Harshforge Warlord (Anvil Throne Warlord)

[MrSaucy]

Recently received my copy of FiF. I'm focusing on a build centered around having a large/strong army and taking advantage of Harshforge Monolith. I am trying something that is perhaps a little unorthodox: a warlord build with no enchantments and  no attack spells. Why no enchantments? So I don't get hurt by my own Harshforge Monolith. Why no attack spells? Because I don't really feel like I need them since I have access to plenty of soldiers with ranged attacks. I am, of course, using the Anvil Throne Warlord because his runesmithing ability is fantastic.

Conjurations: (11)
1 Barracks (3)
2 Garrison Post (2)
2 Wall of Pikes (2)
2 Wall of Earth (2)
1 Harshforge Monolith (2)

Equipment: (13)
1 Helm of Command (2)
1 Harshforge Plate (2)
1 Leather Gloves (1)
1 Ring of Command (1)
1 General Signet's Ring (1)
1 Morning Star (1)
1 Veteran's Belt (1)
1 Colossus Belt (1)
1 Regrowth Belt (2)
1 Leather Boots (1)

Creatures: (64... could be overkill but hey I like having variety)
4 Goblin Grunt (4)
4 Goblin Slinger ( 8 )
2 Goblin Alchemist (4)
4 Orc Butcher ( 8 )
1 Gurmash, Orc Sergeant (3)
1 Thorg, Chief Bodyguard (4)
2 Dwarf Kriegsbiel (6)
2 Dwarf Panzergarde (6)
2 Anvil Throne Crossbowman (6)
1 Ludwig Boltstorm (3)
1 Grimson Deadeye, Sniper (4)
1 Bloodcraig Minotaur (4)
1 Sir Corazin, Blademaster (4)

Enchantments: (0)

Incantations: (32)
4 Power Strike (4)
4 Defend (4)
2 Perfect Strike (2)
2 Piercing Strike (2)
2 Evade (2)
2 Flank Attack (2)
2 Charge (2)
2 Battle Fury (2)
2 Dispel (6)
1 Dissolve (2)
1 Heal (4)

Attacks: (0)

Turn 1: Barracks + Garrison Post
Turn 2: Garrison Post + General Signet's Ring
Turn 3: Harshforge Plate + Ring of Command
Turn 4: Gurmash + Goblin Grunt / Goblin Slinger / Goblin Alchemist / Orc Butcher

[sdougla2]

I too am working on a Warlord build with 0 enchantments. I'm thinking of making it a Bloodwave Warlord, although I tried it with an Anvil Throne Warlord, and I'm still debating running Barracks and Battle Forge or just Barracks.

I really like Reflex Boots with the Rune of Shielding. It's a bit expensive to get down, but it's tremendously helpful against big attacks. You might want to include a piece of equipment that gives a defense so that you can use the Rune of Shielding.

I'd rather use the Rune of Power on Elemental Wand with Hurl Rock than on Helm of Command simply because it lets me try to kill things efficiently during the first quickcast phase. Plus it lets me attack flying creatures, whereas there aren't good orders to support a ground force attacking flying creatures. Sniper Shot is not exciting if your target doesn't have a defense.

I need to try Goblin Slinger now that Armory and General's Signet Ring are out. I didn't like them before, but I can see them potentially being decent now. So far I really like Goblin Alchemists though. They're probably slightly better with the Bloodwave Warlord though, since stripping creatures of armor is more exciting when you can't give a bunch of Piercing with Battle Orders.

I'm not a fan of your opening, since you don't start playing creatures very quickly in order to make the General's Signet Ring efficient.

With Barracks based play, I'm focusing on smaller creatures rather than Bloodcraig Minotaur, Sir Corazin, and Thorg. General's Signet Ring is more efficient if you cast creatures often, and it doesn't have much of an impact on the efficiency of creatures that cost ~15.

I'm still skeptical of Goblin Grunts, although there is enough additional support for soldiers now that they may be okay.

[MrSaucy]

I too am working on a Warlord build with 0 enchantments. I'm thinking of making it a Bloodwave Warlord, although I tried it with an Anvil Throne Warlord, and I'm still debating running Barracks and Battle Forge or just Barracks.

I have thought about Battle Forge but I think it is too slow for this spellbook.

I really like Reflex Boots with the Rune of Shielding. It's a bit expensive to get down, but it's tremendously helpful against big attacks. You might want to include a piece of equipment that gives a defense so that you can use the Rune of Shielding.

I think I will try this. I didn't include Reflex Boots at first since they are expensive but with the Rune of Shielding it seems like they could be very helpful.

I'd rather use the Rune of Power on Elemental Wand with Hurl Rock than on Helm of Command simply because it lets me try to kill things efficiently during the first quickcast phase. Plus it lets me attack flying creatures, whereas there aren't good orders to support a ground force attacking flying creatures. Sniper Shot is not exciting if your target doesn't have a defense.

I am thinking that Helm of Command is something I am going to save specifically for Forcemaster matchups (bind Perfect Strike and use Rune of Reforging to give the Helm cantrip). Otherwise I think I am going to pass on Helm of Command and Horn of Gothos all together with the Anvil Throne Warlord. Horn of Gothos works better with Bloodwave Warlord in my opinion. Rune of Power on Elemental Wand is a pretty good suggestion. It wouldn't be that hard to squeeze in one Elemental Wand and one Hurl Rock.

I need to try Goblin Slinger now that Armory and General's Signet Ring are out. I didn't like them before, but I can see them potentially being decent now. So far I really like Goblin Alchemists though. They're probably slightly better with the Bloodwave Warlord though, since stripping creatures of armor is more exciting when you can't give a bunch of Piercing with Battle Orders.

I have actually always liked Goblin Slinger. Now since you can spawn creatures from Barracks to your Garrison Posts I like putting them on the corners of the arena. As far as commands go they can be an easy way to activate the Flank Attack command. Goblin Alchemists are neat but there limited range is the only thing preventing me from putting in tons of them.

I'm not a fan of your opening, since you don't start playing creatures very quickly in order to make the General's Signet Ring efficient.

This is true. I think it is best to start bringing out creatures and Gurmash turn 3 (which I tried today when I tested the spellbook).

With Barracks based play, I'm focusing on smaller creatures rather than Bloodcraig Minotaur, Sir Corazin, and Thorg. General's Signet Ring is more efficient if you cast creatures often, and it doesn't have much of an impact on the efficiency of creatures that cost ~15.

I will probably be ditching the more expensive creatures because I have also noticed that. Anything level 4+ will most likely be omitted. As much as I love the warlord's expensive creatures this build is meant more for bringing out a level 1 - 3 creature at least once a round and applying consistent pressure.

I'm still skeptical of Goblin Grunts, although there is enough additional support for soldiers now that they may be okay.

I only use Goblin Grunts when my opponent has more pressing creatures to deal with. They may be flimsy but they can easily be boosted with command incantations. I also like throwing Goblin Grunts under the bus by having them defend my more powerful creatures 

When in doubt, Orc Butcher seems to be the go-to-creature. I just wish they had more armor.

[MrSaucy]

Version 2.0

Conjurations (no change, 12 points)

Equipment: 16 points
1 Helm of Command (2)
1 Harshforge Plate (2)
1 Leather Gloves (1)
1 Ring of Command (1)
1 General Signet's Ring (1)
1 Elemental Wand (2)
1 Veteran's Belt (1)
1 Colossus Belt (1)
1 Regrowth Belt (2)
1 Reflex Boots (2)

Creatures: 48 points
4 Goblin Grunt (4)
4 Goblin Slinger ( 8 )
2 Goblin Alchemist (4)
4 Orc Butcher ( 8 )
1 Gurmash, Orc Sergeant (3)
2 Dwarf Kriegsbiel (6)
2 Dwarf Panzergarde (6)
2 Anvil Throne Crossbowman (6)
1 Ludwig Boltstorm (3)

Enchantments: 6 points
2 Brace Yourselves (2)
2 Healing Charm (4)

I know these are enchantments, but they are enchantments I plan on using quickly and that I don't expect to last until the next upkeep phase (i.e. they shouldn't hurt me if Harshforge Monolith is out).

Incantations: 36 points
4 Power Strike (4)
4 Defend (4)
2 Perfect Strike (2)
2 Piercing Strike (2)
2 Evade (2)
2 Flank Attack (2)
2 Charge (2)
2 Battle Fury (2)
2 Dispel (6)
1 Dissolve (2)
2 Minor Heal (4)
1 Heal (4)

Attacks: 2 points
2 Hurl Rock (2)

[Arlemus]

When in doubt, Orc Butcher seems to be the go-to-creature. I just wish they had more armor.

Standard Bearer, Fortified Position, and Armory help with that  .  I've only been able to play 2 games with the new additions from FiF and so far it's pretty easy to get butchers to 3 armor, 4 with vet (which is also easier to get now).

On to the concerns:


1).  I don't really see the point of a vet belt if your max armor can only ever get to 4 (plate + leathers), and that's if you spend 3 actions to make that happen.  Pretty meh.

2).  I love creatures, but you have way too many, I think.  A good move with your book, since it doesn't run any zone/arena buffs that goblins/orcs rely on, is to just go Dwarves and drop all the goblins and orcs (except the alchemists). 

Dwarves don't really need buffing outside of incantations and you already have plenty of those (maybe too many considering you have the helm).  It would also make more sense to use them since you don't have any higher cost conjurations and would have more mana to spend on individual creatures, but I guess that's just my view on it.

3).  If you decide not to dump all the orcs/goblins, you should probably swap out that heal for a group heal.  There will undoubtedly be times where most of your guys have damage and you need a action/cost efficient way to heal them all.  It's caused huge swings for me, pretty awesome to have.

4).  Just because you have the monolith doesn't mean you shouldn't include enchants.  You give up so much that it doesn't make any sense in the majority of games I would think.  I won't list all the great enchants you give up, but not at least including standard bearer seems pretty suboptimal to me; especially with all those creatures.

5).  More attacks? At least something to extinguish with, an acid ball, etc.  Seems ill-advised to run an elemental wand when the only thing you can bind to it is hurl rock, which you have multiple copies of anyway  ...and besides, you run so many creatures I'd imagine it that 99% of the time it would be better just to power strike, etc, one of your troops instead...

My over feel with the build is that it gives up too much utility in certain areas (enchants/attacks) for excessiveness in others (creatures/incantations).  If you're going to stay with such a creature heavy build I think I'd recommend switching over to the Bloodwave Warlord for Veterans; The AT Warlord seems much better with a battleforge.

[MrSaucy]

1).  I don't really see the point of a vet belt if your max armor can only ever get to 4 (plate + leathers), and that's if you spend 3 actions to make that happen.  Pretty meh.

2).  I love creatures, but you have way too many, I think.  A good move with your book, since it doesn't run any zone/arena buffs that goblins/orcs rely on, is to just go Dwarves and drop all the goblins and orcs (except the alchemists). 

Dwarves don't really need buffing outside of incantations and you already have plenty of those (maybe too many considering you have the helm).  It would also make more sense to use them since you don't have any higher cost conjurations and would have more mana to spend on individual creatures, but I guess that's just my view on it.

3).  If you decide not to dump all the orcs/goblins, you should probably swap out that heal for a group heal.  There will undoubtedly be times where most of your guys have damage and you need a action/cost efficient way to heal them all.  It's caused huge swings for me, pretty awesome to have.

4).  Just because you have the monolith doesn't mean you shouldn't include enchants.  You give up so much that it doesn't make any sense in the majority of games I would think.  I won't list all the great enchants you give up, but not at least including standard bearer seems pretty suboptimal to me; especially with all those creatures.

5).  More attacks? At least something to extinguish with, an acid ball, etc.  Seems ill-advised to run an elemental wand when the only thing you can bind to it is hurl rock, which you have multiple copies of anyway  ...and besides, you run so many creatures I'd imagine it that 99% of the time it would be better just to power strike, etc, one of your troops instead...

My over feel with the build is that it gives up too much utility in certain areas (enchants/attacks) for excessiveness in others (creatures/incantations).  If you're going to stay with such a creature heavy build I think I'd recommend switching over to the Bloodwave Warlord for Veterans; The AT Warlord seems much better with a battleforge.

Veteran's Belt with 4 armor can still be pretty annoying for an opponent to deal with.

I think people underestimate goblins and orchs. Gurmash is a must-include for this and if you mix in goblins and orchs with your dwarves they aren't as awful as they appear. Sure 1 Goblin Grunt or Slinger isn't great but I am using other creatures.  Keep in mind that this build emphasizes using lots of command incantations. You wouldn't enchant a Goblin Grunt since they are so squishy but as long as you are sure a Grunt will survive to attack then you can't go wrong pumping them up with temporary buffs.

I disagree about Dwarves not needing buffing. The whole point of buffing your dwarves is that you make them stronger. Defend on Dwarf Panzergarde and Power Strike on Dwarf Kriegsbiel before he uses his sweeping can be pretty effective imo.

I may swap out 1 heal for group heal. Have to see which will be more effective. I didn't think to include it because I tend to spread my creatures out, especially now since Garrison Post works with Barracks and not just your mage.

If I ran more enchants then Monolith would be less desirable. I don't want to be starving myself of any mana if possible. 1 or 2 mana can really make a difference in the end. I realize Standard Bearer and Fortified Position are great spells but if I included then I would have to take Monolith out, especially since Warlords only have 9 channeling.

I don't feel like I need attacks outside of having to deal with flyers. I have got Goblin Slingers and Anvil Throne Crossbowman to deal with fliers. Wand + Hurl Rock is there for backup, and if I am not going to use Rune of Power on Helm of Command or Horn of Gothos I would like to at least have SOME way to use the rune. Attacks aren't really that necessary if you have enough creatures. Creatures are better in the long run.

I see what you are saying. Yes, this build isn't very versatile, but it sacrifices versatility for a tight focus.

[Arlemus]

Veteran's Belt with 4 armor can still be pretty annoying for an opponent to deal with.

Right, but I think my point was that it takes too many actions to get there in your current build.  You also have to overpay not only in actions but also in mana to get that armor.  Obviously harshforge plate is great, but if you only need the armor part you're paying 3 mana over what you need to (5 for rhino hide).  You also have no way to remove corrode so once the inevitable acid ball(s) come the vet belt might not end up doing very much anyway  .  I mean, I wouldn't set my armor up that way but I guess it's only a few points...soo...

I think people underestimate goblins and orchs. Gurmash is a must-include for this and if you mix in goblins and orchs with your dwarves they aren't as awful as they appear. Sure 1 Goblin Grunt or Slinger isn't great but I am using other creatures.  Keep in mind that this build emphasizes using lots of command incantations. You wouldn't enchant a Goblin Grunt since they are so squishy but as long as you are sure a Grunt will survive to attack then you can't go wrong pumping them up with temporary buffs.

I'll be the last person to say that slingers or goblins suck, believe me.  I've had slingers be the MVP's of several games, especially with the new errata to garrison post.  Grunts are what they are, never had a problem with them.  Butchers are my favorite creature in the game so you couldn't really get me to like them more.

I know your build utilizes a lot of commands, that's kindof par for the course with the Warlord.  My point was that goblins and orcs need help outside of commands to make them viable all game, while just about everything dwarves lack can be made up for with incantations (I said this above  ). 

This is because dwarves, being heavily armored naturally, scale much better than orcs and goblins.  They also have innate access to additional dice (sweeping), piercing (with the ATC), and strong defenses (Panzer).

Orcs and goblins don't, so to scale against more powerful creatures, higher armor, etc, they need buffs and they need to be more numerous (for the WAHH  ).  Buffs you don't currently have, which is why it concerns me  .  Buffs in the form of Standard Bearer (dice + armor), Fortified Position (armor), and Armory (piercing + armor).  I don't think it's a coincidence that the designers made Armory give piercing and armor, considering those are exactly what goblins and orcs needed to be more viable for longer.

I disagree about Dwarves not needing buffing. The whole point of buffing your dwarves is that you make them stronger. Defend on Dwarf Panzergarde and Power Strike on Dwarf Kriegsbiel before he uses his sweeping can be pretty effective imo.

Yeah, if you look up I said they don't need buffing "outside of incantations."  In other words, they do need commands...that's why I made it a point to add that clause at the end  .  Also, the point about the Kriegbiel with power strike sortof implies you think he gets the melee +2 for each swing, which isn't the case.  I mean, it's good but it's not really any better because it's sweeping.

I may swap out 1 heal for group heal. Have to see which will be more effective. I didn't think to include it because I tend to spread my creatures out, especially now since Garrison Post works with Barracks and not just your mage.

Up to you I guess.  At 9 mana even hitting 2-3 creatures with it is pretty great (10-15 dice of healing), and I wouldn't really consider 2-3 creatures in a zone grouping up really.  Also saves kills 2 actions with 1 stone, lol.

If I ran more enchants then Monolith would be less desirable. I don't want to be starving myself of any mana if possible. 1 or 2 mana can really make a difference in the end. I realize Standard Bearer and Fortified Position are great spells but if I included then I would have to take Monolith out, especially since Warlords only have 9 channeling.

Monolith is really only an answer to enchantment stacking, and even if you're paying 1 or 2 a turn to keep your enchants up you're enchantment crazy opponent should be paying double that easily to justify playing the Monolith in the first place...

I don't feel like I need attacks outside of having to deal with flyers. I have got Goblin Slingers and Anvil Throne Crossbowman to deal with fliers. Wand + Hurl Rock is there for backup, and if I am not going to use Rune of Power on Helm of Command or Horn of Gothos I would like to at least have SOME way to use the rune. Attacks aren't really that necessary if you have enough creatures. Creatures are better in the long run.

Creatures are definitely a better investment than attacks, totally agree (usually).  My point was that certain attacks provide good utility for low cost.  Going in without a way to extinguish now that Adramalech Warlock is out and all your conjurations have +2 flame just doesn't seem like a good idea.

If you like to space out your creatures like you say, though, the Horn would probably be a nice thing to have.  You could also drop a few of those commands for space for a Helm.  Do you really need 4 power strikes and 4 defends? 

In fact, I'd say the only thing I wouldn't want to bind the Rune of Power to for your build would be an elemental wand for the exact reason you said (creatures>attacks).

[sdougla2]

I've never been a big fan of Standard Bearer. It makes the Standard Bearer a target, and makes you want to group up. Sometimes that's fine, but sometimes it will be a waste as you need to move your creatures around constantly. If you plan to use Standard Bearer, I would probably put it on a Bloodcraig Minotaur so that it's reasonably expensive to focus him down. The issue being that a Bloodcraig Minotaur with Standard Bearer is pretty expensive, and you could have played 3 Orc Butchers for similar cost.

Similar concerns apply to Fortified Position. If you stay in that zone, it can be good, but for more mobile battles, it often does very little.

Armory, on the other hand, is amazing.

Veteran's Belt is very good if your opponent can't efficiently strip your armor. This is why I think it's actually best with the Priestess. It's extremely easy for a Priestess to remove Corrode. If I'm not going to focus on stacking armor and/or I don't run a Battle Forge, I'd generally rather run Regrowth Belt in order to get the healing. Your opponent will have to take separate countermeasures against it rather than just neutralizing your armor.

Group Heal definitely seems better than Heal for Barracks based play.

[Arlemus]

I've never been a big fan of Standard Bearer. It makes the Standard Bearer a target, and makes you want to group up. Sometimes that's fine, but sometimes it will be a waste as you need to move your creatures around constantly. If you plan to use Standard Bearer, I would probably put it on a Bloodcraig Minotaur so that it's reasonably expensive to focus him down. The issue being that a Bloodcraig Minotaur with Standard Bearer is pretty expensive, and you could have played 3 Orc Butchers for similar cost.

Similar concerns apply to Fortified Position. If you stay in that zone, it can be good, but for more mobile battles, it often does very little.

Yeah, if you spend the mana to bring out a Minotaur and put Standard Bearer on it you're not going to have enough mana to deploy/summon enough other creatures to make SB worth it anyway.

I didn't used to like Standard Bearer much, but I like it more now after the FiF release.  Armory is to thank for that, they layer really nicely.

I think the issues you have with SB and Fortified Position are pretty standard concerns with zone effects as a whole.  Against mages that don't summon more than 2+ creatures, there's no reason to really have them

[MrSaucy]

Alright. I overlooked some great cards the first time around (Armory, Construction Yard, Altar of Carnage) so I'll post this new version of the spellbook. The focus has shifted a little away from Harshforge Monolith in favor of other conjurations. I really like the synergy between Construction Yard and Goblin Builders and I prefer using lots of walls to protect my important outposts (securing a possible Altar of Domination play).

Conjurations: 24
1 Barracks (3)
1 Armory (3)
1 Construction Yard (2)
2 Garrison Post (2)
1 Altar of Domination (2)
1 Altar of Carnage (2)
1 Harshforge Monolith (2) - I'm still not going heavy on enchantments so H. Monolith is still viable.
4 Wall of Pikes (4)
4 Wall of Earth (4) - for me this new wall puts Wall of Stone to shame

Equipment: 16
1 Helm of Command (2)
1 Harhsforge Plate (2)
1 Leather Gloves (1)
1 Deflective Bracers (1) - a cheaper alternative to Reflex Boots (which are still included anyways)
1 General Signet’s Ring (1)
1 Ivarium Longbow (2) - can be nasty with the Rune that grants additional piercing, plus it helps against flyers
1 Veteran’s Belt (1)
1 Colossus Belt (1)
1 Regrowth Belt (2)
1 Leather Boots (1)
1 Reflex Boots (2)

Creatures: 40
1 Talos (0)
2 Goblin Builders (2)
4 Goblin Grunts (4)
2 Goblin Slingers (4)
2 Goblin Alchemists (4)
4 Orc Butchers ( 8 )
2 Dwarf Kriegsbiel (6)
2 Dwarf Panzergarde (6)
2 Anvil Throne Crossbowman (6)

I'm not a big fan of Otto Kronig because I would rather just guard important conjurations with Dwarf Panzergarde, and I play with two Goblin Builders out who can repair cojurations when they aren't doing much else.

Enchantments: 17
1 Fortified Position (2) - essentially for the center zone on my side (where I usually deploy creatures)
2 Brace Yourself (2) - a fantastic defensive enchantment
2 Akiro’s Favor (2) - great for goblin alchemists (you can re-roll to ensure Burns/Corrodes)
2 Healing Charm (4)
1 Harmonize (3) - not for Barracks but Construction Yard
2 Block (4)

Incantations: 23
1 Power Strike (1)
1 Defend (1)
1 Perfect Strike (1)
1 Piercing Strike (1)
1 Evade (1)
1 Sniper Shot (1)
1 Flank Attack (1) - really powerful if you play it right
1 Charge (1)
1 Battle Fury (1)
2 Minor Heal (4)
2 Dispel (6)
1 Force Push (2)
1 Dissolve (2)

Attacks: 0

My general opening so far has been:
Turn 1: Barracks in corner, Garrison post in center
Turn 2: Construction yard in other corner + Harmonize (I currently like putting it on Construction Yard), move mage back into starting zone
Turn 3: Deploy a Goblin Builder from Barracks, put on General Signet's Ring and summon an additional Goblin Builder.

This opening is of course subject to change between matchups but the basic ideas are the same.

I usually have one Goblin Builder hold down the center zone on my side since the borders of the zone are typically decent places to construct walls. Additionally, this gives him more options for repairing conjurations. The other builder scampers around and builds any other conjurations I feel are necessary. I think it is best to have 4 outposts out before you seriously consider bring out Altar of Domination (if at all). I am thinking that against Druid you could even have the mobile Goblin Builder build a Garrison Post right smack next to the Druid's zone!

[Shad0w]

Can you do us a favor and put this into the sbb? So new players can use the hover function. 

[sIKE]

I am sure everyone will once FiF is added to the Card DB and SBB.

[BoomFrog]

I think aserian defender is the clear choice for standard bearer unless you can afford a full boat knight of westlock. I'd never put the standard in a minotaur. He wants to take advantage of opportunities to charge, not sit around.

[MrSaucy]

Can you do us a favor and put this into the sbb? So new players can use the hover function. 

How do you do this?

[lettucemode]

You won't be able to with this book because FiF is not in the card database yet. But to do so, hover over the "Cards" link in the black bar near the top of this page, then click "Spellbook Builder". After you've made a spellbook in there, go to Export -> Forum Code, and copy+paste it into a post.