The weekend after I got back from Adepticon, I attended a local event hosted at Goldmine Games on the south side of Houston.
Hungry for glory after attending a spectacular event, I looked at the remaining warbands left to win a glass with. They were as follows as the time of the event: Steelheart's Champions, Ironskull's Boyz, The Chosen Axes, Spiteclaw's Swarm, Eyes of the Nine, Mollog's Mob, Godsworn Hunt.
I have been tinkering around with the Godsworn Hunt but hadn't found a build I was content with so I decided to keep them on the back burner for now. I also wanted to play an aggro warband as I had seen it used to great effect at Adepticon. In the end, it was down to Champions and Mollog's Mob. Inspired by a recently made friend, Kyle Dalton, I decided to take the big man out for a spin.
Furthermore, I harbor strong feelings towards Mollog and was hoping to gain a new understanding if the warband. Prior to this event, I had only really played him two or three times. With this in mind, I set out to gain a fresh perspective on the troggoth and his motley crew.
Happily enough, Mollog performed as expected and was able to take advantage of some key matchups which allowed him to secure my 8th trophy.
In this article you will find a deck breakdown, summary of games, and my final thoughts on the event.
Note: If you are looking for my thoughts on the warband as a whole and a deeper dive into their fighter cards, check out one of my previous articles here.
Deck:
So the deck is designed around fully capitalizing on Mollog's toughness and powerful attack actions.
The objectives revolve around Mollog eliminating enemy fighters. Although the deck relies heavily on making successful attack actions, I figured it was better to go all in so that when I did hit, I hopefully was scoring more than one card.
Furthermore, I wanted to try to cram as many out of activation attacks as possible to ensure Mollog had the optimal opportunity to create as much mayhem as possible. Cards like My Turn, Ready for Action, Second Wind, and Aggressive Defense were perfect for this.
Another goal of mine was to shore up one of Mollog's apparent weaknesses - relying on successfully hitting your opponent's fighters. Awakened Weapon and Foul Temper were key here.
Finally, I wanted Mollog to survive well past his damage threshold so I included cards like Tome of Vitality and Great Fortitude.
Objectives:
Chosen Champion and Escalation are great because you will be piling upgrades on Mollog. The latter is obviously better as your opponent can aid in its scoring. Massive Assault is a great card for Mollog because once inspired, he only has to succeed with two attacks for it to be scored. It helps with cycling too.
Master of War is a great all around card and in this deck, it provides some reliable scoring. Masterstroke is a bit situational but works very well with Mollog. You have three ways to get this card off - My Turn, Ready for Action, and Aggressive Defense. Because 30% of your gambits can help you score this card, it's pretty reliable. No Remorse is another great card as Mollog generally is doing more damage than your opponent's fighters can take.
Since Mollog is doing all of your heavy lifting, it makes sense that he will be the one to take down most of your opponent's fighters. Victorious Duel is taken because you'll generally take out the opposing leader with Mollog. Demolished is great because its super easy to get Mollog to five damage. Denial provides a glory boost at the end of the game to ensure you win. It can be countered fairly easily but if I know I am going to win the first game, I don't score it till the second game so my opponent doesn't think I have it.
Longstrider seems like it was made for Mollog. Due to his movement shenanigans, you should score this every game if you draw it. Solid Gains is solid (teehee) as you can reliably nab three glory from other objectives cards and through Mollog doing what he does best: smashing things. Finally, Strong Start is pretty good since Mollog isn't going down anytime soon, at least in the beginning of the game. Just be sure to keep your squigs away from the enemy!
Gambits:
As mentioned before, since Mollog will be doing most of the work, it is important to keep his wound total healthy. Healing Potion does just that. Inspiration Strikes makes Mollog perform at optimal strength without taking the damage and can tilt the game in your favor immediately. Take it. Misdirection is tech card that can dump off an opposing Frozen in Time play onto one of your squigs.
My Turn and Ready For Action give Mollog the chance to hit for two extra activations in total. That is nuts! Second Wind allows Mollog to more or less do the same thing. Giving Mollog as many attacks as possible is your key to winning the game and these cards help you do that.
Spectral Wings, Predatory Growls and Commanding Stride allow you to maneuver around the board to create favorable attack activations for Mollog. Aggressive Defense gives Mollog another attack, which we know is great, and can sometimes force your opponent to hesitate if in later rounds which ends up protecting Mollog.
Upgrades:
Awakened Weapon shores up one of Mollog's weaknesses - his accuracy. Light-Footed is (was) my super secret card that prevented Mollog from being pushed away from his prey. Also, since we want Mollog to stay in the game for as long as possible, Soul Trap is used to hopefully prevent lethal damage.
Foul Temper, again, improves Mollog's accuracy which is a must. Blooming Spores ensures that when Mollog does hit, he can eliminate enemy fighters and those who even have upgrades. Bag of Tricks is awesome because you can dump it on one of your squigs, who is usually just standing there all game, and make them slightly more useful by finding the exact card you need to help Mollog in whatever situation he is in.
Great Strength and Great Fortitude are some awesome cards that usually find their way into my decks. Extra damage and wounds is always helpful, especially for your most important fighter. Tome of Offerings allows Mollog to start wracking up glory fairly quickly. If you can get enough eliminations with this on, you're most likely winning the game from that glory alone. Tome of Vitality is here to, you guessed it, make sure Mollog stays alive. He makes or breaks your game, might as well keep him healthy and kicking.
Goldmine Games Event:
As I have mentioned many times before, Goldmine Games is an awesome spot and I highly recommend you check the place out if you're ever in the area. The store owner, Mike, is great!
I was little disappointed with the turnout if I'm going to be completely honest. Goldmine usually has the largest tournaments in the area and I was surprised to see only four people there. However, since we had driven all the way down there, Mike was kind enough to let us play in the planned event.
Aside from my Mollog's Mob, there were two Zarbag's Gitz players, and one player with Spiteclaw's Swarm.
We followed the standard tournament packet. Each round was a best two out of three and had a time limit of an hour and half. Everyone would play each other once.
Games:
In this article I will be trying out a slightly different format for my battle reps. Instead of paragraphs I will try a bullet system. Do let me know your thoughts on this forward moving forward.
Round 1: Zarbag's Gitz
Game 1:
Round 1 started off playing against a friend and great player, Josh. As usual he was piloting his Gitz.
Board Roll: Josh
Deployment Roll: Me
Initiative Roll: Me
Phase 1:
A1: Mollog swung at Snirk and rolled two crits which eliminated the fanatic! Foul Temper was played on Mollog.
J1: Prog charged Mollog and dealt a single damage. Stikkit and Red Kap scurried to the left. I played My Turn, eliminated Prog and scored Masterstroke and No Remorse. Both Great Fortitude and Tome of Vitality went on Mollog.
A2: Mollog charged and eliminated Zarbag scoring me Victorious Duel.
J2: Stikkit shot at Mollog and missed. Second Wind on Mollog.
A3: Mollog swung at Stikkit but it was tied with a crit. Stikkit was pushed a hex away and Josh used Sneaky Step to push him further away.
J3: Stikkit fired again but Mollog blocked it.
A4: I drew a power card and played Soul Trap on Mollog.
J4: Stikkit fired off again and missed.
A: Scored Chosen Champion and Solid Gains.
J: Scored Escalation and Keep Them Guessing. Gitz inspired and Josh played Ghostblade on Stikkit, Nullstone Sword on Red Kap, and Volley Caller on Dibbz.
Note: I think my opponent incorrectly scored Keep Them Guessing.
Phase 2:
J1: Red Kap advanced into my territory. Spoils of Battle into Great Strength on Drizgit. Predatory Growl pulled Red Kap closer to Mollog. Tome of Offering went on Mollog as well.
A1: Mollog swung at Red Kap with a crit but it was blocked with two crits! Blooming Spores went onto Mollog and it was followed up with Ready for Action. Red Kap was eliminated and I scored Strong Start.
J2: Stikkit moved to the back corner.
A2: Mollog moved to objective 4.
J3: Dibbz shot at Mollog and scored a critical hit dealing a damage. Mollog was driven back and took another damage via Pit Trap. Volley Caller enabled Stikkit to fire off as well and that dealt Mollog another point of damage which inspired Mollog. Healing Potion was used on Mollog and healed him for 2 points of damage.
A3: Mollog charged Dibbz and eliminated him. I scored Longstrider and Demolished.
J4: Stikkit swung at Mollog and missed.
A4: Mollog crushed Stikkit.
J: Scored nothing.
A: Master of War. At this point all of my cards had been scored except for Escalation, Denial, and Master of War as they had been tossed at the start of the game.
Phase 3:
A1: Mollog charged Gobbaluk and eliminated him. Light-Footed went on Mollog. Encroaching Shadows dealt another damage to Mollog.
J1: Drizgit charged Mollog and dealt three damage. Light-Footed allowed Mollog to move closer to Bonekrakka while Drizgit was still adjacent. Awakened Weapon on Mollog.
A2: Mollog did his AOE attack and eliminated both Drizgit and Bonekrakka due to the squig being trapped.
J2: Conceded.
End: 25-4 in my favor.
Note: A total of 8 upgrades were played on Mollog that game.
Game 2:
Board Roll: Me
Deployment Roll: Me
Initiative Roll: Me
Phase 1:
A1: Charged Snirk and failed. Encroaching Shadows was placed on the Stalagsquig.
J1: Prog charged Stalagsquig and eliminated my fighter. Sneaky Step moved Prog out of Mollog's reach.
A2: Bat Squig moved to objective 5. Volley Caller went on Red Kap.
J2: Drizgit charged Mollog and missed.
A3: Drew a power card.
J3: Red Kap to objective 3, Stikkit scurried to objective 4.
A4: Drew a power card.
J4: Zarbag moved to objective 2.
End Phase:
A: Nothing
J: Supremacy.
Phase 2:
A1: Mollog attacked Drizgit and eliminated him. Foul Temper went on Mollog, Spoils of Battle into Dirty Fighter on Prog. Nullstone Sword went onto Prog as well.
J1: Gobbaluk charged Mollog, dealt two damage, and Josh played Twist the Knife which put Mollog down to 4. My warband inspired. I played My Turn and smashed the squig.
A2: Mollog charged Bonekrakka and Prog. Prog went down but the squig eluded the troggoth.
J2: Bonekrakka attacked Mollog and dealt a further two damage.
A3: Mollog swung at the squig but it was blocked with a critical defense.
J3: Drew a power card. I played Spectral Wings.
A4: Mollog charged both Bonekrakka and Red Kap, eliminating them both. Rebound was attempted but failed. I scored No Remorse and Massive Assault. I used Commanding Stride to place Mollog right in front of Stikkit.
J4: Stikkit fired and missed however Josh did score Concerted Attack.
End Phase:
A: Solid Gains.
J: Fired Up and Escalation.
Phase 3:
J1: Stikkit charged Mollog by moving away but it was critically blocked. Vindictive Glare went on Zarbag and Awakened Weapon went on Mollog. Sudden Growth went on Mollog and I played Predatory Growls to bring Zarbag a hex closer. Seeking Stones and Archer's Focus went on Dibbz. Great Strength went on Zarbag and Bag of Trick went on the Spiteshroom.
A1: Mollog swung at Zarbag and it was critically blocked.
J2: Zarbag charged Mollog and missed. Aggressive Defense gave Mollog a swing back but he missed too.
A2: Mollog charged Dibbz and eliminated him, scoring me Demolished.
J3: Dropped Combination Strike and drew another objective.
A4: Mollog swung at Zarbag again and it was blocked with two crits!
J4: Snirk moved towards Zarbag and Mollog but hit a wall and suffered a damage. Second Wind was played by me.
A4: Mollog went for Zarbag again but missed.
End Phase:
J: Nothing.
A: Chosen Champion and Denial.
I won game 2, 15-9.
Round 2: Zarbag's Gitz
Game 1:
In the second round I played my local rival, Raymond and unfortunately Gitz for the second time.
Board Roll: Raymond
Deployment Roll: Me
Initiative Roll: Raymond
Phase 1:
R1: Drizgit used his special action and moved his squigs and himself up a bit. Snirk scurried to objective 1 and Prog went towards my opponent's board edge. I played Spectral Wings. Raymond played Center of Attention on Snirk which pulled Red Kap and Dibbz to him.
A1: Mollog moved right next to Stikkit.
R1: Dibbz charged Mollog and dealt a damage. I played My Turn and eliminated Stikkit which allowed my opponent to score Martyred while I scored No Remorse. I put Foul Temper on Mollog.
A2: Mollog hit Gobbaluk and eliminated him. Raymond tried On Your Feet but failed.
R3: Red Kap charged Mollog and missed. Frozen in Time was attempted on Mollog but failed.
A3: Mollog smashed Drizgit which scored me Massive Assault. I put Awakened Weapon on Mollog while Zarbag got Faneway Crystal.
R4: Zarbag teleported to objective 3.
A4: Bat Squig charged Zarbag and missed. I put Great Fortitude on Mollog.
End Phase:
R: Supremacy and Shining Example. Gitz inspired.
A: Escalation and Master of War.
Phase 2:
A1: Mollog charged Zarbag and eliminated him. I scored Victorious Duel.
R1: Discard Mad Scurry and drew another objective. I played Second Wind and Tome of Offering went on Mollog.
A2: Mollog charged Dibbz and missed. Concealed Weapon went on Bonekrakka.
R2: Prog charged Mollog and Red Kap and Dibbz scurried to encircle Mollog. I played Aggressive Defense as a reaction. Prog missed and then Mollog smashed him scoring me Masterstroke. I played Light-Footed on Mollog.
A3: Drew a power card. Soul Trap went on Mollog while Challenge Seeker, Ravenous, and Gloryseeker went on Bonekrakka.
R3: Bonekrakka charged Mollog and dealt four damage, inspiring my warband.
A4: Drew a power card, Bag of Tricks on Stalagsquig.
End Phase:
A: Chosen Champion
R: Escalation and Master of War.
Phase 3:
R1: Bonekrakka attacked and dealt enough damage to bring Mollog to 0. Soul Trap went off and saved Mollog. Soul Trap was played on Bonekrakka. I played Healing Potion on Mollog and healed for 1.
A1: Mollog used his AOE attack on three enemies, only Dibbz was eliminated. I scored Strong Start. Predatory Growls moved the squig away and Commanding Stride got Mollog out there, moving right.
R2: Snirk flailed around and did a damage to Mollog.
A2: Mollog missed Snirk.
R3: Snirk went at it again and dealt another single point of damage.
A3: I used Bag of Tricks and fished out Ready for Action. I put Great Strength on Mollog and used my newly drawn card to move Mollog out of harm's reach.
R4: Conceded.
I won 18-8.
Game 2:
Note: The picture was taken during round 1 as I forgot to take a photo right after deployment.
Board Roll: Raymond
Deployment Roll: Me
Initiative Roll: Me
Phase 1:
A1: Mollog swung and Dibbz and missed.
R1: Stikkit charged Mollog, Snirk scurried while Zarbag scurried to objective 1. Stikkit missed. Frozen in Time went off on Mollog.
A2: Drew a power card.
R2: Dibbz charged Spiteshroom and missed.
A3: Drew a power card.
R3: Drizgit used his action - he and the squigs moved towards the back of my opponent's board.
A4: Drew a power card.
R4: Zarbag went on guard.
End Phase:
A: Nothing.
R: Keep Them Guessing. Soul Trap and Tome of Vitality on Snirk.
Phase 2:
R1: Dibbz charged Mollog and pushed the troggoth onto objective 4.
A1: Mollog moved next to Dibbz.
R2: Drizgit moved to objective 2, Zarbag scurried to right next to him.
A2: Mollog swung at Dibbz and missed.
R3: Red Kap moved objective 1 and took a damage from a lethal hex.
A3: Mollog eliminated Red Kap and scored me Strong Start and I put Foul Temper on Mollog.
R4: Snirk moved and Stikkit scurried away. Awakened Weapon went on Mollog and I played Spectral Wings.
A4: Mollog charged Gobbaluk, scored Longstrider, and eliminated the squig. Tome of Vitality went on Mollog.
End Phase:
R: Mad Scurry.
A: Chosen Champion and Solid Gains.
Phase 3:
A1`: Mollog charged Prog but the goblin blocked. Light-footed went on Mollog and it was followed up with Ready for Action. Mollog hit Prog but the netter was saved by On Your Feet.
R1: Prog ran away. Inspiration Strikes on Mollog.
A2: Mollog charged Bonekrakka, Red Kap, and Stikkit. Only Red Kap survived. Raymond played Tome of Glory on a goblin.
R2: Used Tome of Glory for a glory.
A3: Tossed Demolished and drew.
R3: Tossed a card and drew.
A4: Tossed and drew.
R4: Tossed and drew.
End Phase:
A: Escalation, Master of War, and Denial.
R: Escalation and Master of War.
End: I won, 14-9.
Round 3: Spiteclaw's Swarm
Game 1:
In the final round of the tournament, I played against Mikey and his Skaven. My opponent's deck is different every time I play him so I had no idea what his strategy was.
Game 1:
Board Roll: Me
Deployment Roll: Me
Initiative Roll: Me
M1: Lurking . Skaven charged Bat Squig, dealt a point of damage, and drove the critter back. Musk of Fear went on Skritch, inspiring him. I played Commanding Stride on Mollog to get him right next to the Festering Skaven.
A1: Mollog swung but the Festering Skaven dodged.
M2: Hungering Skaven moved to objective 1.
A2: Mollog charged Festering Skaven and eliminated the creature. Mikey scored Martyred.
M3: Festering Skaven was brought back by Skritch and placed in front of Mollog. I put Great Strength on Mollog and followed up with Ready for Action. The Festering Skaven was eliminated. Deathly Fortitude was played on Skritch. I played Second Wind and Spectral Wings.
A3: Mollog charged Krrk and eliminated the fighter. I scored Longstrider.
M4: Skritch to objective 4.
A4: Drew a power card.
End Phase:
M: Shining Example and Tactical Supremacy 3-4. Expendable went on Hungering Skaven.
A: Solid Gains.
Phase 2:
A1: Mollog charge Skritch, took a damage from a lethal hex, and hit for four. Inspiration Strikes went on Mollog. Quick Advance allowed the Hungering and Lurking Skaven to be pushed a hex and inspire. Challenge Seeker and Concealed Weapon on Hungering Skaven.
M1: Hungering Skaven charged Mollog and dealt only one damage. Aggressive Defense was played but Mollog missed. Predatory Growls moved the Hungering Skaven away.
A2: Mollog swung at Skritch and hit but it was blocked with a double crit.
M2: Skritch attacked Mollog but now it was Mollog's turn to block with a crit.
A3: Mollog eliminated Skritch and scored Strong Start and Demolished.
M3: Lurking Skaven attacked the Bat Squig and eliminated it.
A4: Mollog smashed Hungering Skaven but Expendable pulled him off the board and denied me glory.
End Phase:
A: Escalation and Master of War.
M: Fired Up and Escalation.
Third Phase:
M1: Tossed Well Guarded and drew an objective. Hero Slayer on Lurking Skaven. Healing Potion on Mollog healed him for two. Great Fortitude and Tome of Vitality on Mollog.
A1: Mollog moved to mid-board.
M2: Drew a power card. Bag of Tricks on Spiteshroom.
A2: Used Bag of Tricks and pulled out Foul Temper, put it on Stalagsquig.
M3: Drew a power card and played Awakened Weapon on Lurking Skaven.
A3: Dropped Masterstroke and drew an objective.
M4: Lurking Skaven charged Stalagsquig, hit with the re-roll, and failed due to the Stalagsquig blocking.
A4: Stalagsquig attacked the Lurking Skaven and eliminated the rat-man.
End Phase:
M: Nothing.
A: Denial
End: I won 15-8.
Mikey forfeited game two which, per the rules, gave me a 7-0 win.
Closing Thoughts:
Although it was a smaller tournament, I thoroughly enjoyed my games. Mollog performed much as you would expect him to. He just smashed his way to victory and playing against low health warbands definitely tipped things in my favor.
I was happy to experience good rolls and bad rolls throughout the event as it helped me understand Mollog's swingy performance, if you will. At Adepticon, the heavy reliance on Mollog hitting really came to bite all the players who had taken him in the end.
I'm happy to have knocked Mollog off my list. Although I did enjoy my time with him, I'm not a fan of his play style. For me personally, it's a bit one dimensional. This is in no way a knock against those who do enjoy piloting the troggoth, I just personally don't find it appealing.
With Mollog's Mob retired, I have six warbands left in order to complete the current Underworlds Challenge. With the pending release of Ylthari's Guardians and Thundrik's Profiteers, this number will of course increase. I do have two tournaments coming up this weekend so if everything goes to plan, I will still have six to go when the new warbands drop.
One can only hope though!
Cheers,
Aman