The Skinnerkin
Welcome to our rundown of The Skinnerkin. Make sure you catch our podcast coverage of the release. For everything out with this release window, follow these links:
Thanks go to GW for providing a review copy to make this content possible.
Introduction
[D]AVY, [P]HIL, & [B]RIAN
D: Are you a big fan of Top Chef, Great British Bake Off, or dramas like The Bear? Then have we got a warband for you! The Skinnerkin (interestingly, the other ghoul warband also forgoes the name of its boss- a rarity in Underworlds) are the finest chefs the Summercourt has to offer. Why don’t you carve yourself off a nice juicy steak, kick back, and enjoy a read through of the cards with us?
P: I feel it is worth noting that Haunch counters are like Tithe counters from Kainan’s Reapers. You, the player, accumulate them, not the fighters. I definitely misunderstood that on my first read of the fighters and was confused.
D: Also worth bearing in mind as you read that there is no gambit speed help for scooping up Haunches. There's a couple of upgrades, but you're mostly doing this using on card information.
Uninspired
D: Solid leader profile, and likely your best source of Haunches early on.
Inspired
D: That's some accuracy! She's not moving all that quick still. But plenty of Haunch generation possible for things you may want to spend it on.
P: Agree that you'll probably want to find some way to speed her up. Could be pushes or extra moves too.
B: Lack of defence is the bigger issue here imo. Very nervous.
Uninspired
D: Git chopping. Feels like a solid attack and speed profile. Also another source for multiple Haunches. Inspired side is where it gets interesting.
P: I would have hoped for a Saek impersonation with that big axe but I guess 2 damage will have to do.
Inspired
D: This goofball gets *less* accurate? Needs accuracy help, but we know the fear that Gristlewell always puts out, especially at speed 5.
P: Yeah... What? I don't know if we have ever seen this. I guess against block fighters he is a bit better but not by much. On 1 dodge and 3 wounds they probably could have left him on 2 smash but we will see in testing.
B: One Dodge defense is yikes, and no resurrection in the deck...
Uninspired
D: So this feller has to kill or hang out near a kill to collect Haunches which is a fair bit more limited. But that kill can be a ping!
P: Pewdrig *checks notes* yup, Pewdrig feels like a support fighter for your big choppers. Push or something to get into support range and then get the kill for a bunch of Haunches.
D: It does occupy the same window as Prime Cut, though, so can’t generate a three Haunch kill alongside a crit from Kretch or Gristla.
Inspired
D: Extra speed, accuracy and a good chance to pop that Grievous. Good enough. I'm willing to risk this guy early if needed, though.
P: Feels odd to only see 1 damage but maybe a flat 2 would have been too much.
B: These guys are feeling like paper targets imo, will they ever make it to round 3? Feels like this warband will snowball hard into haunch and kills, or melt fast.
Uninspired
D: The only fella that can't get his own Haunches. But really nice support tech there. A source of scything is never a disappointment either.
P: Yeah, seems like we have a pattern for Seddrik and Pewdrig. Find a way to get them adjacent and then move in for the finishing blow.
Inspired
D: Extra dodge is pretty clutch since you wanna engage early if you can. Scything is less accurate but hits harder? Fair enough. Worth mentioning that there’s a range 3 attack here that gets perfectly fine on the inspired side.
P: I think at this point 2 fury 2 damage scything is pretty standard. Do not want to see this guy come in to a group small fighters at all.
B: Finally two Dodge!
Uninspired
D: Both those fly-over effects are rad. I can see situations where either would be great. Big fan.
P: A big big toolbox piece. My only concern is sometimes you'd probably prefer the push and have to hope not to roll the channel. Base speed 5 is also super scary.
Inspired
D: An extra defense die is definitely worthwhile, stagger on the attack is fine.
P: Agreed. You probably care more about the flyby so more defense definitely feels what this bat needs.
Objectives
D: Gristla and Kretch are likely your best bets for this- they can react to scoop up a juicy Haunch and don't *have* to crit fish. If the positioning isn't too tough, if you're setting up pushes, or have ways to cheat out supports like Beastbound Assault, this gets easier. Not a kill surge, but setting up the support is likely to be the tough part.
P: The swarm plan seems to be what the designers had in mind so this makes lots of sense. Definitely look forward to seeing it in action.
D: The first half is "get a critical hit with one of your top crew". A little too dicey for me for R1, but should just happen in later rounds.
P: I think you should be able to set this up pretty reliably. Even in round 1 because of the bat and your two choppers. I imagine you will want to charge with all three and have at least a 50/50 of getting a haunch with each.
D: I kinda hate leaving someone vulnerable in general, but two glory might be incentive enough. Pretty horrific quote.
P: Definitely agree... Sometimes this will happen organically but usually this requires you playing sub-optimally.
D: Some real The Bear energy going on here.
D: This is an easy include. You can generate the charge tokens with traditional charges or other effects, and if you haven't scored *any* other objectives, well...
P: Not an optimal opening hand surge but very easy in later rounds or if you draw into it off another surge.
D: These sort of positioning end phases always seem like they should be easier than they are. Getting two adjacent means drive-backs/kills haven't happened in either direction.
P: Maybe with the right power cards you can set this up at end of round but yeah feels like poor action efficiency again.
D: Ooof. Other warbands get this for just getting a critical hit. These guys have ways to bring extra dice and re-rolls, so there's help, but still...
P: At least it doesn't need to be successful? But yeah very random.
D: Wow. Five seems like a lot. Best to think of this as a R2, or later. Maybe easiest in R3 where you've had the biggest chance to accumulate, and have the smallest spread needed to cover the upgrade requirement.
P: Feels like one I need to see in action. Assuming you lose most of your fighters this might be easy but at that point how helpful is it?
D: Ow. Right after the previous one, it feels like a pair of third end phase objectives. Against elites, I don't hate it, but the influx of Gitz, Thorns, and even resurrecting Rats makes this a little rough.
P: The almost Annihilation never feels that good. Especially agree about warbands that can resurrect fighters. I've seen it brick too many X fighters out of action cards.
D: Not as good as Gale Force (but what is), but nice to have one that doesn't need dice rolls to land a particular way.
P: Very automatic. Nice to have a ranged fighter to help with this. No flavor text on this card is criminal!
D: I mean, Range 3 *can't* contribute here...
D: Another meta call? Against 4 fighter warbands should be pretty achievable by R2, which would be fine, but this makes three end phases that are kinda slow.
P: I'd like to see haunch generation in action. On paper id guess 2 per round is what we should expect but maybe that is underselling it. Another one to note that resurrection will make things difficult.
D: Pretty out of your control. Most likely to land on attacks with supports or needing smash to hit. If you can just keep swinging, it will hopefully come up in passing.
P: It seems to follow the gameplan but again, very random.
D: With the power of crits, this could land in your lap early, and late game, will just score on its own without any effort.
P: I like an automatic surge, even if it comes late. There is definitely a push and pull with building up counters and using them as a resource so keep that in mind if you run this card.
Gambits
D: Jump-starting Haunch generation is pretty nice design. Pre-inspire is when you need the most accuracy help too. Definitely scoop this up. If you *have* to, you can roll out of a crit to help with Tenderize the Meat. But that feels wrong, down in my bones!
It really really does. Full re-rolls is no joke. Definitely always taking this.
D: Yes please. Set up supports. Retreat to safety. Get in the right territory. Set up an attack after being charged out. Pewdrig, Seddrik, and The Carnskyr benefit, but you might turn more into beasts with something like Tooth and Claw.
P: I imagine this will be a key card for the warband. Auto-include.
D: A rare damage boost that applies to multiple attacks... So most exciting for Seddrik and his scything. No range restriction either if you're bringing relevant weapons. Still a potential candidate for replacement.
P: Agree, but I think you will take damage boosts where you can.
D: Huh. Really interesting. Pairs nicely with any grievous attacks, or the Kin that want to land the Prime Cut for extra Haunches. This specifically blows up both your attack surges though, which is a bummer.
P: I guess since this is a reaction it will be pretty clutch. I just worry about it getting stuck in your hand because you can't roll enough successes.
D: Well... If you somehow rack em up early, this is pretty great. It feels bad if you're delaying inspire, but it can boost your accuracy gambits if you want to bottom out again.
P: I think healing might be important for the number of 3 wound fighters you have but the heal 2 condition is certainly a steep cost.
D: I like the persist duration of "until a miss". Needing adjacency is a little iffy, but nice for reducing the impact of a counterattack.
P: I can imagine this being clutch, but also doing a lot of nothing. Definitely want to see it in action.
B: There's no "to a minimum of one" text, so could Vexmor (uninspired) make an attack with no dice to shed this card effect? Savage. Pocket seasoning!
D: Modest effects but flexible. Without more reps, I'm not sure how expendable your Haunches are.
P: Agree, need to see this one in action as well.
D: Decent bubble, and includes the target you just hit. If I can find greater utility, I might look for pushes to replace this, but fine for Rivals.
P: From what I have seen playing Domitan this is stronger than it looks, but definitely less reliable than the same effect from him.
D: Very nice. Just like the re-rolls. I like the setup options.
P: Certainly makes some early charges pretty scary but the lack of early damage makes it less viable to expect this to always be a home run.
D: Hello! What a cool effect! Combo this with the previous gambit to get a brutal combo.
Also: Gross quote.
P: Very unique effect! This is kind of an extra surge in your power deck. I like it.
Upgrades
D: I don't really understand what's happening thematically with this effect, but you can use it on your own attacks too. Good for boosting threat range, but gated behind a kill. Doesn't break either, so you can hop around a lot of the board.
P: Feels useful but not amazing. The dream would be to use this during a big scything attack.
B: I believe the "Awful Connoisseur" is leaping upon the fresh kill Davy. *Shudders*
D: More attractive than baseline ensnare, but I'll often look for something tastier. Makes Tenderize the Meat more likely to land.
P: Yeah, fine but probably an early cut.
D: Whoa, what?! Hell yeah. Can be pinged away, unfortunately, but often acts like +1 wound without the risk of giving up Large Bounty. The spent glory gift is a lovely deterrent.
P: Kind of another hidden surge. The damage reduction is really quite nice too.
D: Even moar healing, but also, yeah, a ping. A lot of text for it, but pretty doable.
P: Don't hate it, but would rather see this kind of effect on a ploy.
D: Kind of. But this almost feels like a gambit in your upgrades, which is sometimes pretty sweet.
D: Taking notes from ol' Varclav I see. If this warband cared more about positioning this would feel busted (or maybe they do... what did you pair with?). Makes One For You, One For Me more palatable?
P: Yeah not sure how this fits into the rivals deck plan but I'm sure you can build with this in champs and nemesis.
B: Fearsome Fortress is calling to Skyler right now.
D: Really make sure Gristle can score Tenderize.
P: This kind of effect was great in the past when it just required a charge. Needing support makes it a decent bit harder.
D: Uh. Weird. Nice for your two dodge fighters?
P: When you really need to stay next to a fighter this could be handy, but I think most of the time it will be cut able.
D: Restricted to Beasts mean Carnskyr is the target, but nice benefits. Certain break points of Haunch counters makes this feel very worthwhile at times.
P: Having an automatic way to gain Haunches could certainly help, just a question if you want to sink resources in Carnskyr or save them for your big choppers.
D: Woowwwww. Repeatable? Don't accidentally get swarmed by these guys or you're for sure going in the soup.
P: The dog pile plan continues to take shape. Setup with this should have your opponent scared.
D: I'll take it. A couple chances at a ping or Haunch. Solid.
P: Very. Not perfect but again it follows the game plan.
Summary
D: There you have it! Range 1 aggro warband with almost all the unique flavor revolving around gaining or spending Haunches. Out of the pack Rivals, you’re really going to want to find a way to scrape together two Haunches for scoring, and three for inspiring. The most “fun” trickery-wise probably comes from Carnskyr’s Grasping Talons ability. That plus grabbing extra supports makes the movement tricks from Voidcursed Thralls appealing. And of course, all the range 1 means that Tooth & Claw may have some things to offer in the power deck, if not so much the objective deck. Perhaps some extra speed and a little nudge in objectives from Breakneck Slaughter? We hope you’ve enjoyed this review. Gotta run, though. We’re ravenous.