Since the release of Elathain’s Soulraid, Duinclaw, the warband’s crab, has proven to be incredibly popular. With Arena Mortis coming out soon, what better fighter to use as an example of how to construct a deck, claim victory, and leave all of your opponents feeling crabby?
We’ve selected a few cards that help you turn Duinclaw into the unstoppable killing machine we all know it is. Kragnos? Pah! It’s time to unleash Crabnos in Direchasm’s arena of death.
In games of Arena Mortis, you pick a single champion to take into battle rather than a whole warband. This change makes the process of building a deck very different to your standard games as your priority becomes keeping your prized warrior alive.
In addition to building a deck for just one fighter, choosing your cards in Arena Mortis has an added layer of complexity thanks to The Rule of One. In this expansion, if an opponent gives their fighter the same upgrade as your fighter has, your fighter has to discard that upgrade. Damage-dealing upgrade cards such as Sting of the Ur-grub become a risky choice, as they are likely to be pretty common.
Let’s take a look at some of the cards we’d pick for our darling crab, starting with Forgotten Nightmares, which forces your opponent to hit someone else, weakening them for the impending snip snip.
Instead of taking the more popular damage-dealing cards such as Great Strength, there are plenty of gambits that push up your damage output and ploys that penalise anyone for coming at you. As they say, if you come at the crab, you better not miss.
Adding extra dice and damage to your attacks is useful for all fighters, even those lesser warriors who can only dream of being mighty crabs.
The next card might seem a little unusual, but Cloud of Midnight can be a crucial ploy for the final turn of the game to keep Duinclaw alive.*
There are a few alternative cards you might also like to try. Final Gambit comes with the new edition of Arena Mortis, and we reckon it will be a top choice for making that desperate, last-ditch attack when your crab is down to its final wound.
Don’t forget the unwritten Warhammer Underworlds rule – if you’re successful with Rebound, you have to ask your opponent, “why are you hitting yourself?”.
If the inconceivable happens and your opponents do manage to best Duinclaw, why not make it difficult for them as it bites the dust with A Hard Death?
Finally, we get to the upgrades, and we have a mix of re-rolls, extra damage, and extra dice.
Caltrops, Lethal Reflexes, and Savage Agility are all pretty sneaky. These cards cause damage to anyone who dares to come near or attack Duinclaw – don’t they know who this crustacean is? These kinds of upgrades are great because they mean that Duinclaw is dishing out the damage even when it’s not your turn.
We hope these cards give you some ideas for building your own deck for Arena Mortis and how you can turn any combatant into a rage-fuelled murder monster that can dominate the game. Of course, while any fighter will do in a pinch, we all know that Duinclaw will be winning all of the glory.
Arena Mortis is available to pre-order from next month. In the meantime, pick up Elathain’s Soulraid so that you’re ready to unleash Duinclaw upon your unsuspecting opponents and start your own shellebration.
* If two players have the same number of glory points at the end of the game, whichever player still has their fighter on the battlefield wins – it’s definitely worth trying to keep Duinclaw alive.