Sometimes a unit can seem unstoppable! However, there are always ways to mitigate the game-changing impact of the best units in Factions: Battlegrounds.

Today’s case? Deathstorm Lich (BAAZARIA)

What makes it so dangerous??

The Deathstorm Lich is a powerhouse. It is the only unit in the entire game that can hit every single enemy at once, meaning it is an ever-present threat. As an opposing player, the Deathwave spell is ominous, and even more grave if you are using low-health units and/or the Lich has access to plentiful mana. This reign of terror is amplified in target rich 3 and 4 player games! The spell is not extremely expensive, and Baazaria has ample mana generating units.

That’s not all… The Lich is Baazaria’s ultimate team player. It’s 5 rank is tops in the game, and as a captain when it isn’t raining 1 damage on anything and everything, it is capable of making commands for Baazaria to set the tempo and lead every round. The Paralyze spell can be used to slow your advance against it, and it’s 3 health allows it to take on a hit now and then. The Lich’s gold cost at 6 makes it affordable and overall an excellent value, catapulting it into the conversation as a top 10, and maybe even a top 5 unit in the game, with a solid argument as THE best unit in multiplayer games.

Here are some thoughts on how to stop the Deathstorm Lich with certain factions (focusing on multi-player in particular, but all of these methods can apply to 2 player as well).

Doom Sand is, by a wide margin in my opinion, equipped with the best and most effective ways to shut down the Deathstorm Lich. I’d go so far as to say the Deathstorm Lich actually has a BAD matchup against Doom Sand! Here is why.

When I am playing against Baazaria in multi-player as Doom Sand, I actually use a football defensive strategy called QB Spy. When defenses run QB spy, one defender is assigned to cover, follow, and seek out the offensive team’s quarterback no matter what….With Doom Sand, there are 3 capable units that can destroy the Lich at any given time…So what I do is wait to play one as soon as Baazaria plays the Lich. Once the lich hits the board, my unit hits the board with 1 job. Kill the lich.

Here are those units!

Anubite Astromancer, Assassin Mage, and Genie Khan can all eliminate the Deathstorm Lich in one activation.

Genie Khan is “cheapest” option. For 7 gold and 5 mana (Teleport then melee attack) it gets the job done. If you have the option to take something else out with the Lich via Wave of Blades, that is a great option too. I like to use the Khan in early situations because it’s a great offensive unit and can give me a significant lead. It also gives me a captain on the board.

Anubite Astromancer gets the job done for 7 gold and 8 mana, and like one of the methods of destruction for the Genie, it’s a great choice if you can take out another unit or 2 with along with the lich via Meteor Storm. Anubite Astromancer’s Spell Ward and 2 health also neutralize Deathwave.

Assassin Mage can destroy the Lich for 5 gold and 10 mana. It’s Teleport then Mystic Sliceblade makes it the ideal unit for assassinating one individual enemy. This is sort of my end game finisher with Doom Sand regardless of what faction I am playing. Against the Lich, it would be my 3rd choice, because it has only 1 health so it is easy to take out when left close to enemy base camps, which is where the Lich almost always can be found. Nevertheless, it still gets the job done!

Firesky Wyvern, Anubite Battlemaster, Rampaging Gorolox and Sabertooth Wyrum all have either good health, good speed, or good attack abilities as well. For these reasons, when I am Baazaria I actually BENCH the Deathstorm Lich against Doom Sand and leave it out of my 12 units!! In multi-player, if you are Doom Sand, take it upon yourself to knock out the Lich. In 2 player, relax! You’ve got options.!

A popular Kragg vanguard is to use several 1-2 health units to sweep up resource centers and then give way to armies of larger melee fighters. It’s a ruthless and efficient strategy that works great for Kragg, and since some of the units like Wild Kongamato or Feral Griffin are aerial, it’s effective against spells and ranged enemies as well…. However Deathwave hits aerial units so the low health “horde” opener turns into about 10 points for Baazaria in the blink of an eye.

But here is an idea…. When you are going against Baazaria, simply start with 1 huge health unit. In multiplayer, start off with Greater Roc or Ogre Mauler, depending on the board set up, and be patient. Head towards the Lich and odds are you will get there before the Baazaria general can expend a whopping 42 (!!!) mana that is needed to eliminate the Mauler and/or 56 (!!!) to eliminate the Roc. within a couple of rounds you’ll also be able to recruit another unit… DO NOT recruit 1-2 health units until the Lich is gone. For 2 player games…how about Troll Crusher?? Often the Lich simply will not have the space to avoid a ranged attack before it can cast Deathwave enough times to take it out….

For Kragg, keep it simple. 2-3 high health (4+ health) units will work FAR better against the Lich than 4-5 units with 2 or less health.

Zermano can have a tough matchup with the Deathstorm Lich, so I like to adjust my goals with it a bit.. this starts with terrain tiles…

If you are able to pin the Lich adjacent to a water tile by dropping them in the Baazaria player’s zone, watch for the opportunity to unleash an aquatic attack. Both Lurking Inkanyamba and Octokonzi Berserker can eliminate the Lich in one attack, so jumping on that opportunity is crucial.. Another nice bonus to this is it will make it extremely hard for Baazaria to gather up enough mana to consistently use Deathwave, so you won’t have to be constantly getting chipped away by it..

Zermano has 3 two-water space tiles, great for trapping the lich near water.

If the board sets up in a way that the Lich is near, but not adjacent to water, a great unit to go bother the Lich would be the Yacuruna Veteran. The high health of the Veteran will allow it to take some hits and it’s Plunge ability allows it to get all up in the Lich’s grill. It’s 2 damage won’t kill it, but it will make the Lich uncomfortable, forcing the Baazaria player to deal with the Yacuruna. This extra attention makes it really easy to slip a 4 range, 2 damage Ice Missle spell through from the Zermano Battlemage.

Zyan has access to Unicorn Warhulk, which absolutely eats Deathstorm Liches for breakfast. The Lich kind of needs to be in a Baazaria player’s backline to be the most effective, usually with a unit or two nearby that make it difficult to reach. Unicorn Warhulk doesn’t care about that at all! Bullrush lets it run directly at the Lich and take it out with its 4-damage attack, knocking any guards aside. Unicorn Warhulk’s 3 movement also mean it can approach from outside of Deathstorm Lich’s Paralyze spell’s range. If the Lich wants to move closer and paralyze before the Unicorn can move, then it puts itself in a more vulnerable position, which is also a positive.

Another strategy Zyan can use effectively against the Lich is the Phalanx ability. The fact that the Deathwave is not able to peel off the +2 health bonus means that as long as Zyan can keep it’s Phalanx units adjacent, they can essentially ignore the Deathwave. (Armored Infantry, Armored Cavalry and Valkyrie Defender have Phalanx)

Similar to the Unicorn Warhulk, Jabari Shadow Knight’s extreme mobility can eliminate Deathstorm Lich from outside Paralyze range, while also not dying to Deathwave. However, you’d then have extended a 7-cost unit pretty far out into enemy territory, so an alternative option is to just use Ancient Winjaru. While it only has 2 movement, it has a whopping 6 health, and immunity to spells, so it can’t be Paralyzed or Deathwave’d!

Moonshadow also has several powerful units with Evade, specifically Assassin Squad, whose Slayer abiity can automatically kill the Lich, and Jabari Warlord, who’s extremely mobile and can deal a ton of damage early in the activation order. These units have a chance to dodge the damage from Deathwave, so Moonshadow players actually have the option to develop their own threats and force the other players to deal with the Lich.

In Primus, Wild Wyvern is a perfect counter to Deathstorm Lich. It’s flying, so it can’t be targeted by Paralyze, it has 3 health, so it can survive three whole Deathwaves, and it has 3 attack, the perfect amount to kill the Lich in one shot.

However, there’s another option, for those of you who want extra style points. I’m talking about the Spikeskin Squad!!! Tortuloid Bladebreaker and Sabertooth Hodag might lack the mobility and offensive power of some of these other suggestions, but they are also incredibly hard to deal with efficiently. In a multiplayer game, there will be other offensive threats for the Baazaria player to have to deal with, so they might not feel comfortable spending mana and units on stopping this lumbering, tanky duo, and even if they do, it’s hard to take either of them out in a single turn without using more than one unit’s activation. Baazaria is a faction that begins to crumble when its resources aren’t used efficiently, and the Spikeskin Squad absolutely makes that difficult for them.

Hopefully this can give you some ideas to start with…. While the Deathstorm Lich is a worthy foe, there is no reason to panic when it enters the battleground!! What other ideas do you have?? How about ideas with Parada and Ihalaban?? Let us know in the comments!