Here's the final card review from the new expansions. In this article I will be discussing the universal objectives, gambits, and upgrades that come with Morgwaeth's Blade Coven.
Note: As per my previous articles, I'll be using the following rating system.
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.
Universal Objectives:
Absolute Stillness: So first off, you need to make sure your fighter holding the objective is a quarry which relies on another card. Secondly, the fighter holding the objective also needs to not. have a move or charge token. This means that you'll either need to use a gambit to get your fighter there or, in the worst case, just leave one of your fighters camped on an objective for the whole round. While both ways to score it are suboptimal, if you are stacking up on pushes (I am looking at you, objective warbands), this could be a neat glory boost. Ideally, you have a fighter plus Cryptic Companion chilling on an objective. Interestingly, playing this against Hrothgorn makes scoring this a little easier. Rating: C
Abundance of Caution: Getting all your fighters on guard naturally is super tough as it is. Diluting your power deck with cards that do this is not worth it just to score this card.
Rating: D
Ahead of the Hunt: If you are facing Hrothgorn, it is a free glory if you've got anyone alive at the end of a round. If you plan on taking a bunch of quarry upgrades, this is also some what reliable. Still, very dependent on other cards.
Rating: C
Hidden Purpose: They made an easier Temporary Victory... This card is amazeballs. You can slot it into almost any strategy and reliably score it. It is probably the new Extreme Flank. You are most likely taking this in every deck, even after it gets forsaken - which it must. It's too good!
Rating: A
Master of Hazards: After trying this card in a couple games, it is not reliable and extremely draw dependent. If you've got draw cards that does alleviate the issue but I still found it challenging.
Rating: C
No One is Safe: This is good for strategies that are taking a lot of ping damage. Even so, getting this to go off every game maybe relying on luck a bit too much. I think you probably take it in Farstriders but aside from that, it's too card dependent.
Rating: C
Set the Tempo: So at first glance needing to score 6 objectives, 2 of which have to be dual and 2 of which have to be hybrid, seems like a tall order. However, I think it may be something that isn't as hard as we all initially might think. There are a lot of solid, often taken dual and hybrid cards in the game. I can easily see a deck with Path to Victory, Gathered Momentum, Swift Capture, and Unexpected Pitfall in it and that is just universals. Once you through faction cards in the mix, I think it becomes even easier. It's a more difficult Superior Tactician but one ha is doable and not limited to the third end phase. I may be rating this higher than it should, but I feel good about it.
Rating: B
Test of Courage: Unless you are playing Thorns of the Briar Queen do not even consider this card. Even then, it seems tricky and requires solid board selection and. lethal hex placement. Probably not good enough.
Rating: D
The Hunter Hunted: I like the fact that it is 2 glory. The challenge is how do you ensure you are facing against a hunter in every game? You can't and as such, unless the meta is aggressively filled with hunter warbands, this will end up being a dead card in your hand at least half the time. Keep in mind, the Krushas have no hunters and they are going to be everywhere.
Rating: D
Universal Gambits:
Euphoric Dust: If this card lasted until the end of the phase then I might seriously give it a go. However, since it only lasts for a single activation - I do not thing it is worth the slot.
Rating: D
Glorious Triumph: Wow, what a card indeed! The fact that you can eliminate an enemy fighter to count as if you are holding an additional objective till the end of the round is not only something we have never seen before, but also very powerful. Scoring cards like Temporary Victory, Supremacy, Path to Victory, and even Hidden Purpose can potentially be trivial. In addition to that, this can hard counter someone trying to score Uncontested. All objective decks, and even those who are flexing into it, should seriously consider this card. In fact, it is probably an auto-include if you include any kind of objective scoring. Rating: A
Honest Scrap: Denying re-rolls is cool but I wish this card did something else in addition to that. It is not strong enough by itself, especially considering it only lasts for one activation.
Rating: D
Hunt as a Pack: We've seen plenty of cards with similar effects in the past and they have never been worth an inclusion in your deck. This card is no different.
Rating: D
Hunting Bolt: Another ping damage spell - solid for any magic using warbands, especially Stormsire's Cursebreakers. Even for Vortemis and Ylthari, it's definitely something worth including should you also run Magical Storm. 1 focus is a bit unreliable at times so probably a best use for level 2 wizards.
Rating: B
Malkyn Grace: Our third additional version of Spectral Wings and one that certainly comes with a downside. Again, if you've got hunters, you probably only need Spectral Wings and Tracking. If you are really trying to maximize movement and want to take cards, make sure you use it in your last activation to try to offset that -1 wound penalty.
Rating: C
Quick Search: Oh boy, another draw engine. Now it's up for debate on whether this card is better than it's cousin, Frenzied Search due to having to discard a card when using that particular card. Either way, it's great to dig through your deck and can certainly help you score Digging Deep and To the End much more consistently. It actually dramatically increases the stock of those aforementioned objectives. It'll probably replace Unnatural Truce in most decks. Take all 3 if you feeling wild.
Rating: A
Spiteful Dart: I must admit, my interest is definitely peaked by this one. If theres a lot of wound counters sitting on a bunch of fighters and things, this could be a cheeky way to finish an enemy off. Generally though, Underworlds revolved around a one-shot strategy. You don't generally go for an attack unless you can get the elimination. Of course there are exceptions to this but usually that is the case. For that reason, you probably may not get a lot of chances to use it.
Rating: C
Victimize: With the prevalence of amazing upgrades that also confer the quarry keyword on fighters, this card is probably going to see a lot of use. While you can not always guarantee you'll have a target who is a quarry, the +1 dice is decent enough as an effect in the worse case scenario. Again, this is enemy dependent but I think it's a safe choice.
Rating: B
Universal Upgrades:
Amberbone Mace: The final weapon added to the amberbone arsenal, this mace does not disappoint. It is arguably the best amberbone weapon in the entire set as those re-rolls are gold. Keep in mind, these re-rolls apply to any additional dice you may add to the attack via upgrades and gambits like Potion of Rage.
Rating: A
Bloody Axe: I really like the idea of this card. First off, a 3 fury, 2 damage melee attack is fairly respectable. The requirement is a bit tricky but may come up more often than we think. If you are running an aggro build with a warband with a majority of 3+ wound fighters, I think you could seriously consider this. Hey, it might finally give Shond (Godsworn Hunt) something to do. No offense, Tom Bond. 😝
Rating: C
Greedy Gauntlet: An interesting way to add additional damage upgrades to your list. Taking the damage be too big of a cost. If you have both Great Strength and Sting of the Ur-Grub in your deck, you probably don't need this. But hey, might be good with aggro Krushas into other Krushas, or something.
Rating: D
Hunter's Talisman: This is a universal copy of Eye of Kurnoth (Skaeth's Wild Hunt). That card is an auto-include in that warband and I imagine this will be an auto-include in most decks as well as every single aggro deck. Might even replace Potion of Rage. I am concerned with how powerful it will be with Hrothgorn and other powerful fighters.
Rating: A
Keila's Choking Coil: Did someone say Triple Stormsire?! Seriously though, it's another way to make either Ammis or Rastus into a mini-version of their leader, Stormsire (Stormsire's Cursebreakers). Aside from that apparent strategy, this is probably a solid replacement for any lost page build running Jared's Spirited Sphere due to the potential to do 2 damage at range.
Rating: C
Predator's Trinket: Gaining cleave isn't that exciting nowadays given how many dodge fighters running around. I'd pass on this one.
Rating: D
Shadeglass Band: If you stick this on a fighter already rolling a bunch of dice, this upgrade can potentially improve their accuracy permanently during the course of a game. I think there are better options out there, especially given the new releases but it's something to certainly consider if you are really trying to improve accuracy redundancy.
Rating: C
Stealthy Blade: If reactions become oppressive in multiple warbands then this card is something you might want to think about. On its own, a melee 2 smash, 2 damage attack isn't bad. However, if you want a weapon for a weapon caddy, check out the weapons in the amberbone aisle.
Rating: C
Vortex Stone: Decent card for aggro warband who revolve around a few key fighters. It is particularly juicy with Mollog, Hrothgorn, Skaeth, etc. I'm not sure if it is worth the upgrade slot but it might be a cool piece of tech and really get the jump on your opponent.
Rating: C
Final Thoughts:
While the warband itself is not as appealing as the orruks in Morgok' Krushas, the universal cards included in Morgwaeth's Blade Coven are arguably more powerful. This set is a must buy if you if you are looking to stay as competitive as you can be in your list building and general strategies.
If you would like to pre-order Morgwaeth's Blade Coven, 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 experimenting with these cards over the coming weeks. Look out for more content coming out in regards to them over the next couple days.
Cheers,
Aman