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Shadespire: Chosen Axes Tips & Tactics

By Travis Perkins | March 19th, 2018 | Categories: Age of Sigmar, Shadespire, Tactics, Tips & Tactics

dwarf berzerker

They’re after Ur-Gold! The Chosen Axes are the latest expansion for Shadespire and we’ve got some tips and tactics for you to help your quest for glory!

This new Warband is out to make up for lost honor as they were hired to protect Shadespire years ago and failed in that duty.

These guys are here to figure out a way to break the curse Nagash has placed on the citizens of Shadespire and thus fulfill the contract they made and restore their honor. Chosen Axes become inspired when they control an objective at the end of a phase. Couple that with their low movement and you have an interesting Warband to sort out.

As usual, this just focuses on the Core Set and the Chosen Axes expansion. To see the other posts on individual Warbands I have written, follow these links.

First, let’s look at what comes in the expansion.

Chosen Axes Objectives:

 

  • A Claim Retaken (2 glory): Score this in an end phase if a friendly fighter holds an objective that an enemy fighter held at the beginning of the preceding action phase.
  • A Grim Promise (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if your Warband tool an enemy leader out of action in the preceding action phase.
  • Ferocious charge (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if a friendly fighter takes an enemy fighter out of action with a charge action.
  • For the Ur-Gold (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if all of your surviving fighters (at least 3) are inspired.
  • Fury of the Lodge (1 glory): Score this in an end phase is all of your surviving fighters (at least 3) made a charge action in the preceding action phase.
  • Hoarders (2 glory): Score this in an end phase if all of your fighters and no enemy fighters are holding objectives.
  • Oaths Still to Fulfil (3 glory): Score this in the third end phase if none of your fighters are out of action.
  • Scion of Grimnir (1 glory): Score this immediately if your leader takes an enemy fighter out of action.
  • Unstoppable Advance (2 glory): Score this in an end phase if all of your surviving fighters are in enemy territory.

Universal Objectives:

  • Assassinate (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if your Warband took an enemy leader out of action in the preceding action phase.
  • Dauntless (2 glory): Score this in an end phase if your fighters are outnumbered by at least three to one.
  • Honest Opponent (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if you played no ploy cards during the preceding action phase.
  • Making a Statement (3 glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold all objectives (at least one) in your opponent’s territory.
  • No Remorse (1 glory): Score this immediately if one of your fighters takes an enemy fighter out of action with a damage characteristic greater the then the targets wound characteristic.
  • Perfect Planning (1 gory): Score this in an end phase if none of your fighters made a Move action in the preceding action phase.
  • Precise Use of Force (1 glory): Score this immediately if a friendly fighter makes a successful attack action that deals exactly enough damage to take their target out of action.
  • Tactical Genius 1-3 (3 glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold objectives one, two, and three.
  • Total Annihilation (7 glory): Score this in the first or second end phase if all enemy fighters have been taken out of action.
  • Trapped (1 glory): Score this immediately if an enemy fighter takes damage from a friendly fighter’s attack action because they cannot be driven back.
  • Unbroken Wall (1 glory): Score this in an end phase if all friendly fighters (at least three) are in a single group with each friendly fighter adjacent to another friendly fighter.

My Chosen Axes Warband is built around getting inspired by holding objectives, so I am going to put together a group of objective cards that follow that theme. After that, we are going to take the fight to the opponent’s territory so there will be some aggressive objectives as well. Starting with the core set cards we are going to put in Annihilation, Hold Objective 3, Conquest, and Supremacy. After that, from Chosen Axes only, we want A Claim Retaken, A Grim Promise, Unstoppable Advance, Scion of Grimnir, and Ferocious Charge. Finally, from the universal cards in Chosen Axes, we want Making a Statement, No Remorse, and Precise Use of Force. This gives us a nice mix of immediately and end phase scoring cards, along with a good mix of easy (1 glory) cards to some game winners (3+ glory) cards.

Chosen Axes Ploys:

Chosen Axes

  • Berserk Fury: The first time a friendly fighter suffers damage in the next activation, roll a defense dice. If the result is a shield they suffer no damage.
  • Indomitable: The first time a friendly fighter suffers damage in the next activation, they only suffer one damage.
  • Living Wall: Choose two friendly fighters and push each of them up to one hex. They must end up adjacent to one another.
  • Oathsworn (Reaction): Play this after a friendly fighter’s attack action that fails. That fighter can make another attack action that targets the same fighter.
  • Piercing Stare: Choose an enemy fighter. They cannot make an attack or charge action in the next activation.
  • Slaying Blow: If the first attack action in the next activation is a critical hit, double its damage characteristic.
  • The Earth Shakes: Choose a fighter and push them one hex.
  • Treasure – Lust: Choose a friendly fighter and push them up to three hexes. They must end up holding an objective
  • Ur-gold Boon: Choose a friendly fighter and roll a defense dice. On a roll of shield or critical remove up to two wound tokens from them. Otherwise, remove one wound token from them.
  • We Shall Not Be Moved: Friendly fighter holding objectives cannot be driven back by the first attack activation in the next activation.

Universal Ploys:

  • Confused Priorities: Switch two objectives that are currently being held.
  • Darkness Descends: The first Attack action in the next activation has a range of one.
  • Death Throes (Reaction): Play this card during an attack action or ploy that will take a friendly fighter out of action. Choose an enemy fighter adjacent to the target. They suffer one damage.
  • Earthquake: Push all fighters one hex. You must push them all in the same direction. Any that cannot be pushed this way are not pushed.
  • Fuelled by Fury: You can re-roll any attack dice for the first friendly fighter’s attack action in the next activation.
  • Legacy (Reaction): Play this after an attack action or ploy that takes a friendly fighter out of action. Choose one of their universal upgrades and give it to an adjacent friendly fighter.
  • No Time: No more power cards can be played until after the next activation.
  • Ready for Action (Reaction): Play this after you upgrade a fighter in an action phase. They can make a move or attack action.
  • Tantalising Prize: The first friendly fighter to take a move action in the next activation can move up to an additional two hexes if they end their move on an objective.
  • Trap (Reaction): Play this during a friendly fighter’s attack action that drives an enemy fighter back. The enemy fighter suffers one damage.

We need to use these to get your fighters inspired so they can dish out extra pain to finish off your opponent. First, we need to get over the slow movement by adding Living Wall, The Earth Shakes, Treasure – Lust, and Tantalising Prize.

Finally, we need a couple of attack and defensive ploys, so we are going to add Confused Priorities, Indomitable, Oathsworn, Piercing Stare, We Shall Not Be Moved, and Ur-Gold Boon. This will let us get some models onto the objectives to get inspired, which will then allow you to start hitting your opponent hard.

Chosen Axes Upgrades:

fireslayers shadespire

  • Activated Runes: Each time this fighter makes an attack action you can reroll one dice.
  • Brute Strength (Tefk): This fighter’s attack actions gain knockback one.
  • Defiant Strike (Tefk) (Reaction): Range one, three dice (dual swords), one damage. During an attack action that succeeds against this fighter, this fighter cannot be driven back and makes this attack action. It must target the attacker.
  • Flurry of Blows (Maegrim): Range one, three dice (dual swords), two damage.
  • Great Swing (Vol): Range one, two dice (dual swords), two damage. Targets all adjacent enemy fighters.
  • Grimnir’s Blessing (Fjul-Grimnir) (Reaction): During an attack action or ploy that would take this fighter out of action, roll a defense dice. If you roll a shield the damage suffered by this fighter is ignored.
  • Grimnir’s Speed (Fjul-Grimnir): +2 Move
  • Returning Axe (Maegrim): Range three, two dice (dual swords), one damage. One a critical this attack action has +1 damage.
  • War Song (Vol): This fighter is two supporting fighters when they support rather than one.

Universal Upgrades:

  • Headlong Charge: When this fighter makes a charge action, increase their movement characteristic by one until the end of the activation
  • Katophranes Locket [Relic]: Cumulative armor that if you have two pieces allows you to reroll defense dice. At three pieces reroll attack dice. At four pieces After this fighter’s action you draw two power cards. Finally, at six pieces you gain four glory points.
  • Light Armor: Rolls of critical on a defense dice are no longer a success for this fighter. Roll an extra attack dice when this fighter makes an attack action.
  • Light Footed (Reaction): During an attack action that could drive this fighter back (whether your opponent chose to), you can instead push them one hex.
  • Second in Command: If your Warband’s leader is out of action, this fighter is considered to be a leader. While this fighter is on the battlefield, opponents cannot score objectives for having taken your leader out of action.
  • Shadeglass Axe: Either a range one attack, two dice (hammers), two damage or range three attack, two dice (hammers), two damage. On a successful hit discard the upgrade a, and on a critical hit the attack has +1 damage.
  • Shifting Image (Reaction): After any attack action in which you roll a critical for this fighter (with an attack or defense dice), you can push this fighter one hex.
  • Solid Stance: this fighter can only be driven back by a critical hit
  • The Blazing Key: If this fighter is holding objective three in the third end phase, score two glory points.
  • Vampiric Weapon: When this fighter takes an enemy fighter out of action, remove one wound token from this fighter.

Shadespire Wal Hor

For my upgrades, I want attacks that will grant range, as well as movement and defense. I want to park on an objective and still be able to lash out at enemies. Starting with Activated Runes, Defiant Strike, Grimnir’s Speed, and Returning Ax that gives us some oomph with our swings as well as some movement bonuses.

Then I am going to add Shifting Image, Solid Stance, and The Blazing Key. Finally, from the core set, I am going to take Great Fortitude, Great Speed, and Great Strength. This will help your inspired fighters hit a bit harder while giving them some speed to move around afterward.

There you have it: an objective based Chosen Axes deck that pairs decently with the core set. I will say though this deck is definitely limited to a one on one game, and against a multiple opponent game it will struggle as it is based on taking the fight to your opponent and claiming their objectives.

would-you-like-to-know-more-logo-starship-troopersCheck out more “newbie” tips for the Hobby

About the Author: Travis Perkins

An avid homebrewer and Detroit sports fan (yes even the Lions). I am new to the world of wargamming and very much enjoying the journey. If you have any suggestions or comments feel free to comment on the article or email me at perki116@msu.edu