The Big Summer Preview

Battle in the Mortal Realms is spreading across Ghyran as a new General’s Handbook situates action in the Realm of Life. No verdant copse or blossoming meadow is free from the clatter of blades, and even sacred groves are defiled. Nestled deep within the continent of Kurnotheal lies the Spitewood, a dense weald of trees and briars filled with the treasures of the long-dead god of the hunt.

This tangled forest provides the setting for the latest expansion for Warhammer Underworlds: Spitewood.

Designed as an expansion to the Embergard boxed set, Spitewood contains two brand new warbands, two new Rivals decks, a new double-sided board, and a token board that includes new feature tokens representing deposits of Aqua Ghyranis. Let’s crash through the thickets and see what’s in the box.

There are two new warbands in this expansion, with the agile and ferocious Kurnoth’s Heralds taking the charge.

Led by Ylarin, Master of Paths, an exquisite huntsman who has mastered the ever-shifting nature of the Spitewood, this band of Kurnothi have one simple task: keep this holy forest free of those that befoul it with their presence.

He is joined by two equally formidable warriors – Cullon, Axe of Kurnoth, who swings his namesake with savage might, and Lenwythe, Eye of the Forest, so named for her crystal-clear vision and the ability to nail a scarpering hobgrot between the eyes while galloping through the trees.

With high movement and a selection of powerful once-per-game abilities coupled with an immunity to flanking while in Friendly territory, Kurnoth’s Heralds are at their best on defence. They pair well with Strike Decks that don’t require fighters to charge deep into enemy territory to score Glory.

They will need to bring all of their skills to bear in order to defend their blessed home against the despotic duardin that make up The Blood of the Bull.

Hailing from freshly revealed Helsmiths of Hashut, the Blood of the Bull are a cruel and destructive warband led by Zuldrakka the Hateful, a former War Despot who lost her entire army to a devious raid conducted by the worshippers of Kurnoth.

While awaiting reinforcements from her home ziggurat, she leads a warband of duardin who owe her a raft of debts – Morudo, Imindrin and Tokkor the Immolator. Also accompanying them is Grisk Back-stabba, a hobgrot who Zuldrakka employs as a furtive scout and assassin. Her goal? Burn down the very heart of the Spitewood.

These hardy duardin love nothing more than Delving treasure tokens to gain power from the earth. Doing so generates daemonforge dice, which can be added to Attack and Save rolls, making these already formidable warriors stronger and tougher. They pair well with Take and Hold decks, but can also opt for more aggressive Strike or Flex playstyles that take advantage of their powerful attacks.

Aqua Ghyranis feature tokens represent wellsprings of blessed lifewater which generate a Glory point and heal a fighter who is on them in the end phase, while Waystone hexes are sanctified ground that let you re-roll one dice in an Attack or Save roll, both rewarding careful positioning in the Spitewood.

The box also contains two new Rivals decks which you can mix and match with existing warbands. Hunting Grounds is a Strike deck that favours warbands who want to stay in their own territory, letting you manipulate the position of your warband while playing Ploys and Upgrades that spell disaster for anyone foolish enough to take the fight to you.

Warbands of five to seven fighters will be interested in Deadly Synergy, a Mastery deck providing you with unique advantages for arranging your warband in specific formations and Flanking your foes. Ploys and Upgrades allow you to swap weapons and characteristics, wrongfooting those who end up outnumbered.

There’s more to come alongside Spitwood too, as each Grand Alliance receives a new bundle box containing four warbands and their respective warscrolls and fighter cards.

The Seekers in Shadow box brings together four diverse warbands that each represent one of the four playstyles. Xandire’s Truthseekers are a Flex warband, the Shadeborn a Strike warband, the Starblood Stalkers are Take and Hold while Elathain’s Soulraid are exemplify the Mastery playstyle

Reavers of Ruin contains two feral packs in service of Chaos: Skittershank’s Clawpack and The Gnarlspirit Pack, and two god-aligned trios: the Thricefold Discord and the Wurmspat. The Skaven play as as Strike, while the bestial Gnarlspirit go Flex, and both Slaanesh and Nurgle’s fighters favour the Mastery style.

The Morbid Minions of Death rise up to overthrow the living once more, with the Thorns of the Briar Queen, Sons of Velmorn, the Exiled Dead and the Skinnerkin.

It’s big brutes and furtive little fellas for the Gitz and Goliaths. This Destruction box contains Mollog’s Mob, Zarbag’s Gitz, Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers and Rippa’s Snarlfangs – a perfect mix of heft and haste.

If you already own many or most of these warbands, you will be able to buy the Warbands of Spitewood card set, which contains every fighter and warband warscroll card for all 16 warbands, so you can be ready to battle in a new season of Warhammer Underworlds.