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The Uthuk
Army Analysis

The Uthuk are the heavy metal barbarian faction. Some Uthuk strategies are suggested in the Command and Control section.

Fixed flat Uthuk:

In the basic Uthuk Yllan army set, you receive four Warriors of Yllan, two Don'ra Stingers, two Uthuk Zealots, two Ru Airgliders and two Unclean Ones. Warriors of Yllan are more expensive than most front-line troops, and their attack doesn't really compensate for that cost. Don'ra stingers are average archers. Uthuk Zealots are berserkers that can actually take down Stalwarts when berserk, but their speed and the necessity of berserking them make them only useful in specific berserker strategies. Ru Airgliders are fast and inexpensive flyers, but you have to be really careful with them around enemy flyers. Unclean Ones make good spellcasters for the price, and it hurts to attack them in melee combat, but they're susceptible to fireballs and missiles so protect them well. The Uthuk were expensive but interesting out of the basic box.

In the Moon Over Thelgrim The Knives of Q'aro Fenn expansion set, you receive three Scavengers of Yxx, three Sisters of Q'aro Fenn and two Uthuk Yargrin. Scavengers of Yxx make a good replacement for the front-line troops most factions use - they're cheap and fast, and can occasionally use that special attribute. Sisters of Q'aro Fenn are mostly useful in large numbers, but are fortunately easy to get. There are random Uthuk that are probably more cost-effective than Sisters, but when you need a slightly higher attack and toughness they'll provide it. Uthuk Yargrin are disappointing - I kind of like them, but won't use them without a very specific plan for them.

In the Legions box Massacre at Godstone Keep, Uthuk got a decent boost with two Dhall Uthuk, one Don'ra Master, two Don'ra Stingers, four Ru Airgliders, two Ru Clansmen, one Ru Launcher, one Shura Assassin, one T'ann Assassin, three Twisted Yll'rath, one Unclean Ones and four Warriors of Yllan. Dhall Uthuk are, I think, improved Zealots, with an extra wound bought at the cost of having to stick around until the attacked opponent is dead. The Don'ra Master is an archer that could hold its own in melee, and can't kill friendly units, but even for all that it's not cheap for a unit that frequently won't Activate. Ru Clansmen are cheap, fast berserkers, and a bargain if only half of them manage to berserk during a game. Ru Launchers might make Ru Airgliders useful even against opposition with flyers, especially if the Uthuk can manage to move them last. The Shura Assassin isn't as good as it looks at first - it's a little too fragile and slow for most battles. T'ann Assassins are much better than the Shura variety - faster, immune to spells, ambushes spellcasters and takes them out. Twisted Yll'rath are great: fast, First Blow and cheap. With the Beastlord, you get to use them over and over...

In the Waiqar's Path set The Ru Lords, you receive three T'kalla Uthuk, three Y'kata Harpies and two Y'vallin Wilds. T'kalla Uthuk have the potential to make an evaporating army if they're pinned or moved out of position. Cheaper Y'kata Harpies are just better, as a result. Y'vallin Wilds are a conflicted disk - they want to be awesome, but they kill themselves as they kill your opponents, and for eight points there are other disks that are at least as good.

In the fixed flats, the Uthuk are interesting, and you could make a fun army with only fixed disks from Legions and Waiqar's Path, but their true power came in the random disks.

Random flat Uthuk:

In the basic boxes, the Uthuk got a few nice disks, but were very expensive - and being outnumbered hurts. Da'Roul Bonesplicer is a hard-hitting monster of a disk, and few Uthuk armies leave him out. Servants of Yllan almost become the basic Uthuk troops - tough with good attack and defense numbers and an okay speed. Don't leave home without a couple. Warlock Eth'Drogan isn't bad, but costs a bit much for a spellcaster that's practically useless in combat. Zok Slavemaster is interesting, but it's expensive to experiment with him, especially since he dies easily in attacks. At least he's fast. People liked Uthuk after the basic set, but they didn't rank high on the power charts.

Moon Over Thelgrim gave the Uthuk some boosts, putting them in the middle of the pack in power. Asya of Yllan replaces Warlock Eth'Drogan for the same points, better stats and a potentially useful ability, although you have to know you want a durable spellcaster to take her (and not Unclean Ones). Beastlord Y'lgath is only useful if you have several Twisted Yll'rath in the army, but at least he's not expensive. Gorath G'onn is like an archer that hits every round - very useful against low-toughness armies, but a little expensive. People are down on Orthos the Obscene, and if you're not taking other Champions it's probably best to leave him home. However, he's really durable, and can complement a line of Dwarf Slaves marching slowly forward. Uthuk Spearmen would be great if they didn't die with one fireball. As it is, they're defensive counterstrike units, and you have to decide whether you want them or more Servants of Yllan. Spearmen aren't easy to get, either.

In Wastelands, the Uthuk gained several interesting options, and became less one-dimensional. Children of Pestilence gave the Uthuk a valuable way to get rid of enemy Fairy Swarms. The Dhall Witch is interesting, but expensive - build a plan around a Witch before investing the points. Dwarven Slaves can be the mass fodder troops in an Uthuk army, as long as the army doesn't need to move quickly. Kam'llotan Uthuk have to be used carefully, but if they can strike first they can really swing a battle. The Mouth of Yllan is invaluable to Uthuk armies - giving an extra two flips to the movement of a disk can make the difference in an attack. Slavelord Kodo Fenn is much more durable than the Zok Slavemaster, and swashbuckles, making him a possible attack disk besides his enslaving ability - definitely an upgrade. Viper Legions offer another way to knock off Fairy Swarms, as well as an attack against Dwarves. Between Legions and Slaves, the Uthuk are much more likely to go pure after Wastelands. Finally, Y'targa Beasts are a fast assault disk that can replace Twisted Yll'rath - and Beasts are much easier to get.

Waiqar's Path restored some speed to the Uthuk, and gave them some serious punch! disks. Fa'ta Deathblade is a combat spellcaster and her special ability can demolish opposition quickly. Iyx, the Voice of Llovar initially looks too expensive, but look again - just as dangerous in combat as Fa'ta, a Level 2 spellcaster, and three Activations for 15 points. He's a nice disk. Llovar's Elite Guard should scare opponents away quickly. You can't Incite or Heal them, but they'll probably manage to take out opponents anyway, and when they're berserk they're nigh unstoppable. Qaratan Uthuk are a sort of roving Surge spell with a range limitation - potentially useful, but very expensive. Qi'nok Ta'gonn are similarly expensive, but at least they have a marginal combat value, and they can stop your opponent from marching lines of Stalwarts or bunches of Vampires into your line. The Ru Lord isn't bad in his own right; his boost to Llovar's Elite Guard is just gravy. Shuro Earthspears might have interesting uses in clearing swarm attacks from large disks, but it's hard not to want to spend the points on other options. The Yargrin Scout, for example, can quickly move your backfield disks into position to protect your frontline formation - imagine blipping Fa'ta onto an opposing attacker, then using her SA to Zot someone else nearby, for example.

Uthuk armies now rank in the top half of the power rankings, although people will argue about where they should end up. Big winners are Da'Roul Bonesplicer, Servants of Yllan, Y'kata Harpies, Viper Legions, the Mouth of Yllan and Llovar's Elite Guard. Big losers are Warlock Eth'Drogan, T'kalla Uthuk and, some would argue, Uthuk Yargrin. A solid faction, all around.