Controlled savagery, northern steel. Varangur play the game on fast‑forward: close the gap, hit first, and hit hard enough that the return punch never lands. If you enjoy decisive charges, coordinated multi‑assaults, and the adrenaline of momentum play, this faction rewards you.
Contents
Faction Snapshot
Faction: Varangur
Alignment: Evil (Korgaan’s faithful)
Battlefield identity: Elite melee pressure, fast threat projection, light shooting
Average historical list similarity: 0.76 (lists converge around a few efficient hammers and cheap screens)
Roster profile (non‑Individuals):
- Total units: 31
- Have Crushing Strength ≥ 1: 20
- Have Piercing ≥ 1: 3
- Avg points: 165.6 (Global: 146.5)
- Avg Defense: 4.3 (Global: 4.3)
- Avg Melee: 3.6 (Global: 3.7)
- Avg Speed: 6.5 (Global: 6.4)
- Unique keywords (count): 26
- Top keywords: Crushing Strength (20), Wild Charge (15), Nimble (12), Thunderous Charge (11), Pathfinder (7)
What this says: Varangur bring above‑average speed and a lot of CS/TC. Wild Charge + Nimble + Pathfinder appear often—your threats get where they need to go and still hit at full value.
Most Cost‑Effective Units
| Unit Name, Size | Speed | Shots to 6 Nerve | Avg Hits | Points | Elo | Cost Effectiveness | % Kills vs Def 4 | % Kills vs Def 5 | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draugr, H | 4 | 22 | 9.6 | 125 | 1945 | 0.75 | 21.9% | 0.5% | Iron Resolve, Wild Charge(D3) |
| Human Tribesmen, H | 5 | 51 | 19.0 | 250 | 2913 | 0.71 | 90.9% | 36.5% | Crushing Strength(1), Wild Charge(1) |
| Reavers, T | 6 | 12 | 11.7 | 135 | 1629 | 0.68 | 71.8% | 22.3% | Crushing Strength(1), Thunderous Charge(1), Wild Charge(D3), Tundra Fighters |
| Draugr, R | 4 | 12 | 5.2 | 75 | 1169 | 0.57 | 4.3% | 0.0% | Iron Resolve, Wild Charge(D3) |
| Draugr, L | 4 | 31 | 11.2 | 180 | 2372 | 0.54 | 26.5% | 1.6% | Iron Resolve, Wild Charge(D3) |
Iconic Units & Roles (Quick Guide)
- Draugr (R/H/L): Cheap, fearless bodies with Wild Charge(D3). Ideal chaff/tarpit/unlocks. Regiments screen; Hordes/Legions pin.
- Human Tribesmen (Horde): US anchor with CS(1) and a lot of dice. Anvil that punches back; loves Bane Chant.
- Reavers (Troop/Reg): Glass‑cannon berserkers with CS(1)+TC(1). Great as flankers/finishing pieces; protect from counterpunch.
- Huscarls (Reg): Elite infantry hammers (Melee 3+, CS2, Fury). Centerline crushers; take a cheap nerve or punch item.
- Fallen (Horde): Speed 8, Nimble + Pathfinder. Flank scalpel; combo‑charge to solve Def 5/6.
- Mounted Sons of Korgaan (Reg): Speed 8 heavy cav with CS1+TC1. Primary alpha hammers; consider Stealthy/Brutal marks.
- Frostfang Cavalry (Horde): 30 attacks, CS2, Strider. Your sledgehammer. Avoid phalanx; manage hindered charges.
- Snow Trolls (Reg): Def 5 with Regen. Hybrid anvil/hammer; excel with Troll Prime/Kruufnir support.
- Snow Foxes (Troop): Speed 10 Nimble chaff. Screen, angle, block LOS; win the tempo game.
- Magus & Magus Conclave: Drain Life/Bane Chant support; Conclave adds rare ranged pressure. Transfusion shunts damage from elites to Draugr.
- Lord on Frostfang / Lord on Chimera: Nimble Strider beatstick vs. flying apex threat. Pick based on points and terrain plan.
- Magnilde of the Fallen: Durable combat hero with once‑per‑game Flight. Clutch assassin and Inspiring node.
How Varangur Win: Core Playstyles
- Alpha‑Strike Overload
Load up on Mounted Sons, Fallen, Frostfangs, and fast heroes. Use Snow Foxes/Draugr to screen. Aim for multiple Turn‑2 charges that remove 2–3 enemy units outright. Requires precise spacing and backup plans for snake‑eyes. - Cavalry‑Centric Rush
A flank stack with 2× Mounted Sons + Frostfang Cav + Frostfang Lord. Refused flank and roll the line. Wild Charge and Pathfinder keep your tempo through terrain. Watch scenarios—add a central anvil to hold zones. - MSU Grind & Combined Arms
Several medium threats (Huscarls/Fallen/Reavers/Trolls) plus 1–2 Conclaves. Target saturation, layered counter‑charges, and steady trades. Less explosive than alpha, more resilient to bad dice. - Hammer & Anvil Balance
A big Tribesmen/Draugr block pins; elite hammers counter. Great into faster opponents who must come to you or into heavy shooting when you need to advance under cover and time the swing.
Universal habits: win the screen war, stack charges, and preserve momentum. Varangur collapse if they’re forced to receive charges repeatedly.
Strengths
- Top‑tier melee output: CS/TC saturation and access to Brutal/Elite. Multi‑charges delete anchors.
- Threat projection: Above‑average speed plus Wild Charge; Nimble/Pathfinder on key units.
- Elite durability: Def 5 on many hammers, Iron Resolve/Regen access, fearless chaff.
- Tempo control: Excellent cheap chaff (Snow Foxes, Draugr) to shape engagements.
- Simple win condition: Close, crush, and cascade—clear, learnable gameplan.
Weaknesses
- Minimal shooting: Limited ranged tools; must cross the table under fire.
- Low unit count: Expensive pieces mean fewer drops and fragile activation economy.
- Charge‑dependent: Hindered charges and counters blunt damage; bad nerve rolls punish hard.
- Scenario pressure: Can be stretched thin on wide objectives; needs cheap US for coverage.
Historical Tournament List Analysis (11 lists, scaled to 2300)
Key statistics:
- Avg points on items: 42.3
- Avg number of units: 14.9
- Avg unit strength: 24.4
- Avg scoring units: 13.2
- Power concentration (Gini): 36.8
- Defense concentration (Gini): 28.7
- Avg speed: 6.3
- Units with Nimble: 6.5
- Avg defense: 4.2
- Total nerve: 228.9
- Shots to reach 6 nerve: 351.1
- Total melee attacks: 161.5
- Total ranged attacks: 27.3
- Expected damage vs Def 4+: 67.4
Observations:
- Lists are elite and compact (≈15 units) with high US for that count—Draugr/Tribesmen pad objectives while elites do the killing.
- Ranged output is low by design (≈27 shots total). These armies commit to closing and breaking lines, not trading at range.
- Mobility tools are common (≈6–7 Nimble pieces), enabling angle play and multi‑charges through/around terrain.
- Healing is scarce; sustain comes from Iron Resolve, Drain Life, or outright removing threats.
- Power/Defense Gini scores imply force concentration—a few units carry most of the killing and tanking. Protect them.
Matchups & Meta Notes (2025)
Favored into: slow melee bricks (Dwarfs, some Undead), low‑Def swarms (Goblins), elite monster lists that can be focus‑charged.
Challenging: heavy shooting (Elves, Goblin artillery, some Twilight Kin), phalanx walls, and armies that can tarpit then counter (Nightstalkers, Undead spam).
Practical tips:
- Versus gunlines: Stealthy marks, LOS blocking, staggered screens, and disciplined threat‑range math. Don’t offer multiple premium targets at once.
- Versus phalanx/ensnare: Lead with non‑TC hammers (CS2/3), set up flanks, or force them to turn by threatening elsewhere.
- Versus swarms: Preserve hammers; trade chaff for position; focus on units that project scoring late.
Final Advice
- Build for tempo: at least two cheap screens, at least two independent hammers, and one mobile hero that can flip a flank.
- Practice charge geometry: spacing for double/triple charges, overrun lines, and post-combat facings.
- Always have a Plan B if a key nerve roll snakes. Keep a late-turn closer (Frostfang Lord, Magnilde) in reserve for the clean-up.
Further reading on Data & Dice:
- Army Cost-Effectiveness Rankings (Clash of Kings 2025 update) – how Varangur units stack up in pure efficiency terms. Read it here.
- The Meta Lies (Again): Five Storylines from the 2025 US Masters – context for elite melee armies and surprise standouts. Read it here.
- Tournament Meta Analysis: What 134 Events Reveal about Faction Performance – macro trends that frame Varangur viability. Read it here.
Curated External Resources
- Goonhammer: Clash of Kings 2024 – Varangur “Bus” report (fast-list tactics, matchup notes).
- Dash28: Varangur army discussions and list clinics with CoK update roundups.
- Counter Charge Podcast Varangur army review
- Newbie Dice (YouTube): Varangur vs Northern Alliance and Varangur vs Goblins battle reports (great play-by-play learning).
- Regnum Aeternum Blog: Detailed written battle reports, often featuring Varangur testing. Visit Regnum Aeternum for match writeups, list experiments, and scenario play analysis—this one has the added benefit of seeing my lists in action against my regular opponent here.
