They say that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; and Daughters of Khaine are so far past scorned, that Bloodletters have nightmares about the acts of violence Witch Aelves carry out when they streak into battle!
Tonight, I wanted to focus on one of the most fleshed out, well supported and strategically versatile factions in the game never to get the Allegiance treatment. Although Nurgle is undeniably larger, with a better range, and with a far more passionate and vocal player base, its also strongly implied that Nurgle will be getting the Battletome treatment in the near future.
So, there are plenty of strong factions without allegiance abilities and so on, I hear you say. Moonclan Grots, Gutbusters, even Deathrattle get more table time than Daughters of Khaine.
And that is exactly my point! Why is that?
The Daughters of Khaine element of the Dark Elf army of old was the most recent section of the army to get a revamp pre-End Times, and if I'm honest, I was hoping that they would fall into the same course that Bonesplittaz did, forming their own fully sustained and very viable sub-faction in the Age of Sigmar. But it was not to be. Daughters of Khaine waited patiently as Clan Pestilens, Sylvaneth and a myriad of other factions incorporated old ranges of models into new and exciting armies.
The longer these stunning models sat on the shelves, the more and more unlikely it became that they were gonna get their own Battletome. New armies burst onto the scene, with the Kharadron Frigates sailing into the game atop a wave of hype and enthusiasm for new dwarves! Surely, elves would be on the horizon. With word hitting the internet that many sub factions would be getting the 'treatment', hopes were high. Once again, the ladies with serious rage issues were given an issue to rage about.
So, while they remain in the shadow, are they still a viable army in the current landscape of Age of Sigmar? Well, lets deep dive into the war scrolls and find out.
The Daughters of Khaine sub faction is actually very reminiscent of Clan Pestilens. They both are built upon the backs of masses of fragile infantry that kick out a horrific number of attacks, supported by towering constructs that emit saves and buffs to anyone nearby.
But Daughters have a few tricks up their sleeves. The first, and probably most important element to Daughters is Witchbrew. Cauldrons of Blood and Death Hags all have the option to carry Witchbrew, which is superior in my mind over the Death Sword, purely for the fact that you can use Witchbrew every turn regardless of whether you're in combat or not, and be able to hand out Battleshock immunity (as well as a cheeky re-roll) to just about every unit on the field. This is a massive deal for a horde army (because, lets face it, Witch Aelves weren't made to be taken in units less than thirty), and means that your opponent has to punch through each and every wound
The Bloodshield being emitted from the Cauldrons is also crucial, as it offers your berserk warriors a decent save against all wounds AND mortal wounds! Not only that, there is no trigger or ability that has to happen, meaning even if your opponent gets a drop on you, you don't miss out on the shield because you perhaps haven't had a hero phase yet. Cauldrons can also dispel enemy casts and kick out useful prayers in the same manner that Plague Priests.
Where Daughters veer more sharply away from the parallels with Pestilens is their inclusion of powerful wizards in the form of Doomfire Warlocks. There's nothing subtle about the warlocks. They're designed for one thing and that is melting faces off. Combined with the sheer mortal wound potential from the lithe Bloodwrack Medusae, and the athletic throat-slitting of Sisters of Slaughter, the allegiance actually has a great degree of flexibility and tools available to them.
I think there is a great deal of power in this list, even with the Grand Alliance Order artefacts and command abilities, with hordes of attack-heavy, re-roll-heavy infantry (with a 7" move no less), some very fast mortal damage dealers, and plenty of options in the Allies department. The double pile in from the Cauldron's command ability just accentuates the army more. The sheer number of bodies combined with the Bloodshield, the tons of re-rolls, modifiers and buffs, as well as a complete disregard for Battleshock or caring if their opponents finish the game with their entrails on the right side of their skin, is a huge boon for the army.
So, why does no one play this army? There are certainly more expensive armies, and I believe there are certainly less versatile ones, and so I can't figure out for the life of me why I'm yet to see a Daughters army in the flesh. The models are absolutely stunning; the elegance and dynamic model range just waiting for someone to do an exceptional paint job. As well as that, they are probably one of the most unique armies going around.
With this season of the game where powerful combinations are emerging from every dark corner of the game (Moonclan Grots winning Heat 3 at Warhammer World being a good example), I think that Daughters of Khaine is just waiting for their moment in the sun!
Why am I not doing the army myself, you may ask? Well, after Pestilens, I'm going to need a loooong break from hordes. Not only that, I already have a super secret project in the process of being bought and built…
But now I'm just getting ahead of myself.
Thanks for reading,
Gabe
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