Grayle the Farstrider

A powerful scion of a family with deep roots in the ancient lines of the Wolves of Orboros, Grayle the Farstrider was trained as a Wolf until he experienced the wilding. As a druid, he has proven his worth and skill as a trusted strike force leader and an unrelenting warrior who simply does not know failure. In battle Grayle embodies the wolf and moves from target to target with vicious speed and efficiency like a predator in human form whose blades strike with the feral precision of a hunting beast.

Basic Info

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 : Darkest Night

1. While in Grayle's Template:CTRL range, friendly Faction models gain Stealth.
2. When a friendly Faction model in Grayle's Template:CTRL range destroys an enemy model with a melee attack during its activation, another friendly Faction model in Grayle's Template:Control range can advance up to 3". A model can advance only once this turn as a result of Darkest Night.

Darkest Night lasts for one round. (Well, the first part does at least).

Abilities

• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Stealth
• Template:Side Step
• Template:Sprint
• Template:Tactician

Weapons

Hunting Blade (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				4				10
Template:Weapon Master Template:Magical Weapon Template:Combo Strike

Spells

{{Category: Template:Death March

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	8	1	6	12	up	no
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[[:Category:{{{name}}}|{{{name}}}]]	Cost	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
	8	1	6	12	up	no
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Theme Forces

• Template:Si
• Template:The Bones of Orboros. He can start the game with friendly upkeeps in play in this theme.
• Template:The Devourer's Host
• Template:The Wild Hunt

Thoughts on Grayle the Farstrider

Grayle the Farstrider in a nutshell

Grayle is an infantry support warlock in a game that seems to skew towards armour. There is (unlike in Mk2) little inherently wrong with Grayle. But he does little to support warbeasts and his infantry doesn't hit hard enough to break bricks under most conditions - and circle has no problem dealing with infantry. Grayle himself, when under Storm Rager, has caught enemy casters napping via a side-step assassination.

Feat thoughts

Feat is good, with both offensive and defensive uses by providing both Stealth and extra movement. It's best to have a forward vanguard unit to help trigger the movement part of his feat to help get the slower portions of your army up the field - Wolves of Orboros and Tharn Bloodtrackers can fulfill this role. Additionally, you can use the movement part of his feat to move ranged models back after they've fired, allowing you to move and shoot.

Spell Thoughts

• Death March is a very good upkeep which you put on a unit you expect to get mauled. It works great on models like the Death Wolves when they have Heart Tokens, really punishing enemy infantry for when the opponent fails to kill them.
• Gallows is a good zap and threat range extender although Grayle himself is rarely in position to cast it. Taking a Gallows Grove can help, as does Morraig for the Veteran Leader.
• Storm Rager frequently gets cast on Grayle if you want to use his Stealth to play him forward. Even if he doesn't kill everything he wants. There are several models in Circle that that love it, such as Lord of the Feast, a member of the Death Wolves, and the Tharn Wolf Rider Champion - typically models with the ability to make multiple attacks.
• Wind Blast is a hard counter to cloud walls. You can get a lot of use out of it against shooting heavy armies, at the very least denying them an Aim bonus. It's also incredibly effective against shooting models on Huge bases, or slow shooting models in general such as the Aradus Sentinel - unless they're especially fast (usually via a movement buff), they won't be able to get out. Structures are completely helpless against Wind Blast.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• He doesn't have Parry so if he messes up in combat he takes a free strike extracting himself.
• His feat doesn't help his assassination run as he needs to activate to use it and it can only move another model.
• He does little to protect his army.
• One of the few Circle warlocks that can't go in Secret Masters.

Tricks & Tips

• You have some interesting threat extenders in Gallows and the feat.
• Remember that Death March still works if the models survive being hit, so works well on both the Skinwalkers and the Death Wolves.
• His assassination threat range is pretty good; 10" charge + 1" swords, + 2x 2" side steps = 15"
• To assassinate "pinball" off enemies by going almost past them, killing them, and getting the extra 2".

List Building Advice

Strategy

Grayle prefers an infantry-heavy army, as except for his feat he offers nothing for his battlegroup. He'll typically have two parts of his army; the vanguard to help trigger the movement part of his feat, and the main body that will hopefully deliver the crushing blow. His feat and Wind Blast can helps against shooting-based armies, and due to his high survivability and melee potential, makes him one of the better warlocks in Circle when it comes to the end game.

Theme thoughts

Grayle loves this theme with the Wolf Sworn shenanigans.

• The Death Wolves make great targets for Death March, especially if you can load them up with heart tokens beforehand via the Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron, punishing enemy infantry for failing to kill them. With Death March and Morraig, they can go to MAT 10! Additionally, individuals in the unit can make great targets for Storm Rager.
• Warpborn Skinwalkers are tough and so love Death March. His feat can also let them dig deeper for when they use their mini-feat.
• Wolves of Orboros love Death March because they are numerous; their speed, as well as a potential Ambushing unit, makes them good for triggering the feat.
• Wolf Lord Morraig is an excellent Storm Rager target (as are the Death Wolves) and Grayle gains the Veteran Leader bonus while also triggering Morraig's flank.

• The Death Wolves fit into Devourer's Host better than Wild Hunt due to being able to start with an additional heart token each.
• Melee solos like the Lord of the Feast, Tharn Wolf Rider Champion, and the Bloodweaver Night Witch ... do something for Grayle. Generally, models able to make multiple attacks are excellent Storm Rager targets.
• Tharn Bloodtrackers like the extra movement from Vengeance and are a large unit, as well as melee buff for triggering Quick Work. If Nuala is still alive by late game, she makes a decent Storm Rager target.
• Ghetorix is an excellent heavy hitter independent of damage buffs and is one of the most survivable living warbeasts available to Circle. Grayle appreciates Spiny Growth for an extra layer of ARM; when combined with Storm Rager, he goes to an impressive 15/20 with Stealth.

• Because so many of his abilities are in-faction only, there are few standout Minions for Grayle. However, the Bog Trog Mist Speaker provides some of the support he's lacking, and the Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew is always a cheap and useful unit to have.
• If you're playing in Devourer's Host or are using Death Wolves, the Boil Master & Spirit Cauldron are great for loading the models up with extra hearts. Puppetmaster and Spectral Lash are also useful effects for any army to have.
• The Primal Archon hits amazingly for a solo, is ARM 19 and is a Partisan so works really well with Storm Rager.

Battlegroup

As Grayle does little for his battlegroup, strongly consider taking independent warbeasts and those with animi that will be useful for him.

• If you're taking ranged units, the Argus Moonhound greatly increases their shooting prowess and can remove Stealth on enemy models.
• The Scarsfell Griffon is an independent solo-killer, and Dodge is a useful animus for Grayle.
• Ghetorix is a powerful, survivable independent warbeast, and Spiny Growth is an excellent animus for Grayle.
• The Gnarlhorn Satyr and Woldwatcher provide Earth's Blessing, making Grayle immune to most status and control effects.
• Woldwarden gets Gallows, and is effectively a ranged warbeast who likes not being shot on the way in.

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. Warbeast: Ghetorix
2. Warbeast: Warpwolf Stalker
3. Solo: Tharn Ravager Shaman
4. Solo: Lord of the Feast
5. Unit: Tharn Ravagers + CA
6. Unit: Tharn Ravagers + CA
7. Unit: Death Wolves

Other

Trivia

• Released in Hordes: Domination (2011)
• One of the rare people to undergo the Wilding as an non-infant/child.

Rules Clarifications

Template:RC Warlock Template:RC Pathfinder {{RC Stealth} Template:RC Side Step Template:RC Sprint Template:RC Tactician Template:RC Stealth