Lord Commander. The Rangers have scouted and found a Wildling Raiding party approaching. They say the raid leader rides a White Bear and is stalked by wolves and shadocats, they tried to get a better look, but an eagle dived on one of the Rangers and tore him to pieces. Before it even landed the bear rider looked at them and smiled. We both know who this is Commander. Should I debrief you… on Varamyr Sixskins?
The Rules
“Mance should have let me take the direwolf. There would be a second life worthy of a king.” – Varamyr Sixskins
Varamyr can be taken as a Solo Unit or as a Commander. He costs 3pts however he becomes 0pts as your Commander. You can bring his Shadowcat Solo for 2pts and his Wolf Pack Solo for 3pts, this is optional for each unless Varamyr is your Commander in which you need to bring both. Varamyr always brings his Eagle.
The Eagle works just like the Skinchangers Eagle handing out some free shifts to Varamyr’s units. The Shadowchat is an Outflanking weaker Solo with Disrupt, a key thing to note here is the Outflank is when the Unit is deployed and does not need to be activated by anything else such as the Maneuver Zone like all other Outflanks. The Wolf Pack works very similar to the Wolf with the Skinchangers just improved due to their being three of them, this unit helps remove all abilities from a unit they are engaged with.
Varamyr is like a stronger Shaggydog. He gains extra attack dice for each wound he has. With a 3+ armour and 4 wounds it is very likely he will power up long before he is killed off. He also brings Vicious and Sundering. His cards are all based on playing around the Solos, one is like the Sentinel ability for Varamyr and his Solos only, the second is Issue Commands for the Solos, the last is a way to either bring the Solos back from the dead or redeploy them.
Activations Like the Good Old Days
[Switches voice to grandpa voice] “Back in my day, those whipper snappers from Winter’ell ruled the activation count with those wolves that cost nothing”
Starks dominated the scene with their large activation count when they had the Direwolves for free. 10 activations were a common thing to encounter with the Stark faction and it catapulted them to the top. Like poetry, it rhymes. Mance is now at the top of the game because of his activation count, however it is not just because of this as his cards are super good too. Varamyr will also be quite high up in activations which is a fine recipe for doing well. The only trade off in terms of Varamyr is the low wounds profile on the Solos, it could be as simple as a NCU counter like Varys, Othell, or Olena to deal a few wounds to the puppies and kitten to counter the play. A small breeze will kill these units such as from any devisher unit such as Ranger Hunters, or small wound abilities like Go Down Fighting or the Rose Knight heal damage blossom.
Initial Competitive Thoughts
I can see people bringing just Varamyr and dominating just because of the activation count as this is one of the reasons Mance has done so well. However, Mance could trade out 8pts for the three Units which could net him an extra 1-2 activations. What’s worse than Mance in competitive play? Buffing the Mance list further. Perhaps the trade-off will not be as worth it due to the low wounds profile of the Solos, it is worth play testing and finding the best way to utilise the new additions.
It has been brought to my attention that Mag the Mighty could benefit from some cheap beasts to take to the field. Adding a few cheap units from Varamyr’s arsenal would help activations and various tactics cards available to Mag the Mighty. I do believe like Coldhands, he will be in many lists from The Wall and Beyond.
Outflank Rule Change?
The Shadowcat Solo has a different version of the Outflank rule, a better version to be precise. Many have already made the point that if this is the new version for all cases of Outflank it would finally make it worth using or even just looking at it as a possibility. If this becomes the new version of the rule then we will see the likes of King Robb Stark, Reaver Captains, and Outflank Cavalry more often due to the mobility benefit being enticing.
Go For More Gang Up
The Free Folk Raid Leader is an attachment used frequently recently. Due to the mass number of Units Free Folk players bring, the Gang Up ability triggers often allowing for a better quality Unit. Varamyr may help this ability to be turned on more often if all he needs is one of his Solos to help. Bringing 3 Units instead of just 1 will have an effect here. This may open an avenue of not needing as many Raid Leaders as before thus other Attachments can be brought to further improve the prowess of the Units.
My Solo Never Dies!
Night’s Watch saw the introduction to a unit that can never be fully destroyed. Coldhands, if destroyed, can come back in the next Round, this has resulted in him being a staple in the faction for a while now keeping the activation count high and sending the likes of the Marshal and Ghost to the shelf. With Varamyr there is no inbuilt ability for this, instead he has cards that allow him to bring back some of his Solo’s if they were destroyed.
Solos are incredibly helpful in the game now, if you have a faction that struggles for activations then a Solo is a heaven-sent gift to help you. For example, The Mountain That Rides is found in most Lannister Lists due to this. Free Folk is the dominant faction for activation control and 3 activations for 5pts (or 8pts if you don’t bring Varamyr as a Commander) is literally ‘out of the frying pan, and into the fire’. Add the ability to bring the Solos back twice a game and it is even more brutal.
List Design Bliss
Free Folk has some of the best Commanders in the game, and I am not talking about in terms of competitiveness. With TableTop War Games it is hard to not compare to Games Workshop and Warhammer 40k, however CMON does something better with Free Folk the GW have yet to nail, the big ones. Pure Knights in 40k does not feel good to play, but the Mag the Mighty pure giant (with a sprinkle of other monsters) list is so fun to play, and surprisingly also does well in a more competitive setting. Knights in 40k feel like any other vehicle, whereas Giants do not feel like any other Unit. Having one knight in a 40k army feels inadequate whereas a Giant in a Free Folk army is the hammer to the opponent’s anvil. How does this relate to Varamyr?
His cards work only with his Solo’s in mind, the cards are fun, and they will be the crux of all his games. It will all be about piling up on to units with multiple units swarming the enemy. These themed Commanders are super fun no matter how they perform, perhaps overloading this with Skinchangers and Borroq to go full Solo mode would be incredibly entertaining, a true horde.
Varamyr is an awesome uniquely designed Commander and Unit, he adds a new flavour to the game and in some ways a familiar flavour to the Free Folk and their top Commander. He will be used in those high performing lists; he will be used by people looking for a fun themed list just like Mag the Mighty. I for one am so looking forward to seeing this Commander in action.
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