Facebook Warstorm Mission Guide (Mercenaries)

Mercenaries Mission Guide by Anansi

This is a guide on finishing the Mercenary SPC. Like the other guides that I posted, you don’t have to exactly copy the squads used here as they are not guaranteed to give 100% victory. I just put them here to give an idea on how a squad can be built.

I really intended to make a guide for this before the “A World at War” campaign but Omega Sanction lacked good Novice cards for use, so we went with some “A World at War” missions first in order to build up his collection.

To Omega Sanction: Thanks again for letting me use your account. I assure you no cards were damaged in the making this guide.

By the way, check out http://newboards.darkbb.com/forum.htm too. Thanks!

LORD DARIUS
(Human-Human)

“Looks like Darius is on the move again.”

Pozak looked up from his maps. Enyi was surprised to see the shadows under his eyes.

“He’s calling himself a lord these days,” Pozak continued. “I thought I might lead an expedition out, take him down a few pegs.”

Enyi nodded. “I have some business in that direction myself. Perhaps we can travel together?”

MISSION: Disperse Lord Darius and his Mercenaries.

Lord Darius’ squad is composed mainly of mercenary infantries – Hired Bully/Brutes, Mercenary Captain. This mission is relatively easy as the opponent has too many hirelings and damages his own morale too much.

SQUADS USED: CONTROL
Landen Hawkeye
Silvintri Marksman (3)
Aanden Venombow (2)
Silvintri Mage (1)

Sicilis Stonefist
Estian Cleric (3)
Aanglor Veteran (2)
Aanglor Bladesman (1)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 0bc0a8012a

Actually, the opponent killed himself in this link as his deck runs too many hirelings.

SQUADS USED: AGGRO
Blademaster Wilaren
Shadow Panther (6)

Sicilis Stonfist
Wall of Spears (3)
Aanglor Pikeman (2)
Estian Wardogs (2)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 1ac0a8012f

The squad that I used is pretty risky as the opponent runs Estian Partisans which can easily pick off cats and dogs (panthers/wardogs).

Going with aggro here is probably better if you have good cheap heavy hitters as the opponent can be scary if he’s able to set up.

GOLEM DECK
(Undead-Undead)

Pozak asked, “We’re a long way from the front, Priestess. Why did you want to come out here?”

“Your Princess Katrina –”

“Hmph!” Pozak snorted. “Hardly my princess.”

“Princess Katrina,” Enyi continued, “has done a great deal for us with her . . . unusual . . . recruits. Her example led me back to some of the older books of our people, and I think I’ve found something that may help.”

“A weapon?”

“It might be,” Enyi said. She looked down the hillside. “But I expect there will be a few obstacles in the way.”

Pozak followed their gaze. “Looks like the Abtu-Kahn are up to something new. Let’s find out what.”

MISSION: Attack the Undead experiment.

The opponent’s deck runs Clockwork Golems, Mirror Contraptions, and Polished Golems, with Argol and Ririk plus Mobilize and Plague Sigil. The deck is slow but can survive a Novice-set fast deck if able to setup a wall of contraptions. The deck also runs infantry units but the regular two-power archer loses effectivity since they can’t one-shot anything in this mission and with the Sigil-setup, the opponent can easily weaken your units. This can force the player to utilize Zap or Blasts which is much more dangerous because of Reflect.

SQUADS USED: Control

Landen Hawkeye
Silvintri Marksman (3)
Aanden Venombow (2)
Silvintri Mage (1)

Sicilis Stonefist
Estian Cleric (3)
Aanglor Veteran (2)
Aanglor Bladesman (1)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … abc0a80129

He was able to setup a Plague Sigil on a Golem and things pretty much went Downhill.

SAME SQUADS ROUND 2:

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … d0c0a8012c

With Mirror Contraption at 4-wait, it is easy for the opponent to set up a defensive wall. Aanden Venombow is almost a deadweight in this mission especially when running against Contraptions and Clocworks. Silvintri Marksman is better than the Venombow if going with archers.

I made another run here with the same squad and here’s the result:

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … c8c0a80128

The opponent was able to setup, but with lack of support and high-damage units, I was still able to win, though I must admit, the Sigil setup scared me.

SQUADS: AGGRO
Blademaster Wilaren
Shadow Panther (6)

Sicilis Stonfist
Wall of Spears (3)
Aanglor Pikeman (2)
Estian Wardogs (1)

Because of the opponent’s lack of speed, going with aggro seems to be the better choice in this scenario.

SUMMONER SQUAD
(Demon)

“Who in the Cur’s thrice-damned name are those?” Gallis asked.

Isidore shrugged. “Just a bunch of those summoners, right?”

“No, there’s something different about them. And they seem to be going somewhere in a hurry.”

Isidore leapt on his horse and whistled to the men. “Let’s find out!”

“Shouldn’t we be waiting for Lord Pozak? Isidore! Isidore!”

MISSION: Challenge the summoners.

The opponent runs a pretty tricky tech deck here, with Silver, Green and Red Summoners plus Faraz and an Apocalypse. The opponent’s theme mostly leans on defense plus elimination of opposing units with Chain Zap. The only real big damage source that they have here is Apocalypse.

When facing summoners, remember these things: (1) They have low attack values, meaning, Block and Retaliate can screw them up. (2) They rely mostly on tech, either with special attacks or beneficial buffs. Immune units are good against them too, but since we’re using cards from the Novice set, let’s forget about this fact for a while. (3) They don’t have natural weaknesses so we have to rely on a unit’s raw attack or specials to deal good damage. (4) On this mission, they have Chain Zap, so we have to avoid using same copies of a card as much as possible.

With these things in mind, I made this:

Sicilis Stonefist
Estian Wizard
Aanglor Highguard
Aanglor Veteran
Aanglor Bladesman
Estian Cleric
Wall of Spears

Block and Retaliate are two good abilities that can be used against summoners as they deal only a little damage with normal attacks, hence the reason for choosing Sicilis, Highguard, Veteran, Bladesman, and the Wall. The Estian Cleric is for support while the Wizard will be our assassin here.

BATTLE LINK/S:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 0bc0a8012b

The deck worked pretty well, but I tried it once more to verify.

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 24c0a8012e

Another win. I gave the deck one last try.

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 36c0a80129

This was a close one, but I still managed to win. Well, 3-0 is enough proof I guess.

SUMMONER ARMY
(Demon-Demon-Demon)

The men pursued the summoners into a cave, then stopped short at the army before them.

“I think we just bit off more than we can chew,” said Gallis.

One of the demons turned, lightning crackling in its hands.

“We had hoped to complete our plans undetected,” it said.

“Did you know they could talk, Isidore?” Gallis said. “I didn’t know they could talk.”

“It is unfortunate that you have discovered us now. Unfortunate for you.”

MISSION: Escape the summoner army.

This is one of the most-asked-about Missions in the Mercenary campaign. The Summoner Army almost similar to the Summoner Squad, but this time, you’ll be facing three squads with tiered up units plus Blue Summoner-spell recur theme. They also have Grey Summoners now to beef up their squads, making Block almost worthless.

Sicilis Stonefist
Estian Wizard
Aanglor Highguard
Aanglor Veteran
Aanglor Bladesman
Estian Cleric
Wall of Spears

Sicilis Stonefist
Aanglor Veteran (2)
Estian Cleric (2)
Aanglor Highguard (1)
Heavy Pikeman (1)

Firestarter Arfalas
Aanden Moon Druid (1)
Silvintri Mage (1)
Aanden Wolverine (2)
Aanden Silverback (2)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 99c0a8012f

The strategy here is pretty much the same as the previous mission – Block – Retaliate – Chain Zap and avoiding too much multiple copies. I used the same squad that I used on the Summoner Squad mission for the first squad. The second squad is almost identical to the first but I used a Heavy Pikeman instead of another Veteran to avoid Chain Zap. The third elf squad is composed of support units and served as damage dealers. I find Blast really useful in this mission. We have Silvintri Boltmages but I chose not to use them as they are too fragile and fast, making them die alone in the field. The Aanglor Moon Druid is an MVP here too as it does what an Aanglor Highguard can do (even better). The beasts I chose for additional punch. I wanted 4 Silverbacks but that would be too risky so we went with 2 Wolverines instead, wishfully thinking of miracle-gro-ing it with healer support.

Tried it again, but this time, we lost..

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 8ec0a80128

Things looked pretty good on the first few turns but the opponent was able to setup a Green, Grey, Silver and Faraz. Even without heal support, this is difficult to break. With a good starting setup, they were able to secure a good line, offensive-wise and defense-wise.

Another try:

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 03c0a80128

The summoners were able to setup. Luckily, Sicilis and the Vets were able to buy time for the reinforcements to arrive. Like other missions with control-themed opponents, it would be best to pack some high-damaging units too for quick finish after setting up as the enemy can turn the tables easily with their tiered up cards.

This mission can be difficult, especially to those using only cards from Novice set. Since the chances of a player getting the same cards as we got is slim, I’ll just list the best heroes/units to use in this mission.

HUMANS
Heroes: Sicilis, Adamans, Pozak or Zarin.
Units: Aanglor Highguard, Aanglor Bladesman, Aanglor Veteran, Heavy Pikeman/Aanglor Knight, Estian Cleric, Estian Wizard, Wall of Spears, Estian Fighter, Aanglor Warmaiden.

Sicilis and Zarin are the top picks for me here. Sicilis can stand toe-to-toe with summoners if there are no grays in play, plus he comes out quick. Zarin is better than Pozak and Adamans as he can help the team even he comes out late. Pozak and Adamans can be good substitutes too, if you don’t have the heroes mentioned earlier. I haven’t tested Darius the Cur, but I think he is good as summoners rely on specials.

For the units, the Aanglor Highguard is the first pick, defensively as it can do what Sicilis does in this mission. The other Block/Retaliate units are mostly extenders to avoid multi-copying. Estian Cleric is for support while Estian Wizard would be the best offensive unit that the Human faction can offer here. The Estian Fighter and Aanglor Warmaiden are just alternatives, the former a good substitute/extender for the Aanglor Bladesman, while the latter is somewhat a desperate move if you lack blockers.

ELVES:
Heroes: Firestarter Arfalas
Units: Aanden Moon Druid, Silvintri Mage, Aanden Warden, Aanden Silverback

The elves have good support units here. Firestarter Arfalas is the best hero the elves can offer in this mission since he has Blast and staying power rolled in one. The Silvintri Mage is for Blast but a bit risky due to its low health. The Aanden Moon Druid is even better than Aanglor Highguard in eliminating and tanking summoners while the Warden can be an extender for the Druid. The Silverback is here for damage as Humans lack 3-power units and this can be an extender too for the Human bladesman.

With the number of Chain Zappers, Red/Gray/Green Summoner support that the opponent is running, plus high morale, I scrapped the idea of making an aggro deck. Still, I tried the ones that I already have and here’s the link:

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … a9c0a8012a

Total annihilation.. Although it’s not much of a proof as I used multiple copies of units. I was just too lazy to try an aggro deck here. There can be a possible aggro deck solution to this mission, but with the limited cards that we have, it’s just impossible for us to make one.

ELVISH TRAPS
(Elf-Elf-Elf-Elf)

Melgor was not pleased.

For months, the weakling Skoreg had been pushing him aside. If the orcs had followed Melgor, they would have slaughtered the humans and elves by now, but the early gains of the war had been lost to the demons. Now Skoreg was talking about making an alliance with the humans against a common foe!

Not if Melgor had anything to say about it.

“In there,” he snarled at his beastslavers. “We know the elves are in there. Root them out.”

“Kill them all.”

MISSION: Kill them all.

The opponent here runs a deck somewhat reminiscent of a classic MTG sligh, with a little bit of control, composed of Pay 1-life, high-damage units. If not for the “forced” control aspect, this deck could’ve been scary.

SQUADS USED:
Sicilis Stonefist
Estian Wizard (1)
Wall of Spears (2)
Estian Cleric (3)

Firestarter Arfalas
Aanden Wolverine (2)
Aanden Silverback (3)
Silvintri Mage (1)

Sicilis Stonefist
Aanglor Rider (4)
Estian Cleric (2)

Blademaster Wilaren
Shadow Panther (6)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … eec0a8012d

Because of fear of archers, I used a weird deck here, avoiding infantry units except for mages and clerics.

I gave my deck another run:

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … e7c0a80129

I won.. again.. weird.. *shakes head in disbelief*

MONKEY ASSAULT
(Elf-Elf-Elf)

Melgor smiled to himself. Fire and death, that was more like it!

He saw ancient eyes peering out at him from the next stand of trees and pointed his orcs at them. They rushed in with a cheer, dogs slipped off the leash.

He crushed a skull under his boot, imagining that it was Skoreg’s. “Soon,” he whispered to the skull. “Soon it will be.”

MISSION: Destroy the apes in the woods.

Another deck reminiscent of MTG sligh, the opponent runs Wildcaller Bearsong, Lysandri Axecaster, Faithful Siverbacks, and Aanden Macemen. The Ball Lightnings are really annoying here.

SQUADS:
Sicilis Stonefist
Wall of Spears (4)
Estian Wardogs (2)

Firestarter Arfalas
Forest Crawler (3)
Aanden Silverback (3)

Blademaster Wilaren
Shadow Panther (6)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 7bc0a8013a

I gathered up all the beasts and sticks that I can get and used them in this mission (it seems that we run almost identical decks). I think Wall of Spears are effective in neutralizing Silverbacks.

I tried another run using the similar deck with similar result.

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 00c0a8012d

ENYI AND POZAK
(Human-Elf)

Melgor frowned. A party of humans and elves were making their way through the grasslands. What were they doing there?

No matter. He’d send then running. This would be his domain soon, and he wanted it free of vermin.

MISSION: Drive off the human and elf war party.

This is probably the hardest mission in the Mercenary SPCs, even harder than the Pride of Aanglor as 2S is entirely a different scenario from 6S. The opponent runs Paladin of Light, Faithful Healer, Lightning Sigil, Blademages, Choking Cloud, and of course, Enyi and Pozak. Once the enemy sets up a good array of Paladins and healers, their defensive line is nearly unbreakable and will hold definitely until a Choking Cloud comes to play to soften up the opposing units. Plus, a Lighning Sigil in play is truly devastating. Except for Pozak and Enyi, the opponent runs an all-infantry deck.

BATTLE LINKS (LOSSES)
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … e7c0a8012e
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 59c0a80126
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 11c0a8012a

After watching these horrifying losses and reminiscing the Japanese Giant-Robot cartoons I watched when I was still peeing on my bed, I found out the key to this mission – don’t let them form the giant robot! What I really mean here is don’t let them setup. Choose units that can kill infantry in the fastest way possible. In the novice set the choices are narrowed down to a few: archers, Silverbacks, cats, and dogs. The best hero probably in this mission is Landen as he can one-shot any infantry unit that the opponent drops at the table. Unfortunately, Landen’s health is too low, plus he’s a hero, meaning only two can be played in 2S.

WINNING SQUADS USED:
Landen Hawkeye
Silvintri Marksman (4)
Aanden Venombow (2)

Nalinai Poison Blade
Aanden Silverback (3)
Shadow Panther (3)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … c4c0a8012a

This was actually a lucky shot on my part. I tried the deck several times after this victory but lost. I’ll leave this part hanging for now but will update if I find any new ideas. Try asking Black Cambel too. He’s mostly around in Battlegrounds chat ( probably saying again that he’s “expert with novice and novice with expert.”) Perhaps he has a different link to show.

The only advice that I can give here is to hit hard. Pack all the Landens and Marksmen that you have into two squads and just hope for the best.

SKOREG
(Orc)

“Skoreg,” Melgor roared, “I challenge you!”

The orc leader stepped forward. “I have led this nation for many years,” he said. “I have led it well. You dare challenge me?”

“I dare,” Melgor said. “And look around you! Others burn to fight and kill! You seek peace! You are weak! I am strong! Join me if you want to be strong.”

As Skoreg glared, the orcs shuffled away from him. “I still have allies,” the old leader said.

“Not enough,” said Melgor. “And not for long.”

MISSION: Drive Skoreg and his followers into exile.

The opponent’s deck is composed of Skoreg with Potion of Rage, Redtide Spearmen, and Orcish Firecracker. The deck just focuses on removal of opposing units with the Firecracker and dropping enemy morale with Skoreg and Spearmen, while the Spearmen pretty much does both.

Landen Hawkeye
Silvintri Marksman (4)
Aanden Venombow (2)

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 5cc0a8012b

I utilized a pure archer squad in this link.

WARPIGZ!
(Human-Human)

Far away, Isidore and Gallis were experiencing a triumph of their own.

“We have him cornered!” Isidore crowed. “Holed up in a farmhouse! There’s no way Darius is getting away this time!”

“I don’t know,” Gallis said. “He’s been pretty resourceful before.”

“Not this time!” Isidore said. “Wait, there’s movement in the barnyard . . . do I hear squeals?”

“What in the Light’s name?”

“Oh, you have got to be kidding . . .”

MISSION: Defeat Lord Darius’s new army.

The opponent’s deck runs Warpigs, Aanglor Legionnaire, and the cornered cur, Lord Darius. The theme is pretty simple – drop pigs on the table to pump up Spearhead. How can 0-attack pigs with Frenzy deal damage? Answer: When pigs fly. Actually, it’s true. The deck runs Rings of Flight, not for Darius or the Legionnaires, but for the pigs as they gain a hidden +2 attack when they fly. Just think of this mission as a comic relief before the final mission – a calm before the storm.

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a5 … 0cc0a8012b

The only thing that I regret here is not putting the Estian Wizard in. Seeing those pigs getting roasted would’ve been fun. *sigh*

THE PRIDE OF AANGLOR
(Human-Human-Human-Human-Human-Human)

Melgor looked at the human army drawn up before him. He licked his lips and grinned. This was what he had been waiting for.

An annoying little imp ran up to him and bowed. “Her ladyship Faraz greets you and wishes you well,” it squeaked. Melgor took a lazy swipe at it, but it scampered out of the way and continued without a break in its composure.

“We hope you have found the terms of the agreement satisfactory. We congratulate you on your triumphs, and look forward to building a new world together.”

“It’ll do,” Melgor said. “Tell the summoner I’ll keep up my end.”

“And now,” he shouted to his orcs. “To the slaughter!”

MISSION: Destroy the Aanglor cavalry.

I made this guide for the sole reason of answering the question “How to beat the Pride of Aanglor?” First, what makes up this dreaded Pride? Well, they’re made up of cavalry units with Horsebarn for rush. Sounds easy right? Well, most of the units here are FLYING horses and the things that easily kill flying units are archers. The problem here is every unit that the opponent has except the barns can one-shot an archer. Plus, there are other support cards like Aseti Book of Fire which can greatly weaken your lines. I posted a quite lengthy response in the Pride of Aanglor thread in the Warstorm official forums, stating to avoid archers. I’m still sticking to this advice as the risk greatly outweighs the benefits of using them.

Still, there is one archer (that is not really an archer) that can be utilized here – Landen Hawkeye. Landen can be quite deadly in this mission as he can kill a winged horse in one shot. Still, Landen can’t handle a score of flyers by himself so we’ll be relying on Retaliate. Yep, retaliate. The Wall of Spears are pretty much on par with archers in this misson, being able to deal 2 damage to flyers. In some ways, they are better since they can survive for another turn after taking a hit from a pegasus and this one-turn survival can be crucial, especially if they are supported by healers. On the other hand, massing them can be dangerous too if they get matched up with horsebarns as a horsebarn in play can be a game ender here. In order to prevent this, we will be using tech – Chain Zap, Blast and Trap.

The real problem in this mission is not dealing with flying horses but with the ground units. The mission is just an example of a classic Blitz – the pegasi acting as bombers while the Heavy Cavalry, Lancers, and Alric as tanks. The flyers are just there to soften up your army and usually buys enough time for the cavalry to arrive. Focusing too much on leather-clad girls on flying horses can be dangerous as you will tend to overlook the cavalry’s true strength.

Another thing that makes this mission difficult is the squad size. Making a good 6S with too few good cards is hard but you are NOT required to use 6S in this mission. It’s better to fight with lesser squads in some situations, especially if you have a few good cards for a proper theme/setup that you want to achieve. Another advantage with playing with fewer squads is having fewer cards means you can pull out the right card easily, thus allowing you to have a proper setup.

To prove this point, we will be using four squads in this mission.

SQUADS USED:
Firestarter Arfalas
Dangerous Path (4)
Aanden Silverback (2)

Firestarter Arfalas
Silvintri Mage
Silvintri Boltmage (5)

Zarin Boltcaller
Aanglor Highguard (2)
Estian Trapper (2)
Wall of Spears (2)

Darius the Cur
Estian Wizard (3)
Wall of Spears (3)

After some testing, we took out the healers as they are pretty much horsefeed (after watching the match I thought going with 2 clerics instead of the Highguards would have resulted in a much better outcome). We didn’t go with Landen. Instead, we went for dual-Arfalas, Zarin and Darius as they are just hard to ignore (if we had a fifth squad, we would have used Landen). In the previous missions, I personally had a dislike for the the Boltmages, thinking they’re just too fragile and fast. This time, I decided to go mass-Boltmages and Dangerous Paths for one simple fact that I saw after watching links – horsebarns make good “hiding” places as they are usually the opponent’s opening draw. Horsebarns can’t kill units and make good “vantage points” for fragile tech units like mages and trappers.

The Wall of Spears make good defensive units especially against the Heavy Cavalry.

BATTLE LINK:
http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a7 … 49c0a80130

Of course, this was after a couple of tries as the deck requires a horsebarn-opening draw from the opponent. Also, fighting with lesser squads has downsides too like having lower morale and having lesser cards in the long run may result to a loss as you may run in a situation where you have no cards to draw or losing through Battle Fatigue.

The important thing here is to have enough number of finishers in your deck as it is hard to maintain a lock in this mission, especially with the Aseti Book of Fire.

I made another run using 5 squads here.

http://www.warstorm.com/battle/view/4a7 … 45c0a8012f

This is an extremely lucky draw on my part as I had an all-star opening hand, like seeing the Justice League fighting. I just posted the link above as I found it amusing.

I tried several runs with an aggro setup but it’s too difficult. The closest thing that I made was dropping the opponent to 24 morale. After that, nothing. It seems that going aggro in this mission can be hard.

I don’t have an exact decklist that can beat this mission 100% of the time, so I’ll just summarize some points:

1) Landen Hawkeye is the only card with Archery that is viable in this mission. Instead of going with Archers, use Retaliate as it can damage flyers too. Wall of Spears is a good card here as it can deal with both flyers and Heavy Cavalry.
2) If massing Wall of Spears, make sure that you have good assortment of tech – Blast, Chain Zap, Trap, etc.
3) Heal is good but massing clerics isn’t as they tend to heal only themselves when matched up against 99% of opponent’s units.
4) When choosing Elf heroes, go with Arfalas and Landen. With Human heroes, the top picks are Zarin and Darius.
5) Don’t force yourself to make 6 squads if you don’t have enough good units to use.
6) Should all of these fail, try watching the battles where you lost. This will give you insight on what units to use and not to use. You can also ask around the chat. Try asking Black Cambel as he said he is an expert with Novice set.

Well, I hope the stuff helped.. Thanks!