How’d they get 3 wounds each? I dunno, but here we are. The new Underworlds unit has its AOS Warscroll:

Click to access J1mCJoyiEAkudjdr.pdf

Is it any good? Opinions seem to be all over the place on this one, so let’s take a look.

Core Stats

70 points gets you 4 models, whose core stats are pretty basic other than that weird (but welcome) decision to give them 3 wounds a piece. 5″ move, crap armour save, low bravery. Standard. A total of 12 mediocre attacks that should be good for a couple of mortal wounds from Venom Encrusted Weapons, but nothing to worry the livestock in terms of output.

Worth mentioning that they’re keyworded to Grinnin Blades, so they’ll get the subfaction ability of the strongest KB clan right now. 

Fundamentally Useful?

I’ve already heard a lot of people talking about “12 wounds for 70 points”, and that’s factually correct. But 4 bases with 3 fragile wounds each isn’t going to have much impact on objectives, and they’re a poor screen too. Giving them 3 wounds each has really just broken down the assumed relationship between what wounds are and how they help you win games of Age of Sigmar. These guys will be marginally trickier to kill than they should be, but they’re not going to be holding a lot of objectives while they do it.

Thankfully the pricing reflects that. What is pretty sweet is just how cheap the unit ends up being, so you can afford to fling them off towards a board edge to grab a Surround and Destory, or to zone out deep strikes. A cheap-ass unit is fundamentally useful just by existing – all I’m saying is, don’t get hung up on the points-per-wound ratio here. This unit is Single and Unique so you won’t be running big blocks of them, and what we really need to focus on is the cost and the functionality – and the low cost is a great start.

Warscroll Abilities

This is why you’re taking them. The centrepiece ability is Roar of Kragnos, which lets you reduce an enemy unit’s attacks by 1, but you do have to be within 3″ and hit a 4+:

So it’s neither easy nor automatic, but it is bloody impactful for such a cheap unit.

KB like to castle up, so your opponent might need to help you out by walking right up to them, and if it takes a Redeploy to shuffle over into position then you can probably do it for free:

Important to note is that the “free” CAs can only be issued to this unit. So as nice as it is, you’ll bump your head up against the opportunity cost pretty quickly: you can still only issue and receive each CA once per phase, and you’ll often want to utilise it on a bigger and more impactful unit. So yes you can IP them for free, but you’ll probably have a bigger Battleshock test on a more important squad elsewhere; and if you’re relying on the tiny sliver of damage you get out of All Out Attack with this unit, I reckon you’re already in strife.

Synergy

Soooooo…about that opportunity cost on CAs. This army does have one way of double-issuing commands, namely the Vulcha:

He’s a borderline bargain at 200 points, so if you already liked him, you can make the most of those Finkin Points by issuing CAs for free on the Stab-Ladz and then a second time on a bigger unit. One good use-case of this would be having two pops at Redeploy to get an extra chance at hitting lucky with a big number, and blocking off a charge lane to your heroes. He also gives Battleshock protection (like all Killabosses) so you can use IP on these guys without risking a bigger Battleshock on a massive block of Gutrippaz.

It’s not a good reason to really take either unit in my opinion, but if you already like them, the synergy is there.

An interesting piece of synergy is with Choking Mist:

Perhaps the most popular spell in the KB roster, thanks to its extended range, you can absolutely cripple a unit with -2 attacks if you manage to hit both. And there’s inherent redundancy there too in that you can fail either the cast or the 4+ check, and still hit the other.

Finally, worth noting is that the Orruk keyword not only means they get VEW on their attacks, but you can Hand of Gork these fellas in a Big Waaagh army. Could be handy if you just want to dump them out on a flank for Surround and Destroy.

Allies Watch

These guys could be useful in Gits: -1 attacks stacked on top of the various sources of -1 to hit will really slow your opposition. Check out my Monsta Killaz review for a really cute piece of Allies tech in this space, which I haven’t seen many other people talking about. You could easily run both at 205 points, and it might be worth considering, but if points force you to pick then I do think the Killaz help you more directly. 

And finally, speaking of the Vulcha Boss – he’s long been a bit of a connoisseur’s choice in Troggoth lists because he’s a cheap and mobile Totem in an army that needs a source of CAs (Troggs, to my eternal rage, are not Elite). His stocks are declining there since Trugg gave them a cool anvil in their own army who’s also got 18″ CA range, but if you did like the Vulcha in your Troggs lists, the combo with the Finkin Points will work there too.

The Verdict

Don’t get carried away with the points per wound, it’s not super relevant. And don’t focus too much on the Finkin Points, they’re a decoy. A crappy little unit swallowing up your only instance of a given CA for that phase is still consuming an important resource. 

No, the reason this unit will see play is that having a smattering of bases on the board for 70 points is just generically handy, and more importantly, the -1 attacks can swing a game.

It won’t always come up, but for the really sharp price it’s a gamble worth taking, both within Orruks and as an Ally in your Gits armies. I suspect this unit will be the first thing that gets cut from a thousand lists when points get tight, but it’s a useful tool to have in your arsenal, and I’ll be picking up a unit myself. They’re decent.

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