The new edition of Warhammer Underworlds is arriving with tons of smart changes which take the core formula to new heights, making it more accessible to new and existing players.
Our very own Nick has already listed his 10 favourite changes to the game – and one of his top picks is how each Rivals Deck and warband now fulfils one of four archetypes. Players of all levels will now know what to expect from every warband and deck, rather than relying on experienced players to decode the playstyle.
There are four playstyles: Strike, Take and Hold, Flex, and Mastery. There is a deck for each playstyle in the Warhammer Underworlds: Embergard box, so no matter which warband you want to use, you’ll have a deck that works with them in your collection.
Strike is all about bold, aggressive plays, encouraging your warband to get stuck into combat with Charges and Attacks.
The Blazing Assault deck stokes the berserk fury that fills all fighters who journey to Embergard. Ploys like Determined Effort grant your blows additional power, while Sidestep gets your fighters into (or out of) the fight. Upgrades like Keen Eye increase your accuracy in combat, helping attacks land, while Duellist helps you press forward to get into position to attack again, or to move back and avoid reprisal.
Determined Effort
Ploy (Surge)
Play this immediately after you pick a weapon as part of an Attack. That weapon has +1 Attack dice for that Attack. If you are the underdog, that weapon has +2 Attack dice for that Attack instead.
If a battle is worth fighting, it’s worth fighting with all you’ve got.
Sidestep
Ploy
Pick a friendly fighter. Push that fighter 1 hex.
‘Just… stand STILL, you claw-clacking menace!’ – Retaria, the Entangler
Keen Eye
Upgrade (2)
This fighter’s melee weapons have +1 Attack dice.
A weakness spied and exploited without mercy – just as the gods of battle intended.
Duellist
Upgrade (1)
Footwork (Surge): Immediately after this fighter has Attacked, you can push this fighter 1 hex.
Whether on the field of tourney or in a darkened mineshaft, the precepts of the duel are the same: strike with conviction, and never let up.
You’ll score Glory by throwing your all into killing enemies with cards like Branching Fate and Strike the Head, with the ultimate prize of Annihilation.
Branching Fate
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after you make an Attack roll that contained 3 or more dice if each result was a different symbol. If you are the underdog, the Attack roll can contain 2 or more dice instead.
‘Ah, the paths and permutations. So majestic in their volatility…’ – Ephilim the Unknowable
Strike the Head
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after an enemy fighter is slain by a friendly fighter if the target was a leader or the target’s Health characteristic was equal to or greater than the attacker’s.
Brave Duke Crakmarrow always led from the front. He never saw it coming.
Annihilation
Objective - 5 Glory
Score this in an end phase if each enemy fighter is slain.
A death sentence carried out swiftly and without mercy.
With Take and Hold, the focus is on controlling the battlefield, securing treasure tokens, and occupying territory.
The Emberstone Sentinels deck prioritises treasure tokens, including those in enemy and neutral territory, so you’ll need to take the initiative instead of skulking in the shadows. Switch Things Up lets you swap treasure tokens, and The Extra Mile helps fighters cover the distance to the treasure, while Great Speed and Brute Momentum Upgrades help you get in position and stay there.
Switch Things Up
Ploy
Pick 2 treasure tokens. Swap the positions of those treasure tokens.
‘A little more for me, an’ a little less for dem. Sounds fair, wouldn’t ya say?’ – Zarbag
The Extra Mile
Ploy (Surge)
Play this immediately after a friendly fighter Moves. Push that fighter 1 hex. That push must end on a feature token.
Just one more step into the darkness. And then another, for good measure.
Great Speed
Upgrade (0)
This fighter has +1 Move.
There is a time to hang back and a time to advance like the hungering inferno.
Brute Momentum
Upgrade (1)
This fighter cannot be driven back while they have any Charge tokens.
A truly bullish will can overcome the most ferocious of assaults.
When scoring, Careful Advance rewards invading enemy territory, while Iron Grasp asks you to hold all the treasure tokens in friendly or enemy territory.
Careful Advance
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after a friendly fighter Moves if 2 or more friendly fighters that have Move tokens are in enemy territory.
‘Let the God-King serve as our torch amidst the darkness. Onwards.’ – Haskel Hexbane
Iron Grasp
Objective - 2 Glory
Score this in an end phase if your warband holds all of the treasure tokens in friendly territory and/or enemy territory.
‘An act that does not make profit is not worth doing.’ – Artycle 2, Point 1 of the Kharadron Code
Mastery introduces unique mechanics and goals, opening up entirely new ways to play. Decks sometimes feature a Plot card, which functions as they did in the previous edition. These are common in Mastery decks as they add extra rules to your games when using that deck.
Countdown to Cataclysm’s Plot card is all about increasing your Cataclysm value, representing your fighters causing carnage in the mines of Embergard. This value increases by preventing enemy fighters from holding treasure tokens and from goading your opponent into slaying your fighters. It will only increase once per battle round from your fighters being slain though, so knowing who to sacrifice and when is very important.
Plot: Countdown to Cataclysm
While using this Rivals deck, during the Muster Warbands step of ‘Setting Up’, place a generic token on the 1st step on the countdown card included in this deck. This token is your Cataclysm tracker.
You can advance your Cataclysm tracker 1 step the first time a friendly fighter is slain in each combat phase, and you can advance your Cataclysm tracker 1 step after the last power step in each battle round for each feature token that has no enemy fighters on it.
While your tracker is:
on the 1st to 5th step, your Cataclysm value is 1.
on the 6th to 9th step, your Cataclysm value is 2.
on the 10th to 13th step, your Cataclysm value is 3.
on the final step, your Cataclysm value is 4.
Many cards in this deck increase in potency with your Cataclysm value. You can hamper enemies with Growing Concerns, wound them with Sunder the Realm, and force your opponent to discard power cards with The End is Nigh. Bringer of Doom will help you maximise the effectiveness of these cards. Certain cards, including Sunder the Realm and The End is Nigh can affect you negatively, so be careful. Using these cards well is key to surviving the Cataclysm!
Growing Concerns
Ploy
Enemy fighters have -X Move in the next Action step, where X is your Cataclysm value.
No mind can be entirely scraped clean of dread’s cold touch.
Sunder the Realm
Ploy
Roll a number of Attack dice equal to your Cataclysm value for each fighter within 1 hex of neutral territory.
If the roll contains any (Hammer) or (Crit), inflict 1 damage on that fighter.
For some warriors, causing carnage even as the world collapses is victory enough.
Bringer of Doom
Upgrade (1)
Tick Tock (Surge): After this card is discarded during a Combat Phase, you can immediately advance your Cataclysm tracker 1 step.
‘By Sigmar’s grace, shoot it! That thing will bring the very caverns down upon our heads.’
– Ardorn Flamerunner
The End is Nigh
Ploy
Domain: After each Action step, the player whose turn it is rolls a number of Attack dice equal to their Cataclysm value, or 1 Attack dice if they have no such value.
If the roll contains any (Swords) or (Crit), their opponent must discard a Power card. This effect persists until the end of the battle round, until another Domain card is played, or until you advance your Cataclysm tracker.
The tracker keys into the Objectives like Collateral Damage, while Too Close for Comfort recognises the risk of scoring cards like Spread Havoc.
Collateral Damage
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after you advance your Cataclysm tracker 1 step as a result of a friendly fighter being slain. If you are the underdog, score this after you advance your Cataclysm tracker 1 step for any reason instead.
No pain, no gain.
Too Close for Comfort
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after your opponent’s Power step if each friendly fighter is within 2 hexes of any enemy fighters.
‘I care not who slays the vermin, Farasa, provided we do so before it brings this whole cavern down.’ – Yurik Velzaine
Spread Havoc
Objective - * Glory
Score this in an end phase. Gain a number of Glory points equal to your Cataclysm value, to a maximum of 2.
There are some who have stared into the fires of devastation and been left with a craving for more.
Flex is a mix of two or more playstyles, requiring you to consider both combat and control equally, with a risk vs reward style of play.
With the Pillage and Plunder deck you’ll be aiming to secure treasure tokens and flip them using the Delve ability – which turns a treasure token into a cover token, or vice versa. Explosive Charges galvanises all friendly fighters for the whole battle round, while Frenzy of Greed keeps fighters alive as they’re trying to accomplish goals while surrounded by enemy fighters.
Explosive Charges
Ploy
Domain: Friendly fighters have +1 Move while using Charge abilities. This effect persists until the end of the battle round or until another Domain card is played.
Blasting charges litter the depths of Embergard and make for a ferocious prelude to any assault.
Frenzy of Greed
Upgrade (2)
While this fighter is on a treasure token in enemy territory or is in a stagger hex, Save rolls for this fighter are not affected by Cleave and Ensnare and this fighter cannot be given Stagger tokens.
Some fighters just want it all.
You’ll need to be able to weather incoming attacks to move around the board and score Desolate Homeland and Claim the Prize, with your ultimate goal being to Strip the Realm.
Desolate Homeland
Objective - 1 Glory
Score this in an end phase if there are 1 or fewer treasure tokens in friendly territory.
Embergard has perished twice, and it wears its many scars openly.
Claim the Prize
Objective (Surge) - 1 Glory
Score this immediately after a friendly fighter Delves in enemy territory. If you are the underdog, that Delve can be in friendly territory instead.
‘Wotz yours is mine. Wotz mine is also mine.’ – Grinkrak the Great
Strip the Realm
Objective - 3 Glory
Score this in an end phase if there are no treasure tokens on the battlefield or if no enemy fighters hold any treasure tokens.
The fires of greed will consume anything and everything too weak to resist them.
While each warband has its own playstyle, any deck can be played with any warband, so it’s up to you to find the best combos with particular warband abilities. As warbands are now defined by their unique warscroll cards, each one will add a twist to every deck they’re paired with.
Zikkit’s Tunnelpack and the Emberwatch are both Flex warbands, so they will work well with any deck in the box. Mixing and matching warbands and decks is a huge part of the fun in the new edition, and it ensures everyone has access to the same decks and cards.
Those who enjoy deckbuilding have not been left out – Nemesis deck-building returns to the new edition, and is defined in the rulebook. We’ll explore that in the coming weeks, and next week we’ll share a Roadmap for the launch year.
