The Idoneth Deepkin have always been one of the sillier Age of Sigmar factions. Riding flying sharks and saddling eels, their aquatic terror is offset only but their ludicrousness. And the watery Aelves are bringing that same silliness to their first Warhammer Underworlds warband, Elathain’s Soulraid, which features a giant grab and flying fish. Nothing speaks power like a massive crustacean.
Finally fully revealed in a Warhammer Community post yesterday, the five-piece warband will be the final entry in Underworlds’ Direchasm season of releases, and feature an Inspire mechanic that apes the Idoneth Deepkin’s tidal-based power. All of the warband’s fighters become Inspired on turn two, before Uninspiring on the third, as if changing their power alongside the ebb and flow of the waters. It’s intended to grant the warband a powerful early game advantage, which must be quickly harnessed before the power-up disappears.
The warband’s leader, Elathain Ill-fated, looks to be a fairly meaty melee-ranged fighter, whose Soul-harvest ability lets you return allied fighter Tammael to the battlefield after successfully killing an opponent. Tammael himself focuses on pushing enemies back one hex to protect the backline of your warband, while third friendly fighter Fuirann is tailored to quick movement.
But the real stars of the show are the animal mascots. A giant crab enthralled by Elathain, Duinclaw is what everyone hopes their pet will be: a loyal companion that will scuttle up close to the enemy in a free move, and pincer them right in the jaw.
Spinefin, meanwhile, is a flying fish that focuses on battlefield disruption over attack. With no combat abilities, the fish can generate ‘shoal’ tokens around the battlefield, to block the movement of enemy fighters.
Alongside the minis, the warband features the usual stock power, ploy, and upgrade cards, many warband-specific and universal. Particularly noteworthy is Fury of the Storm, which lets the warband extend their Inspire ability for an extra round, and Cold-Eyed Killers, which can be scored if two or more enemy fighters were taken out in the preceding round.
Elathain’s Soulraid will go live for pre-order on June 5.
If the idea of aquatic Aelves sounds interesting, read our Age of Sigmar armies guide to find out more about the Idoneth Deepkin, and the other armies of the Mortal Realms.