Implications of new Matched Play Season

[Sception]

Nighthaunts were big beneficiaries of the previous matched play season, with Galatian Veterans letting 32mm base battleline infantry fight in two ranks (big boost for bladegheists in scarlet doom and dreadscythes in quicksilver dead), and the scenarios further encouraging the use of these same units.  The Krulghast Cruciator was also heavily favored, as it allowed nighthaunt armies to negate the effect of the bounty hunter detachment, which tended to keep galatian veteran units from other factions in check.  Naturally, given how much the previous season's rules played not just to nighthaunts in general, but to specific nighthaunt units, heroes, and subfactions, the upcoming change in season is likely to affect how the Nighthaunt faction plays more than many others.

The actual rules for the new season have fully leaked at this point, including battlescroll, points changes, & all.  I'm not going to post the leaks here, iirc that's against the rules, but it doesn't take much googling to find it.  Here's some notable points:

Focus shifts from gelato vets to gelato champs.  2 rank fighting for battleline infantry is gone (but see battalions below), extra rules for battleline infantry claiming objectives or scoring secondaries is gone.  Instead we get extra rules for non-named infantry heroes below 10 wounds, in particular that they can't normally be targeted by shooting while near other friendly units (but see battalions below), gain preferential scoring rules in some missions and secondaries, gain some new heroic actions, special enhancements, artefact options, etc.

new core battalions (replacing expert conquerors and bounty hunters)

• one special bodyguard battalion for a gelato champ plus a unit.  no actual bodyguard rules, instead the hero and unit can activate back to back in the combat phase.  the unit also gains some favorable scoring in some of the secondaries.
• one for ranged units to let them shoot gelato champs even when they're near other units
• one for infantry units (not just battleline) allowing them to fight in 2 ranks

There's also a new command ability for use in the combat phase that gives the target unit +1 attack in exchange for not being able to pile in.  Obviously better on single model units with multiple weapon profiles (monsters, heroes).  Potentially useful on smaller units with reach or 2 rank fighting, but even then pile in will often get as many attacks, so iffier there.

....

so, some first impression thoughts.

Down, but still very good

• Krulghast Cruciator.  Still very strong, but less of a must-take without bounty hunters in the mix.  I certainly wouldn't consider taking multiple like I might have last season.
• Bladegheists / Grimscythes.  Again, still very strong, but now they need to be part of a specific battalion to fight in two ranks, meaning they can't be part of any other battalion
• Crimson Doom / Quicksilver Dead.  In addition to their signature units being slightly down, its no longer as important to make them battleline (no bonuses for scoring objectives & secondaries, no longer need to be battleline to fight in 2 ranks).
• Spirit Hosts?  I mean, our non-named heroes theoretically can't be sniped as long as they're near any unit.  Then again, hosts still protect heroes against sharpshooters and melee attacks, so still likely a must take.
• Named & Mounted heroes - Olynder, Kurdoss, Reikenor, the Drowner, Dreadblades, and KoSoES - all are quite good, probably good enough to still field, but you have to consider that they're filling hero spots that could be going to more Jello Champs 

Up, but maybe not by enough to be must takes

• Chainrasps and Grimghasts.  These units are battleline regardless of subfaction, and more importantly they can fight in two ranks (thanks to small bases and reach respectively) without having to be part of a specific battalion to do so, making them ideal for the bodyguard battalion or even just a battle regiment to reduce drops
• Emerald Host.  While not as flashy as the Doom or the Dead, the Host does provide an easy source of chip damage on 2 to 4 enemy champions.
• generic melee/aura heroes - the season wants people to run multiple small generic infantry heroes, and nighthaunts have several solid ones that already prefer to be in or near melee, which also puts them in position to contest central objectives.
• Gelato Champions: Guardian, Cruciator, & Torment especially were all units that already regularly saw play.  Could we also see Executioners, KoS (on foot), Cairn Wraiths, Tomb Banshees,  or even Scriptors?  I'm skeptical, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
• Spirit Hosts?  Shooting units are somewhat downgraded due to having to give up other battalions in order to snipe heroes, but then again with the missions and secondaries favoring those same heroes armies that have access to good shooting units are likely to run even more such units than they did before, even with that penalty.  Spirit Hosts could prove as critical for countering sharp shooters as cruciators were for countering bounty hunters.
• Craventhrone Guard - as the only valid sharpshooter unit in grand alliance death, crossboos are finally worth.. .. .. finall... BWA HAHA ha aaaaah, no, sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face.  These guys are still trash.  And the reason they're trash is the weapon profile of their crossbows, which isn't something a points adjustment can fix.  Until they have better range and/or threaten more than 0.5 damage per model before saves there's really no point to them.

Honestly, while this season isn't quite as perfectly tailored to (a subset of) the Nighthaunts as last season, we still seem well situated, as we have several solid Jelly champ options, some units that can seriously take advantage of the double rank fighting battalion, some units that /don't need/ to take advantage of the double rank fighting battalion, and while we don't have good sharpshooters, we do have the speed, flight, and alternate deployment options to hunt down enemy gelato champions AND a solid bodyguard unit in spirit hosts to protect our own champions from enemy sharpshooters.

That said, where last season wanted you to field very specific nighthaunt lists - bladegheist or grimscythe spam in their associated subfactions plus 1 (or more!) cruciators to protect your ghosts from bounty hunters - the new season seems to encourage a much broader array of ghostly units, armies, and tactics.  That said, while I still think the previous style of Crimson Doom and Quicksilver Dead lists will continue to be played and to do well, I'd in particular look for Emerald Host armies to show up more, with builds that focus on a death star of several Jellato champions plus maybe Kurdoss for more damage clustered around a central unit of 3 to 6 spirit hosts, with chainrasps and grimscythes to fill out numbers, battalions, and battleline slots.  It's a style of list that saw some play after the battletome landed, before the previous matched play season heavily skewed nighthaunt armies into a couple particular builds.  Then again, the heroes most favored for the build back then were special characters (kurdoss, awlrach, even olynder) and KoSoES, none of which are valid galatian champions, so we've yet to see if a version of that build using mostly units that /are/ champions can come together or not.

Regardless of whether we see that specific build or not, I do think we'll see a fair bit more Emerald Host, thanks to its ability to put free damage on enemy champions.

...

Quick List Sketch, Emerald Host:

• Kurdoss
• Krulghast Cruciator
• Guardian of Souls
• Lord Executioner
• Spirit Torment
• Spirit Torment
• 6 Spirit Hosts
• 20 Grimghast Reapers
• 20 Grimghast Reapers
• 10 chainrasps
• 10 chainrasps

Comes out to exactly 2000 points after the leaked points changes (unless I'm reading the potato cam image wrong), all wrapped up in 2 battle regiments for a 2 drop list.  Torments go with the big grimghast units to support them with some healing and a galatian champion for scoring, the rest of the units cluster around the spirit hosts in a big death star.  Assuming everything gets into combat, the death star puts out 5 ap-3 d3 attacks, 5 ap-2 d2 attacks, and 7 ap-1 d2 attacks, hitting on 3+ (I'd like to fit in some chainghasts, but I'm not sure what to drop) and wounding on 2+, while imposing -1 to wound and -1 damage on anything swinging back, and all that before counting enhancements, attacks from the spirit hosts, or 5 separate wave of terror results, plus the blob puts three champions front and center on whatever objective it smashes into.  Not the deadliest formation in the game, but nothing to sneeze at and pretty tough to take down.  Chainrasps claim otherwise unattended objectives.

Still need to work out enhancements.  For grand strategy maybe the new one that you claim by having more galatian champions from your starting army alive at the end of the game than your opponent?  This army starts with 5, protects them fairly well with spirit hosts, and will likely kill d3+1 of the enemy's champions by the end of the game with subfaction rules alone (average 8.3 mortal wounds before wards by the end of a 5 turn game on each of d3+1 target units).  Standard deployment would likely be hero blob in the middle, a grimghast + torment block on each flank, chainrasp on backfield objectives, then use vanishing phantoms to relocate one of the two grimghast/torment blocks - refusing a flank and/or grabbing an objective.

Again, that's just a quick sketch, I'm sure a better version could be put together with more time, or the attention of a more experienced player.  In particular I'd like to see some chainghasts in there to get the death star hitting on 2s, plus some hexwraiths for utility, even with the coming points increase, because that stupid fast first turn movement to put them /exactly/ where your opponent doesn't want them is just too good not to take, but maxing out hero slots just makes it so hard to fit them...

Edited January 11, 2023 by Sception

[Sutek]

I've played a couple of games with the new season and I'm liking it with my Nighthaunt.  The points changes and rules for Gallet champs have changed my list a bit.  I've dropped Kurdoss and in his place am using a Knight of Shrouds on foot and a Tomb Banshee.  Both have been good so far.

This is the list I'm trying at the moment.

Allegiance: Nighthaunt
- Procession: Scarlet Doom
- Grand Strategy: The Day is Ours
- Triumphs: Inspired

Leaders
Knight of Shrouds (115)**
- General
- Command Trait: Lingering Spirit
- Artefact: Cloak of the Waxing Moon
- Aspect of the Champion - Stubborn as a Rhinox
Guardian of Souls (150)**
- Lore of the Underworlds: Shademist
Dreadblade Harrow (115)*
Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief (340)*
- Lore of the Underworlds: Spectral Tether
Tomb Banshee (90)*
Krulghast Cruciator (150)**
- Artefact: Arcane Tome (Universal Artefact)
- Lore of the Underworlds: Seal of Shyish

Battleline
10 x Chainrasps (110)**
3 x Spirit Hosts (130)**
20 x Grimghast Reapers (320)***
- Reinforced x 1
20 x Bladegheist Revenants (360)***
- Reinforced x 1

Units
4 x Myrmourn Banshees (100)**

Core Battalions
*Command Entourage - Magnificent
**Battle Regiment
***Galletian Veterans

Additional Enhancements
Artefact

Total: 2000 / 2000

[Sception]

how's the dismounted knight of shrouds working for you?  I want to like it - probably my best painted nighthaunt model, but whenever I look at it it's warscroll, it just doesn't seem to do enough things, or the right things.

[Sutek]

Only had two games but so far so good.  Getting a free redeploy every round is great because it's a command ability you use a lot.  I keep him out of big combats but in the lst game he finished with ten wounds due to me tagging him on the end of combats against Gor and Ungor.  Lingering spirit and the cloak aid his endurance.

He's also good for the new battle tactics being a GC which the mounted version isn't.

My favourite thing in the list though is the combo of the Tomb Banshee forcing my opponent to use two CPs and then rolling a 5+ with Olynder.

[Rors]

I think crossboos are viable now. Yes, their damage output is still trash, no points change will change that, but 90 points for a 4+ save with a 5+ rally and the only access to ranged damage. There's something there. I think you either take them as screens and cheap WoT trigger or you can build around them. I'm not sure about building around due to sunk cost but..

A maxed out size of crossboos is 270 points, you could drop two and a KoS. That's 60 shots, effectively 15 rend 1 saves you can force. Enough to kill the average GC. By itself that's not worth the points so let's go sunken cost and add 3 coaches and a harrow and give the KoS the leader GC enhancement.

Now you have 60 shots on 3s and 4s dropping 12 away. The goal is to kill at least 6 models so that the coaches can unleash 9d3 mortal wounds (these will fill each other up too). Then when you get charged you can stand and shoot with both units for 0 CP using the harrow to get the second stand and shoot.

Make the army grieving legion so they can't retreat from the crossboos while you nuke them with mortal wounds.

Pure speculation and likely sunken cost but I don't think they're anywhere near as bad as last time round because for how cheap they are it doesn't really matter that they're ****** and there is synergy in the book if you lean into it.