The Starblood Stalkers
Welcome to our rundown of The Starblood Stalkers. Make sure you catch our podcast coverage of the release. For everything out with this release window, follow these links:
More release rundowns! >> 18 warbands + 2 decks = 20 rundowns!
Thanks go to GW for providing a review copy to make this content possible.
Introduction
[D]AVY, [P]HIL, [B]RIAN, [S]KYLER & [Z]ACH
P: Followers of the Great Plan rejoice! the original Seraphon warband returns to the underworlds. Previously loaded with tricks and some unique scoring, lets see how that gets translated to a warscroll world.
WARSCROLl
P: Hello, old friends! Pretty much the same as always, hold three treasures but now it has to be after a power step. That is pretty nice because it allows for push tech to set it up. Not trivial but a pretty doable inspire.
D: Looking ahead, I'm glad this is tough because holy cow do they pick up a lot of juice. I think a lot of Starblood games will be fought over the inspire.
P: Well this is fun, if obtusely written. Defensive rerolls are pretty much always great so having access to them against the scariest attacks, so long as you stay in friendly territory, is quite the ability. Nice little flavor nod here in place of skittish as well.
D: If these lizards get inspired, this will stack to make them really tough to shift.
P: This, and the following abilities should look familiar if you played this warband in first edition. The ability to sneak in some automatic damage or deny a hold at will served me extremely well back in the day and will likely do so again. Try to remember this is on tap when Kixi hasn’t charged when facing this warband.
D: Having used quite a bit of Cyreni lately, inflicting a damage point that can hit vulnerable fighters, bypassing defensive stats is super great. I think there will be some games that swing on this, big time.
P: Helps with the inspire in a pretty big way. Denying drive back is surprisingly strong as long as your fighters have some ability to survive, but these guys are not the most defensive until inspired… I like how they kept the ability for mirror matches to deny these!
P: Probably the simplest asterism to use, and quite effective. Once you are ready to bring the boom this will help a lot.
P: You don’t usually need plus move for this warband, but when you do at least you have the option. Grabbing some far away objectives or making a longer than anticipated charge will come up and make a difference in games. The real benefit of all three asterisms, I think, is that you have your choice of all of them whenever you want them.
FIGHTERS
Uninspired
P: Kixi made it into the new edition entirely intact, and gained a point of health. Overall, this is a very good fighter profile that is really pretty annoying to shift with Skink Agility.
D: Oh boy, four health, really? Wow.
Inspired
P: Ah, I suppose it was to much to hope that he would keep his inspired accuracy with the added survivability. He actually gains absolutely nothing from this inspire!
D: So weird that there is literally no change on inspire. We've seen things that are close (what up, Pegs! I see you Grisk!), but never absolutely no change.
Uninspired
P: As sturdy and hard hitting as ever! There was a part of me that wondered if he would go up to 5 health like the jaws, but I'll take critical cleave!
D: Crit cleave was the worst in first edition. I like it quite a bit in this one. With the right asterism, he can lay some early hurt. I'm surprised to not see 5 health. Must have been stolen by Kixi.
Inspired
P: Wow, going to two block, 3 hammers, and flat cleave instead of on crit is kinda terrifying. Probably don't let Klaq inspire if possible? And speed four to boot!
D: I mean... don't let any of these guys inspire. Except Kixi, I guess. But especially this guy. That is wild accuracy. With the option for grievous getting added. Wow.
Uninspired
P: Identical to first edition, Huachi can get some work done in melee despite being a little skink.
D: The hype-man skink! That's a solid profile.
Inspired
P: Extra speed follows from first edition but an extra defense die is spicy. Getting that stagger utility at range is nothing to sneeze at either.
D: I can't overstate how big I think the extra defense these guys pick up will be. Really makes it tough to clean them up if you allow the inspire.
Uninspired
P: Also identical to first edition. Xepic is probably the dangliest of the bros in this band buuut...
D: Treasure holder to start...
Inspired
P: If you can get him inspired he becomes a neat little fighter with reasonable accuracy and damage with great speed. Having an extra defense die this edition is so nice.
D: Backup scrapper inspired.
Uninspired
P: I believe Tok used to only do one damage so a slight improvement there, but starting on one dodge means he is quite vulnerable. Try to keep him back for later or use him to harass enemies while grabbing tokens.
Inspired
P: The extra defense die goes a long way. A little more accuracy and stagger utility certainly doesn't go amiss either.
D: This guy is going to ruin my day sneaking blowdart shots through on fighters I need to maintain a particular spot.
Uninspired
P: Zero bounty huh? I can dig it. Having cleave and ensnare still seems pretty awesome too. And while two swords seems bad it's a bit of a step up in accuracy from last edition where he only hit on crits.
D: Sneaking a single success through when you're sporting cleave/ensnare is pretty sweet. Zero bounty makes him a nice forward feature holder. Nothing worse than dumping attacks in to two defense and not getting bounty for it even when you hit.
Inspired
P: More defense is so obscene this edition. Thankfully he really isn't threatening anyone staying at one damage, unlike in first edition.
D: Pure annoyance fighter. I hate him already. But that might be inherited trauma.
Summary
P: Perhaps less tricky, but plenty potent. This warscroll is simple, yet effective and should allow this warband hold quite well. The inspired stats are honestly surprising. I look forward to carrying out the Old Ones missions many more times this edition!