Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557 
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 15:27:20 GMT
A PRIMER: EXEMPLAR INTERDICTION
Greetings! In celebration of the Mark III.V themepocalypse revamp, I have written a series of overly long articles on each of the Protectorate of Menoth’s available theme forces. Within, I break down the strengths and weaknesses of each them, analyze available options, rank our Warcaster pool in terms of how well they work within, or support, each, and try to give an overall sense of how the theme plays and how you can realize success with it. I’ll even provide a sample list or two to help get the creative juices flowing. Overall, theme restrictions have notably lessened. Free options are now governed by the points level you are playing at: for every 25 point increments the game is played at, you get one Requisition option (e.g., 1 Requisition option at 25 points; 2 at 50 points; 3 at 75 points; and so on). Past that, you can build an army of any options allowed in the theme – go nuts (Hog Wild is reserved for Minions). This article focuses on the Exemplar Interdiction theme. OVERVIEW
Exemplar Interdiction focuses on one of the main military arms of the Protectorate: the Exemplar order. If you’re a fan of crusading knights, this is where you want to be. The Exemplar order features military strata that both defend the homeland and venture outside of the country’s borders, projecting the Protectorate’s might abroad and serving as a vanguard to both convert communities and protect the foreign faithful. The Exemplars are routinely seen as a combating force in Llael, which is why the Llaelese Resistance theme force can take Protectorate units as options. Combat-wise, the Exemplars are focused on martial prowess represented by a bevy of Weaponmasters, sanctified weapons as evinced by a disproportionate number of Magic and Blessed weapons, and a defensive-offense, typified by numerous rules (Shield Wall/Vengeance, Sanguine Bond/Defensive Strike, Self Sacrifice/Quick Work, to name a few combinations). This theme is comprised of the many different types of Exemplar knights and the things they bring to battle. Within the theme you will get: Warjacks- Non-Character Warjacks
- Fire of Salvation
Units- Exemplar units
- Scrutator units (none currently exist)
- Vassal units (none currently exist)
- Choir of Menoth
- Up to one Mercenary option that works for the Protectorate. Important: The Attendant Priest Ranking Officer is not allowed in this theme.
Solos- Exemplar solos
- Hierophant
- Reclaimer solos
- Scrutator solos
- Vassal solos
- Wracks
- Up to one Mercenary option that works for the Protectorate.
Battle Engines- Vessel of Judgment (it is a Scrutator model)
Structures
- Shrine of the Lawgiver (it is an Exemplar model)
Theme Benefits- The melee weapons of Protectorate warjacks in the army gain Blessed.
- Exemplar models gain Aegis (immunity to continuous effects).
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 17:52:49 GMT
THEME ANALYSIS
Unlike my previous two articles, I’m quite positive on Exemplar Interdiction. This is one of our faction’s two lynchpin themes and has several strengths. The biggest strength is model diversity. All available combat units range from pretty good to pretty damn great. There are many solo options at a spread of points values that bring a variety of different rules that augment your army in cool ways (Tactician, anyone?).
There are a lot of other cool rules and abilities to take advantage of that help cement this theme as one of our best. Rather than go on at length about how much I like Exemplar Interdiction, let’s dive into some strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
Excellent theme benefits. Aegis on Exemplars is a cornercase ability that won’t help much, or often. Blessed on Warjack melee weapons, however, is extremely good. Yes, this is a nerf from what it was previously (Blessed on all weapons), but it’s arguable that the old benefit was overpowered when you can now take all the ‘jacks in this theme.
Diverse and powerful unit spread. Ranging from good to great, there are a bunch of compelling options in theme to pick from. Unlike every other one of our themes, there is no bad option—some are more cornercase than others, I’ll admit.
Amazing solo spread. There are a ton of great options to pick from, coming in at a variety of point levels and with diverse abilities. Exemplar Interdiction is a theme you get to tailor to your own tastes, which is very cool. These lists do not build themselves (unlike, say, Guardians).
Hits. Damn. Hard. It’s a theme full of Weaponmasters. This shouldn’t surprise.
Blessed and Magic weapons everywhere. Every combat unit has access to one (or both) of these rules. Warjacks have Blessed too. This makes several defensive Upkeeps and Animi irrelevant, and you rarely care about Incorporeal.
Great character ‘jack selection. Okay, there’s one, but he’s a doozy. Fire of Salvation is probably our best character ‘jack in the faction at this point and he’s in theme. You can’t go wrong taking him.
Runs Warjacks very well. It’s a dogfight between this and Faithful Masses as the new “Warjack theme.” If you’re contemplating light ‘jack spam, I’d recommend looking here. You have access to Vassals as requisition options, Severius0, and Hand of Silence for more Focus efficiency.
Severius0 is in theme. He’s our faction’s best solo and the Exemplars can take him. Prepare the pain train.
Weaknesses
Slow. Most combat units are SPD 4 or 5 (Vengers are SPD 8 and are outliers). Most solos are SPD 4 or 5. Gravus can help with this, but he’s limited to affecting one unit a turn.
Surprisingly fragile. This will come as a shock, but the crusading knights aren’t the durable brick you’d expect. Cinerators are tanky boys, true, but every other Exemplar unit ranges from decently durable (Vengers) to downright squishy (all the others).
Limited threat projection. Only one unit has ranged weapons, and they clock in at RNG 10 POW 10. The rest of the units are melee only and suffer from poor overall threat ranges. Several ‘casters have ways to mitigate this though, which is why you typically see those ‘casters as top dogs for Exemplar Interdiction.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 17:56:44 GMT
MODEL ANALYSIS
There are a lot of options in this theme. Get comfortable because we’ll be here for a while.
Warjacks
Non-character Warjacks. Many options to pick from here, which will be ‘caster dependent. We have several great ‘jacks to pick from. Standard picks like the Judicator, Crusader, and Dervish are good options. I am also fond of Redeemers. Past that, it will come down to what you are looking to do with the army vis a vis the Warcaster. Melee-focused Warjacks are spicy in this theme because of Blessed.
Fire of Salvation. He’s a really, really good melee Warjack in a theme that appreciates melee Warjacks. Solid threat range, great rules, compelling price. He operates well even without his Bond, which is the hallmark of a character you want to take. For fun missile times, slap him on Severius0.
Units
Exemplar Cinerators. A top tier unit. Shield Wall, 2” melee, Vengeance, and Magic Weapons. They are Immune to Fire so you can spray through them. Their CA also grants a mini-Feat that allows them to Reposition 5” into Shield Wall after activation, enabling them to get up the field and really dig deep. Two of them in every list is not a bad look. The CA is mandatory.
Exemplar Bastions. A good unit. Their rules are completely ridiculous. Defensive Strike is an amazing “piss off, melee” rule. Blessed, Magical 2” melee POW 13 Weaponmaster attacks do not screw around. Sanguine Bond is a great rule (with an asterisk for this unit). Set Defense is a great rule, too. So why just good? Two things. One, they are really damn slow and have trouble leveraging their abilities for offensive good. Two, they are squishy. ARM 16 5 wounds vanishes very fast and DEF 11 means they get hit often. In the right matchup, these guys are stupid good, but more often they take a lot of casualties on the advance before getting to do work.
Exemplar Vengers. A great unit. They overcome one of the weaknesses of the theme as they are fast. We’re again dealing with Blessed and Magic weapons in their lances and at a starting POW of 15. Numerous ‘casters can raise that and even Vengers get a bump should they get damaged. They start at ARM 18 with 5 wounds, up to 20 once the first damage roll hurts one, which makes them reasonably tanky. Like most Lance-based Cav, they lose a step once stuck in, having to rely on non-Magic non-Blessed melee attacks. Their non-charges are better than other Lance Cav though, as they start at POW 9 Weaponmaster and go up from there. Overall a great choice in theme, limited only by their high price point.
Exemplar Errants. A good unit. The current meta is not kind to single wound infantry, but I find myself getting a lot of play out of Errants. They’re a solid generalist unit with good anti light infantry shooting (Blessed and Magic AGAIN), good melee for a front line screen, Pathfinder and Advance Deploy to get forward and stay there, a situational but useful rule in Mark Target, and an excellent rule in Self Sacrifice. I’ve used that last ability numerous times to shut down charge vectors and set up favorable board states and I rank the Errants highly because of it. Their downsides are a pretty average defensive stat line, low speed for an AD unit, poor melee threat, high point cost, and being single wound infantry in a world that hates such a thing.
Knights Exemplar. An okay unit. KE have some problems with delivery - they have a native 9" threat range, are melee only, and have pure victim stats even after Battle Driven is triggered. However, they hit like the fist of an angry god. Their CA makes them hit that much harder and more often, though is a bit pricey at 4 points for one model. It's a little hard for me to rate them over Bastions at the moment, as Bastions hit natively at P+S 13 Weaponmaster instead of needing an injury to get there, are more durable, have identical threat ranges, are Blessed, and pack Defensive Strike, all for two points more. Bastions, however, are FA: 2 and KE are FA: U. You need a plan to get use out of this unit, but they can pay off well if your plan works.
Rhoven & Honor Guard. They’re an Exemplar unit, so show up in this theme. A good choice. Eyeless Sight is a great ability and Rhoven’s boys make for excellent Shield Guards and damage pinch-hitters. Plus, Rhoven can lay some smack with Battle Wizard and a POW 14 Cleansing Fire. That’s before we add Sevy0 to the mix.
Scrutator units. None exist. Oh well!
Vassal units. None exist, so I can’t miss them.
Always take the Choir.
Mercenary options. There are so many good units to pick from that Mercs are going to look a little sad by comparison. Typically, this is going to be Idrians, who are solid. Other options are niche and dependent on a build or strategy you are going for (like Ambushing Press Gangers for scenario presence—and even then…).
Solos
Exemplar Bastion Seneschal. A good choice. Tactician is a hell of a drug and can help your slow army unpack. Best used for leap frogging Vengers from the backline to the front. However, not as vital as in other armies that get Tactician because of our comparatively smaller model count. His other abilities are good: standard Bastion kit with MAT 8, a healing aura for Bastions (nifty!), and a Jack Marshal with a good drive. With two Vassals a faction Requisition option and Hand of Silence lurking around, I could see a build happening that leverages this.
Exemplar Errant Seneschal. An average choice. He’s a kind of poor combat solo that provides a situational buff in Unyielding to Errants. Mostly, you take him because a sticky solo with Call to Sacrifice or because he’s pretty damn cheap. Kind of loses out because of how many good solos this theme has.
Exemplar Warder. A great choice. Tanky Shield Guard and Inhuman Resolve is a tilting ability. Plus he hits hard enough. Everything to love, nothing to hate.
Exemplar Warder Elias Gade. A good choice. He brings a great kit of abilities in True Sight, Sniper, and Prey. He’s a bit short ranged for a ranged combat solo, but two initials means he can pack some hurt. Call to Sacrifice means he can be hard to dig out, too. Most useful for punking Stealth and/or Incorporeal solos, but he is a situational pick.
Hand of Silence. A great choice. Grabs souls, funnels souls, and is a good combat solo in his own right. Honestly, the only thing preventing Hand from being an auto-pick is that Gravus’s fat butt is hogging his spot.
High Exemplar Gravus. A great choice to a top pick. Across the board, Gravus is mediocre. He hits decently hard, but has a 1” melee. Dispel is a good if situational ability and most of the army is already Blessed. Threat range 12” on Cav isn’t the most impressive thing ever. Brother’s Keeper is legit good as is his ability to get and spend souls. Then you get to Desperate Pace, realize it fixes the fundamental weakness of the theme, and put him in every list that uses Exemplar infantry. Dagnabit.
Knights Exemplar Seneschal. An average choice. Honestly, this guy hits pretty dang hard and comes packing Inhuman Resolve. However, that’s kind of all he does. His threat range isn’t great (unbuffed 9”) and he’s pretty pricey for what he provides. Also, unlike his tanky Warder brother, he’s pretty easy to put down at ARM 15. Likely going to get pushed out for other options—our elite solo bracket is extremely crowded.
Reclaimer Gatekeeper. A terrible choice. Other models use souls better. The Bastion Seneschal is a better Jack Marshal and model overall. The Vassal and Errant Seneschal are better 3 point models. And the Reclaimer’s abilities are all cornercase in a theme bristling with solo options. There is no reason to take one in this theme, ever.
Scrutator Potentate Severius. A top tier choice. He’s the best solo in our faction and one of the best, if not THE BEST, in the game. EI hits hard and accurately enough that he’s not strictly mandatory, but there’s little reason not to include him.
Hierophant. A great choice. Focus support helps, as does the additional range on casting spells. You can’t go wrong with this guy.
Vassal Mechanik. A great one-point filler, take as needed.
Vassals of Menoth. An okay choice. Two of them as a Requisition option doesn’t hurt and complements Warjack-heavy army lists. I’d recommend that if you’re taking one you should probably just spring for the Requisition point. If you’re only taking one or two ‘jacks, they’re much less important.
Wrack. A great one point filler. Same as the Mechanik, take as needed.
Merc solos. Some good options. Anastasia di Bray is a good option for Ambush contesting and providing you a +1 to your starting roll. Rhupert is quite clutch for getting Pathfinder onto your already slow army. And the Hermit is always a good option, no matter the theme or faction. Others are more situational and answer different questions.
Battle Engines
Vessel of Judgment. A generally poor choice. Our BE is slow and expensive. Its Miracles are solidly good (especially the healing one) and its gun is legit, especially backed up by Sevy0/1. It can also use Doors of Judgment on Weaponmaster models too, which puts it a step above other themes where it shows up (CM, looking at you). However, its middling RNF 12 and SPD 4 give it a fairly anemic threat range and leave it highly vulnerable to counter attack. Given that it hurts itself to do reasonable damage or use any of its abilities, the Vessel is surprisingly fragile and basically mandates 1+ Mechaniks following it around.
Structures
Shrine of the Lawgiver. An okay choice. EI has several quality infantry worth bringing back, plus resilient squads that are likely to stick around and benefit from that. The gun also doesn’t hurt in a mostly melee force. However, its static range and need to use souls for boosts puts it at odds with itself on any given turn. It can work in the right lists, but needs to be built for.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 18:03:20 GMT
WARCASTER ANALYSIS
Prepare for a long one. Herein, I break down all Warcasters available to the Exemplar Interdiction 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. I am not considering if they would do better in another theme unless it’s painfully apparent they would. I am also not ranking them based on how good or bad they are. Just because a theme gives them things they want does not make the ‘caster good.
Unlike my previous articles, you’ll notice a high number are rated as Top or Good picks. You’ll also see a lot of caveats in the Weak Picks. That’s what happens when your theme is good and you can build troop heavy, jack heavy, or mixed forces with ease.
These are in no particular order within rankings.
Top Picks
High Reclaimer. EI is his bread and butter home. Oodles of high quality troops to bring back with his Feat. A hard hitting force that loves Hand of Fate. Blessed melee on Warjacks to get around his lack of a Dispel. HR EI is one of the most powerful looks we can field as a faction and covers a wide swath of matchups.
Testament. EI is his native home. Again, he has a lot of quality troops to bring back in unit sizes likely to last to your turn so you can bring them back. His lack of a damage buff is overcome by the natively hard-hitting power EI brings. And his Feat allows for positioning that the somewhat brickish Protectorate has trouble executing otherside.
Kreoss2. Personally not a fan of him as a ‘caster, but EI is where he runs and really nowhere else. Here you’re leveraging his bubble of Tough on Exemplars and Counter Charge on his battlegroup, plus a baller Feat. He is a mixed forces ‘caster that benefitted greatly from the theme redux.
Amon. I’m of two minds on Amon: EI or FM are his best themes, depending on what you want to do. If you’re running a mixed force of heavies, Colossals, and lights, FM is the way to go for Hand of Vengeance. If you’re running light ‘jack spam, however, EI is a natural home. Blessed melee really helps his game plan (he has no Dispel or Blessed effect otherwise) and the theme gives you access to Sevy0. A top pick if you want to run light ‘jack spam in Protectorate.
Kreoss3. Top pick here because he can take Vengers in this theme, who he really loves. Don’t feel constrained by his Elite Cadre, however, as he is just a good ‘caster in general. He provides a damage buff to the already powerful EI hits, appreciates Blessed melee, and is all around a great fit for the theme.
Thyra. Another top pick! There are a few. Thyra’s kit is perfect for EI. She helps them hit harder. She helps them hit more accurately. She can Stealth a key squad, which is either great or useless depending on the matchup. And she brings a threat extending Feat. And for Thyra, EI brings a bunch of quality infantry that all appreciate her kit.
Vindictus. EI is his natural home. He provides two important things: True Path and his Feat. True Path provides all-important Pathfinder to his army, along with a speed increase. His Feat provides an incredible layer of protection within his CTRL area to warrior models, basically gear checking your opponent (do you have a lot of magic guns and/or sprays? If not, loss is likely). EI is usually self sufficient if they can be delivered effectively, and Vindy does that in spades. The natural choice to run KE spam.
Good Picks
Harbinger. EI is where Harby used to live before Initiates were released. She’s very good for the theme, providing durability through Martyrdom, control through Rebuke, a protective Feat, a threat range extender with Crusader’s Call, and Guided Hand to help output. Why isn’t she top? Because Harby FM is warping the meta and she’s better there.
Severius1. A good pick. Sevy1 is a turd polisher extraordinaire and will never do poorly in any theme. He doesn’t help overcome many of EI’s weaknesses, but he does offer personal output not seen by most Protectorate ‘casters and a situationally good Feat. Death Sentence is also a great output bonus. Plus, even though you can’t take Sevy0 you still get Eye of Menoth.
Cyrenia. It’s funny that the Exemplar extraordinaire Warcaster is just a good pick in EI. And that’s because Cyrenia has an awkward kit for EI. Dash is a good spell that really helps the theme. IR is a good spell to slap on Cinerators. Her Orders are usually Repo 3” and then something else less useful. Positive Charge is a great spell, but can be difficult to get where you want it given our low threat ranges. Rock Wall is an awesome defensive spell. Hex Blast allows you to clear upkeeps, too! And the problem is because of her Focus stat, you’ll get to pick two of these on any given turn—and EI kind of wants them all. Her Feat is also a DEF buff for a force that tops out at DEF 12, which feels pretty bad. All in all, she runs EI okay, but is way better in other themes.
Tristan2. Pretty pure on the Warjack focus, but Tristan does have some fun interactions he can have with EI. The theme features a bunch of multi-wound models that he can heal, which is helpful. Blessed helps him not have to cast Chasten, which is good considering his turn-on-turn Focus demands. Outside of that there isn’t much to write home about, but this theme is one of his fits (FM is probably better for him, though).
Durst. The Potato King does okay here. EI features a bunch of durable options that appreciate Decel and he can take Fire of Salvation in-theme. If you put Fire on Sevy0, you end up with some truly ludicrous threat ranges with Boundless Charge, Road to War, and Righteous Vengeance, but lose out on the BG bonuses so it’s a bit of a trade. Durst provides zero output buffs, so appreciates Sevy0. And your army is tanky (though not really fast) with easy access to Blessed.
Feora1. Feora1 trends towards battlegroup heavy, but lands firmly in a mixed forces build for a lot of her armies. She appreciates access to Sevy0 and Fire of Salvation, as she has zero threat range extenders and can use their non-linear threat well. Feora1 needs self-sufficient infantry, which EI can provide for the most part. And Blessed never goes wrong on a ‘caster who provides no upkeep answers.
Feora2. Yes, she is a bad ‘caster. But now that she can run ‘jack heavy, EI isn’t so bad for her. She appreciates Blessed melee attacks and Escort lets her shoop ‘jacks up the field. She appreciates a squad of nerds to screen and Errants fit the bill nicely.
Reznik1. He is intensely battlegroup-focused and this theme provides him access to Sevy0. He appreciates Blessed melee attacks sometimes, too. Not much else to say here—EI is serviceable for him, but not his top theme.
Weak Picks
Kreoss1. It’s really funny that our original High Exemplar doesn’t like EI. But honestly? He does very little for the theme. Defender’s Ward is his only infantry buff. In exchange, he offers Purification which can fall flat with a theme that easily accesses Blessed; Lamentation which is tough for him to apply consistently; and a Knockdown Feat that doesn’t help the already accurate Exemplars as much as other options. You can run him just fine in EI, but there are likely better choices.
Feora3. EI just doesn’t offer Feora3 the protection she needs to execute her game plan. Plus, she and her Warjack are very fast which runs counter to the slow nature of EI. Everyone likes Blessed and Sevy0, but Feora3 will struggle to do much without dying on a turn by turn basis.
Malekus. Malekus of course appreciates Sevy0 and Blessed melee, but he much prefers to stay at range and shoot. EI doesn’t help much with this (aside from some Errants).
Severius2. It’s not that Sevy2 is bad in EI—the nature of a good theme is that it’s good almost no matter who you plug in. And Sevy2 offers a boatload of control versus infantry that frees EI up to focus on harder targets. The problem is that the theme and Sevy2 work alongside each other more than with each other. Both have weaknesses (like speed) that the other does not help fix. The theme strengths are also very hard to leverage with Sevy2—he can Hex Blast for free once per turn, limiting the impact of Blessed melee attacks, and he can’t take Sevy0 (a big selling point for EI). Recommend looking elsewhere with Sevy2.
Reznik2. Another example of someone who is not bad (at all!) in EI, but again works across purposes rather than with the army. Blessed melee means that Spellpiercer isn’t as vital a spell on a turn-by-turn basis, but frankly it’s worth building an army around that spell so Blessed melee actually loses out on that deal. EI benefits more from Death March than any other theme does realistically, but that’s a pretty ish spell anyway so Reznik2 loses little when he can’t use it. And EI doesn’t necessarily protect the big lug from things that threaten him. Reznik2 in turn offers Boundless Charge to EI, a good spell but is used better in themes with easy access to high quality combat solos (*cough* Archons). You can play Reznik2 fine in EI, but he does dramatically better elsewhere.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 18:04:35 GMT
MATCHUP ANALYSIS
An understanding of the options available gets us partway there, so now let’s look at what Exemplar Interdiction plays into… and what feeds the theme its lunch.
PLACEHOLDER FOR A WHILE.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 18:06:09 GMT
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 Exemplar Interdiction lists can be built.
Lists can be built in many directions: Warjack heavy, unit heavy, or mixed forces. This freedom is daunting at first, but you’ll see patterns begin to emerge in what separates the good from the great.
This theme likes its melee Warjacks and has a plethora of good options. You can, of course, build for a ranged focus and the theme supports that to an extent. Basically pick your poison and commit.
For Units, you’ll typically be looking at Cinerators first and foremost, as they are solidly good no matter what army they are in. Vengers are quality melee options that provide some long-ranged threat. Other unit options are tech pieces you use when you have a plan for them.
Solos are stupid good in this theme. Sevy0 is a must-take and honestly, if you’re not taking him you’re either playing Sevy1/2 or doing it wrong. Gravus is a must-take if you’re taking infantry (pretty much at all). Two Vassals as a Requisition option is pretty good if you’re leaning on ‘jacks. Other options are great (Warder, Gade, Hand of Silence) and good (Errant Senny, KE Senny, Bastion Senny, etc.). Build as befits your army.
Let’s start with the power. High Reclaimer EI. This is a go-to list for a lot of people.
The High Reclaimer [+32]
- Judicator [35]
High Exemplar Gravus [8]
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord [4]
Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)]
- Dervish [7]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Wrack [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13]
- Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)]
Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13]
- Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)]
Exemplar Vengers (max) [20]
Talk about a wide range of matchups. This list is designed to do what EI does best: get front and center and beat face. Sevy0 and the Dervish provide some canny threat angles. HR provides durability to the army via his Feat and a major efficiency bonus in Hand of Fate. Not much more to be said about this list, frankly. It’s stonking good. Play it and you’ll see why this list was a meta bane right after EI launched. I personally prefer Errants over Vengers, but Vengers are a more common community pick (and a good one at that).
Thyra, Flame of Sorrow [+29]
- Blood of Martyrs [16]
- Fire of Salvation [14]
- Hierophant [3]
Hand of Silence [7]
High Exemplar Gravus [8]
Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)]
- Dervish [7]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Vassal of Menoth [3]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Exemplar Bastions (max) [15]
Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13]
- Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)]
Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13]
- Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)]
Here we’re looking at a melee-focused EI build. I chose Bastions with Thyra because she offers them important access to Stealth, something that might help them see combat. Fire of Salvation, Blood of Martyrs, and the Dervish (Baby Blood!) combine for some powerful battlegroup beatface. We’re again looking at double Cinnies and Sevy0, because that’s a very strong build no matter who you are. The Vassal gives Thyra a bit of Focus efficiency, something she appreciates. I didn’t include Rhupert in this build, but frankly it’s pretty easy to get him in given the 11 points of flex I had after getting my core list together (Hand of Silence, Vassal, Mechanik), so play around and go nuts.
High Allegiant Amon Ad-Raza [+29]
- Dervish [7]
- Dervish [7]
- Dervish [7]
- Dervish [7]
- Dervish [7]
- Dervish [7]
- Devout [9]
- Judicator [35]
- Hierophant [0(3)]
Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)]
- Dervish [7]
Vassal of Menoth [0(3)]
Vassal of Menoth [0(3)]
Wrack [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Choir of Menoth (max) [6]
Let’s switch it up a bit. Here I have Amon built in Exemplar Interdiction, leveraging Blessed melee as hard as I can. It’s a straightforward go-forth-and-beat-face list with a Judicator to provide some real over-the-top power and also to pressure from range. Two Vassals let you leverage Enliven and contribute to lessening Amon’s Focus tax (which is massive). Points aren’t super efficient on the Requisition options, but believe me that Hierophant saves his bacon pretty often. Flex points are basic: chop off Warjacks for additional support you feel like you might need.
Vice Scrutator Vindictus [+29]
- Crusader [10]
- Crusader [10]
- Devout [9]
- Hierophant [3]
High Exemplar Gravus [8]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [0(4)]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [0(4)]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [0(4)]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [4]
Knights Exemplar [9]
Knights Exemplar [9]
This list is spam incarnate. It asks one very simple question: can you kill six squads of Knights Exemplar before they land? With True Path and Gravus, one squad is threatening 13” each turn, so the answer had better be yes. A quintessential “gear check” list that asks a hard question and is relatively easy to beat if they have the right answers. But if they don’t…
Flex options include dropping a squad of KE for Sevy0 and a Dervish. Not necessary in my opinion. You can also drop the Hierophant and a Mechanik for Anastasia di Bray and a Wrack—probably a better look overall in my opinion as Vindy really likes going first.
Intercessor Kreoss [+28]
- Judicator [35]
- Hierophant [0(3)]
Anastasia di Bray [3]
High Exemplar Gravus [8]
Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)]
- Redeemer [11]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Vassal of Menoth [0(3)]
Vassal of Menoth [0(3)]
Wrack [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Exemplar Vengers (max) [20]
Exemplar Vengers (max) [20]
For my last list, a modification of an old standby for me: Kreoss3 double Vengers. Here, we are just aiming to hit as hard as humanly possible. The double Vassals enable the Judicator to operate at peak efficiency always, leaving Kreoss3 free to sling spells, Upkeep, and generally be a giant badass. The Vengers hit psycho hard under Sevy0 and Ignite, getting up to POW 18 Divine Inspiration before anything damages them. Gravus importantly provides Brother’s Keeper, keeping the Vengers and Kreoss standing to deliver the pain train. Kreoss3 himself hits hard and can (and should) be used to clear a heavy (hell, he can clear Colossals even without Sevy0). And we are also doubling down on the assassination threat by putting a Redeemer on Sevy0 and Judy on Kreoss3. Anastasia is in this list because Kreoss3 really likes going first.
Flex points? Very few without changing the list. Sevy0 isn’t strictly necessary, so you can drop him and the Judicator down to a Reckoner/Redeemer, which frees up 17 points and a Requisition option for a screening unit. Rhupert is a good buy over Anastasia as well, since you won’t have to rely on your opponent to trigger Pathfinder. Past that, wiggle room is tight.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 18:08:43 GMT
And that’s it for Exemplar Interdiction. As you can see, I’m a big fan of this theme. Lots of different lists can be built and the theme is flexible enough to accommodate a bunch of Warcasters. Support options are great and the unit/solo spread is some of the best in our faction. If you want to hit hard with a ton of noble(ish) knights, Exemplar Interdiction is where you want to be.
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martini
Junior Strategist
Posts: 119
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Post by martini on Sept 24, 2019 20:32:04 GMT
Great read! But did You miss Knight Exemplars in the write up?
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 24, 2019 23:44:04 GMT
Hah, I sure did. I'll fix that...later.
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Post by paradox on Sept 25, 2019 3:51:32 GMT
It’s a mistake not putting FoS on Sev0 with Thyra. Shameful display.  |
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privvy
Junior Strategist
Formerly The Nomad on PP's forums
Posts: 317
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Post by privvy on Sept 25, 2019 13:40:05 GMT
A list that I ran since EI was released:
Thyra, Flame of Sorrow [+29]
- Blood of Martyrs [16]
- Fire of Salvation [14]
- Hierophant [3]
Exemplar Warder Elias Gade [0(5)]
Knights Exemplar Seneschal [0(5)]
Knights Exemplar Seneschal [0(5)]
Wrack [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Exemplar Errants (max) [16]
- Exemplar Errant Officer & Standard [4]
Exemplar Errants (max) [16]
- Exemplar Errant Officer & Standard [4]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [4]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [4]
It's very strong on scenario, especially since Gade just can't be moved and the seneshals stick around. The Errants each get one of the buffs, depending on what is on the other side of the field, and they're really just there to activate all the revenge mechanics on the jacks and seneshals. The Knights are a strong second wave.
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Hashmal
Junior Strategist
Posts: 557
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Post by Hashmal on Sept 25, 2019 20:43:45 GMT
It’s a mistake not putting FoS on Sev0 with Thyra. Shameful display.  In my defense, I wrote this article several weeks ago, but sandbagged posting it because formatting from Word to this forum is laborious and I was quite busy between multiple jobs. I was riding the Hand of Silence train real hard because a Carnaged, Silence of Death'd Hand is a real ass kicker and he can pass Focus off to fuel the 'jacks that Thyra hates doing. I remade the list with Fire on Sevy0 and frankly, I like it more. It's light on scoring solos, but I'd play the hell out of this. conflictchamber.com/?c2201b_-1r3K3N3Umem07zlMm32_lXlZlSlZlSProtectorate [Theme] Exemplar Interdiction [Thyra 1] Thyra, Flame of Sorrow [+29] - Blood of Martyrs [16] - Sanctifier [14] - Hierophant [3] High Exemplar Gravus [8] Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord [4] Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)] - Fire of Salvation [14] Choir of Menoth (min) [4] Exemplar Bastions (max) [15] Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13] - Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)] Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13] - Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)] |
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Post by paradox on Sept 26, 2019 0:35:21 GMT
It’s a mistake not putting FoS on Sev0 with Thyra. Shameful display. In my defense, I wrote this article several weeks ago, but sandbagged posting it because formatting from Word to this forum is laborious and I was quite busy between multiple jobs. I was riding the Hand of Silence train real hard because a Carnaged, Silence of Death'd Hand is a real ass kicker and he can pass Focus off to fuel the 'jacks that Thyra hates doing. I remade the list with Fire on Sevy0 and frankly, I like it more. It's light on scoring solos, but I'd play the hell out of this. conflictchamber.com/?c2201b_-1r3K3N3Umem07zlMm32_lXlZlSlZlSProtectorate [Theme] Exemplar Interdiction [Thyra 1] Thyra, Flame of Sorrow [+29] - Blood of Martyrs [16] - Sanctifier [14] - Hierophant [3] High Exemplar Gravus [8] Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord [4] Scrutator Potentate Severius [0(6)] - Fire of Salvation [14] Choir of Menoth (min) [4] Exemplar Bastions (max) [15] Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13] - Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)] Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13] - Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)] Pretty close to my own EI Thyra. I dig it. Nothing like the dual insane threats of Thyra BoM and Sev0 FoS. The rest of the list is basically window dressing/delivery system for the big boys. |
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sorokin
Junior Strategist
Posts: 775
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Post by sorokin on Oct 3, 2019 14:23:44 GMT
So, lets say you really, really wanted to make marshalled jacks shine in Exemplars, how would you smart people with better understanding of the faction do it?
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privvy
Junior Strategist
Formerly The Nomad on PP's forums
Posts: 317
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Post by privvy on Oct 3, 2019 15:09:52 GMT
That's something that I've been looking into a lot. Harbinger with a Bastion Seneshal or two, one or two units of Bastions for the drive, and then it sort of gets funny. Sanctifiers should be the best bet for a marshal, so they can self-fuel and contribute, they also have the reach. They just need fuel, and everything else in EI makes that fuel expensive. One unit of Bastions being Martyrd is probably good enough. Exemplar Errants are the cheapest option for fuel.
Devouts are the other option for Seneshals. Really punish the opponent with all the defensive strikes, but it has less hitting power.
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