Warhammer Underworlds – Snapping Saurus and rheumy Plaguebearers join two new Rivals decks

The core set for the new edition of Warhammer Underworlds contains everything you need to start playing, but it isn’t the end of the journey. A tantalising roadmap has already confirmed five new warbands, and the first two are coming out quite soon. Who are they? The Jaws of Itzl and Grandfather’s Gardeners.

Wherever Chaos festers, the Seraphon are sure to intervene, and the Jaws of Itzl are a ferocious Strike warband who prefer to enter the fray and tear their foes apart.

The Jaws of Itzl were once part of a grander warhost sent to cull the Skaven incursion, but they were separated from their Slann Starmaster by a cave-in. The Sunblood Kro-Jax the Aegis now leads his Saurus Warriors Ro-Tak the Guardian and So-Kar into battle alongside a swarm of Sotek’s Venomites, executing orders he receives from the buried but still breathing Starmaster.

Saurus Warriors are living weapons, their tough, serrated scales and gnashing jaws complemented by bladed celestite shields and weapons. These brutal Predatory Fighters inflict deep wounds on enemies even as they’re under attack, inspiring when they shed blood. 

Without direct oversight of their Starmaster, they fight viciously and without regard for self-preservation, eviscerating foes with a Savage Mauling, and growing more bloodthirsty each time they succumb to this impulse and succeed in slaying their prey.

They are joined by a coterie of Nurgle’s most munificent plague spreaders – Grandfather’s Gardeners. This warband views the depths of Embergard as fertile ground in which to cultivate the Garden of Nurgle, and sow their diseased seeds while embracing the cycle of rot, ruin, and rebirth as a Mastery warband. 

Phlegmus Potbelly has one uncomplicated duty – to spread his master’s maggots and maladies across the Mortal Realms. He is aided by the Plaguebearers Slunge, Maggoty Strewg and Bug-Eyed Dripterus, plus the overgrown rotfly Squort. Welcoming the inevitable decay of all things, these fighters inspire when vulnerable.

Grandfather’s Gardener’s are beholden to the cycle of life, represented in game by a tracker which advances after their turn, after damage is inflicted to a friendly fighter, and after their turn if the warband holds more treasure tokens than their opponent. When they Reap a Harvest, Nurgle’s blessings heal a fighter, and the Blooming Plague runemark provides attacks with damage equal to the current space on the tracker.

These warbands are accompanied by two brand new Rivals decks that match their play styles. Reckless Fury is a Strike deck that benefits warbands who embrace its furious momentum to rampage through their enemies. Manipulating charge tokens on fighters is the core concept of the deck, with Ploy and Upgrade cards like Catch Weapon and Get it Done allowing for token manipulation, while Outburst and Furious Might take advantage of this status.

Objective cards reward the proliferation of these tokens, with Best Foot Forward, Arena Mortis and Unrelenting Massacre, giving Glory to warbands that can stack up those charge tokens.

Wrack and Ruin takes a different tack, designed as a Mastery deck with a focus on using power cards to control the battlefield and inflict damage with traps and trickery. Confusion and Ominous Rumbling await in the tunnels beneath Embergard, and Upgrades like Rock-splitting Tread and Unstoppable reward those who can master this treacherous environment.

Scoring for this deck rewards careful positioning and thoughtful use of power cards, through Objective cards like Predictable End, Alone in the Dark, and Out of the Frying Pan.

The Jaws of Itzl, Grandfather’s Gardners and both decks will be available to pre-order shortly – keep an eye on Warhammer Community for more details.