Goreshade the Cursed

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

A terrible hubris motivates Goreshade. His eyes fire with a mad glow all the more terrifying for its unshakable conviction. Becoming an eldritch granted him insight into the endless chasm between Caen and Urcaen from which the banes manifest and irrevocably altered his perception of reality. Even if his people refuse his unorthodox notion of "salvation", he will bring it to them by force. He stands ready to unmake Caen if he must.

Basic Info

Warcaster abilities:

• Focus Manipulation

• Battlegroup Controller

• Power Field

• Spellcaster

• Independent Model

• Leader

Feat: Reanimator

1. Remove from play one or more friendly Faction warrior models currently in Goreshade's Template:CTRL range.
2. For each model removed, return to play one destroyed non-character friendly Faction warrior model completely within Goreshade's Template:CTRL range.

   Place returned trooper models in formation with their original units.

   Returned models forfeit their Combat Actions the turn they return to play.

Abilities

• Template:Cold Immunity
• Template:Undead
• Template:Arcane Consumption
• Template:Tactician

Weapons

Voass
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				8				15
Template:Magical Weapon Template:Freeze

Spells

{{Category: Template:Abyssal GateTemplate:Curse of ShadowsTemplate:Hex BlastTemplate:MirageTemplate:Occultation }}[[Category: Template:Abyssal GateTemplate:Curse of ShadowsTemplate:Hex BlastTemplate:MirageTemplate:Occultation ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Black Industries
• Template:Dark Host
• Template:The Ghost Fleet
• Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast

Thoughts on Goreshade2

Goreshade2 in a Nutshell

Goreshade the Cursed is an offensive spellslinger who supports troops, and debuffs the enemy. He also shuts down a variety of spellcasting troopers and solos without having to do anything. His feat allows a really effective denial/attrition game, which can turn the tide of battle.

• Arcane Consumption is the bane of single wound units with Magic Ability. It makes close-range spellcasting a suicide mission for them, support and offensive alike. Animi are spells as well, so you can chip crucial health points from warbeasts too. It works in your CMD zone rather than CTRL.
• Tactician on Bane units work hand in hand with their Ghostly ability; ignore terrain with the latter, and your own models with the former.

Feat thoughts

A really potent feat, for which you bring cheap, disposable units to swing the attrition war to your favour. Nothing illustrates efficiency better than exchanging your 0,9 pts Mechanithrall to a 3.6pt Soul Hunter.

Themes are often the key restriction for getting the most mileage from this feat but here are some key targets to remove and some to return.

• Scrap Thralls - dirt cheap and in most themes
• Necrosurgeon - or more specifically the stitch thralls
• Asphyxious4's Servitors - killing 1 servitor when it is put back into play next control phase is often a fine move.

Troopers are useful to bring back because even though they can't attack on feat turn, they extend the longevity of the overall unit. Solos are a little harder to justify, because they need to avoid getting sniped out during the opponent's next turn.

• Troopers
  • Black Ogrun Ironmonger or more specifically the Leader model so it can still use its Curse ability (which it can do even without a Combat Action). This can be very surprising for an opponent who is probably expecting the returned models to be next turn's problem.
  • Cavalry - be they Soulhunters or Bane Riders these are some of the most expensive troopers in faction.

• Solos
  • Pistol Wraiths will spawn with Incorporeal, so are more likely to survive to the post-feat turn.
  • Skarlock Thrall - probably one of the few times a Skarlock Thrall might be preferable to Doctor Stygius is here, since the Thrall can be brought back.
  • Warwitch Sirens have decent DEF and Stealth (to avoid getting sniped), and high SPD (to get back in position the turn after).
  • Satyxis Raider Captains also have decent DEF and high SPD. They can threaten knockdown on free strikes during the enemy turn and/or trigger Gang Fighter on the turn they are spawned.
  • Satyxis Blood Priestess - her main ability, giving Sucker to Goreshade, is a passive ability.

Spell Thoughts

• Abyssal Gate - Expensive, but can be extremely useful due to the place effect. Battle engines, and various models resist pushes and slams, but few resist placement effects. Don't forget to turn the model around - models with Backstab (like Croe's Cutthroats) will really appreciate that.
• Curse of Shadows - Good Cryxian damage fixer. Combine it with Dark Shroud from the Bane Warriors and watch enemy jacks and beasts crumble.
• Hex Blast - Pairs nicely with Arcane Consumption.
• Mirage - Extra threat range for your units, or ways to extricate them from jamming models.
• Occultation - Ensure your Bane Knights or Bane Riders reach their target intact.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• RFP attacks on your important models won't allow them to be brought back by your feat - avoid themes like Band of Heroes, Masters of War, or Shadows of the Retribution.
• Anti-magic tricks and units will cause him a lot of headache.
• Not much support which goes exclusively to your battlegroup.

Tricks & Tips

• If your enemy has attacks that can cause RFP, like in the above mentioned Troll or Retribution themes, warn them in the spirit of fair play that they actually have to state whether or not they'll use the RFP feature. If they don't the attack doesn't automatically have that effect on them, and those slain models will be eligible for revival.
• As the feat affects warrior models, you can return to play cavalry, solos, and sometimes even unit leaders (like the Revenant Crew of the Atramentos's leader) or Officers, when the enemy killed them and you couldn't field promote.
• A dimension of the feat that is often overlooked is that it also works on non-character faction solos. This has several interesting advantages over feating to bring back troopers, as trooper recursion is stymied if the entire unit is wiped out. Solos can always be brought back so long as they were not RFP'd, and moreover, they can be placed anywhere in his control range. Saving the feat for later turns to bring back the likes of Pistol Wraiths, Warwitch Sirens, or even Machine Wraiths when there is less to threaten them can open up interesting scenario possibilities.
• If you are fielding living infantry then a min unit of Mechanithralls and a Necrosurgeon can take corpse tokens generated from friendly casualties and turn them into thralls. On feat turn the thralls charge then get turned back into living infantry.

List-Building Advice

Strategy

Goreshade allows you to commit your forces more boldly than with other casters, and once you tied down the enemy, bring back losses to strengthen your lines. Keep a unit of cheap infantry behind (but in CTRL) for sacrificing purposes, and out of reach for the enemy's guns.

Goreshade lacks battlegroup spells, and works well with infantry units. To maximise on his feat he wants a very cheap unit to sacrifice, and an expensive unit to return.

Theme Thoughts

This theme is full of cheap infantry to sacrifice for the feat, but not many options worth bringing back via the feat. You're basically looking at bringing back Soulhunters and/or Brute Thralls..

• Mechanithralls & Brute Thralls - The Brutes can use Shield Guard, die, then be brought back to be Shield Guards again (in a later turn). The Mechanithralls are natural fuel for the feat. With Ambush (from the theme) or Advance Deployment (from the CA) they can get some very good angles, too.
• Soulhunters are the most expensive unit available in the theme (3.6 pts per Soulhunter) so on a "points gained via feat" viewpoint they are optimum. They appreciate Mirage or Occultation to help their delivery, and Curse of Shadows to stop them getting bogged down and/or let them hit harder.
• Deathjack - Abyssal Gate and Hex Blast are good spells for it to cast, and Mirage or Occultation are good upkeeps on it. Goreshade does not really support warjacks anyway, so taking this big boy and two Deathrippers to fill up your WJP is a fine way to build your list.

• Banes are the elite undead, so for feat sacrifices you're limited to Scrap Thralls, Soul Trappers, and/or Cephalyx Drudges (but they use up your Merc unit slot).

• Bane Riders - Both Mirage and Occultation are excellent on them, and Curse of Shadows can deal with screening models too.
• Bane Warriors - With their UA and Bane Lord Tartarus' Death Toll it takes quite a while until the enemy can take down a whole unit. If the UA gets sniped out before their minifeat, use Gorshade's feat to bring them back.

Battlegroup

• Two Deathrippers so he can arc Abyssal Gate or Hex Blast, or swap around some upkeeps. Add in Deathjack and you have filled his WJPs exactly.
• A Desecrator or two is a decent choice if you're running Banes.

First Seven Purchases

A few veteran players have put their heads together and tried to figure out the seven best things to buy for this specific caster. This is not designed to add up to a nice round points limit, nor be balanced vs other "First Seven" lists you find on this website. It is simply going to give you some of the essentials this caster needs most of the time.

1. Warjack: Desecrator
2. Warjack: Deathripper (x2)
3. Solo: Bane Lord Tartarus
4. Solos: Scrap Thralls (x3 or 6)
5. Unit: Bane Warriors + CA
6. Unit: Bane Knights + CA
7. Unit: Bane Riders

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
• Sculptor: Jeff Grace
• Goreshade tracked down the Iosan ice god Nyssor with the intent to kill him (to release Nyssor from the bonds of Caen and return him to the elven gods' home realm), but was thwarted. However Goreshade did manage to steal the ice god's personal sword, Voass, but he was cursed by Nyssor in the process. You win some, you lose some.

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.04 Feat Fetish, vs Anamag1
• Template:VBR