The top five nimble melee cavalry units in Kings of War… in regiments.

It feels like a while since someone last did one of these top five things, so I thought I may as well throw out a spicy tidbit of opinion to kick start a bit of a conversation about a unit type I don’t see very often, but I love playing.

Nimble cavalry such as Gur Panthers, Mounted Scouts and Tundra Wolves are a regular sight on the battlefield, but normally in troops. The are well regarded as chaff units that come in around 100 points, can perform a variety of roles, but are expected to die to a stiff breeze.

Regiments of these units I see far less, and generally they are on my side of the table when games kick off. I’d like to know why – am I playing the wrong people? Is my continuing use of these units what’s been holding me back all these years? Is my perception wrong, is everyone else taking these regiments, just not when they play me?

When considering these regiments, I’ve come up with three qualities that I think these types of units do, or should do, really well. Of course, the usual disclaimer applies, all rating to be taken with a large pinch of salt. So, what should a light cavalry regiment do well:

 1/ Board control – generally these regiments have US3 and a lot of range due to their nimble capability, which makes them easy to redeploy and reposition which is great at any point in the game, and very useful if they make it to the end of a game.

2/ Capacity to tie up more expensive units – there are a couple of ways they can do this, either by using nimble to force a more expensive unit to chase them around before they can be cornered, or by being a bit tougher than expected, or a combination of both. When going head-to-head with stronger units these units will inevitably die, but used carefully they can often avoid their fate for a turn or two more than would be expected and keep a valuable hammer away from friendly units that little bit longer.

3/ Ignore them at your cost – whilst many of these regiments will deliver little more than a gentle slap to the face of most units they charge in the front, having them in the flank can be an altogether different prospect, particularly if they have used their manoeuvrability to get onto a hill. My Hackpaws have waivered infantry hordes and one shotted large infantry hordes that turned away from them.

So, without further ado let’s kick off with:

5 – Shadowhounds

I really like the recently revamped Shadowhounds. With speed 10 and nimble they are highly manoeuvrable. The +1 to hit in melee on an unhindered charge looks interesting, and with 20 attacks they’re definitely not to be ignored, even on an unhindered front charge. However, as one of the more expensive types of this unit I wonder if the impact of hindered charges makes them a little inconsistent. There are a number of these types of units that have melee 3 and are cheaper, and whilst they will all lose their thunderous charge whilst hindered they’ll still be hitting on 4s rather than 5s. I have yet to see these puppies in action, and may well revise my opinion, but the points just makes me wonder if there are better options out there.

4 – Hackpaws

I was quite disappointed to put my favourite Ratkin unit at only number 4, but I do think that this is a unit that could benefit from a bit more “in army support”. Having synergies like rallying or auras within your army are a really efficient way to buff these types of units, because not only do these units benefit but the source of the buff can provide benefits to the rest of the army as well. Hackpaws are pretty points efficient at 150 points. They lose a point of speed to the Shadowhounds, and 4 attacks, but the points make up for it. They have access to plague pots (giving stealthy and ensnare for a turn) which can make them incredibly resilient against the right match up. Where I think they lack is in the nerve department. At 12/14 they are easily waivered and this, for me, rules out using the plague pots. But the frustration I have about the nerve is more directed at the rest of the army than the unit. With the exception of Scud, there is nothing that can provide rallying and keep up with the regiment. Whilst I love Scud, having him 6” from your Hackpaws does tend to change how the opponent reacts to them. I would love to see a mounted Warchief have the option of rally 1 for Hackpaws as it would, for me at least, open up some different play options, and make taking plague pots more interesting.

3 – Brothermark Initiates

This is an upgrade to the scout cavalry that gives regiments melee 3 and an extra point of nerve. What’s more the army provides additional aura and rallying support which can keep up. Chaplains have rally 1 for these units and can take an aura of fury. All this makes them great at tying up the enemy. In short, these are upgrades I’d love to see for Hackpaws, and I am more than a bit jealous.

2 – Goblin Bangsticks

Fleabag riders tend to be one of the few nimble cavalry units I see regularly on the table in regiment form. In they’re natural state they are handy to have around, and although they are faster and have more nerve than Hackpaws the rats have 2 extra attacks and cost 5 points less which just seems a better deal. Of course, the Fleabags have access to Mawpups, but I have yet to see these used, unless they are in the Bangsticks formation. The Bangsticks formation is great fun and seems to find its way into many Goblin lists. The Bangsticks capitalise on the idea of this type of cavalry as a kamikaze style unit with the potential to cause lots of damage, even on a front charge. If I was ever going to start a Goblin army this would be the unit at its heart.

1 – Halfling Juggers

Having recently started playing Halflings I’ve been amazed at how well these units perform, especially when there is a Sauceror following them around. With defence 5 these are one of the toughest types of these units, more so when a Sauceror could realistically keep them at nerve 15/17 for much of a game. Melee 3 and 16 attacks makes them a real mini knight unit. Combine this all round not too bad stat line with the other buffs Saucery brings, brutal and wild charge up to 3, it’s a unit that can be tough to shift and needs to have a firm eye kept on them. I’ve been running two regiments since I started playing the little people regularly and they were instrumental in me winning three of my five games at their tournament debut at the Southwest Clash in July this year. For 185 points they seem an absolute bargain, not only that but other units in the army such as the Muster Captains on Winged Aralez and the Aeronauts compliment them very well allowing them to play a prominent role rather than being “that regiment that goes up the side of the table and gets killed by about turn 3, unless they’re really lucky.”