Combining two factions makes warband building extremely strategic and fun!

Now that the 10th and final Faction, Vitawaasi, has been released, our “official rules” allow for players to combine 2 factions to build their 5 terrain tile, 12 unit warband! By combining factions, players can forge their own personal strategies and build warbands with their favorite units from different factions. The decision-making process of choosing 12 units becomes a lot more important (and fun in my opinion!). In game decisions, such as terrain tile placement and resource management, also are more high stakes. However, some of the warbands I have built combining factions have been some of my most powerful and all-time favorites!

Here are some of the most interesting and entertaining combos I have seen!

Ihalaban and Doom Sand

Definitely not a combination that you might think of- but this has been one of my favorite combinations to play. Both factions have a lot of massive area damage spells, and that leads to some really wild rounds. Doom Sand’s alternate ways to gather gold help overshadow some of Ihalaban’s expenses, while Ihalaban’s threat of big monsters keeps enemies guessing. It’s a combination that can create some pure chaos!

Unit combo: Zepodom Usurper and Doom Sand Outlaw

Zepodom Usurper sort of plays like a Doom Sand card- it has its own way to pressure your enemy into giving you gold, or points, and can also command Doom Sand’s kidnappers to do the same. These villainous units can cause a big distraction while you save up for major spells and colossal units.

Vitawaasi and Baazaria

Vitawaasi! They get a bigger sigil today to emphasize their arrival. Vitawaasi joins Baazaria as a faction that likes to establish control over certain areas of the battleground. The difference is that Vitawaasi does so through abilities like Trapper and Ambush– and Baazaria does through spells. This makes for a really lethal combination. Traps all over the board paired with Deathstorm can make the whole battleground one big nightmare!

Unit combo: Elite Ambushmaster and Deathstorm Lich

Whenever the Deathstorm Lich hits the board, opponents will rush it (for better or worse) to take it out. However, that becomes a LOT more dangerous if there are a few spaces with 2 damage traps around it. Add on a range striker with a deadly 3 damage that can snap an Ambush attack as soon as something gets close? Yeah…that is a really tough combination to be up against!

Kragg and Zyan

I like this combo because it keeps the battle plan simple. Crush the enemy with melee attacks. What makes the Kragg-Zyan combo excel is the dominance through the air and the ground. Also, Zyan’s high rank and captains can speed up Kragg’s stronger attackers through commanding. Both factions ignore mana and have no problem with gold- so it minimizes the need to worry about resources.

Unit Combo: Ogre Berserker and Swiftwing Valkyrie

You could really plug in any of Kragg’s ogres/trolls or Zyan’s captains. The high rank captains can command the hard-hitting units across the battleground quickly enough to really overwhelm an opponent. Kragg has a lot of abilities that score extra points for carnage, so a combo like this one can create a big lead.

Moonshadow and Parada

Both of these factions use range heavily. Parada bolsters it with high health units and Moonshadow with evasion. When combined, they form probably the deadliest range-based warbands in the game. Parada’s defensive units can absorb hits while Moonshadow’s shifty units set up on the outside, creating shooting lanes from both straight down the middle and the edges. Setting terrain tiles to maximize range opportunities and Swiftstriker is a ton of fun with this pairing!

Unit Combo: Elf Sharpshooter and Mishnari Bladethrower

This combo is a great example of two units that implement range in different ways, but having both on the battleground opens up a lot of offensive potential. The Mishnari Bladethrower uses high rank and versatility to wound and pick apart units, then the Elf Sharpshooter mows down whatever is left with pure long-distance strikes.

Primus and Zermano

In addition to some really powerful spell combos (Arcane Blast + Ice Missle) this combo can really maximize the water. Zermano’s aquatic spaces can flood (literally) the board and the right addition of Primus units can make the water spaces even more advantageous. Primus has elite top-level flyers as well as a couple of units that are water-space friendly- so there are a lot of options in a board that is full of water spaces… something that will undoubtably frustrate your opponent!

Unit Combo: Jungle River Kraken and Yacuruna Veteran

Aquatic is probably the most popular water space ability, but it isn’t the only one. Amphibious lets the big Jungle River Kraken operate in a board full of water, making the JRK a really strong unit in this style of warband. In a similar way, the Yacuruna Veteran is an ideal captain, on water heavy battlegrounds, because Plunge can get them all over the board when enemies might be stuck.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg… so much could be written breaking down the strategies, best and worst combos, advantages and disadvantages of each faction combo.. but hopefully it gives you some ideas to start building your signature warband! Let us know what combos you have tried!