Introduction
Many fans of the Butcher love how he shines when he wades into the thick of melee to split an Avatar in half with a single attack, but those players may be missing some opportunities with him. This article takes a different approach to using the Butcher. He is far more than a maniac with a big axe; he’s a powerful support warcaster capable of honing the effectiveness of his forces to a razor’s edge.
Strengths
Blood Frenzy: The Butcher’s feat is superb for taking down high armor targets with a low number of attacks and also lends great help to AoE attacks.
The added damage output allows each Iron Fang Pikeman to hit like an Uhlan and each Uhlan to hit like a Juggernaut. That aspect of Blood Frenzy is tough to miss, but don’t neglect some of the other less obvious damage boosts. Widowmakers with 3d6 damage, for example, can carve the arc nodes out of bonejacks with startling effectiveness, and the Greylords’ Frost Bite spell becomes far more potent against targets with decent armor values.
Mortars and rocketeers can carpet bomb opposing infantry quite effectively during the feat turn. With a little aiming, and/or the help of some Ice Cages or Black Oil, it's possible to set up POW 16+3d6 with Mortars or POW 12+4d6 attacks with Rocketeers on tough targets. Do not hesitate to use the feat early to target and take down pesky models like a Centurion, Avatar, Deathjack, Baneknights, or Zealots. It is almost always the right move to save those 3 (or 6) rocket attacks for the Feat turn, regardless of whether the focus is plentiful infantry or a handful of multi-wound targets. A Devastator, Destroyer, or Behemoth may also contribute to those AoE attacks and have the option of boosting some of these attacks for more carnage. Always be mindful, however, of the potential for overkill. Do not spend focus for a fourth damage die when three will do.
Iron Flesh: Making the most out of Iron Flesh can mean the difference between success and failure. Some good candidates for this spell are Iron Fangs and Winter Guard. Since there can be 10-13 of these guys in a single unit, a full (or nearly full) unit will be the optimal target, with various unit attachments depending on points availability and their role in the army list. Putting Iron Flesh on a Manhunter or Widowmakers is not the greatest move since these models already have their defensive methods, and Iron Flesh provides minimal additional protection.
Fury: Fury is another great spell that works well on most any melee unit with IFP, MoWST, or MoWDC being common targets. The MoW don't really suffer much from the defense penalty, so they make ideal candidates. Whatever unit has this spell should utilize their enhanced strength to tear down high armor targets. With two strong melee units, upkeeping the spell on one, activating them, and then activating Butcher to switch it onto the other melee unit can be a powerful option when facing numerous hard targets. Fury is a bit of a waste on most Warjacks since they already are capable of dishing out plenty of damage without the extra help.
Lola: Lola's power can't be denied and not utilizing it may seem like a waste. However, its usefulness as a counterattack threat should not be overlooked. Any jack that punches through a line of MoW will be facing a powerful countercharge. Using Lola sparingly and surgically is extremely important. Putting the Butcher on the front line to try to take down something heavy may leave him exposed with minimal focus for armor. Such tactics look spectacular for a brief moment but then quickly crash and burn. Effective countercharge tactics rely on keeping the Butcher in relative safety. If such a position is unavailable, wait. Position him to impose the threat of a charge next turn. Depending on the range to the nearest enemy model, take a Blunderbuss shot instead. It’s less flashy, but it can still be effective in the right situations.
Weaknesses
Kill or be Killed: The easiest way to win the game is to get the Butcher in melee with an enemy caster. The easiest way to lose the game is to leave the Butcher out in the front line with little or no protection. Resist the temptation to charge him up at a juicy target, and play conservatively. As attrition strips away supporting forces, the chances the Butcher has of winning increase rapidly. A caster on caster battle will typically herald victory for the Butcher, and at worst case, a stalemate. Knowing when to hoard focus with the Butcher is also important. Against assassin armies, he is (after Vlad) the second best Khador caster to survive assassination attempts provided he is overboosting his armor to a 23 or 24. Watch carefully for developing assassination plots, and plan accordingly.
Focus on the models that have a chance of hurting ARM 24 to reduce direct threats to the Butcher. Make heavy warjacks priority targets, and opponents will quickly lose heart as they lose the means to deal with the Butcher. Also, be aware of effects that lower armor – Parasite, Crippling Grasp, the Withering, Breach, and any model with an armor piercing attack. When facing armies who have such abilities in their arsenal, use medium- or large-based models to screen him as well as cloud effects and terrain to block line of sight.
Swing and a Miss: The Butcher has amazing potential to increase damage output, but all that is wasted if the model in question misses their target. DEF debuffs from other sources become key to getting the most out of the potent attacks of his army.
Slow and Steady: Without a single movement-enhancing ability, this SPD5 warcaster with SPD4 warjacks and SPD4 heavy infantry faces a serious maneuverability disadvantage. The low DEF values of his army also often mean that even inaccurate weapons like Skyhammers and Despoiler cannons pose a significant threat.
Focus-hog: The Butcher’s one damage spell is likely to burn through nearly all his focus to be brought to bear against a single target. This inefficiency can become problematic, and it is often wise to look to other sources to deal with Wraiths or the Impervious Paladin.
The Butcher also has little focus to spare for focus-hungry Khadoran warjacks. This forces him to use only the most focus-efficient warjacks or to turn to jack marshals for his warjack needs.
Army Composition
When creating an army list for the Butcher, make a plan. Decide what unit will get Fury and what unit will get Iron Flesh. Maximize the effectiveness of Blood Frenzy by maximizing the number of damage rolls against the point cost of the models in the army list. Note, however, that the number of models is not always directly linked to the number of damage rolls. A Devastator is a prime example due to its Rain of Death attack – while it's only one model, it is almost guaranteed to survive until the feat turn, and Rain of Death gets a lot of mileage out of Blood Frenzy. Similarly, while MoWDC don't bring a lot of models to the table, the option to make 2 attacks in a turn can produce as many attacks as 10 IFP but with a better chance to hit. Combined attacks are another consideration, quickly reducing the number of damage rolls, while attacks like rockets and Frost Bite are liable to grant multiple damage rolls from individual models.
Heavy Warjacks: The top of the list consists of the Devastator and Destroyer, closely followed by the Behemoth. Since the Butcher needs so much infantry support to begin with, the Behemoth is really only an option for 750+ games. Many would argue that the Butcher does not have the focus to handle a Behemoth, but the fact of the matter is, early to mid game, he doesn't have a whole lot to do with his focus as long as he's protected, and can easily have 3-4 to spare once his upkeep spells are set. Later in the game, he may have to hoard his focus which will give a diminishing return on the Behemoth. The Devastator and Destroyer are both low demand, high utility jacks, and as such are perfect for the Butcher, or for marshalling, allowing the Butcher to hold his focus when needed. The Spriggan is another viable option to help the Butcher break up smoke clouds, or lower command for the occasional Howl he may cast when desperate. A Juggernaut, Marauder, Kodiak, or Berserker is really not needed, since everything they can do is redundant (or overkill), given the Butcher's abilities. He can beef up his infantry to deal even more damage than these melee jacks.
Units: Greylords are a great fit with the Butcher and cover many of his weaknesses. Ice Cages reduce opposing DEF. Blizzards reduce opposing SPD. Frostbite can bring great devastation during the feat turn and provides a much more efficient way to deal with models that need to be attacked with magic compared to the 4 focus spell, Avalanche. Alternately, Blizzards can help bolster defense, adding to Iron Flesh on some occasions (always try to cast Blizzards first, then follow it with Iron Flesh so the Greylords do not need to roll against a higher DEF value). One unit of Greylords is a must with the Butcher. A second unit can also be quite handy.
A wall of MoW in front of the Butcher will extend his survival expectancy and provide solid damage output. Iron Fang Pikemen and Uhlans bring speed and accuracy to the table, reducing the enemy’s ability to outmaneuver the Khadoran forces. Widowmakers, mortars, and Winter Guard (with Rocketeers) are also viable options.
Despite their similar hack-and-slash lunatic background, Doomreavers are a poor fit with the Butcher. He has no good way of protecting them, and his abilities are pretty much wasted on them.
Solos: A Man-o-War Kovnik is a great fit. The Butcher has enough focus early game to handle one jack, but in armies with multiple warjacks or during key turns, the Kovnik’s jack marshal ability can really reduce the burden on the Butcher’s focus reserve. Also, the Butcher has low command, and the Kovnik can help out there as well, lending his leadership to Iron Fangs or Winter Guard.
Manhunters and Drakhuns are also solid army choices, but remember that Iron Flesh and Fury mean far more on units than on solos.
Mercs: Blood Frenzy does nothing for mercenary models, so merc selections should be made sparingly. Gorman is arguably the best mercenary for the Butcher since he can put up smoke clouds for defense early game, and utilize blind grenades later on to reduce enemy DEF values. Self-sufficient solos like Bokurs or Alexia are also good options if one can find the points to spare.
Summary
It can be a lot of fun to play the Butcher like a crazed killer – leading from the front of an army consisting of Berserkers and Doomreavers, spending all his focus on extra attacks every turn, or trying to rely on his Terror or Howl, but doing so wastes some of his best capabilities. It is more effective, however, to use him as a conservative support caster, leading from the back but always threatening the front line, vastly increasing the potential of his troops while personally eliminating key targets when it is safe to do so. After all, the Butcher is more than just muscle.
The Butcher as more than an insane killing machine, who knew? Does he also like to write traditional Khardic poetry? Share your poems and Butcher tactics on our forums Here.
