Don’t miss the second half of our two-part breakdown on how to make a deck for every warband in Shadespire. Plus, some useful tips for keeping all those cards in order as well.
This week we are back with part two of our 8 decks of Shadespire articles, this week we finish off with: Steelheart’s Champions, Spiteclaw’s Swarm, The Chosen Axes, and The Farstriders.
To see last weeks article which focused on Garrak’s Reavers, Ironskull’s Boyz, Magore’s Fiends, and Sepulchral Guard I have linked it here!
Having 8 decks, I find it’s been a lot of fun to quickly swap between decks when playing against someone, but it can be confusing as to where your cards are. Putting your decks in a spreadsheet is recommended. That way, if you do want to edit a deck to take to a tournament you can find the cards you are looking for and where they go when you bring it back.
Editor’s note you can also use this handy site to keep your cards and decks organized as well.
Just like last time, I am working within the physical limitations of having only 1 of each card (2 from the core set) so I tried to space out the better universal cards throughout all 8 decks.
*All decks contain 12 objective cards, 10 ploy cards, and 10 upgrade cards*
Steelheart’s Champions: The relic style of deck is only available now that all the expansions came out and you can equip one character with all 6 relics. Steelheart’s Champions really support this type of play because they can be defensive with their objectives and ploys.
With their high wound count, high shield defense, and easy to inspire you can keep your miniatures alive long enough to equip all 6 relics on a single person. Along with that, they have a lot of ploys for being defensive and staying away from your opponent, so it works along perfectly with that.
Objectives:
- Alone in the Darkness (2 glory): Score this in an end phase if there are no adjacent fighters on the battlefield.
- Bloodless (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if no fighter suffered any damage in the preceding action phase.
- Chosen Champion (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if a surviving friendly fighter has three or more upgrades.
- Consecrated Area (1 Glory): Score this in end phase if no enemy fighters are adjacent to your fighters.
- Dauntless (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your fighters are outnumbered by at least three to one.
- Eternals (3 Glory): Score this in the third end phase if none of your fighters were taken out of action.
- Honest Opponent (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you played no ploy cards during the preceding action phase.
- Immovable Object (1 Glory): Score this in end phase if the same friendly fighter has helthe d same objective for two consecutive action phases.
- Lightning Strikes (1 Glory): Score this immediately if you take an enemy out on a charge action.
- Perfect Planning (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if none of your fighters made a Move action in the preceding action phase.
- Sigmars Bulwark (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if none of your fighters suffered any damage in the preceding action phase.
- Unbroken Wall (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all surviving friendly fighters (at least 3) are in a single group with each friendly fighter adjacent to another friendly fighter.
Ploys:
- Distraction: Choose an enemy fighter and push them one hex.
- Great Concussion: Choose a hex on the battlefield, then push all fighters one hex (in whichever order you choose), This push must move them away from the chosen hex. If there is no hex you could push a fighter into, don’t push them.
- Healing Potion: A friendly fighter rolls a defense die and on shield or critical heals two wounds, otherwise only heals one.
- Improvisation: Discard all power cards in your hand and draw three power cards.
- Invisible Walls: All fighters Move characteristics are reduced to 1 for the next activation.
- Parry: The first time one of your fighters is targets in the next activation, roll an extra defense dice. When counting your successes, ignore one of the defense dice.
- Peal of Thunder: Choose an enemy fighter and push them one hex in any direction.
- Shardfall: Place a shardfall token in an unoccupied hex. That hex is blocked until the end of the phase.
- Spoils of Battle: Play an upgrade card. This doesn’t cost a glory point.
- Trust to Luck: Discard any number of power cards and draw up to that number of power cards from your deck.
Upgrades:
- Army of One: If this fighter is the last friendly fighter on the battlefield they have +1 Defense and all their Attack actions have +1 Dice.
- Blessed by Sigmar: +1 Wounds
- Great Fortitude: +1 Wounds
- Katophrane’s Belt (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Katophrane’s Boots (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Katophrane’s Gloves (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Katophrane’s Hood (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Katophrane’s Locket (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Katophrane’s Plate (Relic): Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces it allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces you can re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces after this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 6 pieces you get ACTION: gain 4 glory points.
- Tethered Spirit Reaction: During an Attack action or ploy that takes this fighter out of action, roll a defense dice. If you roll a “shield” or a “critical” place them on any starting hex in your territory, ignore the damage and discard this upgrade.
Spiteclaw’s Swarm: The other objective-based deck in my list of 8, though this one is a little more aggressive than the Sepulchral Guard. With these guys, my goal is to push forward towards my opponent’s objectives but still maintain distance so you’re not giving a free kill to your opponent. So, there are a lot of ranged upgrades in this deck so that even your smaller guys can do some damage from afar.
Objectives:
- Arm’s Length (1 Glory): Score immediately if you kill an enemy fighter while they are adjacent to none of your fighters.
- Brilliant, Brilliant! (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you scored two or more other objective cards.
- Hold Objective 1 (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you hold objective 1.
- Hold Objective 2 (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you hold objective 2.
- Hold Objective 3 (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you hold objective 3.
- Hold Objective 4 (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you hold objective 4.
- Hold Objective 5 (1 Glory): Score in end phase if you hold objective 5.
- Leading From the Back (1 Glory): Score this in the third end phase if your leader is in your territory and not adjacent to any enemies.
- Making a Statement (3 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold all objectives (at least one) in your opponent’s territory.
- Master of War (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you scored an objective card, played a ploy card, and played an upgrade card in this round.
- Skritch is the Greatest, Yes-yes (1 Glory): Score this immediately if your leader takes an enemy fighter out of action.
- Supremacy (3 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold three or more objectives.
Ploys:
- Confusion: Choose two fighters that that are adjacent to one another and switch them.
- Duel of Wits (Reaction): Play this when an opponent plays a ploy. Draw two power cards.
- Misdirection Reaction: Play this when a friendly fighter is chosen by a ploy. Choose another friendly fighter that could be chosen by that ploy, That fighter is chosen instead.
- Momentary Boldness: Choose a friendly fighter adjacent to two or more friendly fighters. That fighter makes a charge action.
- Nervous Scrabbling: Choose a friendly fighter. They switch places with any adjacent fighter.
- Sacrificial Pawn: Choose a friendly fighter. If they are taken out of action in the next activation, you gain a glory point.
- Scratching in the Shadows: Choose an enemy fighter and push them one hex.
- Sidestep: Choose a friendly fighter and push them one hex.
- Teamwork (Reaction): Play this card during a friendly fighters Attack action, before rolling any dice. Push another friendly fighter one hex.
- There Are Always More: Choose one friendly fighter that is out of action (other than Skritch or Krrk). Remove all wound tokens from them and place them on any starting hex.
Upgrades:
- Unparalleled Strike: Range 1, 1 Hammer, 2 Damage. Rolls of “Hammer” are considered to be rolls of “Critical” for this Attack action.
- Bodyguard for a Price (Krrk): If Skritch is adjacent to this fighter, Skritch is on Guard (even if Skritch has made a Charge action this phase).
- Coordinated Attack: Range 1, 2 Dice Duel Swords, Damage 2. When rolling for this attack action add an extra attack dice for each other friendly character adjacent to the target.
- Dark Darts: Range 3, 3 Dice (Duel Swords), 1 Damage. Has Cleave.
- Expendable (Lurking, Hungering, or Festing Skaven) (Reaction): During an Attack action that will cause any damage to this fighter, you can remove them from the battlefield and deal one damage to their attacker.
- Festering Blade (Festering Skaven): On a critical hit, this fighter’s Attack actions with a Range of one or two have +2 Damage.
- Shadeglass Darts: Range 3 3 duel swords attack dice for 1 damage. One a critical hit, this attack action has +1 damage.
- Shadeglasss Spear: Range 2, 2 Dice (Hammers), 2 Damage. When this attack action is successful, discard this upgrade. One a critical hit. This Attack action has +1 Damage.
- Skitter-scurry (Skritch, Krrk) (Reaction): After any action that this fighter makes, you can push this fighter one hex.
- Throwing Stars (Lurking Skaven): Range three, three (dual swords) dice, one damage.
The Chosen Axes: These guys are all about becoming inspired and punching your opponent in the face. Unfortunately to become inspired these guys need to hold objectives so there are some ploys to help your small movement get you to where you need to go.
Once they are inspired these guys can really dish out the pain so after that you bull rush into your opponent and watch as your basic attacks remove models.
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.
- Crushing Force (1 Glory): Score this immediately if a friendly fighter makes a successful attack that deals at least twice as much damage as is needed to take their target out of action.
- Defensive Strike (1 Glory): Score this immediately when your warband takes an enemy fighter standing in your territory out of action.
- Divide and Conquer (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if each player has at least one fighter in their own territory and at least one fighter in enemy territory.
- 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.
- Massive Assault (1 Glory): Score this immediately if your fighters deal 7 or more damage in an action phase. (Damage in excess of a fighter’s wound characteristic is included).
- 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.
- 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 your surviving fighters are in enemy territory.
Ploys:
- Inspiration Strikes: Choose a friendly fighter. They become Inspired.
- Indomitable: The first time a friendly fighter suffers damage in the next activation, they only suffer one damage.
- Mischievous Spirits: Taking it in turns with your opponent(s), starting with you and going clockwise, move each objective one hex. Objectives cannot be moved into a hex that already contains an objective.
- My Turn (Reaction): Play this after an Attack action or ploy that damages a friendly fighter. Push them up to one hex and make an Attack action with them.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Upgrades:
- Activated Runes: Each time this fighter makes an attack action you can reroll one dice.
- Great Fortitude: +1 Wounds.
- 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 Fortitude (Fjul-Grimnir): +1 Defense.
- Grimnir’s Speed (Fjul-Grimnir): +2 Move.
- Headlong Charge: When this fighter makes a charge action, increase their movement characteristic by one until the end of the activation.
- Returning Axe (Maegrim): Range 3, 2 Dice (duel swords), 1 damage. One a critical hit this attack deals +1 damage.
- Sprinter: +1 Move.
- Soultrap (Reaction): During an Attack action or ploy that takes this fighter out of action, roll a Defense dice. If you roll a shield or critical they suffer not damage and are not taken out of action, and you discard this upgrade.
- The Formless Key: If this fighter is holding an objective in the third end phase, score 1 glory point.
The Farstriders: With these guys, you can be aggressive because of their high defense and wound count. Also, to become inspired they need to end an action phase in enemy territory along with all of them having a range 3 attack is a great way to do mobile attacking.
The one thing to watch out for is to not be overwhelmed, with only 3 models you can quickly be outnumbered and giving your opponent support dice.
Objectives:
- Behead the Beast (1 Glory): Score in an end phase if your warband took an enemy leader out of action.
- Compete Victory (3 Glory): Score this in the third end phase if none of your fighters are out of action.
- Divide and Conquer (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if each player has at least one fighter in their own territory and at least one fighter in enemy territory.
- Escalation (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if three or more upgrade cards were played in the preceding action phase.
- Lightning Advance (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all your surviving fighters (at least 2) are in enemy territory.
- Meticulous Annihilation (3 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all enemy fighters have been taken out of action.
- Punishing Volleys (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you made at least 3 successful Boltstorm Pistol, or Overcharged Boltstorm Pistol attack actions in the preceding action phase.
- Ranger Strike (1 Glory): Score this immediately if your warband has taken two or more enemy fighters out of action in this phase.
- Sigmar’s Finest (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your surviving fighters (at least 1) are outnumbered by surviving enemy fighters by at least 3 to 1.
- Swift Advance (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all of you surviving fighters are in enemy territory.
- The Bigger They Are (1 Glory): Score this immediately if a friendly fighter takes an enemy fighter out of action with an Attack action that has a Damage characteristic of 1.
- Twilight Conqueror (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all of your surviving fighters (at least 3) are neither in your territory nor enemy territory.
Ploys:
- Ephemeral Shield: The first friendly fighter to be targeted by an Attack action in the next activation has +1 Defense.
- Fearsome Roar: Choose an enemy fighter adjacent to a friendly fighter. Push them one hex.
- Lightning Blow: the first Attack activation in the next activation has +1 Damage.
- Momentary Madness: Choose an enemy fighter and roll an attack dice. If you roll a “Hammer” or a “Critical” make an attack action with them as if they were a friendly fighter. Fighters do not provide support for this Attack action. (in attack or defense)
- Patient Defense: The first friendly fighter to be targeted by an Attack action in the next activation has +1 Defense.
- Rangers, Advance: Choose two friendly fighters and push them one hex.
- Rapid Volley (Reaction): Play this after a friendly fighters Boltstorm Pistol or Overcharged Boltstorm Pistol Attack action. That fighter can make another Boltstorm Pistol or Overcharged Boltstorm Pistol Attack action that targets the same fighter.
- Retribution (Reaction): Play this after an Attack action that damages a friendly fighter. That fighter can make an Attack action that must target the attacker.
- Steady Volley: The first friendly fighter to make a Boltstorm Pistol or Overcharged Boltstorm Pistol Attack action in the next activation can be pushed one hex before they do so.
- Time Trap: Choose a fighter. They can take an action. Skip your next activation. (you cannot play this card after your fourth activation)
Upgrades:
- Awakened Weapon: You can re-roll one attack dice each time this fighter makes an Attack action.
- Blessed Armor: When you roll a “critical” for this fighter when they are targeted by an Attack action, remove one wound token from them before any damage is dealt.
- Covering Fire: This fighter can support an adjacent friendly fighter targeted by an Attack action, even if this fighter is not adjacent to the attacker.
- Furious Blow (Eagle Eye)(Reaction): During an Attack action that targets this fighter and failed, this fighter cannot be driven back and can make an Attack action. It must target the attacker.
- Great Speed: +1 Move.
- Great Strength: +1 Damage to all attack actions.
- Lone Warrior: Roll of (half circle) made for this fighter when they are targeted by an Attack action also count as successes when they are adjacent to no friendly fighters.
- Overcharged Boltstorm Pistol: Range 3, 3 dice (hammers), 1 damage. Has Cleave.
- Swift Stride: +2 Move.
- Trusted Defender: You can reroll one defense dice for this fighter when they are the target of an Attack action.
There you have it the last warbands of shadespire along with a unique deck for each. As always linked below is each warband that I have previously highlighted and my thoughts on the expansion individually.
- Core Set
- Garreks Reavers
- Ironskull’s Boyz
- Magore’s Fiends
- Sepulchral Guard
- Spiteclaw’s Swarm
- Steelheart’s Champions
- The Chosen Axes
- The Farstriders
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