Elathain's Soulraid - Warband Review

Introduction

The Idoneth are a cursed people who must steal the soul essence of others to survive. Elathain [1] is especially skilled in this art. He is accompanied by his Akhelian guardian, Fuirann [2], the Namarti Tammael [3], and the bonded beasts Duinclaw [4] and Spinefin [5].

Fighter Characteristics

Elathain

Uninspired, Elathain has a sound set of fighter stats with Move 4, a Save of 1 Block, 4 Health and a Bounty of 2. He has two weapon profiles: a melee attack with Range 1, 3 Hammers for 2 Damage and a ranged weapon with Range 3, 2 Swords for 1 Damage. Inspired, he gains an extra Save dice, which he sorely needs. In addition, he gains Cleave on his melee weapon and an extra dice and Ensnare on his ranged attack.

While Elathain has a good fighter card, it is not enough to do all the heavy lifting for the warband. A 4 Health fighter with a Range 1, 2 Damage attack will not consistently kill opponents. He is also vital to the warband and losing him reduces access to several warscroll abilities. It is important that Elathain is not put into harm's way until it is absolutely necessary.

Fuirann

Uninspired, Fuirann has a solid set of stats with Move 4, a Save of 2 Dodge, 4 Health and a Bounty of 2. She has a single melee attack with Range 1, 3 Swords for 2 Damage. When inspired, her attack accuracy improves to 3 Hammers.

Although her fighter stats do not make this immediately clear, she will be extremely difficult to slay. This is due to the warscroll ability Phantasmal Forms. Once this is taken into account, there are far more appealing targets in the warband for your opponent.

Tammael

Uninspired, Tammael may have the most useful characteristics for the early game. He has Move 4, a Save of 1 Dodge, 4 Health and a Bounty of 2, which you will likely give up. His weapon profiles make him particularly effective. His melee weapon has Range 2, 2 Hammers for 2 Damage, and his ranged weapon has Range 3, 3 Swords for 1 Damage with Crit Ensnare.

Of all the fighters in the warband, you can afford to be the most aggressive with Tammael. He is a capable fighter, but importantly, if he is killed, he can be raised later in the game. Once raised, he remains just as effective, but will no longer cost Bounty if killed again. This makes him a much less inviting target. 

Duinclaw

Everyone’s favourite crab is back. Uninspired, Duinclaw has Move 3, a Save of 2 Block, 3 Health and a Bounty of 1. He has a single melee attack with Range 1, 2 Swords for 2 Damage. Once inspired, his speed increases to Move 4 and his attack improves to 3 Swords with Cleave.

Duinclaw is not going to be a mainline aggressive piece. His stat line suggests he should focus on holding treasure tokens, where his 2 Block Save will make him resilient. In the second round, once inspired, his threat level does improve.

Spinefin

The final fighter is Spinefin. He has lost much of his trickery from the first edition and now serves as a pure utility piece. He has Move 3 with Flying, a Save of 1 Dodge, 1 Health and no Bounty. He has a single melee attack with Range 1, 2 Swords for 1 Damage with Crit Ensnare. Inspired, his Move increases to 4, he gains an additional Save dice, and his attack gains another dice with Ensnare.

Comparing Fighter Characteristics

All ratings out of 5 (What do the stats mean?)

Elathain’s Soulraid compare very favourably to Cyreni’s Razors, a warband I have become very familiar with. They are more durable than their Idoneth kin and have similar range threat, damage output and speed. Overall, the fighters look very capable, suggesting that this should be a competitive warband.

How Do They Inspire?

Exactly as in the first edition, each fighter inspires in the second round. This gives you a highly reliable improvement in stats across the warband for the remainder of the game.

This reliability allows you to plan your early game around the inspire timing. In the first round, you can spread some speculative damage among enemy fighters. Then in the second round, once inspired, your fighters can go on the offensive with confidence.

Warscroll Abilities

Tides of Death

This ability persists throughout the game and provides different effects depending on the round.

• During the first round, after an enemy fighter makes a melee attack, that enemy receives a Stagger token, regardless of whether the attack was successful. This presents your opponent with a difficult choice: attack and suffer Stagger, or hang back and allow you to dictate the pace of play.
• During the second round, your fighters gain +1 Move, bringing all Soulraid fighters up to 5 Move. From the central hex of the board, this allows them to reach almost any opponent.
• During the third round, friendly fighters’ melee weapons from their fighter cards gain the Grapple ability. While not game-breaking, it can be crucial in specific situations.

Overall, this is an excellent ability that provides strong utility, especially in rounds one and two.

Riptide Harpoon

When Tammael charges, his melee attack gains +1 dice, increasing it to 3 Hammers. This is an excellent accuracy boost. It is often worth charging with Tammael simply to make the most of this improved accuracy, rather than relying on multiple ranged attacks. This is especially true when you consider that every activation counts. If Tammael is raised later in the game, he can use this ability again.

Soul Harvest

To use this ability, Elathain must slay an enemy fighter with one of his weapons. As his melee and ranged weapons cause only 2 and 1 Damage respectively, enemy fighters will often need to be weakened first.

Bringing back a 4 Health fighter with no drawbacks is very strong, and this can be done repeatedly. Each time Tammael is slain, Elathain can revive him by slaying an opponent. Once raised, Tammael no longer gives up Bounty, making him a less appealing target and potentially disrupting Objective scoring in some Strike decks.

Earthsea Predators

This is a great ability, especially as it allows you to push both minions, Duinclaw and Spinefin. The most obvious use is to push them onto treasure tokens, giving the warband excellent action economy. A single activation from one of the three Idoneth fighters can position the sea beasts to hold objectives.

It can also be used to move the minions into supporting positions, though the push of only one hex can make this difficult. This becomes easier if the Idoneth remain within their own territory. Bear in mind if you use the ability, both beasts have to be pushed

Phantasmal Forms

This ability is exceptional. Fuirann can use Standfast against any successful attack that targets her. This prevents her from being driven back, making her an excellent choice to hold a treasure token. It also grants damage reduction, meaning that most 2 Damage attacks will be reduced to 1. It can take four attacks to remove her from play.

The effects of this are significant. It reduces your opponent’s action efficiency, makes Fuirann a less appealing target, and makes her very difficult to slay. This can also interfere with your opponent’s Objective scoring by denying Bounty and kills.

Deck Pairings

The warband naturally leans towards a Take and Hold playstyle, making the Emberstone Sentinels deck an excellent starting point. The next question is what to pair it with.

Guardians of the End (Emberstone Sentinels and Countdown to Cataclysm)

This now traditional pairing gives you strong access to Objective cards that reward holding multiple treasure tokens. Iron Grasp, Set Explosives, and Supremacy can all be scored together by controlling two or more objectives. The deck also includes several ploys that deal direct damage, which can weaken enemy fighters before your inspired warband moves in for the kill.

Statues of the Hunter (Hunting Ground and Emberstone Sentinels)

This new pairing encourages the Soulraid to secure treasure tokens in friendly territory to score from Emberstone Sentinels. Your opponent will be forced to enter your territory to contest them, allowing you to score from Hunting Ground. Bounty of Ghyran can also be used to inspire Elathain or Fuirann outside of round two, which adds flexibility.

Final Thoughts

My Soulraid

Elathain’s Soulraid look to be a highly competitive warband. Their fighter characteristics are solid and arguably stronger than those of Cyreni’s Razors. When combined with their warscroll abilities, they become a resilient and strategically flexible force.

The warband relies on Elathain for success, so he must be protected until he is ready to engage. Early in the game, Tammael can take the lead, while Fuirann and the sea beasts, Duinclaw and Spinefin, secure treasure tokens. Elathain should hang back until the time is right to strike.

Key upgrades for this warband include those that grant Grievous, extra Save dice, or increased Health.

Overall, this warband looks to be highly effective in Take and Hold strategies, and I am eager to get them on the table. What do you think of this warband? What deck pairings will you use?

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