CORRECTIONS/NOTES: -4:05: Putting this at top of the list because it's a big detail I missed that needs addressing. Both @megabubfish and @derekvash have pointed out that even though Cornelius Breech was a National Heroscape Day promo figure, he like all other AoA promo figures will eventually be available to the public for purchase. -56:21: Messed up here saying Frostclaw Paladins could be healed by Mielki's Spear of Sankari. They can't, since they're Large. But we do have the Necrotech Wraithriders, a Medium squad with 2 lives per figure, who could still be healed by her Spear if they were on the same team. -1:30:30: I say here that there are "a lot of support Kyrie that cost way more" than Qhyrion. That's not really true. I mainly had in mind Taelord, who's 180 in Classic and 160 in Delta currently. Certainly more expensive than Qhyrion, but most other Kyrie in classic points are around or below Qhyrion's Classic points price. Things change a bit in Delta where RotV Raelin goes up to 135, and Emperor Andask from VC is 130 in Classic points, but drops to 110 in VC/Delta. So depending on format, there are a small few "support" Kyrie that are more expensive than Qhyrion, but by no means "a lot" as I say here. -1:31:31: I goofed a bit on my explanation of Otonashi and Skahen's powers here. I think I was more speculating on a build with Qhyrion, Skahen, and Otonashi all in, but that jumbled their abilities a bit in my head. To clarify, Skahen can move Vydar Tricky figures up to 4 spaces if Cover Fire triggers; Otonashi can buff her own normal move to 10 with Tricky Speed; and Qhyrion can help set up Otonashi's Tricky Speed as well as be moved by Skahen's Cover Fire. -Iron Lich Viscerot: Not a correction but just a bit of discussion I forgot for him. In my first few attempts at recording this I spent some time speculating how he'd fit into a Romans build as a Warlord. My general view is he's not well-suited to that since he's a big points investment and a lot of those points are for powers that don't apply to Romans. Definitely cool they can bond with him, but I'd probably take 3 more squads of Romans or a more useful Warlord for them. Hopefully there were fewer factual mistakes in my discussions on the units for this First Impressions video, but feel free to point out any I missed if you spot them.
@@megabubfish Thank you! I've credited you in the corrections pin. I did recall them mentioning that prior to recording, but just didn't end up in the video and I don't want to lead anyone astray.
A doggindays video is never late, nor early. It drops exactly when it needs to! Great stuff as always, thanks for giving me a lot to listen to while I'm painting the new stuff :)
You mention around 4:09 about being unsure if Cornelius Breech, the Derelict Prince, will be available to the public at a later date. The answer is yes, Renegade has said (Employes specifically that have said thos: Lee Houff, Trevor McGregor, Nick Mettinger) that all gameplay unique promos will be available to purchase from Renegade Game Studios store a few months after their promotion ends. A hint: Look for when they become "tournament legal" for a release window. Siori and Cornelius Breech, the Derelict Prince, have dates of Feb 7th, 2025. Once the waves stop (simultaneous releases) and the Story Arcs (staggered releases paired with monthly scenarios) start, this may he harder to track.
@doggindays2631 Thank you, and you are welcome. I appreciate your videos and the thoughtful insight into each unit. . .and you mentioned Quake, it means you have good taste.
You deserve far more subs and views, my friend. I watch Sir Heroscape and listen to Casters of Valhalla and you belong right there with them. Plz do more vids! The way you break down the figures and how they integrate is superb.
Absolutely! Glad you're enjoying it. We'll definitely hit the other Master Sets in big Tier List style videos, though I'm moving (admittedly at a very slow pace) through the other waves in order of release leading up to the Master Sets, so may be a while. Stay tuned!
Not sure how viable it would be but Xenithrax's vines could be really handy for use with the chain grab and telekinesis abilities. At least I'm not seeing anything that says you can't place the chosen figures on a glyph.
Great point. Unless there's a specific ruling on it, I don't see any reason one couldn't pull this maneuver. Telekinesis doesn't say anything about moving onto an "empty" space, just that it has to be adjacent and same level. Imagine Kilkorax warping a figure onto an adjacent Vines glyph, dropping their defense by 2, before she gets to attack. And if she attacks with Misaerx's Spirit, the Vines make it easier for Kilkorax to kill the target and Life Drain. You just made me love Kilkorax even more.
This is such a good idea. I think what I’m gonna try in my next game is xenithrax, 2 wyverns, and 2 squads of fyorlag spiders, + 20pts filler (500pts). The plan is to use the wyverns to talon grab the figures and place them on a xenithrax vine and attack them. Then in the same turn, swarm with spiders and go for an entangle, and hopefully finish off the figure. I’m excited to try using xenithrax in this way now!
Here are my thoughts of these units alongside yours! Cornelius Breech. Super cool design. I always love a unique species that we've never seen before. I also love the idea of a mutiny power with all these pirate units. Although, I think it's a little strange that the mutiny happens after the previous captain dies of separate causes. From a story writing perspective, strange, but from a game design stand point, this makes much more sense! His 80 point value seems really good. I love an 80 point hero because they're normally nice and safe but not outstanding. I like the idea of all these new 80 point heroes, emphasizing more on switching them out for more niche roles in a specific army. Iron Lich Viscerot. I'm a very casual player, so I had no idea that units could not attack a nonadjacent figures if they're engaged with an opposing adjacent figure. I feel like that situation doesn't really come up in the games I play regardless, as the most threatening unit is most likely the one in your face. The second half of Dismissive Strider really stuck out to me as I wonder if it really will help in a competitive setting. Although the image of just stepping above the common rabble and not needing to roll for disengage is so cool. The flavor of this power alone can just make the imagination run wild with how this unit would look on an actual battlefield. Vile Injection is such a disgusting buff. I love the idea of a Huge character's power coming from the support they provide to the army rather than the attacks they put out. It's pretty unique to the game! Calling a bonding ability 'puppeteering' is just another great piece of lore portrayed in the card alone! Wraithriders. I don't have much to say about these troops! The idea of a very horizontal units bringing the fight to their level is just another unique idea to the game and I am always here for new ideas! The kyrie have always had the most interesting sculpts for humanoid units, so I am so excited to get a whole expansion of them! One of my biggest issues with them, however, is how they almost all are considered warriors, but gameplay wise they should be known as the kyrie supporters. Park them on an advantageous area of the board, and then use the rest of your army to fight around them. I'm going into these units blind, so I hope they feel more warriorlike! Xiamara. That amulet aura is pretty neat! I like the idea of it reducing damage, but (for the most part) not negating it. It's just a nice design philosophy, and you can see the inspiration from classic 'Scape! Hopefully they introduce more Ullar kyrie to the game to round her off a bit more. But she does fit that 80 point hero niche circumstance unit I was talking about earlier! If only she addressed that warrior versus supporter problem most kyrie heroes find themselves in. Especially since her sculpt is so so so cool. Mielki. Though she looks wizardly, this one is the warrior I've been waiting for! I almost feel like the Xiamara and Mielki models should be switched. This is exactly what I've always imagined for the kyrie. Flying into battle on the front line, cutting down foes, and being rewarded with support for her allies in the process! I made a custom kyrie unit that had a pretty strong movement aura, but it was only active one turn after that hero attacked an opposing figures. Loviatak from the master set also does the whole warrior bit pretty well. She does have an aura, but you also would want to attack with her for that deadly strike. Tangent over. Mielki 10/10, it's what I always wanted, no notes. Kilkdrax. I love the undead kyrie, just from a story perspective. It's never something I imagined, but I'm so happy they're here. I have a dungeons and dragons campaign set on Valhalla, and the inclusion of undead kyrie is a tasty one indeed. Telekinesis is such a cool power as well. A force choke ability being added into Heroscape? Wow, AoA is not beating the rebundled never finished Star Wars master set allegations. I really can't be mad though, such a cool special power. Glinerva. Yes! Love to see kyrie of the different generals! I'm a very visual person so seeing the differences among the tribes/armies around the world of Valhalla holds a very special place in my heart. Just being able to see how different the species (dragons, soulborgs, kyrie, and more!) can all stand out from other members of their species is really what makes this game special. Back to Glinerva, wow that is a powerful darkness! Another cool visual of a darkness cloud just seeps out of her staff covering the battlefield and sowing confusion around the armies. Using the X order marker for powerful abilities is such a good idea, and I hope to see more going forward! I know quite a few of the dnd units had similar ways to activate their powers, and it's a nice bit of strategy and agency to decide which one you would want to activate round by round if you draft multiple units who use it. Queen Qhyrion. Yes! Another new kyrie type! The armored/technological wings is so so so cool and perfect for Vydar. It's everything it should be! I love the purple/grey skin color. With how different Utgar kyries look from the rest of the species, I'm glad to see some more fantastical designs for the other functions. Heart Finder Spear is such a cool name, and rules for how it works fits that name perfectly! I love the stalker/assassin type characters whose goals are to single out lonely targets and kill quickly. Dund is another great example of this, and one I'm sure you love as well ;)
Always a treat to read your thoughts in comment form. Some thoughts of mine to your points: -Cornelius Breech: Definitely a little odd the “mutiny” occurs after a Captain’s death. However, it also says you can Mutiny after the Captain receives a wound, which I think lends itself more to lore and storytelling. Maybe they see the Captain taking damage as a sign they can’t protect themselves or are not worthy of fighting under. At least that’s where my mind went. Also a little odd when, I would imagine, a Captain taking wounds in battle alongside his men would endear him to his men, rather than inspire mutinous behavior. But heck, that’s part of the fun of Heroscape. You can make up your own head canon based on the outcomes of the battles you yourself participate in on the board. -Iron Lich Viscerot: Without a doubt, one of my favorites from AoA. As you say, Dismissive Strider is not only a really thematic power in game, but communicates a strong personality for the character. It’s Heroscape at its best, and a sign AoA is capturing at least some of the classic spirit in the new units. I like your point on a Huge character’s value coming from the support they provide, rather than their own inherent strength/stats. Neat way to look at it, and unusual to think of Huge figures as “support.” But hardly unwelcome. -Wraithriders: The potential of 10 Move with Vile Injection on these guys is something I’m keen to explore. I expect they’ll be a lot like Vipers: shock troops that show up so quickly that they mess up your opponent’s development by engaging so quickly. But as a Unique Squad, and one you want to keep alive at least long enough to Vile Inject three times, I don’t think you can throw them into brawls as carefreely as you can with the Vipers. -Xiamara: Glad you’re liking her. And I have to say, the more I’ve thought about her after making this video, the more I wonder if I’m underestimating her. Especially in an Ullar Kyrie army. At Classic points you could fit a lot of Ullar Kyrie heroes into a build, and Xiamara’s Amulet could pay dividends if active across an entire game with that army. I just think her stats are pretty boring, but mechanically she may be better than I first imagined. -Mielki: Man, you’re right on. Aside from Xiamara actually holding the Amulet referenced on her card, her raised sword and triumphant pose seem more befitting of a brawler like Mielki clearly is. And Mielki’s sculpt is reminiscent of support Kyrie like RotV and SotM Raelin or Kelda. I wouldn’t have minded a sculpt swap for them, but it is what it is. That said, glad you’re as excited about her mechanically as I am. One very petty issue I have is most units in Heroscape with Double Attack at least look like they have the equipment or inclination to attack twice, and I don’t really get that from Mielki’s sculpt. She has a spear. Cool, I guess. But Double Attack? I don’t get that from her sculpt. Doesn’t really matter though. Her kit of powers and her solid stats have my attention. -Kilkorax: I’ve decided in my heart that she’s my favorite released sculpt so far from Renegade AoA. The bones, the black garb, the dread bat wings and undead appearance…I’m here for it. Do share how the Undead Kyrie factor into your DND campaign on Valhalla, if you fit them in. Sounds rad. -Glinerva: I’m with you on the different Heroscape-original species, and the range of appearances they take on depending on their allegiances. On your point about X markers, I feel like it’s generally not a good idea to draft more than one unit relying on an X marker power in an army, as you have to commit that X to only one of those figures at the start of the round, so I feel you’re a bit restricted in how you play across a round. But, would be curious as to your experience with builds like that. Conversely to Xiamara, Glinerva is a Kyrie that, the more I’ve thought on her since making this, the more I wonder if she’s not quite as powerful as I imagined. The Darkness is definitely cool and probably something I’m going to really need to play a lot to fully understand. But it only happens once per round, and I don’t see any way to bond with Glinerva so far. So the turn you spend activating the Darkness is a turn you’re committing to only moving and attacking with Glinerva. And with only 3 Attack, I wonder if that turn wouldn’t just be better spent on something else. Though I suppose there’s utility in activating the Darkness on Turn 3 if you lost Initiative that round, which if I’m reading her card right, means the Darkness would stay active into your opponent's Turn 1 if you lost initiative the next round. Then you could maintain it yet one more turn by reactivating it on your own Turn 1. It could be a way to respond to poor initiative rolls, with you deciding if you’ll keep the Darkness up or lower it, depending on initiative outcome. What is that...3 turns you could theoretically maintain Darkness across consecutively, if initiative goes that way...? Holy heck. You know, the more I type…I’ll just stop there. -Qhyrion: I think we can agree the devs killed it with Qhyrion. A thematic power that looks appropriate to her sculpt, and what a sculpt it is. I remember a discussion on the Avalon Hill Discord I got into in which a bunch of us were speculating about the different types of wings Kyrie from different factions should have. We imagined Vydar’s Kyrie squad, should he ever get one, should have moth/butterfly-like wings, similar to Braxas’s wings. A wing design thematic to that Kyrie’s faction. Obviously didn’t pan out how we imagined, but the cyborg/techno-wings Qhyrion has are just as, if not more thematic, than what we imagined in that discussion. Appreciate the time you put into your observations on the units, if you made it this far. And as for Dünd…stay -tünd- tuned…
@@doggindays2631 And I always look forward to your reply! -Cornelius Breech: I definitely wasn't playing close enough attention as I was listening in! I did not realize Mutiny would activate after Captains take wounds. That one is completely on me! Wraithriders: I've never played competitively, but I do enjoy watching competitive games. I hadn't thought of Wraithriders in the same way as vipers, but now I am quite excited to see how they shake up some metas! More sturdy and powerful shock troops are a new take that probably won't replace the vipers niche, but just add a new element to that play style! Xiamara: I can totally agree with you there! Mielki: I can also totally agree with this one haha. Visual design aside, I am so so so excited for her stats and power wise. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure she's my most anticipated for Wave 2. Kilkorax: Oh yes, I am very excited to be including the undead kyrie in my campaign, but we still have a lot of story to go before the Age of Annihilation! Glinerva: Yeah, my first thought with darkness was immediately the potential to deny an opponent two turns. If you win initiative, have her on your third turn, and activate darkness, your opponent could potentially waste two turns unable to target you with range if they win the next round of initiative. That would be absolutely busted against any Wait Than Fire build. Of course, that requires some factors far out of your control, but still a very interesting thought experiment. If there was a way to put order markers on her after the initiative roll, like EJ-M1 can do with the pirates, well, just an idea for a unit that could synergize with her. Thank you for the time you took to respond! It's always a pleasure. Stay tuned I will!
AoA was designed by the War Council and Avalon Hill to be completely compatible with classic units. The classic units we top of mind during the design process. Renegade has only made minor tweaks before release. Next year we'll start getting completely new Renegade units, but everything from the Haslab will be released.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I didn't mean to imply AH/Renegade completely disregarded Classic units. They clearly designed synergies. I meant to acknowledge some of the observations I've heard from other people about the sense that the new units, while fully compatible, don't feel as charismatic as Classic units did. I can see their point, even if I don't fully agree. I think a lot of the consensus on these new units will have to come through community play and time, and I'm optimistic they'll fit right in.
Glad you enjoy them! And absolutely. I'm trying to finish my next classic units video, then plan to follow that up quickly with coverage of the new AoA stuff. Appreciate your patience, and stay tuned!
If you ask me, i think currently the units are being designed as a standalone product to simplify the game to new users. Last thing you want is a new player giving the game a try needing to figure out how to get some knights of weston for that over inflated price. I think currently building out synergies with AoA units is key, and as time goes on probably add on synergies to the classic units we know and love.
I agree, and I like that there are at least a couple figures in the master set that pair well with old scape. For instance, Loviatak was clearly made with the minions of utgar in mind.
@@Brandon-tz6vf no doubt, the fact that they are still throwing returning players some love with units like that is great. I havent got a master set myself just yet but once it comes back in stock i definitely look forward to grabbing one and bringing out a loviatak/taelord/minions build
I'm with you. It feels like they were operating under dual objectives of building units fully compatible with Classic Scape, while also building their own AoA roster that feel fully-realized and self-contained within AoA itself. And generally I think they're doing a good job of walking that line so far. And I think we just need time with the new units to really develop our thoughts on them. Some classic units even got mixed receptions upon release, but now feel indispensable to the classic roster.
Cornelius Breech strikes me as a mindgames unit. Have him take some early damage then maybe park him somewhere annoying and stack orders on your main captain. Your opponent knows that any time they inflict a wound on your main captain you can heal Breech back up to full, so they either suck it up or ignore your main captain an over-commit to killing Breech. Will it work that way in practice? Probably not, Breech is low-value enough that the threat of healing him is minimal, but the thought is there. I understand people's complaints about the aesthetics. The reboot seems to be pulling from a very different genre-base than the original. The OG was a genre-mashup, sure, but it had a distinct set of flavours it was pulling from (real-world history, Norse Mythology, classic fantasy and Terminator, with a handful of wildcards and later sets expanding that). I don't think the change is a bad thing, but there is a distinct shift. I think a few more historical units would go a long way to tying it all together - some Vikings and/or Age of Sail Pirate squads to fit into the Pirate archetype, maybe some WW1-modern-era navy/marines. I have no idea how you'd model it, but a WW1-inspired tank/armoured vehicle could go some way to bridging the gap between classic Heroscape and Eisenek mechanical-death-fusion-horror.
Good points all round. Definitely makes sense to use Cornelius a bit at the start, wound him up, then stress your opponent out a bit wondering when the Mutiny will occur to heal him up. Might mean your opponent tries to take out Breech before they think you'll Mutiny, which may or may not be your plan. You may want your opponent to waste attacks on Cornelius so they're not focused on another more valuable unit, though Mutiny seems well worth pulling off if you can. But yeah, the mind games potential is high. Just make your opponent wonder when Cornelius rallies the pirates to his cause. I also like how you articulated the point on AoA's aesthetics. It's still a genre mix, but a different pool of genres we don't as closely associate with Heroscape. The lore, for whatever it's worth, is flexible enough to accommodate all the new aesthetics. And as I hopefully indicated in the video, I'm pretty psyched about a few of the new aesthetics. When one takes the VC roster into account (which uses figures all outside of Heroscape and broadens the Heroscape genre palette even more), the AoA units fit in even more smoothly.
I think Glinerva is going to be incredibly powerful. The thing is she shuts down ALL range in that area, you can't even shoot out of it. Using her to shut down opponent,'s ranged pods, forcing them to either move out of position or waste their turn. And you don't even have to activate her to use it! And she doesn't even need clear sight! Unbelievably powerful.
Many of the new units are quite underwhelming. There also are no designs that are impressively creative/thematic. For example, no new unit comes close to the design of the Airborne Elite
Oathbound phalanx and legionaries, void gliders, Ewashia, Glinerva, Xenithrax are all mechanically creative at a near or greater extent as the airborne elite
@@kriptonite981 -The Oathbound Phalanx/Legionary do not even exist yet. For what it is worth, the Legionary are not very creative/thematic. They have 2/3 of their abilities are recycled and not particularly thematic. If you asked a random person on the street what abilities Legionaries should have, I doubt anyone would say scatter/climb. Heck, scatter is the opposite of an ability they should have. Roman Legions were known for sticking together, fighting side by side, not scattering as soon as someone was attacked. -The Void Gliders do not even exist yet. They have 0 original abilities. Their 1st ability is basically copied from the AE with the main change of removing the D20 roll. Adding Defense if opponent isn't adjacent has been seen multiple times before. The 2nd ability isn't particularly thematic either. -Ewaisha is basically just a collection of abilities that have already existed. Aesgis of the river and command familiar are abilities we have seen before. Create water we have seen before just with shadows. Even Twister is very similar to stuff we have seen before. I don't see 1 ability of hers that is creative. -Glinerva is very not creative. Concealment 17 is just a very slightly modified version of what the Mohican River Tribe. Flying has been done 1 million times. Even Hawk's Darkness is just a variation of using the X marker to get a temporary boost, something we have seen before. Also, thematically from looking at the card nobody would have any idea why the Kyrie has darkness abilities. Seems random rather than thematic. Xenithrax is not particularly creative/thematic either. Flying has been done 1 million times. A dragon being able to attack multiple figures from 4-5 spaces away is far from new or original. Adding Glyphs to the field is original, but feels like a random ability, which is a theme break. If you showed that Dragon picture to 100 random people on the street, I doubt even 1 person would guess that it probably has the ability to add vines to the battlefield. That kind of ability is more associated to a Dryad or Druid than a Dragon. By contrast, if you showed them Braxas/Nilfheim, many would guess their ability because they have a far stronger thematic design.
CORRECTIONS/NOTES:
-4:05: Putting this at top of the list because it's a big detail I missed that needs addressing. Both @megabubfish and @derekvash have pointed out that even though Cornelius Breech was a National Heroscape Day promo figure, he like all other AoA promo figures will eventually be available to the public for purchase.
-56:21: Messed up here saying Frostclaw Paladins could be healed by Mielki's Spear of Sankari. They can't, since they're Large. But we do have the Necrotech Wraithriders, a Medium squad with 2 lives per figure, who could still be healed by her Spear if they were on the same team.
-1:30:30: I say here that there are "a lot of support Kyrie that cost way more" than Qhyrion. That's not really true. I mainly had in mind Taelord, who's 180 in Classic and 160 in Delta currently. Certainly more expensive than Qhyrion, but most other Kyrie in classic points are around or below Qhyrion's Classic points price. Things change a bit in Delta where RotV Raelin goes up to 135, and Emperor Andask from VC is 130 in Classic points, but drops to 110 in VC/Delta. So depending on format, there are a small few "support" Kyrie that are more expensive than Qhyrion, but by no means "a lot" as I say here.
-1:31:31: I goofed a bit on my explanation of Otonashi and Skahen's powers here. I think I was more speculating on a build with Qhyrion, Skahen, and Otonashi all in, but that jumbled their abilities a bit in my head. To clarify, Skahen can move Vydar Tricky figures up to 4 spaces if Cover Fire triggers; Otonashi can buff her own normal move to 10 with Tricky Speed; and Qhyrion can help set up Otonashi's Tricky Speed as well as be moved by Skahen's Cover Fire.
-Iron Lich Viscerot: Not a correction but just a bit of discussion I forgot for him. In my first few attempts at recording this I spent some time speculating how he'd fit into a Romans build as a Warlord. My general view is he's not well-suited to that since he's a big points investment and a lot of those points are for powers that don't apply to Romans. Definitely cool they can bond with him, but I'd probably take 3 more squads of Romans or a more useful Warlord for them.
Hopefully there were fewer factual mistakes in my discussions on the units for this First Impressions video, but feel free to point out any I missed if you spot them.
About Breech- Renegade has confirmed time and again that EVERY promotional figure will get a release for sale at a later date.
@@megabubfish Thank you! I've credited you in the corrections pin. I did recall them mentioning that prior to recording, but just didn't end up in the video and I don't want to lead anyone astray.
A doggindays video is never late, nor early. It drops exactly when it needs to! Great stuff as always, thanks for giving me a lot to listen to while I'm painting the new stuff :)
Thanks, man! Can say the same for your videos!
Love the video!! Need more of this, I watched the whole vod a few times. It's that good
Always a good day when you drop a video! Keep up the great work! 👍🏽
You mention around 4:09 about being unsure if Cornelius Breech, the Derelict Prince, will be available to the public at a later date.
The answer is yes, Renegade has said (Employes specifically that have said thos: Lee Houff, Trevor McGregor, Nick Mettinger) that all gameplay unique promos will be available to purchase from Renegade Game Studios store a few months after their promotion ends.
A hint: Look for when they become "tournament legal" for a release window. Siori and Cornelius Breech, the Derelict Prince, have dates of Feb 7th, 2025.
Once the waves stop (simultaneous releases) and the Story Arcs (staggered releases paired with monthly scenarios) start, this may he harder to track.
Thanks! I've credited you in the Corrections pin above. Appreciate the helpful insight too on the tracking of their releases.
@doggindays2631 Thank you, and you are welcome. I appreciate your videos and the thoughtful insight into each unit. . .and you mentioned Quake, it means you have good taste.
You deserve far more subs and views, my friend. I watch Sir Heroscape and listen to Casters of Valhalla and you belong right there with them. Plz do more vids! The way you break down the figures and how they integrate is superb.
Hey Doggin! Thanks for another video.
Love the long form content.
Would love to see a video on the other Master Sets!
Absolutely! Glad you're enjoying it. We'll definitely hit the other Master Sets in big Tier List style videos, though I'm moving (admittedly at a very slow pace) through the other waves in order of release leading up to the Master Sets, so may be a while. Stay tuned!
52:52 "That jump from 3 to 4 is pretty significant." -DogginDays
Not sure how viable it would be but Xenithrax's vines could be really handy for use with the chain grab and telekinesis abilities. At least I'm not seeing anything that says you can't place the chosen figures on a glyph.
Great point. Unless there's a specific ruling on it, I don't see any reason one couldn't pull this maneuver. Telekinesis doesn't say anything about moving onto an "empty" space, just that it has to be adjacent and same level. Imagine Kilkorax warping a figure onto an adjacent Vines glyph, dropping their defense by 2, before she gets to attack. And if she attacks with Misaerx's Spirit, the Vines make it easier for Kilkorax to kill the target and Life Drain. You just made me love Kilkorax even more.
This is such a good idea. I think what I’m gonna try in my next game is xenithrax, 2 wyverns, and 2 squads of fyorlag spiders, + 20pts filler (500pts). The plan is to use the wyverns to talon grab the figures and place them on a xenithrax vine and attack them. Then in the same turn, swarm with spiders and go for an entangle, and hopefully finish off the figure. I’m excited to try using xenithrax in this way now!
Here are my thoughts of these units alongside yours!
Cornelius Breech. Super cool design. I always love a unique species that we've never seen before. I also love the idea of a mutiny power with all these pirate units. Although, I think it's a little strange that the mutiny happens after the previous captain dies of separate causes. From a story writing perspective, strange, but from a game design stand point, this makes much more sense! His 80 point value seems really good. I love an 80 point hero because they're normally nice and safe but not outstanding. I like the idea of all these new 80 point heroes, emphasizing more on switching them out for more niche roles in a specific army.
Iron Lich Viscerot. I'm a very casual player, so I had no idea that units could not attack a nonadjacent figures if they're engaged with an opposing adjacent figure. I feel like that situation doesn't really come up in the games I play regardless, as the most threatening unit is most likely the one in your face. The second half of Dismissive Strider really stuck out to me as I wonder if it really will help in a competitive setting. Although the image of just stepping above the common rabble and not needing to roll for disengage is so cool. The flavor of this power alone can just make the imagination run wild with how this unit would look on an actual battlefield. Vile Injection is such a disgusting buff. I love the idea of a Huge character's power coming from the support they provide to the army rather than the attacks they put out. It's pretty unique to the game! Calling a bonding ability 'puppeteering' is just another great piece of lore portrayed in the card alone!
Wraithriders. I don't have much to say about these troops! The idea of a very horizontal units bringing the fight to their level is just another unique idea to the game and I am always here for new ideas! The kyrie have always had the most interesting sculpts for humanoid units, so I am so excited to get a whole expansion of them!
One of my biggest issues with them, however, is how they almost all are considered warriors, but gameplay wise they should be known as the kyrie supporters. Park them on an advantageous area of the board, and then use the rest of your army to fight around them. I'm going into these units blind, so I hope they feel more warriorlike!
Xiamara. That amulet aura is pretty neat! I like the idea of it reducing damage, but (for the most part) not negating it. It's just a nice design philosophy, and you can see the inspiration from classic 'Scape! Hopefully they introduce more Ullar kyrie to the game to round her off a bit more. But she does fit that 80 point hero niche circumstance unit I was talking about earlier! If only she addressed that warrior versus supporter problem most kyrie heroes find themselves in. Especially since her sculpt is so so so cool.
Mielki. Though she looks wizardly, this one is the warrior I've been waiting for! I almost feel like the Xiamara and Mielki models should be switched. This is exactly what I've always imagined for the kyrie. Flying into battle on the front line, cutting down foes, and being rewarded with support for her allies in the process! I made a custom kyrie unit that had a pretty strong movement aura, but it was only active one turn after that hero attacked an opposing figures. Loviatak from the master set also does the whole warrior bit pretty well. She does have an aura, but you also would want to attack with her for that deadly strike. Tangent over. Mielki 10/10, it's what I always wanted, no notes.
Kilkdrax. I love the undead kyrie, just from a story perspective. It's never something I imagined, but I'm so happy they're here. I have a dungeons and dragons campaign set on Valhalla, and the inclusion of undead kyrie is a tasty one indeed. Telekinesis is such a cool power as well. A force choke ability being added into Heroscape? Wow, AoA is not beating the rebundled never finished Star Wars master set allegations. I really can't be mad though, such a cool special power.
Glinerva. Yes! Love to see kyrie of the different generals! I'm a very visual person so seeing the differences among the tribes/armies around the world of Valhalla holds a very special place in my heart. Just being able to see how different the species (dragons, soulborgs, kyrie, and more!) can all stand out from other members of their species is really what makes this game special. Back to Glinerva, wow that is a powerful darkness! Another cool visual of a darkness cloud just seeps out of her staff covering the battlefield and sowing confusion around the armies. Using the X order marker for powerful abilities is such a good idea, and I hope to see more going forward! I know quite a few of the dnd units had similar ways to activate their powers, and it's a nice bit of strategy and agency to decide which one you would want to activate round by round if you draft multiple units who use it.
Queen Qhyrion. Yes! Another new kyrie type! The armored/technological wings is so so so cool and perfect for Vydar. It's everything it should be! I love the purple/grey skin color. With how different Utgar kyries look from the rest of the species, I'm glad to see some more fantastical designs for the other functions. Heart Finder Spear is such a cool name, and rules for how it works fits that name perfectly! I love the stalker/assassin type characters whose goals are to single out lonely targets and kill quickly. Dund is another great example of this, and one I'm sure you love as well ;)
Always a treat to read your thoughts in comment form. Some thoughts of mine to your points:
-Cornelius Breech: Definitely a little odd the “mutiny” occurs after a Captain’s death. However, it also says you can Mutiny after the Captain receives a wound, which I think lends itself more to lore and storytelling. Maybe they see the Captain taking damage as a sign they can’t protect themselves or are not worthy of fighting under. At least that’s where my mind went. Also a little odd when, I would imagine, a Captain taking wounds in battle alongside his men would endear him to his men, rather than inspire mutinous behavior. But heck, that’s part of the fun of Heroscape. You can make up your own head canon based on the outcomes of the battles you yourself participate in on the board.
-Iron Lich Viscerot: Without a doubt, one of my favorites from AoA. As you say, Dismissive Strider is not only a really thematic power in game, but communicates a strong personality for the character. It’s Heroscape at its best, and a sign AoA is capturing at least some of the classic spirit in the new units. I like your point on a Huge character’s value coming from the support they provide, rather than their own inherent strength/stats. Neat way to look at it, and unusual to think of Huge figures as “support.” But hardly unwelcome.
-Wraithriders: The potential of 10 Move with Vile Injection on these guys is something I’m keen to explore. I expect they’ll be a lot like Vipers: shock troops that show up so quickly that they mess up your opponent’s development by engaging so quickly. But as a Unique Squad, and one you want to keep alive at least long enough to Vile Inject three times, I don’t think you can throw them into brawls as carefreely as you can with the Vipers.
-Xiamara: Glad you’re liking her. And I have to say, the more I’ve thought about her after making this video, the more I wonder if I’m underestimating her. Especially in an Ullar Kyrie army. At Classic points you could fit a lot of Ullar Kyrie heroes into a build, and Xiamara’s Amulet could pay dividends if active across an entire game with that army. I just think her stats are pretty boring, but mechanically she may be better than I first imagined.
-Mielki: Man, you’re right on. Aside from Xiamara actually holding the Amulet referenced on her card, her raised sword and triumphant pose seem more befitting of a brawler like Mielki clearly is. And Mielki’s sculpt is reminiscent of support Kyrie like RotV and SotM Raelin or Kelda. I wouldn’t have minded a sculpt swap for them, but it is what it is. That said, glad you’re as excited about her mechanically as I am. One very petty issue I have is most units in Heroscape with Double Attack at least look like they have the equipment or inclination to attack twice, and I don’t really get that from Mielki’s sculpt. She has a spear. Cool, I guess. But Double Attack? I don’t get that from her sculpt. Doesn’t really matter though. Her kit of powers and her solid stats have my attention.
-Kilkorax: I’ve decided in my heart that she’s my favorite released sculpt so far from Renegade AoA. The bones, the black garb, the dread bat wings and undead appearance…I’m here for it. Do share how the Undead Kyrie factor into your DND campaign on Valhalla, if you fit them in. Sounds rad.
-Glinerva: I’m with you on the different Heroscape-original species, and the range of appearances they take on depending on their allegiances. On your point about X markers, I feel like it’s generally not a good idea to draft more than one unit relying on an X marker power in an army, as you have to commit that X to only one of those figures at the start of the round, so I feel you’re a bit restricted in how you play across a round. But, would be curious as to your experience with builds like that. Conversely to Xiamara, Glinerva is a Kyrie that, the more I’ve thought on her since making this, the more I wonder if she’s not quite as powerful as I imagined. The Darkness is definitely cool and probably something I’m going to really need to play a lot to fully understand. But it only happens once per round, and I don’t see any way to bond with Glinerva so far. So the turn you spend activating the Darkness is a turn you’re committing to only moving and attacking with Glinerva. And with only 3 Attack, I wonder if that turn wouldn’t just be better spent on something else. Though I suppose there’s utility in activating the Darkness on Turn 3 if you lost Initiative that round, which if I’m reading her card right, means the Darkness would stay active into your opponent's Turn 1 if you lost initiative the next round. Then you could maintain it yet one more turn by reactivating it on your own Turn 1. It could be a way to respond to poor initiative rolls, with you deciding if you’ll keep the Darkness up or lower it, depending on initiative outcome. What is that...3 turns you could theoretically maintain Darkness across consecutively, if initiative goes that way...? Holy heck. You know, the more I type…I’ll just stop there.
-Qhyrion: I think we can agree the devs killed it with Qhyrion. A thematic power that looks appropriate to her sculpt, and what a sculpt it is. I remember a discussion on the Avalon Hill Discord I got into in which a bunch of us were speculating about the different types of wings Kyrie from different factions should have. We imagined Vydar’s Kyrie squad, should he ever get one, should have moth/butterfly-like wings, similar to Braxas’s wings. A wing design thematic to that Kyrie’s faction. Obviously didn’t pan out how we imagined, but the cyborg/techno-wings Qhyrion has are just as, if not more thematic, than what we imagined in that discussion.
Appreciate the time you put into your observations on the units, if you made it this far.
And as for Dünd…stay -tünd- tuned…
@@doggindays2631 And I always look forward to your reply!
-Cornelius Breech: I definitely wasn't playing close enough attention as I was listening in! I did not realize Mutiny would activate after Captains take wounds. That one is completely on me!
Wraithriders: I've never played competitively, but I do enjoy watching competitive games. I hadn't thought of Wraithriders in the same way as vipers, but now I am quite excited to see how they shake up some metas! More sturdy and powerful shock troops are a new take that probably won't replace the vipers niche, but just add a new element to that play style!
Xiamara: I can totally agree with you there!
Mielki: I can also totally agree with this one haha. Visual design aside, I am so so so excited for her stats and power wise. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure she's my most anticipated for Wave 2.
Kilkorax: Oh yes, I am very excited to be including the undead kyrie in my campaign, but we still have a lot of story to go before the Age of Annihilation!
Glinerva: Yeah, my first thought with darkness was immediately the potential to deny an opponent two turns. If you win initiative, have her on your third turn, and activate darkness, your opponent could potentially waste two turns unable to target you with range if they win the next round of initiative. That would be absolutely busted against any Wait Than Fire build. Of course, that requires some factors far out of your control, but still a very interesting thought experiment. If there was a way to put order markers on her after the initiative roll, like EJ-M1 can do with the pirates, well, just an idea for a unit that could synergize with her.
Thank you for the time you took to respond! It's always a pleasure. Stay tuned I will!
Love the content! Keep it going.
Great breakdown! When do you think your next OG Heroscape wave 2 review will drop?
Aiming for sometime in September!
AoA was designed by the War Council and Avalon Hill to be completely compatible with classic units. The classic units we top of mind during the design process. Renegade has only made minor tweaks before release. Next year we'll start getting completely new Renegade units, but everything from the Haslab will be released.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I didn't mean to imply AH/Renegade completely disregarded Classic units. They clearly designed synergies. I meant to acknowledge some of the observations I've heard from other people about the sense that the new units, while fully compatible, don't feel as charismatic as Classic units did. I can see their point, even if I don't fully agree. I think a lot of the consensus on these new units will have to come through community play and time, and I'm optimistic they'll fit right in.
Hey man, love your videos, are you still planning on doing more in depth reviews and rankings of the original figures?
Glad you enjoy them! And absolutely. I'm trying to finish my next classic units video, then plan to follow that up quickly with coverage of the new AoA stuff. Appreciate your patience, and stay tuned!
If you ask me, i think currently the units are being designed as a standalone product to simplify the game to new users. Last thing you want is a new player giving the game a try needing to figure out how to get some knights of weston for that over inflated price. I think currently building out synergies with AoA units is key, and as time goes on probably add on synergies to the classic units we know and love.
I agree, and I like that there are at least a couple figures in the master set that pair well with old scape. For instance, Loviatak was clearly made with the minions of utgar in mind.
@@Brandon-tz6vf no doubt, the fact that they are still throwing returning players some love with units like that is great. I havent got a master set myself just yet but once it comes back in stock i definitely look forward to grabbing one and bringing out a loviatak/taelord/minions build
I'm with you. It feels like they were operating under dual objectives of building units fully compatible with Classic Scape, while also building their own AoA roster that feel fully-realized and self-contained within AoA itself. And generally I think they're doing a good job of walking that line so far. And I think we just need time with the new units to really develop our thoughts on them. Some classic units even got mixed receptions upon release, but now feel indispensable to the classic roster.
Glinerva the Super Jungle Tree!
Cornelius Breech strikes me as a mindgames unit. Have him take some early damage then maybe park him somewhere annoying and stack orders on your main captain. Your opponent knows that any time they inflict a wound on your main captain you can heal Breech back up to full, so they either suck it up or ignore your main captain an over-commit to killing Breech. Will it work that way in practice? Probably not, Breech is low-value enough that the threat of healing him is minimal, but the thought is there.
I understand people's complaints about the aesthetics. The reboot seems to be pulling from a very different genre-base than the original. The OG was a genre-mashup, sure, but it had a distinct set of flavours it was pulling from (real-world history, Norse Mythology, classic fantasy and Terminator, with a handful of wildcards and later sets expanding that). I don't think the change is a bad thing, but there is a distinct shift. I think a few more historical units would go a long way to tying it all together - some Vikings and/or Age of Sail Pirate squads to fit into the Pirate archetype, maybe some WW1-modern-era navy/marines. I have no idea how you'd model it, but a WW1-inspired tank/armoured vehicle could go some way to bridging the gap between classic Heroscape and Eisenek mechanical-death-fusion-horror.
Good points all round. Definitely makes sense to use Cornelius a bit at the start, wound him up, then stress your opponent out a bit wondering when the Mutiny will occur to heal him up. Might mean your opponent tries to take out Breech before they think you'll Mutiny, which may or may not be your plan. You may want your opponent to waste attacks on Cornelius so they're not focused on another more valuable unit, though Mutiny seems well worth pulling off if you can. But yeah, the mind games potential is high. Just make your opponent wonder when Cornelius rallies the pirates to his cause.
I also like how you articulated the point on AoA's aesthetics. It's still a genre mix, but a different pool of genres we don't as closely associate with Heroscape. The lore, for whatever it's worth, is flexible enough to accommodate all the new aesthetics. And as I hopefully indicated in the video, I'm pretty psyched about a few of the new aesthetics. When one takes the VC roster into account (which uses figures all outside of Heroscape and broadens the Heroscape genre palette even more), the AoA units fit in even more smoothly.
I think Glinerva is going to be incredibly powerful. The thing is she shuts down ALL range in that area, you can't even shoot out of it. Using her to shut down opponent,'s ranged pods, forcing them to either move out of position or waste their turn. And you don't even have to activate her to use it! And she doesn't even need clear sight! Unbelievably powerful.
Glinerva+ nakita agents seems deadly and effective
What is "VC?"
Many of the new units are quite underwhelming. There also are no designs that are impressively creative/thematic. For example, no new unit comes close to the design of the Airborne Elite
this is sarcasm?
@@omnirisible Not at all. Which unit do you think has an impressive design in regards to creativity or theme?
Oathbound phalanx and legionaries, void gliders, Ewashia, Glinerva, Xenithrax are all mechanically creative at a near or greater extent as the airborne elite
@@kriptonite981 -The Oathbound Phalanx/Legionary do not even exist yet. For what it is worth, the Legionary are not very creative/thematic. They have 2/3 of their abilities are recycled and not particularly thematic. If you asked a random person on the street what abilities Legionaries should have, I doubt anyone would say scatter/climb. Heck, scatter is the opposite of an ability they should have. Roman Legions were known for sticking together, fighting side by side, not scattering as soon as someone was attacked.
-The Void Gliders do not even exist yet. They have 0 original abilities. Their 1st ability is basically copied from the AE with the main change of removing the D20 roll. Adding Defense if opponent isn't adjacent has been seen multiple times before. The 2nd ability isn't particularly thematic either.
-Ewaisha is basically just a collection of abilities that have already existed. Aesgis of the river and command familiar are abilities we have seen before. Create water we have seen before just with shadows. Even Twister is very similar to stuff we have seen before. I don't see 1 ability of hers that is creative.
-Glinerva is very not creative. Concealment 17 is just a very slightly modified version of what the Mohican River Tribe. Flying has been done 1 million times. Even Hawk's Darkness is just a variation of using the X marker to get a temporary boost, something we have seen before. Also, thematically from looking at the card nobody would have any idea why the Kyrie has darkness abilities. Seems random rather than thematic.
Xenithrax is not particularly creative/thematic either. Flying has been done 1 million times. A dragon being able to attack multiple figures from 4-5 spaces away is far from new or original. Adding Glyphs to the field is original, but feels like a random ability, which is a theme break. If you showed that Dragon picture to 100 random people on the street, I doubt even 1 person would guess that it probably has the ability to add vines to the battlefield. That kind of ability is more associated to a Dryad or Druid than a Dragon. By contrast, if you showed them Braxas/Nilfheim, many would guess their ability because they have a far stronger thematic design.