Age of Sigmar: How to Play Maggotkin of Nurgle
Today we look at how to play the Maggotkin of Nurgle. Get down with the sickness AND the thiccness.
Not all the Chaos Gods are uncaring when it comes to their followers. While it can’t be said that the gods outwardly dislike their followers (though Khorne’s nonchalance towards their death may be worse) no dark power cares more about their followers than Grandfather Nurgle. Offering them his noxious “gifts” and sending them to battle alongside surprisingly jolly daemons, he delights in seeing them thrive and share their pestilence with the world. Here’s a quick rundown on how to get the most out of your plague-ridden warriors, and a few essential units that would make the CDC blush.
Who Are The Maggotkin?
The Maggotkin of Nurgle are the followers of the Plague God. Generous in their distribution of epidemics and loving in the care they have for the foul creations of the Grandfather Nurgle, the Maggotkin seek to bloat the Mortal Realms with rot and contagion.
By allowing diseases to spread far and wide, they herald the coming of life in its most vivid and natural expression. Indeed, if one is to value and cheer at the birth of every maggot and parasites allowed to thrive in raddled corpses, then disease and rot become not the faltering of life towards death, but the overabundance of life. In this, the Maggotkin are the enforcers of the natural cycle, their ever-loving actions ultimately making the circle of life so vividly round that its curves can be seen by mortal eyes, to their greatest displeasure.
Why Play Maggotkin?
Maggotkin are a devastatingly powerful, resilient, and rewarding force no matter how you like to play. While they won’t be winning many foot races, they can dish out a metric ton of punishment and take even more in return. Whether you prefer daemons or mortals, you won’t be disappointed by the results.
Strengths
- One of the most durable armies in the game with army-wide ward saves.
- You can layer on mortal wounds with a mechanic that has few reliable counters.
Weaknesses
- You are mostly slow.
- Your army is likely to be very small because of how expensive your stuff is.
Signature Rules
Battle Traits
- Blessed by the Plaguefather– A mechanic which gives out the Diseased keyword to enemy units.
- Desperate Remedies– If a Diseased unit Heals or uses an ability which brings back models, the Diseased keyword is removed instead.
- Wracked with Disease– At the end of each turn Diseased units have a chance of taking Mortal Wounds.
Battle Formations
- Tallyband of Nurgle– adds additional mortal wounds to Wracked by Diseased.
- Nurgle’s Menagerie– You can include two Gnarlmaws to begin.
- Plague Cyst– Rotbringers explode and deal Mortal Wounds when they die.
- Affliction Cyst– two Flying units can be redeployed anywhere on the battlefield outside 9″ of enemy units.
Heroic Traits
- Gift of Febrile Frenzy– 12″ aura of increased movement.
- Grandfathers Blessing– if in combat with a Diseased unit, Heal(D6).
- Overpowering Stench– one third chance to cancel commands for units in combat range.
Artefacts
- The Witherstave– chance to give a unit that charged you Strike-Last.
- Rustfang– Once per battle reduce the save of a Hero in combat for the rest of the game.
- The Carrion Dirge– reduce the control score of three enemy units.
Key Maggotkin of Nurgle Units
Depending on if you prefer daemons or mortals you’ll be investing in different things, but these are some units that will find their way into nearly every list.
Great Unclean One
One of the biggest and most resilient Greater Daemons out there. While not as punchy as the Bloodthirster or Keeper, the GUO can still pull his (considerable) weight in combat, throw out some nasty spells, and even bring in a half-strength replacement daemon unit once per turn.
The Glottkin
Probably the best model in the book (and he better be for that cost), and one of the best monsters in the game. They are good at support, magic, and combat, and they excel in whatever role you play them in. The ability to trigger other units to Counter-charge in addition to themselves is incredibly powerful.
Harbinger of Decay
The Harbinger is the lone Priest available to Nurgle armies. Both his Knell of Doom and Omens of Decay abilities are solid debuffs to enemy units.
Orghotts Daemonspew
Of the three Maggoth Lords available, Orghotts is the combat oriented variant. He fills this role well with his Rotaxes and his Maggoth, Whippermaw.
Putrid Blightkings
A solid unit with extra control mechanics, the Blightkings are ridiculously hard to put down and will kill some single-wound models every turn.
Beast of Nurgle
Basically, a combination between a golden retriever and a rabid gorilla, the Beasts of Nurgle are playful rascals that tend to leave their playmates in several pieces. They do damage on the charge and can charge over enemies, but unfortunately have limited objective presence thank to the Beast rule.
Rotmire Creed
What the Rotmire give the Maggotkin army is a weight of ranged fire, even if it is short-ranged, which dishes out a chance for the Diseased keyword.
Plaguebearers
Plaguebearers are very hard to shift, with multiple Health, a Ward save, and a nasty Cloud of Flies.
Pusgoyle Blightlords
The Pusgoyles are decently fast, very resilient, and have a bucket of attacks. They are great objective takers thanks to extra damage on the charge and Relentless Attackers giving them an extra rend when contesting an objective they do not control.
Plague Drones
Your all-daemon version of fly cavalry. Plague Drones pack more board/objective control (with the bigger unit size), less armour, less attacks, and for a decent bit less points. Look for a Reinforced unit to be a great mobile tarpit.
Nurglings
Nurgles sweetest little gribblies. These chaps are a great cheap unit, which is considerably harder to completely remove than they appear at first blush. And they’ll make a mess when they do it.
Sample Maggotkin Army
Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
– Battle Formation: Affliction Cyst
Regiment 1
Gutrot Spume
Rotmire Creed
Rotmire Creed
Regiment 2
Glottkin
4 Pusgoyle Blightlords
2 Pusgoyle Blightlords
Rotmire Creed
Rotmire Creed
Maggotkin of Nurgle Tips
Make your opponent come to you, then ruin their day by keeping them stuck in unfavorable combats. Never let up once you’ve got them, never let them go.
~Grandfather Nurgle loves you.
