Howl of Blackmane first Impressions

I say first impressions as I've played exactly one  proper game of conquest since the pack came out.  Fuck this town seriously and it's lack of Gaming Variety.

Anyway

Ragnar Blackmane.
The new hotness, warlords are powerful and everyone loves to see new ones.  Ragnar brings the funky ability of really putting pressure on your opponent.  You do not want to send your warlord to the same planet as Ragnar, that 2 damage is a third of most warlords HP!  But sometimes you have to.  Stellar choice. 5/5

Blackmane Sentinel
A solid unit, 2/2/1 for 2 and they can move to wherever Ragnar is for free.  Ouchies.  Also they are space wolves, important for later. 5/5

Frostfang.
Fairly weak.  Mind you makes Ragnar a 4/9 beast but only when he is at the same planet as the opposing warlord.  Which is where he wants to be so yay 3/5

Ragnar's Warcamp
All space wolves do double damage to opposing warlords whilst with your own warlord.  Whilst it only currently works with Ragnar himself and the Blackmane sentinels, that is a world of hurt. 5/5

Blackmanes Hunt
Did your opponent not go to the planet you expected?  Ah well, try again!! 5/5

Interrogator Acolyte
A 2/2 soldier (important for Stracken's ability) for 3.  Also has a hammer, and nets you 2 cards when he leaves play.  Very very good.  A staple for IG at the moment.  5/5

Muster the Guard
Exhaust your warlord to reduce the cost of all IG units you deploy.  An exhausted warlord is a dead warlord as far as I can tell.  leave this in the binder 1/5

Noble Deed
Sacrifice a dude to do it's damage to an opposing dude.  Essentially lets you double strike with a unit. Obviously works better if you get something out the sac'd unit.  Ie Stracken's Command Squad, Interrogator Acolytes, erm Enginseers?  Also see Cadian Mortar Squad and Elysian Assault Team. 4/5

Deathskull Loota's
2 hammers on a 2/3 body.  but they have the amazing reaction of destroying supports when they damage a unit with an attack.  Supports tend to be very good.  These guys are amazing 5/5

Smash 'n Bash
Only works at a planet where your opponents warlord is not, but readying 3 units for another round of skull bashing  can win you battles.  But it won't tend to be the major battles.  Mind you if it comes down to an epic clash and you can bloody the warlord of the planet, this will be a major turn. 3/5

Death Guard Infantry
Strictly worse than the Khorne Bezerkers.  Same cost for the same stats but without Brutal.  Remains to be seen if that Nurgle trait becomes good.  We do get a Nurgle Chaos warlord this cycle so maybe.  But as it is, 2/5

Heretek Inventor
OK so for 1 cost, you get a 3/3 unit with a hammer.    Of course they have a downside, which is your opponent gets to choose where they go.  But for 1 cost, who the hell cares.  At some point this is going to be a headache for you opponent. 5/5

Uber Grotesque
I'd have to look at the number of tortures, but I think it just Power from Pain and the new Visions of Agony.  That fact weakness the grotesques slightly in the current meta.  But they are beefy.  3/5

Visions of Agony
Pricey, but it is a torture, and being able to look at your opponents hand obviously has it's own merits, as well as choosing what they discard.  It's very good. 5/5

Archon's Palace
Unique, which is sad, but then having two or three of these in play would be so OP.  But being able to cancel cards or resources from a command struggle is amusing as all hell.  An absolute staple for DE control 5/5

Vaulting Harlequin
has 2 hammers, and can fly if it gives up attacking for a round.  Seems ok. 3/5

Empower
Gives all your Eldar at a planet Steroids until the end of the battle.  Doesn't seem very Eldar-y  but hey.  +1atk and +1hp for all your guys is always nice.  4/5

StarCannon
Gives a vehicle Armorbane.  Armorbane is good.  Lets see what can have it.  Wildrider Squadron, Soaring Falcon, Wailing Wraithfighter.  I do like the idea of Wildriders with Armorbane.  Kill something and just fly away, giggle.  5/5

Piranha Hunter
Hmm, no command icons is a bit iffy.   Fairly pointless at planet 1, unless you never want to use that nice reaction.  The reaction (draw a card when it moves from one planet to another) is really good. everything else about it is a bit meh.  3/5

Aun'ui Prelate
So it is a 4/3 for 4.  no command,. and after it attacks it goes to HQ.  So it's a fairly safe bet for killing things.  The real juice is that is has Ambush and after it deploys all your other Tau units at the planet get +1atk.   You only get that reaction once (unless you find a way of returning to your hand)  but it's still fairly solid otherwise.  Going into a battle with 4 open resources does kinda telegraph your intent though. 3/5

Homing Beacon
After a unit goes to HQ,  can exhaust this support to draw a card, or gain 1 resource.  Well your warlord is going back to HQ EVERY SINGLE turn.  So that's a free card or resource EVERY turn.  And it only gets better when you get more in play.  5/5
This is apparently wrong.  Only the Aun'ui prelate moves to HQ currently.  Everything else I put above only returns.  Because of course you need to forget how English words work in games.  It's shit then, but may get better when we get the tau pack later this cycle. 1/5

Calamity
All army units with cost 2 or less go back to HQ.  Some important notes, doesn't affect tokens so DE and IG already love this.  Also getting those units with comes into or leaves play abilities back is absolutely delicious.  Your opponent is getting the same benefit, but without being able to plan around it.  Fun cards this works with Strackens Command Squad, Kiths Khymeramasters, Coliseum Fighters, Murder of Razorwings. Also can re-ambush your Eager Recruits  or exhaust something with those crappy harlequins.   2/5 for most armies, 4/5 for IG, 5/5 for DE.

So there you have it, Howl of Blackmane from a cursory glance at the cards

Warhammer 40,000 Conquest Card review type thing, Part 7

The boys in blue, the Tau

Jet packing right into

Warlord

Commander Shadowsun
Commander Shadowsun brings a very important ability the tau, recursion.  Getting your attachments out of discard is supremely good.  Fairly easy to keep Hale aswell, since there's no need to keep her in the battle after she commits. 5/5

Shadowsuns Stealth Cadre
Very mediocre. Nice that they can attach to units though.  More importantly they can be bought back into play with Shadowsun.  And that saves them.  4/5

Communications Relay
Saves a guy whos been buffed the gills with attachments. As with all the warlord supports, very nice to see...if you ever see it.  5/5

Squadron Redployment
Can move a unit, which is always good.  Exhausts it though, which makes it so very very weak  It can however move your opponents army units, if they have attachments which is a nifty usage. 2/5

Command Link Drone.
If you're loaded with resources, this could give your army +1atk for a battle.  In real terms better of using it as 3shields.  One of the few wargear cards that can actually go on the warlord.  But Shadowsun isn't really any good in a battle. 1/5

Loyal

Recon Drone
It's free!  And actually good.  2 command icons for nothing is deal of the century.  Limited for good reason 5/5

Crisis Battle Guard
The elite of the Tau, so lets see what you get.  For 5 resources, 3/5/3 and mobile.  Not a stellar unit by any means, but good enough to pack a mean punch.  Mobile is always welcome. 4/5

Gun Drones
What gets me about drones in the game, is they cannot go on vehicles.  Tau vehicles almost all have drones.  But anyway.  2/2/1 for 2.  or the much better effect of paying 2 and attaching them to unit for AoE2.  Give them a to a ranged unit for maximum lols. 4/5

Fireblade Kais'vre
Whenever use a tau card for shields at his planet, he adds a shield icon to that card.  Meh 2/5

Deception
Return a unit to it;s owners hand.  Only during the deploy step though, and it can't be elite.  Not eally worth a card slot, but never underestimate shenanigans.  2/5

Repulsor Impact Field
When attached unit takes damage, do 2 back.   Obvious synergy with fire warrior elites. 3/5

And the Rest

Vior'la Marksman
The basic tau troop has 1/2/1 stats and ranged.  Capable little guy. 4/5

Vash'ya Trailblazer
1/1/2 with mobile.  Could well be THE best unit for command struggles.   So hard to lock down and kill 5/5

Carnivore Pack
It's a 3/3 for 3 or effectively 0 since you get those 3 resources back when he dies.  And yet I just don't like them for some reason.  And I have no idea what that reason is.  I feel I should like them so here they get a 4/5

Fire Warrior Elite
Have 5 hp and can redirect attacks against friends to themselves.  Quite nice with the impact field.  3/5

Earth Caste Technician
Let you search the top 6 cards of your deck for an attachment or drone when he enters play.  Whenever I've played one of these guys, it has totally whiffed on finding a card.  C'est la vie.  3/5


Stingwing Swarm
3/3/1 and ranged.  for 4.  Ranged is very good in this game.  4/5

Experimental Devilfish
Don't know what makes it experimental.  But anyway it has 4atk.  All you need to know.  on a 2hp body though.  I have never ever used it's reaction of readying it when it commits. 3/5

Even the odds
Move an attachment from one unit to another controlled by the same player.  So very very situational.  2/5

Calculated Strike
Destroy a limited card.  From top of head this is whats limited.  Recon Drone, Promethium Mine, all of the racial discount supports.  So as you can see, very limited use.  Will get better as more Limited cards enter the game.  but for know..pass.  2/5

Ion Rifle
Gives a unit +3atk.  Win 5/5

Frontline Launch Bay
3/5

Ambush Platform
Makes all your attachments 1 recource cheaper.  It's real value is that you can exhaust the support to play an attachment during combat.  For that it's a must include. 5/5

Tau have a focus on attachments and have by far the best command struggle game, and the best ranged combat units.  Making them a very surgical strike army.  Fitting for their background.  Make good allies for space marines shoring up their weaknesses with early game command units.

Warhammer 40,000 Conquest Card review type thing, Part 6

Dark Eldar

I still have no idea about them, and not played any games for several weeks.  So here goes a completely nonsense post.

Warlord

Packmaster Kith
She is pretty strong.  2 atk and free Khymera's wherever she commits.   Khymera's have 2 atk and so are enough of a threat to be worried about.  Her entire signature squad is about Khymeras so a guaranteed one every turn is nothing to be scoffed at.

Kith's Packmasters
Of all the signature squad units, this is probably the worst. 1/2/1 for 2 is middling.  You do a get a Khymera though.  So good value, but not much cop once it's actually in play.  2/5

Khymera Den
Move all your Khymera's to a target planet.  Move them away from any nasty aoe, move them to an exhausted warlords battle and flat out kill him, it's all good. 5/5

Pact of the Haemonculi
Sacrifice a unit to discard a card at random from your opponents hand and draw 2 cards.  If there was a more solid source of Khymera's this would be ungodly.  As it is, just a nice thing to see in game, but not going to miss it if I never see it.  3/5

Agonizer of Breen
+1atk for each Khymera you control.  Could be good if you can keep Khymera's around.  Would be so much better if Kith could have it. 4/5

Loyal Units

Black Heart Ravager
The biggest Dark Eldar unit has a cost of 6, flies 2 hammers 2 attack and 5 hp.  And the amazing reaction of routing whoever it damages.  Not quite as amazing as the dire avengers Exhaust reaction, since the routed unit will just come back later.  But wins battles, and that's why you are here right? 5/5

Murder of Razorwings
1 cost to make your opponent discard a card.  You get a 1/1 unit to go with it. Would be amazing if it had a single command icon.

Syren Zythlex
My god she is annoying.  Whenever an enemy is deployed at her location, it becomes exhausted.  If a planet ever becomes hotly contested she will win that planet for you. 4/5

Raid
Steal an opponents resource.  only 1 though, and only if they have more than you.  Far too limited in use. it also itself is limited.  So only one per turn.

Suffering
Give an army unit -2atk.  Can neuter some things nicely.  Everything is less scary with less atk. 4/5

Twisted Laboratory.
Take away someones text box for a phase.  oh how I love this support.   Can take away annoying things like ranged, annoying reactions (hello dire avengers).  Can ever render the almighty survivalists impotent.  Sadly doesn't stop mobile since there is no action window to do so before they have moved. 5/5

And the rest

Sybarite Marksman
2/1 ranged is nice, especially for 1 resource.  No hammers makes me cry. 4/5

Incubus Warrior
3/1/2.  fragile but meaty in every other stat. Worthwhile for 2.  Don't expect to get much out of them though. 3/5

Haemonculus Tormentor
2/4/1 for 4.  Can pay 1 to give him +2atk until end of phase.  And as many times as you like.  DE won't tend to have many extra resources.  But can assassinate a warlord with this guy. 4/5

Helion Gang
2/2/1 with flying for 2 is a stellar deal.  Effectively 2/4/1 for all intents and purposes. 4/5

Beasthunter Wyches
I like.  1/3/2 for 2.  Every time you play a DE event you can pay 1 to get a Khymera at HQ.  Would be better if it was either free, or the Kymera appeared at a planet.  4/5

Baleful Mandrake
3/2/1 with Ranged.  3 Ranged atk is very good, very very good in fact. 5/5

Vile raider
2 hammers and mobile.  That's Awesome.  Fills the same role as the Eldar Soaring Falcon.  Trading 1 hp for 1 atk. 5/5

Coliseum Fighters.
Get a mediocre unit for 2, but also recycles an event.  It's the topmost in your discard rather than your choice.  But more events are good. 4/5

Kabalite Strike Force
No hammer, still crying.  2/2 with AoE 1 is not all that great.  Though having AoE is always useful to have in some cases. 2/5

Power from Pain

At first glance this seems amazing.  Make your opponent sacrifice a unit.  BUT. Only during combat.  and the opponent gets to choose from any unit in play so may not even affect the battle being fought when it's played. 2/5

Archons Terror
Rout a non unique.  Oh my.  Oh my oh my. 5/5

Hypex Injector
Ready attached unit after play a DE event.  Having this in play almost makes Power from Pain worth taking. Could lead to some amazing plays. 3/5

Altar of Torment
3/5

The DE shtick seems to be discard, and swarm with some Ranged and Mobility control. They seem to have so many cards that are just shy of being amazing, almost as if they were very good if not broken before in play testing and heavily nerfed for release..  But tournaments seem to regularly see DE in the top tier.  So there must be something to them.  I'm just not seeing it.  Either Ally available to them seems strong.  Chaos bring some heavy hitters, Eldar emphasise control and command.