A new season of Warhammer Underworlds is almost upon us as Harrowdeep goes up for pre-order this Saturday. The box is packed with two amazing warbands, Da Kunnin’ Krew and Xandire’s Truthseekers, and it’s the biggest Warhammer Underworlds set released to date, containing everything you need to get started with the fast-paced game of skirmish combat.This season introduces the Rivals format, a fresh way to play which challenges you to use the pre-built deck each warband comes with, so you can get into the action straight away. Yesterday, we talked to Dave Sanders from the Warhammer Studio, who gave us some insights into using Xandire’s Truthseekers in Rivals. Of course, we couldn’t let those goody two-shoes have all the fun, so we quizzed him about the real champions of Harrowdeep – none other than Da Kunnin’ Krew.
Warhammer Community: Welcome back, Dave. Da Kunnin’ Krew are the first Kruleboyz warband we’ve seen in the underworlds, can you summarise how they play?
Dave: Da Kunnin' Krew fight on their own terms – they try to isolate and eliminate fighters by gangin' up on 'em and stickin' 'em good, all while protecting their own skins. What they lack in raw power compared with some of the other orruk warbands, they more than make up for with kunnin'.
WarCom: Which three cards do you think are the most important from their Rivals deck?
Dave: Krule Tricks is a surge objective after your warband deals one damage that takes an enemy fighter out of action. This can be with an Attack action or a power card, and Da Kunnin' Krew have a number of ways to make sure that you can score it.
Kunnin' Waaagh! is a ploy that allows you to draw one power card for each of your fighters with a Charge token. This is a great way of filling your hand with kunnin' tricks towards the end of a phase, and it can let you pull some nasty surprises out of the bag.
My final pick is Dirty Fighter – an upgrade that lets a supporting fighter deal one damage to an enemy fighter when a friendly fighter's Attack action fails. This gives you more reliable damage output, and it can potentially be used a number of times in a phase if you're ganging up properly.
WarCom: What are the most important things a new player needs to learn to get the most out of Da Kunnin' Krew?
Dave: Support is everything to Da Kunnin' Krew. The most important step to mastery with this warband is learning how to set up your fighters so that you can get at least one supporting fighter for your Attack actions, regardless of how your opponent responds.
The Pain in the Knee ability means that your grots pull double duty in support – and supporting fighters make your warband's somewhat lacklustre Attack actions more accurate and more damaging, in some cases. A timely Kunnin' Kommand or Grotpile out of nowhere can doom an enemy fighter to a truly miserable demise!
WarCom: What's your one top tip for someone looking to dominate the underworlds with this warband?
Dave: When using Da Kunnin' Krew, you're not looking for a fair fight. You want to bait enemy fighters into ill-advised charges, potentially by putting one of your fighters in harm's way, then pile on and making them wish they'd never been (re)born.
As long as you can ensure that you're taking out an enemy fighter for each of yours that falls, you'll be doing a good job.
WarCom: How can a player use Da Kunnin' Krew to wreak havoc on Xandire's Truthseekers’ plans?
Dave: Avoid giving up early glory – although it can be tempting to set up your weaker fighters as bait, you might be better served risking Torka or even Mannok. These fighters can take a hit from a Stormcast Eternal and keep fighting, and their assailant can expect to be mobbed in return.
Also, be cautious of the reactions on the Stormcast Eternal fighter cards – when taken out of action they each have a nasty surprise, so plan for this.
Thanks again, Dave! You’ll want to know your enemy inside and out, so study up on yesterday’s interview on Xandire’s Truthseekers to hit the ground running when you play your first games.
Warhammer Underworlds: Harrowdeep is up for pre-order this weekend, and if you order it direct from Games-Workshop.com, you’ll even nab a set of stunning Harrowdeep-themed acrylic tokens.*
The Rivals format means new challenges for each and every one of the 30-plus warbands in the game, so to help you choose which could suit your preferred play style, we put together a very handy guide. And if you’re curious what might be coming next for this season of Warhammer Underworlds, be sure to check back here later this week.
* While stocks last, terms and conditions apply.