Journeyman league: Damned factions part 2!

To continue my current thought process in regards to my Journeyman League faction I'd like to take some time to talk about the Hordes.  Last time I talked a bit in-depth about the different Warmachine factions I had decided on to keep on my list.  This time let's take a look at the furious beasts and dive right in!  As last time order does not necessarily equate preference.

Legion of Everblight: The Dragonfather's Cheaters

Look at dat Dragon!

I say Legion are cheaters because it is the faction that gives me the most trouble right now.  So it's more of a projection of frustration than a call to them being cheats.  Still the faction is known for the aggressive alpha strike moves from their beasts, and it's no joke.  Their main strength lies in their beasts from my observation and their casters can be absolutely brutal sometimes being outright monsters in their own form.  From my research it's not just a simple point and win faction but has a lot of cunning tricks, much like a beast in its own right.

Casters of choice:

1. pVayl: I like the noblewoman wizardy pVayl brings to the table but I am also a big fan of her ability to create channels from her own beasts.  From what little Hordes I've been exposed to there doesn't seem to be a lot of options for channeling.  So being able to do so by attacking with my Sauron-globe is a definitely plus.  Her feat is awesome too.
2. eThagrosh: What a powerhouse.  This guy is a beast on his own and his abilities make his battlegroup just ridiculous with his Manifest Destiny spell.  Sort of like a pVlad's Signs and Portents.  Also once per game after taking 5 hit boxes he can spawn a lesser beats.  "Oh you hurt me?  That's cool, here's a dragon puppy."
3. Kallus:  The reason I am drawn to this caster is because I feel like he is the misfit.  In a faction full of nasty beasts he is the infantry caster.  He is the one buffing the infantry units that most would probably overlook in another list, but might shine with him.  So because he's the quirky odd one, I make him my third choice.

Skorne: The Angry Vampire BDSM Elves

 

Like an angry bug!

At least I think Skorne are elves?  Anyways this faction is hyper aggressive and they have a strange sense of synergy to them.  Unlike the Protectorate of Menoth the synergy lies (from my understanding) isn't as obvious and relies on certain elements that don't seem to work together that actually does work together.  Also hurting your own troops makes them fight harder in this faction.  The heavy beasts tend to love to slam and trample, and I do love the slam power attack.

Casters of choice: 

1. Aptimus Zaal: After reading up on his feat I see a lot of potential in this caster for a solid infantry list.  Take a unit that is meant to just feed the feat and if you're luck you will have 10 vengeance tokens for the rest of the army to use to boost.  So then your second wave heavy infantry can get boosted attack/damage rolls.  You can even use it to boost the rolls of your beasts and save some Fury for more attacks, brutal!
2. eHexeris: A solid support caster with some solid stats to go with it.  What draws me to this caster is his feat and his vampiric harvest.  The former grants me some tactical uses that can be applied in many situations.  Run my beasts hot? Feat. Need to remove Focus/Fury on a camping caster? Feat. Now vampiric harvest is partially situational since it depends on how many living models die, but against mass infantry builds this will shine well.
3. Naaresh: For my third choice I would go with a decent all-arounder caster that can do well with a variety of lists.  Coming from a play-style of buffing and synergizing (PoM and Trolls), the hyper-aggressive nature of Skorne will lead me to have some inevitable mistakes in my list building.  Therefore I think it would be a good idea to go with Naaresh.

Minions: The Mercenary Faction for Hordes

 

The almighty Gator skull thingy!

There really isn't to say much about Minions I think.  Not that it's a bad choice to go with, they have some quirky and good casters amongst their ranks.  Out of the two choices available, Pigs or Gators, I think that the gatormen are meant for me given some experiences I've had with the only Minion player I've met in out meta.  That experience must have been enough for me to consider the gators as a potential faction for the Journeyman League.

Casters of choice:

1. Bloody Barnabas: This is the caster I've had experience with and I think in the right hands he can be annoying.  Being able to help support the beasts and other gators in the force with his spells while being a solid melee fighter in his own right, Barnabas is a solid choice.  Also his feat is almost a copy of pKreoss which is a plus.
2. Maelok: This undead gator is like a cryx caster in a gatorman's body.  Though his ability to debuff isn't as strong as the actual faction he still has a couple tricks up his sleeve.  Also the model is pretty interesting being a gator zombie and all.
3. Rask: Not technically a gator but he is a Bog Trog caster and a good one at that.  He is apparently the answer to some issues gators were having and with his spell list he should be able to handle some annoying issues like high ARM or upkeep spells.  All around a good caster for them gators.

 So that's all for my Hordes options that I have been thinking about.  At this point I have a couple of strong options that I can choose from so I'm not really sure what it will boil down to.  Might end up being what I want to paint :)  Until next time folks stay warm and good luck out there!