Included in the third pair of the Beastgrave warbands is The Wurmspat - a trifecta of Nurgle worshippers commanded by a powerful, and smelly, sorceress.
In this article, I will be reviewing all the contents that come inside the The Wurmspat Expansion. This includes the models, fighter cards, faction cards, and universal cards. Furthermore, I will be sharing my thoughts on how to best pilot the warband.
I would like to thank Games Workshop for sending me a copy to review early so that I could share this awesome information with you all.
Time to get our hands dirty!
As we have come to expect from the Beastgrave series, the production quality on the box is top notch. Packaged at a high level, the faction outwork is prominently displayed on the front. The artwork displays the disgusting, yet menacing, decay and destruction the warband is capable of.
These models are simply gorgeous - in like the most disgusting way possible. The sense of decay, filth, and even joy is quite apparent in the warband. The models are molded in a sickly green color synonymous with the followers of the Plague God. The models are packed with detail as well. Fecula has her pet retchling while Sepsimus looks like he needs to see the doctor quickly in regards to his behind. 😅
The models are actually pretty big as well. As you can see below, they are just as big as Hrothgorn. Nurgle's blessing are truly bestowing some gains on these guys.
In general, the warband is fairly easy to assemble, especially when following the assembly guide. Look out for some of the smaller pieces - they can bend if handled roughly, especially the wee little retchling. Still I had them ready in minutes. The hold was quite tight as well. However as always, I recommend glueing your models together for a maximum hold. The models pictured above are dry fit.
The story behind these guys is particularly fascinating. The endless curse of the Katophranes conflicts directly with the cycle of decay and entropy that Nurgle is so fond of. These guys are trying to break the curse so the "natural" cycle of life continues...by spreading filth. Pretty interesting.
Fighters:
Similar to most wizards who have graced the Underworlds with their presence, Fecula is a level 2 sorceress with a melee and spell attack. Her melee attack hits on 2 smash and deals 2 damage. Her spell attack has a range of 3, hits on focus, and deals a single point of damage.
She's also got a movement of 3, 1 block, and four wounds. In terms of raw stats, her un-inspired version is identical to Stormsire. What makes her a bit different is that whenever she rolls a block in her defense roll, she can reduce damage taken by 1, to a minimum of 1.
The inspiration condition for this warband is particularly tough. You either have to have taken 3 enemy fighters out of action and/or damaged them. I guess you can take certain gambits and spells to spank out some ping damage.
Once inspired, Fecula's melee attack bumps up to 3 smash and her magic attack flips to channels. That's the first time we've ever seen a fighter's spell attack action hit on channels. Pretty nifty. Other than that, nothing really changes. Keep in mind, if you do managed to get her defense dice up, she reduces a point of damage for every block she rolls. So, if she rolls 2 block, she can reduce the damage taken by 2, to a minimum of 1.
In terms of strategy, Flyblown is your only caster so keep her protected, give her the right upgrades, and then unleash on your enemies or maximum damage.
Sepsimus is your bruiser. He's got a solid, range 2 attack that hits on 2 smash and deals 2 damage. Similarly to his commander, he's got the standard 3 move, 1 block, 4 wounds, and special damage reduction ability.
Once inspired, this Plaguesworn's damage bumps up to 3 and he gains a scything attack that hits on 3 fury for 2 damage. Not bad and situationally useful. The best part about the inspire is that he bumps up to 2 block. That makes him a pretty tanky front line fighter.
Ghulgoch, who has a very fun name to say, is another front line bruiser. Like his compatriots, he has 3 move, 1 block, 4 wounds, and the damage reduction ability. What makes The Butcher a stand out from his repulsive brethren is that he hits on 3 smash off the bat for 2 damage. That's pretty damn accurate.
Once inspired, Ghulgoch gains an additional defense dice and cleave! Makes sense since he is wielding giant, albeit rusty, cleavers. If you are facing against a warband that relies on block, this guy is going to be your work-horse. Give him a damage upgrade or two and watch him run right though Stormcast.
Faction Cards:
Blessed Endurance: Pretty solid card for these guys. If people want to take your fighters out, they are gonna hit you hard. Having 4 wounds and being able to naturally reduce the damage taken is pretty nice.
Rating: B
Blessings Three: An in-faction version of Singled Out. Pretty decent but nothing to raise an eyebrow at.
Rating: C
Chosen Warriors: This is hard to score. If you are facing a 4 man warband or less, doubly so. I like the idea of it and I think you can get pretty aggressive with your fighters but this still seems like a stretch in terms of consistency.
Rating: C
Cycle of Decay: Another pretty solid card. Cycle cards are their faction specific mechanic so makes sense that you'd play them. This is draw dependent though but nothing some card draw can't fix.
Rating: B
Fell the Faithless: I like that it's a surge. Generally, nowadays, taking the opposing leader out is key. But we all know that's hard to do. If you take an aggro build, you could take this card.
Rating: C
Faithful Reward: This pretty much reads score this in an end phase if you managed to either damage three enemy fighters and/or eliminate three. Not worth the 1 glory.
Rating: D
Nurgle's Garden Grows: A interesting pair of requirements on this card leads me to believe that this will be pretty difficult to score. Not to mention your opponent will stop your mini Denial after game 1.
Rating: D
Rotbringers: Easy, solid, reliable even. I like it.
Rating: A
Sacred Tri-Lobe: An in-faction Supremacy for a 3 man warband seems hard. In fact, it's almost impossible in this meta.
Rating: D
Sleeping Rot: If you have upgrades or gambits that can put your fighters on guard without sacrificing action economy, this could make sense. Perhaps.
Rating: C
Spread His Blessings: Again, if you are playing aggro, this could probably work. For 1 glory though, it might not be worth the hassle.
Rating: C
Strength of the Devoted: This is actually one of the few warbands were I think this could be possible. Still, a huge risk and poor rolling can hurt you pretty bad on it. Still, could be a way to pull it off.
Rating: C
Blades of Putrefaction: Getting a critical hit on 2 dice is pretty tough but on 3 dice, it's roughly a 49% chance. Might be worth it to get Ghulgoch to do 3 damage off the bat since he's swinging on 3 smash.
Rating: B
Blessing of Rust: I like the utility of this card. The effect is pretty neat and it lasts the whole game. The problem is that I think the effect is wasted with this warband. I don't think they'll ever take it. Ghulgoch has cleave!
Rating: C
Fecund Vigour: This card is nice. Re-rolls are always welcome and worth their weight in gold. You can set this up for a big attack if you need to. Might be better to go with an upgrade though. Rating: C
Gift of Contagion: If the meta shifts to warbands that rely on hard hitting fighters to get the job done, this could be pretty useful. Like using this against an un-inspired Mollog or even a Stormsire/Ammis seems pretty decent. The casting part stops me from giving it a higher score.
Rating: C
Nauseous Revulsion: A very strong card that can put a thorn in your opponent's side. This could potentially shutdown aggro for a turn.
Rating: B
Rampant Disease: Personally, I don't like gambits that require dice rolls to deal damage or even do other things. Rolling a 1/6 chance to deal one damage to enemy fighter who have to be adjacent to you? No thanks.
Rating: D
Rancid Visitations: Decent spell, would have been better if you could just pick a caster. Throwing your caster into combat to try to hit adjacent opponents seems off to me.
Rating: C
Steady Advance: Pushes are always welcome, especially with slower warbands. This is an auto-include.
Rating: A
The Burgeoning: A situational ploy which can perhaps allow you to get aggressive with your opponent's lethal placement. You could even get the jump on your opponent if you really wanted to play into their "superior" lethal hex placement.
Rating: C
Unnatural Vitality: This is another great card. An extra movement for a warband of slow moving fighters is key, especially if they lose boards.
Rating: A
Fly Swarm: More of a meta call than anything. If ranged weapons/spells/attacks become king then this is actually a pretty strong card.
Rating: C
Foetid Shroud: As I have said many times before, re-rolls are awesome. Especially when a fighter has the potential of lower damage taken by rolling blocks. You want your leader/caster to live.
Rating: B
Hulking Physique: An interesting tradeoff but one that could potentially be worth it. First off, it's another way to get a +1 damage upgrade into your deck. Secondly, once you are brawling it out, the speed matters less and the wounds matter more. I like it.
Rating: B
Living Plague: So you know how I said I don't like 50/50 cards earlier? Well, I think this one is actually pretty okay. Since it happens after every attack, it could be useful. Plus, with the innate ways to reduce damage, it could be pretty consistent. Not to mention your reaction goes first and blocks other enemy reactions.
Rating: B
Pestilent Deliverer: Cleave is nice but not sure if only getting it on the charge is worth an upgrade slot. Probably not, especially on a fighter restricted upgrade,
Rating: D
Putrid Vomit: Fecula doesn't really need this so it comes down to whether or not you want Ghulgoch to have a ranged attack. Probably not. I do keep laughing when I think of combo'ing this with Gloryseeker. That's some powerful barf my dudes.
Rating: D
Retchling: Nurgle cat! This is a pretty damn solid card for Fecula, if you can inspire her. Since her spells hit on channels, that's a useful ability. Not taking damage from backlash is a nice to have as well.
Rating: B
Stolid Bulk: Neat effect, most certainly not worth an upgrade or glory tax either.
Rating: D
Unstoppable Tread: Pretty solid card for a slow warband. Slap this on Fecula or Sepsimus and they'll be able to travel up the board pretty quickly and get a bunch of attacks in. Rating: B
Virulent Blade: Auto-include for sure. An in-faction version of Awakened Weapon is just a blessing here since it seems like you want to get pretty aggressive with this warband.
Rating: A
Universals:
Adaptive Strategy: I don't think there is a good enough selection of hybrid objectives out there right now to reliably score this card. I think it has legs later down the line, it could even be in season 4. I just don't think it works right now.
Rating: D
Addicted to Power: I like the idea of this card and the payout for the card is pretty nice. Problem is that this card is pretty much asking you to roll two crits. That's hard to control.
Rating: D
Arcane Arrest: Neat card but you can't control on whether or not you are facing Hunter's or Quarry's. Could end up being a dead card.
Rating: C
Arcane Expertise: So this is like a better Measured Strike. You can score this by eliminating an enemy fighter with Sphere of Aqshy. Wow.
Rating: A
Awesome Resilience: Not a good card, especially due to the healing requirement. I don't how you can consistently heal 3 wounds in this current game state. Also, 1 glory. Rating: D
Frantic Exchange: Even when both players are ripping power cards out of their hands, it's hard to hit 5 in one turn. Doubly so if they know you have this card. It's comes down to playing around this like the old Escalation. Very doable.
Rating: C
Master of Many Paths: I suppose you could take a Hunter upgrade into a deck with your spell caster leader and score this card. It is draw dependent but also seems like some easy glory.
Rating: C
Perfect Match: Ouff. I wish this card existed in Nightvault. As is stands, with the 6/6 rule this card is hard to score. I think you could take 6 surges and 6 easy 1 glory cards in order to try to attempt to score this. That could probably be viable.
Rating: B
Sorcerous Volley: Could be a decent pick for warbands that include wizards, especially if the meta has 4+ wound fighters dominating it. Could also work against anyone if you miss the first time. Potential.
Rating: C
Beast Armour: A solid effect but one ultimately defeated by the existence of Iara's Instant Shield.
Rating: C
Collapse: This card pretty much replaces Encroaching Shadow. I mean, I suppose you could take both but the possibility of doing 1 damage to 3 different fighters is alluring. Rating: B
Crushing Charge: Maybe good with aggro warbands with high movement, but again, rolling for a smash for every adjacent fighter in order to deal 1 damage seems like too much work for not enough gain.
Rating: C
Flash of Foresight: I don't think knowing what cards your opponent has matters that much in this game. Good players will have a good idea of what their opponent is trying to do as well as know what the likelihood of drawing a card that they need is from their deck.
Rating: D
Irresistible Vision: I automatically think any spell that needs 2 focus to cast is terrible. It's impossible to control or to cast reliably.
Rating: D
Leadbone Dust: A poor man's version of Transfixing Stare. I think this is a great card for offensive and defensive warbands. Shutting down an enemy threat is huge.
Rating: B
Leave Nothing to Chance: More objective removal is nice. I can see people loading up on some of these and then trying to score Scorched Earth too.
Rating: C
Lucky Escape: A very useful card, especially for larger warbands. Sometimes all your opponent needs is that 1 damage and sometimes, all you need is something to negate that sucker.
Rating: A
Nightmare in the Shadows: It's another Distraction. Another. Copy. Of. Distraction. Take. It.
Rating: A
Barb-Laden Net: This can actually be pretty devastating. It also has a range of 2. I don't know how reliable you could make this but getting this attack off can single handedly win you games. Nuts. I don't even know how to rate it, ha.
Rating: C
Hunting Companion: If you are throwing a lot of dice at an opponent, I can see this upgrade being worth it. It's not controllable though and I think you can easily throw in upgrades that can guarantee you the damage.
Rating: C
Jared's Spirited Sphere: A universal spell attack action, with ensnare. Well, this is broken with Cursebreakers. I'll show you how later today. Got a deck list coming soon. Rating: A
Amberbone Dagger: With the release of a bunch of these weapons, I would not be surprised if we saw aggro warbands with just all of them in their upgrade decks. A 3 fury attack dealing 2 damage for a potential of 2 glory and cleave is pretty decent.
Rating: B
Prey's Cunning: A very interesting card that might see play in Lost Pages or Tome decks. I don't think the average joe takes it which is why I will rate it a bit lower. However, i do see this being potentially powerful in certain builds.
Rating: C
Sprinting Charm: I love the design on this card. Clear benefit, clear drawback. I think this is a great card for aggro, especially some of the slower warbands out there.
Rating: B
Substance Siphon: A pretty neat card that really beef up one your fighter's in a pinch towards the end of a game. Especially good on Cursebreakers and fighters on guard.
Rating: B
The Scattered Tome: The card we all knew was going to come out. Looks like we might see some Lost Pages builds happening now. Generally I don't like stacking upgrades on a single fighter to get a big glory boost builds but you can't deny their effectiveness.
Rating: B
Victor's Experience: This is actually a really interesting card. If you are a playing an aggressive warband but not one with Hunters, you could run this card and make a fighter a Hunter which then gives you access to cards like Snare. Is it worth it in the end? Probably not but something to think about.
Rating: C
Final Thoughts:
The Wurmspat are in interesting warband. They seem like a mirror to Stormsire's Cursebreakers in many ways but vastly different in other ways. I think the Cycle mechanic is powerful and will create for some amazing moments should players time their cards correctly. I also think that overall, the warband seems relatively strong. Sepsimus and Ghulgoch can go toe-to-toe with most opposing fighters while Fecula has the most accurate spell attack in the game.
The key to these guys is going to be getting the most use out of Fecula's magic while having your two bruisers harassing the enemy and hopefully getting early eliminations. Then you can pile on the upgrades and finish everyone off. Just keep in mind that while tough, these guys are slow. Throw some movement cards in there to get them where they need to go.
So, should you buy The Wurmspat expansion for Warhammer Underworlds Beastgrave?
Yeah, I think so.
While I don't think they are as strong as Hrothgorn's Mantrappers, I think they have a unique play style that will be fun to play. Plus, the models are gorgeous. Furthermore, there are a bunch of universal cards in here that can take any of your existing decks and boost them up a notch.
If you would like to pre-order The Wurmspat, head on down to your local Warhammer Store or gaming store. If you prefer to shop online, check this out here.
I hope you enjoy your games with The Wurmspat over the coming weeks. Look out for more content coming out in regards to them over the next couple days.
Cheers,
Aman