Unless you've been living under a rock, I am sure you have heard the phrase, "They have a Troggoth" around quite a bit. A couple weeks ago, Games Workshop released two brand new warbands for Warhammer Underworlds. Today, I will be covering the more popular and exciting, at least at first glance, of the two. Below you can expect a model review, warband analysis, card reviews for both the faction and universal cards, a look at the faction dice, and my thoughts on the warband as a whole.
The Product:
As you have to come to expect from Games Workshop's Underworlds line, the packaging and artwork are top notch. Once you delve inside, the contents are neatly and ergonomically packed. Included are the model sprues, a guide on how to build them, faction cards, and universal cards.
The models themselves are gorgeous and come in a fitting light purple/lavender color. The centerpiece and namesake of this warband, Mollog, is a beast of a figure. The largest model in Warhammer Underworlds history thus far, the fighter is packed with detail. My favorite parts are the Jabbertoad he is holding as well as his base. The puddle alone is full of small details that any painter can make pop. Still, my favorite models are the three squigs that follow in the wake of the fearsome troggoth. These squigs are the first of their kind and bring the whacky and creepy tone that the Gloomspite faction exudes perfectly. The standout, for me personally, is the Bat Squig. It's gorgeous.
Assembly is fairly simple. Like all of the other Underworlds kits, these models can be assembled without any glue. Personally, I always recommend gluing your models as some times, these fits aren't as secure. The squigs are the trickiest to build, specifically the Bat Squig and Stalagsquig. The tongues in particular can be quite finicky and hard to handle. Don't drop them!
Overall, they are fantastic models and one of the most individually unique yet cohesive warbands released thus far.
The Warband:
Mollog the Mighty:
Sporting the highest natural wound total in the game, Mollog is mighty indeed. The troggoth sports two different attacks that excel in their individual purposes. Makeshift Club is a powerful single target attack with knockback to boot. Oh, and it's range two! With a decent statistic of two smashes when rolling to hit, Mollog can take out most fighters as the majority of fighters host between two and three wounds. Usually, I will always recommend using the aforementioned attack but Whirling Club shines against high count/low health warbands. Though significantly less accurate, the ability to hit multiple fighters is quite useful and can make short work of larger warbands.
Mollog also has a unique special rule that allows him to make a charge or move action even if he already has a move token on him. That is huge! The tactical flexibility and threat range is insane.
This denizen of the underground inspires once he takes three wounds. Unless your opponent is successfully able to avoid you or is just rolling poorly, this occurrence is not uncommon. Now, if you thought his ability was powerful already, then you are in for a treat. Post inspiration, Mollog is able to make a move or charge action even if he already has a move or charge token on him. Yes, that means he can charge twice in a single phase! This effectively gives him a threat range of seven hexes. In addition to that, this rampaging troggoth gains some offensive boosts as well. His Makeshift Club deals an extra damage and his Whirling Club becomes a bit more accurate.
Defensively, Mollog sports a single block. Now while that does seem underwhelming, he does have to have some downside, right? In addition to relying on defensive critical rolls, he is also quite susceptible to cleave. Another disadvantage is that Mollog relies heavily on his dice to make an impact. I recommend putting accuracy enhancing cards like Awakened Weapon, Foul Temper, and Brutal Savagery to offset this.
Now while eliminating Mollog might seem like a tall order, keep in mind that he is not invincible. A dedicated opponent can take him out quickly if he is overextended, especially before he is inspired. For example, two of the most popular warbands: Magore's Fiends and Stormsire's Cursebreakers have fighters that can take him out in a single turn with Ready for Action. Cards like Great Strength and Gloryseeker are also common and can increase the rate of chip damage too.
In my play testing, I have found that in the early stages of the game, its prudent to move your squigs around in order to score cards like Extreme Flank and/or draw power cards so you fish for cards that will enhance Mollog. Towards the end of the turn, charge Mollog in there and take an enemy out of action quickly. This limits their retort and can set you up for a strong turn in the next phase, especially if you go first.
Bat Squig:
Like the rest of his squig compatriots, the Bat Squig is a sub-optimal fighter when compared to Mollog. Still, I treat him as my lieutenant and am not afraid to get him into the action should the need arise.
Toothy Maw, the fighter's single attack characteristic, has a range of one, requires two fury to hit, and deals a single point of damage. Not very exciting. However, the Bat Squig has a move characteristic of four and has two dodge for defense. That's pretty decent to start things off. Once inspired, after Mollog takes three wounds, Bat Squig gets an extra damage, movement hex, and defensive roll to his characteristics. Three dodge is nothing to scoff at and significantly improves the survivability of this fighter. Still, two health is pretty squishy and if you play too aggressively, you're bound to fail a roll eventually.
I recommend using the Bat Squig has a harasser. Keep him relatively safe and once Mollog starts smacking fighters around, bring him in to either finish a wounded fighter or provide support for Mollog's attacks. He also doesn't have trouble moving as he ignores both the damage from lethal hexes and is unimpaired by blocked hexes when moving/charging.
In one of my play test games, Mollog went down in the first phase and The Bat Squig ended becoming my MVP with the help of some upgrades. He took down three fighters over the course of two phases! Also, do keep in mind that this fighter cannot hold objectives or receive attack upgrades.
Spiteshroom:
The next creepy crawler on the list is the Spiteshroom, another fighter sporting weak characteristics. Still, used correctly, this fighter can put out the hurt. Chocking cloud, the sole attack, hits on two fury and deals a single point of damage. However, its attack action targets all adjacent enemies. You have to roll for each fighter respectively. Not too shabby against high count warbands.
The downside is that this mushroom only moves two hexes. Meaning, if you want to use him, you're going to have deploy him up front. This can back fire as he can be taken out quite easily due to his single defensive roll and two health. Post inspiration, again by Mollog taking three damage, his defense and damage go up a notch.
Upon being removed from the board, the Spiteshroom has a reaction that immediately deals a single damage to all adjacent enemy fighters. This offsets his low defensive stats marginally.
To be honest, I rarely use this fighter. Unless I am playing against a low health warband, Spiteshroom sits in the back so he doesn't give my opponent a glory token. Like Bat Squig, this fighter cannot be given attack upgrades or hold objectives. He's still great for scoring Extreme Flank and can be your Bag of Tricks caddy.
Stalagsquig:
The final fighter of this motley warband is the Stalagsquig - a ravenous living piece of rock. As you would expect from a sentient stalagmite, the fighter is immobile and cannot be pushed. Uniquely, this fighter cannot move and is not placed on the board until both players have finished placing their fighters. This provides a strong ability to hinder your opponent by either placing him on an objective or block movement.
While the fighter only has two health, he does have a mighty defensive stat of two blocking dice. Unless your opponent is hitting it with cleave attacks, the fighter is pretty sturdy and in theory, can be quite the nuisance.
His Rock Maw attack rolls on a single smash and only deals a single point of damage. Once inspired, with Mollog taking three damage, he gains a boost to damage and offensive dice to his Rock Maw attack.
Personally, I rarely use him in an offensive capability as he also suffers from accuracy issues and just doesn't deal enough damage of the bat. He is usually placed safely on my side of the board, usually on an edge hex so he can aid in the scoring of Extreme Flank. He also cannot hold objectives, at least without an upgrade, and cannot be given attack upgrades.
Faction Cards:
Here, I'll be doing a thorough review of every faction card included with Mollog's Mob. We'll start with objectives, then head on to power cards, and finally finish with upgrades. I'll be using a rating system as well.
A score of "A" means that the card is very powerful and should almost always be included in your deck builds. "B" means that the card is strong and will usually be included, but not always. A score of "C" means that card can be good in certain situations but will usually require extra support. Lastly, a score of "D" means the card is on the weaker side of things. It doesn't mean that it is inherently bad but perhaps can be considered hard to use or counter intuitive to your game plan.
Please keep in mind that these are my personal opinions. You might rate these cards differently.
Demolished is a great card and should be included in your objective deck. It's scored immediately which helps with cycling your objective deck and is relatively easy to score as well. Tack on Foul Temper or Great Strength and you'll score this quite quickly as long as Mollog can hit his opponents.
Rating: A
In theory, this card can be easy to score if Mollog is sticking to his game plan and rampaging through the enemy warband. Still, taking three enemy fighters out of action in a single phase is harder than you'd imagine.
Rating: C
Easy Pickings is scored when you take out two fighters with the same attack action. I love score immediately cards but this is a bit too situational for my personal liking. Still, it can be scored via Mollog's Whirling club attack or Spiteshroom's Choking Cloud attack, provided the dice are agreeable.
Rating: C
Earn Your Keep is scored when a fighter other than Mollog takes an enemy fighter out of action. Personally, I like this card and usually score it with the Bat Squig. It's also a score immediate card as well which is nice.
Rating: B
Is it Asleep? is scored if you don't use Mollog at all in a single action phase. Rarely will you not use Mollog in a phase. Technically, you can score this card if Mollog is taken out of action but as the warband lives and breathes through Mollog, you're probably not in a good spot if he goes down early.
Rating: D
Unless you are playing super aggressively, Feeding Frenzy is pretty difficult to score. If you deploy the Stalagsquig in enemy territory, then this card becomes a bit easier to score, if your squigs survive the round. For me, its a bit counter intuitive because at higher levels of play, your squigs are squishy, especially pre-inspiration and giving your opponent easy glory is not agreeable with me.
Rating: D
Got Them requires a you to start an activation with three enemy fighters adjacent to Mollog. While it is attainable, the amount of effort and the inclusion of specific supporting power cards doesn't seem worth the hassle for two glory.
Rating: C
An in faction form of the universal card, Denial. If you do planning on taking the aforementioned card then you might as well take this as well. However, with the prevalence of high movement cards in the general meta, both this and Denial can easily be countered.
Rating: C
This card relies on you eliminating four enemy fighters in a single action phase. While this is not an uncommon phenomena, especially against high model count warbands, it's not easily scored and relies too heavily on successful attack roles. Furthermore, there are too many three and four model count warbands that are exceedingly popular in most metas.
Rating: D
Brutal Savagery gives any friendly fighter an extra dice when rolling to hit. Since all of your fighters roll two dice most of the time, this card is a boon, especially on the big man himself. Accuracy is a much needed commodity for Mollog.
Rating: A
Feast is a decent reaction card that rewards you for successfully taking an enemy fighter out of action. Can be useful, especially if Mollog is teetering towards going down. Not bad.
Rating: B
I am a fan of push cards in general, I think they offer great tactical flexibility. In this case, this card can only be used on the Bat Squig. I honestly don't think the card is needed. Although it can help your flying companion in a pinch, Bat Squig's high movement keeps him relatively flexible and safe.
Rating: C
Being able to cycle through your objective deck without sacrificing an activation is nice. However, this card isn't good enough to take a coveted power card spot in your deck when there are so many great universal cards shuffling about.
Rating: D
This card would be great if it didn't require a roll to place a move token next to an enemy fighter. Furthermore, your Stalagsquig has to be placed aggressively for this card to usually take effect which means he is easily accessible and may go down early. Still, hampering an enemy fighter's movement for a turn might be worth the potential glory you'll have to give up should the friendly fighter be taken out of action.
Rating: C
An in faction form of Distraction. I love that card because pushing an enemy fighter in any direction offers a bunch of tactical options. Whether it be shoving a fighter into a lethal hex or putting him/her just out of charge range, it's a boon. It can also bring a fighter into Mollog's attack range too!
Rating: A
A situational card at best. It's only really effective against a small number of warbands and while it can hamper an opponent's planned attack action, it's not limiting enough to ruin their plans. Your opponent can just do something else with another fighter or even just draw a card.
Rating: D
Again another card that requires a successful roll to do something. Although dealing one damage is nice, it's not really needed since Mollog and, to an extent, the Bat Squig are your main sources of damage.
Rating: C
Bringing a fighter back is always nice, but again you need a roll to do so. With only a 50% chance of it going off, it's not reliable enough. Plus, the Stalagsquig is not integral to your plans.
Rating: D
This card is great. Any fighter can gain this boost, so even if Mollog already has damage increasing upgrades on him, it's still pretty useful. It can even give Mollog that extra oomf when targeting enemy fighters with wound increasing upgrades on them.
Rating: A
This card is a faction version of Great Strength and can only be used on Mollog. Although the restriction is slightly limiting, it does allow Mollog to strike at four damage before inspiring and five damage after inspiring - which is great for Demolished. Plus this card frees up Great Strength for either the Bat Squig or Spiteshroom.
Rating: A
When facing high model count warbands, this card can be useful, plus it can be used on any fighter. Still, I'm not sure if it's good enough to make the cut simply because most of your opponents are trying to avoid you. Furthermore, there are too many Stormcasts and Fiends running around which rarely gang up on you.
Rating: C
An in faction version of Awakened Weapon (which is restricted), this card is awesome. Mollog suffers from accuracy issues so shoring up his likelihood of hitting is a must. Furthermore, this can go on the other members of the warband too.
Rating: A
As I have mentioned a couple times already, Mollog's Mob is not a consistently accurate warband. This card allows one member of the troupe, the Bat Squig, to have a greater chance to hit on charges only. In theory, it's a decent card but I just think there are better cards out there that do the same thing and can be used on all the fighters, not just one.
Rating: C
A very fluffy card that allows Mollog to launch his amphibious snack across the battlefield. It's only single use and deals only a single point of damage. It does have knockback one which can be useful for pushing a threatening fighter away from any members of your warband. If you roll a crit, you can push them even further. Still, not really sold on it.
Rating: C
I'm not really big on cards that heal fighters at the beginning of a round. It's alright and can be stacked up with other universal cards with similar effects. Personally, I'd rather use cards that increase wounds.
Rating: C
This card allows the Stalagsquig to gain the ability to hold objectives. It's a bit cheeky and can help you win games with tied scores at the end but that's about it. This warband is not designed for holding objectives because three of the fighters can't hold objectives off the bat. Doesn't really make sense to use it.
Rating: D
This card can help you get a bit more damage out of your Spiteshroom should you decide to get the fighter up into the thick of things. Still, you are at the mercy of rolling dice via the scatter token so its not 100% reliable.
Rating: C
I like the potential this card offers. Bat Squig is fairly survivable due to his high dodge dice and can benefit from being pushed around a hex if an enemy fighter fails to hit.
Rating: B
This card gives the Stalagsquig access to cleave and perhaps the only in-faction manner of getting that ability. Still, not really sold on using the Stalagsquig aggressively so, not a fan.
Rating: D
Universal Cards:
Now, I'll be covering all the universal cards included with Mollog's Mob. We'll start with objectives, then head on to power cards, and finally finish with upgrades. Like the faction cards above, I will using the same rating system.
Please keep in mind that these are my personal opinions. You might rate these cards differently.
A fun card, but not a good one. It's a bit tough to control where the objectives are placed since they are face down. Furthermore, it just doesn't seem worth the effort for a single point of glory.
Rating: D
I like the idea behind rewarding players who are fishing for cards during their turns. However, unless you have draw cards like Dual of Wits, I can't imagine any player drawing power/objective cards four times in a phase. At that point, you probably need to rebuild your deck to make it more consistent. You can also score this by scoring a bunch of immediate score objectives in a single round but again, not consistent enough for me. Plus, one glory isn't a worthy payoff.
Rating: C
A card that punishes those players who are running Katophrane Tome decks. I like immediate score cards but this requirement is a bit too specific. I doubt most players will be running enough tomes to make this consistent enough to score regularly. This card ends up being a dead card most of the time.
Rating: D
An okay card that can reward you by playing aggressively or at least replacing an enemy fighter on an objective. It's not terrible but not worth playing in my opinion either.
Rating: C
I kind of like this card. You are rewarded for not spending your glory points for upgrades until the end phase. Although it is limiting, its not too hard to score, especially if you are trying to avoid aiding your opponent in scoring Escalation. It's a win more card with a bit of a catch.
Rating: C
This card is great for any fighter with knockback one or greater - which I think most warbands have access to. Now I know most of the time, people hit to eliminate rather than to cause chip damage but this can kind of offset a successfully defensive roll from your opponent.
Rating: B
I'm a big fan of this card. Everyone runs wound increasing cards like Sudden Growth, Deathly Fortitude, Great Fortitude, and Tome of Vitality nowadays. It's fairly easy to score, especially with the popularity of warbands that host fighters with four health.
Rating: A
A card that rewards hyper aggressive play and worshippers of the Blood God alike. It's not too hard to score, especially when playing opponents for the first time. However, once your opponents get wind of this, they can deny you charges or attack actions. Also, making an attack action is not always the most sound choice in any situation. In that regard, it can be limiting too.
Rating: C
Useable with fighters that host key actions and abilities. If you plan on using a fighter like Mollog or Varclav a lot, then this may be for you. I find it unlikely that anyone will actually be able to get this off consistently though.
Rating: D
Similar to Crushing Force, it's pretty decent to use with warbands that feature fighters that do high damage. You could score this pretty easily with Mollog when playing against low health warbands. But, you'll be having to deal eight damage against Stormcasts and Fiends...
Rating: C
Another win more card. My take on this is that if you are already winning, you don't really need the addition of a single glory. Plus this card takes up one of your twelve objective spots and there are plenty more cards out there that deserve a spot over this one.
Rating: D
Aside from the fantastic artwork, this card is phenomenal. Pushing your leader, usually the strongest fighter in your warband, up to three hexes is great offensively and defensively. This is great for a fighter like Mollog or Magore to position yourself to hit even more fighters. A ranged fighter like Farstrider can charge in, deal damage, and then position himself out of charge range. I love it, just be mindful of where the starting hexes are on the board.
Rating: A
A decent card that can lesson the chance of striking one of your fighters, Fearful Visage is not too reliable unless you are setting up your opponent for it. There are plenty of ranged fighters running around that can get around this, even fighters with range two attacks.
Rating: D
This card increases your joy of rolling a crit even more! I find it underwhelming however as most fighters are rolling lower defensive dice than offensive dice so those crits aren't as common.
Rating: C
A really cool effect that requires a critical roll to use. If you are able to throw a bunch of dice at a spell or are feeling lucky, this could give you access to a fantastic card, again.
Rating: C
This card is awesome! You can get a fighter up the board to get them into range while also potentially using it as a card to run away. Big fan.
Ranking: A
It's quite a specific requirement and also requires two successes. Still, if you like rolling a bunch of magic dice or have a wizard with innate channel, this can work.
Rating: C
An interesting spell that allows you to change any fighter's defense characteristic to a block of one. Although potentially solid defensively, I think this card is way better offensively. If there is an enemy fighter running around with high defensive stats, like Bat Squig, then you can make him a lot easier to hit. Its even better if your attack has cleave!
Rating: B
Not a fan of this card and it only really works if your opponent charge's a fighter that is at least adjacent to one of their friendly fighters.
Rating: D
This card is soo good. You can effectively shut down a fighter for an entire turn by placing a move token on them, even Mollog as long as he has a move/charge token already on him. This can be great for isolating an enemy fighter - you can either ignore them or take them out. Great to ensure an enemy does not escape from you either!
Rating: A
A universal card that gives you the benefit of dealing an extra damage in your next attack action. I see two downsides: first, you have to choose which fighter before the end of the power phase which means an enemy can counter your intent. Second, you have to take a damage. Other than Ironskull's Boyz, I don't see it being too useful.
Rating: D
Great card for warbands who don't have access to an innate channel upgrade. Couple this with the in faction version for Zarbag's Gitz and that goblin shaman can really start flinging some spells around.
Rating: B
Tutoring for any card in your power deck is a fantastic ability, especially for high model count warbands. The smaller warbands can use this too if they're able to get early glory. Solid card when used correctly.
Rating: A
A slight variation of Gloryseeker, it has many uses especially for low health warbands. I love accuracy increasing cards and it can really help the little guys get those hits in when they need them too.
Rating: B
A interesting card that gives a fighter the ability to draw an objective first and then discard one. That's good because you can see if that card is better than the ones already in your hand, if not - you can discard the card you drew. Personally, I do not think it's worth the glory tax, but up to you.
Rating: C
Cool upgrade, especially for aggressive fighters. In theory, you can get in there early and seriously hamper an opposing Stormsire or Vortemis. If you hate magic or tend to face warbands who rely on it, this is the card for you.
Rating: B
A lower statted card, especially when you draw the comparison to the Shadeglass version of it. It's not accurate and is stronger against enemy wizards using block. Not a fan.
Rating: D
Other than decent use for Ironskull's Boyz, giving up a wound doesn't seem like a solid trade off to do an extra damage.
Rating: D
There are plenty of wound increasing cards in the game. The only standout here is that it can combo with Katophrane Tome builds, should you desire to run one.
Rating: B
Card gives a fighter knockback which can be useful. It can be paired up with a card from this set above, Get Thee Hence. Although tactically it can open up some options for you, I don't think giving a fighter knockback will make or break you game plan.
Rating: C
Harkens back to Fantasy's dispelling mechanic which is a neat throwback. In certain situations this card becomes handy indeed. Imagine stopping Stormsire's Fulmination attack or a wizard casting Abasoth's Withering. Solid card and can potentially save your backside in a couple games.
Rating: B
The Dice:
I am a big fan of the faction specific dice all the warbands have. This set in particular is quite visually appealing. I love the combination of red and a milky light blue color. My only gripe is that the defensive dice look quite similar to the defensive dice from the Thorns of the Briar Queen faction so be sure to store them separately.
As you can expect from all the dice from the Underworlds line, the production is top notch. They role well and are a great addition for anyone running Mollog's Mob or just a general collector.
Final Thoughts:
So should you pick them up? Absolutely. Not only is the warband quite fun to play, they also make a significant impact to how the game is played. Warbands will all have to either find defensive mechanics to slow down Mollog or throw in a bunch of offensive upgrades to take him out quick. Either way, expect a lot of fighters to be removed from action.
Keep in mind that the warband relies heavily on Mollog to succeed. Don't overcommit him early and be sure to get useful support from the critters in the back. In the hands of a new player, this warband can be forgiving and deal loads of damage. In the hands of a veteran well, they can be quite lethal indeed.
Whether you plan on playing them or not, I recommend buying all warbands just for their universal cards. This set especially as Commanding Stride, Transfixing Stare, and Bag of Tricks, to name a but a few, are outstanding. They can enhance any warband's play and keep you competitive.
I hope you found this format and review helpful. I would love to hear your feedback and suggestions on what I should add, or even remove, in the future. Up next, Godsworn Hunt!
Cheers,
Aman