The Best and Worst Dragons in Kings of War

So my good friend Matt Gee, who does all the real work behind the three minute army primers, pointed out that I have a YouTube channel called Death by Dragons (plug plug, you should check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeathByDragons), but I’ve never talked about dragons. This is deeply wrong, so we sat down to write an in-depth, authoritative, absolutely unquestionably correct ranked list of the dragons of Kings of War! There’s no way anyone can disagree with this, am I right? Right? Right?

Definition

Just a quick definition for you rules lawyers. What’s a dragon? So here’s our definition:

1. It’s a titan
2. It flies

That’s it! You don’t like the definition? Make your own youtube channel. Go on! I dare you.

Number 17

Phoenix

The very worst dragon points can buy is… well, bless it, it’s a lover not a fighter. The phoenix is really only here by accident because it happens to be a flying titan. It’s a utility piece that Matt and I disagree willdy over in terms of how good it is. Matt swears by it, and you wouldn’t catch me dead putting one in a list until they put its inspiring back. The model is frankly breathtaking though, so let’s pretend this conversation didn’t happen, and move on.

Number 16

Lord on Chimera

Rumbling in shamefaced at the second worst slot is one of the coolest models in the range, the Northern Alliance Lord on Chimera. I’m not saying it is a bad dragon, it has very inspiring, elite, and have 10 attacks, but their Icy Breath is short-range and it’s an eye-watering 320 points, which makes them just too expensive to return utility for investment. Also, they have a stupid name. “Lord”. I ask you. 

Number 15 

Salamander Clan Lord on Fire Drake

Clocking in at number 15 is the Salamander Clan Lord on Fire Drake. This behemoth looks impressive with 15 attacks, but it’s melee 4, which makes it awfully swingy yet still as expensive as any other dragon at 300 points. It’s a credible ranged threat, but don’t get any other special rules at all, which makes them a bit of a lame duck in all other aspects, and definitely not worth the points.

Number 14

Tydarian Dragonlord [1]

Ah Tydarian. I’m not sure anyone took him in version 2, and the last remnant of the heavy flyer rule is here as the only dragon that doesn’t have nimble, the clunking great loser. He’s a combat bazooka if you like that sort of thing, but he’s hideously expensive in a list where everything is already expensive and doesn’t really give you a lot more than the standard dragon kindred lord. 

Number 13

Supreme Iron-caster on Great Winged Halfbreed

The less salubrious of the Abyssal Dwarf dragons, I really want to like them because they have a silly name, but to make a credible ranged threat it needs lightning bolt which pushes them into silly price territory, and they just don’t have the punch to back up the price. 

Number 12

Apaphys, Champion of Death [1]

Oh pappy. What have they done to you! Apaphys is a nuts-crazy-utility dragon. I mean, there’s literally nothing it can’t do, but boy does it have a price-point to match. It’s the most expensive dragon you can buy, and while you sure do get some utility (although the drain life is questionable), it’s just so punishingly expensive, it’s hard to justify.

Number 11

Vampire Lord on Undead Dragon

And speaking of hard to justify. It’s not enough that undead get the best of everything, they also get one of the most killy dragons? The only problem is the price, and the range of other options in the undead list make this an expensive luxury few can afford. It’s a very good dragon, given the fearless nerve and lifeleech, but without the add-ons, it has limited utility, and with them, it’s nearing apaphys price nonsense.

Number 10

Dragon Kindred Lord

I regard this as the archetypal dragon in many ways, and indeed, it’s not bad. Elite means it’s punchy, the breath is… well, it’s a bit meh these days, but there you go. But just like everything in the elf list, it’s so damn expensive. If you want to take a dragon, you want this one for elves, but drakons are better in lots of ways. 

Number 9

Undead Wyrm

Now the undead wyrm has some amazing points, One, it’s stupidly cheap for a speed 10, 10 attack dragon. Two, it’s fearless, and three, it shambles. Shambling flyers are awesome. But it hits on 4s, and for 35 points more you can have a revenant king. Nyeeeh. I’ve been back and forth on it, but it’s so cheap for what you get, it’s just an amazing bargain. 

Number 8

Krudger on winged slasher

Scaling up into the upper half of the dragon list we have a very serviceable dragon. Given the choice between the elf dragon and this one, you swap elite for fury and lose the ranged attack for a whopping 30 point difference. That’s a choice I’d take. 

Number 7

Archfiend of the Abyss

Now we’re getting into the cool stuff. The archfiend is a melee beast thanks to brutal, vicious and fury. Their nerve is one less than the other dragons, but that’s just what you get for not being a dragon. 

Number 6

High Paladin on Dragon

Oh how the mighty are fallen! Losing the fearless nerve has put the star of the Basilean and Brothermark list back a metaphorical step, but it’s still a very impressive consideration. Headstrong and an Iron Resolve of potentially 2 for the same price as an elf dragon puts this formidable chap very close to a medal position.

Number 5

Scudku-z’luk, Demonspawn of Diew [1]

My old favourite, the demonspawn. In many ways, Scud the bud is the best dragon. He’s freaking amazing with 13 attacks, lightning bolt (5), and his rally (2). But then there’s his price. Hoo boy. Are you really going to pay 345 points to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies? Well, probably, but then you’re going to have to build your whole list around him, so think carefully.

Number 4

Overmaster on Ancient Winged Halfbreed

It’s the second dragon from those greedy abyssal dwarfs and this one’s an absolute BEAST. It comes in at an entirely average 300 points, and for that, you get all the normal dragon stats, that is melee 3, def 5, 17/19 nerve. Now it’s only got 9 attacks, but you get vicious for melee, plus it gets Regen which is frankly gross on a def 5 high nerve. It’s tight between 5, 4, and 3, that’s for sure, but the Overmaster can’t quite beat the void lurker for value.

Number 3

Void Lurker

Creepy creepy Nightstalker players love throwing their bargain-basement 270 point dragon around like it’s any good. Except… holy crap is it good. Proper dragon melee statline and the stealthy/ mindthirst combo make this truly fearsome to encounter. It’s swapped one crushing strength for thunderous charge, and defense 4 makes it somewhat squishy in melee, but … come on, it’s 270 points and it’s stealthy with regen! Wow! 

Number 2

Revenant King on Undead Great Flying Worm

Banging in at number two, it’s perhaps the best value dragon you could imagine. At a bargain 250 points, the Revenant King has that oh-so-valuable fearless nerve and lifeleech combo that makes this a truly indomitable threat. Melee 4 does make it swingy in terms of punch, but lacking the painful price of a vampire, and utility from optional breath and surge at ridiculously low prices makes this dragon a fantastic tool for any undead or EoD general. 

Number 1

Chronebound Abyssal Archfiend

And the moment you’ve been waiting for! Striking the balance between price and utility, it might be a surprise to some, but my number one choice for dragon … um, isn’t a dragon. It’s the Chronebound Abyssal Archfiend! Now I can hear your screams of outrage from here, so let me explain. It’s an average 310 points, and look at what you get for that price. It’s 9 attacks, vicious, brutal, inspiring, and has fury to mitigate wavers. Plus, and critically, it has the keyword chronebound, which sets it significantly above its abyssal counterpart, because a lot of the synergy in the twilight kin list comes from the plentiful and cheap drain life that can heal chronebound troops within 18”. This mitigates the nerve topping out at 18 and gives you a truly credible threat.