Michael: Hello-hello! Michael here. Actually, it’s the entire Staggerers team for the first time since Dexamples haha.
Today, the three of us will be talking about (as you may have guessed) the Best Deck for Every Single Warband In The Game. We will focus on this from a Nemesis Perspective but like in theory this should apply to Rivals as well, so feel free to take our advice there too.
We’ll try to keep our reasoning for the decks short to make sure this article doesn’t go to a bajillion words. With that, let’s begin with the Greatest Warband of All Time!
Spiteclaw’s Swarm
Michael: Skritch the greatest has several decks, but with the February Changes it has to be Deadly Synergy. Getting perma flanked on a warscroll whose entire mission is to be united is very strong, on top of having great inspire ploys and just an all around strong card package.
Runner up decks include PnP for a more passive playstyle, as with DS you are forced into aggro or counterpunch.
Dread Pageant
As someone who has never played them, I have to say that Countdown to Cataclysm is the best deck for them. Just on paper, getting access to 3 brilliant (albeit late game) pings is very strong. In addition you get access to Utter Conviction, which imo is necessary to prolong Vasillac ‘the Liability’ the Gifted’s lifespan.
Khagra’s Ravagers
Emberstone Sentinels was recommended here by Ben, who actually played the warband in WTC 2025. Khagra is very good at holding, and even with Nexus being in the mix, Emberstone just simply has better hold support with stuff like Supremacy and Iron Grasp.
Gorechosen of Dromm
Dromm is perfect for Reckless Fury, being an elite with two 3 bounty fighters for Frenzied Rush, being able to score Arena Mortis and Bloody Momentum with any two fighters, and Enrage makes Arena Mortis and Unrelenting Massacre way easier than normal.
Ephilim’s Pandaemonium
Ephilim doesn’t really excel in any deck. Still, when making an Eph deck, I always default to Countdown to Cataclysm. The passive glory is great for their slow playstyle. In addition, the many pings in the deck and the warscroll allow for a very easy Wreckers.
Thricefold Discord
Ben: Emberstone Sentinels is good for them, as it is the deck where the pushes from the warscroll have the greatest effect and the upgrades are incredibly useful to buff their terrible slightly nerfed stats.
Zikkit’s Tunnelpack
Michael: Zikkit’s are very epic. I want to say Countdown to Cataclysm is their best deck, but they really can do a lot of stuff. CtC is the strongest for me because they have a pretty not tanky 3 Bounty Fighter who needs protection and they can actually reliably score Set Explosives because of their warscroll. On top of that, they love pings!
Grandfather’s Gardeners
So i’m no expert but Emberstone Sentinels seems like the default deck for Gardeners. They love Sharp Reflexes and the guard ploys, and they can’t pass up on Sharp Reflexes for some 2 Shields action. Plus, they love any and all attack modifiers, which ES brings loads of!
Kamandora’s Blades
From what I’ve seen, these guys love Deadly Synergy. While it doesn’t help that much with Staggering, it does wonders for the accuracy. This warband relies on high dice in both attack and save. In addition, their Worthy Skull ability as well as the Kannat pull allows for some insanely easy uniting making DS a natural fit.
Blood of the Bull
Well, for a warband with ‘delve’ in their Inspire, we can’t skip Pillage & Plunder. The synergy in objective cards make PnP an almost must pick for the Blood of the Bull. While the power cards don’t have the best synergy, the objectives certainly do.
The Wurmspat
Reckless Fury is the best for Wurmspat. As we have seen at Worlds, Wurmspat are insanely strong with RF, and the objective package compliments their big bodies nicely. The power card package further supports their onslaught, making them devastating to face.
Skittershank’s Clawpack
Skittershank love Deadly Synergy. It complements their entire warband stat spread very nicely, on top of having easy access to unity due to a lot of fighters. High save and high attack die pretty much always love flanked, and for a warband who really wants to kill-kill, this is doubly true.
Gnarlspirit Pack
It might get a bit boring putting PnP everywhere but again it probably has to be Pillage & Plunder for the GSP. The main reason is you get access to some immense flex tools, and your In Control ability gives you access to a potential 4 tokens on turn 1! In addition you love the additional tech in the deck such as Sidestep and Wary Delver, always nice to have.
Sepulchral Guard
I’d say these are the new Nexus Kings. Nexus of Power complements their double move very well and it also ‘solves’ their low movement issues by giving not only several hundred pushes but also semi-permanent +1 Range. This makes them a great warband for Nexus!
Thorns of the Briar Queen
Ben: Thorns like a lot of different decks, but are especially powerful when paired with Edge of the Knife. They only have two non-tempered fighters to begin with, which are also the most threatening fighters. Every fighter also hits for 2 damage, so you can easily temper enemies while the teleports help you getting your tempered fighters into enemy territory/position them for attacks.
The Grymwatch
Michael: Call me delusional but Edge of the Knife goes crazy with the GWatch. You only have 1 un-tempered fighter meaning Trial is actually scorable. In addition, you love hitting attacks, meaning you actually want to aggro. Finally, the Raise allows you to reach even the most hidey-est of hiding fighters to make not tempering an opponent possible only in the case of bad die. Plus the Power Cards are actually really strong for GWatch (Death Throes on the duke anyone?).
The Crimson Court
For a warband who needs to hit attacks, Blazing Assault is godsend. The vamps don’t have much synergy with any other deck and the plethora of accuracy upgrades make their decent inspire stats much easier to access.
Kainan’s Reapers
For Kainan the debate was between PnP and DS, and I have to settle for Pillage & Plunder. It allows for some crazy repositioning for ‘the big guy’ through Canny Sapper and Commanding Stride (and Tunneling Terror cause I know one of us is addicted to it). In addition, Mortek Advance makes scoring the delve stuff super easy.
Headsmen’s Curse
Blazing Assault is probably the best Headsmen deck, being the one that gives the most mobility for the warband. That being said, I do want to say I haven’t played the Headsmen much this edition, but it does feel like wanting to move the Wielder is a pretty significant ask for this warband and BA gives you the most tools to do so.
Zondara’s Gravebreakers
Quint: Another ‘delve’ warband with obvious Pillage & Plunder synergy. The objectives fit the warband like a glove, and you can take a lot of the more situational stuff in PnP like Crumbling Mine because of your innate card draw. This makes PnP a perfect deck for Zondara.
The Skinnerkin
Michael: Deadly Synergy is the obvious choice for new Skinnerkin, providing them with a very nice accuracy boost but also giving them access to a huge array of power cards and objectives that fit them. United also allows for extra haunch on kill!
Thanatek’s Tithe
Thanatek feels like a Countdown to Cataclysm warband. You really want Utter Conviction, Countercharge is just amazing, and Savage Blow allows for good early accuracy and cadavers. In addition, the pings make up for the warband’s low damage output. Finally, Improvised Attack is a must-pick for the extra cadaver generation. Though if I had to give HG a warband, it would be these guys.
The Exiled Dead
Wrack & Ruin is a natural deck for the ‘Dead. They can comfortably autoscore half the objective deck, and 14/20 power cards are natural fits. Most of them, like Sidle Up and Ominous Rumbling, work best in ED. There is too much synergy between the warband’s self damage and stagger synergy to skip Wrack.
Sons of Velmorn
A lot of people say that Deadly Synergy is good for Velmorn, mainly cause it makes them literally unhittable. They also really love the accuracy and can score a lot of the cards easily due to their passive Flanked from command counters.
Zarbag’s Gitz
Gitz do about 600 decks well. I’d actually settle on Nexus being the best one though, as it complements their insanely high movement and gives the best surges in order to access the easy inspire. It also gives some very insane mobility cards which gitz don’t need on top of some nice accuracy. In addition, Gitz are one of the only warbands who can score every single end phase in the deck consistently. Also 3 Range Snirk haha.
Mollog’s Mob
Quint: Mollog’s Mob want to make as many attacks with the big guy as possible, which Reckless Fury enables. It gives them a lot of easy scoring with a fighter that always has a charge token and a fighter that can score Brute Momentum and Arena Mortis by himself. Also, Bellowing Tyrant is really funny with them.
Morgok’s Krushas
Ben: Krushas are incredibly good with Reckless Fury, as they are the only warband where every fighter hits for 3 damage. Also you can give your leader a charge token to get a sneaky charged out or reposition your other fighters. Also a counterspell for a sidestep or illusory fighter to keep hitting the opponent is always nice.
Da Kunnin’ Krew
Ben: From my experience this warband heavily relies on Deadly Synergy to inspire and hit any attacks. The power cards are very powerful, with coordinated deathblow often being an accuracy and damage upgrade. Also they can somewhat score the objectives, with at least one successful attack being almost guaranteed with the warscroll ability.
Blackpowder’s Buccaneers
Quint: Countdown to Cataclysm perfectly supports this warband by giving it a bit of everything: pings, pushes, accuracy and defense. The thing this warband struggles with isn’t a lack of power, but a lack of focused power! Cataclysm makes it an even more versatile team capable of doing every play style you want! It also gives them Improvised Attack which can trigger the Swag Abilities :O!
Grinkrak’s Looncourt
Michael: Nexus of Power is VERY good for the Looncourt. I know I didn’t talk about it much in Lunatics Journey to Knighthood but that’s because it didn’t exist. The only issue is no weapon upgrades, which you can get from CtC or PnP. The vast amounts of Looncourtians makes the NoP cards very scorable and the Covetous buff complements the low range very nicely!
Daggok’s Stabladz
I really think these guys go crazy with Wrack & Ruin. While Alone in the Darkness becomes hard, the pings and positioning ploys do wonders for the warband who wants to stand next to tons of enemies for infinite pings. Plus, they love the survival tech the deck provides.
Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz
Pillage & Plunder in a warband whose inspire condition is ‘delve’ is obvious. The objectives make total sense. The power cards work nicely with the warband, nothing too special or ‘required’ though. Despite this no other deck works better!
Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers
Quint: Pillage & Plunder is really nice when you get free pushes all the time. It allows you to sit back and relax, whilst opponents have to walk towards the big boy and a trap, that only gives you more resources if they trigger it.
Rippa’s Snarlfangs
Deadly Synergy feels like a must-pick for Rippa’s. The bites being unchangable makes Flanked feel like a requirement. In addition, everyone but one guy dying turns the last guy into a killing machine with perma flanked! The objectives flow naturally when attacking twice, and the power cards include staples like Army of Two and Titan of Combat for early unity.
Farstriders
Michael: Emberstone Sentinels and Farstriders are like a match made in heaven. Sharp Reflexes is a must-have and they can score a lot of the hold stuff (Supremacy and Iron Grasp) from their warscroll giving them tons of insane mobility. On top of that, the three ‘hold in enemy territory’ surges become super easy with their move ability.
Thundrik’s Profiteers
I want to say Nexus of Power is the profiteer deck. Some may say HG and it’s not me (crazy) but Nexus provides the best surges in the game, which Thundrik love. They can also abuse their push to get on treasures and become covetous as well as keep the treasures when they get on them.
Ylthari’s Guardians
Ben: Ylthari’s draw around one million power cards every game, so the deck with the best power cards is probably the best with Ylthari, which turns out to be Blazing Assault. The accuracy found in the deck is also incredibly valuable, given that Ylthari have a once per battle round nuke on their warscroll. The same goes for the two grievous sources.
Ironsoul’s Condemners
Quint: Raging Slayers was already a great deck for the Condemners but it got even better with the FAQ, allowing them to all but guarantee an inspire with every attack they make. It fixes their main issue, which is early game consistency, gives them Haymaker which is frankly just disgusting, and enables them to do basically anything they want (as long as it involves smiting with maces).
Myari’s Purifiers
Ben: These four definitely want to play Emberstone Sentinels. Banhannars no push ability is incredibly valuable for a hold based strategy while the rerolls make staying on tokens easier. The defensive buffs found is ES are also incredibly valuable, as two fighters are on 1 defence.
Hexbane’s Hunters
Quint: This is the definitive Deadly Synergy warband. Two very fast fighters that can be moved all the time, pretty accurate fighters that can make united attacks at range and the glory to pay for the extremely expensive upgrades. You also don’t care that much when losing fighters, though you will lose the ability to get United, you will get the pretty nice inspired stats.
Cyreni’s Razors
Michael: Countdown to Cataclysm is my favorite Cyreni deck for several reasons. A) pings complement Hammertide nicely, allowing for full map kills without any interaction. B), due to Hammertide, you can score Wreckers very nicely. And C) Utter Conviction is a must pick. Insane objective and power card synergy all around.
Brethren of the Bolt
We have a guy who is terrorizing our local play group with Brethren and Blazing Assault. They become glass cannons, with emphasis on both ‘glass’ and ‘cannons’. It’s quite annoying to play against 5 Range Fulius and his signature 3 Damage 4 Hammer attack and then get Heaven’s Charge’d off the face of the Earth!
The Emberwatch
Quint: Though the Emberwatch are a bit of a toolbox warband, they run best with Blazing Assault. Their great accuracy is heightened even more and they can score every single surge in that deck (except strike the head but you get what I mean).
Jaws of Itzl
Ben: Jaws of Itzl want to inspire almost all of their fighters and Countdown to Cataclysm allows this to happen consistently. The pings are incredibly important for inspiration, while Utter Conviction increases your odds of rolling that shield you need to ping the opponent. Also desperate rage onto the venomites is incredibly strong and fun.
Knives of the Crone
These Aelves really like Blazing Assault. They really want to inspire, which requires succeeding attacks, and Blazing makes this easier. They also lack access to that important 3 damage threshold, which is fixed by the two grievous options from the deck.
Kurnoth’s Heralds
Quint: Countdown to Cataclysm is a much needed tool for the ponies. It gives them the early game accuracy they need to inspire in the form of staggers (yay), as well as the best defensive card in the game (Utter Conviction) and some push tools.
Starblood Stalkers
Ben: Emberstone Sentinels is the best deck for the Stalkers, as it supports their exact playstyle perfectly. Walking onto tokens with a random skink scores you 6+ glory and inspires your fighters to some of the strongest fighters in the game.
Elathain’s Soulraid
Michael: Pillage & Plunder works the best for the warband. The double push from minions allows for very access to every single objective in the deck (when you factor in attacking). In addition, both the ploys and the upgrades complement the warband very nicely despite not being ‘required’ to play. Stuff like Impossibly Quick and Wary Delver are very important though, making PnP the best pick. Finally, Elathain’s innate accuracy compensates for PnP’s lack thereof!
The Shadeborn
Ben: The Shadeborn really, really like Countdown to Cataclysm. The ploys are very good for the Shadeborn, giving them pings to make inspiration easy. In addition, Utter conviction stacks with the warscroll cover/reroll. Also this might be one of the only warbands where round 1 wreckers is consistent due to the pretty accurate uninspired attacks and a ping on the warscroll.
Xandire’s Truthseekers
These three stormcasts and their pet bird really enjoy Pillage & Plunder. The bird push is usable after every single move, so you can not move onto a single token and still score Broken Prospects and Torn Landscape. Or you push yourself to get singles on your attack to make getting that kill for Strip easier.
Thyrielle’s Zephirites
Pillage & Plunder is probably the best deck for these (although I don’t have a ton of experience with them obviously). They really like the hold based objectives found in PnP while the major benefits gained by being windblows/the enemies being windblown makes scoring them easier (especially strip with the extra accuracy). Emberstone might be a close second though.
General Noticings
Michael: Now that we have all the best individual decks out of the way, it’s always nice to take some general notes.
Here is a list of all the decks and how much times they were picked:
BA: 6
ES: 6
PnP: 9
CtC: 9
RF: 4
WnR: 2
EotK: 2
RR: 0
RS: 1
DS: 8
HG: 0
NoP: 3
We can see that PnP and CtC are leading, which could be for several reasons. Pillage just generally does well with anything that has a mobility ability, which most warbands do. In addition, some warbands have ‘delve’ in their inspire condition, which basically makes PnP an auto pick. Countdown also has some really nice synergy with a lot of warbands who lack damage, which tbh in today’s economy is a lot. Utter Conviction also makes or breaks several warbands.
Deadly Synergy sits alone at 8 picks. Warbands lacking in accuracy want it. Warbands lacking in Save want it. Warbands who want good objectives, power cards, and warscroll buffs want it. DS is just such a versatile deck, which explains it’s high pickrate, but it also just doesn’t work for some warbands (like 3 fighter elites) which explains why it isn’t the highest picked deck.
BA and ES are both staple decks, but they don’t really patch as many holes as PnP or CtC do. They are both very good – but not make or break. BA, for instance, is amazing for any warband who wants to stab stuff. However, it doesn’t help much with objectives, and as a general trend warbands who want to stab stuff want to score, which Reckless Fury AND Deadly Synergy do better. ES on the other hand got slightly overwritten by Nexus for some warbands. It also fills the same niche as PnP, which is movement based warbands, and PnP just does it better. If a warband already has decent mobility and stats, they have no reason to take ES over the more consistent objective package of PnP because they don’t need the good power card package of ES.
Reckless Fury and Nexus have 4 and 3 picks respectively. Reckless is great for any elites, so that explains those. Really not much else to delve into. Nexus, however, provides a great alternative to Emberstone Sentinels for swarms. However, it isn’t strong enough to replace Emberstone Sentinels as a ‘best option’, even though in a vacuum it might be ‘better’ for a warband. Profiteers, for example. I can’t really see them preferring Emberstone, but it just scores stuff better with them even though on paper Nexus is better in a lot of aspects. This probably explains its low pickrate where on paper it’s pretty good for a lot of stuff but Emberstone often does what it wants to do, but better.
Wrack and Edge both have two picks. They are both niche decks with like two warbands that break them, but that’s about it. At least for Wrack this applies. Edge should theoretically be higher cause of the amount of swarms in the game, but in reality most swarms prefer if not Nexus then PnP or Deadly Synergy because all of those decks are stronger than Edge and swarms break them.
Raging Slayers has only 1 pick, which is Ironsouls, which is probably explained by the atrocity of an objective package and plot card AND power cards. It does provide a substantial damage boost throughout the game but that’s really all the deck does, so if your warband doesn’t abuse Crits then there is 0 reason to play it.
Realmstone and Hunting Grounds have 0 picks each. For Realmstone, this is explained by the deck being a ‘do this for ME’ rather than a ‘I will do this for YOU’ kind of deck. I’m trying to say it’s like a deck which you have to play for, rather than a deck that helps you win. Sure, some warbands could maybe have RR as their best deck like Crimson Court but RR is really overshadowed by like 90% of the decks right now. It’s pretty strong if you play into it, but you MUST play into it, making it a non-optimal choice for every warband as a standalone deck. Hunting Grounds I almost put for Thanatek but like Raiders it’s a deck that you have to play for. At least HG gives you some very nice survivability tech, which there aren’t many warbands that require. Leader-dependent stuff like Death warbands don’t often prefer the weird power/objective package of Hunting Grounds compared to other decks. CtC comes up as a better alternative, also providing some nice ‘hiding’ tech while having better objectives.
What takeaways can we make? Well, we don’t really need to nerf any of the strong deck for the reasons here. Some decks just do better as ‘primary’ decks, which would explain why they are so common. Others do better as secondary or ‘play for me’ decks.
Some other things we can say is maybe GW should design less decks as ‘secondary’ as these tend to do a lot worse as a trend. Both HG and RR are quite hated on by the majority of Underworlders, and both are secondary decks. If you make a deck which requires you to play for it, do something fun. Like Voidcurse from last edition, that was fantastic. I’d argue DS is a great example of a ‘play for me’ deck that is also fun!
CONCLUSION
Overall, I hope this helped 🙂 If you’re interested in MORE best decks, Spent Glory also has a list of best decks for every warband here. If you have any comments/questions or believe we did your warband very dirty, then shoot us a message on the Staggerers Discord Server found here. With that, thanks for reading! I hope to see you again soon!
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