Master List of Rivals Decks for Second Edition

This article, by popular demand, is a rundown of every in-rotation Rivals Deck available for competitive play in Underworlds Second Edition. I will continue to update this as new releases arrive. In the meantime, take a gander and see what Decks fit your preferred playstyle, and where to start for choosing warbands!

If you’re interested to see in-depth review of all the products I have covered, click here

A primer for new players can be found here, and a refresher for returning players is located here.

You can also access the New Player Series here, and to level up your competitive play, check out the Contender Series

Nexus of Power

Archetype: Take and Hold
Playstyle: Hold Treasure, Flex-positional combat
Pros: Somewhat more forgiving than traditional take and hold, plot card helps range 1 attacks be more efficient
Cons: Card package that doesn’t excel in any one area
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Best for 5+ fighters with solid range 1 attack profiles
Recommended Warbands: Jaws of Itzl, Thorns of the Briar Queen, Khagra’s Ravagers, Starblood Stalkers, Xandire’s Truthseekers, Brethren of the Bolt, Ironsoul’s Condemnors, The Emberwatch, Crimson Court, Zarbag’s Gitz, Blackpowder’s Buccaneers, Kainan’s Reapers, Sons of Velmorn, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Emberstone Sentinels, Pillage and Plunder, Countdown to Cataclysm, Edge of the Knife, Wrack and Ruin, Blazing Assault
Link to Nemesis decks: Ironsoul’s Condemnors RS/Nexus by Bryce (2nd place Warzone Atlanta 2026), Myari’s ES/NP by Fishmode with Deck guide

Hunting Grounds

Archetype: Strike
Playstyle: Defending friendly territory, Counterpunch
Pros: Great surges and ploys, straightforward gameplan
Cons: Challenging to use if your opponent unwilling to invade, some cards are very low-power
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Any warband type, unless their warscroll compels them to play the invader
Recommended Warbands: Kurnoth’s Heralds, Hrothgorn’s Mantrappers, Starblood Stalkers, Cyreni’s Razors, Headsmen’s Curse, Ephilim’s Pandaemonium, Thundrik’s Profiteers, Kainan’s Reapers, Sons of Velmorn, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Emberstone Sentinels, Pillage and Plunder, Countdown to Cataclysm, Deadly Synergy, Blazing Assault
Link to Nemesis decks: Thundrik’s ES/HG by Davy of What the Hex (World Championships ’25), Thundrik CC/HG by Tim Lemmon (2nd place Thunderworlds Clash ’26, 3rd place Birmingham Open ’26)

Deadly Synergy (Contains Plot Card)

Archetype: Mastery (more like Strike/Flex)
Playstyle: Maintaining Adjacency for friendly fighters, combat-focus
Pros: Powerful Plot Card allows for flanking on attack and defense if adjacency can be maintained, strong Ploy package
Cons: Objective package can be challenging to score, and if unable to maintain Unity will face substantial hurdles
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Reasonably any warband type, but better for Hordes and Big Boys
Recommended Warbands: Kainan’s Reapers, Exiled Dead, Thorns of the Briar Queen, Zarbag’s Gitz, Hexbane’s Hunters, Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, Mollog’s Mob, Kamandora’s Blades, Thanatek’s Tithe, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Reckless Fury, Hunting Grounds
Link to Nemesis decks: Grymwatch DS/EK by Przemyslaw (5th place world championships ’25), Skinnerkin BA/DS by Matteo (WCW ’25), Zarbag’s PP/DS by Alexsander (2rd Place WCW ’25), Kamandora Wrack/DS by Fishmode

Raging Slayers (Contains Plot Card)

Archetype: Strike
Playstyle: Always Be Charging, Invasion, Leader-Focused
Pros: Plot Card grants ability to change a success to a crit allowing for crit abilities and overrun, solid power deck
Cons: Objective package is weak and difficult to score, your fighters will be pushed, leader-focus is half-baked
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Ideally fast, with 3-4 fighters, especially with range 2 melee attacks and/or a potent leader
Recommended Warbands: Ironsoul’s Condemnors, Morgok’s Krushas, Sons of Velmorn, Skinnerkin, Thanatek’s Tithe
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Pillage and Plunder, Reckless Fury, Wrack and Ruin
Link to Nemesis decks: Morgok’s Krusha’s RF/RS by Fishmode, Velmorn EK/RS by Fishmode, Kurnoth’s Heralds BA/RS by Pughie, Ironsoul’s Condemnors RS/Nexus by Bryce (2nd place Warzone Atlanta 2026), Blood of the Bull PP/RS by Fishmode

Realmstone Raiders (Contains Plot Card)

Archetype: Mastery (more like Strike)
Playstyle: Melee Attacks, Deck Manipulation
Pros: Ability to access additional power cards
Cons: Requires successful melee attacks and therefore dice dependency, high mental burden, card draw order can make or break your game
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Warbands with accurate melee attacks, especially if fast fighters and/or access to range 2. 4+ fighters is ideal but not required
Recommended Warbands: Knives of the Crone, Crimson Court, Mollog’s Mob, Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, Cyreni’s Razors, Morgok’s Krushas, Jaws of Itzl
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Reckless Fury
Link to Nemesis decks: Mollog RF/RR by Andrew Mittelstaedt (1st Place Tacoma Open ’25), Emberwatch ES/RR by Kevin (First Place Benelux Clash ’25)

Edge of the Knife (Contains Plot Card)

Archetype: Flex
Playstyle: Do Things with Small or Damaged Fighters
Pros: Solid positional scoring, great control tools in the power deck
Cons: requires fighters of a certain type to leverage abilities
Link to review article
Suggested Warband Style: Anything with 2 health fighters (preferably many), or potentially 3 fighter Elites in Nemesis
Recommended Warbands: The Grymwatch, The Sepulchral Guard, Zarbag’s Gitz, Kainan’s Reapers, Thorns of the Briar Queen, Grinkrak’s Looncourt, Hexbane’s Hunters, Blackpowder’s Buccaneers. If playing Nemesis, can expand to most 3 fighter aggro teams like Ironsoul’s Condemnors, Morgok’s Krushas, Gorechosen of Dromm.
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Pillage and Plunder, Wrack and Ruin
Link to Nemesis decks: Thorns of the Briar Queen PP/Edge by Ruben (1st Place CTC ’25) Ironsoul’s Condemnors BA/Edge by Dan Knight (3rd Place, Copenhagen Clash ’25), Velmorn EK/RS by Fishmode, Dromm RF/Edge by Fishmode

Wrack and Ruin

Archetype: Mastery (more like Flex)
Playstyle: Take Damage, Deal Damage, Positional Scoring
Pros: Multiple sources of damage in the power deck, benefits to accuracy and positioning
Cons: Relatively weak Objective scoring package, and very situational Upgrades
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Can be used by many, but best for warbands with pushes or extra movement tools in their warscroll, as well as those with ranged attacks to play keep-away
Recommended Warbands: Grandfather’s Gardeners, Jaws of Itzl, Emberwatch, Dread Pageant, Sepulchral Guard, Thorns of the Briar Queen, Thundrik’s Profiteers, Farstriders, Thanatek’s Tithe, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Countdown to Cataclysm, Edge of the Knife, Raging Slayers
Link to Nemesis decks: Dread Pageant CtC/W&R by Fishmode (2nd Place LVO ’25), Emberwatch BA/W&R by Fishmode (2nd Place Tacoma Open ’25) Thundrick’s Profiteers PP/WnR by Zack Newcome (1st Place, Cherokee Open ’25), Kamandora Wrack/DS by Fishmode, Gorechosen of Dromm RF/Wrack By Fishmode (3rd place Tacoma Open ’26)

Reckless Fury

Archetype: Strike
Playstyle: Always Be Charging, Invasion
Pros: Good positional scoring, some excellent power cards
Cons: Some of the best cards have been Forsaken and are not valid for competitive play in Nemesis
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Ideally 3-4 fighter warbands, especially if fast and/or having ranged attacks so that you can ‘charge out’ and make more charge actions in a round without uncharged fighters left over
Recommended Warbands: Gorechosen of Dromm, Ironsoul’s Condemnors, Morgok’s Krushas, Thricefold Discord, Emberwatch, Crimson Court, Knives of the Crone, Jaws of Itzl, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Countdown to Cataclysm, Realmstone Raiders, Raging Slayers
Link to Nemesis decks: Mollog RF/RR by Andrew Mittelstaedt (1st Place Tacoma Open ’25) Gorechosen of Dromm BA/RF by Jesse Hardman (5th Place, Adepticon ’25) Mollog’s Mob BA/RF by Samski (Alberta Classic ’25) Jaws of Itzl BA/RF by Lucas D. (5th Place, LVO ’25), Gorechosen of Dromm RF/Wrack By Fishmode (3rd place Tacoma Open ’26), Dromm RF/Edge by Fishmode

Countdown to Cataclysm (Contains Plot Card)

Archetype: Mastery (more like Flex/Take and Hold)
Playstyle: Spread Damage, Hold Treasure, Positional Scoring
Pros: One of the best sets of Objective cards in the game, direct damage and pushes available in power deck
Cons: higher mental burden considering the Countdown tracker, several cards are duds
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Nearly any – useful for augmenting aggressive Elites or moderate sized warbands, beneficial for take and hold/hordes. Almost anybody likes this deck. (It’s arguably too strong)
Recommended Warbands: Kamandora’s Blades, Knives of the Crone, Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, Jaws of Itzl, Grandfather’s Garndeners, Emberwatch, Zikkit’s Tunnelpack, Thanatek’s Tithe, and honestly everybody in the game
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Emberstone Sentinels, Pillage and Plunder, Reckless Fury, Wrack & Ruin
Link to Nemesis decks: Dread Pageant CtC/W&R by Fishmode (2nd Place LVO ’25), Zikkit’s Tunnelpack by Andrew Mittelstaedt (1st Place LVO ’25) Khagra’s Ravagers ES/CC by Jesse Hardman (3rd Place, LVO ’25) Grymwatch PP/CtC by Michael K (1st Place, WTC ’25)

Pillage and Plunder

Archetype: Flex
Playstyle: Delve Tokens
Pros: A ‘complete’ package with very consistent scoring, and the power deck ‘works’ with the objective deck seamlessly
Cons: incentivizes Delving, which will stagger your fighters, and you may sturggle to both delve and collect the kill bounty you need simultaneously
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Warbands with 4+ fighters (the more the better), especially if they have additional movement or pushes in the warscroll to get on tokens and delve them
Recommended Warbands: Thorns of the Briar Queen, The Grymwatch, Zarbag’s Gitz, Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, Grandfather’s Gardeners, Zikkit’s Tunnelpack, Sepulchral Guard, Kainan’s Reapers
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Blazing Assault, Emberstone Sentinels, Countdown to Cataclysm, Wrack & Ruin, Edge of the Knife, Realmstone Raiders, Raging Slayers
Link to Nemesis decks: Spiteclaw’s Swarm ES/PP by Pawel M. (World Championship ’24) Thorns of the Briar Queen PP/Edge by Ruben (1st Place CTC ’25) Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz BA/PP by Bombardi (14th Place WTC ’25), Blood of the Bull PP/RS by Fishmode

Emberstone Sentinels

Archetype: Take and Hold
Playstyle: Hold Treasure Tokens, Ideally with multiple fighters and in multiple territories
Pros: Decent End Phase scoring package, with some staple Power Cards
Cons: Gameplan is easier than usual for opponent to counterplay, scoring becomes very difficult as more fighters are slain, token placement rules can cause a barrier early-game
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Warbands with good defense, pushes or extra movement in the warscroll, especially if unable to be driven back. Ranged attacks are beneficial. Resurrection warbands take a hit because their raised fighters with zero bounty interfere with scoring Supremacy
Recommended Warbands: Khagra’s Ravagers, Kainan’s Reapers, Myari’s Purifiers, Gradfather’s Gardeners, Jaws of Itzl, Emberwatch, Sepulchral Guard, Thorns of the Briar Queen, Ephilim’s Pandaemonium, Thundrik’s Profiteers, Daggok’s Stab-Ladz, Borgit’s Beastgrabbaz, Thyrielle’s Zephyrites
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Pillage and Plunder, Countdown to Cataclysm, Edge of the Knife, Realmstone Raiders
Link to Nemesis decks: Khagra’s Ravagers ES/PP by Zack Newcome (World Championships ’24) Grandfather’s Gardeners ES/W&R by Guillame (2nd Place, Alberta Classic ’25), Starblood Stalkers ES/CC by Fishmode (20th place World Championships ’25)

Blazing Assault

Archetype: Strike
Playstyle: Make Attacks, Slay Enemies
Pros: Some easy to score Objectives, BY FAR the best power card deck in the game
Cons: End phase scoring is difficult, some surges are dice-dependent
Link to review article (from What the Hex)
Suggested Warband Style: Any warband with decent fighter stats, especially if their warscroll gives them access to attack-related abilities
Recommended Warbands: nearly any warband in the game – this is the most universal deck
Suggested Rivals decks for Nemesis pairings: Pillage and Plunder, Countdown to Cataclysm, Wrack & Ruin, Reckless Fury, Edge of the Knife, Realmstone Raiders, Raging Slayers
Link to Nemesis decks: Emberwatch BA/W&R by Fishmode (2nd Place Tacoma Open ’25) Jaws of Itzl BA/CtC by Val (2nd Place, Warhammer World ’25) Ironsoul’s Condemnors BA/Edge by Dan Knight (3rd Place, Copenhagen Clash ’25). Thricefold Discord BA/CtC by Imogen (Multiple 1st place finishes)

Wrap

Again, I plan to continually update this list as new releases arrive. If you’re interested to see in-depth review of all the products I have covered, click here. I also welcome comments, questions, and submissions for Nemesis decks or Warband pairings at SpentGlory@gmail.com

I hope you find this list useful, and that you enjoy Spending Glory in Second Edition!