As readers of this forum may have seen, I recently finished my massive Latari force and wanted to get them on the table. I’m playing lots of small units with a couple of hitters in Aliana and Prince F. No rune manipulation here, just upgrades to make the heroes more effective. I also elected for Tempered Steel on the Deepwood Archers since I could unexhaust them once with the Inspiration token from Prince F to start the game. The Scions are there to slow down a fast unit with Immobilize and the Leonx Riders can threaten a flank with their speed.

My opponent wanted to try a new Waiqar build using a 2x2 Wraith unit. Wraiths are a bit of a conundrum for us as we’ve had quite a bit of difficulty getting them to work as more than token scoopers. He was looking to flank as well and disrupt my formation with its movement flexibility. Mark of Vengeance is a key upgrade for them and after reading it correctly, we were interested to see it in action. (We both thought it only modified the Wraiths attack dice against the target unit when, in fact, it modifies all attacks against the target unit).

Aliana and PrinceF - 200 pts.

Ardus's Wraiths - 200 pts.

Ardus IxErebus [37] 1x1
Dimodian Blades [5] -
Ardus Fury [1] -

Reanimate Archers [45] 3x2
Wind Rune [6] -
Raven-Standard Bearer [3] -
Combat Ingenuity [6] -

Carrion Lancers [27] 2x1
Rank Discipline [4] -

Death Knights [24] 2x1
Obcasiums Gauntlet [5] -

Wraiths [30] 2x2
Raven Tabards [2] -
Metered March [2] -
Undying Hate [3] -

We both wanted to play Place the Explosives and determined that Waiqar had initiative on Turn 1. We had some very interesting terrain, Latari Memorial, Ransacked Manor, and Moonstone Bridge. The latter ended up playing a decisive role in the game.

Setup

As you can see, we both stuck the other sides objective as far away as possible for obvious reasons. I designated the Scions and Prince F as the demolishioners while Waiqar designated his Wraiths and Carrion Lancers. We use non-tournament setups which gave the Latari the chance to put the last 3 units on the board. I put the Leonx Riders on the right to flank with my Archer block and Aliana in the center. I figure I could use the Moonstone Bridge to get the Scions near their objective pretty quickly while giving them a good field of use for their Vicious Roots. Finally, I put Prince F on the left with a unit of Archers to act as blockers if needed.

Of his units, the 3x2 Archers concerned me the most. With the Mark of Vengeance on the Scions, that meant he was rolling white+red against them with a Wind Rune to get out of Aliana’s way. They also shot on I4 and could pick off my Archers if they chose. He put the Death Knights with Obcasium’s Gauntlet on my left flank to stall Prince F. I asked him why he used Ardus since he didn’t use his list building advantages and he indicated that was all the point he had left- go figure. Still with Dimodian Blades and being near the Carrion Lancers, he would be a good match for Aliana depending upon who won the charge.

Turn 1 – Runes:1S, 2N, 2U

As normal for the 1 ^st turn, lots of jockeying for position… Being somewhat new to Latari, I didn’t appreciate some of the intricacies of their dials. Moreover, Waiqar had three units going at I7 which allowed him to stall a bit and get position on me with both his Wraiths and his Archers. I shifted Aliana to threaten them with an early charge on Turn 2 and they responded with a two shifts, one backward and the other to my left making engagement next turn problematic. Unfortunately, the Archers were also within range of the Scions motivating them to try and get out of the way next turn as well.

Turn 2 – Runes: 1S, 2N, 2U

With 2 Natural runes, the Scions were feeling better about their chances of living. The big decision I had with Aliana was to veer off toward Ardus or try to pursue the Archers. Wind Rune is such a good card and the very same runes that powered up my Scions gave them a nice shift as well.

Overall, not a good turn for Waiqar but an early Reform and Defend with Ardus saved him from Aliana’s charge. She put three wounds on him. The Wraiths jumped the Deepwood Archers in the Ransacked Manor, scoring their Objective but did very little damage. One of the Deepwood’s shot the Wraiths while the other disengaged with the Leonx Riders circling behind the Wraiths. The Lancers reformed to face the Riders. On the left flank, the Scions jumped out of the Bridge to contact the Memorial and score their objective. They had to absorb a shot from the Reanimate Archers but even with Mark of Vengeance and a good roll, they only scored two wounds. The Deepwood Archers removed two of the Death Knights and I got cute with Prince F trying to slip him in behind the Archers into the Moonstone Bridge. Unfortunately, the Death Knights had a late charge which made it into contact with the Bridge by just the slimmest of margins. That meant Obcasium’s Gauntlet was delivered… L

Turn 3 – Runes: 2S, 1N, 2U

So this was definitely Waiqar’s turn with Initiative being the key. Ardus went first at I3 before Aliana. With Dimodian for two re-rolls and (most importantly), the nearby Carrion Worms with Tempered Steel, he was able to generate 10 damage taking out Aliana before she could finish him off. Ouch!!!

Prince F finished off the Death Knights although his days were numbered with Obcasium’s hanging over his head. The Wraiths pulled off a fancy charge which, due to their missing tray, allowed them to fit in and hit the Deepwood’s across from them. The Leonx Riders jump up to mess up the Lancers expected charge while the two Deepwood units wiped out the Wraiths with some lucky die rolls (in spite of the Wraith’s re-rolls).

The Reanimate Archers shoot the Scions before they can armor up. While they get a return shot, it did no damage due to some poor die rolls.

Turn 4 – Runes: 2S, 1N, 4U

The start of the turn brought some interesting decisions. I had the Lancers in a bad position with two Archers and the Leonx Riders. He had to gamble on whether I would drop bounce or fight. I needed to get one more wound on Ardus but with a reduced Archer unit, I would need to hit him before he could armor up. Regardless of this, I had no answer for his big Archer unit with Faolan’s imminent demise and the Scions likely to take another volley from the Archers.

Ardus Reformed and Armored up to charge toward one of the Archer groups, the Lancers Rallied to get TS back and armor up not knowing what the Leonx Riders would do. It turns out I bounced back to let my Archers see if they could soften them up. Both units managed to put a single wound on the Lancers, I guess armor is a good thing to have… L

The Reanimate Archers did only three damage but put two Blight tokens on the Deepwood Archers nullifying their shot. The Scions did 3 damage and Reformed to move around the Latari Memorial, something I should have done sooner L

…and then the move of the game. Prince F comes out of the Moonstone Bridge and with the 1-Shift and breaking his 3-March into his 3-1 March’s, he was able to use the last March to actually charge Ardus. Totally unexpected! I wiped him out and then Obcasium’s damaged him at the end of the turn making it a wash.

Turn 5 – Runes: 2S, 1N, 2U

The Leonx Riders were in a precarious position with 2 Panic tokens. If then enter melee and the Archers shoot, they would have to take a 3-Morale test, not good.

I was trying to pin his Reanimate Archers, but that was going to be a challenge based on the distance, the need to turn, and the fact that they act on I4 with Wind Rune to move away. We’ll see what happens…

I got very lucky with Leonx Riders. Early charge with perfect rolls (1 Mortal Strike and 4 damage) takes out 1 Lancer leaving them unengaged so the Archers can shoot putting one wound on them. His Archers take out my Archers and he shifts out of the way of my Scions charge. I need to hope for good Natural runes and just armor up to try and run out the game

Turn 6 – Runes: 1S, 3N, 2U

The game is drawing to a close…

The Leonx Riders charge the Lancers in the flank taking out the last figure while the Archers shoot into thin air. The Reanimate Archers have no shot as they shift and Wind Rune to position themselves for two final shots.

Turn 7 – Runes: 2S, 1N, 2U

The Leonx Riders and Archers on my right flank Rally and stay away from the Reanimate Archers. They shoot and put 1 wound on the Scions bringing it down to one final die roll…

Turn 8 – Runes: 1S, 3N, 0U

…which they got. Even with 3 Natural runes and an armor, he needed two hits to take me out which he got… on his re-roll!

So, with that, we tallied our scores. Latari had 10 points from the Ransacked Manor, 75 from the Explosives, and 41 from their units. Waiqar had 75 from Explosives and 60 from the Archer unit with all its upgrades.

Final score: Waiqar 135, Latari, 126! Wow, what a close game…

Post-Action Thoughts:

In a close game like this, you can always find that one die roll or move that would have won you the game and this is no exception. There was also a lot of ebb and flow to this game with both sides having moments where it looked like they were going to win.

Latari: My first time actually playing them and I learned a lot about their style. I like the force as it has lots of chip damage and squirrely units with two heavy hitters to get through armored targets (although the Leonx Riders did quite nicely with their Mortal Strike ability). My biggest mistake was getting aggressive with Prince F and being rewarded with Obcasium’s. If I had held back 1 turn, I would have probably won the game. I will add that Prince F near the Moonstone Bridge is nasty. He can come running out with a 3-Charge in any direction! The Deepwood Archers started to run out of gas when they couldn’t unexhaust Tempered Steel. It took some pretty good rolls to wound those Lancers. Lastly, I caught a very lucky break with the first Leonx charge leaving them unengaged with the Lancers effectively giving me two charges with a couple of Archer shots.

Waiqar: Wind Rune, Wind Rune, Wind Rune. That card is awesome on the Reanimate Archers with Raven Standard Bearer. They can shoot on I4 and get out of the way in most instances. It saved them from Aliana and the Scions. Ardus one-shot of Aliana looked like the turning point in the game, but his facing meant he had to Reform which is very unkind to him. I think the biggest disappointment was the Wraiths, however. For sure, they delivered the Explosives quite nicely but just couldn’t do any damage. Probably their biggest contribution was Mark of Vengeance on the Scions making it easier for the Archers to take them down. Neither of us have really been able to get this unit to work beyond more than token scoopers. If they had an upgrade that allowed their Surges to do something, it would be quite different. Their re-roll ability was of little value against all of the Precise that the Latari had…

Thanks for reading!!!

Nice report! Very exciting game you guys had, and it looks like a ton of fun.

I am very keen to figure out the Wraiths. The 2x2 has potential because of rerolls and access to the important banner upgrade slot. It would have been interesting to see them as 3x1 because Ardus was there to still give them access to Raven Tabards. That boosts the threat, loses the reroll, and loses some health, so overall the 2x2 was probably fine. I agree that the defensive ability of the Wraiths is a bit weak, and that having no abilities that use surges is a huge disappointment. But I think what the entire unit comes down to is flanking. When I look at Wraiths, I see a unit that was designed around the assumption that it will be flanking most of the game.

1. Wraiths have the fantastic ability to reform after a march or shift, making it a trivial matter to get around an opponent and set up a flank charge.
2. They have a defensive ability that allows them to reroll up to [stable] dice before the attacker rerolls. Most of the time you won't even use the ability because there is a chance that your reroll will make an even better outcome for your opponent, and if that enemy unit has more than one reroll, it's almost like the Wraiths' ability doesn't exist. But if you're flanking, suddenly the opponent has no rerolls, so they are at the mercy of your decision to reroll their dice or not.
3. They are the only cavalry unit in the game that rolls fewer than 3 dice. They have to flank to make up that attack power. Even Undying Hate doesn't help because it trades out a die - but when they're flanking the enemy unit with Mark of Vengeance, suddenly they're rolling a very potent red-red-white! Of course, unless they are a 2x2 they don't get to reroll their attack dice, so their damage potential is rather inconsistent.

Last thing I'll say about Wraiths: I think it may be best to focus on morale. Faces of the Fallen, Bloodied Tatters, Terrifying Heraldry, Unhallowed Wind, and Bull Pennon are all options they can use to increase the amount of morale/panic they distribute. Considering that their attack power is not very consistent, it may be worth it to give them the role of disrupting larger units by instilling fear and panic in their hearts, rather than trying to physically harm them.

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On the other side, very cool to see you play your first game with Latari, @sarumanthewhite . I haven't put them on the table yet, but I'm excited to try them. Prince Faolan's maneuver to take out Ardus was so awesome!

Looks like your Scions used Vicious Roots on the Reanimate Archers in round 3? That was a pretty good move to make them think twice about Wind Rune. Unfortunately, since you weren't really focused on attacking those archers, they juts went for surges for blight instead.

Hey there,

Sorry I missed you yesterday, I was playing Armada all day and was wiped out when I finished.

Your thoughts are so perceptive- it’s like you were actually playing the game instead of me... 😀

I see what you’re saying with Wraiths and flanking. After this battle, I think I’m inclined to agree. I was going for damage output with the reroll to limit bad results, but on average, they do 4 damage, hardly inspiring. I’ve tried Wraiths with the Morale bumps (Bull Pennon, Faces of the Fallen and Unhallowed Wind) and it’s also hit or miss. For sure, if you get Loss of Faith or something equally serious, it’s quite devastating, but a Stun or Immobilize token is equally uninspiring (in general).

I revised the list using Ardus to go to a 3x1 with the Morale bumps and spent the points on other upgrades. We’ll see how it goes...

The Scions used their Vicious Roots against the RA, but sadly I didn’t Reform to get around the Latari Memorial. I needed to take advantage of that position to hit the RA in the flank which would have changed things drastically there.

I’ll be sure to share my next report as well, we’re trying the Wraiths with the reroll after the attacker’s rerolls to see how that influences things...

Thank you for this new report!

As a hiden fan of these reports, I was worrying not to see them again. I imagine it is a tough work to write, so thank you for this effort.

I have a question though:

Quote

Mark of Vengeance is a key upgrade for them and after reading it correctly, we were interested to see it in action. (We both thought it only modified the Wraiths attack dice against the target unit when, in fact, it modifies all attacks against the target unit).

From what I read, I still understand what you understood before...

Undying hate is Wraiths only and gives Mark of Vengence to one enemy unit. Then, Mark of Vengence says "While defending, if the attacker has Undying Hate equipped, it may replace 1 die with a white die."

What am I missing?

Waiting for a new report!

Yeah, I think if you have two units of wraiths with mark of vengeance with undying hate, it synergizes much better. two units 3x1 with Ardus and raven tabards and trumpets are terrific flankers. and 2 enemy units are vulnerable

On 9/14/2020 at 11:25 AM, Meeeuuhhh said:

Thank you for this new report!

As a hiden fan of these reports, I was worrying not to see them again. I imagine it is a tough work to write, so thank you for this effort.

I have a question though:

From what I read, I still understand what you understood before...

Undying hate is Wraiths only and gives Mark of Vengence to one enemy unit. Then, Mark of Vengence says "While defending, if the attacker has Undying Hate equipped, it may replace 1 die with a white die."

What am I missing?

Waiting for a new report!

Hey there,

Sorry I missed your reply. For some reason or another, this topic doesn’t flag new posts for me. 😢

Regardless, you aren’t missing anything. I read it wrong, thinking that it gave every unit have the ability to replace an attacking die with a white die if the defender had that condition. My bad!!! 😜

You’re right, they do take a bit to create, especially if you want to add in some detail regarding the decisions that were made, etc. rather than just the basic troop movements.

I have a family commitment this weekend, but after that, I’m back to playing with my new Latari army. I’ll post requests for lists to use...

Thanks for your feedback and stay safe!!!

Thanks for your reply Sarumanthewhite.

But as stated by Skaflok, two wraith units with this card might be interesting and quite dreadful.

I'm looking forward for your next reports!