Hello! Michael and Ben here. Today, we will be providing you with some example decks (otherwise known as Dexamples) for the newly released Hunting Grounds deck! We will make a deck for each pairing possible today and will use a different warband for each pairing, as well as give a rundown on why we took the specific Hunting Grounds cards we did. If a card from another deck stands out, it will obviously be highlighted as well. Most of these decks can also be found on the Nemesis Deck Repository as well, so check that out!
Without further ado, let us start the Hunting Grounds coverage!
BLAZING ASSAULT – CYRENI’S RAZORS
Michael: Let’s start off with a classic Cyreni! First of all it’s great to know that they ARE NOT being rotated away which is insane and I love GW and whoever made this choice. Their Hammertide is really nice for forcing enemies to come to you, making them fun with Hunting Grounds, and while I would actually prefer Cataclysm over BA for them it’s impossible to not recognize the obvious synergy here.
First of all, the Hunting Ground surges are actually pretty bad for Cyreni but it’s fine. Hands Off is made easier by your insane accuracy as well as your ability to choose between doing two or one damage – sometimes you just don’t want to kill the enemy! Home Advantage is pretty hard with your low Save but at least it synergizes well with Deadly Riposte and Phase Ink. No Trespassers is mainly here as a reprint of Lost Without Trace, which was a V1 surge objective from Cyreni which basically had the same condition. The Razors however are no strangers to killing things so this shouldn’t be too hard. End phase wise, I first want to highlight Denial, which is one of the best objectives in the game at forcing enemies to come to your territory. In any other case it’s pretty bad. Bloodscent is here because your warband is very good at doing damage and to raise the glory ceiling a little bit, otherwise it is quite low at 15. Lead By Example is pretty easy with Cyreni’s Range 1 and 2 attacks, however it doesn’t track Hammertides. Pinned! is the signature card of the deck and does force your opponent into a tighter space for easier Hammertides. Finally, This is our Turf allows us to score passively without leaving our territory.
In the ploys department, we have Audacious Denial as Cyreni actually can use it, and it also makes Lead by Example easier. Deny Invaders is great as it gets your warband to sme hilarious dice amounts. Mind Your Step is VERY good for setting up a Hammertide, especially since two hexes is quite a large range! Paths Unknown is obviously busted, and also has the added bonus of maybe getting you a double Hammertide off. From the BA ploys, I want to highlight Commanding Stride and Illusory Fighter as they make setting up Hammertides very good. This forces the enemy to come to you which makes your deck stronger!
Now onto the upgrades. I made some questionable choices like not including Duellist because a lot of the HG upgrades are really synergetic with the Razors. First of all, Balance of Ghyran is really good for more pings and it’s similar to Defensive Swarm in V1, a Cyreni faction card. Blocked is very funny when an enemy tries to walk by Cyreni and then they get stopped and Hammertide-d next turn. Bounty of Ghyran is really nice as it lets you get more Inspired guys per round, which allows for crazy flexibility. Goading Defender is great especially with your warscroll relying on enemies missing attacks. Hidden Aid scales very well with 4 Sword attacks and you have two of them. Finally, Killing Blow is great cause your damage output isn’t too high but luckily you do have lots of softening up tools in the shape of Hammertide.
EMBERSTONE SENTINELS – STARBLOOD STALKERS
Ben: I think the Starblood Stalkers are actually not bad with this pairing. They inspire when holding tokens, all have 2 Save dice at least when inspired, gain a defence reroll when in their territory and have a once per game ability to prevent every fighter from being driven back for an entire battle round.
When looking at the objectives the goal of the deck becomes clear: stand on tokens in your territory and force the opponent to come to your territory to deny your objectives. Then score the Hunting Grounds objectives. We have a lot of hold cards to force the opponent to deny them and a couple of hunting ground cards to score once they are in your territory.
The ploys are just the Emberstone “good” cards, but we all came for the Hunting Grounds cards. Deny Invaders is a really important card, as it applies to ranged attacks and the Stalkers attacks would really benefit from having that extra attack die. Keep Them At Bay allows for the Stalkers to make that crucial attack while staying on a token and keeping their Save reroll. Mind Your Own Step is just a double Distraction, which is really important as it allows you to get a fighter off of a token in your territory and Paths Unknown allows for that crucial fighter to survive another turn.
The upgrades are pretty good, giving extra stats on Save and attack, but the two unique Hunting Grounds upgrades are very strong (obviously Hidden Aid is good). Blocked allows for a fighter that is standing in the way to ruin an invaders day, as not being able to get to the fighter holding a token can be game deciding and not triggering half the time is also usually fine as the opponent doesn’t want to risk their game on a coin flip. Goading Defender is also a really interesting card, as enemy ploys picking your fighters is uncommon and other than that it is better impossibly quick, as the goal of that card is to not get hit, and if you do get hit and damaged the fighter has often already died, so it staying attached to that 2 shield fighter is very powerful.
PILLAGE & PLUNDER – BLOOD OF THE BULL
Michael: So Blood of the Bull are actually pretty decent when paired with this pairing, as their slow move makes them want to stay in their territory and their Daemonforge dice make them want to delve. This deck is updated with the latest FAR list as well so it is perfectly legal to use! (sidenote – the fact that Zuldrakka inspires to NOT having Stagger is absolutely criminal)
Objectives wise, we take a lot of delving cards to force the enemy into our lands. I am a believer in the fact that Pinned can and should work, so it is in here. This is Our Turf! is one of the few cards scorable if no enemies come into your territory, so it’s good. Hands Off! rewards you for scoring Strip the Realm and Home Advantage is really easy when you are playing a 3 Shield warband. Finally, No Trespassers is rewarding you for proper Grisk usage.
For the ploys, we take Crumbling Mine from PnP to make Torn Landscape easier. From Hunting Grounds, we take a lot of cards, but some highlights are Hidden Snares to make your opponent literally have no chance to hit you, Keep Them At Bay in order to actually get a threat range, and Poor Footing to make setting up big attacks with Grisk easier. The other cards there are pretty self explanatory.
From upgrades we don’t actually have that much Hunting Grounds stuff, but we do take Goading Defender as well as Impossibly Quick because we hate fun and don’t want our opponent to have any. Killing Blow is also good because Grievous is good and against elites (who usually are the ones invading) this counts.
COUNTDOWN TO CATACLYSM – KURNOTH’S HERALDS
Michael: The Kurnothi are pretty good when they stand in their territory and Hunting Grounds lets do so very well. Countdown to Cataclysm is used to provide some passive glory in order to force your opponent to come to you, where you can tear them apart!
In the objectives, Overwhelming Force is here because you all have a 4 Sword attack which can maybe sometimes potentially hit. The other cards are all pretty easy to do without deviating from the gameplan. Hands Off! punishes enemies who want to hold for passive glory. In the end phases, Set Explosives becomes really easy with your The Endless Hunt ability (the double push). Loaded for Bear is just passive, as is Spread Havoc. Lead By Example is here because Improvised Attack makes it TRIVIAL and so does Audacious Denial. Pinned is here in order to get a higher glory ceiling, as there isn’t really other cards to add. It also punishes bad positioning and funnels enemies into your killer Range 1 attacks. This is Our Turf is kind of easy if anyone doesn’t rush you.
In the ploys, from CtC I took all the pings (of course) and Countercharge to setup Cullon’s big attack. Audacious Denial is actually playable by this warband so treat it is an extra ping. Deny Invaders makes inspiring as well as Overwhelming Force much easier. Keep Them at Bay is very funny on Cullion, as 2 Range 3 Hammers 3 Damage always is. Mind Your Step is here as usual to mess with bad positioning from your opponent. Paths Unknown and Sidestep don’t need to be explained, I feel.
From CtC, Utter Conviction is a MUST for this warband. Balance of Ghyran is nice on elites, as you can use it more often, and Blocked! is here in case enemies try to sneak past your scary fighters. Goading Defender is very helpful in this warband due to their low save. Hidden Aid is insane with your 4 sword attacks, and Killing Blow is nice to have also for those 4 sword Hooves (I am convinced that the 4 sword attack represents the kicking hooves).
RECKLESS FURY – GORECHOSEN OF DROMM
Michael: This deck pairing is very atrocious and I do not recommend it. However, if any warband can pull it off, it is Dromm and their Enrage ability.
In the objectives department, we actually do have to invade a little bit to score Frenzied Rush. However, all of the Hunting Grounds Stuff is actually trying very hard to be territory-agnostic (it fails). Back Off is fine, the main issue is often times you are killing enemies with one strike. Same with Hands Off. Home Advantage is actually quite hard as your Save is low but I couldn’t think of much else to put in. Finally, these killers will love No Trespassers as they get to kill stuff and get rewarded. Lead By Example is here and you can leverage Dromm’s Range 2 to score it easier, plus your warscroll makes it yet easier to score by giving you pushes as well as a second life. Pinned is here to narrow enemies into a chokepoint. Finally, This is Our Turf is actually quite hard considering everyone wants to be charging but oh well, we need some passive glory.
In the ploys section, I took Deny Invaders as accuracy is good. Mind Your Step seems very weird here but it is a must have against any Emberstone Sentinels player. Paths Unknown is GREAT on a three fighter warband. Secrets of the Realm is here cause I cannot find a 10th ploy and it’s one of the best Stagger cards in the game right now, so more accuracy. Sidestep is Sidestep, what’s not to love?
Balance of Ghyran leads the upgrade section as it is insane on a warband with as high of a health pool as the Gorechosen. Blocked! is here to capture opponents trying to run away from you. Goading Defender doubles any of your fighter’s Save so it’s great to have. Great Speed is a must have for your three move and Hidden Aid is great on your 3+ dice attacks. Finally, Killing Blow may seem extra but might as well take something to do even more damage to high health targets. It does have good synergy with Balance of Ghyran.
WRACK & RUIN – HROTHGORN’S MANTRAPPERS
Michael: The entire point of this deck is to get enemies into Hrothgorn’s Trap, and Wrack delivers on that perfectly. Thrafnir spawning anywhere in enemy lines can also be used as bait to get enemies closer to you!
So our objectives are atrocious and only work against RF or RS players because they can technically be denied (all but 2 glory) if enemies just stay in there territory. But that’s ok. Hands Off! is easy with Hrothgorn’s big attacks and the displacement tools you get make it easier. Home Advantage is good with 2 Shields and No Trespassers is good with Hrothgorn’s Knife. Lead by Example is easy with a Range 3 leader, Pinned! paired with Stay Close makes enemy lives a pain, and This is Our Turf is kind of an autoinclude.
In the ploys section, I tried to get many displacement tools in. I think I failed but it’s fine. Damned if you Do and Confusion paired with Mind Your Step make pushing into traps loads of fun. Deny Invaders is absolutely cracked since it can inspire your warband too! Paths Unknown is really funny with a ‘big guy’. Keep Them At Bay makes inspiring trivial. Overall, the ploys actually fit the Mantrappers pretty well.
The same cannot really be said for the upgrades. True Grit is here because most of your guys defend on dodges, so making them also have shields is nice. Goading Defender is really good on Hrothgorn. Balance of Ghyran too, as he has a really high health pool. Killing Blow is mainly for the little ones but Hrothgorn can do some damage with it. Overall, the key upgrade here is Barge as you can toss enemies into your trap from pretty nasty angles!
EDGE OF THE KNIFE – ZARBAG’S GITZ
Michael: With them now being nerfed, it is now acceptable to put these guys into a Dexamples article! It is nice for Hunting Grounds when you have four ranged guys who can force your opponent to come to you, and obviously having 6 tempered guys from the start is good for Edge.
Objectives wise, I took Home Advantage mainly cause of Snirk – his high Save makes this pretty easy. No Business Here is also very free because of Scurry, and has good synergy with Double Team. End phases see us picking Lead By Example, cause despite Zarbag’s low health, he is a menace to kill and he does have a Ranged attack to make this easy. Pinned is easier with more fighters as you can force enemies into edge hexes by denying crucial hexes with bodies. Also, Volley allows you to double driveback, which makes this yet easier. Finally, Scurry makes This is our Turf absolutely free!
Now for the ploys. Deny Invaders is great for literally everyone, and since I’m 95% sure this also affects Volley, it can bring double the benefit to the archers. Keep Them At Bay is nice and all but is extra funny on Snirk. Also, your warband is pretty slow so this can actually be the difference between a hit and miss. Mind Your Step is VERY funny when you take into account that Snirk exists. Paths Unknown might seem a bit controversial since you do have 9 fighters, so odds are your opponent will find another target, but this is usually fine – it’s just such a good card. A quick note on Running Riot – it’s mainly here as a 10th ploy but it’s the first card to go.
The first Hunting Ground upgrade is Balance of Ghyran and it does seem quite weird on a warband with few Health per fighter, but it’s still good even if it goes off only once. Goading Defender is very good especially since the Gitz lost their second Save dice. Great Speed and Hidden Aid are staples and Killing Blow is nice due to your ability to do small damage and then go in for a big kill with this.
REALMSTONE RAIDERS – DA KUNNIN’ KREW
Michael: Realmstone Raiders is actually looking not too bad with Hunting Grounds. Now if only we can have Ranged Raids… anyways, Da Kunnin’ Krew does have accurate Range 2 attacks which are very valuable to this playstyle.
In the surges department, we take Hands Off to punish feature token holders, Home Advantage because we have Dirty Tricks and Murk Lurkers to make us very good at making Save rolls. No Business Here is a no brainer because you kind of need to have Flanked attacks for Kunnin Krew. Lead By Example rewards you for making attacks with your boss, which is likely. Pinned is like the new Strip the Realm because it forces opponents to play around it but you will rarely ever score it. This is Our Turf is great on a warband who has 5 fighters as you will almost always have more move tokens than opponents. I also want to highlight Certain Aggression as it actually forces opponents to come to you! This makes RR+HG a very appealing deck combo.
In the ploys section, we take Audacious Denial for some extra damage (which we sorely need). Unfortunately, we cannot Raid off of this attack, but damage is damage. Deny Invaders makes us VERY accurate with our reliance on Flanked and Surrounded but it is necessary for more Raids. Paths Unknown is great to give Mannok and Torka an extra activation or two. Sidestep is once again, still Sidestep.
Balance of Ghyran is a nice deterrent on Mannok as he does have 5 wounds allowing him to proc it multiple times. Goading Defender is very nice with Murk Lurkers, but is just good in general as well. Great Speed is cool and all but not actually necessary – if you want, you can cut it as well as Deny Invaders. Hidden Aid on the other hand is necessary as it gives you easier inspires as well as better accuracy. Finally, Killing Blow is great as you will be poking enemies with your Range 2 attacks so might as well make them do more damage.
RAGING SLAYERS – RIPPA’S SNARLFANGS
Michael: So this deck combo is really counterintuitive because RS wants you to be in enemy territory while HG wants you to be in friendly. Rippa at the end of V1 was notorious for being able to pull this off, and with Raging Slayers their bites become more accurate.
I tried to take as many surges that didn’t force you to be in enemy territory, but we still have to play Home Advantage (cause we have pretty good Save) and Back Off. Back Off should be easier with the bite, though. Hands Off! and Usurped are easier to set up with the bites as well, albeit sometimes you will be forced into NOT driving back because of the bite. In the end phases, I once again put Pinned in because I am a firm believer in that it is a good card. Bloodscent is here cause everyone in your warband can do two damage. This is Our Turf might be hard with 3 fighters, but it’s still doable if no one comes to you. Lead by Example is very easy because all you need is to bite, which already means you made two attacks, then just end the round in your territory.
The ploys have some cool Rippa tech. Audacious Denial (where your leader gets to attack an enemy) would be insane but Rippa cannot use it as he does not do 1 Damage. Deny Invaders is always good, but especially on Ranged attacks as you are more likely to stand in friendly territory. Hidden Snares is good as you don’t want your elites to die. Mind Your Step is mainly here to help score Overwhelming Presence. Paths Unknown is obvious, and Secrets of the Realm is here because the wolf bites benefit from the Stagger re-roll. From the RS end, a card I want to highlight is Murderlust, which is easy to setup with your inaccurate bites.
Balance of Ghyran is obviously insane on any warband with high health pools and Rippa boasts three fighters who can use it. Goading Defender paired with their auto-Stand Fast warscroll ability make the Snarlfangs a nuisance to kill. Hidden Aid is cracked for the wolf bites, increasing their accuracy significantly. Finally, Killing Blow is just there for some permanent Grievous. It’s not too effective on this warband though but it could be nice.
DEADLY SYNERGY – MYARI’S PURIFIERS
Michael: Myari and Co are good for this pairing for two reasons. One is Senaela’s 5 range forcing enemies to show up to your doorstep, and the next is Ailenn and her permanent Hidden Aid making some Deadly Synergy stuff very simple.
In the objectives (surges), we take both cards that require drive backs and both cards that require flanking. This makes it easy for us to chill in our territory and ping pong enemies back and forth with our high range. Got your Back and Home Advantage are also similar, and pretty easy with the high defense of the purifiers. End phase wise, Lead by Example is here to boost glory ceiling and to take advantage of Myari’s high range. Pinned punishes invaders and This is our Turf makes it so enemies have to invade. Aggressive Unity is hard but it can be dropped in a worst case, luckily you do have Range 2 attacks to make it easier. Outmuscle is similar and with your low damage ranged attacks it’s easy to succeed without killing. Finally, Closed Down is pretty much here to punish passive players, as once Bahanar gets a token he isn’t moving anywhere!
In the ploy department, we don’t take much from Hunting Grounds as the Deadly Synergy stuff is much more versatile. Still, Deny Invaders is nice simply for the +1 Dice. Just keep in mind it makes inspiring a little hard. Mind Your Step is as usual a pretty much auto-include because turns out pushing an enemy two hexes is pretty strong. Paths Unknown is also really good because not getting attacked is the best way to stay alive!
In the upgrades department, Balance of Ghyran is nice for the extra ping damage. Any warband loves it but especially the Purifiers whose main source of damage is Bahannar. Goading Defender is great and scales well with your Aetherquartz reroll. Great Speed and Hidden Aid are staples in any deck but Hidden Aid on Bahannar especially is quite funny. Finally, with the amount of softening up you will be doing with your archer, Killing Blow is actually a very reliable source of Grievous.
And that’s it! We hope you enjoyed the article 🙂 For those looking forward to our Deadly Synergy article, it should be coming out later this week. If you have any feedback to myself or Ben, please let us know on the Staggerers Discord server. With that, have fun in your new Hunting Grounds, and we hope to see you again soon!
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