Kommandant Irusk

Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk was born to make war. Irusk’s meteoric rise to power is the product of sheer determination, devotion, and strategic brilliance. His instinctive grasp of tactics allows him to see weaknesses where others do not, his commanding presence inspires his soldiers to greatness, and his innate magical capabilities enable him to exploit every situation to the utmost. His accomplishments have inspired a generation of Khadoran officers and made his name known throughout western Immoren.

Basic Info

Warcaster abilities:

• Focus Manipulation

• Battlegroup Controller

• Power Field

• Spellcaster

• Independent Model

• Leader

Feat: Undying Loyalty

While in Irusk's Template:Control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain +2 to attack rolls and Tough and cannot become knocked down. When a friendly Faction warrior model makes a Tough roll of 4, 5, or 6 while in Irusk's Template:Control range, remove 1 damage point from that model. Undying Loyalty lasts for one round.

Abilities

• Template:Assault
• Template:Battle Plan
  • Template:March
  • Template:Reveille
  • Template:Special Orders

Weapons

Sword Cannon
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		10			1			Template:-			13
Template:Reload 1
Onslaught
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				6				12
Template:Magical Damage

Spells

{{Category: Template:Airburst

Template:Grind Template:Inhospitable Ground delete Template:Superiority

}}[[Category:

Template:Grind Template:Inhospitable Ground delete Template:Superiority

]]

[[:Category:{{{name}}}|{{{name}}}]]	Cost	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
	2	6	-	-	Upkeep	No
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains an additional die on melee damage rolls, but suffers -2 DEF.
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[[:Category:{{{name}}}|{{{name}}}]]	Cost	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
	2	6	-	-	Upkeep	No
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains an additional die on melee damage rolls, but suffers -2 DEF.
No errata for {{{name}}} ([[:Category:Errata-{{{name}}}|Create]])

Theme Forces

• Template:Armored Korps
• Template:Si
• Template:Jaws of the Wolf
• Template:Legion of Steel
• Template:Si
• Template:WG Kommand. In this theme the caster gains Sacrificial Pawn [Winter Guard trooper model].
• Template:Wolves of Winter

Thoughts on Irusk1

File:Irusk1Classic.jpg

Classic Sculpt

Irusk1 in a Nutshell

A peerless tactician, Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk exemplifies the notion of a classic military general. Under his stern command, Khadoran troops perform amazing feats with the crispness and precision comparable to a skilled conductor leading an orchestra to harmonic excellence. Irusk is a midfield infantry support warcaster with tools for any occasion, and a penchant for direct intervention on his own behalf.

Irusk supports warriors like no other Khadoran warcaster. Between his Battle Plans, feat and most of his spells he works wonders with almost any infantry-centric Khadoran army. Whereas Gurvaldt would become more of a strategist later on in his career, pre-Northguard Irusk is far more of a tactician, micro-managing specific models and units to do exactly as he requires. This means he needs to stay close to the action to function optimally, and this can be a risky undertaking. Like his protegé Kommander Andrei Malakov would come to emulate, early Irusk plays close to danger to actually use his March and Special Orders plans. He's no combat warcaster by any means but is perfectly capable of assassinating targets of opportunity when he (perhaps) Assaults with his Reloadable Sword Cannon shots, and his Airburst and Grind spells. He has decent DEF and ARM, but he should really be protected by a cohort of warriors crowding around him to benefit from his feat and Inhospitable Ground spell.

Irusk heavily skews his attention to his army, but he does still have a battlegroup to consider. He prefers 1-2 warjacks that don't require a lot of attention on his part, and at least one that works well with Khador's best warjack-buffing spell: Superiority. Superiority prefers to be cast on melee-centric warjacks but even without exploiting the MAT buff it's quite the spell.

Feat thoughts

The defensive parts of Irusk's feat are a potent combo. If you're not already familiar with it, the "Tough + no knockdown" combo is very useful, not so much because it infinitely increases the odds of surviving a second attack but more because it removes all the normal downsides of passing a Tough check - you still threaten free strikes and can charge normally next turn. Let alone the fact that Irusk gives out "super tough". Just keep an eye out for Anti-Tough abilities.

Generally speaking, the more warriors you cram into Irusk's control range the better, for this feat. Just make sure you pick ones that can operate well when they're bunched up, and won't trip over each other.

But don't ignore the offensive part of the feat, the +2 to hit. The easiest way to use it is to build a gun-heavy list, get some good shots in on feat turn, then take the counterpunch on the chin. If you go melee heavy, you need to watch you don't accidentally charge outside his feat range and lose the bonus. Also, don't forget the +2 applies to spell attacks, including any spells that Irusk casts post-feat.

Don't use the feat too early. Vs a high DEF enemy it can be worth letting your forces suffer some casualties before popping your feat, launching a brutal attack with your pumped-up troops, who are now very resilient to enemy counter-attack.

Note that his feat doesn't stack with Tough. That is, a multi-wound model that passes a Tough check only heals 1 hitpoint under his feat, not two hitpoints.

Spell thoughts

He'll almost always be upkeeping Iron Flesh and Superiority, leaving you with 5 focus to spend at your discretion. Inhospitable Ground is his spell of choice for denying enemy charges, and Battle Lust is best cast the turn after to maximize the effect of the alpha strike you've (hopefully) teed yourself up for using Inhospitable Ground and Special Orders. Battle Lust is the only way Irusk directly increases his warriors' damage output, and it only works on melee attacks. Battle Lust is worth its cost, so--while you can build almost any infantry-centric list with Irusk--it pays to have a specific unit in mind for it when building your army. If you build your force with a unit to benefit from Battle Lust and a warjack to benefit from Superiority you're well on your way to dominate the battlefield.

• Airburst: Its low POW, and the fact that numerous units are (or can be) immune to blast damage, first make this spell seemingly lackluster. However, it nullifies most of the ranged defense tech and can effectively threaten squishy, elusive models. Supporting solos (like Mechaniks or Beast Handlers) and CRA-capable ranged combatants, (like Long Gunners or Blighted Nyss Archers) are all available targets. Its high FOC cost restricts spamming, but it can become very handy in certain situations. You can also center it on your warjacks to clear jamming infantry as its low POW is unable to harm most of the Khadoran ARM.
• Battle Lust: Works wonders on hard hitting units, making them psuedo-Weapon Masters for the turn. Even weaker troops -such as the 'lowly' Winter Guard Infantry- become sudden melee threats (even more so with Joe giving them a much-needed strength buff). It's best on models that can make multiple melee attacks in an activation like the Great Bears, Iron Fang Uhlans making impact attacks and even Kayazy Eliminators in a pinch.
• Grind: You will rarely have the focus to spare for this only-decent spell, but if you can cripple a warjack's last Movement system box, go for it. You'll only use it in ranged duels if the enemy has means to negate your ranged attacks, or have shield guards nearby, as your Sword Cannon is far better for that task.
• Inhospitable Ground: Depending of your enemy's forces, this spell's effect can range from "a minor inconvenience" to "completely and utterly broken". Very effective in scenarios where the zones are close to each other, where you can severely limit your opponent's options.
• Iron Flesh: Khador's premier warrior support spell, which synergizes very well with nearly any infantry unit. It makes the tough (like Man-o-War units) even tougher, while blast immunity will counter the squishy units' (like Kayazy Assassins) vulnerability to AOE attacks.
• Superiority: Khador's premier warjack support spell, it makes any warjack better, and is worth juggling between 'jacks when you have the focus to spare.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• With Battle Plans he must play closer to the front lines than with upkeep spells, and without a body guard with Countercharge or Shield Guard or an ability like Sacrificial Pawn, he's vulnerable to assassinations.
• If he loses too much of his forces he can't finish a battle by himself.
• Expensive spells can burn his focus reserve pretty fast, and make him vulnerable to Lamentation.

Tricks & Tips

• Don't forget about Irusk's skill with the Sword Cannon. 2 POW 13 shots can seriously hurt squishier casters and warlocks, while assaulting with full stock can be deadly if the target was knocked down or stationary.
• Absolutely positively keep Irusk away from Eiryss' Disruptor Bolt!

List Building Advice

Strategy

Getting the most out of Kommandant Irusk is all about infantry, infantry and more infantry. He's not fast enough to keep up with Khadoran cavalry and battle engines and his abilities dictate you treat him as the center of a large infantry formation advancing steadily upfield.

Few excel in the attrition game as Irusk does. Between his Battle Plans on the one hand and Inhospitable Ground on the other he's a master at dictating engagements on his terms. Iron Flesh and Undying Loyalty give him the breathing room he needs to set the pace of the battle before closing things with a melee attrition brawl. His typical approach is to steadily advance his army forward and deny the opponent a good first hit. It's very difficult to slow his army down and when it closes the distance Irusk shifts to supporting a powerful charge with Battle Lust, and taking out support models with Airburst.

Irusk wants to stay relatively close to the action for a support 'caster and his toolkit dictates you move him up in the center of a large infantry formation that can reliably protect him. Your points should be going towards fielding the biggest army possible rather than a big battlegroup and he benefits a lot from a retinue that can protect him from assassinations.

He can slow down the enemy with Inhospitable Ground, can eliminate annoying solos with Airburst, and support his troops with Iron Flesh and his 'jacks with Superiority. Later, he can go on the offensive, putting Battle Lust upon a key unit, and back them up with his feat. His battle plans are a bit situational, but can pull out the fangs of various enemy tricks, making him a truly Swiss Army knife of a caster.

Kommandant Irusk is excellent in a wide range of warrior-centric forces and instead of assessing where he does best it makes more sense to determine the areas where he does and doesn't appreciate support. Thanks to March he's not as reliant on native Pathfinder for his forces as other warcasters might be, and Reveille insulates his forces against Knockdown effects, mitigating the need for abilities like Steady in his ranks. Because his feat grants Tough+ he slightly prefers warriors without it, to avoid paying twice for the same ability. Because of his feat he can afford to skew accuracy for damage output on large parts of his forces and his Airburst spell and the mana to cast it reduces the need for specific anti-Incorporeal tech somewhat. On the other hand, for his battlegroup Irusk prefers 1-2 efficient warjacks to benefit from Superiority and augment his army's damage output and you'll want to have a good Battle Lust target available. If you can bring utility solos that boost your army's movement it makes sense to bring them, and you can skew your ranged component towards damage over accuracy especially because Irusk cannot enhance ranged damage output at all.

Theme Thoughts

At higher (75+) encounter levels Irusk is a natural fit with the elite infantry of the Armored Corps. Man-o-War don't need a lot of help hitting things but his toolbox is perfect for their attrition-based warfare.

• Greylord Forge Seer: Gurvaldt appreciates anyone who increases his focus efficiency with his 'jacks.

While not very thematic, Iron Fangs of all kinds are perfect with Irusk. While they already have Relentless Charge to overcome rough terrain and No Sleeping on the Job on their Kovnik, they come in large quantities and work like gangbusters with everything else Irusk brings to the table.

Winter Guard come in bulk and absolutely love Tough+ and more accuracy for their powerful ranged attacks. They don't get as much mileage from Battle Lust as other theme forces

• Widowmakers: his Battle Plan can give a quasi Tactical Supremacy; allowing annoying yoyo tricks of jumping in and out of cover. If you add a Marksman into the mix, Reposition stacks with Swift Hunter, allowing a total of 5" move, once they killed something.

Irusk likes these support models which are in various themes:

• War Dog: ARM and DEF 15 on a warcaster close to the fire makes the War Dog a very effective attachment for the Kommandant.
• Malakov1: If you want a greater warjack component Gurvaldt's protegé is an excellent Junior Warcaster for the job. He even benefits from Irusk having so many Suckers around.
• Sorscha0: As above, Sorscha can augment Irusk's heavy armor component, or simply support his battlegroup with Boundless Charge, and his forces with Fog of War. An interesting note here is that Superiority is not limited to battlegroup warjacks, meaning Irusk can even enhance a warjack controlled by Sorscha.

• Sylys Wyshnalyrr: Irusk really likes the protection of a War Dog but Sylys' presence means the difference between maintaining his two upkeep spells and casting bóth Battle Lust and Inhospitable Ground in the same activation (or Battle Lust twice), and not doing that. If that matters and you have ways of protecting Irusk without the Dog Sylys is a good fit.
• Ogrun Bokur: The Bokur likes Clients that stay close to the action and having a Shield Guard nearby is great insurance against shooty armies.
• Orin Midwinter: Ideal to clear jamming, light models, as well as providing protection from spells.

Battlegroup

• Conquest/Victor: Enormous fists and ranged weapons that don't mind being inaccurate make Irusk an ideal 'caster for a Superior Colossal.
• Rager: Irusk really likes the protection of a Shield Guard, and it can have three initial melee attacks to benefit from Superiority.
• Spriggan: Khador's Plated Chassis warjacks have relatively low MAT and the Spriggan's Targeting Flare is a nice bit of tech for Irusk.

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: Destroyer
2. Warjack: Juggernaut
3. Solo: Man-O-War Kovnik
4. Solo: Man-O-War Strike Tanker
5. Solo: Man-O-War Forge Seer
6. Unit: Man-O-War Shocktroopers + CA
7. Unit: Man-O-War Demolition Corps + CA

Following this buying will put you firmly in the Armored Corps theme.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Escalation (2004)

Video Battle Reports

• 2018.03 Brutal Damage, vs Xerxis1 (no theme)
• 2018.02 L2WARGAME, vs Issyria1 (Armored Corps)
• 2017.07 ComboSmite, vs Mordikaar1 (no theme)
• 2016.12 WarGamerGirl, vs Madrak1 (no theme)
• 2016.10 Counter Slam, vs Magnus2 (no theme)
• Template:VBR