Last week on Battle Report, gaming presenters Nick and Simon brought us part one of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Arena of Death tournament. 48 no-holds-barred duels later and they’ve halved the starting field of 32 contenders down to the final 16, all of whom qualified by earning the one of top two spots in each of the eight groups. We caught up with Si again to learn more about the finalists who’ll be battling it out in the knockout stages in a bid to earn the title of undisputed champion. But before we hand you over, consider this your official SPOILER WARNING. If you haven’t checked out part one, do it now!
Si: The group stages turned out to be every bit as nail-biting and exciting as we’d hoped! Not only did we lose our top-ranked contender, Nagash (clearly he’s not all that without an army of undead minions to hide behind), but we lost all but one of the four Greater Daemons, with only Shalaxi Helbane making it through. With such an upheaval in the rankings (which were initially based purely on their points values at the time of filming), we decided to reevaluate them all for the final based on their performances in the group stages.
This time around, we thought we’d take a closer look at the top eight, whose new rankings earned them the most favourable spots in the knockout draw, and discuss why they’re our top choices.
8th: Lord Kroak
Originally ranked all the way down in 17th, Kroak’s refusal to die (again) in the group stages and ability to automatically heal any wounds he’d taken saw him win two clean victories and concede the fourth fewest total of wounds.* The fact is, if his opponent can’t kill him outright, he’ll wear down even the toughest enemy with all the mortal wounds he can dish out.
7th: King Brodd
The mighty King of the Mega-Gargants climbed one spot in the rankings after winning all three duels in one of the toughest groups. At an eye-popping 40 wounds, King Brodd’s profile combines real staying power with a potential damage output of 32 in a single combat phase – something his opponents in the group stages learned the hard way!
6th: Gotrek Gurnisson
Surprising many with a starting ranking of 11th, Gotrek shined in the Arena of Death. He effortlessly dispatched all three of his group opponents, including Nagash, suffering a measly total of 6 wounds in return, thanks in no small part to the 3+ ward from his Shoulder Plate of Edassa. However, the mighty Slayer has but one weakness – weight of attacks. He often finds himself but one bad dice roll away from death!
5th: Kragnos
As expected, Kragnos proved to be the dominant force in his group, emerging the clear victor in a group of heavy-hitters that included Gordrakk and Skarbrand. He retained his ranking of 5th not merely on performance alone, but his combination of resilience in the form of a 2+ save, a 6+ ward, and a near-immunity to spells, but also the fact his murderously powerful Dread Mace isn’t affected by his damage table so always strikes at full potential.
4th: Archmage Teclis with Celennar, Moon Spirit of Hysh
Despite being a god, Teclis is something of a wild card at 4th. His main strength is that he can counter the most formidable enemy spell, and then unleash a barrage of his own. On top of that, he can reliably inflict damage in almost every phase. However, his major weakness is his frailty – should his opponent go first, he won’t yet have the safety net of a 5+ ward from Protection of Teclis in place, meaning a heavy-hitter may finish him off before he gets the chance to fight back.
3rd: Alarielle the Everqueen
Also maintaining her previous ranking, Alarielle shares many of Teclis’s advantages but can dish out even more damage courtesy of her ruinous Wardroth Beetle. Her greatest asset, however, is her Lifebloom ability, which heals up to 2D6 wounds suffered in each of her hero phases. Not only can this save her from the brink of death should her opponent go first, but a good roll can jump her most powerful attacks back to the devastating top line on her damage table.
2nd: Archaon the Everchosen
Despite Nagash’s absence (his spirit has clearly been banished again), Archaon was usurped from the top spot. Infamously one of the deadliest warriors in the mortal realms, the Everchosen can dish out a terrifying 46 damage – and perhaps even instantly slay his target with the Slayer of Kings – in a single combat phase. His defensive prowess is similarly incredible, with 25 wounds, a 2+ save if he casts Mystic Shield, and a 5+ ward which can even reflect wounds back at the attacker. The guy’s a menace!
1st: Morathi-Khaine and the Shadow Queen
The heir apparent to the top ranking is the tag team of Morathi-Khaine and the Shadow Queen. Morathi-Khaine brings potent sorcery and a surprising weight of attacks to the party, while her monstrous other half is an absolute powerhouse. All of this is, of course, wrapped up in the protective shell of her Iron Heart of Khaine, which renders her immune to suffering more than three wounds in a single turn. That means to beat her, you’ll have to weather at least three turns of deadly attacks – and she certainly doesn't pull her punches…
The finals are ramping up to be epic indeed. If you haven’t already subscribed to Warhammer+, make sure you get on it and check out all the episodes of Battle Report you’ve missed (there are almost 100!). Fans of the Deathwing are also in for a treat this week, as they’re the subject of this week’s Citadel Colour Masterclass and Loremasters episodes. For the Lion!
* Our secondary scoring system in case of ties.