List Making & Tiers
by Saerko
I play most of my games at 35 and 50 points, so this section of the guide will focus on those two point levels. Rather than cover every single list you could possibly make (there are lots), I’ll just introduce the reader (you) to some of my favorites, say why I think they’re awesome, and also go into an in-depth analysis of her Theme list and the benefits gained at each Tier. I’ve got quite a bit of time in using her with her Theme and and without, and have won several tournaments with the ones I’m going to post. Each list does have weaknesses though, and it’s important to identify other warlocks or build lists to combat those weaknesses when noted, so that you don’t run up against a bad match-up and feel like you’re running uphill.
Unrestricted Lists
50 Points
Grissel Bloodsong
-Mulg
-Pyre Troll
Kriel Warriors (10)
-Standard & Piper
-Cabers (2)
Fennblades (10)
-Officer & Drummer
Trollkin Champions (5)
-Skaldi Bonehammer
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (5)
-Stone Scribe Elder
Fell Caller
Stone Scribe Chronicler
If I’m not playing Blood of Bragg, this is what I reach for. Due Diligence: Mulg makes it into every list I play where he isn’t specifically disallowed. If you want to know why, check out my Mulg Guide.
The Kriel Warriors (KWs) are my hard center and typically my Hoof It target for the first turn. With the UA they’re Steady and can spread out, and the Cabers represent a threat that’s difficult to ignore, so they draw a lot of fire. I tend to run the Fennblades on flank or sharing the center with the KWs, while the Champs run up behind the wall of single-wound models, with Mulg and the Pyre following. The Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (KSB) is usually sandwiched in between the the first and second wave, spending for its aura to keep everything alive, while the Stone Scribe Chronicler (SSC) hands out Tale of Mist to the Fennblades (lower ARM, so I like to pump up their DEF). The Fell Caller will tend to give Overcome to the unit that doesn’t get Hoof It.
When activating Grissel turn 1, I usually size up my opponent and try to figure out how quickly they will start throwing damage my way. If there’s a lot of ranged or Advanced Deploy, I just have her dump all of her Fury on the KSB, pop out a Fell Call, and then run her to keep up with the army. If it looks like I’ve got another turn before the action starts (rare), I’ll cast Hallowed Avenger on Mulg and then put the rest on the KSB. The concept is that you want the KSB close to full capacity on its Fury Vault by the time damage starts getting handed out, so that you can protect all the troops. Hallowed Avenger is nice, but not essential on the first turn. The only downside of the second-turn cast is that it will leave you without the ability to cast much else that turn, as you’ll also be filling up the KSB and leaving a little on Grissel for transfers in case of assassination.
It’s a fast list--you want to tie up long-distance killers (ranged units, long distance charging threats) with the KWs, using Hoof It if you have to. The Fennblades have a 13” threat, so most of the time they’ll be able to get the first strike unless you hit a denial list, in which case you bring in the KWs to block with their great defensive stats.
When to pop her feat is always tricky--but don’t get hung up on Cacophany. It’s good, but if using it to deny the opponent’s spellcasting is going to put you in harm’s way, focus on the offensive buffing power and forget it. You want to ram your list down the opponent’s throat, and bring in Mulg and the Champions as soon as a hole opens in the line of Fennblades and KWs.
The SSC’s tale Hero’s Tragedy will be key to put on your KWs if they’re acting as blockers, and is generally your go-to story after turn 1. The only real exception is if Mulg gets in melee with something and hasn’t yet destroyed it, which is when it’s time to bring in Charge of the Trolls.
35 Points
Grissel Bloodsong
-Mulg
-Pyre Troll
Kriel Warriors (10)
-Standard & Piper
-Cabers (2) [Alt Version: Cabers (3)]
Fennblades (10)
-Officer & Drummer
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (5)
-Stone Scribe Elder
Fell Caller [Alt Version: Stone Scribe Chronicler]
Much like the 50 point list, but you’re sacrificing some of the second wave. With her ability to buff the number of attacks the single-wound infantry can put out and the speed at which they can get up the board, it’s really fine this way. There aren’t many 35 lists that pack enough heavy armor that Mulg and the Kriel Warriors won’t be able to handle it. Tactics are much the same as with the 35 point list, but you don’t have the SSC for defensive support.
The only thing to watch for is assassination threats--there’s less between Grissel and the opponent’s heavy hitters, and Mulg makes for a big target (an ARM 21 target, but still).
I’m always iffy on 35 point lists, because I never feel like I really get all that I want in there. One alternate version I’ve taken is to swap out the Fell Caller for another Caber and the SSC. You lose the ability to stand up some of your models, and the list becomes more defensively oriented. However, the interference with Fell Calls drops off as an issue, and you gain some heavy-hitting capability by having another Caber. I think they’re about equal, with a slight bias to the one with the additional Fell Caller just because he packs so many different tools, including one of the few ranged attacks in the list.
Theme Lists
Grissel’s theme force, Blood of Bragg, is one of the more competitive theme forces in our faction, and depending on the tiers you decide to go for, it can be quite competitive at the tournament level as well. It’s important to know what you’re giving up though--right off the bat, you lose access to all multiwound units in the faction. Grissel excels with infantry, and our multiwound infantry are some of the best in any of the factions. You also can’t take Fennblades, which are really the new entry-to-faction infantry unit for Trollblood players. It’s Kriel Warriors and Pygs all the way, and a lot of them.
You also are going to have to do without Dire Trolls, which means any access to heavy-hitting models you thought you might have had is just gone. Quite a lot of support vaporizes too--no Stone Scribe Chronicler or Runebearer allowed.
I’ll go ahead and say it right now: if you don’t have (or aren’t willing to obtain) two or more units of Kriel Warriors, this theme force will be difficult to get working. If that’s an expensive and corner-case acquisition for you, I’d pass on this one.
If you already own two or more units of Kriel Warriors or are willing to buy them, there are lots of benefits here. We’ll go tier by tier:
Tier 1
Cheaper Fell Callers is almost enough to sell Tier 1 on its own, as they’re a great buy at their standard price. You should take two in every list you make with her, because not to do so is a crime. Their melee ability and spray alone are worth the reduced price cost, with the Fell Calls coming as just icing on the cake...which makes sense, because on her feat turn, that’s all they’ll have.
The movement effect for warbeasts is nice, because it allows them to keep up with the army. Veteran Grissel players know very well that her army moves up the board lightning quick, and anything that gives a bonus to the rest of it keeping pace is just awesome. You’re taking two Fell Callers and two Light Warbeasts anyway, so it’s not even something you have to really alter your list construction to get. For a first Tier, that’s nice.
Tier 2
Remember what I said about the minimum two units of Kriel Warriors? The truth is that the bonus at this Tier is why you’re doing the Theme in the first place. My first action every time I play an unrestricted Grissel list is to give my Kriel Warriors Hoof It. Not only are you getting two Fell Calls automatically in the first turn, but you can still have Grissel hand out another one of your choice. Combined with the Tier 1 bonus, that means you’ve got an army that can rocket up the board first turn without needing to pop Grissel’s feat to do it--and that’s HUGE.
Against almost every army in the game, you’ll not only be faster than they are, but you’ll also be sitting on top of whatever objectives are floating out there right off the bat. In competitive play, nailing the objectives is ludicrously easy--even Haley, Deneghra, and the Old Witch will have trouble denying you a scenario victory. It also means that you really want to pack in as many Kriel Warriors as humanly possible into every list just to milk that benefit--and that’s expensive. For my money though, it means never really worrying about gunlines again.
Tier 3
This has potential, but I’m not sold on it right now. The first unit of Pygs isn’t a problem--you’re obviously taking Burrowers. After that it gets tricky though, because (and this is pure opinion) Bushwackers just aren’t that great for what you pay. I’m not talking about the general case--Bushwackers have a place in a great many Trollblood lists, and can even make it with Grissel quite well. The problem is a cost-benefit one--how good is this Tier, and how much are you willing to restrict yourself just to get to the next one?
I tried it out in play, I really did. I ran the list at Tier 4 (you’d never sit at Tier 3...Tier 4 is that good). The only thing the Bushwackers did with great consistency and gusto is soak up an excessive amount of bullets and shrapnel. In a list with so much single-wound infantry, the field gets crowded, and to get there you needed two units of Kriel Warriors and two Fell Callers. Even taking the bare bones, you just ate up 16 points before adding warbeasts, and it would be criminal not to throw at least the UA and one Caber onto those KW’s. Since it’s an infantry-heavy list and you have the option, it would be an even greater crime not to take the KSB...and while we’re on the subject, how ‘bout that Stone Scribe Elder?
You’ll never need to move around your Burrowers--they won’t be affecting anything until the next turn, and putting them on a flank is silly. What you’re left with is the ability to choose what hemisphere of the board you want the Bushwackers on...and it’s not enough.
Tier 4
Everyone likes extra deployment, especially if they’re going first. I’m no exception, and stacked on top of the Tier 2 bonus, we’re talking about some serious distance up the board. Even going first in a Steamroller game, you’re still 5” over the midline on turn 1 with those Kriel Warriors, and that means you’ve got the objectives locked down. In almost anything but Kill Box, you’ve practically won the game automatically. What do you have to do to get here? Essentially what you were going to do anyway--take an extra light warbeast. The only downside is that this guy isn’t going to benefit from the Tier 1 bonus, but them’s the breaks sometimes. If you really feel like taking Blood of Bragg for all it’s worth, you really won’t mind the restriction here. In my Tier 2 lists, I often find myself taking an extra light anyway, so you can sit comfortable here.
One neat trick at Tier 4 is to use those worthless Bushwackers you had to take to get here as a method of gumming up the enemy line. Just have Grissel give a trailing member of the unit Hoof It, then run them. Deployed on the line, they’ll be engaging the opponent’s Advance Deploy on Turn 1, and blocking movement lanes for everyone else. Combined with your ability to sit on the objectives, a scenario victory is almost guaranteed.
Final Thoughts
Grissel is about launching up the board and grinding down the enemy--at every Tier, Blood of Bragg plays into just that. You won’t be assassinating the opponent, you’ll be systematically taking apart their army piece by piece.
The KSB+SSE is not an optional component--with so much single-wound infantry continuous effects, blast damage, and Strafe/Chain Lightning are the bane of the list, and the KSB will make the infantry you take that much more survivable.
You can take Trollkin Sluggers and Thumpers in your list, but I don’t recommend it. I’ve played several games with the Thumpers in play, and they end up starved for targets most of the game or sniped at a distance. The Sluggers run into the same problem, except that they don’t auto-KD the target and have even less POW than the Thumpers. Taking Bushwackers and Scattergunners is a judgment call--I think they can work decently in her lists, but I prefer melee more. With how fast her army moves, most of our non-warbeast ranged options don’t make a whole lot of sense.
Example List:
Blood of Bragg, Tier 2 (50 points)
Grissel Bloodsong
-Pyre Troll
-Troll Bouncer
-Troll Axer
Kriel Warriors (10)
-Standard & Piper
-Caber Thrower (2)
Kriel Warriors (10)
-Caber Thrower (2)
Kriel Warriors (10)
-Caber Thrower (2)
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes (5)
-Stone Scribe Elder
Pygmy Burrowers (6)
Fell Caller
Fell Caller
This is the list I’ve been using lately, and I love it. I’ve tried swapping out different elements to change things up, but I always end up returning to this or something similar to it. Three warbeasts gives you plenty of targets for transferring, and I find I rarely have use for more than a minimum unit of Burrowers by the time the Kriel Warriors get into the action. You could dump the Axer or Bouncer for more Cabers, Burrowers, or even another unit like Scattergunners or Sluggers. For my points though, this gets a lot of bang for my point expenditure.
The Kriel Warriors will take up pretty much the entire table most of the time, so you don’t really have to worry about flanking tactics. My usual strategy is to deploy the KWs in 2-2.5 ranks right on the line, with a medium base worth of space between them to place the warbeasts that are going to Advance Move. In this case, that’s the Pyre and the Axer, with the Bouncer sticking next to Grissel. The Fell Callers sit right behind the flanking units of KWs, with the Krielstone Bearer himself behind the Pyre or Axer so that he can get the most movement after they jump from the line. Grissel is usually sitting behind the other light warbeast, ready to hand out her Fell Call and take off. Burrowers deploy on the AD line unless something looks like it can attack them right away, at which point I move them behind the wall of KWs.
First turn is pretty much the same every time--I Advance Move my two Lights (typically straight ahead), advance and Burrow the Pygs, and then start activating KWs. The way you maneuver the KW’s is dependent on the terrain set-up. If there’s Rough Terrain on a flank that you’ll be transiting, it’s a judgment call on whether to use your Hoof It movement to power through it (lagging behind the main line), or whether you try to go around it and just shift the entire front rank in a particular direction. Remember: Hoof It is a Fell Call, so there’s no way to affect them with the FC on the first turn. Once I decide where I’m moving, I start activating each one, using Swift Foot to gain +2” of movement, and then running 12” forward. If you’re going to a tournament, practice doing this swiftly--it can eat up your clock. When doing my final positioning, I try to keep at least 4 KW’s around each Caber as Take Up fodder, and also make sure there aren’t gaps in the line that the opponent can exploit.
From there it’s just a matter of running the Fell Callers, Pyre, and Axer forward. Then I activate Grissel, dump all of her Fury on and give Hoof It to the KSB, and then run forward (neither is an action). Then the KSB uses its aura (usually warping for Combat Warding), and goes balls-out for the center of the KW line. Hoof It moves now trigger, and I advance the KW line and the KSB until I’m camping all of the objectives and getting decent Aura coverage. First turn, it’s almost impossible to get every KW covered, so just go for as many as possible.
After that, it gets hard to share concrete plans. The Burrowers rarely have a target that’s worth using them on right away, so pop them up behind the KW line and run/advance back, preparing for the Reburrow. The KW’s will either be in charge distance of the enemy, or have been charged by the enemy, so they’ll be going to work. At this point your Fell Callers should dump War Cry on two of the KW units, and Grissel will usually hand out Heroic Ballad to the third or start using Cacophany to deal with Shield Walls, refilling the KSB after it generates the Aura, and casting spells/animi where appropriate.
In the majority of my games, it’s the Kriel Warrior Show until turn 3 (sometimes 4), where either you’ve already won by overwhelming them with a tide of infantry, or enough of them have been killed to open up holes in the line that Burrowers or the warbeasts can slot into. I usually pop my feat on turn 2 or 3 depending on what the opponent has done (it’s worthless if eHaley popped hers first, for instance). I’ve never lost on scenario using this list, so the biggest challenge is always just making sure Grissel is close enough to the main line to be effective, but far enough back to be protected. The biggest mistake you can make is over-committing to buffing your infantry. If CMA, Stone Strength, and Fervor absolutely can’t get the job done, bring in Grissel. Otherwise, keep her safe with a good stock of Fury and just play it out. Your Fell Calls are free and easy to hand out at a distance--use them to get the job done.
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