Chaos fans, rejoice! The second, new warband released by Games Workshop, is the Godsworn Hunt: a highly mobile and lightly armored band of chaotic marauders. 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.
Like the rest of Games Workshop's Underworlds line, the Godsworn Hunt box comes packaged at a high level of quality and feature faction artwork on the cover. Personally, I like the artwork and feel it captures the warband perfectly: hitting hard and fast.
Moulded in warm brown tone, the models look spectacular. I daresay they might even be my favorite kit in terms of aesthetics. Every single model is packed with detail, especially their bases, and you can tell the design team had a grand time designing these worshippers of Chaos. The models come in dynamic poses and Jagathra, the javelin wielder, holds the best pose. You can truly get a real sense of movement and action. My favorite model is Grundann. He's a hulking brute that generates a great sense of nostalgia to the barbarian stereotype made popular by Conan. It's a nice ode. Plus, that axe is gnarly.
Pleasantly, I found this warband easier to assembly than most. Again, shout out to the design studio as the models fit seamlessly. If I wasn't such an advocate of glueing my miniatures, I might have not even glued them! Still, I recommend glueing your models together for a maximum hold.
I can't say enough great things about the models. I love them and look forward to playing against them and certainly with them as well.
Theddra Skull-Scryer:
Theddra is our first ever warband leader who hosts a wizard level of one. As I mentioned earlier, the warband focuses on speed and numbers to win. As one would expect, her statistics reflect this mantra. Skull-Scryer has three wounds and only a single dodge for defense. Her melee attack hits on two smash and deals a respectable two damage off the bat.
Things get offensively better for Theddra when she inspires. Like the rest of her warband, this chaotic wizard inspires upon receiving an upgrade. Not only does her damage output go up a notch, she gains a wizard level as well! Unfortunately, Theddra's defensive statistics don't change at all. As you can see, Theddra is a glass cannon - a fighter that hits hard but doesn't have much in terms of defensive capabilities.
In the game, I recommend protecting Theddra initially until you can get some early upgrades on her via either cards like Spoils of Battle and Ghoulish Pact or through the usual expenditure of glory tokens. Then she becomes a powerful caster in her own right and can either start flinging spells or even take enemies down in close combat.
Keep in mind that Theddra is not very survivable. The key to using her effectively is by protecting her while still keeping avenues open to retaliate. Not a tall order considering she can move four hexes.
Grundann Blood-Eye:
Another fighter with a hyphenated last name, Grundann is your warbands main source of consistent damage. Like his fearless leader, Blood-Eye hits on two smashes and deals two damage while also hosting three wounds and a single dodge for defensive. Don't let that allow you to underestimate him though. Grundann took out an Orruk Warboss in single combat and although his lost an eye in the process, he gained a mighty axe and an even mightier reputation.
Upon inspiring, just like Theddra's non-wizard abilities, he gains a single point of damage. Unlike her though, he gains an extra movement which means he can move five hexes. Now that's a hefty threat range.
In short, he is another glass cannon type character. He hits fast and hard but doesn't have much in the way of defense. I recommend using strength upgrading cards on him like Great Strength or Gloryseeker. If you can get an early upgrade, he can play a bit like Blooded Saek and be equally deadly in early turn eliminations. If you'd like to play a bit more reserved though, then Grundann also shines as a finisher as well.
Shond Head-Claimer:
Shond is the third and final fighter of the band who sports three wounds, the highest in the group. Like the rest of his compatriots, he only has a single dodge for defense. As a front line fighter, he isn't particularly accurate and only deals two damage off an attack roll of two fury. Still his maneuverability makes up for this a bit with a movement range of four hexes.
Post inspiration, Shond starts to get a bit smarter in they way he claims his enemy's heads. Not only does he gain cleave, his defensive dice switch from dodge to block. This makes him a bit more survivable. He also gains an extra dice on attack roles which increases his accuracy to decent levels.
As a I mentioned earlier, Shond is a front line fighter and should be used as both an initiator and a finisher. With some strength inducing upgrades, he can make short work of heavily armored opponents. Be sure to reward him with some blood-mead afterwards lest he lose his patience.
Jagathra:
Not only does this supporting fighter eschew the use of last names, she also is one of your most accurate fighters. Jagathra has two different attack options which both have decent uses. The more useful of the two is her javelin. Although it can only be used once per game, it is decently accurate and can take out a low health fighter quickly or soften one of the tougher enemies lurking the Nightvault. I recommend using it only the charge to gain that extra damage boost. Her second attack, the Darkoath Knife, is a mediocre weapon that in addition to being inaccurate, also only deals a single point of damage as well. Furthermore, as you have probably come to expect, she only has a single dodge for defense.
Upon inspiring, Jagathra gains an extra dice for her Darkoath Knife attack and more importantly, gains a boost to her movement. This means that she has a threat range of six with her knife and a threat range of eight with her javelin. That's huge!
The biggest downside to Jagathra is her two wounds. A strong breeze can potentially take her out of the game. Still, I recommend using her as an initiator to either get a quick elimination or weaken tougher fighters. If you really need to, she can chase down opponents who are teetering on the edge of removal too.
Ollo:
Ollo is the ranged fighter and resident beast trainer of the troupe. The archer has poor defensive stats: four movement, one dodge, and two health. However, his bow is pretty decent. Pre-inspiration, Ollo hits on two fury and deals a single point of damage when his arrows hit.
Post inspiration, Ollo becomes a force to be reckoned with. Although he gains no defensive benefits, his bow becomes more accurate and gains cleave. With a threat range of seven, the beast trainer can conformably reach most fighters on the board. Furthermore, he gains an extra dodge dice which means he can reliably avoid damage if he finds himself in a bind.
I am a big fan of ranged fighters. Reminiscent of The Farstriders, Ollo is perhaps your most consistent source of chip damage in the group. Inspire him early and start firing away. You'll be surprised at the amount of damage he starts piling up, provided you hit.
Grawl:
Ah Grawl, the source of internet memes and recent scrutiny. Compared to Riptooth, he doesn't appear to be a very useful hound. He sports four movement, a single bite attack that deals one damage and hits on two fury, and no eyes. Not very accurate (clearly) or imposing for that matter with only two health.
Upon inspiring, he becomes a bit more accurate and gains some much needed maneuverability. He rolls two dodge for defense and his movement goes up to five. With a threat range of six, he can race around the board fairly easy. Keep in mind, he cannot hold objectives. He can't see them!
Now if you have an unfavorable starting hex in which you must place a fighter, then Grawl is the fighter to place there. He is, stat-wise, the worst fighter in the group. In order for him to avoid being a free glory token for your opponent, I recommend using Grawl as a supporting piece. He's great for providing those key assists when your other fighters are raiding their enemies. While it may be tempting to charge him in early and hope he hits something, I don't recommend it. Used properly, Grawl can be fairly decent and once inspired, can bait enemies without going down. In one game, he was my MVP - he finished off Mollog!
Faction Cards:
Before we get into the specific objectives, I want to make a quick comment on 'Oaths.' I think it's a really creative piece of design space. It allows you to share an objective with an opponent in order to gain an extra glory should you end up scoring it. Furthermore, you can play a bluffing game with your opponent by hinting that you might be going for a particular objective even though you aren't. If the price is high enough, your opponent might end up diverting more resources than they should to stop you. Either way, big fan.
As per my previous article, I'll be doing a thorough review of every faction card included with the Godsworn Hunt. 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.
Five of the fourteen current warbands are composed entirely of fighters with four or more health. Out of the remaining nine, seven of them have at least one fighter with four or more health. Very rarely will you not be able to score this card; just know its a dead card against two warbands unless they are playing wound increasing upgrades. Fortunately, most people do, so you should be in good hands. Plus, its a score immediate!
Rating: A
While this is not uncommon to do - it's not very consistent. Plus, the reward for putting an upgrade on every single one of your fighters is not worth the trouble. Especially if your choices are limited and comes down between scoring this card or further improving a surviving fighter.
Rating: C
An in-faction version of Chosen Champion and Singled Out, it's not too bad of card. If you feel confident that you can get three upgrades on a fighter and have them survive then go for it. Personally, I don't think it's worth it.
Rating: C
I love score immediate cards and I like how that design space is finding its way into magic outside of Cursebreakers. In order for Theddra to achieve this, you are still reliant on either an innate channel or focus upgrade, or using Arcane Savant to get her to level three. If you are going spell heavy, this card is great.
Rating: C
Our first oath! If you are playing these Darkoath with an aggressive play style then this is the card for you. Personally, I don't really like objectives that force you to eliminate all enemy fighters. It's a lot harder than you think and requires a bit of luck. Still, six glory does make you think twice now, doesn't it?
Rating: D
Again, if you are going for an aggressive game plan, then getting all of your surviving fighters onto the enemy's side of the board isn't too hard of a task. If you plan on running Conquest, you might as well run this card too. Keep in mind that you can score this even if you have a single surviving fighter on the board.
Rating: B
Whether you are playing a defensive or aggressive list, this card can be pretty nice at the end of the game. I think its really hard to score this card if you reveal it beforehand. Cards like Faneway Crystal, Hidden Paths, Commanding Stride, and even Shadowed Step plus a push can ruin your potential gains. If you are going to focus your strategy around this card, you might as well take Denial too. Six glory for both is well worth the effort. Plus, Shond looks like a true rockstar.
Rating: C
Not too hard to score, especially if you are playing aggressive. If you do end up revealing it, make sure you are prepared for most of your opponent's defensive strategies. Interestingly enough, this card can also trick your opponent and implore them to play cautiously. These mind games can help you achieve other objectives while they shore up a leader's defenses.
Rating: B
If you are running any objective based strategies then this card is solid. This plus Our Only Way Out and Supremacy can net you nine glory, should you choose to reveal your oath. Even if you don't, this is still a great card and helps with consistency - ensuring you at least draw one of the three objective scoring cards. Again, you can also trick your opponent into thinking you are going for objectives which would hopefully alter their game plan and aid you in achieving your true prerogative.
Rating: B
Although a cool concept and lore friendly, I just don't think I would ever run this card. You're essentially losing a fighter and giving your opponent a glory token just to equip an upgrade. Just run Spoils of Battle and/or Ghoulish Pact instead. Also, this is doubly harmful if your opponent is running Strong Start.
Rating: D
For a warband with low health and defensive characteristics, this card can seem good. It's an in-faction Soultrap and gives you a 50% chance of saving a fighter from being taken out. I generally try to limit taking cards that require a further roll to activate. Whether it works or not, either you or your opponent will have a negative player experience - you can't control the outcome. Still, if you tend to beat the odds, it's not a bad card.
Rating: B
If you want to go spell heavy with Theddra, this isn't a bad card. Although if you want to cast this reliably, you are relying on either Theddra's Path or Arcane Savant. If you do manage to cast this spell, the effect can hamper the lethality of a strong fighter and potentially keep your Darkoath running around longer.
Rating: C
Similarly to the aforementioned card, in order to cast this successfully you will need to put either Arcane Savant or Theddra's Path on your spell caster. Once off, reducing your opponent's move is huge. It can seriously hamper your opponent's plans but again, requires a bit of set up to consistently get off.
Rating: C
A toned down version of Helpful Whispers, this card can be quite useful when you really want an attack activation to go through. Since a majority of your warband hits on fury, this can help with consistency.
Rating: B
I like this spell. Whether you decide to go spell heavy or not, this is relatively easy to cast as long as Theddra is inspired. Getting a key re-roll is huge when you have a warband full of glass cannons.
Rating: B
Now that's a big push. The tactical flexibility is huge here for our favorite little doggo. Still it's a bit limiting in that not only does Ollo need to be on the board, so does Grawl...
Rating: C
Extra crits are always nice but I doubt that you'll consistently find yourself in situations in which double supports matter.
Rating: C
Another faction specific +1 attack dice card. Generally a good card, especially when your warband isn't the most accurate. If you do play this card, try to plan for it to be the last card you play in the power step so you don't entirely telegraph your plans and allow your opponent to play defensive cards.
Rating: B
Fantastic effect, giving a fighter an effective permanent plus one to defensive dice is very welcome. If you do take this card, wait till Theddra is level two to cast it as focus is a little harder to get off then channel.
Rating: B
In such a low health warband, I am loathe to take any cards that take wounds away instead of giving them. Unless this is part of Ready for Action combo or part of some insane one shot, I do not recommend taking this card. If you are playing aggro, and you don't really care if your fighters get removed or not, this may be worth taking.
Rating: C
Putting Grawl at three dodge is nothing to scoff at. However, I doubt Grawl will live long enough to receive this collar. Furthermore, I don't like the idea of having a Grawl restricted card in my power deck.
Rating: D
This upgrade is awesome. Jagathra gets a Thor-like weapon and can start flinging around two damage javelins with cleave around the board. Keep in mind that if you are going for the two damage every time, you can only use this fighter and upgrade three times during a game, outside of out of activation enabling power cards. If you just go for the regular attack, Jagathra and Ollo become your very own Darkoath versions of Farstriders, with cleave!
Rating: B
While making Grundann more accurate is nice, I don't think this card is good enough to be one of your ten upgrade cards.
Rating: C
This card is fantastic. This warband needs health and accuracy and this upgrade provides both! Yeah, you need to have an upgrade already on the fighter but that isn't too hard since that is your inspire condition. Take it!
Rating: A
This upgrade can turn Ollo into your very own Legolas. It's a cool effect and really accentuates how awesome of an archer Ollo is. Still, if Ollo is getting regularly charged, I think you should worry more about his placement. Keep him away!
Rating: D
A fairly neat upgrade that rewards you for successfully taking an adjacent enemy fighter out of action. If you are just trying to get your fighters inspired as soon as possible, this is worth considering.
Rating: C
This upgrade makes Shond a fairly fearsome fighter. If you have come to rely heavily on Shond, then I highly recommend taking this upgrade. Shond hits on three fury and deals three damage which, if you have every piloted an inspired Riptooth, is fairly dependable.
Rating: B
Solid card that allows Theddra to become a spell weaving monster. If you want to go spell heavy, then you have to take this card.
Rating: B
This card makes Ollo quite more accurate as long as Grawl is within two hexes of the archer's intended target. Again, I don't think its worth to put a Grawl specific upgrade in your deck for the simple fact that he is probably doing to go down quick or, at the very least, the worst defended out of your fighters early on.
Rating: D
Universal Cards:
Now, I'll be covering all the universal cards included with the Godsworn Hunt. 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 neat card that rewards aggressive thought and play. If you tend to win the roll off and are playing an aggro warband, then this card can work for you. However, if your opponent knows you run this card or simply wants to go first and they win the roll off, this card is just dead weight.
Rating: C
Removing three fighters in the same action phase is not easy, especially when facing low count warbands with high health. I would imagine even Mollog would have a hard time doing this. This card isn't reliable enough to achieve consistently.
Rating: D
Nine unspent glory tokens is a lot. First off, you have to actually get nine glory and second, not spending even a single one for an upgrade is just not agreeable with my sensibilities. This card is essentially rewarding you for not playing optimally.
Rating: D
This card is largely luck based. You are relying on your opponent missing you because no fighter can reliably escape three attacks, not even Mollog. Plus, if your opponent knows you have this card, they'll make sure you don't score it.
Rating: D
This is fantastic for any Mollog player. If you aren't running the troggoth then this card would work well with Potion of Grace and if you really want to use this card in this manner, Ready for Action.
Rating: C
Despite having a nice payout, casting six spells in a single phase is very difficult, even with Cursebreakers. Even if you did manage to cast four innate spells in a single turn, if you don't draw your other spells then you not only didn't get any glory, you wasted a third of your game.
Rating: D
Other than the obvious Captain Planet reference (man that show was really ahead of its time), this card is quite forgettable. The set up and then luck required to get the desired roll is not worth the single glory.
Rating: D
Two glory for rolling two crits in an attack action that doesn't necessarily have to succeed. In order to increase your chances of scoring this card, you can run cards like Potion of Rage, Haymaker, and even Determined Effort. I don't think this is a bad card and if you tend to roll some fire, then take it. I just might.
Rating: C
This card only works for Garrek's Reavers, Ironskull's Boyz, and any warband with a spell caster that runs Abasoth's Unmaking. I don't think its worth it unless you are running the aforementioned spell. It's a great spell that can ruin your opponent's objective strategy and inspire you Cursebreaker if you are playing them. Not bad.
Rating: B
This is a meme card. Even if you were able to achieve this highly unlikely roll, your opponent could, in theory, beat your roll. Feels bad man.
Rating: D
While this may occur at one point of the game, especially against high model count warbands, I don't think the payoff is worth it for a end phase objective.
Rating: C
A really cool effect but unlikely to score consistently. Getting a crit in a spell roll is hard enough when most people are rolling two dice.
Rating: D
The spell version of Confusion. If you do run that card or want access to easy to cast spells, then this card can be reasonable.
Rating: C
Not worth it in my opinion. Although an interesting idea, having to roll and getting a smash (33%) for every enemy that was adjacent to your recently removed fighter is not worth it.
Rating: D
If you really want to make your opponent's push shenanigans harder or try to prevent a fighter from escaping, then I suppose you could use this card. However, if you are trying to prevent the enemy from moving around or deny objectives, there are other cards out there that do this better.
Rating: D
Defensively, you can attempt to protect your fighters from cleave attacks or simply boost an already dodging fighter. Offensively, if your opponent has come crazy defensive setup, this could help you break through it.
Rating: C
Although in theory it's pretty neat, the card isn't good enough to be taken. Especially when you can use cards like Spectral Wings of Legendary Swiftness.
Rating: D
A powerful spell that unfortunately requires a crit to get off. Again, it's just too hard to roll a crit consistently at this point in the meta.
Rating: D
Unless you are playing a spell intensive objective deck and strategy, there are other cards, like Determined Effort, that do this exact thing without having the risk to potentially fail getting it off.
Rating: C
If you really need a spell to go off, this card can be useful. Personally, I don't like the fact that you taking a damage to just roll an extra dice. Imagine taking a damage and then miscasting during your spell roll. Cool you got your spell off, but now your wizard is two health down. If you really are looking for spell consistency, there are other cards that provide benefits without a downside. Does increase your chance or rolling a crit in your roll though! 👀
Rating: C
At first glance, this card seems awesome. However, do note that you only scatter one hex away from your fighter. So, not only is this unreliable, one of your most arguably important fighters has to be surrounded by enemies. Doesn't seem too hot of an idea.
Rating: C
Getting an innate focus is crazy! This opens up a lot of previously hard to cast spells to wizarding warbands. However, not only do you have to spend a glory token to equip this card, you have to spend an activation to gain the innate. If you do use this card, make sure the fighter casting the spell is decently protected. It would awful if you used an action only for that fighter to be taken out of action before you can benefit from the innate focus.
Rating: B
This card seems designed for Theddra. This makes her the most powerful wizard in the current meta with a wizard level of three. Just be careful of miscasts! Alternatively, you can use this with Ammis and Rastus to bump them up to level two wizards which can be great if you lose Stormsire early or plan on going super spell heavy.
Rating: B
This card is awesome, its essentially an Awakened Weapon for ranged fighters. As a Farstrider lover, this card makes me quite happy. This card works with any of the current archers in the game plus Stormsire and Vortemis. Fulmination is going to be a lot more accurate now.
Rating: A
Tanky fighters facing low strength warbands might benefit from equipping this card. However unless you are Mollog, don't expect to deal more than a single point of damage.
Rating: C
An upgrade designed to boost aggro warbands dealing with enemy wizards. The card is too situational to be used effectively. Not a fan.
Rating: D
Again, another card that relies on too unique of a situation. Furthermore, your opponent can just eliminate the fighter holding this upgrade before going after your other fighters.
Rating: D
I really like this card. Not only is the artwork ace, it also is a fairly decent weapon upgrade you can stick on one of your weaker fighters. You don't really have to go wizard hunting with this but the re-roll is nice should the situation arise. Two range, two smash, and two damage is pretty good for a fighter like Arnulf or even a git.
Rating: B
While it sounds cool, getting a wound back at the beginning of each round isn't very good. Not only does the recipient of this upgrade have to survive every round in order to make full use of the card, you have to draw it before the third round for you to actually get a benefit.
Rating: D
Although I am a big proponent for push effect cards, I don't see this card being good at all. Not only do you have to first equip this to a fighter, you have to then be adjacent to the fighter you want to push before using one of your twelve actions in a game.
Rating: D
This card is busted. Giving a fighter an extra glory token for eliminating an enemy fighter is very, very powerful. This can cause a player to snowball early and get some key upgrades on quick. If you combine this with either of the Khornate upgrades with similar effects, it becomes disgusting. Imagine a Garrek or a Magore getting three glory for every elimination.🤮
Rating: A
The Dice:
As some of you may already know, I am a big fan of the faction specific dice. I have collected all of them thus far and these latest ones are one of my favorite. I love the combination of red, black, and silver. The dice are easy to read and different enough from other warbands so that your dice will never get mixed up with your opponent's. The only downside I found is on one of my die, half the fury symbol is missing.
Whether you are playing Godsworn Hunt or not, if you like these dice, you should pick them up. They are worth it!
Final Thoughts:
So, do you think you should grab a copy of the Godsworn Hunt?
Yes, yes you should.
First of all, you can a play brand new warband that is quite fun and engaging. Though they are harder to pilot than most, they can feel very rewarding. Theddra is the game's first wizard who can reach level three. This opens the warband up to a pretty reliable spell strategies and if you prefer playing aggro or control, this warband can excel at both of those play styles as well. Although they can be a bit squishy and lack accuracy, the warband can hit hard and fast. As one of the most flexible warbands in the game, these Darkoath marauders can play in just about any way your heart desires. They are a true hybrid warband.
Now if you aren't planning on playing them or even collecting the gorgeous models, I still recommend that players eventually buy all the current warbands. Every expansion, just like this one, comes with a set of universal cards that can potentially benefit any warband. This set specifically has Tome of Offering, Archer's Focus, and Scorched Earth to name but a few. Cards like these 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.
Cheers,
Aman