Conquest Warlord Review: Baharroth

After a brief hiatus from gaming in general due to some crazy life stuff popping up, I have found myself reinvigorated by Conquest. I was playing almost every night in preparation for a regional tournament (that I ended up skipping), and really diving into some decks and warlords that I hadn't yet had the opportunity to play (although, I still haven't played Zogwort, and probably never will). The warlord that has grabbed my attention the most has been Baharroth, the Cry of the Wind in Eldar-speak.

When it comes to the 40k lore I obsess over two factions: Eldar (of all varieties) and Chaos. I love the Eldar storyline and background, especially concerning the Phoenix Lords. Now, Baharroth isn't my favorite Phoenix Lord in the background, but in Conquest he's a fun, unique, and effective crusader for the Eldar race.
Whenever we get a new release for Conquest, our first thoughts concern the new warlord and the impact of his ability on the game. Baharroth's ability can take quite some time to read through, so you should sit down before continuing this article. Ready? Deep breath....

Mobile.

Oh...well...ummmm... That's a bit underwhelming...

At least, that was my first reaction, and the first reaction of many other players as well. But rigorous playtesting has confirmed that while the Mobile keyword on a normal unit adds a bit of flavor, having it on a warlord can be extremely powerful.

Baharroth is a command phase monster. Most warlords, when they commit to a planet, will be stuck there for the rest of the turn. Eldorath has the ability to move, but only if he has his signature event Foresight in hand. Aun'shi can use Kauyon Strike or Over-Powered, er, Orbital City to bounce around to different planets, but only Baharroth has the built-in ability to commit to one planet and then move around to others without an event card. This effect is huge, as it effectively leverages his warlord trait across multiple planets in a given turn. He can claim a good command value on one planet, then fight on another. Of course, he can also get out of harm's way if necessary, making him very hard to bloody.

Some art from the 3rd Ed. rulebook 

That said, he only has 6 HP, and can become vulnerable if you pick the wrong fight. Plus, you have to remember that movement via mobile occurs before combat starts, so make sure you have a plan to fight when you have to. Luckily, Baharroth's signature army units can move around as well to come to the aid of their leader.

There has been controversy surrounding this unit, much of it deserved. Namely, is it too damn expensive for what it does? I'm inclined to say that it is a little expensive, BUT! the unit is still very good. Note that its +3 attack only applies if Baharroth is present ("your" warlord, not "a" warlord"). If an enemy walord commits to their planet and you can't get Baharroth there, or don't want to, then get these guys away from the action, because they'll be obliterated.

This lack of attack ability is the primary reason why I'm inclined to ally with Tau for Baharroth, since Tau provide access to Ion Rifles (and the Earth Caste Techs that can fetch them). Now, this is a four-cost investment, but now we're looking at a mobile unit that could be swinging for 6. Plus, the Eldar event Death from Above can help reduce the cost of these guys, but automatically places them at the last planet. I've been including that event in my deck thus far, but the jury is still out on it.

Assuming we live in an ideal world, that 6 attack can be boosted even further by:

Now this is a great support. Simple, cheap, and effective. Also, the artwork continues in the game's grand tradition of stomping all over the Imperial Guard. In addition to Baharroth and his Hawks, this support can target Wildrider Squadrons and get them swinging for a beastly 5 attack. All in all it's a fantastic support that synergizes perfectly with the warlord and the faction as a whole.

We go from a great support to a very middling attachment. There's no base attack boost, and the ability can take some serious maneuvering to set up. When you compare this warlord attachment to the Tempest Blade, Plague Banner, Glovodan Eagle, Frostfang, etc - there's simply no comparison. Most of the time I've been using this for the 3 shields.

We're going to end on a high note with Baharroth's signature event: Cry of the Wind. "Baharroth" roughly translates to "Cry of the Wind", so A+ on theme for the designers. The obvious use for this card is to make your units super-mobile. But it's important to note that this card can apply to enemy units as well, which is how I prefer to employ it. If an opposing Eldar or Dark Eldar player tries to use their Wildrider Squadron against me, I can just move it right back to where it came from. If someone tries to get cute with Plannum, I can move their unit right down the line and out of contention for the rest of the game. This is a fantastic event with a ton of utility, and can really get in your opponent's head.

Time will tell if Baharroth is a competitive warlord or not, but I can say that he's been a blast to run. He may not be my favorite Phoenix Lord from the lore, but he's carved out a space among my favorite Conquest LCG warlords.

Now we just need badass Maugan Ra and I'll never play another warlord.

Want to join the conversation? Please sound off in the comments below, or let us know on our forum!

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Conquest Warlord Focus: Captain Cato Sicarius

Images courtesy of http://www.conquestdb.com

Captain Cato Sicarius- The Captain of the Second Company in the Ultramarines, and arguably the strongest Warlord at the time of Conquest's publication! In that time, we've seen several new warlords and many new player cards that have shifted the meta, but there can be no doubt that Cato remains a strong tournament contender, even today! As with our usual Warlord Focuses, I will look at Cato's 8 signature cards, and talk about what makes him tick! I'm not sure why I haven't written this warlord focus yet, since I have heaps of experience with Cato. I won my first Conquest tournament with him, and came out on top in an online league with many fine folk from the Cardboard of the Rings, the First Planet Podcast, and the Tactical Squad podcast.



Without any further ado, let's jump right in! Cato himself is a 2ATT, 6HP Warlord with 7 starting resources and 7 starting cards. That is nothing to get excited about, and he's a bit brittle as Space Marines go, but we'll let it slide since his ability is fantastic. "Reaction: After an enemy unit at this planet is destroyed, gain 1 resource".

That reaction is great! It's never situational. You always need resources in this game, but Space Marines need plenty of cash to pay for their combat tricks, like Eager Recruit, Drop Pod Assault, Indomitable, and more - including his signature event card which we're about to get to! Early in a game Cato is great at sniping command units - deny them their Rogue Trader, win that planet, then kill that Rogue Trader for one more resource. Very nice!
Marines have so many combat tricks that can happen in the middle of a battle with resources just earned from killing enemy units.

Sicarius's Chosen are Cato's "4 of" signature unit included in his signature cards. With a cost of 3, they fit in a Drop Pod which is a bonus for any Space Marine unit. A 2/3 with 1 command icon isn't a great deal for a 3 cost, but their reaction is fantastic. "Reaction: After this unit enters play, move a target enemy army unit at an adjacent planet to this planet and deal it 1 damage." Think about the implications of that! It's huge! Has your opponent sent his big nasty Blood Letter to the planet you need to capture to win the game? Send your Chosen to deal with the problem at the next planet, and you'll never have to worry about it! Getting swarmed by Rogue Traders and Void Pirates? Go win a planet, and snipe one! Fantastic ability. For maximum fun, get them into play with Veteran Brother Maxos when he's at planet 2 to pull a unit off of planet 1. Disclaimer: This is very hard to pull off, but when it happens you will feel like a god... Or at least a lesser Daemon.



The Fury of Sicarius is Cato's signature event. While it's a tad pricey, it's effect is undeniably powerful. This card, just like the Chosen, make Cato able to deal with even the worst enemies. What else is there to say about this card? In practice it's difficult to telegraph since Cato almost always has extra resources anyway. At worst, it will make your opponents over-shield their units, and at best you kill very powerful units with an Eager Recruit. Win/win!

Cato's signature support card is equally wonderful. Cato's Stronghold reads "Reaction: After an enemy unit is destroyed, exhaust this support to ready a target Space Marine unit at the same planet." That's so good! It's such a shame that it's only a "1 of" in your deck, because that is literally the only problem with it. Getting 2 attacks out of an Honored Librarian is fantastic, as is getting two swings with a Daring Assault Squad. That's a clear planet! Alternatively, you can ready a beefy unit that came with Cato to a pivotal planet.

Finally, we come to the Tallassarian Tempest Blade, Cato's signature attachment. I have to say, this is easily one of the best signature attachments in the game. This card is a strong driving force for why Tau are the favored ally for Cato - to utilize  Earth Caste Technician to dig for it (not to mention Promotion and Iron Halo). For 1 cost, this takes Cato from great to ridiculous. There's not much else to say about that!

Alright, I guess that about concludes our look at Cato. I hope some of you (particularly those who are new to the game - because Cato being great isn't exactly "news"!) found this article enlightening. Check back for more Conquest content any day now!

Have you played (or faced) Cato? What's your favorite deck build? Sound off in the comments or on the forum by clicking below!

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Warhammer 40K Conquest: Store Championship Report

By Robert " Locker Wheelie" Shields

Preparation

I entered the Warhammer 40K Conquest store championship at MTG Deals in San Gabriel, CA held on February 28, 2015 with a goal of winning a playmat. Having mostly played Chaos with Zarathur, I did not feel that deck was consistent enough in my hands to do it. I proceeded to work on a Dark Eldar deck after listening to some inspiring Conquest podcasts and internet research but felt I wasn't at the level of play required for such a deck. Needing something more conducive to my playing style and more importantly my ability, I set about building a Space Marine deck. Having built a Captain Cato Sicarius deck when I first started playing, there was now an option of going with Ragnar but after trying Ragnar, I quickly realized he’s not for me since I personally find his hunting ability somewhat of a mental distraction. Cato was my pick for the store championship at MTG Deals.

MTG Deals Massive Play Area

Deck Construction

I pulled out my Cato deck to see if it could be optimized based on the three expansions since I first constructed the deck. Understandably, not much loving for Space Marines in the expansions. I personally believe Cato has the best signature squad of all the Warlords. Fury of Sicarius can be used to eliminate powerful units and puts the fear of the Emperor in any opponent. Sicarius’s Chosen can move a pesky unit away from my Warlord's targeted battle planet or help with command, and most command related card tend to have only one health, a double whammy. The Tallassarian Tempest Blade is awesome and so is Cato’s Stronghold. I stuck to the old standbys for army units but did consider replacing the Blood Angels Veterans with White Scars Bikers, but I’m in the defense trumps offense side for Conquest. Currently, I only play with one of a unique unit most of the time since I have a magician’s like ability to shuffle a deck to where two unique units are consistently pulled together, so just one Veteran Brother Maxos. The attachments I chose were a given, Iron Halos and I believed three Promotions was the way to go to ensure command advantage and a shield, if needed. As far as Events go, the mighty Drop Pods with their hardly ever used two shields were in as well as Indomitables. I wanted something from the expansions included and only went with Crushing Blow, which turned out to be a great choice. I’m not a fan of supports since in the early game they can take up resources and a card spot that can possibly lead to losing some command phase initiative. Preferring a splash of Tau with Space Marines in order to help with command, I included Vash’ya Trailblazers with their two command icons and Mobile. Earth Caste Technician was also a must card for me to pull Iron Halos and the deadly Tallassarian Tempest Blade, and also Promotions if needed. I realize this deck doesn't have an abundance of attachments and I did whiff a few times in the tournament with the Technician.


Here's the deck I settled on:

Space Marine / Tau Total Cards: (50 + Warlord)

Warlord:
1x Captain Cato Sicarius (Core Set)

Army Unit: (31)
4x Sicarius’s Chosen (Core Set)
2x Daring Assault Squad (Core Set)
3x Eager Recruit (Core Set)
3x Earth Caste Technician (Core Set)
3x Honored Librarian (Core Set)
3x Tactical Squad Cardinis (Core Set)
3x Vash’ya Trailblazer (Core Set)
1x Veteran Brother Maxos (Core Set)
3x Void Pirate (Core Set)
3x 10th Company Scout (Core Set)
3x Blood Angels Veterans (Core Set)

Attachment: (7)
1x Tallassarian Tempest Blade (Core Set)
3x Iron Halo (Core Set)
3x Promotion (Core Set)

Event: (11)
2x The Fury of Sicarius (Core Set)
3x Drop Pod Assault (Core Set)
3x Indomitable (Core Set)
3x Crushing Blow (Gift of the Ethereals)

Support: (1)
1x Cato’s Stronghold (Core Set)

Round One

Eight players attended the event so if I ended up in the top half, I would have my mat. Each of the game’s time limits were 45 minutes long but the clock didn’t start until after setup and mulligans, which helped to justify the shorter games. The current turn at time was always finished. The 45 minutes was of some concern to me since I tend to be a slow player and can be indecisive at times; I was definitely going to have to play faster than what I was used to. As it turned out, though, four of the five games I played were finished. A tied game went to the player with the most planets, with number of symbols as the tie breaker, I believe.

Round one was three games to determine the top four. From the records of my opponents I’m pretty sure the players with the better records were paired against each other.

My first opponent was Ben, who was also playing Cato. Our decks were very similar for the most part with the only major difference I can recall was my use of Crushing Blow. I got greedy and mulligan’d a somewhat decent starting hand for one with little command focus, a mistake on my part which didn’t bode well. In addition, I kept forgetting to gain the resource from Cato for a destroyed enemy unit due to my inexperience playing Cato. I quickly recovered though with some good draws and we went head to head in a very close game. Crushing blow came through for me in a key battle and the game ended due to time with a modified win for me due to my planet advantage. Ben was a pleasure to play and the game felt more like a friendly, a theme that was present in all the games that day I’m happy to say.

Round Two

Game two was against the mighty Hector and his Tau with Commander Shadowsun, splashed with Eldar if I remember correctly. Of all the factions, I fear Tau the most. This is mostly due to my son, Curtis, consistently beating my other decks with a very similar deck to the one I was playing against. Plus, Tau is strong in shields and command, something that I felt might be a problem for me, especially command. Furthermore, all those attachments drive me crazy trying to determine what to attack during large battles, and I’m no Alan Turing. I get a little self-conscious asking “what’s the stats and abilities on that guy again?” all the time. Again, a very close game with Fury of Sicarius coupled with a Tallassarian Tempest Blade on Cato, and Sicarius’s Chosen pulling key enemy units off the first planet, coming through for me. I ended up with the win, doing surprisingly well in the command phase.

I was now at two wins, although one was a modified which could work against me in a tie breaker. It did cross my mind that my record might be good enough to get me into the top four and a precious playmat. If my pairing theory was correct, I would now probably face an opponent with a record of two wins, none modified.

Round Three

My third opponent was Rory, someone who was kind enough to play me at a local game store, Gameology, when I was first learning to play. It turned out that Rory did have two solid wins. He is an excellent player with a very good understanding of the rules and when I discovered he was playing Aun’shi, I realized I was up against the dreaded Tau splashed with Eldar again, and a solid player. I have never played against Aun’shi, although I had read up on him and heard him discussed on the podcasts. I was justifiably concerned; this was further reinforced by Rory’s record. The game started out bad for me with Rory taking the first two planets. The game was a blur with enemy units jumping in and out of combat, dropping down from the ceiling on Mission Impossible wires, bitch slapping me, and then pulling back up. I tried to focus on winning the commands, building resources and cards to turn the tide but I was one planet away from losing. I knew if I could just hang on until Aun’shi headed back to his HQ each turn and then Drop Pod Assault in units, I could possibly pull off a win. I was sitting with three Drop Pod Assaults in my hand and Cato’s ability was slowly adding much needed resources as the battles commenced. Enemy planet wide Armorbane with some Area Effect thrown in is incredibly powerful since, as we know, it negates the use of shields, but defense still won the day for me with a valiant stand from Cato with an Iron Halo and Indomitables to last out the Aun’shi HQ bail that would then free up much needed shield cards. Cato’s Stronghold helped, also. I concentrated on destroying Area Effect capable units. Again, I found it difficult to determine the most effective attack and defense strategy with Tau cards and their attachments. We both burnt through a tremendous amount of cards. This was an epic battle for the ages and we were both brain fried at the end. I was literally shaking after the battle and we took a much needed break. I felt very lucky and Rory did deserve a win. I was glad to see he still made the final four.

Top Four

I now had my coveted mat and could settle down and just play. I was paired with Joel and his Eldar Eldorath Starbane deck most likely splashed with Tau. My limited Meta doesn’t play Eldar so I decided to stick with a simple strategy of establishing a command advantage and go from there. I got off to a solid start with command and swept the first three planets for the win. Joel had to make difficult decisions regarding when to retreat or when to battle it out since Cato was relic pumped early on. Playing against Space Marines when they have resources available in the combat phase can make you out think yourself. I may have come out faster or my units were a little more solid on defense. We had a few good laughs and I very much hope to play Joel again.

Final

I was pretty sure I had hit the end of the road here. I was paired against Aaron who has had success winning tournaments and was probably the favorite to win from the get go. Fortunately for me, I was glad to see he was playing Zarathur and his Chaos hordes and not Ku’Gath. Ku'Gath is tough on Honored Librarians due to their two health. His deck was splashed with Dark Eldar. I have experience playing Zarathur but I prefer him with Orks and prefer to use Cultists in combination with Ravenous Fleshhounds and not for casting larger daemons which appeared to be Aaron’s strategy. I got off to a bad start again, losing the first two planets. Early plays of Promise of Glory and the subsequent Cultist sacrifices summoned a Vicious Bloodletter and a Soul Grinder that I then struggled to damage so I could play a Fury. Getting rid of them dominated my tactics and strategy. A Fall Back! can swing the game in a Chaos deck and one was played to bring the Bloodletters back much to my frustration. Good play. Aaron put up a furious defense worthy of the Chaos gods, preventing all my damage. My focus on winning command was starting to take effect but I was sure it was going to be too little too late. Aaron was saving his resources and cards, loading up his reserves for the critical planet battles. I played some solid cards such as Blood Angels Veterans but his skilled tactical plays of Archon’s Terrors and Warpstorms twice at current first planets was making it incredibly tough for me. Luckily for me, Warpstorms only work on units without attachments and Cato had a relic attached. Also, a Promotion on a Sicarius’s Chosen coincidently did the trick also, a lesson learned against Chaos. The final battle was epic, going down to the wire and it was win or lose the game and the tournament for the both of us. Again, my Space marines had just enough resilience to hang in there, taking three planets for the win in another incredibly hard fought game. I looked like the guy on the Dark Eldar Suffering card when all was said and done. Aaron was extremely generous and patient with me, going above and beyond in sportsmanship.

I was 5-0 for the win!

The playmat is cool but the plaque and a first round bye at regionals had me at hello!

Conclusion

This game is so much fun. Nearly all the battles were extremely close and could have gone either way. All my opponents were really great and the host at MTG Deals, Jamin, was very accommodating and cool to boot. I have had nothing but good experiences at that store, which happens to be close to my work. They seem to get the expansions early, too! The deck I played is solid and matched up well with the factions I faced. Iron Halo on Cato was huge for me, especially against Aun’shi and Armorbane, but I prefer the Tempest blade against Commander Shadowsun due to all the Tau shields. I’m sold on Crushing Blow, too; adding an unpreventable point of damage can swing the game since shield play tactics often leave one point of health. Plus it’s a zero cost with a shield, not too shabby. Against Chaos I’ll seriously consider playing attachments like Promotion on upcoming battle units when a Warpstorm seems inevitable. This also makes me reconsider the attachment Dire Mutation in a Chaos deck. I was surprised not to see Ku’Gath but I was happy with that since I tend to have a tough time against him.

In summary, I had a blast and can’t wait for the next tournament!

Want to join the conversation? Please sound off in the comments below, or let us know on our forum!

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Warhammer Conquest Warlord Focus: Aun'Shi

images courtesy of http://www.conquestdb.com if you aren't using this yet- do so now!

Aun'shi- the Warlord of the latest expansion pack "Gift of the Ethereals", is the 2nd Tau Warlord for Conquest, and features a unique set of abilities - as well as drawbacks! I love "tricky" card interactions, and so I was immediately intrigued by Aun'shi. He and his signature squad both have a forced reaction- after they attack, they must retreat from battle and head back to HQ. While that very much fits the fluff of Ethereals in the Universe, it is something you really have to consider when playing as or against this warlord!

First, let's take a close look at Aun'shi. Nothing new with starting cards or resources: 7 for both. Aun'shi's stats are, however, some of the best with 2 ATT and 7 HP (Along with Ragnar and Nazdreg). Aun'shi has two traits: Soldier and Ethereal. Finally, all Tau units you control at a planet with Aun'shi gain armorbane. That is huge! However, after attacking he must move to the HQ.



Clearly some strategy begins to present itself before even seeing any other cards- keep Aun'shi in the battle as long as possible before attacking! He has some major drawbacks - unlike every other warlord, he cannot win planets by himself if the opponent has an inexpensive unit there for the command struggle. He can win the command struggle and probably kill the unit (he hates Sanctioned Psykers!), but he will not be able to trigger the battle ability. However! With some high damage, ranged units at a planet with him - destruction can be wrought upon the enemy!

Next we get to his signature squad. He is joined by 4 Ethereal Envoys who's abilities look quite similar. They are one of the most cost-effective units, stat-wise. Costing a mere 1 resource for 1 ATT, 3 HP, and 1 command icon is a steal. They are saddled with Aun'shi's same Forced Reaction. With the low cost, low attack, these make excellent command struggle winners, although with some combos we'll discuss below they can become pivotal in battle.

Aun'shi would be incomplete without his Sanctum- a place to meditate on wrecking his foes. This is an excellent support, and it's a shame it's only a "1 of". Remember what I said about ranged units earlier? Imagine having the Stingwing swarm (or Vior'la Marksman with an Ion Rifle!) at a planet with Aun'shi when you possess the sanctum. The swarm attacks in the ranged phase, then can ready and do it again? That's potentially a bloodied
warlord! Love this card.

The Honor Blade is Aun'shi's signature weapon. Bolstering the attack of all tau by +1 the synergy here is painfully obvious. This card is so good, and unlike the Sanctum, the Tau have at least some ability to dig for the blade.

Finally, the event Ethereal Wisdom sees 2 copies in your deck, and temporarily grants a target Tau unit +1 ATT and the Ethereal trait. While granting the Ethereal trait may seem moot at this point, it's clear that Aun'shi has a de facto 5th card that, while not included in his signature squad cards, is an absolute necessity.

So, to review, Aun'shi's signature squad is alright. The Ethereal Envoys are so-so. but a good buy at 1. The Honor Blade and Aun'shi's sanctum are both great right off the bat! Ethereal Wisdom is so-so until we look at...

Kauyon Strike. When this card was released in The Scourge, people knew it was meant for Aun'shi. Suddenly all of your Ethereal units can descend upon a battle at Combat Action speed! "Oh, your warlord is exhausted? Bummer, cause here come some of my mates to rough him up!". Suddenly Ethereal Wisdom + Kauyon strike becomes one of the most powerful combos in the game. Need that Stingwing Swarm moved? done. Just watch out for tricksy Eldar and their nullify!

Another card worth mentioning is the Homing Beacon. The term "move" on homing beacon is only really triggered at this point by Aun'shi, the Ethereal envoys, and the Aun'nui Prelate as neither routing nor returning from planet 1 is considered a "move". Since Homing Beacon is not unique, you can have several at HQ and they can all trigger when an Ethereal unit moves back. In practice, I've found Homing Beacon to be so-so since Aun'Shi has cheap units that are easy to win command with. I'm not sure it's a 3 of, but it's definitely worth at least having one to get some advantage out of the forced reactions.

Editor's note: How did I not mention this card originally?
The final card that must be brought up is the Aun'ui Prelate. While he is a bit pricey at 4 resources (and thus fairly easy to telegraph as a result), his utility is obvious. Swinging for 4 and making the rest of your Tau swing for +1? Catch an enemy warlord exhausted and it's all over. Plus, he can trigger your Homing Beacon just in case you don't have any other Ethereals returning home. Fantastic card, that has often been the deciding factor in my games.

In conclusion, Aun'shi presents a unique, combo-centric, potentially very powerful deck archetype to the Tau (who were, in my opinion, very lacking under Commander Shadowsun).  I have played with and against Aun'shi fairly extensively at this point, and I've come to the conclusion that he can definitely win, but not always consistently (I will note that several store championships have recently been won with Aun'Shi so take my opinion with a grain of salt!). If the right combos are pulled off, and the right cards drawn- Aun'shi can win huge. However, with some clever plays by your opponent, everything can fall apart pretty quickly. I've had the most success with Aun'shi as a warlord sniper (which I think he does even better than Ragnar!). With a honed deck, and in the right matchup, Aun'shi is a killer. Against a savvy opponent with a strong understanding of Aun'shi - he can be easy to play around. Against opponents who aren't quite as strong with the Conquest rules or aren't prepared for Aun'Shi- he stands a good chance to win it.

Give Aun'shi a try, and sound off in the comments what's worked (and what hasn't worked!) for you. Who do you prefer to ally with?

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