A common situation new players find themselves in (as well as some returning players who have been out of the game for a while) involves what to do with older warbands they’ve gotten second hand. Maybe you found an old box laying around, or you got something on a great deal from eBay or a garage sale etc. It’s not any of the newest season’s stuff, so that can leave people scratching their heads, asking the questions of “hey, I just picked up this old warband, are the cards legal, and is there anything I need in order to be able to play? Also, what new products should I try to match them up with in order to be more competitive?” These are very common questions that I hope to be able to help with here. So let’s dive into the next in a series of articles: “Can I Use This Old Warband? A Beginner’s Guide to the Gnarlwood Season”

You can find my other seasonal overviews here:
Shadespire (Season 1)
Nightvault (Season 2)
Beastgrave (Season 3)
Direchasm (Season 4)
Harrowdeep (Season 5)
Nethermaze (Season 6)
Wyrdhollow (Season 8)
Deathgorge (Season 9) and Wintermaw (Season 10)

Overview:
Everything from Gnarlwood (Season 7) is able to be played in the current game of Warhammer Underworlds. The only cards you’ll be able to use are the newer cards from Embergard, which have been released in the new edition of the game. All of the cards and boards from this season have been left behind as editions changed, so all you’ll need to hold on to are the minis themselves.

Some of the Gnarlwood warbands (The Gnarlspirit Pack, The Sons of Velmorn, and Gryselle’s Arenai) are in the “other warbands”/”legends” category in that they aren’t valid for competitive play and have to use generic warscrolls, but they’re still totally fine for learning the game and getting some casual games in. Grinkrak’s Looncourt are newly re-released in the Grand Alliance boxes and is valid for competitive play.

The Gnarlspirit Pack

GSP has been updated for Spitewood, and my full review is here.

The Gnarlspirit pack are a four fighter warband that has some good stats for aggressive play. Their warscroll has tons of utility and they’ll do you solid no matter how you like to play.

The Sons of Velmorn

The Legend lives on, as this warband has been updated for the Spitewood release. You can read my full review here.

The Sons of Velmorn are a five fighter warband, and honestly one of my favorites. There once was a King who was concerned with his line dying out, so he sought a cursed crown that promised his line would live forever. And it did! Problem is they live undead forever, and his poor sons will never get to take the throne.

Grinkrak’s Looncourt

Grinkrak’s Looncourt is a very unique 7 fighter warband that has a special inspiration mechanic related to “Quests” which are abilities on the warscroll. If you have one, you apply it to a specific goblin knight, and if they accomplish their quest, you get it’s ‘Reward’ – this may involve inspiuring that fighter and/or some others. Additionally, their leader Grinkrak the Great, can ‘Dub’ a fighter once per round. by itself, being dubbed means nothing, but does change a few quest paths and rewards.

The warband has been classed as a Flex warband, likely because the nature of the quests asks you to do multiple things: hold a token, go into enemy territory, kill a big thing or multiple small things. That said, being able to assess when to use which quest, which Loon to dub, and how to manage your seven very different fighters would make me lean more towards calling them Mastery. These lil guys are going to take a few games to figure out! Your fighters have a variety of stat lines and specialties, so who you lean on will depend on the matchup. Snorbo da spore can stagger his target at range, and Grib Da Wonky Lance can put out big damage on a charge, so this is a good combo. Surprisingly durable as far as goblins go, they’re limited by their lower speed. A savvy player can do a lot with them but it will take considerable practice to unlock their full potential.

Rivals decks you could consider pairing them with are a little difficult to nail down, and it depends on your approach. I think any of the four core box decks would work all right with them, but none jump out as obvious favorites. Edge of the Knife is another option as they begin the game with several Tempered fighters.

Gryselle’s Arenai

Gryselle’s Arenai are a five fighter warband and among my personal favorites. The plan is simple – get into enemy territory and dish out a ton of attacks. It’s worth noting that a lot of the ‘legends’/Grand Alliance warbands are now somewhat genericized. As a result, you have some more flexibility in how you want to play them, but I can’t give a specific recommendation on what rivals decks work best. Probably a strike deck, with Blazing Assault being at the top of my list.

Wrap

Ultimately any and all Season 7 warbands are playable in the Rivals or Nemesis formats if you pick up a universal rivals deck. You absolutely can play with those old toys you’ve just acquired, and in some cases still do pretty well with them. You’re likely safe to toss the ‘extra’ cards that come with them. Until next time, I hope you enjoy spending that glory!