The Emberwatch
Welcome to our rundown of The Emberwatch. Make sure to catch our podcast coverage of the release too. For everything out with this release window, follow these links:
Release Rundowns
Podcast
Thanks go to GW for providing a review copy to make this content possible.
Introduction
[D]AVY, [P]HIL, [B]RIAN, & [S]KYLER
D: Our first look at Stormcast in the new edition. As vanguard, we can expect ranged and melee attacks on everyone, and a few tough, elite level fighters. Let’s have a look!
WARSCROLl
P: While pretty simple to just need to activate in enemy territory, it does mean you are not very likely to be inspired early. It also means you need to get a bit aggressive to gain your stat boosts. Overall I think that makes for a nice balance with a warband that has all ranged weapons and a couple fighters on two block.
D: The inspire condition either needs two activations or power card support, but it *is* in your control. The fighters that gain defense really benefit the most.
P: Pretty cool free push! There is no directional limitations here so just make sure to have one fighter on their own at the end of the round to pick up this extra utility.
D: Getting a push for being petulant with each other! In my experience this has been a little situational. Sometimes no one is on their own in a territory, sometimes they are, but that push isn't important. But when it works out, you can set up an inspire, grab a token, or set up to threaten or retreat from aggression.
P: Wow, free teleport that doesn't give a move or charge token? That is amazing for a small warband that will need flexibility to project power around the board. Whether used aggressively or defensively this ability should be great and could very easily catch your opponent out of position.
D: Awww, yeah. The timing window (after your Action step) means you can't really set up a surprise attack, but you can set up for a next turn inspire, pull an overextended fighter to safety or overload one side of the board.
P: Plus range is hard to appreciate until you are in a game situation where it is absolutely crucial. By this not being limited to either weapon type you could get a melee weapon to range two or get a long range sniper shot with Yurik. I think this once again should really help the flexibility of this small elite warband.
D: On first read, I thought this was only for the ranged attacks, but weirdly, this can increase your melee weapon range, which is where it really shines.
P: A once per game kill shot is a bit wild to me. There have been plenty of pings like this in the past and they often feel bad on the receiving end. With this one always available and no time for the opponent to respond they will always have to play assuming a slightly higher damage on attacks until they see this get used. Yikes!
D: Wow. For those who remember first edition's first season... this is Twist the Knife, on tap, without any range restrictions. Super powerful.
FIGHTERS
Uninspired
P: Feeling very reminiscent of the Farstriders, Ardorn here is exactly what I would expect. A solid melee profile up close and a decent ranged option for plinking away from a distance. Three move, one block is also right in line with what we normally see. The bump to five wounds would be notable but it seems that wounds are up for most fighters anyway so still par for the course. With a three glory bounty you will definitely want to be careful with committing too early though. Overall, a solid fighter.
Inspired
P: Extra defense and attack dice on both profiles is a nice boost once inspired. Seems like Ardorn will be a menace once he is cooking!
D: A work horse, but once you've burned your once per game +1 damage (Raptors of Sigmar), you'll really need to string together some hits to land a kill. If you can find a low risk play to get Ardorn inspired, it's worth it, especially with that three bounty.
Uninspired
P: Same standard move and defense we saw with Ardorn that I expect to be the storm cast standard continuing in second edition. The only thing that sets Farasa apart here is being three swords instead of two smash, which makes sense given all those daggers she is toting! It should be noted that with crits no longer superceding other successes three swords is slightly less accurate on average. However, rolling more dice still allows for better odds at getting overrun, other crit abilities, and spiking more successes than your opponent has defense dice.
D: For those of us coming from first edition, I think it's going to take a little bit to settle in to these changes in dice odds. Functionally very similar to Ardorn while uninspired.
Inspired
P: Again we see a defensive boost and more attack dice. Farasa really likes to use those daggers!
D: Farasa will be a good choice for any upgrades that want you to look for crits. With her lower bounty, but still inspiring to defense dice, she makes a decent early aggression piece.
Uninspired
P: As should be the case given the size of that crossbow, Yurik stands out by having a range four attack instead of range three. That can be a real pain because of how much he can plink shots without having to put himself in danger to do it.
D: I kept overlooking that he hits just as hard as the rest of his friends at melee range.
Inspired
P: The only fighter not getting a defense boost! I guess Yurik is too focused on getting the perfect shot to protect himself. He also gets more attack dice though which continues the trend with the rest of the band. Odd that he switches to swords instead of hammers though since it feels like he should be the most accurate.
D: Lower priority inspire, in my opinion. With no defensive boost, you don't really need to get him into enemy territory (and a presumably more risky position) to chase the inspire.
Summary
P: The Emberwatch are an elite three fighter warband with plenty of flexibility to allow them to adapt to just about any situation. I could see this warband playing most any play style fairly well, though they might struggle with a pure take and hold strategy simply due to a lack of bodies. This feels like a great beginner warband to learn with and then dive deeper with once players have more experience.
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