New Rules: Jain Zar vs Drazhar!

Yesterday, we showed you all about the exciting new build-your-own rules for the Craftworld Attributes and Drukhari Obsessions in Phoenix Rising. Today, we’re bringing out the big guns by looking at the updated profiles, wargear and abilities of Phoenix Lord Jain Zar and Drazhar, the dread master of the Incubi. Both of these mighty warriors feature in the Blood of the Phoenix battlebox with astonishing new models, and now it’s time to see what they’re capable of!

Before we pit them against one another, let’s see how the two combatants match up…

Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence

As one would expect from an ageless warrior queen, Jain Zar’s profile is vastly superior to all other Asuryani save the Avatar of Khaine and her fellow Phoenix Lords. In fact, with the exception of Baharroth (who does have wings, to be fair), Jain Zar is also the swiftest of her kind.

In addition to being seriously fleet of foot, Jain Zar is able to Advance and charge in the same turn, and even add 3 to the charge roll – up to a maximum of 15”! Yes, that’s a potential Turn 1 charge… and thanks to her Banshee Mask, your opponent won’t even be able to target her with Overwatch fire!

Jain Zar wields a pair of ancient weapons that helped to define the fighting style of the Howling Banshees – the legendary triskele known as Silent Death and the aptly named Blade of Destruction – which enable her to deliver punishing damage at close range.

Her potential damage output can increase enormously against more numerous opponents, as you can pile her into the heart of an enemy unit then unleash a whirlwind of slaughter. You may also notice that there’s no maximum limit to the number of Attacks she can make in this manner…

As well as matching the War Shout ability of Howling Banshees (thereby inflicting a -1 penalty to enemy hit rolls in close combat), Jain Zar’s Cry of War Unending will ensure that if she is supported by her Aspect Warrior students, they’ll be able to blunt a massed enemy charge by interrupting the order in which units fight.

So, now that we know what the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees is capable of, what about her nemesis?

Drazhar, Master of Blades

Drazhar is the murderously powerful Hierarch of the Great Shrine of the Incubi in Commorragh, and rumours abound regarding his mysterious origins. Some say that he is the fallen Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions who bore that mantle before the rise of Karandras, others that he is the fabled Dark Father of the Incubi. Some even claim him to be both! Whatever the truth may be, if his profile is anything to go by, Drazhar is certainly a match for a Phoenix Lord.

If you’re a veteran Drukhari player, you’ll no doubt have noticed that Drazhar now has an additional Wound, which, when combined with his 5+ invulnerable save, make him a tough opponent for Jain Zar (or anyone) to fight. To make matters even worse, Drazhar’s Executioner’s Demiklaives now have Damage 2, and if he gets to charge, it could be all over for the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees…

Drazhar not only shares the Lethal Precision ability of the Incubi (increasing the Damage of an attack by 2 on a wound roll of 6), but also buffs their wound rolls, ensuring that they’ll serve as a suitably hard-hitting bodyguard for their dread lord.

The Duel

Before we unleash our two mighty warriors in deadly combat, let’s set some ground rules…

• The winner will be determined from the best of three rounds.
• In the first two rounds, each player will take it in turns to go first. The players will roll off to decide who goes first in the third round.
• The combatants will begin each round exactly 12” apart and cannot move unless it’s directly towards their opponent.

Next, all we needed were our players. Up stepped Warhammer Community’s Catherine, who chose Jain Zar in what would be her first ever game! That left Rhu to take charge of Drazhar.

Round 1

Rhu graciously offered Catherine the first turn, but that was pretty much the only part he would play in this round! Jain Zar sprinted forwards, hurling Silent Death as she did so to inflict a single wound on the Master of Blades.

Drazhar barely had time to wrench the triskele from his body before Jain Zar vaulted into the air and plunged the Blade of Destruction through his head, killing him instantly. 

Round 2

Rhu took the first turn in round 2, and with no ranged weapons to worry about, sent Drazhar hurtling straight into combat with a 12” charge!

In the blink of an eye, Drazhar connected his demiklaives into a single blade and swept it round in an unstoppable arc, cutting Jain Zar down with a single, murderous blow.

Round 3

Such was their killing power of each combatant that, so far, they had each won a round with a single attack, so there was no small amount of tension when it came to the roll-off to see who would fight first. Rhu only rolled a 2, yet still managed to win the first turn after Catherine rolled a disappointing 1! Things were looking grim for Jain Zar…

As before, Rhu sent Drazhar charging straight into combat, though this time, he opted to fight with dual blades in the hope of making the most of his Lethal Precision to generate an additional 2 Damage on wound rolls of 6. This ploy seemed to serve him well at first when he inflicted 4 wounds, two of them with rolls of 6, for a potential damage output of 12 wounds! However, Catherine passed 3 of her saving throws. Even more crucially, she saved both of the attacks that would have otherwise caused additional wounds. Against all the odds, Jain Zar still had 4 wounds remaining!

Catherine struck back with Jain Zar, inflicting only a pair of wounds, though her ancestral weapon saw the Damage increased to 5. Just as he had in the first round, Rhu failed all of his Power From Pain rolls to avoid suffering the wounds, leaving the battered Master of Blades on a single Wound remaining. However, as Drazhar had charged this turn, Rhu was able to activate him a second time – a crucial advantage, as Catherine would be able to attack first in her turn…

With his formidable strength draining through the gaping wound in his side, Drazhar connected his Executioner’s Demiklaives and lashed out with a savage blow. But with quicksilver speed, Jain Zar deftly twisted her body to deflect the blow from her armour. Seizing her moment before Drazhar could recover, the Phoenix Lord spun and lunged forward with the Blade of Destruction, spearing her deadly rival though the throat. Victory was hers!

The Result

Wow – that was a pretty epic final fight! It looks like the Blood of the Phoenix is not so easily spilt…

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Blood of the Phoenix is up for pre-order this weekend, so if you want to get your hands on the incredible new miniatures of Drazhar and Jain Zar – as well as the Howling Banshees, Incubi and loads more Aeldari models besides – make sure you don’t forget to order your battlebox.

Once it arrives, you can refight our duel to see who wins! Jain Zar may have won here (only just, mind!) but who do YOU think would win in a fight between these legendary warriors? Head on over to the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page and let us know in the comments.