AoS: Scourge of Ghyran Greats Week 2 – Khorne and Ossiarchs
War is coming to Ghyran, and the armies of the Realms are gearing up for a big fight. A few of them are just doing it a little better. Khorne and the Ossiarchs are setting the bar!
Welcome in, Generals of the Realms! The new General’s Handbook is almost upon us, along with the Scourge of Ghyran Battlepacks. Every army is bringing out their best warriors to lay siege to the Realm of Life, and they’re altering their tactics just a little. Games Workshop has given us a little peek into what’s coming for a few of our favorite factions, and I like what we’ve seen so far. There are new unit cards, enhancements, and formations for Disciples of Tzeentch, Fyreslayers, Ironjawz, Kharadron Overlords, Blades of Khorne, and Ossiarch Bonereapers. Though they’re all phenomenal, a few stand just a hair above the rest.
Ossiarch Bonereapers
The Ossiarchs have had a rough year in 4.0, but their Ghyran upgrades are primed to restore them to the war criminals they once were. First, they’re starting with a pair of juicy new battle formations. The first, Tithe Guards, aligns with what we expect from Death armies. A non-Unique Ossiarch Wizard can restore three nearby Ossiarch units, healing your heavy hitters or resurrecting Morteks. However, it’s the Hekatos Drillmaster formation that feels the most “Ossiarch”. In this formation, Nagash’s elite warriors can choose from a suite of nasty abilities each turn, including an improved Ward save or a nasty buff to discourage enemy charges.
In addition to their new formations, the Ossiarchs have gained access to a brand new spell lore. These three spells are all about bolstering your ranks and making your enemies pay for daring to stand against you. The first is just a flat damage ignore, allowing you to shrug off a single point of damage each phase. While that might not sound like much on paper, it could be the lynchpin that turns a unit wipe into a stubborn tar pit.
On the slightly more aggressive side, the second spell gives your chosen target an additional attack. That’s great on the larger models, but it can be devastating on a fully reinforced unit of Mortek Guard, who can unleash a deadly salvo of attacks with their Nadirite Blades. The final spell drains the life from your enemies to heal your fallen and injured warriors (or perhaps turn the enemy dead to your side).
Finally, there’s an update to a pair of warscrolls. First is the Mortisan Boneshaper, the healer of the OG Mortisan trio. The spellcaster gains two new abilities: one allowing nearby units to make three Rally rolls rather than one, and the other bringing a destroyed unit at half strength. The other is the mainstay Mortek Guard, who can now put their massive shields to use to protect nearby Heroes. The tithe is definitely back with a vengeance.
Blades of Khorne
In fairness, Khorne was never bad. They just haven’t been particularly exceptional this edition, especially compared to their prowess in 3.0. While this update won’t see them to those lofty heights again, it certainly doesn’t hurt. Like with the Ossiarchs, the bidding starts with a pair of new battle formations. The first represents the contest between the mortal and daemon followers of Khorne. Each turn, a pair of units, one mortal and one daemon, try to outdo each other, and boost their damage while they remain close together. The second formation is all about the savagery of Khorne’s mortal followers. One Hero and two non-Hero units can augment their speed, allowing them to hit the fights even sooner.
Unlike the Ossiarchs, Khorne despises sorcery in all its forms, and so the Blades of Khorne will have none of that magical nonsense. Instead, they gained a trio of new prayers, allowing their Priests to beseech the Blood God for blessings. The first, like the first Ossiarch spell, allows a unit to ignore a point of damage in each phase, or two units if the roll is high enough. The second plays into Khorne’s hatred of sorcery, gifting a 3+ Ward save against spells to a nearby unit. Finally, the Priest can lay a bleeding curse on an enemy. The cdamaging them whenever they take any action other than Move, Charge, or Fight. Khorne wants bloodshed, and by gum, he will get it!
Closing out the new goodies is a pair of warscrolls that are going to make old-school Khorne fans very happy. The first is an update to the Bloodcrusher cavalry. Gone are their impact hits, replaced with a Ward Save and an anti-Cav Rhino. In addition, they gained the ability to run through combat to get to a juicier target on the other side. No more protecting squishy spellcasters from righteous Khornate wrath. The second is the Mighty Lord of Khorne, a long-time staple of Khorne lists. While they gained a nasty ability to pull a nearby friendly unit into combat, the best part of the new scroll is the return of the Reality-Splitting Axe. The days of yeeting stubborn enemies into Khorne’s realm are back. Even the nastiest of characters should be shuddering at the thought.
Which preview was your favorite?
