Reckless Fury - Deck Review

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NEW VERSION

Reckless Fury is the second aggression-focused Rivals deck released for Embergard. It epitomizes the "Always Be Charging" (ABC) philosophy common to Strike warbands. It rewards players who can efficiently manage charging and Charge tokens to maximize their scoring opportunities.


Objectives – Embracing the Charge

This deck's objectives revolve around aggressive manoeuvres and attentive control of Charge tokens.

  • Frenzied Rush: Asks you to charge fighters into enemy territory. This is easily done, especially with high-bounty fighters. The attack doesn’t even need to succeed.
  • Best Foot Forwards: Rewards a charge into enemy territory followed by a successful attack. Essentially scoring glory for doing what your warband wants to do anyway.
  • Bloody Momentum: Scores in the end phase if you have multiple friendly fighters with Charge tokens in enemy territory. Strike warbands will likely meet this passively just by playing their game.
  • Arena Mortis: Scores if all fighters in a territory (yours and your opponent’s) have Charge tokens. This can be fulfilled unintentionally, though it often requires a bit of setup and multiple fighters.
  • Unrelenting Massacre: The deck’s pinnacle Objective demands that every fighter in play have a Charge token. It's high-risk, high-reward, and easily disrupted by a single un-charged fighter.
  • Sally Forth: Scores surge glory for charging onto a feature token in enemy territory and remaining there. It’s useful for forcing enemy fighters to engage.


Overall, these objectives heavily revolve around Charge tokens (both yours and your opponent’s) which can make the deck somewhat dependent on how the opponent chooses to play.


Ploys – Tactical Aggression

The ploys in Reckless Fury amplify its aggressive theme:

  • Braced: Grants a Charge token to a friendly fighter without requiring an activation. Ideal for scoring objectives or reaching "Charged-out" status with less valuable models.
  • Catch Weapon: Adds a Charge token to a fighter (friendly or enemy) after a successful attack, enabling end-phase objective scoring. It also helps spread Charge tokens onto opponents.
  • Diving In: Provides valuable push tech, letting your fighters reposition adjacent to charged fighters. It’s a great setup card for Arena Mortis or Bloody Momentum.
  • Reckless Attitudes: Restricts enemy fighters to only making charge actions during their next activation. This can severely limit opponents' options, especially in the later rounds.
  • Outburst: Deals area-of-effect damage based on the number of adjacent enemies and gets stronger if you're the underdog. While it's slightly random, it can swing crucial moments or finish off vulnerable enemies.

Together, these ploys support the deck's gameplan: build Charge tokens, force fights, and capitalize on disruption.


Upgrades – Enhancing the Onslaught

These upgrades reinforce your key fighters and expand your tactical reach:

  • Headlong Charge: Gives +2 Move when charging, aligning perfectly with the deck’s strike-first identity. It’s strong enough to redraw for in your opening hand.
  • Keen Eye: Boosts melee accuracy with an extra attack die. A straightforward but invaluable upgrade in a Strike deck.
  • Bellowing Tyrant: Introduces a unique Core ability: a fighter with a Charge token can push other charged allies and remove a Charge token from one, potentially enabling a second activation. It's especially potent with elite fighters like Mollog or Kainan.
  • Headcase: Lets you give a fighter a Charge token instead of playing a power card. This is excellent for reaching Charged-out status or setting up specific objectives.
  • Blades of Wrath: Forces tough decisions on your opponent. If they kill the upgraded fighter, it triggers area-effect damage, which becomes more dangerous as the game progresses.


Overall, these upgrades empower your best fighters and keep them in the fight longer.


Forsaken – Lost to the Dark

This is the first of the second-edition Rivals decks to have cards Forsaken in Nemesis mode—though they remain legal in Rivals.

Forsaken Ploys

  • Get It Done: Lets you transfer a Charge token from one friendly fighter to another. Perfect for giving your top fighter a second charge.


Forsaken Upgrades

  • Fury of Aqshy: Forces enemy fighters to charge. An excellent control piece that can break defensive setups.
  • Blade Catcher: Prevents the equipped fighter from being affected by weapon abilities. Simple, but very powerful.
  • Utter Ignorance: gives the fighter a second chance. If slain, they instead survive and become vulnerable. A game-altering upgrade in the right moment.

All these cards have powerful effects and can dramatically swing the game in your favour, although their Forsaken status prevents their use in Nemesis.


Strengths

  • Aggressive Scoring: The deck excels in rewarding proactive, high-impact plays.

  • Control Over Conditions: Focus on positioning and Charge tokens means less reliance on dice.

  • Elite Synergy: Works beautifully with durable warbands that can keep charging and survive long enough to score.


Weaknesses

  • Predictability: The straightforward strategy of the deck can become obvious, making it easier to counter.

  • Charge Token Dependency: Several objectives hinge on specific Charge token setups, which opponents can disrupt.

  • Limited Flexibility: Warbands that favour control or Treasure token holding may struggle to leverage this deck’s strengths.


Nemesis Pairings

Reckless Fury makes for a strong Primary deck for Nemesis, although it is harder to use than Blazing Assault due to its Charge token demands. Avoid pairing it with Emberstone Sentinel, as its passive, objective-holding focus clashes with Reckless Fury’s relentless aggression.

Here are a few pairing ideas that complement its strengths and open up some interesting strategic options.


Reckless Assault – Strike Twice, Fall Once

Pairing with Blazing Assault creates the ultimate all-in Strike deck. This combination scores heavily off repeated attacks, charging, and removing enemy fighters.

  • Key synergy: Reckless Fury and Blazing Assault both reward charging and aggressive play, letting you score for doing what Strike warbands do best — running forward and smashing things. Surge Objectives from both decks feed early glory, powering upgrades like Headlong Charge and Keen Eye to keep the momentum going. Use Braced to load up cheap fighters with Charge tokens, freeing up heavy hitters for big plays. If your opponent can’t handle pressure, they’ll fold fast.

  • Watch out: There’s almost no defensive support here. If your first few attacks miss, you are probably in trouble. Dice-dependent and unforgiving, but brutal when it lands.


Fury’s Blade – Aggression with a Twist

Pairing with Edge of the Knife adds a Flex element, working well with Strike warbands that thrive in enemy territory.

  • Key synergy: Score for Charging in, then dare your opponent to attack back. If they do, you Temper your fighters and unlock more scoring. Catch Weapon and Reckless Attitudes feed into Edge of the Knife’s control tools like Pesky Nuisance and Death Throes, making opponents think twice before striking back. Great for elite warbands that can take a hit and hit back harder.

  • Watch out: If opponents avoid attacking, Temper-based scoring stalls. This pairing can brick against passive or defensive playstyles like Take and Hold.


Warband Pairings

Reckless Fury performs best with three- or four-fighter warbands. This is enough to charge everyone in a round, but not so many that you dilute your strength. You want fighters that hit hard, can survive a round or two, and thrive in enemy territory.

Recommended warbands: The Jaws of Itzl, The Emberwatch, Gorechosen of Dromm, The Headsman’s Curse.

Again, avoid pairing it with Emberstone Sentinel, its focus on sitting back clashes with Reckless Fury’s need to move forward and charge aggressively.


Final Thoughts

Reckless Fury offers a thrilling, high-risk, high-reward playstyle for aggressive warbands that love to fight. Its goals are straightforward, its tools potent, and its tempo fast. But that same clarity makes it predictable, and its success depends on carefully managing Charge tokens and staying alive long enough to score.

In the evolving meta, players who enjoy bold strategies and tactical aggression will find Reckless Fury a rewarding and entertaining challenge—provided they can charge smart, not just charge fast.

Let me know which warband you intend to pair with Reckless Fury.

Checkout my Warhammer Underworlds for more articles.

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