For those who don't know, the new Everblight Warlock, Kallus, Wrath of Everblight, is being sold at Gen-Con this weekend, so spoilers have started leaking out. I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on him.
Off the bat, I'm a bit disappointed. While he is the infantry supporting Warlock people originally thought Bethayne would be, there were rumors that he would be a pButcher-esque super solo type, which I was really hoping for. All of Everblight's warlocks are supporters, and it would have been nice to get a guy whose job was to run up and murder things like Epic Caine, Prime Vlad, or Kromac. Still, there's a lot to like about him.
In my mind, he's going to put up Ignite first turn, then spend most remaining turns casting Dark Guidance and supporting his army from just behind the front line. Flashing Blade and Eruption add some utility. Not only does Flashing Blade let him attack multiple models, but since its a spell, he can attack before he moves. And Eruption provides both AOE support as well as a possible defensive shield for a heavy warbeast if he target them. I really like the fact that his stats are solid. Too often games have come down to the wire, and if I'm running either Lylyth or Saeryn, its hard to tip the balance in my favor by having my Warlock get into the fight. Possibly the worst part of him is his feat. Not only does it require your opponent to help out, Kallus makes it harder for them to do so thanks to his Unyielding aura. In addition, the benefit is kind of lackluster. I can't imagine getting more than 4 or 5 Incubi out of it, and it doesn't seem like they'll get their out of activation attack. The other cool use could be Grotesques, having them fly over the front line, die to free strikes, and then spawn Incubi next to the enemy Warcaster/Warlock for assassination, but it seems like that isn't possible ("No Grotesques flying through models").
My favorite part of Kallus is he makes Warmongers spectacular. I've been a champion of Blighted Ogrun almost since I started, and he gives them some great benefits. Unyielding help make up the gap between them and Gatormen, who have been their main competition, and Dark Guidance means Berserk chains are even easier to get off with an effective MAT of 10.5! But the best thing is both those abilities affect everyone in the Battlegroup, meaning they don't have to compete with other models for upkeeps. While Ignite isn't bad on them, with their already high POW they really don't need it.
Speaking of Ignite, I'ven been trying to figure out the best way to use it. I probably want to use a unit, since that way I get more attacks to make the most of the benefit. The great part is I've been thinking about picking up a new unit soon. I've narrowed it down to 4 options:
Gatormen: These guys are getting a lot of time in this post! Ignite doesn't require faction models, so these guys are a decent target. The downside is they won't benefit from Dark Guidance, and since I'm already including Warmongers, I'm not going to have many bodies on the field. While running an army full of high arm multiwound monsters is intriguing, losing out on Dark Guidance is a BIG loss, since that seems like Kallus' thing.
Legionnaires: At first glance, these seem perfectly made for Kallus. They're a cheap tarpit-style unit, which means they really benefit from Unyielding since you can field multiple units easily, and they're already one of the best ways to get out Incubi. Tack on Reach and CMA and it seems likey they'd be great with Ignite. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, they aren't as great. Only one unit can benefit from Ignite, and with Kallus' moderate control, you'd be hard pressed to get 2 full units in it and still near the enemy. And while they are cheap, I wouldn't mind paying a point or two more for the pefect unit. Still, they're resilient and have CMA and reach, which makes them a decent choice.
Hex Hunters: Another options I like a lot. Unyielding nicely complement Stealth and high DEF, and increasing their power makes it more likely for Battle Wizard to trigger. The main downside is they're too fast. If you take Bayal and Advance Deploy them, its really likely they'll be out of Kallus' control for the first turn or two, meaning no Unyielding or Dark Guidance, and that they could go down before he can use his feat.
Ultimately, it's probably going to come down to Farilor, the Legionnaire UA slated for Domination. If he brings the right stuff to the Legionnaires, I'll probably get them; otherwise, I'll go with Hex Hunters.
Overall, I like Kallus, and think he'll be an interesting addition to the Legion. I'll probably wait until Domination is release to pick him up, mainly so I know if I'm getting Legionnaires or Hex Hunters to complement him. Still, I'm looking forward to a Warlock other than Rhyas who can run Warmongers well!
Haven't gotten a chance to assemble him yet and I'm busy packing for a trip, but with any luck I'll have a battle report featuring Kallus early next month!
