Nothing original here, sorry, just my thoughts on where optimal Tier 1 Zarathur lies.
Units:
There's a lot of cuts here that used to make inclusion: Warbikers, Goff Boyz, Shoota Boyz. Every card is here because I would rather draw them than those.
Noise Marine Zealots are there almost purely for Infernal Gateway combo, though sometimes these may get played naturally.
Attachments:
The big shift here is 3 x Slaanesh's Temptation. As Kingsley says, I think a lot of people haven't realsied just how good this card is.
The goal here is to put this at a place the enemy warlord doesn't want to be, and where the battle ability doesn't greatly bother you. Don't deploy command units there, let them have command on that planet. That way, if they commit there, its inefficiency, wasting command advantage and battle ability, and if they don't, thats a second deploy phase of squeeze.
Events:
Only 1 Warpstorm. Heretical I know, but there's basically no card I'd drop to make room for this.
Tzeentch's Firestorm is now one of the weakest cards in the deck, but still can't be neglected because of the Shrine of Warpflame recursed-shields trick, as well as the late game stupidly big blast spell.
Supports:
Nothing has changed here, this is still the absolute heart of the deck and the reason to run ork allies. Ammo Depot is really really good for this deck, even if its has lost some strength in other warlords. Virtual resources, cheap command curve and an emphasis on deploy delay makes this a real key card: mulligan for it if its not in the opening hand.
Likewise Ork Kannon is stronger in Zarathur than anywhere else.
Strategy:
The name of the game here is attrition. Wear them down, deal damage more efficiently than them, and make their victories and deploys expensive. Resource choking is actually better than card choking 90% of the time, as resource wins help you keep Depot working.
The big gear shift comes against Cato, unfortunately, and your'e forced to play on his terms: block card draw as hard as you can.
In battle, take advantage of your timing advantage. Know when to use your Plaguebearers and your flamers. Ideally, by the time ranged strikes begin, they should be losing the battle.
In command, use deploy delays for maximum advantage. This deck is medium command only: 37 icons, with only 3 2-for-2s and 11 1-for-1s, and 3 of those 1-for-1s you'll be sacrificing as soon as you get them. Don't sweat bad command on turn 1, as things tend to turn around as the attrition game locks in.
To me, this is a tier 1 deck that is superb against most warlords, but sadly weakest against Cato, which keeps it from winning tournaments that often. Best advise I've got against Cato is to bloody him fast as possible!
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Slaanesh's temptation is really good. It really hurts a lot of the decks right now. I would actually say it's painful against most except for Cato maybe. Paying 1 resource more doesn't sound like a lot, but paying 2 for your 1 drop command units and even more for your combat units is bad. Really hurt my Nazdreg deck the other day which runs a more high low style curve with more 1s and 3 drops. A lot of times it will win you the planet on first turn.
The only I change I often consider is Noise Marine Zealots, which can be Warbikers (more efficient, but reduces chance of useful Infernal Gateway), or Khorne Berzerkers (a better gateway when turning up solo to drop on an enemy warlord, but slightly lower output when dropped in next to other units). Thats really a matter of preference, but over fifty plus games with this build, I've opted to leave Zealots in.
Strong other mentions: a second Warpstorm may be better than a third Rogue Trader, Dire mutation is very valid too, but not something I have room for.
Those options come down to preference
Re: Ork Kannon, I have to say that for me, this is an absolute top pick. Its more about the overall deck shape, and the multitude of ways to deal damage before the first ranged strike.
Such is their power, that I've had games where on drawing 2-3 on an opening hand, I hold onto the hand just for that reason. All I need then is a 2HP unit on Planet 1, and Zarathur there, and I can go 1 damage on the unit, 1 damage on Zarathur, for a total of 4 damage on the other side. If that unit is a Flamers or Plaguebearer, then the pre-ranged damage can keep stacking up. If there's a tricon opening, this can be well worth it!
Having played this exact decklist in the Australian Nationals, I would go:
+1 Cacophonic Choir
+1 Firestorm
-1 Temptation
-1 Warpstorm
Would also consider adding Wroth though you'd probably have to take out Zealots to avoid impacting the cost curve too much.
Although it lacks synergy with Zarathur's ability, Choir is such a massive blow against Kith that it's still worth playing over Warpstorm. Losing a golden hammer can suck, but you'll often find yourself in a situation where the loss is inconsequential since you were unable to win command at your desired commit anyway or the rewards would be suppressed by Palace. Because it deals so much damage, you can actually find that Choir will remove opposing Traders and Pirates which can tie or flip a command in your favour (or at least reduce your opponent's rewards for winning a struggle). It is also a little more synergistic with Ammo Depot since there's no need to hold it for combat unlike Warpstorm.
Temptation is a card that I've given flak to in the past. Having played it a number of times now, I think I have a pretty good picture on how it can impact the game. I won't deny it can be impactful (it certainly can be), but there are times when the effect is insufficient for changing the course of a game. I have seen Kith be able to play under the effect and just eat the additional tax while still pumping out a strong command game. It's simply not as oppressive as a Palace and you really want to have Y'Varn at 3, 4 or 5 to get the most out of it (and you really want initiative when you play it).
Even if the stars are in alignment and you can play the Temptation fairly optimally, you still find that your opponent can spam their Traders, Pirates and Survivalists to Y'Varn without contest. Sniping with your Warlord defeats the Temptation and counter-capping with your own command only increases the value of an opposing warlord commit. Superiority also bypasses Temptation's effect, allowing your opponent to win commands outside the Temptation planet without spending additional resources.
My preference would be to include an additional Firestorm over the Temptation as you really want to have a critical mass of direct damage to get through opposing shields. Once your opponent's supply of shields has been depleted, direct damage becomes amazing (like Archon's Terror, but better) but you need some upfront investment to get you there. With Mutation being removed from the list, dropping an additional Firestorm makes your remaining damage (Flamers, Plaguebearers, Kanons and 2 x Firestorm) much less effective.
Temptation isn't quite as oppressive as Palace, I agree, but it does have 2 shields to make up for that. You're right that it can be played around, and generally my rule is that if I can't play it optimally, I keep it as 2 shields.
Even so, the sheer impact of a turn 1 Temptation with initiative is huge. The biggest effect is not so much the tax it charges on that turn, but the fact that an opponent has to waste a warlord commit (and trigger a battle ability of no use to them) to clear it, or be taxed again next turn.
I'm convinced that an opening hand Temptation is at least as strong as, say, an opening hand Ammo Depot.
I do like Choir, I must say, but I like Warpstorm more. My current build is down to 1 Firestorm, to accomodate an extra Warpstorm, and I've not regretted it.
You probably want the qualifier "with Y'Varn, but not at 1" in there too. ;-)
Having played such an opening hand multiple times (with Y'Varn) against Kith, I disagree. It feels good to play initially, but I generally found the long game plays out better when you have a consistent means to hit the key mass removal cards which are so vital to the matchup. Especially if your opponent gets an early Palace which can prevent you from finding a Depot if you're not already holding it. No Depot and Palace oppression makes people sad.
Kith is amazing at command, and it's quite feasible to simply pay the tax every turn while dumping Pirates and Traders on the Temptation planet (which is how I normally face the situation as Kith).
This is a matter of opinion, of course, and disagreement is welcome. But this is currently the best reference for a competitive Zarathur decklist available and wanted to add my own opinion to the thread.
Edit: 1 Firestorm makes Shrine sad. :-)
Eh, Shrine is one card, and there's plenty of other Tzeentch cards to fetch!
Worth noting that the above is my end of cycle build. Under pressure from the community I've also added the new unique Khorne unit, and lost a Noise Marine to do so.
I've cursed a few times when I've had that card and Infernal Gateway in hand at the same time, but more often I'm having to acknowledge it is actually a very solid addition.
Just ONE though, no more, at least for Zarathur swarm.
Sure, but no Tzeentch card is as effective, flexible or easy to use with Shrine as Firestorm. It's fun to recur a Firestorm off itself with the Shrine. Obviously not the biggest deal (which I only gave it a line in edit), but it's one of my favourite combos in the deck. :-)