Virtue Champion

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

The newly created Virtue species are not mindless automatons in Everblight's service. Each shares a sliver of the dragon's alien intellect and is capable of independent thought and action. This mental freedom means that among the Virtues, there are those that rise above the ranks of their kin. Virtue Champions have mastered the blight within their blood and can secrete toxic clouds of Everblight's blessing from their pores. Their control of the dragon's blight is so great that the caustic blessing of their master persists in their presence, no matter what efforts their foes take to be cleansed. As a symbol of their elevated status, many Virtue Champions master difficult weapons or fighting styles to display their prowess in combat, such as dual-wielding claymores.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Assault
• Template:Corrosion Immunity
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Blight Cloud
• Template:Caustic Presence

Leadership

While within {{{d}}} of this model, friendly [[{{{model}}}]] models gain [[:Category:{{{ability}}}|{{{ability}}}]].

• Template:Peel Back the Layers
• Template:Soul Ward

Weapons

Toxic Spit
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		10			1			3			10
Template:Continuous Corrosion Template:Corrosion Damage Template:Magical Damage Template:Scather
Blighted Claymore (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				6				14
Template:Magical Damage

Theme Forces

• Template:Children of the Dragon
• Template:Oracles of Annihilation

Thoughts on Virtue Champion

Virtue Champion in a nutshell

The Virtue Champion takes everything about the normal Virtue's versatility, cranks it to 11, and then hands it back over to them. Like the other Virtues the Champion is capable of both ranged and melee attacks, capable of assaulting with its AOE scather attack, and gains boosted melee attack and damage rolls against corroded models. However, the Champion is sporting a pair of massive claymores that start at P+S 14, and have longer rng than the normal Virtue's claws.

The real power of the Champion is in its Caustic Presence, Blight Cloud, and Leadership abilities. Once an enemy is corroded, the continuous effect remains while within 10" of the Champion. Blight Cloud is just brutal, especially since the Virtues can use it while within 10" of the Champion. Now the unit doesn't even need to assault an enemy to land their corrosion (for example if they are stuck in combat), they can just pop a Blight Cloud and corrode everyone around them.

These are cloud effects as well, making the Virtues a walking frontline wall to block LOS to the rest of your army, but note that the cloud goes away if the Virtue who put it into play is destroyed. Also, his caustic presence stops the expiry of corrosion, making it highly valuable against single-wound infantries and corroded models who made their tough rolls, but got knocked down.

The only drawback of the Champion is its price - since it can never be taken for free, you will always have to pay its hefty point cost.

Combos & Synergies

• The Virtue Champion prevents Corrosion from expiring so it will naturally combo with Virtue Host, the theme benefit from Oracles of Annihilation and anything spreading or working with corrosion, like the Blight Archon.
• Other Virtues, naturally, as they grant them Blight Cloud. Bethayne2 really loves this.
• Kryssa - if you ever need to crack armour Kryssa’s feat is the way to go adding in Tough is also a great boon for solos who generally aren’t worth dedicating a spell too.
• Bethayne1 - Disintegration is a great damage fixer for anything, and under Deceleration and in their clouds the Champs are DEF 15/ARM 20 against shooting.
• Lylyth3 - her feat will make the assault shot cause Stationary on hit, so you can safely wail on the target with melee attacks. Also, if the target can’t shake stationary it also can’t move out of any Blight cloud you make.
• Lylyth4 - Concealment and Deflection stack, so their Blight Clouds have very high value. Mortality is best capitalized on by models with many attacks, and the Champ has three (two of which can be boosted via Peel Back the Layers). Her feat gives them re-rolls on the spit and extra range.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Virtues are pure anti-infantry specialists. Although the Champion, with two P+S 14 attacks with both boostable, hits harder, he's still mostly anti-infantry. And therefore metagame and list construction specific.
• He's basically a weapon master solo with elite stats, capable of brawling with other elite models like Archons, making him a priority target.
• You cannot get him as a free card so you will always have to pay its full point cost.

Tricks & Tips

• You can use your Assault shot to tag your charge target with corrosion, since you shoot after moving you should be in melee range of the target at which point the deviating AOE will always clip it. Now you can enjoy boosted attack and damage rolls on your claymores.
• It is very practical to make a nice cloud wall using Blight Cloud and a Virtue Host, especially supplementing it with a Blizzard from a Succubus. This can hide your army's advance nicely, and could even be done early in the turn if you are using a lot of Eyeless Sight models who can see through the clouds on their own.
• Blight Cloud corrodes your own models as well upon placing. Since you cannot use any time during activation abilities once you finished running, consider your deployment if you want to run and use this ability during your first turn.

Other

Trivia

File:MiniCrate9 5 ChampionPatience-1.jpg

Champion of Patience; Minicrate Exclusive.

• Released 2020.11
• Template:LES