Deadly Salvage Warpack review

Before I get started I would like to thank like to thank the reviewers that submitted their initial reviews in an extremely timely fashion, unfortunately life for me has been busy so you all have to wait. There were was also a lot more formatting problems which added to compilation time.

We have a couple new reviewers this time. I’d like to welcome Hoopjones of teamsandcrawla.net and Kaloo. New blood is always welcome. If you are interested in submitting a review in the future let me know. Overall this pack score fairly low. In part I think is because of how good Boundless Hate was. However there was very little agreement in terms of this pack with one reviewer (Kingsley) giving the pack a higher average score than Boundless Hate but at the same time two reviewers (Corvus and me) giving the average card a below average score which is rare for a whole pack.

I will also take a minute to get on my soapbox and encourage everyone to report all the games you play at 40kconquest.blogspot.com. The more people we have reporting games, the more accurate it is. You can also go there to see stats on games others have reported to see if anything we say in these reviews turn out to be true or not.

Ratings

The rating scale as follows was offered to reviewers:

1- Very poor - Very bad for the foreseeable future, but may become a usable card one day in the meta.
2- Bad - Not a good card to play generally, but may have its role in some very specific deck builds. Not likely to be seen in a tourney winning deck.
3- Average - Will make some tourney winning decks, but not in every deck it is eligible for. Think hard before including.
4- Strong - Almost certainly a strong include for almost every deck that is eligible to include it.
5- Excellent - A definite auto-include of exceptional strength.

For Warlord cards, we use other Warlords as point of comparison, and account for their signature cards in their strength.

For Signature cards, they are rated in isolation, as if they were a Loyal card you could choose to include or not, but at the fixed number of cards required by the Squad.

Also note, that in terms of multiples included, a card does not have to be a 3x to be a 5/5 auto-include. Some cards are clearly designed to be included fewer times, and cannot be rated less strong because of this.

Synopsis


Inspirational Fervor 4.50
Sae’lum Enclave 4.33
Saim-Hann Jetbike 4.17
Gorzod 4.00
The Bloodrunna 4.00
Imperial Fists Devastators 3.83
Gorzod’s Wagons 3.67
Kustomisation Station 3.67
Teleportarium 3.33
Shadowed Thorns Bodysuit 3.33
Genestealer Prowler 3.33
Average 3.22
Prodigal Sons Disciple 3.17
Seer of Deceit 3.17
Khornate Chain Axe 3.17
Fire Prism 3.17
Biomass Sacrifice 2.83
Death Korps Engineers 2.67
Vanguard Soldiers 2.67
Prototype Crisis Suit 2.50
Mandrake Fearmonger 2.00
Hostile Acquisition 1.67
Mont’ka Strike 1.67


Reviews

Gorzod:

Steinerp- 3/5
Big, cheap bodies aren’t orks historical weakness. He takes them to a slightly higher level but he loses so many tricks, I’m not sure he is worth it. His ability to snipe is something that the other ork warlords don’t have to the same degree.

Kingsley - 5/5
Gorzod is an incredibly flavorful character who I suspect is also the mechanically strongest of the Ork warlords. Looting Imperial equipment for fun and profit is a good game plan, and using this warlord breathes life into some long-forgotten options such as Mordian Hellhound and Raven Guard Land Speeder. The disadvantage here is that despite an array of hyperefficient Vehicles to import, you can't take anything else from allied factions - so your command and combat trick options are distinctly below par. That said, I suspect the sheer efficiency here places Gorzod into the top tier.

Corvus – 4/5
It's a strong ability. Gorzod can field a whole host of (mostly 3 cost) units that are very cost-effective. His biggest weakness is a lack of options outside of these units. Without any events from allied factions and with less use for Ork-centric Ork cards (Tellyporta Pad, Battle Cry), Gorzod has no tricks up his sleeve.

HoopJones- 4/5
I’ve been looking forward to a vehicle based warlord since core, but I thought we would be getting one for AM first! Anyways, out of the gate Gorzod already has nice options (Assault Valkyrie, Hellhound, Steel Legion Chimera, Raven Guard Speeder) and a 2/7 statline isn’t bad either. Sadly, losing access to Suppressive Fire is still a big issue if Gorzod runs into a singular threat card and can’t punch it into submission.

Asklepios - 4/5
The efficiency of reduced cost Chimera, Hellhounds and Valkyries is excellent, and while there's some command deficits in this warlord's game (with at most 9 1-for-1s and no 2-for-2s), cheap combat units with big stats = win, as destructor, thug and anxious platoon have taught us. That leaves me undecided, so I'm thinking Gorzod is strong.

Kaloo - 4/5
Tough as nails warlord with a strong, albeit restrictive, ability. Whilst he doesn’t have many tricks to play with he’s got access to some well costed units and a lot of double shields and, as such, will make a decent combat focused warlord

Gorzod’s Wagons:

Steinerp- 3/5
They combo nicely with Gorzad sniping elsewhere but since they don’t benefit from his ability, they are competing vs. 3 cost marine/AM vehicles. I would rather have a Chimera or something else for that price.

Kingsley - 4/5
Two resources for a 1/1/3 by default but a 1/3/3 when the opponent has initiative? Sure, that's solid. This unit will be dangerous to snipe and powerful in important battles when you're off initiative - but you have to be pretty sure the initiative won't be yours, or your resources will have been spent quite inefficiently. Overall an interesting unit that adds a new dynamic to the game. Note that this becomes very powerful with the Kustomization Station in play.

Corvus – 4/5
These guys are great. They discourage command sniping because their stats match up very well against Warlords, and deploying them to the right planets should mean forcing your opponent to choose between giving you the Goes Fasta! bonus or not commiting to the fight.

HoopJones- 4/5
This card is rated highly by me because the deck already has strong planet 1 bullying capabilities, and you can feel free to drop these guys off at off-initiative planets and survive a snipe. It’s a bit conditional, but a 3/3 for 2 and a command icon is really solid in my book.

Asklepios - 3/5
2 for a conditional 1/3/3 is middling. There's better two-cost signature units out there.

Kaloo - 4/5
As far as stats go, 2 cost for 1/1/3 is fairly average. However, potential 1/3/3 is rather strong indeed and works well with the Rickety Warbuggy, but the reliance on not having initiative could prove to be a hindrance in the long term

Kustomisation Station:
Steinerp-4/5
When it sees play it is excellent and opens up a ton of options like tellyporta pad but expensive early and as a 1 with no search of you can’t build around so tellyportas and such can’t find a home in the deck to start usually.

Kingsley - 5/5
Kustomization Station is amazing and playing it will grant a big advantage in almost all situations. It turns the Wagons into a 1/2/4 for 2 (amazing) that becomes a 1/4/4 for 2 (ludicrous) while off initiative, and works wonders with a wide range of other cards as well. This is one of the strongest signature supports thanks to how wide-reaching its effect is. However, without a reliable way to set it up, building decks that rely on turning your non-Ork vehicles into Orks seems very risky - don't fall into the trap of including tons of Ork-only effects with the thought that Kustomization Station will let them work on your imported vehicles!

Corvus – 3/5
It's very strong in the late game, if you've amassed enough units to really take advantage of the bonus. There will also be many times when you'd rather play another 3 cost vehicle than this card.

HoopJones- 3/5
It’s costly, but in my limited amount of testing this card is very difficult to deal with. Your Steel Legion Chimera and Assault Valkyrie now have 5 HP. This is definitely a card I will eagerly await to Squig Bomb.

Asklepios - 3/5
3 cost is high, but a global +1/+1 to your vehicles makes the signature unit much stronger, and those out of faction vehicles truly terrifying.

Kaloo- 4/5
Great support, but loses a point due to its cost. Don’t get me wrong, it’s priced correctly for its effect, it’s only that 3 cost supports are hard to play generally. However, when this support does come out your opponent will be wishing for that copy of Squig Bombing/Subdual

Hostile Acquisition:

Steinerp- 2/5
This is a shield 9 times out of 10 and really deserves a 1. Except when it works, it can be huge. I played a game a couple days ago where the game absolutely turned because I was able to steal his Steel Legion Chimera in a big fight.

Kingsley - 2/5
As signature events go, this one is decidedly below par - against many opponents, including the entire Tyranid faction, it will outright do nothing and never have a chance to be played except as a shield. That said, this card is marvelously characterful and will sometimes produce big swings in your favor. In the matchups where it is relevant, especially the Gorzod mirror match, it can be a huge factor - but I feel like I need to give this a low rating to reflect its extreme matchup-dependency and the ease with which it can be played around.

Corvus – 1/5
This is blank against many of the best current decks. The few times it will be relevant smart opponents will know to play around it by protecting their vehicles a little and saving shields for Gorzod's attacks, so it will instead only be mostly blank.

HoopJones- 1 / 5
Unless we enter some sort of weird meta where vehicles are everywhere, this card is flat out abysmal. Against Space Marines, I expect it to be a useless event in almost every game. I strongly dislike cards that are overly specific in nature.

Asklepios - 2/5
Vehicles are barely played anyway, and the better Gorzod proves to be, the less they'll be played. I guess if we see a meta where Gorzod rises Worr-like to be dominant, this card gains value in the mirror match, but I doubt that situation.

Kaloo - 2/5
Amazing event if your opponent is playing vehicles, otherwise it’s a dead card. It’s get a 1/5 in some matchups but a 5/5 in most others, hence the middle ground rating

The Bloodrunna:

Steinerp- 4/5
4 HP if you get it on a hale warlord for 1 and a disincentive to hit your vehicles is good. However if you are sniping with him the text is blank for the most part.

Kingsley - 5/5
Paying one resource for +2 HP on your Warlord is already great, and The Bloodrunna comes with an excellent ability as well. Not much else to say here, this will probably be played as an attachment rather than a shield in all but the direst circumstances.

Corvus – 3/5
Turning your warlord into a 2/9 makes it easier to exhaust him to attack often, and some of your scariest units are vehicles which your opponent will be forced to destroy, so while this card isn't amazing its abilities synergize nicely.

HoopJones- 3 / 5
While this attachment seems to give Gorzod a machine gun effect, it’s just going to make your opponent target him off of the bat for a bloody, or just ignore the ability and have to use more shields. Untapping your warlord is most fearsome when you have higher damage output (Coteaz) and your opponent can still rout your vehicle to dance around the ready effect.

Asklepios - 4/5
Stat boosts to the warlord are always welcome, and I reckon this 3-shielder will see play as an attachment rather than a shield about 80% of the time.

Kaloo- 5/5
3 shields are always great. +2hp on a warlord for 1 cost? I’m fine with that. The rest of the text is really just gravy at this point

Imperial Fists Devastators:

Steinerp- 4/5
Nice unit but 4 cost is a bad spot for marines that already have a lot of expensive units. Excellent ability and stats.

Kingsley - 4/5
Support destruction options that are actually good? Sign me up! Almost all the "big deal" supports are Locations, making the targeting restriction broadly irrelevant here. The only thing that stops this unit from being a 5/5 is that it is restricted to blue planets if you want its effect, which may well not be where you want to deploy a big bruiser unit. However, I expect this to see widespread play both in and out of faction.

Corvus – 3/5
The good news is that if you wanted to destroy it, it's probably a location. These guys will be amazing when there's both a blue planet where you need a combat unit and a location to destroy. The downside is that Space Marines really want units that cost 3 or less, this guy will sit awkwardly in hand when you know your opponent has locations but they haven't hit the board, and sometimes urgent fights mean you can't be picky when choosing where to deploy your combat units.

HoopJones- 5 / 5
Support hate is a thing now, and cards that can automatically destroy a support without too many limitations will be powerful in the upcoming months. It also has two hammers and 4 attack, so this unit screams value.

Asklepios - 3/5
Locations make up the bulk of quality supports in this game, and support hate is very welcome right now. The trigger condition is pretty easy to meet too. However, 4R is a lot to spend here. Worth running only because there are no other support hate options for some decks.

Kaloo - 4/5
Strong tech unit that will seriously disrupt many favorite supports as well as most warlord supports, whilst being a somewhat solid unit for its cost. However, the general lack of supports being played means that this a 1/2x include at best, but it hurts Kith, Orks, AM and Aun’shi a lot


Teleportarium:

Steinerp- 2/5
Broadcast far and wide, expensive, restricted makes this card much less useful than I would expect. Moving into/out of battle is a strong effect, I just think you have better options.

Kingsley - 4/5
This can be a very strong card, though it is quite conditional on the right circumstances being in effect. Black Templars decks in particular will love the way that this lets them dodge snipes with 10th Company Scout and Neophyte Apprentice, their main one-for-ones of choice.

Corvus – 2/5
My first instinct is to recommend putting your unit at the right planet in the first place and spending your resources on another unit over this support. Space Marines already have more proactive ways of ambushing units into fights when needed. However, I can see some fringe uses for Teleportarium that make me hopeful it's not useless, and there is some added synergy with Mavros – pump your Blood Angels Veteran's damage at a blue planet then send them to some other fight.

HoopJones- 5 / 5
This card dances around so many issues (Slaanesh’s Temptation! Who would have thought?) and gives Space Marines yet another combat trick to avoid pre-combat damage. It can also save your unit from needlessly dying at planet 1, or even be used as a deploy stall. This goes in every marine deck because a.) Cato can afford it. b.) It adds to Ragnar’s hunt theme and c.) Mavros <3’s Tech planets.

Asklepios - 4/5
Don't get confused by the name: this is not an SM version of Tellyporta Pad, it’s an SM version of the Wild Rider ability. It’s sad for SM that this card turns up at the same time as support hate is on the rise, so this isn't necessarily going to see play in decks, but when it is used, I reckon it'll be pretty damn effective.

Kaloo- 3/5
It’s a good card but it’s fighting hard for space. I can see 3-cost Cato decks taking it, with limited use in Mavros or a hunt focused Ragnar, but the fact that it has to fight with the super strong SM events/attachments for space weakens the chance of it seeing play

Death Korps Engineers:

Steinerp – 2/5
Can lock down opponent from using their support but unless you are playing a 2 bad card combo with Shrieking Basilik. The opponent will be able to dictate what you can destroy, will get to use it at least once on their terms and probably have a chance to kill them before they can kill themselves if needed.

Kingsley - 4/5
Even more solid support destruction? Is it my birthday? This is a great unit to send to an otherwise uncontested planet one - if the opponent hits them, retreat and have this effect ready for any big support plays they might make. Note that this unit can't destroy supports that don't exhaust, like Forward Barracks or Omega Zero Command - but if you want to prevent the opponent from getting more than one use out of Archon's Palace or Khymera Den, these are your guys.

Corvus – 1/5
This is support destruction for decks with self-esteem issues. You're admitting that their supports are more valuable than some other 2 cost play you could be making by allowing them to use that support at least once then sacrificing this unit to take them out. You're also giving your opponent the option to destroy your support destruction whenever they want if you ever try to use the Engineers in combat.

HoopJones- 3 / 5
I want to love you guys, but you are not useful vs. Worr (most of his scary supports do not exhaust) and you have no hammer. I could see mixing a blend of these guys and Squig Bombin’ to hedge my options for combat over an event, but letting my opponent use their best trick before I can respond makes me rate this card a bit low.

Asklepios - 4/5
Under Straken or Worr its 2 for 0/3/3, which is solid enough even without the ability, which is a free Squig Bombin' when you're done with the unit. Two-for-one cards are strong, even with 0-command. With Worr and Kith strong right now, there's a strong argument for support hate being worth running, even if this card can't destroy Forward Barracks.

Kaloo- 2/5
0 command is always a problem, but at least the hp is high. The ability is ok but quite situational, and whilst there’s a synergy with the Shrieking Basilisk it’s not enough to strengthen this card

Vanguard Soldiers:

Steinerp- 3/5
Reasonable but not good. If AM vehicles ever become a thing in AM decks maybe but for now there just aren’t good uses. Probably best in a Coteaz deck if you need to increase your ranged damage from 500 to 501.

Kingsley - 3/5
Starblaze would really like to be able to include this unit! Unfortunately, it's not to be - but I suspect these guys will see a fair bit of play in Astra Militarum decks, as they are probably the most versatile three-cost option that Astra has available. Worr probably likes Steel Legion Chimera better, but I suspect both other Astra Militarum warlords will be fond of this guy - and if you're worried about Gorzod and his Hostile Acquisition, switching in the Vanguard is certainly a reasonable move for Worr as well. Overall a solid unit, though not necessarily an outstanding one.

Corvus – 2/5
Worr could really use some bigger AM units, but even though they're filling a largely empty part of his curve I think the stats and ability here are just a touch too mediocre for them to make the cut.

HoopJones- 3 / 5
While it synergizes with Straken and Worr, I have historically never favored the sacrifice mechanic in Conquest and while there are some scenarios where this card could be extremely powerful, it requires odd setups and combos to really shine. I want my 3 cost units to live!

Asklepios - 2/5
3 for 1/3/3 seems to be a thing this cycle, and that statline is way less impressive than it used to be. You can cunningly attack last with this one, but I don't think its efficient or powerful enough to find room in most AM decks. Compare this to Blood Angels Veterans or Khorne Berzerkers, and it looks pretty poor.

Kaloo - 3/5
Decent stats and a nice ability, just nothing too inspiring. The fact that the ability is not planet limited is very nice indeed, but it feels like it’s demanding Noble Deed to be put to best use, or possibly Bodyguard.

Inspirational Fervor:

Steinerp – 5/5
Remember how I said Telaportaium wasn’t very good because it was restricted, expensive and obvious. This is much less restrictive, cheaper and a surprise. If I was playing mono-ork or mono-marine, I would consider slipping this in for an added surprise.

Kingsley - 5/5
Moving units is very strong in this game, and this card is no exception - it can provide a surprise influx of reinforcements to a key fight and lessens the impact of a potential overcommit. That said, the fact that the moved units have to be at the planet is a bit of a restriction, it doesn't work with Summary Execution, and a lot of times this play is going to be very telegraphed. We'll have to see how this one plays out, but I suspect it will be a staple in many decks.

Corvus – 4/5
You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you win a first planet Plannum then send your combat unit downstream to bully your opponent's warlord? This (sort of) lets you do a better version of that at will. I wouldn't put too many copies into any deck, though, especially Worr, who already runs the risk of having too many cards that underperform when no green planets are around.

HoopJones- 5 / 5
Did Worr need to be more aggressive? Anyways, moving effects have continuously proven to be extremely powerful in this game (Wildrider Squadron, Khymera Den) and I feel like this will be no different. Finding room will be tough, but I think I have a fervor, and the only prescription is more strongpoint.

Asklepios - 3/5
This suits the Worr game nicely, of course, but could also benefit orks or space marines looking to keep the pressure on. This card discourages enemy warlords from committing downstream of your big units at green planets, and also helps keep momentum going for "snowball" approaches. I limit it to 3/5 though as there's better events in the game that may squeeze it from a deck.

Kaloo- 5/5
This a good card, plain and simple. Everyone already loves Plannum right? Well let’s turn all green planets into a double Plannum, and turn Plannum into a triple Plannum!

Prodigal Sons Disciple:

Steinerp- 3/5
I haven’t tried this guy out yet, so he gets a 3. Unpreventable damage is huge, but probably only playable in Zarathur. But not a deamon and probably only going to actually trigger once or twice(if you get lucky). Is that worth a hard 5 cost, I’m leaning to no.

Kingsley - 4/5
Zarathur's ability is pretty amazing in conjunction with this unit. Unpreventable damage is great, and boosting unpreventable damage is even better - the fact that you get great stats for cost as well is just a boost. The only real downsides are that the fact you have to have attacked an army unit makes the targeting a little awkward and that this isn't a Daemon, so the traditional cost reduction effects won't work here. That said, the promise of better Elites this cycle really is coming to fruition!

Corvus – 2/5
I have nothing against this unit, but Chaos has no shortage of semi-playable Elites and only a handful make the cut in any deck. Even with Zarathur often giving him two additional damage, this one doesn't stand out from the crowd.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
This card isn’t quite amazing yet but imagine a scenario where you’re facing off against a 2 or 3 command hammer elite unit. The disciple can attack it for 3 (4 with Zarathur) and then force additional unpreventable damage to a same target. It also melts swarms (though oddly enough can’t melt token swarms) It’s still very weak to exhaust effects, but so is everything else right now. Give him some time, guys.

Asklepios - 2/5
A damnable lack of daemon trait makes this nearly unaffordable for chaos, though properly unpreventable damage is a great thing (at least, till we see Backlash). I won't be running this card, though I can see that some Bar'Zul decks may like it.

Kaloo- 4/5
Great stats and an amazing ability, but loses a point for not being a Daemon. Granted, thematically it would be silly for this to be a daemon, but from a gameplay perspective it makes it harder to play

Seer of Deceit :

Steinerp- 4/5
Solid stat line and card draw is always good. Competes with Noise marines and Berserkers for the 3 slot, neither of which are bad but they aren’t amazing either. Easy slot for Barstool as they can easily win a capper vs capper fight that is trigger by his support.

Kingsley - 4/5
Seer of Deceit will likely become the new three resource go-to for Chaos, or at the very least provide some serious competition for Noise Marine Zealots and Khorne Berzerker. Three resources for 1/3/3 is a good statline for the price, and the ability to draw extra cards on blue planets is great. Decks with Dark Eldar allies will especially welcome this card, as it provides some of the card advantage that they forego by losing Ammo Depot.

Corvus – 3/5
I think a card bonus – even a conditional one – is just enough to make a 3/1/3/3 statline playable. This card is right in the middle of the road in terms of power level and I could see it showing up in a lot of decks or none at all in a few weeks depending on how it plays in practice.

HoopJones- 3 / 5
An interesting unit, but the 3 cost field is very limited right now. I could see this guy being better for the beefier Chaos warlords, but only if you are planning to commit to the same planet that turn to ensure a command win. It would be very disappointing to play a 3/3 for 3 and not be able to win the card bonus.

Asklepios - 2/5
3 cost for a 1/3/3 that sometimes pretends to be a void pirate. It’s nice in that its painful to command snipe, but at 3-cost your opponent will likely just beat you with command icons.

Kaloo - 3/5
Decent stats with an ok ability. It’s priced slightly better than a Rune Encrusted Void Pirate and is a decent Infernal Gateway drop, whilst being Sowing Chaos immune. The main issue is finding space for it

Khornate Chain Axe:

Steinerp- 3/5
First these are going in my Kugath deck, no question but other than that silly deck, I don’t see a lot of uses. Bloodthrist is hard to trigger at times and without it is a just a bad ion rifle without all the tau synergies for attachments. I will give it a 3 because it protects you from warpstorm.

Kingsley - 4/5
Khornate Chain Axe is a slightly lesser Ion Rifle that comes with a solid ability as well, allowing it to outperform Ion Rifle in big fights or with the right setup in smaller battles. Fittingly, it's an amazing boost for Ba'ar Zul's Cleavers, but many other units will like this upgrade too - and keep in mind that attachments have extra synergy in Chaos, where equipping them means that your unit no longer has to fear being damaged or killed by your own Warp Storm plays.

Corvus – 2/5
It's a worse ion rifle for factions with few attachment synergies and surprisingly few beefy cost-effective units that don't already have brutal.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
Hello I am an Ion Rifle for Chaos. Ion Rifle is still a good card. Slap this on a high HP unit (and/or use Ba’ar Zuuls reaction) and you have one scary unit to deal with. I doubt I will need it in Zarathur, but even Ku’Gath could make use of this.

Asklepios - 2/5
This is reasonably solid at first glance, with almost the hitting power of Ion Rifle at the start, and exceeding it over time. However, attachments have a tendency of giving an opponent 2-for-1 value on removing your unit, and we've no Shadowsun-style ability to mess around with attachments. I can't see this making the cut. With ambush, this card could have been 5/5.

Kaloo - 4/5
All 3 factions that can use this needed this. At worst it’s a mini Ion Rifle. At best, …. SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE. This is still a solid attachment on units that already have Brutal (e.g. Enraged Ork), it’s just better on units that don’t

Mandrake Fearmonger:

Steinerp -2/5
Do you know why he is attacking a guardsman, because everyone else would kick his ass. An easily prevented ability, poor statline and high cost. Thanks I’ll look elsewhere.

Kingsley - 2/5
While making your opponent discard is very good, keep in mind that they can 1 shield to prevent this from going off. That does mean that they'll be going down a card either way, but often you're just picking away at chaff. Further, the stats here are bad for the cost. Overall not an amazing unit - I suspect its choke synergy will make some players at least consider it, but that it will probably be more of a niche include. After all, when strong choke cards like Murder of Razorwings don't see widespread play, it seems relatively unlikely that things like this will.

Corvus – 1/5
Apparently an offensively bad Dark Eldar unit in every pack is a theme for the planetfall cycle. The only way this guy ever does anything is if you command snipe with him present and force your opponent to shield/discard for a unit he couldn't save anyhow. This doesn't in any way excuse his joke of a statline.

HoopJones- 2 / 5
I always “ARGH” in my head when I see a unit with 1 attack given a very strong ability. For 3 cost, it just seems so situational. This is a combo card for sure (Hypex Injector?) and no me gusta combo cards. If it had 2 attack I would rate it a lot higher.

Asklepios - 3/5
This is a pretty strong effect, forcing a card to be lost one way or another: either a shield or a random discard. However, appalling stats for cost are off-putting. Because its dark eldar, it goes from 2/5 to 3/5, as it tightens the choke even further. I can't help but compare it to a mid-range version of Wailing Wraithfighter, as it has a junior version of that ability, and that card is also poor value statwise for its cost.

Kaloo- 2/5
Nice effect, but any shield stops it. I suppose that using a shield is equivalent to throwing a card but you lose the randomness element. Whilst it’s potentially strong in a deck running the Khornate Axe and/or No Mercy it’s a weak combat card in deck needing strong 3 cost units

Shadowed Thorns Bodysuit:

Steinerp-3/5
There just aren’t enough targets for it yet. Nice ability and if we get kabalites that don’t suck at some point probably deserves a 4. Right now it is stretching to get a 2, so based on future potential I’m splitting the difference

Kingsley - 4/5
This is an excellent card that currently lacks many good targets, though using it to protect a Kabalite Strike Force can be nasty in some matchups. Let's see what the future holds in terms of Kabalites before writing it off, however - I suspect that this card, Bladed Lotus Rifle, and Morn herself will become much better as the cycle continues and more Kabalites see print.

Corvus – 2/5
It's a very neat defensive ability, but you can only put it on units you often don't want to play and which often don't need defending. Much like other cards of this type, it loses most of its value once the game progresses to bigger fights where the opponent has lots of targets to choose from.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
It costs 0 (great for stalling) and basically gives you the effect of an Iron Halo. Not sure if there are any “wow” targets for this yet, but Salaine Morn is bound(less) to receive better Kabalite units soon.

Asklepios - 3/5
Clearly made for Morn, this is a repeatable indomitable effect on a 0-cost attachment, admittedly specific to a few units. Probably an east 3x for Morn, and 0x for Kith or Urien.

Kaloo - 4/5
This is a Salaine Morn card and has been rated as such. Useless outside of Morn but great for her, as long as 2 more good Kabalites get released (Flayed Skull Slavers being 1 of them). Acts as a mini Indomitable

Fire Prism:

Steinerp- 3/5
Competes with the Mighty Wraithknight for the best Eldar elite. If rumors of the Bonesinger choir reducing vehicles as well as drones are true, Eldar might have a true elite deck soon. If they aren’t I don’t see this helping them significantly.

Kingsley - 3/5
A decent Elite option, the Fire Prism provides good generalist stats that come with both Ranged and a strong ability. The attack is a little weak, especially since you need to get damage through to trigger the ability, but Starcannon is likely going to be your best friend here. However, Eldar don't really lack means of exhausting the enemy - when you get right down to it, this card doesn't really help the core Eldar weakness to swarms. It's a decent card, yes, but it's more of what they already have and don't much need more of.

Corvus – 2/5
Certainly the best target for Starcannon to date. I'd still keep this in the card binder while Eldar wait for a compelling reason to play 6 cost units.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
I have to start rating elite units assuming we will enter a meta where elite decks are viable. Given that context, being able to ping off a cheap resource capper and exhaust an enemy elite unit is huge. Combine this with Eldorath’s reaction and Mind-War and you’ve got a very locked down enemy board state.

Asklepios - 3/5
Damnably expensive, but big stats, ranged and a great ability make this one a decent card. Its not one for most decks, but it makes Starcannon-fans happy.

Kaloo - 4/5
This is what the Shrieking Basilisk should have been. The fact that Starcannon exists only makes this stronger, especially if some cheap Eldar vehicles come out. Weak vs Gorzod, but that’s what Nullify’s for

Saim-Hann Jetbike:

Steinerp-3/5
I want to rate this higher as Eldar don’t have any decent cards you can use for 2 shields. This slots into that space, decent ability but if you aren’t going to cry if you use it for a shield. It has obvious uses on combat units but I could see real value in giving it to a survivalist as well.

Kingsley - 4/5
This card isn't quite as good as some other two-shield staples but will still be very useful. Note that this combos well with many cards that are already powerful - Starbane's Council in particular loves this card. I expect this to replace Empower for almost all Starbane decks, and it might prove good enough to push that slot from 2x to 3x. That said, Baharroth might actually prefer Empower given the well-known squishiness of him and his signature unit.

Corvus – 3/5
Very situational, but so is Empower, so I could see this becoming the 'other' 2-shielder of choice. The best target is probably Starbane's council, and sometimes dropping them in mid-fight to do 6 damage will make it worth the cost.

HoopJones- 5 / 5
It’s going to see more play than empower and it turns a unit into a pseudo Wildrider Squadron. Where can you go wrong? This is going to be great in Eldorath as a shield card / combat trick, and will fit into Baharroth’s playstyle with ease.

Asklepios - 5/5
Our rules bods have clarified that damage is dealt at destination. More importantly though, it makes any unit Wilder than a Wildrider Squadron, which is just incredible. Plus, 2-shielders are hyper-precious to Eldar. In the current cardpool, it'd be hard to reject this card at least at 2x copies.

Kaloo - 5/5
Finally, another Eldar double shield. Wait, the ability is good too? Awesome! No faction restriction on its text adds icing to the cake. Better still, every Eldar warlord is happy with this

Prototype Crisis Suit:

Steinerp- 2/5
I don’t most decks have enough target to justify this. Ion rifle and Aux armour are the primary ones. Gun Drones and Cadre are eligible. Not bad as it should hit one and might hit two but there are better options. If it hits twice, the card advantage significance cannot be ignored

Kingsley - 3/5
So, in the "average" case, your 9-card search hits one Ion Rifle or Auxiliary Armor (assuming both are 3x), giving you either a 5 cost 2/7/4 or a 5 cost 2/6/5. Both of those statlines are solid for the price, and you get the added bonus of having an attachment, thus enabling various other synergy effects. That said, keep in mind that this doesn't work with Shadowsun's Stealth Cadre or with Gun Drones, and you are going to have some situations where it just misses. All in all an interesting and potentially powerful option, but time will tell whether it works out in practice.

Corvus – 2/5
Even if you try to maximize your chances you're 10% to miss and 30% to only get one attachment, so the average stats on this guy are underwhelming. The stats boosts from Ion Rifle and Auxiliary Armor also make him something of a glass cannon. The fact that he comes prebuilt with attachments for the relevant Tau cards is nice but not enough to make him see play.

HoopJones- 3 / 5
Currently this card feels extremely limited because it cannot fetch Gun Drones or Stealth Cadre, and it can only attach Tau attachments. I don’t like it until we have better attachment options.

Asklepios - 2/5
It sounds so good, the idea of spending 5 for a unit that starts with a free Ion Rifle and Auxiliary Armour for 9/5 stats. But even given that perfect scenario, that makes it not much better than a Possessed in chaos. Now if we crunch the numbers, the miss chances are pretty high: run 7 tau attachments and its 78% 1 attachment, 37% 2 attachments. Push in Repulsor Impact Field and you can get it to 90% for 1, 60% for 2. This is no ECT in efficiency!

Kaloo - 3/5
Ok stats with an ok ability. Suffers tremendously from the lack of eligible Tau attachments, since currently it’s limited to 2 strong ones, 1 sub-optimal one and 1 terrible one. It’s saved from a 2/5 rating due to the likelihood of other attachments being released in the future

Mont’ka Strike:

Steinerp- 1/5
Move along, nothing to see here. Printed value, everyone must take part, single target. I guess the surprise value maybe earns it a two since opponents are not going to expect such a situational card.

Kingsley - 2/5
This card is like a weird and bad version of Preemptive Barrage. There are some situations where this will let a gang of weenies overwhelm a powerful unit, but they'll be few and far between. Why does a card from a faction that focuses on buffing units' ATK rely on printed ATK instead?

Corvus – 1/5
Why? I mean, you don't even get to choose to selectively exhaust soldiers if your army is overkill. Trying to somehow line things up to make this card relevant is not what I'm in interested in doing in the middle of a pitched battle.

HoopJones- 2 / 5
Tau have not had much of a problem handling individual threats due to their high attack options. So, I don’t think this is a great way to deal with elites and Tau don’t really have the deck space for a situational event. It could be a good trick at a planet without a fight, but that’s a big if.

Asklepios - 2/5
I love card design that fits in some decks, but not others! You can build around this card with space marine allies and careful selections, and do a big spike of damage. The problem here is that a spike of damage is normally something to aim at a warlord, which we have no chance to do. Given it’s also a 1-shielder and has no synergy with existing warlords, I don't rate this card that highly.

Kaloo - 2/5
Action level damage is always a good thing since the timing allows you to get around pesky units. The problem is that this is an all-or-nothing card, as it’s likely to exhaust everything you have. Sure, you could attack with one unit first then use this, but then you’re limiting the upper hand gained from the timing advantage

Sae’lum Enclave:

Steinerp- 5/5
In the right decks this is great economy card. In Aunshi, not so much. Unique and limited make it a question of how many to play. I’m thinking 2 might be justifiable in Starblaze and 1 in Shadowsun.

Kingsley - 5/5
Double reducers are really good, and this is no exception - I expect to see a lot of Starblaze and Shadowsun decks playing this card as a core economic engine. It might even merit 3x include despite being Unique and Limited.

Corvus – 3/5
I'm interested. It could be the engine for a very specific deck, although that deck will really wish it had more efficient plays if it can't draw an Enclave soon enough, and if you were looking at AM allies the discount is partly wasted on their many good 1 cost units.

HoopJones- 5 / 5
This card has so much potential that you will see decks built around it. This is the type of card that screams for support removal. Imagine a turn 1 Sae’lum Enclave followed by a 1 cost Blood Angels Veteran and a turn 2 Tactical Squad Cardinis FOR FREE. I would mulligan just to have this in my starting hand. We are going to see some cool Taulliance decks with this. I can see it working with Shadowsun and Starblaze decks out of the gate.

Asklepios - 3/5
Discount for 2 per turn is great economy, though existing Aun'shi and Shadowsun builds generally don't use much by way of allies. They can be built to, of course, but that can lead to other problems. For Starblaze its much stronger, of course.

Kaloo - 5/5
Best cost reducer to date. The condition is not hard to meet in Shadowsun or Starblaze and as a worst case scenario can be used on 1 cost units. Given the prevalence of Wroth in Shadowsun I can even see 3x being run with the spares just being thrown after, but it’s definitely solid as a 1/2x include

Genestealer Prowler:

Steinerp- 2/5
I’m not seeing enough infest to make Subject Omega reliably give this guy ambush and without ambush he is just bad. I am assuming that Omega will get some better infest tech at which point this guy deserves a much higher rating (probably 4).

Kingsley - 4/5
This is a better (though conditional) Eager Recruit for Subject Omega. It's hard to get excited about something this generic, but we all know it will play a pretty major role in Subject Omega decks, so we may as well rate it that way now. May also see play as an early fighter in other Tyranid warlords, but I suspect that Soaring Gargoyles is so much better in that role that this won't see play until What Lurks Below comes out.

Corvus – 2/5
With Subject Omega, it's an eager recruit with an extra hitpoint that often won't have ambush. That seems weak enough that you'll really have to care about the other genestealer synergies to include him.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
Tyranids already have serious command problems, but if you are going to focus on bullying with units and throw hammers to the wind, this guy is going to be your friend. Blatant synergy with the upcoming Genestealer warlord means he will see play as a Tyranid Eager Recruit.

Asklepios - 4/5
I'm rating this card ONLY for the new genestealer warlord as its clearly trash for the two existing warlords. In that context, it’s an extra-tough eager recruit that is limited to infested planets and to you having a hale warlord. Thats still worth running, though it’s not as good as eager recruit.

Kaloo - 4/5
This is a Subject Omega card and has been rated as such. Close to useless for the other warlords but is a slightly stronger (albeit restricted) eager recruit for Omega

Biomass Sacrifice:

Steinerp- 2/5
A late game play that can be interesting but I don’t see it as more than a 1 of. If it had had 2 shields, I think it would have both early and late game viability. A missed opportunity I think to give the ‘nids the 2 shielder they need.

Kingsley - 3/5
This card provides a very interesting alternate economy option, especially suitable for playing in big unit decks as a means of removing unnecessary duplicate monsters from your hand while gaining the resources required to play individual copies. I would have loved to see it with two shields, which would make it a clear staple, but as it stands I think it'll prove an interesting option for a wide range of Tyranid decks.

Corvus – 3/5
In the early game card advantage matters and you'd rarely consider playing this. Once the finish line is in sight, though, you'll often be willing to pitch all the extraneous cards in your hands to bring out just a few more key units. Be wary of putting highly situational cards like this in your deck, but don't underestimate them either.

HoopJones- 4 / 5
More elite love. It’s happening.gif. Someone also mentioned using this card to trigger a Spore Burst, which seems like a lot of cards lost but hey, it could work. You may not want to use this ability on turn 1, but if you focus on Elouith specifically to pay for a hefty elite...this could be a valuable asset to the big monster archetype.

Asklepios - 3/5
This card looks inefficient at first glance, but the nature of the tyranid deck pool means that you often run out of resources before cards. My inclination is to have 1-2 copies in any tyranid deck.

Kaloo- 2/5
This has some niche uses where it can be used in combat to fund tricks or used in deployment to fund elites, but it still assumes that card draw has been very strong thus far. This should have had double shields