Nethermaze Rivals Review: Shadeborn & Skittershank's Clawpack

Previous Rivals Reviews

In this blog, we give our Rivals review of the first two Warbands in the Nethermaze. The Shadeborn and Skittershank's Clawpack.

Podcast: https://podcast.battle-mallet.com/e/episode-38-hex-ed-rivals-review-exiled-dead-and-the-nethermaze/

Nethermaze Warbands

The Shadeborn

This is a 4-fighter warband where ALL of them are Assassins! Slythael Shadestalker is the leader, with Move 4, 2 Dodge, 4 Wounds, and Flying. She has a Range 2, 2 Smash, 2 Damage attack with Malleable (which lets you choose Cleave or Ensnare in the attack action step). She also has the Shadow Ambush ability: When this fighter starts a Charge action in a cover hex or edge hex that is not a starting hex, you can resolve the Move action of that Charge action by placing this fighter in another cover or edge hex. She inspires (as does the rest of the warband) when she makes an Attack action that targets an enemy fighter with one or more wound counters. When inspired, her attack goes to 3 Smash with Grievous.

The other 3 fighters are all Move 4, 1 Dodge, 3 Wounds and the Shadow Mark ability: You can re-roll one dice in this fighter's defence rolls while this fighter is in a cover hex. When they inspire, they all gain the Shadow Ambush ability, go to 2 Dodge, but lose Shadow Mark.

Drusylla has a Range 2, 3 Fury, 2 Damage attack and when inspired goes to 3 damage on her main attack and gains a Range 1, 2 Smash, 1 Damage attack with Grievous and Scything.

Sylarc is a level 1 Wizard with 2 attack actions: a Range 1, 2 Smash, 2 Damage attack, and a Range 3, 3 Fury, 1 Damage attack. He also has a Spell Action (on a Channel): If cast, choose one enemy fighter with no wound counters within 4 hexes of the caster and/or in a cover hex. Deal 1 damage to that fighter (ANY COVER HEX as long as he has line of sight!). When he inspires, his Range 3 attack gains Ensnare.

Valyssa has 2 attack actions: a Range 1, 3 Fury, 1 Damage attack with Combo and a Range 1, 2 Smash, 1 Damage attack the the Flurry ability (Reaction: After this fighter's successful Attack action with Combo, make this Attack action). When she inspires her Shadestalker Dagger gains Grievous and her Puncturing Follow-up gains Cleave.

Key Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A Vicious Kill (Surge: Score this immediately after a vulnerable enemy fighter is taken out of action - Good round one because you'll want to ping one model down to inspire as many models as you can)
    • Nowhere to Hide (Surge, Dual: Score this immediately after a friendly fighter's Attack if: The target was taken out of action AND the attacker and/or the defender was in a cover hex - an aggro card to be sure, but flexible thanks to the attacker/defender option)
    • Coiling Darkness (Dual: Score this in an end phase if two or more friendly fighters are in cover hexes AND one or more of those fighters made one or more Attack actions in this round - easy to set up with gambits that hand out cover [in the form of shadow counters] and the number of cover hexes in the game)
  • Gambits:
    • Impenetrable Darkness (Give each friendly fighter with no Move or Charge tokens one shadow counter* - great for handing out psuedo-cover hexes to your Warband, which they want to be in)
    • Rippling Darkness (Choose one enemy fighter in a cover or edge hex. Deal 1 damage to the chosen fighter - great for ping damage and to set up the inspire)
    • Shadestalker Darts (Choose a friendly Drusylla or a friendly Valyssa. The chosen fighter makes the following Attack action: Range 3, 3 Fury, 1 Damage - out of Activation attacks are awesome and this one lets you set up an inspire, make a fighter vulnerable, or even take a vulnerable fighter out of action; all great things for this warband!)
    • Shadowable mention: other gambits that hand out shadow counters
  • Upgrades:
    • Abyssal Guidance (You can re-roll one attack dice in Attack actions made by this fighter if this fighter is in a cover hex - who doesn't love more accuracy?)
    • Aided by Darkness (+1 Damage to this fighter's Range 1 and Range 2 Attack actions if the attacker and/or target is in a cover hex - the ever-valuable +1 Damage upgrade, restricted to cover, but still very useful in the Rivals format)
    • Voidling (Denizen, Rolls of Single Support are successes in this fighter's attack rolls for Attack actions that target a fighter adjacent to, or in, a cover hex. Rolls of Single Support are successes in this fighter's defence rolls if this fighter is adjacent to, or in, a cover hex - more accuracy on attacks and better defense with more flexibility than simply being in a cover hex? Awesome!)

*Shadow Counter

Fighters with one or more shadow counters treat the hex they are in as a cover hex, in addition to other hex types. Discard all shadow counters at the end of the phase.

Boards

As many cover hexes as possible! Feel free to offset (both to protect your fighters and increase the number of edge hexes for Shadow Ambush)!

Play Style

Aggressive.

Playing Against Them?

Try to control the inspiration. Sylarc is probably your best first target. They are only 3 wounds.

New Player Rating

Silver. There's a lot of glory to be had if you keep a fighter vulnerable, but that means leaving a fighter alive that can still attack you.

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Skittershank's Clawpack

A 5-fighter warband, Skittershank's Clawpack out to do one thing, kill your warband's leader. Slynk Skittershank is the leader and an Assassin with Move 5, 2 Dodge, and 4 Wounds. He has a Range 1, 3 Fury, 2 Damage attack with Grievous and he has the Marked for Death ability: You can re-roll one attack dice in the attack rolls for this fighter's Attack actions that target an enemy leader. He inspires when one or more enemy leaders are out of action or an enemy leader has four or more wound counters. When inspired, his Attack action goes to 4 Fury!

Snyp Padpaw is an Assassin with Move 5, 2 Dodge, and 3 Wounds. His Attack action is Range 1, 3 Fury, 2 Damage. He also has the Marked for Death ability and the Smoke Bombs Reaction: Use this after this fighter's activation. If you do, stagger each enemy fighter adjacent to this fighter. His inspire condition is the same as Skittershank's and when inspired his Attack action gains Grievous and Cleave!

Kreep Kinwhisper is Move 5, 2 Dodge, and 3 Wounds with a Range 3, 2 Smash, 1 Damage attack with the Barbs rule (Reaction: After this attack action, if it succeeded, give the target one net counter. After a fighter with one or more net counters make a Move action, deal 1 damage to that fighter and remove those net counters. At the end of the round, clear all net counters. He (and the next two Skaven) inspire when one or more enemy leaders are out of action and/or this fighter makes an Attack action that targets an enemy leader. When inspired, he gains the Assassin keyword, gains the Marked for Death ability, and his attack gains Grievous.

Krowch't and Skulck are the last two fighters, both Minions with 5 Move, 1 Dodge, and 2 Health. Krowch't has a Range 1, 2 Fury, 2 Damage attack and Skulck has a Range 3, 2 Smash, 1 Damage attack. They both inspire the same as Kreep. When inspired, they both get 2 Dodge, Krowch't gets 2 Smash on his attack and Skulck gets 3 Fury and Stagger on his.

Key Cards

  • Objectives:
    • Daggers in the Dark (Surge: Score this immediately after a staggered enemy fighter is taken out of action - great early, in case they hide their leader, just stagger and kill another fighter)
    • Infiltrate Their Lair (Dual: Score this in an end phase if no friendly fighters are in your territory AND one or more friendly fighters are in enemy territory - again, good early because your opponent will likely not want to send fighters into your territory and you can send one or two into theirs)
    • Unsurprising Fate (Score this in an end phase if one or more friendly minions are out of action - You'd rather your minions be dead than anyone else, so feel free to send them off to their death)
  • Gambits:
    • Misplaced Optimism (Choose an enemy leader in enemy territory. Push the chosen leader up to 2 hexes - not just an enemy push, but 2 hexes! Great for setting up inspires on the little rats and/or a kill)
    • Skittering Blur (In the next activation, Attack actions cannot target friendly assassins - keep your heavy hitters alive while scoring Unsurprising Fate)
    • Way of the Iron Paw (The first time a friendly assassin is dealt damage in the next activation, the damage dealt is reduced to 1 - even more tech to keep your heavy hitters alive)
  • Upgrades:
    • Eshin Throw Stars (Range 3, 3 Fury, 1 Damage attack action with Stagger - great for setting up other fighters with stagger and/or inspiring on of the littler rats without placing them immediately in harm's way)
    • Merciless (+1 Damage to this fighter's Range 1 or Range 2 attack actions if the target is staggered - Skittershank could spike to 4 damage on a Crit with this)
    • Supernatural Agility (+1 Defence - no one wants to roll against 3 defence dice)

Boards

Mid-board starting hexes.

Play Style

Aggressive. Murder-kill.

Playing Against Them?

Protect your leader and honestly, just farm the glory. They're coming to you (to get your leader), so just be patient and kill anything that comes into your territory.

New Player Rating

Gold. Everything wants you to and enables you to kill the leader. This is a very direct

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