After registering to compete in the Las Vegas Open Warhammer Underworlds Grand Clash this year, I decided in my gross hubris to take the Dread Pageant. I played a single Rivals format game with Countdown to Cataclysm and was hooked by their risk/reward game of spreading damage to inspire, and knew I was going to try and take them to the limit. After some theorizing and a pretty successful first few attempts at practice in my local scene, I decided to drown in pain and pair Countdown to Cataclysm with Wrack and Ruin for my Nemesis deck.

Click here to check out other Deck Builds/Love Letters on Spent Glory

What follows is a guide for the build I brought to the Las Vegas Open in 2025 which you can use for your own twisted pleasure, and I’ll follow it (swift as desire) with a summary of how the weekend went in a tournament report very soon. I know waiting can give you cruel pangs, but I love to see you shiver with…

OK, you’ve waited long enough. SPOILERS: I got second place (devastatingly close to first), and you can read about it here

Why Dread Pageant?

The lore segment on the back of the warscroll card tells us the leader is a #BOSS and he knows it. After I got a peek at his inspired side, I knew it too. Getting a range 2, 3 hammers, 2 damage grievous profile is nutty, and you don’t even have to be a Gorechosen player and get haterade for that. Additionally, the two dancers going up to 3 health this edition is nice, and the warscroll intrigued me, especially the risk/reward of their inspire condition and the ‘all your eggs in one basket’ problem Vasillac presented.

Positional Flex play has always been something I enjoyed, and having fond memories of the warband’s first edition rendition I wanted to give them another spin once Embergard dropped. While they’re certainly different than before (and arguably less competitive), they’re possibly even more fun. Playing this warband is like walking a tightrope over a shark tank – you’re taking a big risk and even one touch in the wrong direction can spell doom, but at the same time it’s exhilarating and the thrill of success when you do survive is all the sweeter. Perfectly on-brand for Slaanesh, and maybe I’m every bit as degenerate as that makes me sound. Ping myself early in the game? Intentionally expose myself to attacks? Sit back and luxuriate in my home territory until the time is right? Yes please, with a side of black liquorice.

Attack wise, the warband has two fighters with range 2 attacks, one with a range 3 (4 while inspired), and access to grapple which all give good positional flexibility. You can deal a damage at any time, to anybody, for standing on a treasure token – great for pushing towards inspiration, but also could potentially soften a target or finish one off in the right situation. And we can’t forget that Gross Hubris is a funny and thematic ability that has actually won me a few games.

Why Countdown to Cataclysm?

Honestly, I wanted access to some good ping tech to help me inspire. The earlier that happens, the earlier Vasillac can show the world why they call him The Gifted. Additionally though, the threat of the warscroll ping Cruel Pangs can be enough to make people think twice about going on a feature token anywhere on the field – potentially hampering their own scoring, but also helping me lower the number of tokens they hold as a deterrent, driving up my Cataclysm Value faster.

A few cards in CC like higher Cataclysm Values; Sunder the Realm, Total Collapse, and Improvised Attack all have higher reliability, Spread Havoc scores for more, and Utter Conviction’s defense boost really helps this warband with a value of 2-3. The biggest drawback of advancing your tracker for most warbands is that it makes scoring Wreckers harder – but I am intentionally going to be harming as many fighters as possible without killing them early on, so I often am comfortable getting the tracker to 2 early and 3 by midgame even if I haven’t seen Wreckers yet since I’ll be damaging or slaying multiple enemies as a matter of course – something traditional Strike/Flex would like to avoid in an attempt to ‘focus down’ bigger threats one at a time.

Why Wrack & Ruin?

So, we still want those pings, and this deck gives you some more. On top of that, it has some interesting scoring options that
A) don’t require me to kill things or be in enemy territory where I risk being slain, and
B) are from a less popular deck meta-wise and therefore some of my opponents may not know how to counterplay me as easily.

Heading into a Grand Clash I need to take that kind of advantage if I’m choosing a mid-tier warband. Wrack and Ruin also has some good positional cards and defensive tech to allow me to take less damage (but still take SOME damage, which I do need to suffer).

It provides access to plus dice and stagger in pretty good variety as well, so my somewhat poor uninspired accuracy will be boosted, and I’ll have an easier time getting that inspire with attacks against multiple targets. While a traditional Strike/Flex team might want to stagger that one important target and then get rerolls all round, I actually want to stagger 2-4 fighters so I have a good chance of hitting all of them once, at least for the start.

General Strategy

Before I dive into the card choices, I’ll give a brief summary of the plan: Deploy somewhat further back (unless I think my opponent will do the same and/or not attack me at all), especially with Vasillac as he’s key to my plan and I CANNOT lose him early. He gives up 3 bounty and is my most accurate fighter with the highest damage output. And he’s the best looking. Takes both the Dread and the Pageant out of the Dread Pageant if he exits the stage in round 1. Plus, seriously, get a look at this inspired statline.

Slakeslash is a great bait piece/first charge model because his 5 health means he’s likely to survive a few activations, yet his 1 shield means he will probably get hit – both useful for my inspire condition. Hadzu is next because he is OK at the start and gains little from inspiring, unless I feel the need to save him for holding tokens or using his grapple to take someone out of an edge hex. If he does get hit for 1-2 damage (kinda nice for me tbh), he can use the warscoll push and/or guard to tank the opening activations. Ideally Glisette gets to laze around until she’s inspired and significantly more useful.

If I get the option to orient boards, I’ll usually take Nines with on the side with no blocked hexes so I can make my opponent run a little further and don’t have those pesky obstructions in the way of my range 2-4 attacks. I’ll prefer two treasure tokens deep in my territory, or one in mine and two in neutral – this will help me score Set Explosives, the only Token related Objective I took. My opponent might assume I took Shocking Assault and I’m happy to let them think that – makes them more likely to sit in the middle rather than apply too much pressure as well as sit on an objective to get Cruel Pangs’d. I dropped Shocking Assault after failing to score it a few times and have been much happier without it for multiple reasons.

The Deck

Here is a link to the deck on Underworlds DB

The deck has a Glory ceiling of 17, and I usually can pull 3-7 extra in Bounty. It has a total Upgrade cost of 12. This is conveniently the ‘optimum Glory ceiling’ based on Worlds decks, and just shy of ‘optimum Upgrade cost’ as well (Thanks to Set the Tempo for that analysis) – Having fewer 2-Glory and a 0-Glory Upgrade make scoring Loaded for Bear a little easier so I’ll take it.

Surge Objectives

Collateral Damage – Let’s face it, I’m going to lose a fighter most rounds unless I’m playing against a very passive opponent or I get lucky with defense and positioning. I’m scoring this most times it’s in my hand, and if I’m the underdog it;s even easier.
The Perfect Cut – Dicey, yes, but I will be attacking and they should eventually fail. I have a cleave upgrade if it comes down to it.
Too Close for Comfort – Being exactly two hexes away is pretty much right where I want to be, and I have pushes in my warscroll if I really need to set this up.
Bloody and Bruised – I will be damaging fighters and not killing them, and taking damage while trying to stay alive. Unless it’s late game and there simply aren’t enough people left, 3 is no sweat for me.
Unsafe Ground – I sometimes fail to score this because the aren’t hanging out on the edge and I’m not the underdog. I can live with that and score Stay Close at the same time.
Low on Options – lame to get early game, but close to an auto-score later on. I prefer surges I can score at any time, especially early, but this pairing doesn’t have the strongest Surge suite.

End Phase Objectives

Wreckers – as discussed in the ‘Why CC” section – 2 glory for spreading the pain is just free money, and if absolutely needed I can stop the counter at the top of 1 or the top of 2 heading into an end phase to make sure I get this, as advancing he tracker is optional.
Loaded for Bear – In rounds 2 and 3 it’s pretty easy to do, provided I have a living fighter. With several of my upgrades being defensive this happens for me most games.
Set Explosives – a staple card in Cataclysm, though I sometimes can’t pull it off. Warscroll abilities for pushes and guard tokens, as well as Confusion, Violent Blast, Driven by Pain, Fiery Temper, and Wary Tread make it a little more reliable.
Spread Havoc – GUARANTEED to score for 1, and probably for 2 unless I have bad luck and it’s the first end phase.
Stay Close – Most people I have encountered don’t think about counterplaying this and will come to meet me in the middle. If they do, they help me score Unsafe Ground, or I can yank them out with Hadzu’s Grapple or by using Confusion or even Violent Blast in niche scenarios.
Alone in the Dark – nobody on my team NEEDS adjacency except Slakeslash, and he dies a lot and/or people try to get away from him. I have a warscroll push and multiple cards to make sure we don’t bunch up. I can’t always score this, but again it’s one people don’t think about counterplaying as often (and punishes elites the best, who are currently popular choices).

Ploys

Sunder the Realm – a marvelous card for this warband, really. It’s probably best in round 2 when you’re into Cataclysm value two but there are still plenty of targets left, but definitely an option in round 1 if they crowd the midboard. Useful for inspiring (and you’re not too sad if you hit yourself) but also useful for setting up kills/finishing off vulnerable fighters.
Total Collapse – less reliable than Sunder the Realm, but can target any single fighter anywhere on the board. Again a good help for inspiration, scoring cards, getting a kill, you name it.
Improvised Attack – Think of this as another ping, but with the added benefit of being able to drive somebody back which helps you score a handful of cards and deny a handful of theirs.
Violent Blast – a push, which by definition could also be a stagger, and potentially push multiple fighters. Helps with your accuracy, helps score your positional cards, can help keep you alive or make a distant charge, even. If you’ve placed a Treasure token within one of a stagger hex, enjoy the rewards.
Raging Tremors – a stagger that can hit multiple fighters. As discussed before, I want to hit a bunch of people once apiece. This card helps you do that.

Damned If You Do – there’s little in the world more Slaanesh than giving your opponent a bad choice. Not only do you get the psychological advantage of adding mental load to their play experience, but you can either work towards inspire/bounty or you can help score your positional cards. If you’re smart you can counterplay their own objectives as well.
Ominous Rumbling – another bad choice, another win-win(-win) for the Dread Pageant. Work towards inspire/finishing somebody off, or get two staggers to again help you work towards inspire/finish two people off.
Confusion – a GOATed card in most builds, but can take some more finesse to use right. I have hidden Vasillac from a charge by putting Hadzu there instead. I have stolen a treasure token to score Set Explosives. I have pulled somebody out of an edge hex (and then ran away myself) to score Stay Close. I have put somebody into an edge hex to score Unsafe Ground. I have pulled enemies apart and then ran away to score Alone in the Dark. Heck, I’ve cancelled out the other guy’s Confusion just for giggles. Take this card.
Vicious Intent – plus dice, which helps you hit, do damage, get bounty, score cards, and inspire. You get an additional die against unwounded enemies, which is who you really want this for anyway if you’re playing Dread Pageant and aren’t inspired, which is conveniently when you also need those plus dice the most.
Fireproof – One of W&R’s best cards, this can slow down an enemy’s plan and make them wait to throw that 3 damage charge, or (possibly even better) decide just to toss a 1-2 damage attack at you and accept it will only do 1. This keeps your fighters alive and helps you work toward inspire or potentially makes them take a move/focus instead, which is still helpful for you. Edge case for it to couple with the Upgrade Unstoppable and you can just taunt away.

Upgrades

Great Fortitude – Hard to pass up for effectively any gameplan, especially one where you’re planning on getting hurt and might even hurt yourself. Put it on the leader if possible, or wherever you need take somebody out of kill range.
Utter Conviction – Your big boys are on 1 shield. Now they can be on 2 or even 3 shield. I tragically didn’t take anything that advances the tracker mid-round so I never got to be on 4 shield but wouldn’t that have been a laugh.
Driven By Pain – preventing a driveback through deterrence is the goal here so that you stay where you need to score positional objectives. It actually stinks if they decide to drive you back anyway because that might slow your inspire down too. Most effective on Slakeslash or Vasillac.
Desperate Rage – you need some damage 3 on the otherwhile garbage uninspired dancers? You want some self-ping while you’re at it so you can inspire? A two-for-one sale while supplies (health pool) lasts.
Unstoppable – Honestly this is a niche include but when it works it’s beautiful. You have to be vulnerable and then taking only 1 damage to see any value. But this negates the self-ping from Desperate Rage or Fiery Temper, makes it safer to go for Sunder the Realm, and turns Fireproof into a miracle card, as well as potentially making it impossible for enemy minions to hurt you.

Fiery Temper – You want to stay put on an objective or in range to put another attack out later? This lets you. You were actually hoping they hit that attack to help you inspire or score a card and they went and missed it anyway? You can selectively do the damage in a pinch. Not a perfect card, but it’s zero glory cost and worst case helps you score Loaded for Bear.
Sundering Weapon – Cleave is nice. You lose out of Vasillac’s Grievous, but you only get that when he’s inspired, and this helps you inspire. It also helps you score the Perfect Cut.
Desperate Defense – potentially keeps somebody alive for just a touch longer, or changes the math on your opponent’s plans and makes them change tactics. Both options are inspire-fuel and/or lets you wring out one more activation with Vasillac. Combos again with Unstoppable in the right scenarios.
Rock Splitting Tread – Need an unblockable ping to help inspire or score bloody and Bruised? Gotchu, fam. Need a reason for them to not end adjacent and help you score Alone in the Dark while they worry about the wrong thing? cackles
Wary Tread – Helps you score Alone in the Dark, get out of danger going into a subsequent round, or possibly slip onto a token. Not my favorite Upgrade in the set and maybe worth swapping out for Hurled Weapon, but it’s the choice I made.

Wrap

There’s the plan, the tools, and the reasoning behind getting Cataclysmically Ruined with (and by) the Dread Pageant. Below, you can see how it performed for me in my practice games as I made some refinements to the deck against varied opponents in prep for the 2025 Las Vegas Open.

As you can see I actually did pretty well against BA/RF Strike (and these games happened BEFORE the Forsaking of 4 Reckless Fury cards) and had the most trouble with people who could ping me back (or liked getting pinged themselves) as it made keeping Vasillac safe a little tougher and inspiration less reliable. Maybe those losses were just because Andrew is a better player than me though. Protecting the leader is a big reason why I didn’t take (or did take and then cut) some double-sided pings like Volcanic Eruption and Fault Lines, and while it hurt to drop Counter-Charge it didn’t help me inspire or score my cards nearly as often as other Ploys.

I’ll have a tournament report in a few days so we can see just how it performed in a Grand Clash setting! Until then, enjoy spending your glory, and let me know if you have comments on the build or have any fun with it yourself by emailing me at SpentGlory@gmail.com