Warlord Deckbuilding: Free Kingdoms Starting Armies
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The Free Kingdoms! The best, or at least the goodest, faction in Warlord—no, I'm serious, of all the factions, they have the fewest evil characters. So of course you want to know how to build a deck with them. Well I'm here to give you the low-down on their options for starters. For almost all of the following, I'm only the messenger, passing on what I've seen and heard over the years in person, on the Temple of Lore, in online play at Untap.in , and discussion on our Discord server. My thanks to all the other great FreeK players who figured out most of this.
Before we get into the characters, let’s recognize the unavoidable luck factor to Warlord. Besides hand draw and D20, there’s also the matter of matchups versus specific opponents. Some starting armies have undeniable advantage over others: this means that, in a format like Ancients where games are often won by turn 2, starters are critical, and being able to change your starters for game 2 or 3 can make all the difference in winning a game. Because FreeKs have some of most diverse level 1 and 2 characters of any faction, it is almost always worth considering alternate starters when making a FreeK deck. We’ll expound a bit more later.
Now buckle up and let’s peruse these starters!
AGGRESSION
The easiest, most obvious thing for the FreeKs to do is attack--they can start several characters capable of multi-striking. Every opponent groans a little or a lot when they see these bad boys pop out:
Arguably the best level 1 cleric (heck, he even blesses his enemies if they're in range. Some Ar'tek decks throw him in play stunned!) helping out one of those rare evil characters, because Spencer slices and dices with 2 swings per attack. Spencer also likes gambit-ing like a hero.
A more versatile aggressive start is the Triumvirate: Dominy, Jal Forsyth, and Kylia Smythe. Jal triggers Dominy's bonuses, and he gets an additional swing from Kylia. On her go, Kylia gets to do a ranged strike to pull someone forward THEN melee. POW! ZAP! BANG! Kylia is also fun as a starter in a deck when you want to move your warlord forward, as she can target your 3rd rank with her ranged strike, then do her melee strike at an enemy.
DIDN’T NEED HAIR, ANYWAYS
A rarer aggressive start is Xiantha, Centaur Soldier, queen of the bad cropping jobs.
She's risky, because to optimize her potential you need a cleric warlord (someone who can help keep her alive) along with a bunch of level 4s to guarantee she’s as buff as possible. Alternatively, you could earn bonus style points and theme it up with Xerxes, who despite appearances is level 2, and guarantees you access to the 4th rank on the first action.
If you want aggression in your second rank, the default is probably Glenn the Blaze and Scarlett. One decree with a guaranteed two, possibly three strikes? Tough to beat. Out of Captain Dukat though, you might want two Glenns. But really, any ranged striker with Scarlett is decent--like Josef Krieg, who people always forget about if he goes to the discard. Josef is also helpful if you’re running a deck with ranged strikers but your Warlord does not have in-built ranged strikes—he guarantees your Farglass won’t be a dead draw.
Finally, decks that need bonuses to their melee strikes should consider the two cleric ladies who inspire those closest to them: Novice Ruth and Dreiga. Ruth can get insane with a large front rank, and Dreiga guarantees a little attack bonus even if she dies.
DEFENSE
"I DON'T LIKE FIGHTING, BUT IF YOU HIT ME I'LL RUN BACK AND TELL DOMINY!" "AND I'LL TELL SPENCE!"
On the other hand, if you need to start an army that will slow down your opponent, the FreeKs can do that too, though not as well as the aggro. For level 1s, the popular choice is Llyr Militia.
It’s a bit different than having a level 1 with 2 HP, but definitely annoying to your opponent. One fantastic aspect of Militia is the ability to go get answers when he dies. Remember what I said earlier about alternate starters? Well, you have some if you’re starting Llyr Militia, so dig ‘em out and flip the tables on your opponent, going from defense to offense with Brother Dominy and Spencer, for example. On the other hand, if you really wanted to farm dragons out of FreeKs (or drop Xaxxon if you’re nutso), you could use the Militia to fetch Felens Rowan to build your ranks. A fun combo with Militia is Black Moss, so you slap a wound on an opponent and dig out another Level 1 to keep the pressure on or shore up your ranks. (Do be aware, though, Militia’s react cancels his death, so you can’t Hero’s Gambit with him, but you can also use the react to prevent his death and stop your opponent from triggering From Dust to Dust or No Prisoners!)
Before the Militia (or if you don’t wan to run other level 1s), if you wanted to shut down strikes, your best choice was the only "Pacifist" in the game, Kun Davill--MVP of Sir Tython-defeating decks since 2003.
A sleeper in this category is Leigh. Odds are if she dies, she's spending or stunning an enemy. Or, Sacrifice with her and move your just-played Temple of Lore back one rank. Led by Arden Tide, her magic save can result in wounds if the target rolls low enough. With Warren Brood, she can turn Captain Alera into Ar’tek. Lots of possibilities here!
For your second rank, I'm in love with Darso the Mad (the best non-illusionist with illusionist mechanics). That DC 14 is tough for most opposing level 1s or 2s to make. If you must have HP in your second rank, you can also choose from Bradley (whom I love because I roll 1s), Jethro, or the always-available Sakarian Bloodknight.
BALANCE
What if your deck wants a little of this and a little of that? You don't need to aggro aggro, but you don't want to turtle up. Probably the best option for this in a level 1 is Haden Rhys. The party begins when the opponent starts swinging.
There are solid options for your second rank. Farrel Wadreth can make your opponent suffer for killing one of your level 1s, and the reacts get super spicy if he's next to Scarlett and a Leigh in front of them gets offed. Or second turn, if he's alive in the front, he can react to you killing a character in the opponent's front rank.
Rosalie doesn't have to spend to hand out additional melee strikes, so she really loves reflecting things too.
For causing chaos, it's hard to beat Za'beth Candlebane. As if moving ANY level 1 or 2 in the game wasn't good enough, the FreeKs have many ways to give her additional levels. Mwahahaha...
SPECIAL CASES
Of course, depending on the warlord, you might find other starters better than the ones I listed above. Or, you might want to main deck some options for games 2 and 3 if you run into something more difficult to handle. Here are some to consider.
"AND THAT'S WHEN I KNEW I WAS GONNAHAFTASHUTTERDOWN"
Ryan Mornington: Say goodbye to pesky characters like Gunda, Danres, Amatria, Javvyn, Genecourt Initiate, opposing Llyr Militias, Trogid—the list goes on. Best part is, he doesn't have to wound, just hit (yes, it pays to pay attention to these things!).
Bring along Kun Iacob when Stygian Wraiths or Regret's Shadow get too popular.
Jiyacin Fret needs consideration in every cavalry deck. Some players will start her in a Jaqueline Windson deck with two Brothers so it's difficult for your ranks to break, but if they do, you can move up a big boy and probably ready 'em with Jackie.
In a Captain Dukat deck, you definitely want some pew pew. Snuff and Percy are your men here.
If you run Laird Jon Hawthorne, you can upgrade his machine gun by either making his strikes bigger (Tonvan) or making him strike more (Sestian).
If you're playing the Beastmaster, you need Yscarite Sentry. AC bonuses the first turn if he dies, and after that, everyone in the army gets Eladric's bonuses.
Obligatory Peasant Queen reference. It's illegal to talk about FreeK level 1s without mentioning Adarymy.
For your second rank, a lot of people like Aroch Knights in Adarymy. One action, two characters in play, and more bonuses!
“YES I HAVE TWO SWINGS, BUT YOUR GAME PLAN MAY BE IN THE TOILET IF I'M ATTACKING"
Although the strength of the FreeKs is in the lower levels, some decks (ahem, Robert the Vigilant) like moving big boys up. In that case, Baqbou is option A and Borgen Ferris is option 2.
Kiras Yscar is useful in a Warlord-centric deck like Uriel, Trevaine Cartwright, Albrecht, Iam, or Eiael.
Llyr Veterans need to be considered in weenie rush decks like Adarymy or The Lady of Mercy. I probably should have put him in my March 2023 Rabinus the Elder deck to move wounds to, then go dig out Dominy or Xiantha. You'll want to consider I Have Your Back or Rally to the Cause, but those are decent FreeK cards anyway.
Here's a fun one. Taya Cooper lets you drop your multi-striking level 2s in the front rank ready to swing. Try it with Samuel dishing out mighty bonuses to Tacus, Corbas, and Kato. Or, run your aggro level 1s then bring in Colter Arden to do a million +0 range strikes (he enters in the second rank because of Taya).
So, for reference, we have:
Attack
1s:
Brother Dominy/Spencer
Jal/Dominy/Kylia Smythe
Xiantha, Centaur Soldier
2s:
Glenn and Scarlett
Josef Krieg and Scarlett
Dreiga / Novice Ruth
Defense
1s:
Llyr Militia
Leigh
Kun Davill
2s:
Darso the Mad
2HP boys like Bradley or Jethro
Balance
1s:
Haden Rhys
2s:
Farrel Wadreth
Rosalie
Za'beth Candlebane
Special cases
1s:
Ryan Mornington
Kun Iacob
Jiyacin Fret
Percy/Snuff
Sestian
Tonvan
Yscarite Sentry
2s:
Aroch Knights
Baqbou and Borgen Ferriss
Kiras Yscar
Llyr Veterans
Taya Cooper
Disagree? Did I forget something? Let me know in the comments!