‘Avin a Good Time is a series here on Spent Glory where we drop the serious competitive approach, skip the idea of helping new players, and ignore altogether anything useful to the community and instead just have ourselves a good time. Gurzag and the Boyz approve, and so should you.

Last time, we covered our animal companion fighters from both in and out of rotation warbands. I’ve been informed that Thrafnir is female and Taros is male. My bad, Beth! Thanks for the correction.

As the two sets of pets step into the arena, we evaluated them on Strength and Agility, Showmanship, Obedience, and Best in Show for their respective age groups. You voted, and I’m here to report the outcome! Below is a quick review of the contest categories:

Strength and Agility
This category, when applied to dogs, looks at running, weaving, and jumping. Our furry and scaly friend can also add biting, clawing, and general mauling to that list. While they don’t let them do pit fighting in high society, the Underworlds is a very different story. Who has the speed, the cutting pivot, and the cutting fangs to take this one home?

Showmanship
Reserved in dog shows for the pretty boys who can prance around with the best hairdos, our Underworlds competitors will be running for who looks best making that supported two dice attack, luxuriating on a token, or just being a blast to paint.

Obedience
Dog shows describe this as the dog with the best bond with their respective masters. How well do they follow orders? Do they heel all the way across the field? Can they wait for their treat? In the Underworlds pet show, we will assess who loves their warband most and can always be trusted to get the job done.

Best in Show
A combination of all the above, this is where we will see which dog, bird, or mushroom is… well, top dog. Best overall. The bee’s knees, or even the bee with the knees, in one case.

We’ll start with the oldsters and then drumroll into the main competition.

SENIOR CATEGORY

Senior Strength and Agility

Winner: Riptooth

Runner Up: Thrafnir

Third Prize: Duinclaw

Comments:
Khorne’s good boy is both ripped and can rip
Thrafnir has lived a hardcore lifestyle with the Ogors
Duinclaw will be hard to take down with two shields

Senior Showmanship

Winner: Duinclaw

Runner Up: Spinefin

Third Prize: Lighaen, Malkyn

Comments:
MODEL OF THE MILLENIUM
Spinefin dazzles us all with bright colors
Lighaen always looks good while dying

Senior Obedience

Winner: Duinclaw

Runner Up: Sleek

Third Prize: Taros

Comments:
You can always count on Duinclaw
Sleek literally puts his masters’ safety above his own
Taros has a great bond with Luxa – she trusts him to be her eyes for her, even

Senior Best in Show

Winner: Duinclaw

Runner Up: Skritter

Third Prize: Riptooth

Comments:
Duinclaw. Fight me.
Skritter isn’t worthless to me!
If ‘Riptooth, kill’ followed by a Devastating Charge doesn’t sound like a great show to you, then I don’t want to go to your show

STANDARD CATEGORY

Strength and Agility

Winner: Cephanyr

Runner Up: Ferlain

Third Prize: Mange

Comments:
Cephanyr is the clear winner – he can fly, has 4 times the arm strength of anyone else here, and can even weild weapons when many others couldn’t in the past.
Ferlain is the obvious winner, and he’s fast AF
When you’re in a prize fight, foaming at the mouth ‘I think he’s actually insane’ is a powerful strategy

Showmanship

Winner: Spiteshroom

Runner Up: Shreek

Third Prize: Tik-Tik

Comments:
Spiteshroom would make quite a spraling light show, with hallucination effects to boot
Shreek has the fancy plumage and acrobatic skill to take this one
Tik-Tik will leave a blasting impression

Obedience

Winner: Cephanyr

Runner Up: Ratspike

Third Prize: Grotbiter

Comments:
Cephanyr is mind-locked to Cyreni, pretty sure that’s what the swirly thing on his head means. Obedience on point.
Ratspike has been there, done that, and still chills with his bestie Pock
Grotbiter is willing to bite grots on command, which I’m sure don’t taste all that good

Best in Show

Winner: Cephanyr

Runner Up: Ratspike

Third Prize: Sotek’s Venomites

Comments:
Imagine how majestic Cephanyr will look floating above the first place position while receiving the mantle
Good boy
Think about it – the Venomites already have a bronze statue

Contest Overall

“Amazing 💕”
“This should count as the official poll for which warbands get reintroduced into organized play”
“Go watch ‘Best in Show’, the 2000 film by Christopher Guest (the same guy who made Spinal Tap)”
“If Duinclaw doesn’t win, I call shenanigans”
“Way to remind me how much I miss Grawl”
“Cephanyr is the model that got me into Underworlds, and he’ll always be the winner for me”
“Bonekrakka is a living wrecking ball. How can you not love that?”
“Bat Squig is a rare specimen who can both move and fight with style”
“Duinclaw really has it all”

Wrap

Thanks for playing along! Look out for a subsequent Good Time where we cover the non-combatant pets; all the little friends adorning our fighter’s bases, shoulders, and pockets, as well as the mounts our humanoid friends might ride.

If you have any other ideas for future ‘Avin a Good Time articles, don’t hesitate to suggest them to me at SpentGlory@gmail.com which is how this very event came to be. Thanks again to Ross for the awesome contest idea!

If you’re interested to read other entries in this series, click here! See you in the next article – now grab your favorite pet and Spend some Glory.