CHRONICLES OF TACTICA V VIZIER OF CONJURATIONS
Welcome back to Chronicles of Tactica, an article series where we take a closer look at individual models in the Eldfall Chronicles range and how to use them on the tabletop. Today, we are finishing
the cycle of first edition leaders for each faction with my favorite, the Vizier of Conjurations. The Viziers of Conjurations are a powerful class, summoning creatures and otherworldly beasts to dominate the field. They protect walled cities or their territory from all threats, effortlessly handling any foe with ill intent.
PROFILE CHARACTERISTICS & PLAYSTYLE
Coming in at 22 points and limited to one per list, we see a trend emerge among leaders. However, instead of stats, you are buying more than one model with the Vizier, but we will get to that later. For classes, we get Mage (almost a necessity in the Sand Kingdoms), pivotal to our summoning game, and Summoner, to help you flood out your opponent even before the game begins.
Let’s look at the stats quickly. When I say you are not buying stats, I mean it. There are a lot of 8s, and I mean a lot. All of the stats are well below average with a single exception, the INT of 16, the highest in the game, making the Vizier the perfect embodiment of “work smart, not hard.” With ARM 0 and HP 1, you don’t want her to be anywhere near the fight.
When it comes to weapons, we again have none, reinforcing the non-combat role. But the Staff of Conjuration is here to rescue us and allow the Vizier to stand well away from the fight and summon her minions straight into the mix. For spells, she has access to Wizardry I, giving her the only offensive tool as well as a bit of utility. But the meat and potatoes of her profile is the Art of Conjuration IV. Currently, she has access to four potential summons, all of the Earth Element. Each of them provides a different role: the Gargoyles are your swarm, since they are easy to put on the table; the Golem is your bodyguard in case you feel threatened; the Earth Elemental is the perfect ground guardian; and the Colossus is the ultimate offensive piece.
On the field, as we have stated several times through this article and will likely repeat, the Vizier wants to hang back in the safety of some terrain, simply casting her rituals and letting her minions do the dirty work. You really need to protect her, but if you manage to and gain time on your side, overwhelming the opposition either in a flood of small summons or by simply dropping a Colossus on your opponent’s head becomes inevitable. She will usually warp games around her, where your side will play defense and the opposition will try to breach your castle before time runs out.
LEADER & STRATAGEMS
As a leader, the Vizier gains access to two Stratagems. Unlike our previous examples, her Strategems are purely self-interested, helping only her. The first reduces a Summoning Limit of a summon to 0, allowing her to add more summons on the field than her STA 2 would indicate. While her first Stratagem allows her to summon more creatures, her second Stratagems allows her to summon them quicker by reducing all costs of Conjuration Spells by 1. This enables her to summon 2 Gargoyles in 1 Activation or summon a Colossus on turn 2 for three Mana counters (by making two Mana on turn 1, then reducing the cost on turn 2, making the third Mana, and using an Action to summon)! These Stratagems make her summoning even more potent and flexible.
TOP UPGRADES
- Conjured Retinue,
- Personal Guard,
- First Aid.
In the Upgrades, we kick things off with Conjured Retinue. An Upgrade designed for Summoners, it grants the Soldier class to your Tier I and II summons. This is great for anyone like me who likes to spam Gargoyles. Even a +1 to their stats is a strong effect, especially when they come in packs. Personal Guard, however, takes a more defensive approach compared to the offense of Conjured Retinue. The Sentinel class is a strong ability, and if you want to see absolute frustration on your opponent’s face, an Earth Elemental with Sentinel in cover and with good Lines of Sight is a sure guarantee to produce one. Lastly, I cannot and will not stop recommending First Aid on models. The Vizier might not be the best First Aid carrier in the faction, but with Resourceful II, it’s not like you are wasting your precious Upgrade slots.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
The Vizier is, in many ways, very similar to Nightshade, where you get a very squishy piece that warps the game around itself. However, instead of going wherever you please on the field, you are quietly sitting in a corner doing your own thing. This creates the main two weaknesses of the Vizier. You really don’t want to move, and if the Quest requires you to move, that can be a problem since you are either leaving your Vizier alone or moving your Vizier and not conjuring. Secondly, when the Vizier goes down, so does your strategy and all your summons. So, keep your Viziers tucked safely away and let the summons do your work—you can always have more of those!
Gargoyle printer goes brr!
