Hello loyal readers, today I have a guest army review written by the King from the North, the terror of the frozen wastes, Brindley Smith. A big shout out of thanks to Brindley for taking the time to write this! Before this article goes further, here is an explanation of our Tier Ranking system, which we use to organize and structure our army reviews.
This review has been updated for Clash of Kings 2022, all changes are put in red text.
Tier Rankings:
Trying to rank units in Kings of War is not a perfect science. By pure design, many units are meant to work in combination with other choices in the army and can be hard to judge on their own. For this exercise, it’s assumed the unit is being used to its utmost potential within the army. This is not just a math problem to determine the most cost-effective unit but is to also see how units compare in scope, role, and impact across not just a single army but all Kings of War armies.
S Tier: Reserved for units that are widely acknowledged as either being significantly undercosted or having a combination of rules that perform well above units in similar roles. These units are often called “auto includes” as any list stands to be made better with their inclusion. Expect these units to be addressed in future CoK book updates.
A Tier: These units are some of the best the army has to offer. They excel in their specific roles and commonly help form the core of most competitive lists. While not auto include, they are great in almost any army they are taken in and will be seen frequently.
B Tier: This unit choice has a mix of strengths and weaknesses that makes it very playable, but balanced. These units work great with specific roles in mind; however, their weaknesses mean they do not help every list. In a perfect world, all units would fit into this category.
C Tier: C Tier units may still shine in niche lists and roles; however, they will feel underpowered when compared to similar units in other armies. Decidedly suboptimal, you could make them work, but you will frequently see other things that are just better. You will rarely see many lists take these units.
D Tier: Units that need some considerable love and attention. You will struggle to find any role for this unit that another unit couldn’t do better. Very often you will see these units labeled as “unplayable.”
Check out our other articles in this series!
Varangur
Brindley’s disclaimers – Before getting too far into this tier list, I want to clarify that I think Varangur are a great, well-balanced army in 3rd edition. This list is based on my personal opinion and experiences, or of other players, I’ve spoken to, and as such, I have not played with many of these units (looking at you C and D tiers).
You will notice that the wide majority of units are clustered into the C-A tiers, which is exactly what the RC are striving for. This article is somewhat of a followup to my initial Varangur army review, and while there may be a few repetitions, I encourage you to check it out if you have not done so yet! Kings of War 3rd Edition: Varangur – -/28
Formation
Sliksneer’s Shriekers: Requiring two regiments of Horse Raiders and a Mounted Lord with Icon of the Warrior Upgrade. The Horse Raiders gain melee 3+ which is a welcome bonus, the real winner is getting a mounted Lord with a Brutal Aura for Barbarian units.
On top of being a source of Very Inspiring, you now have a great cavalry hero to buff your Horse Raiders to give a respectable showing in melee. She can also babysit your Mounted Children of Korgaan with their stealthy upgrade to make them rather tasty indeed. I’m leaning towards a B-tier ranking for this formation given the potential to significantly boost several B-tier units.
S Tier
- Nothing– Varangur currently has no units that could be considered S tier
A Tier
- Magnilde of the Fallen– Magnilde is a fantastic character. She hits hard, is fairly resilient between def 5 and iron resolve, inspires, and has great threat projection. Her once per game fly ability means she takes a little finesse, but her offensive power gives great utility.
- Draugr– I was honestly surprised to see that units like draugr and zombies are not irregular. These guys are great because they’re cheap and you never have to worry about being wavered. Their only drawback is speed 4, which can really slow down your lines and cause them to get in the way of your other units. Draugr supply cheap unlocks, as well as cheap additional drops to the army. Something that can catch people off guard is the draugr’s wild charge D3 for those unsuspecting charges, especially when coming off a hill! I think draugr are great in hordes or regiments but would avoid legions myself because their footprint is a bit too deep.
- Huscarls – These guys are so much fun to use. With a nerve of 15/17 they’ll still die to a decent hit, but fury lets you keep fighting right until the end and oh boy do they fight well. 20 attacks as a regiment, hitting on 3s, with Crushing Strength 2 is great! Their wild charge 1 is neat but won’t come up too often. Huscarls are best fielded as regiments, wth spells and items to make them even more effective hammers. Troops of Huscalrs still hit hard, but get wavered too easily, especially for their points cost.
- Frostfang Cavalry– Frostfangs are SCARY, they have a decent threat range of charge 15″ and hit like a truck with 30 attacks, hitting on 4s, with Crushing Strength 2, and Strider. Phalanx and Ensnare can cut your damage pretty quickly, hitting on 5s is not fun. They are best fielded as hordes, so they can withstand some hits and still pack a punch. With a Nerve of 12/14, Regiments are too easily removed.
- Snow Foxes– One of my favorite additions to Varangur in 3rd ed is the ability to take a Nimble chaff unit, with Pathfinder. They may die to a stiff breeze, but foxes can get right where you need them and potentially even remove opposing chaff. Try to leave a 1.5” gap behind this unit, so if/when you get wavered by shooting you can pivot and get out of the way of your trailing hammer.
- Lord on Frostfang– Between Nimble, Strider, and a threat range of 15”, you can do a lot of work with this lord. Very inspiring will come in handy fairly often, and he loves 5 point items and his pet snow fox. Crushing 3, hitting on 3s, is fantastic, and you cannot underestimate how effective Nimble on a monster is.
- Lord on Chimera– Bringing all the threat that a Lord flying on a Dragon-like monster brings, the Lord on Chimera has Elite, to make their 10 attacks hitting on 3s even more reliable. Crushing Strength 3 also means these attacks are always going to hurt. Very Inspiring helps him support the army. Just keep in mind that he takes experience and patience to use well, and is a large point sink in a faction that is rife with those already.
B Tier
- Kruufnir – Opinion is likely varied on this new Troll hero. An absolute beast in melee and offering a Very Inspiring presence at the same time. Essentially fulfilling a role somewhere between budget Frost Giant and evil Snow Troll Prime. If you want to build a list around The Fallen (now they aren’t irregular) and some dark creatures from the frozen wastes then this is your bag. Otherwise it’s a decent choice that probably doesn’t synergise well enough to be fully worth the points.
- Magus– The magus is a pricey, but very reliable, mage thanks to Famulus supplying Elite to their casting, and Defense 5. You can’t go wrong with any of their 4 spell options. The transfusion ability is easily one of the most thematic additions to KoW I’ve ever seen. Essentially this ability lets you transfer D2 wounds from a Bloodbound unit within 6” to a Draugr unit also within 6”, at the start of your ranged phase. Drain Life is critical in a faction with no access to Heal, allowing you to keep expensive Varangur units in the fight. Bane Chant is a great alternative to Drain Life to assist your line during the grind.
- Mounted Sons of Korgaan– Mounted sons are a great fast hammer, with 18 attacks hitting on 3s, with Crushing Strength 1 and Thunderous 1; however, to reliably take off tougher units they need to be backed up by Banechant or magic items. They also have the option to take Stealthy or Brutal for 10 points, which is great! Like all cavalry Phalanx can put a damper in their usefulness. The best way to take them is in Regiments.
- Tundra Wolves– Hitting on 3s, with Thunderous Charge 1, Tundra Wolves can be a real threat, especially on the flank. Speed 9 plus Nimble lets them get where they want, and outspeed most other chaff units. They are best taken at troops, which while slightly expensive, still are affordable at 115 points. Their defense of 4, and 10/12 Nerve means they are still relatively fragile; however, when serving as blockers, flankers, or counter chaff they really shine.
- The Fallen – Speed 8, Nimble, and Pathfinder on a hammer is nothing to sneeze at. Fallen, while hitting on 3s, do struggle at removing higher defense foes, thanks to only having Crushing Strength 1. Iron resolve gives a little bit extra fortitude, though they are still vulnerable to being wavered. Similar to units like Werewolves and Lycans, Fallen really excel when threatening flanks, or lower defense foes, and so serve as more a scalpel than a hammer. You really need to field them as hordes, otherwise, they will struggle to kill much, and are too expensive for their lower nerve.
Post Clash of Kings 2021, Fallen are no longer irregular. Making them stand out from Tundra Wolves and Snow Foxes by the merit of unlocking more Snow Foxes.
- Cavern Dweller– The Cavern Dweller is effective at grinding against the opponent’s high defense anvils, due to having both CS3 and Lifeleech 3. With a decent nerve, you should be able to last multiple turns. With D6+6 attacks, hitting on 3s, this monster will wreck any unit that it manages to flank. Strider lets it ignore terrain penalties while charging, keeping its reliability high. I would also want to pair this guy with a Drain Life magus to keep him going.
- Thegn on Frostfang– 5 attacks, hitting on 3s, with Crushing Strength 2 lets the Thegn do some reliable chip damage. Speed 7, Wild Charge 1, and Nimble let it threaten flanks, where it can be a real terror, especially since it has Strider. Coming in relatively cheap, at 125 points, the Thegn on Frostfang can serve as chaff in a pinch.
- Magus Conclave– Able to move and shoot, the Magus Conclave is a bit unique when compared to other Warengine like units. It is slightly shorter range, only 36″, but still has nice damage output. Stealthy also means it is guarded pretty well versus counter shooting; however, Defense 3 means it will take damage from most sources that connect. Generally, more than one of these will support each other well, letting you get more use out of each of them as a whole.
- Skald– Basically an army standard-bearer, not much to say aside from how lute of darkness is a near auto-include if taking a Skald, and that having two throwing attacks is a nice option for trying to remove a wounded unit near the end of the game.
- Lord– Now with the coveted horse option, the lord have the manuverability to get where it needs to. Alternatively she can remain on foot and provide a choice of Brutal, Lifeleech or Stealthy to infantry Barbarian units. The Aura’s are great but if you play Varangur for the Infantry you probably want to try Northern Alliance.
Check out the new Formation which lets you take a mounted Lord with Brutal Aura if you want someone to buff your cavalry. They also excel with Wings, thanks to the Wild Charge built into the profile. With 5 attacks, hitting on 3s, and Crushing Strength 2 they hit pretty well. The Lord can take brutal, which with Wings can create some great support for combo charges. Very Inspiring is handy, and they can take a good hit too, with Defense 5 and Nerve 13/15.
Bumped up to B Tier.
- Horse Raiders– Raiders are a similar option to tundra wolves, with the tradeoff of lower melee potential and reduced speed for having ranged attacks. They hit on 4s in Melee, and 5s with ranged, they have Shortbows with 18″ range, which alongside Speed 8, gives a base threat range of 26″ not too bad. Steady Aim lets them move and shoot without penalty, and they can exchange Shortbows for 12″, Piercing 1 Throwing Axes for free, which would have an effective threat range of 20″. They have 7 attacks as a troop, and 14 as a regiment, and hitting on 5s this won’t do a ton of damage but can cause chip damage, or remove chaff. As regiments they can still work, and I’ve seen heavy ranged lists that feature them heavily, but their primary function is as a troop chaff unit.
- Frost Giant– The frost giant has a nifty ability with his Ice Breath, giving him a 10″ attack with 8 shots, but I consider him definitively worse than the standard giant. He is both more expensive, because of the Icy Breath, and lacks Fury, essential to keep him fighting. Despite this, D6+8 attacks, hitting on 4s, with Crushing Strength 4 he supplies some real punch. Not a bad choice, but one with some clear weaknesses.
- Night Raiders – Post Clash of Kings 2021 this unit has lost Scout, is no longer Irregular and gained 4+ Ranged. That’s pretty great news. They can fulfil a similar role to Pack Hunters in the Northern Allance by positioning in terrain and hassling the enemy at range with arrows or up close with throwing axes. If you want them as scouting units you still have an upgrade option for up to three units that also provides an Aura (Vicious [Melee] – Tundra Wolf) to represent them having trained hounds. Essentially more rules text than is worth your attention but fun to play with in a fluffy list. If you are going down the Frostfang Cavalry/Mounted Children of Korgaan arny route, there is a lot to be said for fleshing out your unit count with a stealthy rabble that can pick off chaff at range and hold their own in melee should you need to disrupt the enemy advance.
Bumped up to B Tier
- Cursed Son- The cursed son is a decent option for a fighty individual. It has 7 attacks, hitting on 3s, with Crushing Strength 2. Fearless also means that it will keep fighting until dying. The Cursed Son is Mighty, so it can speed bump enemy units easier than many characters. Interestingly, it is not Inspiring, I guess that is where the cursed bit comes in. I placed him above the standard lord due to his ability to take a mount, but the lack of Inspiring is definitely a hindrance to an expensive hero option.
C Tier
- Snow Trolls– Snow trolls are an interesting cross between hammer and anvil. They hit hard, but are somewhat swingy, because they have 18 attacks hitting on 4s. Due to this they don’t quite do enough damage to remove most hammers. They’re somewhat resilient and grindy, with regen 5+ and Defense 5, but their large Nerve gap of 15/18 means they Waver easily. Wild Charge 1 does mean they outspeed other large infantry. Not a bad unit, but one that can fill a lot of roles, but doesn’t excel at any.
- Snow Troll Prime– This guy is tanky, sure, but is going to wavered often thanks to is 13/16 Nerve. It does hit on 3s instead of 4s, but largely has the same problems as the Snow Trolls. When you could have a Thegn on Frostfang for nearly the same price the Snow Troll Prime isn’t a great choice.
- Jabberwock– The Jabberwock has an odd role, it has a base of 7 attacks, with Crushing Strength 1 and Thunderous Charge 1, but it hits on 4s, meaning it isn’t going to do a ton of damage. It does have an interesting ability in Feeding Frenzy, where it gets extra attacks equal to the amount of damage on its target. I am not a fan of this ability, especially in a faction primarily designed for alpha striking (instead of grinds). It has one major thing going for it, however, in that its nerve is decent at 15/17, allowing it to tarpit and grind away at whatever target you set for it. Relatively cheap at 165, it is an affordable option but is unreliable.
D Tier
- Human Clansmen– A rather disappointing choice, they are rather expensive and don’t hit that hard, as well as sporting only an average Nerve. A horde has 25 attacks, hitting on 4s with Crushing Strength 1, Defense 5, and a 20/22 Nerve. Hordes are the best option because they can reliably survive a charge, but they are still overcosted. Note, that in Northern Alliance they have better Heal support and the option for Rallying, but even that wouldn’t bring them out of low C tier. If they had a better Nerve value, the Bloodbound keyword, or perhaps there was an Aura to boost them, then they may be better, but as is there are much better options out there
- Reavers– Ah poor Reavers. They get 20 attacks as a troop, 25 as a regiment hitting on 4s, with Crushing Strenth 1 and Thunderous Charge 1, which means they can do some damage, but nearly as good as comparable choices. While they are speed 6, so faster then some infantry, Huscarls are harder hitting and have much higher defense, for hardly any points increase. If someone were to use these, then either go for the troop option, Fearless means they won’t Waver, so either they die, or can fight, which keeps them from blocking up your line. A player can do a lot of damage with this unit, but they are easily removed by a decent opponent or bad matchup.
Post Clash of Kings 2021 Reavers benefit from Wild Charge (D3) and the cost to add Lifeleech with the ‘Mask of the Reaper’ has decreased. If you are running a proactive force and need a glass cannon this makes them an attractive option. Otherwise too expensive for chaff and too vulnerable compared to your heavier options like Frostfang Cavalry who can bring a similar threat range on the charge.
- Thegn– A super cheap option at 50 points, but cheap for a reason. Where the lord has some redeeming qualities in Very Inspiring, decent Nerve, and Mighty to make up for the lack of a mount option, the Thegn lacks them all. At Speed 5, Wild Charge 1, the Thegn is too slow to alpha strike, lacks Mighty so can’t be a speed bump, and has no Inspiring. 3 attacks hitting on 3s is not enough of a reason to take this choice. If it could take a mount or aura, maybe then it could have a role, but as is, hard pass.
Summary
Overall I love the style of Varangur. They have a very clear distinction from the Northern Alliance. They have a good variety of chaff options and have a variety of good hammers. Where the army struggles most for unit options right now is in their anvils, as both Clansmen and Trolls are subpar. I also really wish we had an option such as the ice queen, because there is no way to remove wounds from shooting with Heal, and you have to rely on Drain Life (if you fit it in your list) once you get stuck in instead. Transfusion could help alleviate shooting damage, but you can only use it on fast units which will far outpace your Draugr anyway.
