Unit of the Week series: Lord of Virulence

[Plague _Lord]

Welcome to the Unit of the Week Series!

 

Each week a different unit will be highlighted for discussion until we have amalgamated a full list of our available options and their relevant tactics as 9th edition evolves. This will include not only matched play, but free play considerations as well as Crusade, as these methods of play are just as relevant and exciting.

 

Please keep in mind this isn't to lament the status of featured units or compare them to others but to try and find their potential for all types of gameplay.

 

 

This week we will take a look at:

 

Lord of Virulence (LoV)

 

Our new addition in the dex - the LoV got both some love and some hate during it's release with some claiming it very strong, while other bashing him as useless. I for one use him  in nearly every game and he somewhat delivers.

 

Some food for thought:

- how many units would you take?

- is it worth using cp on them?

- what role do they function?

- what are the overall strengths and weaknesses?

- what synergies do they have in the different plague companies?

 

 

Feel free to discuss my blighted lords and ladies.

 

Death Guard Unit of the Week Index

Edited August 20, 2021 by Plague _Lord

[Plague _Lord]

I'll start off with saying that I quite like the LoV and use him in my competitve lists with somewhat success.

 

How I use him:

I kit him out with acidic maledy (+1str and -1ap on his gun) and give him archcontaminator. He then deepstrikes with 3 deathshroud (double flamer on champ) and they burn something. I get 4d6 str3 hits with reroll full wounds and 6's are -1ap. With a good roll this can delete many things and stuff like orks and guard will evaporate. He also lends his own gun with become 2d6 hits with str 6 and ap -2. If I get counter charged he can support the deathshroud with a HI and add his not great but decent close combat attacks.

 

His other strengths:

•  - His gun is great for a number of buffs - -1ap, reroll number of shots, mortals on 6s to wound (this isn't great as on average you are only getting around 1MW per shooting phase,        however it is swingy, you might as well get and extra 3-4 mortals with luck) and the most important buff is going to strength 6 which, for example, let's you wound raiders on a 4+ and orks boyz on a 3+.
• He has decent melee and toughness - 5 powerfist attacks isn't bad.
• He let's you use the bombardament strat for 1 CP less - I used it once and it wasn't bad, shame he has to be the warlord to use it. I can see use when for example you take a midfield objective and you know your opponent will try to take it back from you in his/her next turn. Plop the strat on the objective and now your opponent has to not only go through poxwalkers/terminators but also the possibility of MWs if he does take it.
• His aura is ok I guess but you really have to play around it so either mass combibolters witht the plague weapon strat or mass flamers.
• He also has the chaos lord aura of reroll 1's to hit
• He can be a target for the MWs in command phase strats

His weaknesses:

• Like all terminators he is really slow.
• You can't use mortarions chosen sons 2dmg flamer strat on him (his gun isn't listed).
• He doesn't really excell at anything - if you want a beatstick then go for a LoC or DP, if you really want a shooty charachter then blightspawn are probably better. What the LoV is, is a swiss army knife that is decent and active in both the shooting phase and melee phase while handing out minor buffs at the same time.
• He's quite expensive

 

I tried him out with the inexorable contagion once (to try and get -3 on his gun) but it didn't come into play even once and I find that he works better with arch-contaminator.

 

For me he is a B- tier unit but works for me just fine.

[KingYertle]

tor.

 

For me he is a B- tier unit but works for me just fine.

 

I think that sums up this unit quite nicely. 

 

Its marginally useful in certain situations, offers an interesting aura buff which is unfortunately very limited in application (there are not that many ranged plague weapon core options, restrictions on PM options prevent spamming and it only goes off on a Nat6), it has an interesting flamer that can be upgraded for a very expensive +20points. 

 

The unit design is very confusing.  He has a short range anti horde weapon and a high Str melee weapon, which have opposite prime targets.  It is a unit that wants to be within 12 inches of its target but but not in combat, yet doesn't have any mobility tools to assist with avoiding combat, or any tools to fire his epic flamer while in melee.  Then there is the bizarre interaction with Blight Bombardment, which seems to indicate that at one point this unit had some interaction with long range firepower and/or daemon engines that was ultimately cut.  

 

By biggest issue with the unit is that it was our only 9th edition model release, (the Nurgle Bong doesn't count) and its a unit that as an army we didn't need, despite having glaring holes in our codex.  Additionally, the weekly rumor engine teases for this model had me certain it was going to be a new Deamon Prince, which definitely added to my disappointment.  

 

This easily could have been a different weapon load out for the LoC and I would have been happy, as I think the +3 inch contagion range ability works better with its weapon loadout. 

 

I hate to be so negative, and I'll admit I haven't fielded mine in a game.  It has spent 8 months assembled and partially painted on my desk because while the model looks great I just don't see its value compared to our other HQ options.  I've actually been contemplated cutting him up and making a Sorcerer in Terminator armor because I love the look of his "robed skirt" but it would be a shame to waste the dual flamer.

[Relentless]

He would be great with the LoC +3in stat.  But since he doesn't, he should really be like 20points cheaper.  Powerfists are pretty meh nowadays with GW handing out -1 damage like candy (though being a plague weapon is nice), especially considering it's still -1 to hit and Lords dont benefit from their own re-roll aura.  He's pretty much only useful as a deepstrike threat with some deathshroud for clearing some chaff off an objective, which is not a bad role, just not worth 120 points (plus whatever deadly pathogen you wanna add).  Love the model though.

[Wolf Lord Loki]

I've used mine in my last 2 games and my thoughts are 'he fits in well with Blightlords'

 

You increase their shooting output in the 12" range (rapid fire) boost their accuracy (reroll 1s) and thump anything their axes can't

 

I will agree Blight Bombardment is wierd. His wargear makes him lean towards Deep Striking which means you can't take advantage of the discount to the Strat because he's off the table

 

I'd say maybe this chap fist well with Blightlords and the LoC with Deathshroud?

[Tokugawa]

Since it is difficult to purchase a Lord of contagion model today, Lord of virulence is a replacement.