Whether you're new to Warmachine or just new to Kithguard, everyone’s got to start somewhere. Fraser from the Warmachine development team here to talk about some lists we’ve been playing around with. If you’re just getting your boots muddy with this new faction, you’re in the right place.
Each of these is 50 points, uses the models from the Command Starter and Battlegroup boxes, and is ideal for Tales from the Frontlines — a perfect place to get started with a new faction.
List 1 — Craghorn’s gonna get ya
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Jungle Troll — Alchemical Mask, Thumper, Combat Knife
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Mistborn Dire Troll — Hard Head, Back Cannon, Punching Blade, Shock Hammer
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Klangor
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Corporal Rhud Felleye
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Pvt. Rattles
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Scrappers
This list is all about setting up the perfect ambush to catch the enemy off guard, then finishing the job with your heavy warbeasts. Neither Klangor nor this particular Mistborn build are exceptionally capable of one-rounding enemy heavies, but they’re certainly capable of finishing them off, once already weakened by the ambushing Scrappers of Felleye.
Quick field notes:
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Craghorn often likes to get forward to use his feat and get some shooting in with Daisy. Using his Attuned Spirit to cast either Klangor’s (+2 ARM) or the Jungle Troll’s (Reposition 3") animus for free can be critical in keeping him safe afterwards; choose wisely.
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It’s often okay if Felleye doesn’t actually destroy anything. Sometimes, hitting a heavy just to apply Grievous Wounds and stop it from healing the damage you’ve done to it, can be enough to ensure you can finish it off next turn.
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Don’t forget to Dig In with Rattles. Moving a Trapdoor marker into the ideal position to get the Scrappers in on your feat turn can be game-winning, so make sure you keep the little guy safe.
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Don’t be afraid to be bold with the Mistborn. This build only comes in at 11 points and is ARM 20. It’ll usually take quite the commitment from the opponent to deal with, something you can then capitalise on with ambushing Scrappers.
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You may be tempted to deploy the Scrappers and Felleye directly in Ambush, but if you put them on the table to begin with, Craghorn can cast his upkeeps on them. Then they can run into the tunnels and into Ambush, then be all the more disruptive when they emerge.
List 2 — Do the Wroughtmourn shuffle
Fell Captain Mailis Wroughtmourn
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Jungle Troll — Headband, Heavy Slugger, Flamethrower
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Mistborn Dire Troll — Fog Howler, Mounted Bombard, Quake Hammer, Blazing Star
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Klangor
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Corporal Rhud Felleye
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Scrappers
Although this may look fairly similar to the first list, it plays very differently. This time, instead of focusing on ambushing, we’ll be deploying all of the models and using Wroughtmourn’s deep toolbox to keep them safe while wearing the enemy down.
Quick field notes:
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Combining the Mistborn’s Fog Wall animus with Felleye’s Hide in a Bush ability gives you access to two models with Admonition each turn, when you add Wroughtmourn’s spell in. This can prove a tricky puzzle for your opponent to unpick.
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The Jungle Troll can make up to 4 ranged attacks per turn, which can very handily combine with Wroughtmourn’s Hand of Destruction to output quite a considerable amount of damage.
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This time, be much more careful with your Mistborn. It’s 2 less ARM than Craghorn’s, but can deal far more damage. Klangor can take a hit much better than this can, so I’d recommend focusing your defensive tools around keeping the Mistborn going.
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In this list, the Scrappers often want to start on the table. They’ll lose out on their Sneak Attack bonuses, but are much more likely to get a charge off and bring their Assault rule into play. Although their damage per attack will be lower, they’ll get to make nearly double the number of attacks, a pretty good trade-off. Like the Mistborn, though, they’ll need protection to set this up. A great use for Wroughtmourn’s feat is to restrict enemy line of sight, then use Hunter’s Mark and Veil of Mists to let them charge from 12" away through all manner of terrain.
That’s two solid starting points, straight from what we’ve been testing. Give them a run, tweak to taste, and let us know how you tussle on the table.
Devising a plan? Share your lists and guerrilla tactics with your Kithguard brethren on the Warmachine Discord and show the Iron Kingdoms how to fight for kith & kriel.
