Last week we shared the first half of the campaign run by our friends over on YouTube, The Hobby Collab. They’re kicking off with Spearhead boxes and growing into full armies from there, and here’s what the remaining three players have to say about their chosen factions and future directions.
Ossiarch Bonereapers
Steven: The vast skeletal construct legions of the Ossiarch Bonereapers are among the most disciplined and elite forces at Grand Alliance Death’s disposal. Maybe you prefer rank upon rank of immovable Mortek Guard screening Mortek Crawlers that bombard your opponent at range, or perhaps you want to rush across the battlefield and crush your foes with devastating cavalry charges from waves of Kavalos Deathriders. Maybe you want to really lean into the horror of the faction and deploy giant undead constructs like Necropolis Stalkers and Morghast Harbingers.
The new Mortisan Elite Spearhead box is a fantastic place for any aspiring Ossiarch general to begin their journey. The box has some key units that I consider staples for the faction and give you a good taste of how the army will play on the tabletop. The other benefit to this box is that the number of models is small, so you can really take your time painting up your new boney lads for battle.
Once you have a few games of Spearhead under your belt and are ready to play Age of Sigmar at a grander scale, I think there are a couple of good options you could pick to expand your force.
First off, the heroes. Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis is an essential purchase. Not only is this an incredible centrepiece model, but he is an absolute powerhouse on the table. He buffs all your units, making them fight better and live longer, and also denies your opponents key command abilities, as well as being no slouch in combat. Whenever I run a list without him I always feel his absence.
Next in line behind the main Mortarch himself, I would suggest a Mortisan Soulmason. The model is awesome – he’s got a big hat and is sitting on a throne with legs! – but he’s also a two cast wizard with some great utility. Katakros is many things, but a caster is not one of them. However you expand your army, I’d say including a two cast wizard to supplement your Ossifector is key.
The Spearhead box is very elite, and I’d recommend expanding all of the units included by simply grabbing a second one. This gives you the flexibility to double the unit sizes from three to six models, which is a terrifying prospect for your foes as there is no greater hammer in Grand Alliance Death than four Morghast with some buffs. Also you’ll enjoy watching your opponent try and chew through six Immortis Guard, especially if Katakros is nearby and has buffed their already considerable defences.
If you want to branch out from giant bone constructs, I’d recommend grabbing a box of Mortek Guard. They are a great screening unit who are also brilliant at defending objectives. The ability to make them impervious to rend means even at one health apiece they are difficult to get rid of, helping you keep those crucial objectives firmly in your control.
My final recommendation would be a Mortek Crawler. Death is famously lacking ranged options, so having the choice to field giant catapults hurling magical skulls at your foes is a fairly unique element for the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Forcing your opponent to have to come to you in order to shut them down is the position the otherwise slow Bonereapers want to be in, and the catapult provides a threat while also softening up your opponent’s units for the bone harvesting that is to come.
Hope you found this useful and good luck in your successful collection of the tithe, General.
Slaves to Darkness
Cire: It feels good to be bad, and as the resident villain of the team I want to talk about expanding from the Slaves to Darkness Spearhead. The box is already a solid start to any force, with a mix of tough, foot-slogging infantry in the form of Chaos Warriors accompanied by the Chaos Lord, a speedy utility unit with the Chaos Chariot, and a squad of Chaos Knights, who are fast, hard hitting, and tough. What else could you want?
Well, some magic might be a good place to start! Slaves to Darkness have some great spells, and it would be a shame to let them go uncast. I'm partial to using the Chaos Sorcerer Lord as they are a relatively cheap option that can also give a strong defensive buff with their Oracular Visions ability, which grants Ward (5+) to a nearby unit.
What if you want an extra charge dice from Daemonic Speed, but you also want to give an opponent's unit Strike-last with Binding Damnation? You’ll need either two Chaos Sorcerer Lords or a power level two wizard – enter the Gaunt Summoner. Adding one of these to your army not only gives you some extra casting power, it also gives you access to the Minions of the Silver Tower and Book of Profane Secrets abilities, which let you plop a unit down on the battlefield from another dimension!
But who should have the honor of hanging out in the Silver Tower? We’ve already established that Chaos Knights are strong, and grabbing another five to reinforce the unit makes for quite the hammer. The same could be said of the Chaos Warriors, but both of these units also have some bigger, stronger siblings…
Varanguard are everything a Chaos Knight aspires to be. These mounted terrors are absolutely devastating on the battlefield, and you'd be hard pressed to find something that can withstand their onslaught. Similarly, Chaos Chosen are what you get when a Chaos Warrior has been sipping on that Chaos juice for longer than is healthy.* They’re a staple of my army because they destroy whatever they touch, and look cool doing it.
Sylvaneth
Bradley: When you decide to expand a Sylvaneth Spearhead into a larger collection, your first box may actually be another Spearhead. Three of the four kits in the box are staple units, and also have alternate builds if you’re looking for variety.
Six Kurnoth Hunters with Greatbows form a solid backfield shooting unit to support your army, so a second set of three is welcome. If you are getting started with smaller games, you could alternatively build these with greatswords or scythes to offer a mix of threats. On the flanks, a second unit of Tree-Revenants can help to score secondary objectives. In the current season, Sylvaneth are one of the best factions at completing the Scouting Force battle tactic, and it’s partly due to the Tree-Revenants’ ability to disappear and reappear anywhere on the board.
Lastly, the Treelord kit also builds a Spirit of Durthu, which is one of the premier combat monsters in the army. Your opponents will learn to fear that 5 damage Guardian Sword!
Beyond the Spearhead box, you can double down on the Sylvaneth theme of ‘lethal mobility’ with a unit or two of Spiteriders, either in the form of Spiterider Lancers or Revenant Seekers. Both of these units are built from the same kit, and have similar roles – their natural speed is a great compliment to the Walk the Hidden Paths battle trait, which can normally only be used once per turn. You’ll want to save that ability for your slower Treelords, while sending the Spiteriders into combat alongside them on a flutter of iridescent wings.
Lastly, a growing collection needs a good centrepiece, and the Sylvaneth are spoiled for choice. My pick here would be Belthanos, First Thorn of Kurnoth. Not only do his abilities synergize incredibly well with the overall Sylvaneth battle plan, but he’s also a standout model in an already striking range. The Greatspite that he rides into battle is a fantastic canvas for a wide variety of hobby techniques, whether it be lighting effects, metallics, or even just elaborate freehand designs.
Thanks to everyone from The Hobby Collab for taking the time to talk to us about their plans. You can check out their content on YouTube, and be sure to tune in for their coverage of Age of Sigmar at the Las Vegas Open, which runs between the 2nd and 5th of October.
* We’d argue sipping on Chaos juice is never healthy, but we cannot disagree with the results.
