The Witches of Wyrdwood
Unlike a lot of lists, the witches do not rely on trait synergy.
Instead, the witches work in tandem with passive, active and arcane abilities to buff themselves and other models irrespective of trait. This, in combination with the witches' great toolbox of abilities, creates a great all-round list with answers to every situation. But what Specifically do these three do and who else can aid them in a troupe?
Wyrdwood Witches
The witches generally spend most of the game supporting friends and controlling enemies. They also possess perhaps the most obvious and blunt example of synergy in the game with their 'Link to the past/present/future' abilities. With this passive ability, their mere presence on the board will improve the stats of their fellow witches as well as their own. With this in mind, the witches should usually be considered together as opposed to on their own. This is as these synergies play very well into all their game plans such as Danica's heal which will alleviate some of the damage she will inevitably cause herself.
Aside from these synergies, the witches generally don't interact with a specific trait. Although Danica does have 'Meddle with fate', which gets better with spirits, she will normally have enough spirits in the form of the other 2 witches to get this ability working reliably. This lack of trait-specific synergies means that a list involving the witches can often be very flexible with its other models. The best way to select the rest of the troupe can then be to pick counters to your opponent if drafting your troupe alongside them. Otherwise, models that make the best use of the witches plethora of support options can always be a solid choice.
One of these witches is Antonia. The simplest of the witches, Antonia offers a heal with 'Healing' and a lure ability with 'Candy apples'. Whilst these kind of abilities are well established and understood, her last ability is in stark contrast a weird and niche one. 'Visions of the present' allows this support model to put out damage equal to wounds a model has already suffered. This can lead to a wide range of damage from 0 on an unwounded enemy up to a colossal 13 wounds on a badly wounded giant such as an enemy Gotchgut. As well as this, the earlier mentioned 'Candy apples' can also deal out some damage in the right circumstances too. When luring someone close to Antonia, they deal 3 damage. Alternatively, if they hit a catastrophe effect they can damage everyone nearby.
Drawing a catastrophe however isn't as easy as it sounds, in fact, it's as likely as drawing a 3 of any colour. Enter Zorya, whose abilities may offer a solution to this. Before we move onto that though we should look at Zorya's other abilities. With 'Swift' and 'Mesmerising', Zorya can simultaneously be very evasive and very good at shutting down opponents' movement. Combining this with 'Violent impulse' and her signature means she can launch herself at enemies, trap them in position, and easily dispatch them. Alternatively, instead of seeking out and destroying enemies herself, she can take a more supportive role.
As well as being used to buff herself up, 'Violent impulse' can alternatively be used to buff other models up. Fishing for catastrophes on this ability can get other nearby models, such as Loubard, increased damage instead. 'Swift' can also be used in a less aggressive way. Instead of launching herself into combat with 'Swift', Zorya can play defensively and avoid getting engaged. This can be useful if she has harvested any moonstones! For the most part, Zorya's support will come from her only active ability. 'Visions of the future' is a bizarre ability that immediately causes a catastrophe. At first glance, this would seem very detrimental to any plan. However, within Leshavult there are many arcane abilities that adore the prospect of getting a catastrophe.
Danica is one such model that cherishes catastrophes, in fact, some of her best uses involve getting catastrophes! Both Danicas arcane abilities give energy to models when they get a catastrophe, either 2 to a single model or 1 to every model nearby. The downside of these catastrophes however is wounding Danica or other friendly models. Whilst 'Visions of the past's catastrophe can often result in the most energy it also usually results in the most wounds. It also deals wounds to other models and so can put Danica's allies in danger. In comparison, 'Puppeteer's catastrophe only deals Danica wounds which is useful if other models are badly wounded but dreadful if Danica is in danger.
Whilst wounding your own models is a risky prospect, if timed correctly the danger can be mostly avoided by using the vast amount of healing available to Leshavult. This is especially the case at the start of the game when the witches are safe from enemies unless of course, your opponent has some very long-ranged models such as Quarrel and Flintlock. If this is the case Danica should be hiding behind buildings and other models to keep herself safe whilst badly wounded. Or, better yet, 'Meddle with fate' to remove all the troublesome cards with the extra energy at the start before she gets badly wounded. This can be particularly potent against lists that rely on one type of card. For example, removing all the high greens from a gnome gunline or even stealing the pinks from Diana's arcane heavy, damage-focused faerie troupe to save your entire troupe from ranged damage!
Monstrous Muscle
Although the witches already have Zorya to deal some damage they may often need a little extra muscle. Whilst Zorya is flimsy and often can't play too aggressively due to a potential risk of losing 'Visions of the future', these models can take a hit and aren't as risky to send into brutal fights. Some of these models are also generally held back by how little energy they have. With Danica's energy catastrophes though, as well as puppeteering them for extra actions during her activations, these models can become truly horrifying in melee with a ludicrous number of attacks.
Loubard
Loubard’s card.
For high damage attacks, the Leshavult has a brilliant option with Loubard. However, for all his power in melee, he is held back by his pathetic 2 energy a turn. Danica will therefore pair amazingly with this melee monster. As well as allowing him to take more attacks, Danica's energy catastrophes can also unlock his 'Righteous fury' enabling even more damage in melee! Finally, targeting Loubard with Puppeteer early in the game will allow Danica to make Loubard take even more attacks. A Loubard with Puppeteer and a Danica with a 'Visions of the past' catastrophe nearby can yield 6 Loubard attacks! This can be achieved through a Loubard activation and a Danica activation or Danica can go first, use her energy to activate 'Righteous fury', and let Loubard activate later with a huge stack of energy.
Jackalope
Jackalope’s card.
Whilst most of the previous points for Loubard will still hold true for the Jackalope there are a few differences between these two monsters and how they interact with the witches. Firstly, the Jackalope doesn't have 'Righteous fury' or a similar ability and so will not be able to pull off that unique Loubard trick for a huge stack of energy. In its stead, the Jackalope has 'Hop' which will allow it to cover much further distances than the giant and either engage backfield targets or flee with moonstones. Finally, the Jackalope starts with 3 energy and doesn't have an ability it needs to use which requires additional energy. This leaves the Jackalope as a far more self-sufficient model than Loubard which can prove invaluable as Danica can't assist everyone all the time. Otherwise, the Jackalope can operate quite similarly gaining additional energy for attacks and harvesting and additional out of activation actions with puppeteer.
Klaus
Klaus’ card.
When compared to the previous two models, Klaus may look a little underwhelming with a smaller number of wounds, a worse damage buff and lack of armour. However, with the right support, Klaus can be harder to kill than Loubard or the Jackalope and can hit just as hard. Part of his toughness comes from Raegan, who grants protection to him every turn allowing him to take a swing at some of the biggest melee models in the game without fear of reprisal. His other neat survival trick is 'Tubthumping' which is something Danica will be able to help with. When flipping a random card from the deck a catastrophe is generally pretty unlikely. However, it is even more unlikely if Danica 'Meddles with fate' and removes all 3 of them from the deck before he is slain. In addition to all of this, he can also offer some support to the witches as well! With'Hold my beer' Klaus can induce catastrophes, to potentially hinder an opponent or help some witches. This can be a great help if Zorya is preoccupied, has been slain or otherwise can't use 'Visions of the future' for whatever reason. On the other hand, it can be the exact opposite of a great help for your opponent if one of their models has a particularly bad catastrophe like Flintlock or the Firespitter!
Supplementary Support
Although the witches bring a fantastic array of support abilities, sometimes a little more assistance can go a long way. If you're worried about using the 'Visions of the past' catastrophe on Danica a lot, for example, you may want more healing. Alternately if you wanted more catastrophes you could even bring the revenant for an additional 'Visions of the future'. Whatever your troupe may need, an additional model dedicated to helping your big hitters can sometimes be more effective than bringing another big model.
Raegan
Raegan’s card.
Raegen loves catastrophes. The witches love to cause catastrophes. Raegen also loves removing cards from the arcane deck. Similarly, the witches also love to remove cards from the arcane deck. With the witches constantly causing catastrophes, Raegen can passively strip the arcane deck of cards you want to save for later or cards you don't want to see in the deck. Most notably, the combination of Raegen and Danica's deck removal abilities can strip the entire deck of all three catastrophes. Having a catastrophe in Raegens reserve can be useful if you urgently need a catastrophe and a 'Visions of the future' user is unavailable. More importantly, a deck empty of catastrophes will guarantee Klaus' 'Tubthumping' to succeed. In combination with Raegen granting him protection, Raegen can make Klaus an absolute monster and a terror to deal with. If this wasn't enough, Raegen also has 'Malachite ritual' an incredibly versatile ability that can grant energy, deal damage and heal wounds! Despite the fact this heal can't target the witches, as they are spirits, your other models will always appreciate more healing. An additional niche use for this is against models with troublesome passives like the Revenant. As 'Malachite ritual' ignores these, Raegen can deal the final wounds to the Revenant and slay him once and for all! Finally, models like Klaus and Loubard will always adore additional energy, more energy means more attacks and a chance to use their high-cost active abilities!
Brother Daniel
Brother Daniel’s card.
As good as the witches catastrophes are, they have an unfortunate effect of causing a lot of damage over the course of the game. This is especially the case with 'Visions of the past' which can pulse out a huge amount of damage if it affects multiple models. Conveniently, one model in Leshavult can heal a lot of surrounding models with 'Bell ringer', a healing pulse! As well as assisting with more healing, Daniel can also assist with additional energy with 'Look at the shiny thing'. This particular energy is especially helpful for Loubard as it can be given to him at the start of the turn. This means he won't have to wait for a few activations to get his additional energy and can activate first and still use 'Righteous fury'. On top of this, if anyone survives Loubards speedy first activation Danica can make use of puppeteer to get even more attacks to finish the job! Brother Daniel can also benefit from the witches too, by getting additional energy from Danica for the use 'The end of nigh'. He can also utilise this abilities catastrophe through Zorya's 'Visions of the future' for a slightly more niche trick to remove himself from play. This can be game-winning if he has multiple moonstones as these moonstones will count towards your end game score and will be kept safe from your opponent!
The Cursed Coven
In closing, the witches are hard to play and require practice, a lot of practice. However, once you have got to grips with them there are very few other troupes that are as flexible. This flexibility comes at a cost of wounds and complex combos but you will always have more options than your opponent. With this in mind, the witches need to be careful to not get interrupted whilst performing their combos. A good turn to set these things up can therefore be turn 1 where your opponent can't interact with you as much. It is also worth keeping an eye out for ranged models as they can snipe of badly wounded witches at terrible times. But as previously mentioned, this too is also possible to deal with using arcane deck manipulation. Knowledge of an opponent's troupe is therefore also fantastically helpful as you will know where to limit them. With all this, a witches troupe in a perfect position can stop your opponent in their tracks and then make them turn on themselves with a combination of puppeteers and catastrophes!
