Kaya the Moonhunter & Laris

Template:Circlebox2 This model is playable only in an Unlimited format.

Once Kaya relied solely on her instincts. Now she has been initiated into ancient rites that reveal the power the moon exert on the blood of all predators. Her command of these mysteries has brought her a new companion in the form of a ghostly white wolf. This inseparable pair stalks the battlefields of Immoren with spell, spear, and fang to bring low the foes of the Circle Orboros.

Basic Info

Kaya2

This model is a Warlock.

Warlock Rules A warlock is an Independent Model. a Leader model. a Battlegroup Controller controls warbeasts. Warlocks use Fury Manipulation Uses ARC to determine how many fury points it gains each turn. Begins the game with a number of fury points equal to its ARC. Cannot exceed its ARC stat in fury points as a result of leeching. Can spend fury points only during its activation (unless a special rule states otherwise) for the following: Buy additional attacks Boost attack rolls Boost damage rolls Shake some effects Can leach fury points from warbeasts in its battlegroup in its control range. Spirit Bond allows the warlock to gain a fury for each of its dead battlegroup warbeasts. Reaving allows the warlock to pull fury points from a warbeast in its battlegroup when it dies.

Feat: Call of the Hunt

1. Kaya can force warbeasts in her battlegroup even if they're outside her Template:Control range.
2. At the end of the activation of each warbeast in her battlegroup, you can place that warbeast anywhere completely within 3" of Kaya.

Call of the Hunt lasts for one turn.

Abilities

• Template:Pathfinder
• Field Marshal [ [[:Category:{{{ability}}}|{{{ability}}}]] ]

[[Category:{{{ability}}}]]

• Template:Flank
• Template:Unyielding

Weapons

Glimmer
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				5				11
Template:Magical Weapon

Spells

{{Category: Template:Dog PileTemplate:Forced EvolutionTemplate:MuzzleTemplate:Shadow Pack }}[[Category: Template:Dog PileTemplate:Forced EvolutionTemplate:MuzzleTemplate:Shadow Pack ]]

Laris

Abilities

• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Bond
• Template:Companion
• Template:Guard Dog
• Unyielding   (He doesn't actually have Unyielding, but he does gain from Kaya's Field Marshal)

Weapons

Bite
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				4				12

Animus

{{Category: Template:Spirit Shift }}[[Category: Template:Spirit Shift ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Secret Masters. In this theme Kaya gains Sacrificial Pawn [Minion Warrior].
• Template:The Bones of Orboros. She can start the game with friendly upkeeps in play in this theme. Additionally Laris heals 1 point of damage every turn.
• Template:The Devourer's Host
• Template:The Wild Hunt - when Laris is forced to use his animus reduce the cost by 1 when in this theme

Thoughts on Kaya2

Kaya2 in a nutshell

Kaya is a warbeast caster, offering nothing for models outside her battlegroup. She can protect them on the way in with Shadow Pack, increase their threat with Dogpile, and get two alpha strikes with her feat. Laris helps keep her safe, and Spirit Shift can lead to some surprising attack angles. Her big thing after the rebalance is giving the entire battlegroup Unyielding for +2 ARM in melee.

Kaya2 isn’t like Kaya1 or Kaya3 and offers no way to improve the accuracy of your beasts. She does however have a more reliable way to deliver them.

Feat thoughts

Kaya's feat is often called a "yo-yo", since her beasts will attack, and then be pulled backward. This can often create a case where she can get two alpha strikes, the first where she feats, shaves off the front line of an opponents army, pulls all her beasts back outside of retaliation range; and the second alpha when she does it again next turn (although without the pull back). This can be absolutely brutal when combined with Circle's penchant for long threat ranges.

One drawback to her feat is that beasts must be placed completely within 3" of Kaya. Although this is a relatively large area, large bases will quickly fill that space. That, more than anything, will limit the amount of work she gets done with the feat.

Second feat drawback is that a majority of her army is going to end the turn clustered around her; making them all susceptible to enemy AOEs, electro-leaps, or other "splash" attacks.

Third feat drawback is that she really needs her army to do a ton of work on feat turn because, if they don't kill the targets that she sends them against, the enemy are very likely to be able to counter attack the next turn and she'll miss out on her "second alpha".

Spell thoughts

• Dog Pile is arguably her best spell. It's a big threat boost, makes her beasts more efficient, and hands out pathfinder - although pathfinder is almost irrelevant since the 2018.10 errata to Circle. Getting this out on feat turn is critical to getting a big swing.
• Forced Evolution - Circle wins and loses on the buffs it can stack, and this is a good one. It brings warpwolves into crazy DEF territory, and makes them hit very hard.
• Muzzle is an alright nuke. She needs to boost damage if she wants to get the effect onto a warbeast, which will eat half her stack. Generally to be avoided.
• Shadow Pack is what really allows her to run a big beast list. Stealth is usually difficult to mitigate army wide, and so opponents will rarely be able to do an appreciable amount of damage before Kaya can close. Be careful of armies like Legion, they will basically ignore this spell entirely.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• She does nothing outside her battle group.
• She can yo-yo but doesn't help threat ranges except for Dogpile.
• You often want her played forward but she can be assassinated fairly easily, especially without Laris nearby.
• If her opponent can see through her stealth, her army can go down fast
• Kaya has very low warbeast points as she ‘pays for’ Laris and its pretty debatable how many points he is actually worth seeing as he has less output than a Wild Argus and is only slightly faster and conditionally better at hitting things due to doppler bark.

Tricks & Tips

• Using Laris' animus Kaya can be very mobile and because she can flank with warbeasts, including Laris, she can be unexpectedly deadly.

List Building Advice

Strategy

Kaya wants to bring a boatload of beasts, keep them safe on the way in with Shadow Pack, get the alpha with her feat, Dog Pile, and Forced Evolution, pull back, then do it again. If her opponent has taken 2 alpha's from multiple heavies and lived, then something has gone horribly wrong. But other than against the staunchest of armour, this tactic should serve her well.

Theme thoughts

This is the best theme to take her in because Kaya makes the best use of cheap living beasts. It gives her free points for bringing what she wants, and the free animi on certain beasts are very nice.

She could play in Bones of Orboros which is a construct warbeast-centric theme, if you wanted. But if you do then note that Forced Evolution doesn't work on them, and they have shorter threat ranges, meaning her feat's threat is very diminished. Also you would need a pretty compelling reason not to be playing a beast-heavy Bradigus in Bones instead.

• Druid Wilder is vital for cooling off her beasts, especially on feat turn when they will be running hot and close enough to hit lots of them.
• Shifting Stones help manage fury, and are good counter blockers to protect the army
• Blackclad Wayfarer and Lanyssa Ryssyl are able to stack hunters mark with Dog Pile. This can lead to mind boggling threat ranges if you can land them.

• Swamp Gobber Chef can provide even more fury management (seeing a theme here?)

Battlegroup

• Warpwolves- all three are viable with her.
  • Stalkers are great for their 2" reach, and free sprint in Call of the Wild means the hit and run tactics can continue after feat turn. He also has native pathfinder, meaning he doesn't rely on getting Dog Pile as much.
  • Ferals are able to warp speed for an incredible 14" threat under dog pile. They also bring Primal, which can be important for taking down big targets.
  • Purebloods are slightly lesser than the other two, mostly because they don't hit as hard. But wraithbane can be vital for taking down armies with armour buffs, and the spray can reach surprisingly far.
• Satyrs can be decent as cheap filler beasts, and Forced Evolution allows them to hit harder.
• Scarsfell Griffons are very cheap, have 3 attacks, and threat very far. With Forced Evolution and Primal, they can even ding up heavies
• Wild Argus casting Doppler Bark before you feat to limit the counter attack.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Hordes: Metamorphosis (2009)
• Kaya is so wild that, despite being a wild animal himself, Laris actually has a calming effect on Kaya. In the mk1 rules Kaya2 even had an ability that reflected that.

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.04 Feat Fetish, vs Abyslonia2
• Template:VBR