Another shot at the Anvil throne Warlord build

[pete2]

i'm trying to have an effective swarm based build for the Warlord, but it's really not that easy...

i tried a scenario in which i build up my own mage with equipment through battleforge and at the same time build up my conjurations, but that was really too slow..i didn't present any danger to my opponent in that build up phase, so he quickly switched to aggro attacking me and my conj's !

i still would like to swarm, but i think i will have better tools with this build :

i would open in a classic way, with barracks and constr.yard and add a tower to put in a ranged guy..

i would equip my mage with armor and elemental wand.  I have two of these because i find this weapon to be the most effective and flexible, for melee as well as ranged...

please let me know if this build could work...

A Mage Wars Spellbook, built using the OCTGN SBB 23/10/2014 15:57

Spellbook points: 120 used of 120 allowed

1 Anvil Throne Warlord

---  Attack  ---
1 Acid Ball
1 Geyser
1 Hurl Rock
1 Hurl Boulder
1 Jet Stream
1 Hail of Stones
1 Fireball

---  Conjuration  ---
1 Barracks
1 Battle Forge
1 Construction Yard
1 Garrison Post
1 Archer's Watchtower
1 Altar of Carnage
2 Wall of Earth
1 Mangler Caltrops

---  Creature  ---
1 Goblin Alchemist
1 Orc Butcher
1 Goblin Slinger
4 Goblin Grunt
1 Dwarf Kriegsbiel
1 Dwarf Panzergarde
1 Grimson Deadeye, Sniper
1 Bridge Troll

---  Enchantment  ---
1 Rust
1 Bear Strength
1 Healing Charm
1 Poisoned Blood
1 Force Hold
1 Marked for Death
1 Armor Ward
1 Cheetah Speed
1 Mongoose Agility

---  Equipment  ---
1 Deflection Bracers
1 Eisenach's Forge Hammer
1 General's Signet Ring
2 Elemental Wand
1 Regrowth Belt
1 Elemental Cloak
1 Wand of Healing
1 Harshforge Plate
1 Meditation Amulet
1 Leather Boots
1 Gauntlets of Strength

---  Incantation  ---
2 Force Push
1 Defend
1 Dissolve
2 Knockdown
1 Battle Fury
1 Minor Heal
1 Dispel
1 Conquer
2 Disarm

[Jon.Ambriz]

Now, if you're going for a swarm based warlord, then your current set up is, like you said, very slow. Before I get to the swarm idea, I would first highly suggest you put one or two Nullifies in your book, because you have no easy was of avoiding incantations. True, your [mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ05] Harshforge Plate[/mwcard] makes casting on your slightly more difficult, but any aggro book will have more than enough mana to just not care, as I'm sure you've already found out. Then you also have to worry about Corrodes with all the armor your stacking.

Onto the swarm; if you're thinking about swarming, remember that the key to swarming is getting creatures out fast. What is your typical T1 - T4 moves? With your current set-up, I'm thinking:

• T1: 19 mana: Barracks (12), Construction Yard (7)
• T2: 9 mana, Barracks 2 mana, Con.Yard 1 mana: Deploy Goblin Grunt (2 from Barracks, 2 from pool) and Quick Cast Archer's Watchtower (1 from CY and 3 from pool) -> 4 mana
• T3: 13 mana, B (3 mana), CY (1 mana): Dep. Goblin Slinger (B3 and Pool 4), Summon GG (Pool 4). No QC ->5 mana
• T4: 14 mana, B (3), CY (2): Dep GG (3 B & 1 Pool), Summon GG (4 pool), Final QC Battle Forge (2 from CY, 6 from pool) -> 3 mana
• T5: 12 mana pool, Barracks 3 mana, Construction Yard 1 mana, Battle Forge 1 mana.

For a swarm book, getting out five creatures is not bad over the course of three turns, though your Grunts will be Squishy and your Slinger in the tower might be targeted first because of the Range +1 and Indirect being much more annoying than a Goblin Grunt's 3 melee attack.

*Edit*: Have you thought about taking out the Bridge Troll and adding in two more Goblin Grunts, one more Goblin Slinger, and one more Wall of Earth?

[sdougla2]

You look much better setup to do the type of opening I've been doing with the Anvil Throne Warlord than swarm.

Turn 1 (19): Battle Forge -> Construction Yard (4)
Turn 2 (13): Deploy Meditation Amulet -> Mediate -> Barracks (2)
Turn 3 (11) [2]: Deploy General's Signet Ring -> Deploy Orc Butcher -> Meditate -> Garrison Post (4)

You generally have to deviate against aggression, but you can build up an incredible economy if your opponent doesn't threaten you. You can do a lot with 17 mana/round + discount ring. If you manage to get to that point, you can start deploying Armor from your Battle Forge and creatures from your Barracks. I generally like playing lots of Orc Butchers and Goblin Alchemists over Goblin Grunts and Goblin Slingers because they are much tougher. Also, Goblin Alchemists are extremely flexible. With this type of opening, your creatures are a bit slow to get going, but you have plenty of strong defensive options to hold off aggression while you get built up.

I prefer Leather Gloves and Reflex Boots over your equipment options. I like to have a cheap equipment option that I can use to get 2 Armor, and I want my Defense to work against ranged attacks in order to reduce the value of trying to Acid Ball my mage. You should also run another chest piece. I doubt you'll have the mana to play your Forge Hammer if you want to focus on creatures.

Having only 1 Dispel and only 1 Dissolve makes your build precarious against builds that rely on enchantments and equipment. Harshforge Monolith would help in the enchantment department, so keep it in mind as an option.

If you really want to swarm as the Warlord, try something like:

Turn 1 (19): Barracks -> Construction Yard (0)
Turn 2 (9) [2]: Deploy Orc Butcher -> Garrison Post (0)
Turn 3 (9) [3]: Deploy Orc Butcher -> General's Signet Ring (1)

or

Turn 1 (19): Barracks -> Garrison Post (3)
Turn 2 (12) [2]: Deploy Goblin Grunt -> General's Signet Ring -> Goblin Grunt (4)
Turn 3 (13) [2]: Deploy Goblin Grunt -> Armory -> Leather Gloves (0)

Include both Armory and Standard Bearer. They are the standard swarm support cards that the Warlord has.

I don't think you need Nullify.

[zorro]

[...]but you can build up an incredible economy if your opponent doesn't threaten you.

I think it's better to plan for a worse case scenario. I don´t really understand whats the plan of the proposed book... i think it could go with Barracks + 2xOutpost, or Battle Forge +  Eisenach's Forge Hammer, but triying to get out both Barracks and Battle Forge will be lots of mana and action investment.

I think for a Anvil Throne swam, you can drop the battle forge and Forge Hammer and rely on the runes to use few good equipment, and use your swarm to do both the damage to opponent mage and the control (i mean -  no weapon of strengh belt for your mage).

In my opinion Garrision Post is a better conjuration for a swarm, since it allow you to cast creatures just in the middle of the arena, saving  one turn of moving, and disturbing the path of the enemy to your mage and barracks.

Here i left you a link to my swarmy anvil throne book... i was re-writing it with a revised version of the book after some more plays, maybe you consider it interesting

[pete2]

I think i will stick with most suggestions from sdougla2...i think that suits best with the way i would like to play...I really like your first suggestion for opening ! But, in case your opponent manages to swing at you by turn 2 or 3, would you then change your build up and change strategy, or would you stick to these 3 steps, and wait to swing at him by turn 4 with butcher, and later with next creatures you get out of barracks ?

Thanks again for your replies guys ! i know i'm late with my reply, but work and family life got in between...

Here's my adapted version :


[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]MyAnvilThroneWarlord v2[/spellbookname]
[mage]A Anvil Throne Warlord Spellbook[/mage]
[mage]built by the OCTGN SBB[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNA01]1 x Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1A08]1 x Geyser[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFA02]1 x Hurl Rock[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA04]1 x Hurl Boulder[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1A09]1 x Jet Stream[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA03]1 x Hail of Stones[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=FWJ03]1 x Barracks[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1J04]1 x Battle Forge[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFJ05]1 x Construction Yard[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWJ04]2 x Garrison Post[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWJ02]1 x Archer's Watchtower[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFJ02]1 x Altar of Carnage[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFW01]2 x Wall of Earth[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC06]2 x Goblin Alchemist[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWC11]3 x Orc Butcher[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWC06]2 x Goblin Slinger[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWC05]4 x Goblin Grunt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWC01]1 x Dwarf Kriegsbiel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKC07]1 x Dwarf Panzergarde[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFC05]1 x Anvil Throne Crossbowman[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1E31]1 x Poisoned Blood[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1E16]1 x Force Hold[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1E27]1 x Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKE01]1 x Armor Ward[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1E28]1 x Mongoose Agility[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1E01]1 x Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWE09]1 x Standard Bearer[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MW1Q04]1 x Deflection Bracers[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ04]1 x General's Signet Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1Q08]2 x Elemental Wand[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1Q23]1 x Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ09]1 x Wand of Healing[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFQ05]1 x Harshforge Plate[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ10]1 x Meditation Amulet[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1Q15]1 x Leather Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1Q16]1 x Leather Gloves[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1Q06]1 x Dragonscale Hauberk[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWQ06]1 x Horn of Gothos[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MW1I12]2 x Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06]1 x Defend[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI08]2 x Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1I15]2 x Knockdown[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1I02]1 x Battle Fury[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWPRO2]1 x Minor Heal[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1I06]2 x Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI02]1 x Conquer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWPROMO32]1 x Holy Strike[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI03]1 x Disarm[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

[sdougla2]

If your opponent is being extremely aggressive, you may want to change things up to something more like:

Turn 1 (19): Battle Forge -> Construction Yard (4)
Turn 2 (13): Deploy General's Signet Ring -> FD Brace Yourself -> Orc Butcher (2)

or

Turn 1 (19): Battle Forge -> Construction Yard (4)
Turn 2 (13): Deploy Meditation Amulet -> Meditate -> Barracks (2)
Turn 3 (11): Deploy Leather Gloves -> Deploy Orc Butcher -> Wall of Earth -> Meditate (3)

Depending on how fast your opponent threatens you. Consider playing a fast Harshforge Plate if you think your opponent will try to curse you early.

That's one of the reasons I like opening with a Battle Forge. It lets me play economy (Meditation Amulet/General's Signet Ring) or defense (Leather Gloves/Reflex Boots/Elemental Cloak/Harshforge Plate) as appropriate based on my opponent's actions.

You generally want to get an Orc Butcher out early so that you can guard with it if your opponent moves in to attack you early. You could opt for a Goblin Grunt, but they tend to die to any attack by a big creature, so I prefer the Orc Butcher.

[Schwenkgott]

Good build
Murphy on octgn plays similar and is very successful. The only thing i would change: add more walls, because they are incredibly helpful to delay the game and you can use the mana on the construction yard for it.

[pete2]

Now i'm really eager to try this out ! Hope i wil finally be succesfull with the warlord !

One of these days i will be trying this out in OCTGN, so watch out !

Great tips sdougla2 !