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Tactics Talk: Lannister Pyromancers and Don Shelkey’s “Lion’s Grasp” List Comprised of members of the Alchemist Guild, A Song of Ice and Fire the miniatures game’s Lannister Pyromancers eschew traditional arms […]
Comprised of members of the Alchemist Guild, A Song of Ice and Fire the miniatures game’s Lannister Pyromancers eschew traditional arms in favor of jars of volatile wildfire.
The Pyromancers’ Wildfire attack denies defenders a Defense Save and has the Vicious keyword (defenders suffer -2 to their Panic Tests). Capable of being used as both a Short Range attack and a Melee attack, the Pyromancers have the potential to fill a variety of battlefield roles.
At 7 points, the Pyromancers are best used as a line-breaker, crashing into already engaged enemy units to unleash their devastating attacks. With re-rolls off the charge, hits that ignore defense saves, and their Vicious ability stacking with flank bonuses, the Pyromancers can bring even the most stalwart of units to its knees.
For a more expensive, but even more explosive unit, consider placing attaching a Lannister Assault Veteran. The order Hold the Line! allows the Pyromancers to hit on all dice results, by moving their 3+ to hit to a 2+ to hit. It’s important to remember that a roll of 1 automatically generates a wound on themselves and their opponent, so you with this attachment, when you use the Hold the Line! order, you will do wounds to your opponent regardless of the dice value you roll. With a dice pool of 8 at full ranks if they start the turn engaged, your opponent will be forced to maneuver key units away from your Pyromancers or commit significant resources to deal with them. As a Lannister player, watch out for units like the Stark Bowmen who can damage the Pyromancers with little threat of reprisal.
Coupled with tactics cards like Tyrion 
Lannister’s Cunning Ploy, you can build lists in which Pyromancers can effectively attack multiple times and with devastating effects.
Don Shelkey, GenCon 2018 and Pax Unplugged 2018 ASOIAF Champion has been known to use the following list for competitive play. An analysis of his unit choices is provided in italics.
Faction: House Lannister
Commander: Tyrion Lannister – Halfman
Points: 40 (6 Neutral)
Combat Units:
Gregor is going to be playing a generalist role in which he protects the Crossbowmen and deals with harassment units like Trackers and Hunters.
A solid unit that can fill a variety of roles, the Guard Captain is almost an auto-include for the cost and its ability to prolong the life of its attached unit through passing morale tests. Additionally, it gives your Lannister Guardsmen additional offensive capabilities as a way to automatically trigger Lannister Supremacy.
The Pyromancers are there to dislodge the opponent, who will almost certainly get to objectives first, while the Lannister Crossbowmen provide another soft target to draw the enemies focus on, but which can still be a threatening unit, particularly with Tyrion’s tactics cards. Taking just one pyromancer unit encourages the enemy to deal with them via tactics cards and the tactics board. WIth three possible targets, it makes it much more difficult for them to prevent the strategy entirely. Furthermore, Brienne of Tarth’s morale bonus allows for the unit to be more resistant to the Crown Tactics zone, while also allowing friendly units to fire into combat while they are engaged with a lower risk of injuring them.
Non-Combat Units:
Pycelle is included for his ability to help the more vulnerable units survive charges
Lord Varys is included to deal with Brynden Tully Cavalry lists and other builds that hinge on predictable abilities you can play around. Additionally, Varys is selected instead of Cersi as this build wants to focus on drawing tactics cards and her inclusion would put pressure to go for the crown spot first to utilize her ability to the fullest.
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How would you deal with this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Pyromancer and Alchemist Guild references can be found in:
A Clash of Kings, Chapter 3, Tyrion I.
A Feast for Crows, Chapter 12, Cersei III
The World of Ice & Fire, Guild of Alchemists
A Clash of Kings, Chapter 20, Tyrion V
The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II
A Clash of Kings, Chapter 58, Davos III
The World of Ice & Fire, Beyond the Free Cities: Asshai-by-the-Shadow
The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV
The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II
The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon V
The World of Ice & Fire, The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring
A Storm of Swords, Chapter 37. Jaime V
A Clash of Kings, Chapter 49, Tyrion XI
A free folk army may be well matched to this force given it has few drops which are focused on countering an elite force