Clash of Kings 2023 was my best tournament to date. Clawing my way up from consistent defeat I managed a 50:50 win-to-loss ratio. Over several years of refining my list and mentoring by the Dash 28 staff, I had found my groove. It was time for me to step out of my comfort zone once more and fundamentally change my army list. Birmingham Bullrun was the perfect opportunity to experiment…
Letting it go…
First and foremost I waved goodbye to my Ice Elementals. They have been a constant from my first-ever game of KoW. Through various iterations and advice from opponents, I refined my game to make the most of these A-grade units. At Clash they had an excellent showing and pretty much won my first game. Alongside the Ice Elementals, I dropped my Ice Naiads and Serakina. This had been a core using Serakina’s ‘Radiance of Life’ synergy with Frostbound units.
I replaced my previous core with a new approach. I wanted a line of hammer units that would smash through high defence opponents. I also wanted to play about with the new Tundra Fighters rule to get that delicious Vicious. Opting for a Giant flanked by units of Hearthguard. A line of Defence 5 with Crushing Strength 2 or 4 and Fury. Exactly what I wanted as a tin opener. To protect them against ranged warfare I placed an Ice Queen with Veil of Shadows behind them. She also served as a source of Inspiring. To ensure utility once combat began I figured heal was a decent second spell.
This is what happens when casual players choose violence.
New toys
What next then? Having enjoyed a Frostclaw Troop at Clash I wanted more of that sweet flying nonsense. As a result, I went completely overboard and took three Troops this time. These units can do so much it’s pretty incredible. They have excellent movement, excellent shooting, great melee skills, and even boast Fury. The majority of my army could ignore being wavered in combat. Seriously, I just wanted Northern Alliance flyers but we got some of the best flyers in the game.
Scouts! I’d never used scouting units before and had grand ideas of marching forth to claim objectives and threaten flanks early game. Realistically that wasn’t going to happen straight away so I took a Troop of Ice-Kin hunters with the aim of experimenting. The fact they are also excellent ranged units and a source of Frozen was a welcome bonus.
With my new core of hammers, more flyers than ever before, and scouting to play with I felt ready to learn new things about my favourite faction on the table.
How it went
So I avoided a wooden spoon. Only just but that’s still better than past efforts. I’d hoped to get at least one win and very nearly did with my first game… until my main line got caught behind a unit of Frostclaws who were wavered twice in a row whilst the enemy hoovered up tokens the other side of them. My own silly fault and respect to my opponent for capitalizing on my folly.
In my second game, I struggled with Frostclaw’s not having enough attacks to break units on the charge and not enough nerve for a battle of attrition. A known issue with taking them as troops I failed to plan for. My scouting was a little over-enthusiastic and ultimately I threw away a unit I really needed to keep back and shoot. Finally, I had a great time against Rob Burman’s goblins where a combination of not pressing a charge and his excellent use of a charity re-roll collapsed my center in an impressive way. A proper good game that one.
Post-match analysis…
All in all, I was very happy with my core. A hard-hitting, high-even line of Furious fighters able to advance under a Veil of Shadow. It performed as well as could be expected. It fell down thanks to my own timidity. I need to remind myself that these girls are big enough to look after themselves in a fight and actually intimidate most opponents. In the future, I’ll be a bit more pushy and get up onto objectives rather than hanging back.
My scouting was a disaster and proves the old saying ‘Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.’ I threw a low Nerve unit that was kind of expensive forward to be slaughtered quickly. You’d think I wouldn’t keep making that mistake but… yeah. This meant I kept throwing away easy kill points for my opponents and wasting my only ranged source of Frozen which would have consistently disrupted my opponent’s movement. I’ll not be making this mistake again.
The Frostclaws were good. I mean they are just good by default. Alas, I was expecting too much from them and being overly cautious. As my second opponent pointed out, I needed to use them as chaff rather than expecting them to do the heavy lifting. Whether I limit myself to two troops, take a regiment, or find another option I’m not yet decided. There’s a LOT of potential here. Just what that potential is I’m still trying to work out exactly. Frostclaw Champion continues to be an excellent disruption tool, flying out of nowhere to pin someone or something in place for a turn or two. I might try giving the Champion a Crystal Pendant of Retribution for maximum disruptive hilarity. What’s the worst that could happen?
In conclusion
Dropping my usual list and trying something new has re-invigorated my love of the Northern Alliance. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone and got me looking at things I’d previously neglected. Whilst my performance at the Birmingham Bullrun was a considerable step back from my performance at Clash of Kings, it was a valuable learning opportunity. Small tournaments with a group of experienced players who are a delight to spend time with are ideal for doing this. All in all, it was exactly the event I needed to both socialise and experiment.
I love this game.
