Warmachine: Primer - Cygnar - Aerial Assault

The new kids on the block are the Cygnar Gravediggers, an army that boasts a significant gunline, plus tools to adapt the army rapidly to the battle. We have already looked at Caine, Deuce, and the Black 13th, but lets dig into the Rangers and their warjacks that engage in gritty trench warfare.

Warcasters

Captain Buck Hasker

Hasker is more of an all-rounder, and doesn't excel in melee, magic or ranged combat over the others. However, Hasker has spells and abilities that allow him to clear out units of troops, and like Vilkul, the ability to make his cohort hard to hit.

So just like Vilkul, Hasker's cohort all get Prowl, which couples with his Veil of Mists spell, allowing him to place a cloud effect that doesn't block friendly faction LOS. Being able to put his warjacks into Stealth also synergises with his other spell, Escort, where his cohort gains +2 SPD for normal movement, along with Hasker gaining +2 ARM while within 3 inches of a cohort model. Using the two spells then means Hasker can move forward with a warjack, sit in a cloud template, and benefit from Stealth, Concealment, and Hasker has extra ARM. This allows threat pressure on objectives and assassinations.

Having moved far forward, Hasker can clear out enemy units with his grenade, which can also happily harm heavily armoured enemies, or Disrupt enemy warjacks. The Kinetic Grip attack mode of the grenade reduces enemy SPD by 2. This is not much of a threat on its own, but Hasker's Feat layers on even more SPD reduction, as he places 3 mine fields in his control range. These are rough terrain areas, but they can also mean enemy models are hit with a POW 14 damage roll and knocked down. Tough is also negated. Clearly, such a feat can clear out enemy units, provide defence from enemies and defend objectives, plus counter swarms like Mechanithralls.

Captain Cynthia Rosko

Filling the role as a long-range Warcaster, Cynthia benefits from ignoring Stealth and Cloud effects when she aims, and is an anti-undead caster. Her primary weapon, Witch Hammer, is a rocket launcher with decent range and POW, that can deal out plenty of damage, or slow down enemy models, again helpful in hampering enemy warjacks and beasts when claiming objectives and preventing counter charges.

Cynthia can also push forward, thanks to Run and Gun, which lets her move up. Before shooting and retreating, she casts Shadow Step to make enemy models easier to hit. Alternatively, Shadow Step, plus Curse of Shadows, allows Rosko to charge through a unit that is blocking her target.

Her Feat is where her battlegroup, with lots of guns, gets to excel, as each gets to make one additional ranged or melee attack. They also get Swift Hunter, letting her cohorts easily move into range, unleash hell, and they dive back into cover. This is further enhanced with Rhythm of War. Meaning Rosko pairs well with a large cohort. Deuce is an obvious pairing as he gets an extra end-of-turn 6-inch move, while Plugger with Rhythm of War and her Feat can happily charge into combat and dart back out, having gained an additional attack. Likewise, Patriots in her control can also perform the same tricks as Deuce with movement.

Warjacks

Plugger

Speaking of Plugger, this character warjack is more heavily armed, with ARM 19, and can run and charge for free, making Plugger move like a Khadoran warjack. Coupling well, Rosko, Plugger sports a chain gun that, on a Feat turn, can clear out swathes of troops, or even threaten heavier jacks and beasts, thanks to Volume Fire.

Plugger can range further thanks to extended control, and working with the hit and run tactics, Plugger can get a free move after a melee kill. This means Plugger, on Rosko's feat turn, can charge 8, and then easily reposition a further 8 after a kill, and so bounce off and back onto an objective.

Patriot

As the light warjack, it still has higher armour than the Courser, and like all other warjacks in the faction, it gain an additional damage box back when Repaired. Reposition and Swift Hunter heads couple well with Rosko's Feat, while Shield Guard makes a Patriot a good bodyguard for Hasker.

The Patriot, when armed with a Dual Cannon and Trench Blade, becomes a modern version of the old Charger, while the Pole Cleaver, Arc Node head, and Blast Shield make a more useful Lancer, as the shield has a built-in scatter gun for clearing out lightly armed grunts. However, for some extra early game threat, and to prepare targets for attack from other better guns, the Patriot armed with the Tracer Cannon and Sniper Cannon makes for a particularly potent gun platform.

Skirmisher

Along with the Blocker, these warjacks are not selected for an army, but are added into play using a command card. They are deployed within an inch of a Gravedigger unit with the Jack Marshal ability. As light warjacks, they are extra, less capable versions of the Patriot. In this case, it has a Sniper Cannon and a Trench Blade. Plus the Skirmisher gets to fire again in the Maintenance Phase. So on Rosko's Feat turn a Skirmisher can pump out three shots.

Units

The Rowdies

While the Black 13th are one choice, the Rowdies is another 3 man character unit. Like the Black 13th each member grants abilities.

All members benefit from Smoke Bombs, which mix well with the unit all having Prowl, and Hasker granting Prowl to his cohort. They also have Anatomical Precision, plus Dalton grants Killing Spree, allowing the unit to easily chew through a lightly armed unit of grunts in melee, especially since all have Weapon Master Trench Knives.

They all have good ranged weapons, but ultimately, they pair best as a support unit for Hasker's warjacks while also clearing out screen units to make way for the heavy-hitter cohort models.

Gun Mages

Obvious candidates for coupling with Caine, with a FA of 3, they, of course, excel on Caine's Feat turn, as they power up their shots. Like the Rowdies, though, they are also a Jack Marshal unit, meaning warjacks dropped into play using command cards can be commanded by them, and the Gun Mages in particular choose to Empower the jack, and so a unit of 3 can top a warjack up with full focus.

Concerning shot types, the Gun Mages are not as powerful as their Black 13th friends, but with Snipe adding range, and Electro Leap for extra kills in light units, on a Feat turn of Caine, Gun Mages can lay down a lot of heat. Oh... and they're Tough!

Solos

Ramjaw

This Trollkin like many of the Gravedigger units, benefits from advanced deployment, plus Prowl (so a good support for the Rowdies), with Reposition and Evasive, making Ramjaw particularly mobile. Which is important since Ramjaw only has an 8 inch range with his chain gun. Rather than Volume Fire, his chain gun is designed to eliminate and push back enemy troopers. Pinning Fire knocks down warriors hit by the weapon, plus pushes them back 2 inches. Volley Fire means attack rolls are boosted. So even with just POW 12, this gun has utility against heavily armoured troops such as Man-o-War battle suits.

Heavy Machine Gun Crew

This gun emplacement is, of course, slow-moving but has advanced deployment. That means that the gun has a tough time keeping a distance from enemy models, but it does get a free-shooting action if an enemy moves within 8 inches of it. Perhaps the main role of the unit is to debuff the defence and the Stealth of enemy units.

Summary

Unlike the Storm Legion army, the Gravediggers lack the melee potential, but make up for it with plenty of gunfire, and are more than capable when tackling swarm armies. The free warjacks, plus the ability to swap loadouts on the Valiant warjack, mean the army is adaptable mid-game, allowing them to swarm objectives. Though thanks to Vargus and Jakes, Gravediggers can certainly play up close and in close combat.