Daggok's Stab-Ladz
Welcome to our rundown of Daggok’s Stab-Ladz. Make sure you catch our podcast coverage of the release. For everything out with this release window, follow these links:
What the Hex!? - Episode 124 - Too Krule For School
Thanks go to GW for providing a review copy to make this content possible.
INTRODUCTION
[D]AVY, [P]HIL, & [S]KYLER
P: The schemers might have out-schemed themselves!? There is a lot of new mechanical territory with this deck but it may not always be clear how to really take advantage of those best laid plans.
S: So put on yer finkin’ kaps, and let’s join the schemin’!
D: For reference, the faction deck includes 6 schemes.
P: A pretty complicated plot to read, but in practice not so. Schemes are just delayed persisting ploys with a condition that can cause them to be tracked under the plot rather than going to the discard. I like the creativity but read on to see if the juice is worth the squeeze.
D: The most you can see a given plot each round is twice (play it face down in your first power step, reveal it at the start of your second turn, pick it up after your second power step, repeat starting in your third power step). This can put you into a predictable pattern, especially since a scheme placed face down *must* be revealed at the start of your next turn. There's some legitimate tension between playing them to trigger optimum timing to have the most chance to "double dip", to have the most chance to meet the condition, or to remain in play to persist until certain upgrades are online.
Uninspired
P: Everything about this stat block screams average leader. 3 move is even a bit below average these days. Getting a free, albeit inaccurate attack would have been awesome, but the setup to get it isn't really free since the move has to be adjacent to the target. Maybe it was too good after any move but at 1 fury I don't know that a ton of these attacks would have really been too much. In terms of inspiration, it's not impossible but certainly harder than I'd like.
D: This inspiration is pretty hard to trigger unless you get lucky with the Skewer attack, which is kind of hard to set up.
Inspired
P: More move, wounds, and accuracy is a good buff, so worth remembering this guy gets big so you can plan accordingly.
D: Three smash and two range is nifty. It's just tough to ever see this side of the card.
Uninspired
P: Another average stat line with a pretty costly setup to provide a support bubble. Thankfully, that support bubble does work towards his inspiration.
D: That's a big radius. But the effect tax is heavier than an un-errata'd Velmorn, so... yikes. It also occupies the same window as Daggok's Skewer.
Inspired
P: Move and accuracy again if you manage the inspiration. I'm not completely sure I would care to do that extra work for these buffs.
Uninspired
P: A slightly more accurate fighter than his leader or musician but with below average damage. At least his inspiration doesn't ask much of you.
D: Above average danglebro, mostly because of the wounds. Or pretty much only because of that?
Inspired
P: Move and a minor damage boost isn't much to write home about. No special gimmick or role to play makes Jagz pretty blah.
D: Incredibly modest gains, but likely to happen.
Uninspired
P: Lower defense and accuracy than the rest of the band for higher speed and an admittedly very useful reaction. Distraction on a stick is great but I worry Grakk won't be long for the world once he uses it. Similar to the boss his inspiration is designed around what he already wants to be doing and it's actually easy this time.
D: It's a little hard to get that snag to go off for the inspire. He's inaccurate, so needs support help to set this up. And against little guys in hordes, he'll just kill them outright first.
P: Oh, yeah. Not easy. He has to hit to use the reaction, I thought on first read he could just do it as a consolation prize when he misses.
Inspired
P: But what a nice swiss army knife this orruk becomes! Scything or more accuracy with the combination of an extra hex on his push makes this guy feel like the band MVP.
D: If you can keep him alive long enough after the inspire to leverage that improved Snag reaction, then there's a lot of potentially cool tricks.
Objectives
P: If the bosses inspiration was easy this would feel automatic. As it is I'd say this is a clunky one glory that can pretty easily brick. I'd be looking to replace this if I could.
D: I agree. Not only is the inspire difficult to pull off, but it's especially difficult in the first round, and for a one glory end phase, I really want to land it in the first round...
P: Those darn words "in the same phase". If not for that I'd be super hyped about a card like this. As it stands though I'd again be wanting to replace if possible.
D: Of the 6 schemes, I think only one is totally under your control for triggering, so this needs card order *and* some dice help to land. At times it'll feel really smooth, but high potential for frustration. Not a first-ballot replace for me, but fairly early.
P: We have seen similar effects before and they’ve generally been good. Being modal is just a cherry on top for me.
D: Pretty solid. There's some cases that just won't line up, but as long as Daggok is alive, the 4 or 5 health helps score this, especially in Nemesis.
P: Nice and easy assuming you can get into position to make 4 attacks. I could imagine a scenario where you can't get everyone in to score this round one, but since the attacks don't have to hit it seems reasonable.
D: This gives additional value to the boss's Skewer attack, allowing this to be scored earlier in the round. An inspired Grakk can get you extra mileage for this. So do Range 2 attacks in general.
D: For reference, in faction: Three fighters have reactions on-card, two gambits have reactions, four upgrades have reactions (though two of them break when used).
P: Surges for making reactions are generally strong. However, this factions in built reactions are not the easiest. This is not as good as the starblood equivalent despite having the same words because of how simple skittish is.
D: Starblood also only need 2. Helpfully, there's a number of reactions that you have control over with positioning. I think this often makes the cut, especially in Nemesis. Voidcursed Thralls move reactions look even better here (move, reaction move, skewer attack)
S: Don’t forget about Plunder!
P: I like the mode to score more but getting there shouldn't be considered a gimme. There are 6 total schemes so assuming you even saw 4 in a game, let alone flipped them, may prove to be a bit of a reach.
D: Design-space wise, I quite like this. Modal to allow an objective to go off cheaply in early rounds with a chance to be a big pay-off card late. In the Rivals incarnation of the deck, this gives you valuable glory core.
P: This takes some setup but isn't too tough as far as surges go. I think I like this if I can get my power card support to help out.
D: Hurrk's scheme sets this up nicely, but it's a little tricker outside of that. The most attractive thing is that you can miss every attack and still score this. Always a big plus.
P: Not a huge fan of kill surges and this one requires extra steps. I'm cutting this if I can.
D: I actually like this a bit more. Each half isn't great on its own, but I think the two modes combine for decent options. As kill surges go? Pretty decent.
P: Having no significant timing restriction is nice but killing enemy leaders is one of the harder things to do. Once more, I'm passing if I can.
D: Like Aspirin' Killaboss, this is too hard in the first round to get a spot in the deck IMO.
P: Okay, there are some elite bands where you can make this happen. Conversely, there are some swarm bands where this is asking you to do a huge amount of work for a relatively small gain. On average I'd bet this card bricks for you and that is something we can't have with a 2 glory end phase. If this was 3 glory or more it might be worth the reach.
D: This one is more of a meta call. I think it's actually decently doable, especially later in the game. Elite warbands still lose a couple fighters, and I often find the last one sees some chip damage before they get out of kill range by position, defense boosts, or extra wounds. Unless you can pair the Ladz with a really hot-fire nemesis deck, this probably holds a slot for me.
P: Now we are getting somewhere. Using schemes is what you already want to be doing so why not get rewarded for it?
D: Unless you have to cut a lot of schemes for whatever your alternate plan is, this goes in, IMO. I did find this forcing me to use some schemes sub-optimally just to get them buried under the plot card. We need a better term for "under your warband's plot card" btw. Something thematic.
P: I think this is serviceable. I don't love the double condition but two glory that is easier at the start of the game and scales as it goes on is pretty decent. You probably don't love seeing this in round three to be honest.
D: Ugh, yuck. This is Rapid Strike which is great, but a lot harder, which is not. I don't think they have the defensive tech to avoid losing fighters since most of the rest of the deck is looking for engagement as far as I can tell.
Gambits
P: An okay accuracy boost but timing this just right will be tricky. Despite being restricted I think I still like this as a fairly controllable scheme to get tucked.
D: Very easy to control the condition, even if the Hurrk non-super action activation is a high cost to pay. Because of the verbiage on "turns" it helps boost a skewer if you set that up. Or any power step attacks (Voidcursed Assault?).
P: A more straightforward scheme here. Get extra damage and then get the kill to tuck. Since the damage bonus only lasts the turn it flips I wish this was just straight plus damage instead of grievous though. This might be one you return to hand so you can get a second use of it. Not a huge benefit, but it is a benefit.
D: This warband is desperate for damage. As noted, you could potentially get the benefit from this on multiple attacks (scything, reaction attacks, power step attacks). Wait. I keep forgetting... Krule Skewer can't be modified, so this won't help with that reaction attack specifically. Oh well, Skewer is only on one dice as is.
P: A push for two fighters with no limitations on what direction they can be pushed is very strong. You will want this to set up all sorts of things in this band.
D: Love it. Note that unlike Rangers, Advance with the Farstriders, you *must* have two fighters alive to play this but there's no directional requirements.
P: While this is likely the correct design for pings, unfortunately because so many others exist with fewer restrictions this one feels bad in comparison. You still take it though and hope for the best.
D: Bleh. I know it's a little bit of hypocrisy to wish this was a better ping, but this isn't a casting warband. I think this could have had better odds, or even have been automatic. In Rivals, it'll help get you to three reactions at least.
S: Remember, declaring “You triggered my trap card” while playing this card increases your odds of rolling a success. It is known.
P: Very interesting option here. The effect is basically Duel of Wits, which we know is great. However because it is open knowledge there can't be a gotcha. I think the mind games of it being open knowledge is another power of this card. Your opponent will likely feel the need to play around this which may be what you actually want.
D: The condition has been surprisingly hard to trigger. You can do it with power card support if your opponent doesn't want to trigger this for you. Very cool that it goes on *any* opponent's power card, spells and upgrades included.
S: Being on the other side of this, I certainly felt the pressure of there being a cost to use the power step going into my turn when this would crop up.
P: Probably the easiest scheme to tuck. I don't really get why this is +1 move to all fighters when the band doesn't have a way to move more than one fighter. I'm sure there will be edge cases for this in Voidcursed Thralls and I could see it doing more in champs, but for the faction it is just a “+1 move to the next move” ploy.
D: I missed the "adjacent to one or more enemy fighters" the first time through. That actually makes this a lot clunkier than I thought on first pass. Once enemies are close in, you get slowed down going around them, or they're *too* close, and you can't be both 5 from your starting spot and adjacent.
P: I like extra pushes! This feels like it could be very disruptive. Too bad there will never be an opportunity to use it multiple times. Very easy to tuck this one as well.
D: One of the better options. You can "turn a corner" with this push, at least as I read it, which really opens up the possibilities for later attacks, using lethals, setting up the trapped condition, or just sending some obnoxious stormcast out of line of sight.
P: This is a very interesting card. In practice I might just want something that has an effect of its own, however the ability to smooth out either of your hands can really be important when you need to dig for an answer. I'm really glad to see more of this design space and very excited to try it out.
D: Somehow haven't drawn this in any test games yet. It's *kind* of like a Duel of Wits. You may even see those cards again if you can get the next one (Stolen Knowwotz) to trigger and draw through more of your power deck. This is also one of the few ways you can set up the Outfink 'Em scheme to be totally under your control.
P: This is a strong effect, getting to draw more cards is always good. However being restricted to your leader limits this a decent amount. Probably doesn't make the cut in most decks since this band already has plenty of ways to draw cards.
D: I would say that they don't necessarily have *that* many ways to draw cards. There's the previous gambit, an upgrade that's maybe bad, and the Outfink Em scheme which is under your opponent's control. Your boss is definitely the best attack starting off, FWIW. And if he dies, this gambit replaces itself via salvage.
S: With Salvage potential, I like this one quite a bit. It essentially reads “Draw 2 on a kill made by your leader. Or draw 1 if your leader is dead.” So it offers increased draw reliability either way.
P: Flat +1 dice isn't amazing but it is good enough and if you don't take the fighter out of action you could use it again. The fact this could affect multiple attacks if you can find a way to get more attacks in the same turn is a nice bonus.
D: This is one that is worth recycling for multiple triggers. Your damage is low enough that you're unlikely to kill 'em the first time around.
Upgrades
P: In faction great fortitude is always great. Unfortunately this isn't that because it can't go on your leader who is the one fighter I'd really like to give another wound. Still a good upgrade though. Just need to be careful because this will make fighters large.
D: Man, I really wish this could go on the boss. Heck, he's even pictured on the card!
P: Almost a flat +1 Defence is quite good. Just make sure you time your schemes right so you get the most benefit.
D: In my experience, unless you left a scheme persisting or face down going into the round, this is *less* good than it looks. If your opponent goes first in a round, they'll have two activations before this comes on line. (They go, you go, play a scheme face down, they go, you reveal a scheme and then let it persist). +1 Defence is great, and there's some crazy bonus help if you do something like pair in with Breakneck Slaughter and Moving Mark for 3 block.
P: There are plenty of multi-dodge fighters that this could help against, although in this day I think I'd prefer cleave most of the time. Still not a bad accuracy boost though. Especially because this affects all attacks so weapons can get the bonus too.
D: Booo! The worst accuracy bonus, IMO. I think this would have been fine if it were a re-roll or cleave & ensnare. If the meta sees a bunch of dodge, then maybe.
P: Stagger after an attack seems solid, even if you need to be adjacent. This one might end up cut but I think there is enough utility here to want to see it in action first.
D: So, this helps with getting your reaction count up, and doesn't have to hit. Being adjacent is a little annoying, but I think this warband is pretty darn hard up for accuracy, and stagger even helps trigger the boss' Krule Skewer. I'm not crazy about it, but in context, I like it more on second read through than first. I had cut this in my first builds, but might slot it back in.
P: Oof, a one time use upgrade that requires you to PASS! I think this is almost never playable. If you could get tucked schemes back I might think about it but as is I don't get the point. This does allow you to get your persisting schemes back to hand slightly sooner so they can be replayed, but the cost of having to pass seems too steep to me. (Weird synergy with Time Freeze but that seems more of a coincidence than a solid strategy to build around.)
D: Haha, first thing I thought was Time Freeze. This can let you cycle a scheme one turn faster than you otherwise would - picking it up in the same round that you reveal it, but... that means you're passing on a turn in which you chose to reveal it, so... why did you reveal it? I like the idea of this card much more than I like the card itself.
S: Hard pass.
P: Solid dice reduction, but there are so many ranged fighters these days that in certain matchups this card will be nearly dead. I think I still take it because it is a huge impact against range 1 bands but be aware of positioning when using this.
D: I'll take it. These guys have a lot to patch up though, with speed, defense, accuracy and damage, so this maybe gets cut to prioritize offensive options. If you can work up a counter-punch or passive build, then maybe this gains value, but I haven't been able to piece that together yet.
P: I think this is designed for Hurrk. Take this action, cycle out a less useful card to get two, and then get his horn token. But... you are still losing an action to draw power cards so I don't love this.
D: Totally forgot about this one. Not very efficient. If you trigger this once, you're at no net gain on power cards - you played this card and discarded one to get two in hand. And an action is a pretty shocking opportunity cost. Good point about Hurrk, though.
P: Essentially a key that you can get the glory from any time. I'd think of this upgrade as an extra Surge in your power deck and call it a day. Very good in my opinion.
D: This nudges your glory up to a possible 7 from completing schemes. If you're in on schemes, I say go for it.
P: Getting stagger should be pretty easy, but also the least useful. I think realistically most games you eventually get all three but I'm not sure how much use you will get from the grievous because it will probably come late.
D: They're so hard up for damage, that I'd take it for sure. If you can get three schemes buried that's a pretty saucy upgrade.
P: Wow, being able to push after an activation. That is quite strong. You can do a lot with this.
D: Amazing utility card. If it was surrounded by more meat and potatoes, I'd be more excited, but very nice in a warband that has a couple R2 fighters regardless.
Summary
P: After letting their plans play out it seems like Finksteala might have known what he was up to all along. Time will tell on the ceiling for this band but I'm encouraged by the versatility and tricky tools this band can employ. I don't think this band will be one you pick up and play well from day one but with planning and patience you should be able to hang with the best of 'em.
S: Aye! I feel this warband has a fairly high skill floor, but I’m excited to see people unlock their scheme-filled potential!
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Wat ya finkin’ bout pairing with these fellas? Have a favorite scheme? Let us know here or join the ongoing discussion on our Discord!