I'm fairly new to the world of Raven Tabards, but I'm a pretty quick convert. Historically, I passed it over because I liked the opportunity to charge late in the turn, and, being a Daqan player that played almost exclusively against Waiqar, I generally didn't have much competition for charges anyway. Once Death Knights came to the scene, it shook things up - they charge 2 at init 3, 3 at init 5, and (critically) 3 at init 9, matching or beating Oathsworn. So I got to thinking, how do I get the upper hand...

Early:

• Oathsworn charge 1 at 3, 2 at 4
• Death Knights charge 2 at 3
• Leonx charge 2 at 3, 3 at 4
• Flesh Rippers charge 2 at 3 (3 with Dead Sprint)

Late:

• Oathsworn charge 4 at 7
• Death Knights charge 4 at 7, 3 at 9
• Leonx charge 4 at 7
• Flesh Rippers charge 4 at 7 (5 with Dead Sprint)

Oathsworn:

• Aren't much good at turning or positioning, want to engage head on
• Do not have advantage over other factions early or late
• Get access to a Heraldry slot at 2x2,
• Since their gameplan has to involve "charge headlong", they want to be in a position to do it

Death Knights:

• Mostly match the early options of other factions, and have the latest move in the game at 9
• Don't get access to a Heraldry upgrade until the hugely expensive 2x3
• Might be worth taking when available since 8 is still quite late, but who's taking a 2x3 of Death Knights?

Leonx:

• Great at early charges
• Heraldry at 2x2
• Raven Tabards solidifies their early-turn dominance
• Uniquely they have a Blue Shift and Rally. Bringing the Rally down to 7 isn't likely to have much impact, but Shift at 5 is a nice boost.

Flesh Rippers:

• Never get a Heraldry slot
• Dead Sprint is a pretty big deal. 3 at 3 is great, and 5 at 7 is quite interesting. I expect to see it lots.

Conclusions:

• Cav are fragile for their points - do not want to take charges, want to be the ones charging.
• Raven Tabards increases a unit's chances of being able to charge first, and suits Oathsworn and Leonx quite well.
• Bull Pennon can also be an attractive option (I'm particularly interested in the Impact 3 Leonx unit that takes advantage of morale results to disengage freely the following turn).
• Without it, Oathsworn can pretty easily get in a nasty position of having to take a charge - I largely see it as an upgrade to keep up with the curve.
• With it, Leonx increase their mobility advantage and have even better options.
• It's a pretty good upgrade (groundbreaking research, I know)

To touch on other units:

Spearmen:

• Charge 2 at 4, 3 at 5, 4 at 8 (upgrade dependent)
• Raven Tabards is a decent improvement in the early turn, and doesn't mess with their neat move at 8
• I'm been playing around with the Raven Pennon Bearer, which does neat things with their whole dial

Rune Golems:

• Can't take it until the very expensive 2x2
• It might not be a bad choice. (Unstable) at 3 is a fair bit more interesting than 4, though dropping their reliable move from 8 to 7 is probably a net loss. I might actually try this.

Reanimates:

• By default, just awful at charging
• They can get some decent mileage out of wheels and turns though, and earlier could be an advantage
• Waiqar Heraldry figure upgrades are pretty strong, I doubt a marginal speed advantage can compete

Wraiths:

• Have what I'm going to call a very normal speed profile
• Looks like a pretty good option, with some additional synergy in their ability to move through obstacles - with additional movement routes, early could be even more important.

Aymhelin Scions:

• (Natural) at 3, 2 at 4, 3 at 5
• It would never have occurred to me, but I am quite liking the look of it. Up to 3 at initiative 2? That's pretty impressive.
• Since they're ranged, enemies might choose to move close late in the turn, so being quick on the charge helps defend against that strategy.
• I like it!

Darnati Warriors:

• Darnati why is your dial so weird
• Raven Tabards affects their Rally and Shift, so already we're looking good.
• They can't charge late, so it stands to reason they would want to be good at charging early.
• Possibly the only reason to take the unit at all is Heraldry figure upgrades.
• Literally just take Leonx instead.
• Very interested to see what's in their box.

Berserkers

• Do in fact want to charge headlong into the enemy as quickly as possible.
• Probably will prefer a figure upgrade, since they're all pretty interesting and synergize well with the Uthuk theme.
• If not, a solid choice!

7 hours ago, Bhelliom said:

• Aymhelin Scions:

• (Natural) at 3, 2 at 4, 3 at 5
• It would never have occurred to me, but I am quite liking the look of it. Up to 3 at initiative 2? That's pretty impressive.
• Since they're ranged, enemies might choose to move close late in the turn, so being quick on the charge helps defend against that strategy.
• I like it!

Had to face these guys multiple times. That Raven Tabards is good. Scions getting a charge on my Lancers before they can defense up or rally-march out of the way has been a pain to deal with.