Godtear Maelstrom Champions Guide

Following on from our initial Godtear Guide, we’re going to look at each Godtear Champion in groups of champion types. This guide will focus on Godtear Maelstrom Champions and will be updated as each Champion is released into retail.

If you're enjoying this guide, check out our Godtear Guide to learn more about the main game itself before diving headfirst into the factions. 

Who are Maelstroms? 

Maelstroms tend to be offensive-focused champions, and they get bonus slides on the track for taking out enemy followers. They have lots of options for removing different types of followers but not much else in the way of team support.

Blackjaw

Blackjaw has the capability to remove swathes of enemy followers.

Blackjaw’s Ultimate is a range 2, 6/5 attack that can target up to 5 followers within range, which if it pays off, can be a huge swing with track slides as each follower is worth 2 for Maelstroms. Blackjaw’s passive gives him an extra action if he knocks out a follower that turn, and with 3 attacks in the clash phase, he can consistently remove followers if they are within range.

Blackjaw has 5 followers, the Unburnt Reavers. The Reavers are fast. 3 plot phase movement with a skill that lets a hex full of them move 2 extra hexes. It combines well with their passive which reduces the accuracy of any small followers that have less than 3 together within 3 hexes.  This also plays well into Blackjaw as your opponents will group their followers together, making them great targets for Blackjaw, or split them up, which reduces their effectiveness and further impacts them with the Reavers passive. The Reavers have a solid 5/6 attack (4/5 with 2 Reavers on a hex) which can be used to remove any threats to Blackjaw or soften up targets for other options.

Blackjaw’s entire toolset is designed to remove followers. He has 3 attacks, and his passive will let him use all of them if he takes out a follower. Kick is a range 1, 6/6 attack that can only target followers. It will pretty consistently take out most small followers. He then has 2 attacks that can target up to 3 models in 1 hex. Fiery Axe is range 1, 4/5 and Fireball is range 2, 5/4. This means that with his standard attacks, he has the option to target 7 followers on a normal turn. It does rely on solid target selection for the attacks and also making sure all targets are within range, which can be set up well in the plot phase with Blackjaw’s 4 possible movement.

Blackjaw is a menace to followers, and rather than focus on their own strategy, your opponents will be considering their placement and positioning of their followers. This will cause sub-optimal plays or optimal plays that give Blackjaw an open invitation for bonus steps on the tracker.

Grimgut

Grimgut is a follower focused champion, with great follower positioning abilities for them to take out enemies.

Grimgut’s ultimate is a range 1, 7 attack 7 damage skill that must target followers, but can target up to 3 followers within range. With a 7/7 attack, it means the odds are 3 followers are going to be eliminated. Grimgut’s passive works into one of Grimgut’s plot and clash skills, New Spew. Grimgut removes all followers from the battlefield and then places 5 back on. Grimgut’s passive allows these to be placed adjacent to a follower (where normally they should be placed adjacent to the champion), so they can be strung out in a line if required.

Grimgut has 5 followers, the Retchlings. The Retchlings are actually the power behind the Maelstrom and are effective at dealing out damage. They have 0 movement in the plot phase, and 1 in the clash phase, so are entirely dependent on Grimgut to get them in position. In the plot phase they can give 2 speed boons out and in the clash phase, their attack can target 3 enemies in a single hex and can be used by 2 Retchlings to target up to 6 followers. In return, the retchings are worth no steps when removed, which means they offer no benefit to your opponent for removing them, and even if they do, Grimgut can bring them all back next phase.

Grimgut’s plot and clash phase will mostly be spent moving slowly around the board and spewing Retchlings into position to attack. In the plot phase, Grimgut does have access to Flu Spew and Goo Spew, which can give a damage or movement blight to every enemy champion and follower adjacent to a Retchling with a 4 dice attack, so with some cunning placement, you can give out several blights. In the clash phase, Grimgut can roll 3 in a straight line, for some extra mobility and has a single attack that can only target a follower. It’s a 7 attack, 7 damage attack that will take out almost all followers, but the limitation means that the focus will be on the Retchlings attacks.
 

Titus

Titus comes with some decent attacks and control options but suffers from a low movement.

Titus’s Ultimate lets him use a skill, move a hex, then use another skill. He only has 2 skill abilities in the plot and clash phase, so this will usually be accompanied by a move (or banner placement in the plot phase). Titus’s passive gives him +1 to dodge and armor against followers, so he can generally stride into their ranks and wreak havoc.

Titus has 5 followers, the Glory Seekers. The Seekers have some interesting options. In the plot phase, they can move a friendly Champion within 2 hexes 1 hex, which will be used mostly on Titus in order to get him into range to do anything but can also be used for prime positioning of your other champions. They also have the Outflank skill in the plot phase, which has 6 accuracy dice and if successful, can move any Glory Seeker adjacent to the target to any space adjacent to the target. This plays into their Surround Pound clash phase attack, which is boosted in accuracy and damage by adjacent Seekers, but Outflank can also be used just to block movement or shoot your seekers across to the other side of their target to attack a different target. The Glory Seekers can also move 2 hexes when they come back with a recruit action, allowing for some fast repositioning.

Titus’ Challenge skill can give any enemy within 2 hexes 2 blights of your choice, but your opponent gets to give Titus a blight as well. This should always be judged against the blight your opponent will give you in return. If both of your blights aren’t of optimal effectiveness in terms of combo’s, then don’t use it as -1 movement, doge or armor can really hurt Titus. 

Titus has 2 attacks, that can both target 2 units. Piercing Strike is a 5/6 attack that targets enemies in the same hex and Sweeping Slash is a 6/5 attack that targets enemies in different hexes. Positioning and target selection are key to making these attacks count especially if using them as part of his ultimate.

Titus has some great options and can have a devastating turn with his ultimate. He doesn’t feel as effective as Blackjaw at removing followers, but he has options and can be used well in the right team to plug some gaps in abilities.

The stat cards for all of the Godtear Champions can be downloaded from Steamforged Games' Godtear page. The Godtear products used to produce this article were provided by Steamforged Games and Asmodee UK.