Thricefold Discord - Warband Review
Thricefold Discord - A Warhammer Underworlds Warband Review
Introduction
The Spitewood loomed ahead, its tangled boughs blocking what little light tried to pierce the shadows of the undergrowth. Even in Ghyran, this was a place where life had festered into bitterness. If there were whispers of secrets buried deep, they might linger here.
A cloud of cloying perfume filled the air as the Thricefold Discord entered the forest, drawn by that possibility. In their endless quest to find their lost master, they sought sensation, rumour, and echo in all its forms. Even here, in this hateful wood, there might be a trace of Slaanesh.
Vexmor the Excessively Indolent [1] lumbered forward, his sheer presence pressing down on the forest around him. At his side, Vashtiss the Coiled [2] wove subtle sorceries, drawing out the forest’s ancient malice and testing it for meaning and memory. Lascivyr, the Bladed Blessing [3], surged ahead in ecstatic violence, carving through root and branch for the sheer pleasure of inflicting harm.
Still they searched, deeper and deeper, tasting every shard of emotion the forest could offer.
For if even the faintest echo of Slaanesh lingered in the Spitewood, the Thricefold Discord would find it.
Fighter Characteristics
The Thricefold Discord is made up of three fighters, each with 5 Health, for a total of 15 wounds. Each fighter starts the game with a single Save dice, which increases to two dice when they inspire. Vexmor has 1 Block, whereas Vashtiss and Lascivyr each have 1 Dodge.
Vexmor has a Move of 3, 1 Block, and a Bounty of 3. He has a single melee weapon with Range 2, 1 Hammer for 2 Damage. Upon inspiring, he improves to a 2 Block Save and gains additional accuracy, with his attack improving to 2 Hammers.
Lascivyr has a Move of 4, 1 Dodge, and a Bounty of 2. She has a single melee weapon with Range 1, 3 Swords for 2 Damage. Upon inspiring, she improves to a 2 Dodge Save, and her attack significantly improves to 3 Hammers with Crit Grievous.
Finally, Vashtiss has a Move of 4 with Flying, 1 Dodge, and a Bounty of 2. She has two weapon profiles: a melee attack with Range 2, 2 Hammers for 1 Damage, and a ranged attack with Range 3, 2 Hammers for 1 Damage. Upon inspiring, she improves to a 2 Dodge Save, her melee attack improves to 2 Damage, and her ranged attack increases to Range 4.
How do the fighters inspire?
Immediately after making an Attack or Save roll that contains no successes, or after a friendly fighter is slain, you inspire another friendly fighter.
This inspiration mechanic is particularly interesting. It triggers on failure, but only when the roll contains no successes at all. Since each fighter starts with just one Save dice, failed Save rolls, rather than Attacks, will likely be the most common way to activate it. Additionally, as Vexmor attacks with a single dice, he can be used early in the game to try and trigger a quick inspiration.
Strategically, I would prioritise inspiring Lascivyr first to gain the improved defence and stronger attack profile. I would then follow with Vexmor and finally Vashtiss.
How do the Thricefold Discord compare to other warbands?
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| All ratings out of 5 (What do the stats mean?) |
When comparing the Thricefold Discord to other three fighter warbands, it becomes clear that they are less durable than most. This is true until they inspire, at which point they become more comparable. They are generally slightly faster, with two fighters having Move 4, and when combined with their effective weapon ranges, they have a greater threat range than many elite warbands. This allows them to deal damage while potentially staying out of danger.
When playing this warband, this should be part of your overall approach. Look to attack while minimising the risk of retaliation, especially in the early stages of the game before your fighters have inspired.
Warscroll Abilities
Multi-use abilities
Temptations of Slaanesh
Like all the Dark Prince’s daemons, the Thricefold Discord delight in testing mortal resolve.
At the start of the first Action step in each battle round, you gain a pool of 6 temptation dice. At the end of the battle round, any unused dice are lost.
Once per turn, immediately after your opponent rolls an unsuccessful dice in an Attack roll, you can offer them a temptation dice.
If they accept, they replace one unsuccessful result with a success. After the attack resolves, you can push a friendly fighter that was not the target by one hex.
If they reject, the attacker suffers 1 damage after the attack is resolved.
This creates an interesting mini game. You want to tempt your opponent enough to gain positional advantages or damage, but not so often that you improve their attacks too much.
The ideal time to use this ability is when your opponent rolls no successes against an inspired fighter. If they accept, there is still a strong chance the attack fails. If they reject, they take damage. Either outcome can benefit you.
This becomes even more powerful when positioning matters, particularly around Feature tokens. Opponents may choose to take damage rather than allow you to reposition.
It is also worth noting that the damage from rejection happens after the attack and can affect vulnerable fighters. It can even remove the attacker after they have made their attack.
Each round provides six dice. In practice, around four will be used for tempting, leaving two available for your other abilities.
One Use Abilities
Irresistible Feast
Use this in your Power step. Discard 1 temptation dice, then inflict 1 damage on an enemy fighter that is not vulnerable. You can only use this ability once per game.
A free point of damage is always useful, even if it cannot be used to finish off a vulnerable fighter. As it is used in your Power step, you can set up future attacks or help score objectives that require damage across multiple fighters. I don't believe that you need to rush using this ability. Instead, it should be saved to set up a scoring opportunity.
Sublime Senses
Use this in your Power step. Discard 1 temptation dice, then give a friendly fighter a Guard token. You can only use this ability once per game.
This is very useful for positioning onto a Feature token and then gaining Guard to prevent driveback. Once your fighters are inspired and rolling two Save dice, they become much harder to damage. As this is used in the Power step, a fighter can Charge and then gain Guard afterwards. It is also useful for scoring certain Objective cards.
I can really see value in using this to hold an Aqua Ghyranis token, with the aim of gaining 1 Glory. A fighter with 5 Health and a two dice Guard Save will be extremely difficult to shift once it is holding a token. In some cases, this can make it so resilient that enemy fighters may choose to ignore it entirely and focus on easier targets instead.
Pavane of Slaanesh
Use this in your Power step. Discard 1 temptation dice, then pick a friendly fighter. Save rolls for that fighter cannot be affected by Cleave or Ensnare in the next turn. You can only use this ability once per game.
This ability becomes more valuable later in the game, especially when you have lost one or two fighters. At that stage, you can protect a key fighter and make their two Save dice more reliable. This is the one ability I would consider holding until round two or three, when you are more certain which specific fighter will be attacked.
Deck Pairings
The Thricefold Discord is an elite three fighter warband, so it naturally leans towards a Strike playstyle. It does not have the numbers for a full Take and Hold strategy.
Once inspired, the fighters are fast, reasonably durable, and have solid attack profiles. Combined with access to Guard and pushes, they can also interact with Feature tokens effectively. As such Blazing Assault is a strong starting point. It provides accuracy and damage boosts through cards such as Keen Eye, Accuracy, Twist the Knife, and Great Strength, along with a range of push tech and access to Guard. The objectives are easy to score, but they do not generate much Glory, so pairing is important.
Blazing Assault and Reckless Fury
This pairing focuses on aggressive play. You aim to push into enemy territory and rely on your improved saves and health to stay in the fight. It also provides stronger End Phase scoring and additional access to Guard and push effects.
This deck really doubles down on the Discord’s warscroll abilities, allowing you to repeat key tactics multiple times in an effort to score your objectives. It is therefore imperative to use the Discord’s speed and weapon range to maximum effect, attacking without leaving your fighters overly exposed to retaliation.
Blazing Assault and Countdown to Cataclysm
This pairing retains the core aggression of Blazing Assault while bringing in the positional and scoring flexibility of Countdown to Cataclysm. Countdown adds a reliable suite of 2‑Glory end phase objectives such as Spread Havoc and Wreckers (although, Wrecker is harder to score than it used to be you have Irresistible Feast to help), helping address the low glory ceiling that pure Strike decks often suffer from.
Beyond objectives, Countdown also supplies useful ploys for chip damage and board control, which can soften enemies or force advantageous engagements, and upgrades that improve defence or movement. These tools can help the Discord adapt mid‑game when pure aggression might overextend them.
Overall, this pairing gives you the benefits of aggression and board control in one package, making it a strong choice for the Discord’s versatile, fast threat range.
This pairing utilises Discord’s Temptation pushes to occupy Treasure tokens, enabling the scoring of Set Explosives and Shocking Assault. These pushes also make it easier to score Stay Close and Alone in the Dark.
The warscroll Sublime Senses provides a much-needed Guard token, helping to maintain position on Treasure tokens, particularly for Shocking Assault.
The pairing also gives access to a large number of ping cards, allowing the Thricefold Discord to steadily apply chip damage and wear opposing fighters down over time. Some of these, such as Ominous Rumblings and Damned If You Do, further lean into the decision-making pressure that is central to how the warband plays.
Overall, this pairing offers a more positionally flexible playstyle compared to Strike of Blazing Assault.
Conclusions
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| My Thricefold Discord |
The Thricefold Discord has fairly standard characteristics for an elite three‑fighter warband, but it is their Temptation dice mechanic that gives them a unique identity. Mastering when to tempt, and when to hold back, is key. Tempt too often and your fighters may take unnecessary damage; tempt too rarely and you lose pressure on your opponent.
When playing against them, it is important to target Lascivyr early before her inspired profile can wreak havoc. Vexmor and Vashtiss should not be underestimated either, as both can attack at Range 2 for 2 Damage once inspired. Combined with push effects, they can wear down enemy fighters without needing to charge recklessly. Each fighter, once upgraded can become a serious threat and can single handedly solo an enemy warband of lesser warriors.
Overall, the Thricefold Discord is a strong Strike-focused warband. While perhaps not as devastating as their Embergard iteration, they remain a very capable and rewarding warband, offering both tactical flexibility and a unique, interactive playstyle.
What do you think of this warband? Do you use them? If so, what decks do you pair with them?
Checkout my Warhammer Underworlds for more articles.
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