is perceived much more dangerous than it actually is (in this list).

Martial Paragon

A spell for making Vlad better at hitting and getting places. It gives him an additional die on attack rolls and Parry (immune to free strikes). Either up-keeping this or casting it could allow for an assassin run. 

Razor Wind

The standard damage spell (POW 12, range 10) currently in the arsenal of eight of our casters. I can't remember ever casting it for any of our caster. It has a range of at least 1" shorter than Vlad's charge range.

Wind Blast

Wind Blast is Vlad's best utility spell and the one that should be able to keep the Doom Reavers alive when they approach the line. It is a 5" AOE that can be placed completely within 14". It removes cloud effects, which is handy if the Doom Reavers are ready to charge something. It also hinders models in making ranged attacks when they are in the AOE. This should offer some protection from being shot off the table. However, I suspect that placing these AOEs (up to three) requires some finesse. Vlad will probably be casting a lot of these at the beginning of a battle. 

Blood Legacy — Feat

Vlad's feat is where it really gets interesting. It allows d3+3 friendly faction warrior models to gain +3 SPD, STR. MAT, RAT, DEF, and ARM; and you get to choose the models. Thus, it bypasses the Spell Ward on the Doom Reavers. It can supercharge a Doom Reaver to SPD 9, MAT 10, DEF 16, ARM 17, and hitting at 4d6+15 on the charge. This allows a Doom Reaver to reach out at touch something 13" away, hitting DEF 17 on the average for an average damage of 29. Four can now kill a standard Khador 'jack. Even a Ternion is now dangerous at MAT 8, P+S 13; or a Koldun Lord now has a more probable way of using his Battle Wizard at MAT 9, P+S 13. Unfortunately, it can't go on Vlad himself, nor the 'jacks or Archons. 

Wolves

The theme. Wolves of Winter offers two main benefits: it gives access to Void Archons, which are clever pieces giving a way of improving the damage by Doom Reavers and somewhere to store all souls that will be released, whilst denying the enemy souls; and giving one unit of Greylord or Doom Reaver unit Apparition in the Control Phase. The latter is marvellous for getting Doom Reavers into places the enemy will hate. 

In general, Wolves of Winter revolves around having enough Doom Reavers. They are going to die in droves, so bring plenty. They are supported by primarily Greylord Ternions, and some things to use souls and/or corpses. The list presented here, revolves around four units of Doom Reavers, which I suspect is the minimum; two Void Archons and Ruin for using souls; and a Marauder, and two Koldun Lords for good measure. 

Doom Reaver Swordsmen

A unit of crazed Doom Reavers with attachment

Doom Reavers are enemies of the Motherland, who has been sentenced to a glorious death by being chained to ancient Orgoth swords (that are Magical). This basically makes them into homicidal maniacs, who will hurl themselves at friends and foes alike. A unit consists of 6 maniacs who are Tough, has Spell Ward (can't be targeted by spells), and Advance Deployment. The latter allows them to be 13" up the board if you go first, which is always advisable! One unit can be 27" up the board in the first turn (30" if going second). This is fast! 

Their Orgoth blades allows them to reach out and touch something 11" away, at MAT 7 and P+S 12. However, remember they are Weapon Masters. This means an average damage output of 26 on the charge. They also have Berserk. Combined with the 2" reach they can really chew through a lot of models once they get started. A word of warning, though: Berserk does not distinguish between friend and foe. So, unfortunate placing can also make them wipe out their own entire unit.

Doom reavers can be a messy crowd to keep alive and under control. This is why Greylord Escorts exist.  

Greylord Escort

An Escort

The Greylord Escorts are wizards that keep Doom Reavers in line. They are equipped with a very scary big green stick, which is feared by Doom Reavers. Besides begin a 2" reach P+S 10 stick, it also grants Silence. This is quite important as Doom Reavers do not have to take a Berserk attack, which improves their reliability a lot. The stick also give the Escorts Sacrificial Pawn (within 3"), as Doom Reavers are quite happy to take a shot instead of their Escort overlords. Of course, they have the same Spell Ward as the Reavers they are escorting. 

Greylords can of course cast spells in the traditional way. They can cast: Death Strider, Fell Curse, and Frostbite. Yet, their most important ability is perhaps their ability to cast a spell at the beginning of a Press Forward order (Combat Caster). This is where the money is. An Escort can cast a spell and then run or charge. This is important in particular for the first two spell.

Death Strider gives the unit Relentless Charge (giving Pathfinder), which is brilliant for solving terrain problems. Fell Curse makes sure that enemy models within 5" loose Tough. So, the Doom Reavers are still safe. This is brilliant for dealing with the many Tough no-knockdown combinations that are currently out there. 

There is a cool interaction with the Koldun Lords. They give Escorts Battle Wizard, which enables an Escort to cast two spells per turn: one as Combat Caster, and then one after charging and killing something. The latter is where Frostbite often comes in handy. It is a POW 12, 8" spray; and as we all know: sprays wins Warmahordes battles.

In the perfect world, all units would include an Escort. However, at three points each they eat through point allowance pretty fast. I am opting for three units with Escorts and one throw away unit without.

Greylord Ternion

A unit of Ternions

Greylord Ternions are what make Doom Reavers really shine. In particular as they can be taken for free as Requisition Points in this theme. Taking three units is a whooping 21 points for free. They rival the Protectorates Initiates of the Wall in cost. However, I'm not convinced that they would be worth their points if we had to pay for them. 

They do two major things for the Doom Reavers, and one for everybody. First of all, they can make an 3" AOE, which is a cloud effect. Contrary to most other spells, this does not need a target, you simply choose a model. Thus, you can get around the Spell Ward and place a cloud on a Doom Reaver. Secondly, Bonds of Woe, which is a POW 12, range 10" spell. If it kills a warrior model, you can bring back a Doom Reaver within 3". Finally, they are also equipped with  Ice Cage, which will lower the DEF of the target hit by 2 (cumulative), and potentially make it stationary if it is hit by three.

As with the Escort, Ternions also benefit som having a Koldun Lord around. They also gain Battle Wizard. This opens the possibility of charging something, killing it, and the casting a spell. This is probably not something to build a plan around, as MAT 5 only hits DEF 12 on the average, and P+S 10 only kills ARM 19 or less on the average. So, targets should be chosen carefully. But having a Void Archon around improves the odds (more on this later).

All in all, Greylord Ternions are pretty good utility units for keeping Doom Reavers going. They can even kill stuff on a good day, and are nice for scoring and contesting. They do, however often have a problem with keeping up with the fast Doom Reavers. So, as with most other things in this list, finesse is probably required. I'm opting for three units. Perhaps two would be sufficient?

Koldun Lord

The two Bad Santas

Koldun Lords are the epitome of Greylords. Old and venerable with many interesting abilities. Their close combat abilities are not fantastic. They are equipped with a Magical axe with P+S 10 and have a MAT 6. It does, however have a critical display; and they are Battle Wizards.

It is their passive abilities and spells where the money is. First of all, they give Battle Wizard to other Greylords within 9", which is worth a measurement (see Escorts and Ternions, above). Secondly, they also have Lore Master. Having Lore Master allows Koldun Lords to cast spells from any Greylord model within 9". In this list, the Bad Santas will be able to cast the following spells (number 7 doesn't make sense as it targets the caster's unit):

1. Brittle Frost (Koldun Lord)
2. Puppet Master (Koldun Lord)
3. Wind Ravager (Koldun Lord)
4. Blizzard (Ternion)
5. Bonds of Woe (Ternion)
6. Ice Cage (Ternion)
7. Death Strider (Escort)
8. Fell Curse (Escort)
9. Frostbite (Escort)

In addition to the spells they can borrow (for a description see the relevant parts above), they have their own; all cast at a Magic Ability of 8: Brittle Frost, Puppet Master, and Wind Ravager. Brittle Frost is a range 10 POW 10 spell, which also reduces the ARM by 2 of the target hit. Sometimes the latter is the only reason to cast it, as POW 10 is not terrible powerful (in particular when supporting a Marauder in killing huge-bases. More on this later) . Puppet Master is alway good, when you really need something to go well. It allows for a reroll of one attack or damage roll; either on a friendly model or enemy. Wind Ravager is a very useful spell. Albeit, as with must other in this theme it requires finesse. While within 9" of the casting Koldun Lord, enemy models cannot make ranged attacks. This is actually more useful than what it sounds like. In particular against models with Assault. However, being just within 9" it often brings the Bad Santa a bit too close to the frontline to be safe.

Perhaps more interesting is the ability to borrow spells. Again, it is within 9" so careful positioning is important. The first spells that spring to mind are the ones borrowed from the Ternions: Bonds of Woe is always nice to have to have yet another possibility to bring back Doom Reavers. Blizzard is also nice, in particular on the advance where another cloud always helps. an extra Ice Cage is also handy, if something needs to become Stationary. From the Escorts only two spells make sense: Fell Curse and Frostbite. The former removes tough, whilst having another spray via Frostbite is always good.

There is an argument to be made for including the Greylord Adjunct and perhaps even a Greylord Forge Seer. This would give the Lords access to more spells. Perhaps most importantly Guidance and Empower. However, points are tight. Only two Koldun Lords are allowed, so I'm taking two. I think even more would have been nice.

Void Archon

Void and Nil as the Archons are called

This theme is the only one that allows Khador to take Void Archons. So, why not take two. They are flying weird things with so many rules on the card that I suspect that they are actually Crucible Guard models. In general, they are really a catalyst for the theme. Running Wolves of Winter as a Doom Reave heavy list really benefits from having two of these guys around. Their main problem is to stay alive. They have large bases and are rather squishy at only DEF 14, ARM 17 and 12 boxes. Also note that Soul Phase makes them Incorporeal, but only in the turn they use it! So, they can get hit in the opponents turn (many a Void Archon has died from me overlooking this). The main use of Incorporeal is to ignore free strikes whilst flying (hoping for non-magical weapons), or to allow your own troops to move through it, if it have placed itself somewhere silly. 

Among the many passive abilities they have, the one that covers most area is the ability to protect the souls of our own models within 10" (Soul Ward). This is good, as there are plenty of armies and models out there that wish to consume our souls, and we can use them. Having protected the souls, the Archons can use them, both friendly and enemy alike. Each can carry three. They can be used to boost attacks of damage, and to make them Incorporeal (remember another trap). 

They also do Dark Shroud lowering the ARM of enemies within their 1" melee range by two. Finally, they do Entropic Force, which removes tough from enemy models within 5". 

It is when attacking that their true potential shows. First of all they fly. They also have Dual Attack allowing them to do both their two initial melee attacks, which are range 1", P+S 13 (effectively P+S 15 due to Dark Shroud), Magical; and their spray, which is 10", POW 14. Both allows the Archon to collect souls, which then can be used to boost. So a fully loaded Archon could charge, boost the first melee, collect a soul, boost the second, collect a soul, spray something, boost, and collect souls. Sprinkle a Void Walk, allowing the Archon to be placed anywhere within 8". Beware if the opponent has an Archon nearby, as it will prevent your Archon from getting souls.

A typical activation would look something like this: Charge something and kill it. Then Void Walk to somewhere near a model or unit that some Doom Reavers are going to charge. Spray whatever should be sprayed. The models to be charged by the Doom Reavers are now denied touch (saving the Escort's Fell Curse) and with a bit of clever positioning will also have ARM -2.

There is of course always the option of doing a Cygnar Advance instead, where the Archon charge in, kills stuff and then retreats by teleporting.  

All in all. Void Archons are brilliant here. So, I'm taking two. The main issue is keeping them alive until then can get som work done.

Warjacks

Any Warcaster worth anything will bring a sensible assortment of Warjacks. Vlad2 has 27 Warjack points to play around with. It is actually not a lot, as almost all other points are already used by non-Warjack models. Also, Vlad2, as most of our casters are strapped for focus. So, he really don't want to fuel too many 'jacks. 

On paper, our marvellous Khador 'jacks are fantastic constructions, build to last. Unfortunately, the standard ARM of 20 really do not cut it these days. Our greatest strength, which we pay for in points, doesn't really help. There are plenty of low cost units out there that can trivially one-round a Khador 'jack. So chose carefully, and protect them.

Being Strapped for focus, Vlad really want's something self contained. Our prime example here is Ruin. Also, there are many huge-bases out there. Thus, my favourite 'jack, the Marauder is here. Never leave home without it.

Marauder

One of the wonderful Marauders

My favourite 'jack. It is a standard, no nonsense Khador 'jack. It works marvels against huge-bases, and is OK for smaller targets. I never leave home without at least one (actually I prefer three). As Khador 'jacks go it is really inexpensive. Just 11 points for this bundle of joy. A bargain, if you ask me.

The draw back is the same as with all Khador 'jacks. They are so slow and do not survive any serious attacks. ARM 20 and 34 boxes is not enough in today's meta. Vlad doesn't really offer any ways of protecting 'jacks. He can speed one up by casting Assail on it. A Marauder can now charge 11", and touch something 12" away. It is a bit on the short side, but is ok.

Warjacks in this list are really second wave models. Let the Doom Ravers engage and soften the opponent up, before engaging with the 'jacks. Just keep them alive until they are needed. 

The Marauder really excels at killing huge-bases, thanks to Siege Weapon, which gives an addition damage die against huge-bases. This is why you should always bring one. Marauders tend to keep huge-bases honest. In this list, the Marauder synergises really well with a Void Archon's Dark Shroud; or even a Koldun Lord casting Brittle Frost. The table below describes the amount of damage a Marauder can do against a huge-base.

Attack type	Damage, sum	ARM 16	ARM 18	ARM 19	ARM 20
Charge, combo	112	48	40	36	32
Charge, no combo	138	54	44	39	34
Charge, Dark Shroud, no combo	148	68	58	53	48

The first row details a Marauder charging something and using its Combo Smite as the initial attack. The second row is just strait attacks. The last one is if the target has already been touched by Dark Shroud or even Brittle Frost. All rows assume that Vlad has managed to get Assail on the Marauder (i.e. free charge). Each of the ARM columns are the amount of damage done by a Marauder for huge-based models.

The conclusion is that a single Marauder is tremendously dangerous when charging near a Void Archon and under Assail. Out of the 53 huge based models in the game (I'm sure I missed some) a single Marauder, on average rolls, can one-round 62% of them! 

Please note that this calculation is based on just the huge-base without any buffs. Also, that the Marauder can actually hit them. A Marauder will hit a DEF 14 on average. There are only two huge-bases that I can think of that has a higher DEF (Lylyth3 and Deneghra3). Luckily, Greylords can assist here. A few Ice Cages will do wonders.

Have I mentioned that I love Marauders?

Ruin

Ruin

The Marauder is already consuming more of Vlad's focus than he is completely comfortable with. So, the second 'jack needs to be much more self contained. Enter Ruin, our most autonomous 'jack. 

Ruin is equipped with a 2" reach Mace at P+S 18. It is Magical and also dispels upkeeps on targets hit. It also has a fist with a 1" reach and at P+S 16. The fist has a Orgoth shield, which surprisingly is not formally a shield. It does, however give Ruin Sacred Ward (note that Sacred Ward is not the same as Spell Ward on the Doom Reavers. Ruin can be targeted by friendly spells). 

Ruin can collect and use souls when living enemy models are killed within 5". This is what makes him autonomous. It can have up to five souls onboard. Ruin can use these for different things. He can do Arcane Vortex that will negate any spell targeting a model within 3". Thus, it is good to keep Vlad within 3". Besides that, he can convert souls to focus. He does this at the beginning of his activation, and not in the control phase, which is the usual way. This is a bonus, as it makes it easier to fill him up by activating something else first and kill som enemies. The two Void Archons and Ruin can cover a large area for soul collection. With a bit of clever play, Ruin can have three focus from power-up and souls, without Vlad needing to fuel it.

The caveat is of course that he suffers from the normal Khador 'jack problems. He is still just a Khador heavy, meaning that he is easily killed; and he really needs to be close to the front line to collect souls. So, keep him safe until he is needed.

My Wolves of Winter list

So, this is my Wolves of Winter list. Four units of Doom Reavers, three with escorts. Full Ternion load out, two Koldun Lords and Void Archons. One 'jack for killing huge-bases, and one for taking care of other problems. 

[Theme] Wolves of Winter

[Vladimir 2] Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Champion [+27]

 - Marauder [11]

 - Ruin [17]

Koldun Lord [4]

Koldun Lord [4]

Void Archon [8]

Void Archon [8]

Doom Reaver Swordsmen [10]

 - Greylord Escort [3]

Doom Reaver Swordsmen [10]

 - Greylord Escort [3]

Doom Reaver Swordsmen [10]

 - Greylord Escort [3]

Doom Reaver Swordsmen [10]

Greylord Ternion [0(7)]

Greylord Ternion [0(7)]

Greylord Ternion [0(7)]

Also at conflict chamber.

All in all, I'm quite happy. If I were to change anything, it would be to exchange one of the Escorts for a Greylord Adjunct. We'll see. 

Assuming you, me dear reader has arrived all they way down here, I hope you have enjoyed these wild speculations. With a bit of luck, battle reports will appear in the foreseeable future.

For the Motherland!