Kings of War 3rd Edition First Impressions: Salamanders

Greetings readers! Today we have another in our series of 3rd edition army reviews, brought to you by a guest author, Ryan Munsell. I had the pleasure of playing against Ryan’s Salamanders at last years US Masters, so I can speak from experience when I say that he’s a top notch player who knows this army very well. Enjoy!

I’m sure you all want to jump straight into the Salamanders army review, but since I haven’t written anything on Dash28 yet I figure I should do a quick introduction. My name is Ryan Munsell and I live in Seattle, married with two kids, the chair of the PNW Region for masters, have been playing wargames for probably around 20 years, and have always loved dinosaurs. Now that I’ve said that, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I have been playing Lizardmen/Salamanders for years. This upcoming US Masters event will be my third straight time attending, and each one has been a blast. I know this is said a lot, but the best part of Masters for me is hanging out with people I only get to see once a year. I guess that’s enough about me let’s get onto the army review.

I’ll admit now I’m not much of a lore guy and haven’t read it yet, so don’t have anything to say on that front. I have been playing Salamanders since they were being beta tested for the first Uncharted Empires book. I personally think the army was strong in 2nd Edition, but I know that’s not a popular opinion. There may not have been as many competitive builds as other armies, but I had a good to great record with the army.

When I started reading through the army list in the new Uncharted Empires book, I saw a lot of changes that I liked. I think the army has gotten stronger, but it has changed a fair bit as well. The list I ran in 2nd Edition I don’t think would work very well in 3rd, which I think is a common theme across the board with all the different armies.

From here I’ll break down the units in each category and give my thoughts.

Infantry/Heavy Infantry

Big thing that sticks out here is the addition of Ceremonial Guard hordes. I think they are by far the best infantry horde option with Phalanx getting buffed, Primes losing Pathfinder, and Ghekkotah losing attacks. With the footprint of the unit it can control multiple objectives and Defense 5, Nerve 21/23 with Phalanx, as stated earlier, is going to be a pain for your opponent to get rid of. I have not made a list yet that doesn’t have a horde of these guys.

As I’m sure some have seen, Ancients have been a hotly debated topic in the Salamander Facebook group. I personally think they are very good, but don’t know how many units I want in my army. They are one of, if not the, best Inspiring source in the game. A regiment of these guys can inspire a lot of units in your main battle line and with Defense 6, -/17 Nerve will take a lot of effort to get rid of. I still find myself using all my unlocks and wanting more, so these guys being Irregular will limit how many units I take.

Ranged Infantry

Only a couple units to cover here. Ghekkotah Hunters still fill the same role. Their range has been increased to 18 inches, but they take a penalty for moving and shooting which is not so great when you already hit on 5’s. Not a huge fan of these guys, I think there are better options in the list to fill their role which will be discussed later in the review.

I haven’t really decided whether I like the new Corsairs yet. 18-inch range with Steady Aim and Piercing 1, hitting on 4’s is great, but they are pricey and like most ranged infantry in 3rd don’t unlock. They also got a price bump which takes them out of the chaff role I used them for in 2nd. There might be something here, especially with Firebrand having an Aura to give them Elite in melee, but my gut feeling tells me they are overpriced for what they do considering the other great options in the list.

Large Infantry

As I’m sure everyone else saw in the preview video, Tyrants have been significantly changed. 30 attacks on 4’s with Crushing Strength 2 is quite the hammer, and with Speed 6 and Wild Charge d3 they have a great threat range. Their role in my lists has changed. In the past I used them as an anvil that had decent damage output, now they are the best hammer in the Salamander army. All these offensive boosts don’t come without drawbacks. They lost a Defense and had their Route value decreased by one. In the handful of games I have played, one unit of Tyrants is often shot off before it even sees combat. TLDR they are a great unit, but you must be careful with them.

I mentioned earlier that there is a unit that fills the role of Ghekkotah Hunters better and that’s the Ember Sprites. They are cheaper, have a better Nerve, are Fearless (huge for chaff, imo), and have better shooting capabilities. These are the perfect screen for Tyrants.

Fire Elementals didn’t see much change, they picked up Vicious and a 20-point cost increase. In my opinion, Forces of Nature can Surge better than Salamanders. So if you want to go the elemental route, I would just play them instead.

Large Cavalry

Rhinosaur Cavalry were possibly my favorite unit in the Salamander list in 2nd Edition. They see some changes in 3rd Edition and with Phalanx being buffed I’m not sure they will make many of my lists. Their stats remain the same except they have lost a Crushing Strength. If they had lost a Thunderous Charge instead that wouldn’t be a big deal. I relied on these guys to grind quite a bit in the past and with only Crushing Strength 1 they really don’t grind all that well anymore.

Scorchwings are a new unit (kind of) to the army. They are the replacement for the Ghekkotah Skyraiders. I personally haven’t been able to find room for them in any of my lists, while the Skyraiders with Jar of the Four Winds were in every list and for good reason. I think the Scorchwings are a tweener unit that don’t really do one thing well, and on top of that they aren’t very durable. A lot of others have had good luck with them, so maybe I need to try them out.

Monsters

Monsters played a huge role for Salamanders in 2nd Edition and I don’t see that changing in 3rd. The Lekelidon was my favorite monster and for the most part it functions the same and is 10 points cheaper. Its Range value went down to 4+ from 3+, but it gained Steady Aim and got a 10-point decrease in cost. These guys provide solid shooting support and once the enemy gets close, they serve as great chaff. I can’t see myself ever taking less than two in a list.

The Komodon on the other hand didn’t fare so well. It lost a Piercing and Vicious from its ranged attacks and lost height. If it ignored cover, the height decrease wouldn’t be a big deal, but it doesn’t. It did get 10 points cheaper, but I don’t see myself ever taking these guys.

Greater Fire Elemental is still there. My feelings on it are very similar to my thoughts on the regular Fire Elementals.

Titans

On to the big guys! Lots of good stuff here in my opinion. Starting off with the Ghekkotah Slasher, I have only played a couple games with these guys, but I think they are a solid choice. If you played with an Ankylodon Battle Platform, this guy is the replacement, and a good one at that. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but the shooting attack will be very solid. At height 6 with a 36-inch range it will be hard to hide from this guy. Great for shooting off/wavering opposing war machines and chaff. Can also put plink damage on things to soften them up for the many solid combat units Salamanders have. Fights well itself with 7 Attacks with Crushing Strength 2 and Pathfinder. Great unit to combo charge with your other units.

The Fire Drake is a much-improved piece as well. While breath weapons aren’t quite as good in 3rd edition, the Fire Drake picked up other things to make it better. Nimble I think is the most noteworthy one. Being height 6 and Nimble is pretty darn useful. Get him a flank and that’s 24 attacks on 4+ with Crushing Strength 2. With the other great options for the monster/titan slot I haven’t tried this guy out yet, but the Fire Drake is an intriguing option.

Everyone has probably seen Mantic’s fancy new Phoenix model. It’s a great support piece for the army. Heal 5 and Radiance of Life goes a long way in keeping your force healed up. At Defense 3 and 14/16 Nerve, you need to be careful with it, which easier said than done with it being height 6. I haven’t tried it out much as I don’t currently know what model to use for it. I like Mantic’s but it doesn’t really fit the aesthetic of my army. If anyone out there knows of a cool avian dinosaur model out there let me know!

Heroes

Since there are so many entries here, I’m going to breeze through some of them quickly. Let’s start with the individuals. Heralds for the most part remained unchanged. Clan Lords also stayed the same but have received a large points decrease. I was in the minority liking them before (mounted only), so naturally I think they are even better now. Mage Priests also stayed the same for the most part. They essentially only have Elite when within six inches of a Flamebound unit and lost access to some spells. That being said, I think taking one with Heal and Shroud of the Saint for a total of heal 6 is a solid choice. Battle Captains now have an option to take a Pathfinder Aura for heavy infantry. With this option it comes out to 70pts. While on the surface Pathfinder Aura sounds great, I think for it to be worth it you need to build around it. If you are only giving Pathfinder to two units, I just don’t think it’s a good buy. Ghekkotah Clutch Wardens are a bit better, but I still don’t think they make the cut for any of my lists.

I think the change I’m most excited about is the buff the Clan Lord on Fire Drake got! It’s a real dragon now…well almost. Nerve is now 17/19 and it has 15 attacks albeit on a 4+ Melee. Retained its great breath attack as well. For 300 points I think it’s a great buy, and if you want to make it a real dragon just buy it Brew of Sharpness.

Battle Captain on Rhinosaur also has me excited. Speed 7, Nimble, Crushing Strength 2, Thunderous Charge 1, Brutal, 6 attacks, Defense 5, and a -/15 Nerve for 140 pts. Killer deal, just make sure and give him the Helm of Confidence or Inspiring Talisman. I envision using this piece as a flanker. The damage potential for the point cost is amazing! Ghekkotah Skylord on Scorchwing for the most part stayed the same. One less attack, but range increase to 18 inches. Should fill the same role as before.

For the legendary heroes there is Artakl and Firebrand. Artakl got nerfed a bit in that she has one fewer attacks, lost the Ignore Individual rule when shooting, and only gains Piercing 2 against Monsters and Titans. I often used her to shoot Heroes, so this is a pretty deal for me. Her range did go up to 18 and she picked up Duelist, but I just don’t think that’s anywhere close to enough to compensate for the other negatives. Firebrand has changed a fair bit as well. Big nerf here is she no longer makes Corsairs Fearless. To me, that takes them out of the chaff role. She does have an Elite (Melee) Aura that effects Corsairs though. Big positive for her is she is now Defense 5! With a -/15 Nerve, that’s not easy to move. She also picked up Duelist. That means 10 attacks on 3+ with Elite and Crushing Strength 2 against Individuals! Of the two, I think Firebrand is better, and she is also 15 points cheaper than Artakl.

That wraps up all the units. To close it out here is one of the 2300 point lists I came up with. I’ve always liked playing a mixed arms style list and I think Salamanders still do that really well.

• Salamander Ceremonial Guard Horde – 305
  • Brew of Strength
• Tyrant Horde – 260
  • Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar
• Tyrant Horde – 255
  • Sir Jesse’s Boots of Striding
• Ghekkotah Warrior Regiment -120
  • Scrying Gem
• Clan Lord on Fire Drake – 335
  • Brew of Sharpness
• Lekelidon – 85
• Lekelidon – 85
• Ghekkotah Slasher – 210
• Ghekkotah Slasher – 210
• Ancient Troop – 120
• Phoenix – 195
• Firebrand – 120