Embers of War has arrived! 

Whether you’ve pre-ordered or picked it up at your local game store, it’s time to get these new units to the table. Embers of War introduces more common squads, pirates, wizards, and beasts to the battlefield. 

The Gelryie Vanguards are our first four-figure squad in Contemporary Heroscape. None of their base stats look particularly  impressive at first glance—-in fact, a melee squad with only 2 defense is quite fragile. Melee squads typically compensate for this with more activations or have better stats per point than ranged units, since they must close in to attack. Let's look at their abilities and see if they make up for any of those weaknesses. 

Tidal Advance is a very strong ability. We haven’t seen anything exactly like this before in Heroscape. Orc Battle Rush from the Death Chasers allows you to move all your Death Chasers at the very beginning of the game, but it’s a one-time effect. With four Order Markers on Gelryie for several rounds, you can have your whole army across the board in no time. 

This encourages you to run mass Geylrie with only a few other Unfathomable figures to fill out your figure and point limits. The only other Unfathomable units released so far are Ewashia, Master of Tides and Krakenlings (more on those later). This strategy does telegraph your Order Markers early on, as it leans away from using other Unfathomable units that require Order Markers—the Gelryie will want them all in the early rounds to fully capitalize on Tidal Advance. That means sacrificing the flexibility  of the X marker, but the bonus movement helps close the gap on pesky ranged units your opponent may be fielding. 

Defend the Deep forces your opponent  to play differently against the Gelryie. In Heroscape, you typically want to take height advantage for the extra attack die. On average, 3 attack versus 2 defense deals a wound 63% of the time. If that 3-attack figure takes height and rolls 4 attack dice, the chance to wound increases to almost 76%.  Against the Gelryie, however, if you take height, the roll becomes 4 attack versus 4 defense—a 56% chance to wound. Statistically, you’re better off fighting them on even ground. 

Defend the Deep also makes Tidal Advance even more enticing—-your figures can push forward on low ground while still benefiting from the defense boost. Note that being on water and not having height advantage does not stack with Defend the Deep (you don’t get +4 defense if you’re on a water tile on low ground).

Modern, tournament-focused maps often feature water scattered across the battlefield to create choke points or movement decisions. Swim will occasionally  help you bypass these or reach an engagement you couldn’t normally make.

Overall, the Gelryie are well-positioned to make a run towards the top of the current Contemporary meta. A four-activation common squad that advances itself forward passively and isn’t as punished for being on low ground can be a force to be reckoned with. 

The Gelryie come in the same box as the Krakenling. The Krakenlings are another common hero with more than one life—-a concept first introduced with the Grave Grim. With 4 attack and 5 defense, the Krakenlings base stats are strong. It’s 4 move is lackluster, but more on that shortly. Like the Grave Grim, being a large, single-based figure has its perks .

Warp Space, combined with their Unfathomable synergy (giving access to Tidal Advance),helps mitigate the slow movement. We’ve seen similar powers before—-Decker the Burrow Breaker’s Underground Movement for instance—but Warp Space functions more like “flying” four spaces. It offers great flexibility in positioning, making it difficult for your opponent to wall off or hide key support units. 

Eldritch Switch adds even more mobility and allows you to gain height advantage. We’ve seen something similar with the Warforged Soldier’s Tactical Switch. For example: Round 4, Order Marker 1 is on the Krakenlings. You’ve already advanced 12 spaces using Tidal Advance without ever placing an Order Marker on them. You move 4 spaces (required to use Eldritch Switch), then switch places  onto high ground against your opponent’s Queen Maladrix. That’s 17 spaces total of progress with  your first Order Marker on the Krakenlings! Note that unlike Tactical Switch, you can swap places with any unit—friendly or enemy—and you don’t have to attack the figure you switched with. 

Flailing Tentacles is a familiar power, reminiscent of the Fen Hydra. Being able to attack three times with 4 dice on an 85-point figure that’s this maneuverable is a bargain. With 5 defense, the Krakenling can take a few hits, and Eldritch Switch often put it on height for extra advantage.  Swim fits thematically, but won’t matter thanks to Warp Space. 

Krakenlings round out a Geylrie army nicely, depending on your point and figure limits. Gelryie thrive in higher figure limit formats  to maximize Tidal Advance. Though data is limited since these units are newly released, Sheep took 2nd place  (4-1 record) with Chana the Zenithwing, Gelryie Vanguards x4, Krakenling x1, Raelin the Kyrie Warrior (Boiling Tension) in an online Contemporary-only event—using Tidal Advance to push the army forward and relying on the Krakenling as the heavy hitter. 

The Dryan faction also got a boost with the Heroes of Arboreas pack. Two more familiars join the ranks: Vrono the Brambletooth and Chana the Zennithwing. Kita the Springrunner has been useful for grabbing glyphs, while Onshu the Welkineye has been the main offensive familiar so far. Chana offers healing to Wizards and Beasts but must forgo her attack to do so. With only 3 defense and 3 life, her survivability is limited, though Stealth Flying helps her escape tight situations.

Vrono is an intriguing control piece—the most defensive familiar yet. His ability to potentially halt an opponent’s movement, reduce their attack, or even wound them makes opponents think twice about moving adjacent. This gives you strong board control—your opponent must either deal with Vrono directly or navigate around him. Keep in mind, however, that Sharp Thorns only affects adjacent figures; Vrono is still vulnerable to ranged attacks.

Speaking of Vrono, his older brother Girushia, Grove Keeper joins the Dryans as well. We’ve seen Command Familiar before, and any time you can activate multiple figures with one Order Marker in Heroscape, it’s powerful. Wicked Thorns is an upgraded version of Sharp Thorns. Gurishia only has 3 defense, but boasts 6 life, allowing him to take several hits—especially when positioned near a tree or bush. With plenty of jungle terrain in most Contemporary tournament maps, Gift of the Forest often gives Gurishia a solid defensive perch. If there’s a key choke point near a jungle piece, he can cause real havoc for opponents as they try to pass.  Reach and 4 base attack give him some respectable offensive output as well. 

Marachott, Mind Whisperer is another Aquilla-aligned addition to the Dryans. Like her peers, she has Command Familiar. Her 1 attack may seem very poor until you read Staff of Curupiran—two automatic skulls make that effectively a 5-attack strike. 

Marachott’s Whisper should feel familiar, echoing the Mind Flayer Mastermind and the recently spoiled Doctor Mindbender. The potential to take control of an opponent’s hero–or even one of your own–can be game-changing. Repositioning a key enemy hero, swinging at a support figure, or even dunking a foe into lava can turn the tide of battle. Statistically, though, it’s safer and more reliable to target your own heroes. As always, the more figures you can activate per Order Marker, the greater your advantage. 

The last Dryan from this wave is arguably the GOAT of the Dryans, Haluchott, Corruptor of Beasts. Standing tall at size 8, Haluchott is an intimidating presence. Her ability to fly as a single-based figure gives her excellent maneuverability. Staff of the Long Hand allows two attacks per turn–one melee strike for 3 attack, then a ranged shot at 6 range if she’s no longer engaged.  

Calm the Beast makes her an anti-Dryan and anti-Arrow Grut figure, countering factions that rely heavily on Beasts. Where she truly shines, though, is with her upgraded version of Command Familiar, Command the Wild. This opens up the bonding not only to Onshu, Chana, Kita, and Vrono but also to Swog Riders and Ice Troll Berserkers. Ice Trolls bring 5 attack, regeneration, and bonus movement—already strong traits. Command the Wild lets Haluchott activate two Beasts per turn, creating devastating combos. 

For example, with one Order Marker, you can: 

• Attack with an Ice Troll, 
• Use Onshu’s Sonic Blast Special Attack twice, 
• Attack with Haluchott, and 
• Use her Staff of the Long Hand for a second strike. 

That’s five attacks in one Order Marker. Haluchott will shine in low-figure limit formats, where she can pair with Onshu and a few Ice Trolls to devastate the battlefield. 

That’s all for today! Stay tuned to learn more about Crimson Widow and her Dreadnoughts of Caraway Cavern. Until then, Happy Scaping!

Photos by Vecna