I’m making a focused effort to get better at playing Warmachine, especially with Circle Orboros.

Why Circle? Because the models first drew me to the game back in Mk 2. I built and painted a small list back then, but just as I was getting into it, my local store closed—and I wasn’t aware of any other scene in my area, so I set the game aside.

I started playing Mk4 shortly after it released but have been bouncing around from faction to faction and haven’t really focused on getting better at the game until now.

My Swiss‑Army‑Knife, Toolbox List

In my head, this list represents both a high skill ceiling and a high skill floor—a blend of tools that should let me handle most factions and hone my gameplay. The purpose of this list is to be an aggressive denial list. We want to hit hard and put into the middle of the board and deny our opponents from scoring.

Super Friends – Circle Orboros – Secret Dominion – 100 pts

Baldur the Stonecleaver – 15 pts
Megalith – 27 pts
Woldwrath – 2 pts

Blackclad Stoneshaper 2pts

Blackclad Stoneshaper 2pts

Druid Wilder – 3 pts

Blackclad Wayfarer – 3 pts

Exulon Nostilla – 20 pts
Aberration – 4 pts

Krueger the Stormseer – 5 pts
Woldwyrd – 7 pts

Sentry Stone & Mannikins – 2 pts

Shifting Stones (two units) – 7 pts total

Warpborn Skinwalkers ×7 – 3 pts
Warpborn Skinwalker Alpha – 1 pt

PC Command Card: Blessing of the Gods
Other Cards: Defenses, Hit & Run, Lucky Penny, Old Faithful
Defense Cards: Barrier ×2, Fire Pit
Total Points: 100/100

Model-by-Model Breakdown

Baldur the Stonecleaver

• Grants constructs free charges and heals them.
• Can teleport from forest to forest—threatens situational assassination angles but this will probably never happen
• Stone Skin cycling trick: Buff one model, activate it, then re-cast onto another for +2 damage twice per round.

Megalith

• Minor healing for Baldur.
• Geomancies Earth Spikes for disruption and DEF debuffs.
• Undergrowth shines against high-DEF infantry but is situational and expensive, its probably better to just boost or buy attacks.
• Can Trample 8″ and still cast via Geomancy.

Woldwrath

• Central board presence; contests/scoring anchor.
• Boosted ranged attacks to fish for crit knockdowns.
• Knockdowns enable boosted sprays from Mannikins.
• Not easily debuffed; strong against high-ARM targets.

Blackclad Stoneshaper ×2

• Buffs Woldwrath or Megalith with +2 POW.
• Late game: spray attack support.

Druid Wilder

• Free upkeep and free Earth Spikes.
• Helps manage Baldur’s fury with Stone Skin juggling.

Blackclad Wayfarer

• Hunter’s Mark increases Aberration charge threat range too.

Exulon Nostilla

• Boostable spray attack that shuts down casting.
• Revives Shifting Stones and Skinwalkers.
• Dark Seduction has a huge threat range.
• Grants Vision to Aberration for survivability.

Aberration

• A true all-rounder: tanky, melee + ranged threat.
• Addresses Circle’s traditional lack of brute damage.

Krueger the Stormseer

• Can create cloud walls—combo with Baldur = 6″ LoS block.
• Buffs Skinwalkers with Electro Leap? Not sure if this is even worth it but its there.

Woldwyrd

• Can hunt support solos and punishes enemy spellcasters.
• Purgation gives bonus dice vs upkeep/animi targets – this stacks with boosting damage so this can be two pow 12 plus 4 dice into something important
• Threatens assassination vs upkeep-heavy casters.

Sentry Stone & Mannikins

• Magic, boostable spray attacks—great vs infantry.
• Sucker! makes them bodyguards for Nostilla.
• Disposable contesters and disruption tools.
• Can aim for RAT 8 sprays.

Shifting Stones x 2

• One unit holds your 40mm objective.
• The other contests enemy zones, heals heavies, and can score your opponents 40mm. In a perfect world, all at the same time.

Warpborn Skinwalkers + Alpha

• With Stone Skin, they hit ARM 20 in melee.
• Baldur’s feat protects from ranged attacks.
• Excellent as meatshields or frontline threats.
• Nostilla can revive them.
• Strongest infantry in Secret Dominion.

Command & Support Cards

PC Command Card: Blessing of the Gods

• Cracks high DEF and Incorporeal.
• Often used on Skinwalkers or Aberration.
• Might be optional due to existing magic attacks, I will definitely test this one out with other options.

Defenses

• Drop 2 Barriers near objectives.
• Create cover for Stones and Skinwalkers.
• One may protect Nostilla

Hit & Run

• Gives Reposition to Aberration or Skinwalkers

Lucky Penny

• Emergency extra fury for Baldur—especially useful defensively or for assassination.

Old Faithful

• Lets a damaged cohort restore a system and push for late-game value.

Strategy Notes

What This List Is Doing

This is Day 1 theorycrafting. I’m writing to work through my strategy and keep myself grounded going into games. I plan to update this list after every playtest to see how it evolves.

Key Threats

• Woldwrath, Aberration, and Skinwalkers must carry their weight.
• Aberration and Skinwalkers are intended to trade up and clear heavies.
• All three are durable and should survive long enough to:
  • Take out a big threat
  • Deny opponent objectives
  • Hopefully score themselves

Game Plan

• Megalith lowers DEF on objective holders.
• Skinwalkers clean up infantry.
• Woldwrath + Aberration handle enemy heavies or colossals.
• Cloud walls and forests protect core threats from alpha strikes.

Support Roles

• Nostilla is a backline threat and key support piece.
• Stones and Mannikins contest, screen, or bodyguard Nostilla.
• Shifting Stones and Junoir Casters allow me to go wide on the board for split-scenario pressure.

Things I Want to Test

• Adding a second Sentry Stone & Mannikins
• Is Megalith worth it? Or would a cheaper Wold Warden/Watcher provide more value?
• Is the Skinwalker unit the best third threat? Or is there a better option?
• I keep thinking about a Gorax & Rip Horn Satyr or Pureblood warpwolf and just yeeting it into the middle of the opponents army to force them spending activations on dealing with it, but its probably bad?

Lincoln & The Magnets (Bradigus)

This is my more “solved” second list. Focused on Warjack skew and alpha striking.

Bradigus Thorle the Runecarver – 100 pts – Circle Orboros / Secret Dominion / Grand Melee

• Wold Guardian ×4 – 14 pts each
• Woldwight ×3 – 3 pts each
• Woldwyrd – 7 pts
• Celestial Fulcrum – 13 pts
• Blackclad Stoneshaper ×4 – 2 pts each
• Blackclad Wayfarer – 3 pts
• Shifting Stones ×2 – 2 pts each

Total: 100/100

Strategy

• Run up mid-board with 15″ threat Wold Guardians.
• Use Woldwights to clear single wound models with fire, shield guard, and build synergy.
• Go all-in on an alpha strike that removes key threats.
• After the alpha, clean up with attrition and zone control.

Key Tools

• Celestial Fulcrum handles fury management and chips away with attacks.
• Stoneshapers buff POW to 23+.
• Shifting Stones enable teleport tricks and heal wounded warbeasts but their main role is to score objectives.

Matchup Notes

“Bradigus is for 2 types of matchups: DEF skew and heavy skew.”

• Heavy Skew: Against other ARM 18+ heavy lists—Bradigus wins by out-alphing them.
• Def Skew: With Synergy and MAT 7+ you’ll land hits, especially with boosted initial attacks.
• Weakness: If Bradigus doesn’t get a solid feat turn or gets bogged down by chaff, he can stall out and lose on scenario or attrition or be open to assassination on the following turn.

Thanks to Masterball from Trash Panda Discord for Bradigus insights.

Variants to Try

• Replace Celestial Fulcrum with Druids of Orboros for fury efficiency.
• Try Krueger + Woldwyrd or cut Woldwyrd entirely.
• Test 3 vs 4 Woldwights.
• Add Sentry Stone for boosted spray clearing lanes.
• Reduce Stoneshapers to 2 if 4 is overkill.

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

I’ve got games lined up this week, and I’ll report back with results. This is the beginning of a living document as I try to get good.