Greetings! Today we will be taking a look at Elathain’s Soulraid - the final warband of the Direchasm. Has GW continued their tradition of releasing very strong warbands at the end of the season? I will do my best to answer this question for you. So… without further ado let’s jump into the review of our fish people.
Inspire Condition
The Idoneth are having a very unique inspire condition - they’ll inspire in round two. What’s more interesting - they’ll un-inspire at the start of round three. In theory, this means you can plan your game for an explosive round two, but at the same time, you have to account for the fact that in round three they will revert to your fighters being weaker.
Having the exact knowledge on when your warband will inspire can be super helpful, but having only one round to play with inspired stats is a bit of a letdown.
The Fighters
Apart from unique inspiration and un-inspiring rules, Soulraid has another rule shared by all elven members of the warband. That rule is Flood Tide. This rule turns them into mini uninspired Mollogs - they can make a move or charge action even if they already have a single move token. That’s very cool and allows one of your fighters to reach deep into enemy territory thanks to a double move action.
Now… let’s dive into the review of the fighters.
Elathain Ill-Fated - is the leader of the Soulraid. This fellow is sporting a fairly decent body of 4 wounds, movement 4, and a single-block defense. His attack profiles are: range 1, 3 hammers hitting for 2 damage with his sickle; range 3, 2 swords hitting for a single point of damage with his net. Both of his attack actions have a special ability called Soul Harvest. This is Elathain’s unique ress ability. After killing an enemy fighter, he can react to bring back Tammael if he is taken out of action. Tammael can return only on a starting hex in your territory. Elathain is also a hunter and Idoneth.
Once inspired, Elathain’s Sickle attack gains cleave and ensnare making his already accurate attack something that will be super hard to avoid. His Soulnet attack gains extra attack dice and ensnare making it very accurate as well. On top of that Elathain gains extra move going up to 5. The tradeoff is that he loses his Flood Tide rule while inspired.
Fuirann - second of idoneth fighters. She’s a hunter just like Elathain. Her stats are movement 4, 3 wounds, and defense of 2 dodges. Those are fairly solid stats but dodge-based defense is a bit surprising for a shield-bearing fighter. Her Helsabre is a range 1 attack that hits on 3 swords for 2 damage.
Once inspires her helsabre turns into 3 hammers instead of swords, she gains movement going up to 5 and her defense turns to two shields. I guess she knows how to use it only while inspired… She also loses her Flood Tide ability while inspired.
Tammael - final idoneth in the warband. Similar to his comrades he’s also a hunter. He’s having movement 4, 3 wounds, and defends on a single dodge. He’s offering two attack options. His Riptide Harpoon has a range of 2, hits on 2 hammers for 2 damage. It also has a Riptide special rule that allows him to push the target instead of driving it back.
His Thrown Harpoon has a range of 3, hits on 3 swords, and deals 1 damage. It also has the Riptide rule but also has the Impact rule that adds +1 damage to the attack if made as a part of charge action.
Once inspired he loses his Flood Tide ability, his attacks gain Ensnare, he goes to movement 5 and gains extra defense dice. He will uninspire at the start of round 3 even if he’s out of action.
Duinclaw - the first of the two pets Elathain has taken for his raid. This crab has movement 3, 3 wounds and defends on two shields. His Crushing Claw has a range of 1, hits on 2 swords, and deals 2 damage. Duinclaw is a Beast - he cannot be given attack action upgrades and he cannot hold objectives. He can also Scuttle - after another friendly fighter’s activation he can be pushed one hex closer to that fighter. That is a very nice trick to help offset his low mobility.
Once inspired his attack gains extra dice and a cleave making is significantly more accurate.
Spinefin - this is barely a fighter. It has movement 0, defends on a single dodge, and has 1 wound. It has two very important rules - Small Fry and Shoal. Spinefin cannot be taken out of action - it is being removed from the game instead. You can choose not to set it up at the start of the game. After the opponent’s power step you can make a reaction that allows you to remove all shoal tokens and place a new shoal token in an empty hex or to place Spinefin on the battlefield in a hex that contains the shoal token. This can be done even if Spinefin is out of action. Apart from that Spinefin cannot take any actions, can’t be upgraded, or hold objectives.
Once inspired Spinefin gains defense dice going up to 2 dodge. It will un-inspire even if it is out of action.
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From the models alone we can see a fairly mobile warband that can surprise anyone with its threat range. That range comes at the cost of extra activations that need to be used, which is pretty fair. There’s little you can do to avoid being attacked by one of the Idoneth if they really would want to do it. Elathain is very accurate and becomes an absolute beast in round 2, but this is being offset by the rather average accuracy of the rest of the warband. They’re also not that great on the damage potential. This might be an issue if you would like to bring Tammael back - making a kill with your leader is required for that. And with a base damage of 2, this will require some setup.
Duinclaw is rather disappointing - outside of round 2, he won’t be the most reliable fighter you could get. Spinefin feels more like an option to project supporting fighter for your attacks than anything else. It could also be used to block the passage in some narrow places sometimes. Trouble is that it would take 2 of your opponents’ activations to move it there.
Reliable round 2 inspiration is cool, but it fading away in round 3 is a bit of a letdown. Especially when they mostly gain accuracy while inspired. This is for sure a great basis for going aggressive and utilizing that additional dice and keywords (especially true for Elathain), but you need to be able to boost them up with glory accumulated from a good round 1 to have it make a difference.
An ability to resurrect Tammael is nice, but given its requirements, I wouldn’t expect it to be able to be used too often.
Overall stat-wise we have a mixed bag of fighters who can be very aggressive and accurate in round 2 but fall off in other rounds, and some solid - if low damage - fighters who are decent all the game and can get a bit crazy in round 2. Will this be enough to secure the victory? Let’s try to answer this after reviewing their faction cards.
Faction Specific Cards
While rating the cards I will be following the system as below:
1 - a very powerful card. You should take it in nearly every deck. A staple.
2 - a very strong card that you should consider taking. Might not always make the cut, but should usually contend with other options.
3 - a situational card that might prove to be good in certain situations or with proper card support
4 - a weak card. You might find a use for it, but in general, most often you’ll be better off with other picks.
Faction Objectives
Cold-Eyed Killers - you have to take two enemy fighters out of action in a single round. That is not an easy task and can become very hard depending on your local meta. It doesn’t help that your models aren’t heavy on base damage, so this card requires some additional setup if you’re not facing a horde warband.
Rating: 3
Dead or Doomed - third end phase objective that is an Annihilation with an alternate condition. The alternate condition is that all surviving enemy fighters have to be adjacent to at least one of your fighters. While easier than killing everyone this also can be a bit tricky to pull off. And all of that for a 3rd end phase 3 glory. I don’t think anyone will play this ever.
Rating: 4
Guardians of the Deep - it’s very situational and easy to counter. A mini Denial. The main trouble with this card is that there are plenty of warbands who want to get into your territory. Denying them to do so might not be possible.
Rating: 4
Merciless Raiders - this card is a kill surge, that has two additional conditions. The kill has to take place in enemy territory and as a part of charge action. This might feel a bit too much, but the part about the charge is something that you’ll fulfill anyway - at least in most cases. So overall this is a fairly decent card.
Rating: 2
Smothered Memories - it is a very situational card. If you’ll run into someone with a very difficult objective situation, who is forced to spend an activation to change his objective card… you will get one glory. This will also work in some draw-heavy decks. Trouble is that Frantic Search has been phased out by things like Quick Search or Duel of Wits. So it’s mostly the case of hoping for some Crown of Domination action. I feel this might be too limited and you have pretty much zero control over scoring it. It gains a lot more in power if you decide to go for some of your in-faction gambits, which are increasing the likelihood of your opponent discarding a card by quite a lot.
Rating: 2
Soul Raiders - one glory end phase for having two enemy fighters taken out of action feels a bit weak. I would rather add some extra condition and add one more glory to bring it on par with Cruel Hunters. In the end, it’s still a meta call - it can be fairly difficult to score against Krusha’s and the like.
Rating: 4
Speed of the Tide - this is fairly easy to score. You’re likely to be wanting to go into enemy territory. Also, Spinefin is a risk-free option to secure one of your fighters in enemy territory without spending a single activation for that.
Rating: 2
Surging Tide - you’re very likely going to be making a double move. This is very easy to score thanks to Flood Tide. Just remember - it’s very likely a dead card in round 2!
Rating: 1
Taker of Souls - leader-based kill surge. I’m not a huge fan of those. This one has an additional limitation of having to use range 1 attack. Elathain is a strong fighter and you will be very likely to focus him with all the upgrades to make killing easier. But your opponent will likely focus on him as well. And this might end your ability to score this very quickly. Overall it’s not a bad card, but I would probably prefer this to be a successful attack instead of a kill.
Rating: 3
Tides of Death - it’s fairly easy to score. Also, this is another card hinting that those guys are meant to be played very aggressively. Overall it’s a nice end-phase filler should you need one in your deck.
Rating: 2
Unseen Menace - it feels like a twist on an Unafraid. You need at least two of your Idoneth fighters to be within 2 hexes of the same enemy fighter. It’s possible, but it feels like too much hassle for a single glory.
Rating: 3
Utter Isolation - Alone in the Darkness is back! I used to love this card, so I’m happy it’s back. I wish it was universal instead… Still - a great card to have in your deck.
Rating: 1
Faction Gambits
Brain Barnacles - the effect is not that great. Its range limitation makes it pretty much useless. If you’ll play it at max range your target will be able to reach at least one of your fighters. And to change attack characteristics you need to be adjacent to your target. This means it already has charged or your charge has failed and you’re trying to increase your odds of survival. Still - it’s not that great.
Rating: 4
Chill Mist - Another -1 move card. That effect is fairly weak overall. There might be cases where it can make a difference, but in general, it’s not worth taking. The secondary effect is okay, but there aren’t enough range 3 attack actions in the meta to make it worthwhile. And even if there were - I don’t believe it would be worth considering anyway.
Rating: 4
Crushing Pressure - this is a very interesting card. The negative effects you can induce are fairly significant. Your opponent has an option to cancel them out by discarding a power card, which is also quite painful. It could also enable you to score Smothered Memories.
Rating: 2
Cloud of Midnight - this is a cool defensive ploy. If you have a key fighter at risk of being killed you can play this. He will get some extra time on the board. Might be a good option to play if you see your opponent prepare for some big charge.
Rating: 2
Forgotten Nightmares - it’s a nice tech to redirect an attack. Trouble is that it requires correct positioning to be able to play this. And if this is an attack that’s important for your opponent, he might be willing to sacrifice a power card to get the attack he wanted.
Rating: 3
Fury of the Storm - the effect is quite powerful, however, the limitation to 3rd round means you might have a dead card in your hand for most of the game. The opponent’s option to discard two power cards is very painful, but depending on a game state it might be a better option than letting your fighters inspire.
Rating: 3
Phantasmal Forms - going to 3 dodge can be a significant boost to your fighter’s defense. It’s also worth noting that this applies to all of your fighters, so you don’t have to target it at the likely target of an attack.
Rating: 2
Shifting Currents - So this is an interesting ploy - you can either move your shoal token in preparation for repositioning of your Spinefin, or you can move one objective token by one hex. It’s okay, but probably not something you’ll want using your deck slot for.
Rating: 3
Spinefin Toxin - interesting ping damage. Not only this hurts your target, but it also shuts down its ability to hold objectives (which is already big) and to be on Guard. Target cannot make range 3 attacks as well, but that’s the least impactful debuff. This requires some setup to position Spinefin well, but overall it’s a cool card.
Rating: 2
Terrornight Venom - a very powerful effect, but its range limitation is mildly annoying. You could utilize your Spinefin to apply this poison though. Might be too slow to be useful though.
Rating: 3
Faction Upgrades
Armor of the Cythai - a decent defensive option, definitely worth considering.
Rating: 2
Born From Agony - extra wound and immunity to lethal hexes on top of that? That’s an amazing package!
Rating: 1
Ethersea Predator - while I like this attack of opportunity kind of a thing, Duinclaw is not the best fighter to use it with. Your opponent has little incentive to get near him and his attack - even with ensnare - isn’t that accurate.
Rating: 4
Hunter of Souls - giant strength type of effect with an annoying limitation of working only against wounded targets. Also limited only to Idoneth. Just take a regular one instead.
Rating: 4
Lurelight - Trophy Belt with a twist. After you take an enemy fighter out your opponent gets to choose if he wants to allow you to gain extra glory point or to lose a power card. It’s a very cool card. The only downsides are the limitation to adjacent fighters and the fact that you can only put it on Elathain. Still, it’s a very good card. Pretty much an auto-include.
Rating: 1
Martial Excellence - going on guard is very good. Going on guard only after charging, while still decent, is not that hot. Restriction to Fuiran hurts this card as well. It’s not a bad card, but not the one you’re likely to take.
Rating: 3
Sanguine Pearl - damage reduction is a powerful effect. It’s a bit of a bummer that this works only on adjacent enemy fighters, but still, it’s very well worth the slot.
Rating: 1
Soulbond - this card is sort of a Spiritbound, but with already preselected champions and with a range limitation. Tammael is a fairly good target to receive support. Sadly this doesn’t work on defense rolls. And quite frankly I would prefer to be able to give the support to Elathain.
Rating: 3
Unstoppable Fury - re-rolls are good. Getting them only during charge is a bit of a downside, but most of your attacks will be made as a part of the charge anyway.
Rating: 1
Voltane Eel - an interesting attack action that has an option to place a move token. It’s nice, but overall it’s a weak attack action, and placing a move token is not that critical for this warband. I guess you could take it if you’ve dreamed up some control build.
Rating: 3
Closing Thoughts
Elathain’s Soulraid is a warband that has been designed with aggression in mind. Most of their objectives are designed around killing enemy fighters or getting out there into enemy territory. Their mechanics allow them to get into the charging range easier. Their Spinefin adds a cool option to provide support for your attacks. Having said that - they’re having 3 decent fighters and a crab, who is hyped by the community, but is a fairly weak fighter.
With good support from objective cards and a fairly decent number of faction power cards, they seem to be well-positioned to do good.
What’s concerning is their low damage output. With only three fighters having an acceptable accuracy, 2 damage per fighter feels a bit too low. Round one will be a tough one. It’s where you’ll try to position yourself for a strong round 2 and score some glory to upgrade your fighters. Most importantly you’ll need to focus on keeping your guys alive. Losing Tammael is going to be very easy. And Elathain himself will likely get focused as he’s the main threat of the warband - especially while inspired. It feels that this warband falls apart when Elathain dies. Duinclaw can provide strong combat support while inspired, but that might not be enough - especially because he’s not the best target for upgrades. And Tammael is not coming back anymore with Elathain being dead.
Another concern is that if you will have a weak round 1 you’re not going to exploit the full potential of your inspired stats in the next round. Since you’ll un-inspire in round 3, this will be very impactful and can cost you the game.
What I like about this warband is the design of some of their mechanics - Spinefin is a cool touch. I also really like the design that gives your opponent the decision of how they prefer to get hurt.
Are those guys worth a shot? I think yes, although they don’t feel like the best performing warband out there. They have potential, but you might need to figure out how to overcome some of their weaknesses. If played correctly, you might have an extremely satisfying round 2, but at the same time, you might not have most of your warband by that time.
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