The abilities on the back of hero unit cards can really shape how you build your list. With the new heroes on the way I wanted to look at how these abilities interact when you take two heroes in the same list.

In my local group Kari + Hawthorne is a popular combo. You can use Kari's Aymhelin Allies to bring in a unit of 2x2 Deepwood Archers and Hawthorne's Lessons of Seragart to make them 4x1. Chuck on tempered steel and rank discipline for a super reliable 12 damage at range. I could see a similar combo working the Baron Zachareth and rune golems, 4x1 with vitality tokens has massive damage potential and will be a pain to kill.

It seems like Ardus and Maro could have some serious potential but I an currently struggling to find a unit that I want to use this combo on. Maybe allowing 3x1 crossbows to take dispatch runner, 1x3 Leonx with raven tabards? Anyone have good ideas? Maybe with a surge ability for Ardus to borrow? Vorun'thul giving out immobilize tokens will buy time to allow Maro's unit to rally off the blight they start with.

Using Aliana to redeploy some Leonx within range of Prince Faolan to get an inspiration token seems useful, especially if your opponent's deployment forces you to change how you were originally intending to set up, but I think Maegan with Faolan would work better. You can give Sorceress upgrades to units that wouldn't normally be able to take champion upgrades which will then allow Faolan to give them the free inspiration tokens at the start of the game.

My only experience is with waq, I have tried an Ardus/Maro with either a 4x of fleshrippers or a 2x of spined threshers with war crier in the champion upgrade slot that one might forgo other blight generation in the early game as they approach. The same could be said for many units with that slot available. But two heros and an out of faction unit in the supposed "synergy" army is a steep start. I've put thought into Lord thul, his ability has even less synergy with friendly units and a heavy reliance on the opposing list, choosing which side to start him on will the real question.

8 hours ago, Qark said:

It seems like Ardus and Maro could have some serious potential but I an currently struggling to find a unit that I want to use this combo on. Maybe allowing 3x1 crossbows to take dispatch runner, 1x3 Leonx with raven tabards? Anyone have good ideas? Maybe with a surge ability for Ardus to borrow? Vorun'thul giving out immobilize tokens will buy time to allow Maro's unit to rally off the blight they start with.

I agree, nothing really jumps out as stellar. But your Dispatch Runner Crossbowmen got me to take a second look: Darnati Warriors. At 19 points for a 2x1, you can add Dispatch Runner for a total of 26 points - probably one of the cheapest Dispatch Units in the game. You don't even have to rally to get rid of blight right away; you just run up and Dispatch, and then Rally-Skill til you or the enemy dies. Plus, Ardus could borrow the surge for Lethal....yeah, I agree, that's not great.

Hey, you know what's really cheeky?

Darnati Warriors , 2-trays [19]
- Dispatch Runner [7]
- Simultaneous Orders [2]
- Wind Rune [6]
TOTAL: 34 points

It's the same cost as your Crossbowmen, but harder to catch. You could also try Corruption Rune to shave 2 points off. This would be a good unit for that, I think.

...just kidding about Dispatch Runner. As with most things in this game, Uthuk Y'llan do it better:

Berserkers , 2-tray [16]
- Dispatch Runner [7]
TOTAL: 23 points

Oh WAIT! Their rally and skill are on the same dial, so they are not good for this AT ALL! But you could give them War Crier just to throw Blight Tokens at the enemy and be a nuisance for cheap. Add Raven Tabards and they can march 1 then skill to throw blight all at initiative 2!

Hang on, Spearmen are cheaper than Darnati.

Spearmen , 2 trays [18]
- Dispatch Runner [7]
TOTAL: 25 points

They Rally on initiative 3, which is huge. Pair it with the white skill modifier and your opponent will be shocked to see Carrion Lancers attacking so early! They don't have the awesome ability that Darnati do to get out of the way with Wind Rune and Simultaneous Orders (or get into range with Wind Rune followed by Dispatch Runner), but the Darnati do pay for that added flexibility.

@Qark

How bout this one? Use Vorunthul to tie up an enemy on their flank as he can easily do in just about any situation, lol. Then charge in your 3x2 or even 4x3 of Reanimates with Ardus included, then it only takes one surge to give that block of Reanimates Brutal 1 due to their proximity to Lord Manpire

2 hours ago, Wraithist said:

Lord Manpire

I think the correct classification might be Werebat, i.e. Chiropthrope or even more correctly Vespertilio Mortuus?

Edit: As one of the few Swedes on this forum I feel obliged to carry the legacy of the late and great Carolus Linneus

2 hours ago, Wraithist said:

@Qark

How bout this one? Use Vorunthul to tie up an enemy on their flank as he can easily do in just about any situation, lol. Then charge in your 3x2 or even 4x3 of Reanimates with Ardus included, then it only takes one surge to give that block of Reanimates Brutal 1 due to their proximity to Lord Manpire

That's more of just Ardus' ability versus what this thread started on as. This should be how "Host of Crows" interacts with "Howl of the Mistlands" or "Dread Lord of House Ammanas".

Off topic to the thread but on topic to your message, I was thinking about an Ardus/Vorunthul bosom buddies situation. Two Brutal 2 heroes heading on in to melee.

2 hours ago, Aetheriac said:

That's more of just Ardus' ability versus what this thread started on as. This should be how "Host of Crows" interacts with "Howl of the Mistlands" or "Dread Lord of House Ammanas".

Off topic to the thread but on topic to your message, I was thinking about an Ardus/Vorunthul bosom buddies situation. Two Brutal 2 heroes heading on in to melee.

This sounds scary

6 hours ago, Maktorius said:

Edit  :     As one of the few Swedes on this forum I feel obliged to carry the legacy of the late and great Carolus Linne  us 

I'm a taxonomist; Linnaeus is my hero!

5 hours ago, Aetheriac said:

That's more of just Ardus' ability versus what this thread started on as. This should be how "Host of Crows" interacts with "Howl of the Mistlands" or "Dread Lord of House Ammanas".

Off topic to the thread but on topic to your message, I was thinking about an Ardus/Vorunthul bosom buddies situation. Two Brutal 2 heroes heading on in to melee. 

Oh I see now. I was way off thread, I just got so excited about the Undead Buddy Antics of Lord Weresmybat and his Skele-bro. Add a group of Carrion Lancers with McW and CI and it's PARTY TIME.

5 hours ago, Aetheriac said:

That's more of just Ardus' ability versus what this thread started on as. This should be how "Host of Crows" interacts with "Howl of the Mistlands" or "Dread Lord of House Ammanas".

Maro and Ardus: Get a 1x3 of Dead Battlecats, give them column tactics, raven tabards and war crier to throw the blight tokens on another unit?

Hm...

Ravos+Kethra - no army buff synergy

Ravos+Beastmaster - no army buff synergy

Ravos+Gorgemaw - Every gets something? Enemy gets panic, you get wounds and inspiration

Kethra+Beastmaster - Move unit after deploying, then apply most ideal Unnatural Growths. Probably the “best” here

Kethra+Gorgemaw - No real synergy

Uthuk don’t really stack their hero abilities like others can.

11 hours ago, Wraithist said:

@Qark

How bout this one? Use Vorunthul to tie up an enemy on their flank as he can easily do in just about any situation, lol. Then charge in your 3x2 or even 4x3 of Reanimates with Ardus included, then it only takes one surge to give that block of Reanimates Brutal 1 due to their proximity to Lord Manpire

No quite on topic but I hadn't thought of this so I am glad you brought it up. Super keen to try that one out:

Lord Vorunthul [40] 1x1
Fortunas Dice [6]
Total Unit Cost: 46

Reanimates [64] 4x3
Ardus IxErebus [23]
Aggressive Drummer [5]
Moment of Inspiration [5]
Total Unit Cost: 97

Carrion Lancers [46] 2x2
Master-Crafted Weapons [4]
Combat Ingenuity [6]
Total Unit Cost: 56

199

Threat 5, 2 White, 2 Red, every surge after the first counts as a hit, 2 rerolls to fish for doubles. Yeah that seems alright.

I'm pretty sure Surges are categorically different than Unique Surges, so Ardus can't borrow any of Vorun'thul's abilities.

33 minutes ago, Parakitor said:

I'm pretty sure Surges are categorically different than Unique Surges, so Ardus can't borrow any of Vorun'thul's abilities.

Booo .... understandable, but boooooooo.

1 hour ago, Parakitor said:

I'm pretty sure Surges are categorically different than Unique Surges, so Ardus can't borrow any of Vorun'thul's abilities.

I disagree! I think it still counts as a surge, but it means he can only use it once, per the rules of unique surges.

In order to finish what I started and totally derail this post, here's the rules from the errata lol

Unique Surge Abilities A surge ability is unique if it uses the unique surge (?) icon. • A player can spend surges to resolve a unique surge ability only once per attack. • If a unique surge (?) icon is followed by a “+,” the player can spend any number of surges but can still spend surges to resolve the ability only once per attack.

So I think it only limits super strong powers so units aren't shifting 3 times or adding brutal 3, but I think you still spend surges the same way.

I guess I can see that. But it's a different icon, which throws me off. I think we'll need a ruling, but in the meantime I'll play the more strict interpretation that unique surges cannot be borrowed by Ardus.

I submitted a rules clarification request.

5 hours ago, Parakitor said:

I guess I can see that. But it's a different icon, which throws me off. I think we'll need a ruling, but in the meantime I'll play the more strict interpretation that unique surges cannot be borrowed by Ardus.

He can borrow Surge+ right? I would imagine he could borrow Surge(consumed). But anyway, we'll definitely need a ruling on it, seems ambiguous.

Ardus' ability does use the standard surge icon and not the text "surge ability", so I can certainly see it in the more restrictive way. I'm just hopeful that Unique Surges are still surges for his ability.