Theme Analysis: Guardians of the Temple

THEME ANALYSIS

Overall, this represents one of the Protectorate’s most disjointed themes. It is limited in what it can take model-wise and has few overlapping synergies. In addition, the theme benefits are narrowly focused on only two units, which is at odds with almost every other theme in the game now and only serves to stifle list building at a time where most other themes have their options wide open. Guardians did not change much in the theme revision and was already the Protectorate’s least played theme by a far margin. Sadly, this looks to remain the case.

But good can be mined from this. Let’s dive in to a strengths and weaknesses analysis.


Strengths
Strong character ‘jack selection. Eye of Truth is quite good, if expensive, and Blood of Martyrs is in the same boat. Being able to benefit from Eye’s Holy Light in any list is excellent.

Speedy. This is the fastest theme the Protectorate can field. Cleansers are the durdling SPD 5 unit in the theme and even they have a great 18” unbuffed threat range with Assault. Everything else is SPD 6+. If you’re having trouble getting to the center, you won’t in Guardians.

High DEF. Well, relatively for the Protectorate. Most infantry are DEF 13+ and take DEF buffs well.

Solid units. The units available to Guardians are good. Flame Bringers and Temple Flameguard (TFG) are the standouts here, but Daughters aren’t bad (especially when Ambushing) and Cleansers can also be good too. The theme benefits also help TFG and Daughters to have defined roles: TFG are a cheap-as-chips sticky tarpit and Daughters provide flanking pressure.

Weaknesses
Lack of hitting power. Compared to our other themes, Guardians is pillow fisted. TFG are POW 10s; Cleansers are POW 12s; Flame Bringers are POW 9 Weaponmaster; and Daughters use Anatomical Precision on POW 9 melee weapons. Our ‘jacks still hit hard, but there is no incentive to go ‘jack heavy in this theme, as there are no real synergies in the theme benefits or unit selection to take advantage of.

Fragile. The options in this theme are *squishy*. If you’re looking for a rock hard theme that takes as good as it gives, look elsewhere. Things die in droves once hits start landing.

Lack of internal synergy. Guardians can best be described as a theme with many elements that work alongside each other, but not with each other. Pyrrhus is the only solo that provides a benefit to any element of the theme (TFG). Only two of our five in-Faction unit options in the theme have CAs, and only one of them is really worth taking (the Cleanser CA; more on this below under Model Analysis). The rest of the options… just kind of exist, doing their role but not much more. This means that your Warcaster will be heavily relied upon to provide synergies and buffs in order to make this theme produce.

Unimpressive solo and Requisition options. Let’s be real. You’re going to take Nicia and Pyrrhus as Requisition options because they are two of the three best solos available in theme. Hand of Silence is also great, but not a Requisition option. The rest of those free options are not good. Two Vassals would be solid if you had more incentive to take Warjacks. Reclaimer Gatekeepers are overall bad. And you still can’t take a Hierophant for some reason.

Narrow and unimpressive theme benefits. The theme benefits target two units directly. This is out of whack with most new themes which provide much broader army bonuses (e.g., Unyielding for all Storm Knights in Storm Division; Pathfinder for all Warjacks in Jaws of the Wolf). And the benefits we get are practically band-aids that help the two units perform their roles adequately, rather than poorly. Without the Tough/no knockdown combo, TFG tend to get rolled pretty hard (though frankly I hate that combo and would have been fine with just Tough). And without Ambush, Daughters almost never make it to their target or provide any real pressure.

WARCASTER ANALYSIS

Prepare for a long one. Herein, I break down all Warcasters available to the Guardians of the Temple theme, rating them as Top Picks, Good Picks, and Weak Picks. There’s always some wiggle room between categories, but these rankings, again in my opinion, are sufficient to gauge who best supports the theme.

Please note: I am mostly looking at what the ‘caster brings to the theme and if the theme suits what they want to do. For some, I do consider if they’d be better in another theme when it’s kind of overwhelming that they should be. Also, bad ‘casters are not necessarily bad – they just will find better success elsewhere. Nor are good picks necessarily good ‘casters…

These are in no particular order within rankings.


Top Picks

Cyrenia. In my opinion, the best Warcaster you can take in Guardians of the Temple. She offers so much to the theme. Dash makes an already fast theme faster (it’s usually better to buff great things to superb rather than good things to great, or poor things to good). Positive Charge helps with the POW problems the theme suffers from. Rock Wall is just all around an amazing scenario/zoning tool. And her Feat matters on an army that is DEF 13+.

Severius1. Another great Warcaster. Sevy1 offers no speed buffs at all, so appreciates how fast Guardians is. Eye of Menoth in theme is excellent and affects a 16” zone around him, too. Death Sentence is highly useful in general. Defender’s Ward, too, is a great defensive spell. Notably, he is one of the only buffs available to Cleansers in the faction and offers them a lot.

High Reclaimer. Not his best theme, but he provides Hand of Fate to the infantry, which turns them up pretty good. Again, a rare buff for Cleansers. He appreciates the forward presence the theme provides, but can have trouble keeping up for soul collection (bring Hand of Silence).

Thyra. Again, not her best theme, but she offers solid options. A melee hit buff, a damage buff, a threat range Feat, defense in Occultation, and the ability to get personally involved and not die thanks to Gates of Death. Ignore her Elite Cadre Daughters as it’s a trap. If you’re determined to run Guardians, Thyra is a fine choice.


Good Picks

Feora1. Veteran Leader Flameguard is pretty okay (note: works on ALL Flameguard, not just TFG) and Ignite helps a bit with that pillow-fisted problem. Also, Wall of Fire can be a useful control spell in some circumstances. However, she tends to scare away infantry-heavy builds and incentivizes your opponent to drop high ARM or rugged lists into her. Even with Ignite, Guardians will struggle here. Also, she’s a bit spend happy and has no access to the Hierophant. Boo.

Testament. The ultimate poop list is Testament with 6 squads of TFG. Your opponent will clock trying to win. This is about the only case I’d make for Testament in this theme, as he offers nothing the theme wants otherwise.

Feora3. Remember when I said good picks weren’t good ‘casters? This requires a VERY specific matchup, but in limited circumstances can be absolutely crushing. Feora3 brings Incite to Guardians, which is basically everything they could ever want. She also provides Banishing Ward, a more useful defensive upkeep than people realize. Also, Redline is a fantastic Warjack buff, which she can easily run because of the Vassals. Her downsides are typical for Feora3: she spends like crazy and dies. Guardians offers her a low amount of protection, less than any other theme. If you can (somehow) keep her protected after she casts Incite, this theme is a very good fit for her.

Kreoss3. He’s a jack-of-all-trades ‘caster, but is better served elsewhere. The lack of the Hierophant really hurts him here and he can’t take Vengers (not that he needs to, but still… limitations). An option if you want Guardians to work, but I firmly believe he should be in another theme.


Weak Picks

Amon. A Warjack-focused ‘caster in a theme that does nothing to incentivize Warjack use. Pass.

Durant2. A Warjack-focused ‘caster in a theme that does nothing to incentivize Warjack use. Pass.

Durst. Durst does nothing to help the army overcome its shortcomings aside from being a bit more durable for one turn. Also wants a goodly-sized battlegroup in a theme with no incentive for doing so. And no Hierophant. Pass.

Feora2. Aside from being terrible, she is a Warjack-focused ‘caster in a theme that does nothing to incentivize Warjack use. Pass.

Harbinger. Honestly not terrible in the theme, but you really, really want her in either Exemplar Interdiction or Faithful Masses. So badly, in fact, that I cannot recommend her in this theme when the other two exist.

Kreoss1. He doesn’t offer the theme much of anything and they don’t do much to further his limited game plan. Pass.

Kreoss2. A combined arms ‘caster in a theme that does nothing for Warjacks. Plus, a key ability of his only benefits Exemplars and his Feat does not help Flameguard hit harder. Extra POW 10 attacks impress nobody. Pass.

Malekus. Aside from being ish overall, he is a Warjack-focused ‘caster in a theme that does nothing to incentivize Warjack use. And stop trying to make Cleansers with Malekus happen. It will never happen. Pass.

Reznik1. A Warjack-focused ‘caster in a theme that does nothing to incentivize Warjack use. No Hierophant. At least Ignite is nice? Still, pass.

Reznik2. Guardians helps trigger his Feat, but that’s about it. Death March feels weak on such pillow-fisted units. No Hierophant. Likes ‘jacks, but no incentive there again. Pass.

Severius2. Prefers a larger battlegroup – whoops! Does not help any of the shortcomings the army faces and they don’t help him much either. Pass.

Vindictus. He provides support on the approach and definitely favors infantry. Problem is, he is far better served in Exemplar Interdiction. He provides no output buffs, so protecting an army on the approach isn’t great when the army does little upon arriving. Crazy high SPD army, at least!

ARMY ANALYSIS & SAMPLE LISTS

Well, we’ve gotten the good options vs. bad options breakdown out of the way and examined what the theme plays into vs. what it avoids like hot fire. Let’s look at how this all comes together and how functional Guardians of the Temple lists can be built.

Overall, the theme is going to focus on infantry, given the lack of incentive to take Warjacks at all. To maximize on theme benefits, TFG and Daughters should be considered. I personally maintain that Daughters are a secondary consideration and can even be cut in favor of other options, given their output (or lack thereof). TFG, on the other hand, are excellent and cheap zone holders that your opponent will have to deal with, even though they really won’t want to. Highly recommend. On the unit front, the other two units I recommend are Choir (duh) and Flame Bringers. FBs play to the theme’s strengths of fast aggression and are pretty good into several medium-based multi-wound units running around. True, they bounce off of Man o’ War Shocktroopers, but Shockies have trouble catching them given their speed and the FBs wreck up Demo Corps. Or Tharn Ravagers. Or CG Assault Troopers. Or soon-to-be Infernals Howlers. And so on. Finally, Cleansers are situational. I like a min squad with CA, though, as these guys can surprise.

For Warjacks, you’re going to look at what your ‘caster brings to the table. Judicator is obviously good, but with others like Cyrenia, I might have other options in mind. Eye of Truth is legit good and is worth considering in this list. A list with Judicator and Eye can also be a thing, providing you an out-of-Exemplar Interdiction source of Blessed shooting.

Solos are pretty straightforward. Nicia, Pyrrhus, and a third Requisition option. Maybe a Merc solo that I recommended.

For Warcasters, I make no secret of my love for Cyrenia in this theme, but I like any of the top ones. Let’s look at a few different lists.


High Exemplar Cyrenia
-Castigator
-Castigator
-Eye of Truth
Temple Flame Guard (max)
Daughters of the Flame
Flame Bringers (max)
Flame Bringers (max)
Choir
Nicia (free)
Pyrrhus (free)
2x Vassals of Menoth (free)

Here we have a pretty forward-playing and aggressive Guardians list. Cyrenia offers a ton here. All the infantry appreciate Dash. Inviolable Resolve is good on TFG and great on Eye of Truth. EoT himself offers a great platform for his Blessed-like effect and hits like a truck. All ‘jacks are SPD 5, so can place Positive Charge well, a spell I have found to be straight money on Castigators. The three heavies too provide a hard-hitting backdrop that helps overcome the relatively weaker POW of the rest of the army. Everything is DEF 12-14, so the Feat is relevant. Stack Ashen Veil on top of that and things like TFG can hit pretty absurd DEF levels. And then there’s Rock Wall and Hex Blast if absolutely needed. Vassals also help her run her battlegroup on critical turns. And don’t forget that EoT can use Oracular Vision to Enliven and ignore a free strike.

Though an unpopular opinion, I typically play Cyrenia with at least one Revenger, as this lets her stay back and get Positive Charge out where it needs to be. If you are careful though, she can advance, cast, and Reposition back to safety. I lament the lack of the Hierophant in-theme, as Cyrenia loves that dude, but we make do.


Grand Scrutator Severius
-Judicator
-Blessing of Vengeance
Daughters of the Flame
Flame Bringers (max)
Temple Flameguard (max)
Flameguard Cleansers (min) + CA
Nicia (free)
Pyrrhus (free)
2x Vassals of Menoth (free)

This list provides some flexibility in how you approach your game. Sevy1 is a great turd polisher and helps everything here hit harder and more accurately. The list plays well to his defensive offense sort of game and has more ranged threat projection than other Guardians lists might. Daughters and FBs help him be aggressive on scenario and use the threat of Ambush and flanking to push things to the middle, where they are ripe for Judicator blasts and arc’d spells. The two Vassals also fully fuel Judy, so Sevy1 can focus on getting two Ashes to Ashes out each turn, or casting whatever the hell he needs to at a given moment. Cleansers plus Death Sentence plus Eye of Menoth are not bad at killing infantry. Defender’s Ward on anything is great. And a Vision’d Judicator is a righteous pain to deal with.

A clutch change I might like here is dropping the Daughters for the Menite Archon (once it launches) plus a Wrack and Mechanik. This turns Judy sprays, Sevy’s spells, and the Cleansers into some serious powerhouses. Sevy1 is hard pressed to provide any support to the Daughters, whereas the Archon supports a game plan of hosing junk down in torrents of fire.
And you also get some Focus support and a boon to Judy!


Thyra, Flame of Sorrow
-Blood of Martyrs
-Eye of Truth
Daughters of the Flame
Flame Bringers (max)
Flame Bringers (max)
Temple Flameguard (max) + CA
Choir (min)
Rhupert Carvolo
Nicia (free)
Pyrrhus (free)
2x Vassals of Menoth (free)

You’ll notice my love of double Flame Bringers is showing itself here. I can’t help that they’re good. This is a pretty straightforward list, not dissimilar to Cyrenia. However, it is probably even more offensive in nature, able to leverage Carnage and Silence of Death well. Rhupert is tagging along for this ride because he importantly provides Pathfinder to Thyra, who can use it and Acrobatics to get work done, then Gates of Death to safety. Rhupert can also put Concealment on the Flame Bringers or TFG, raising their DEF versus shooting to respectable levels. She appreciates having two Vassals run her BG effectively, as she can rarely allocate, and EoT provides her army access to Blessed—something she has only experienced in EI (and in limited quantities, at that).


High Reclaimer
-Judicator
-Eye of Truth
Temple Flameguard (max)
Temple Flameguard (max)
Flameguard Cleansers (min) + CA (free)
Flameguard Cleansers (min) + CA (free)
Choir (min)
Hand of Silence
Mechanik
Pyrrhus (free)

This is admittedly a weird list. It is a very zone defense-based army that looks to protect your turf with the threat of a bunch of sprays. HR will be hot-swapping Hand of Fate wherever it needs to go each turn, ideally between the two Cleansers. Eye is in the list to provide a Blessed shooting platform for the Cleansers and Judy while the TFG sit in places and try not to die too much. This list has a bunch of cheap souls that Hand of Silence can ferry to HR, who appreciates being able to sit back a bit from the front lines. HR also has a bunch of eligible Feat targets, and Feated, HoF’d Cleansers who can aim are actually problematic for some armies. Also, Feated Cleansers have a very long threat range should a low DEF ‘caster decide that camping low is a good idea.

Depending on how this plays and how safe you can keep HR on a given turn, I might consider swapping Hand of Silence and the Mechanik for the Menite Archon on its release. There are enough fire spray attacks in the list to warrant his inclusion. However, Hand is a boss who helps support this list a ton, so I’m not sure that I’m in love with that idea. An option to keep in mind.

I also like the idea of Severius1 with Eye of Truth. It can hold a zone on its own with Oracular Vision and Vision and he can supply it enough focus. The two Vassal RP option becomes tasty there, Allocate 1, Empower, Power Up to max, then Empower after to allow OV. It also helps if you decide you want to sling spells, it can sit back as a late game anchor.

Great work!

In the solos section I think You mean Hand of Silence - the Reclaimer on a horse, not Hand of Judgment - the character warjack.

*Reznik2 Death Sentence should be Death March

Thorn Gun Mages are a unit and the Archon is a solo. You can take both.

But beware, because this way lies jank.