First, let me clarify that this is a 35 point tournament and each warcaster/warlock still gets their allocated warjack/warbeast points to spend on their own battlegroup. This makes it interesting and challenging for Hordes players, actually, as you need to have enough 'beasts to fuel the warlock you wish to take. Generally speaking, I doubt that this tournament will see Hordes at all, but what warlocks you do see will likely be lower in the Fury department (5-6) since their warbeasts will be able to fuel them at full blast for a longer period of time. Additionally, warlocks that traditionally run with lots of infantry (like Kallus and Morvahna) are less likely to be seen unless they have abilities that can still affect battlegroups or individual models well (Madrak, Grayle). For those who do decide to go the route of Hordes, I suspect that many will go for a direct assassination over those who are more support-based, or those warlocks who are very difficult to dislodge.
I expect that either Thagarosh will make an appearance, likely with Absylonia, since they handle beasts well, but I think pVayl will also be solid with Incite. I know, she's Fury 8, but Shredder spam will be a great way to mitigate the low number of beasts that Legion might not otherwise have. Legion will likely make a strong appearance at the tournament because pretty much all of their warlocks are viable in this format, and you might even see the fabled Rhyas-Saeryn sister act since they can channel through each other.
Minions are too limited to see any brutal combos, although Carver runs a battlegroup so well that he might actually see play in combination with Barny to make those War Hogs land some hard-hitting - something that Gators typically lack en masse. Otherwise there will probably just be a Barny-Maelok combo to deliver Barny to your face, but if you have magical attacks or put some of your battlegroup models in the way and see it coming, you'll probably be fine.
All you need. |
Obviously there can be some other lulzy combos like a Siege's feat with pNemo's feat, but I generally think that whatever combo you can come up with will be brutal enough to warrant some merit. It's more important to think about what you'll be seeing: lots of warjacks and warbeasts and crazy warcasters/warlocks that will likely want to get in your face quickly and do lots of damage. Oddly, I think Cryx is not as powerful in this format as one might think, but that's usually because they typically rely on their stellar infantry and the souls of their foes. That said, Mortenebra will probably see play anyway, and if she's paired up with Venethrax, that could lead to some solid match-ups. I could keep going but I think those are some of the more brutal things that one should keep in mind for a format like this one.
What about me? What would I plan on bringing? Well Circle is tough but I think I want to try to bring pBaldur and Cassius - even though I don't own Cassius. As much as I'm not exactly fighting the meta, I think that a solid 14" threat range with Baldur is a little lulzy. Baldur's feat will protect myself from most brutal alpha strikes and when I'm ready for the assassination attempt I can slingshot Wurmwood forward, pop feat, and viola! Instant forest for Baldur assassination! And for those obnoxious warcasters/warlocks with tough, they'll take an extra point of damage for their troubles when they make their tough roll!