This is the Start Collecting Anvilgard box: one of the latest Start Collecting to be added and an interesting entry point for the Cities of Sigmar with a twist of Old World Dark Aelves.
Note that, even if “advertised” as Anvilgard, these units can be used in any of the cities of Sigmar allegiances.
Which models are included in the Start Collecting Anvilgard Box?
The box advertises the following miniatures:
- 1 Black Ark Fleetmaster
- 10 Black Ark Corsairs
- 1 Kharibdyss and 1 Scourgerunner Chariot from the Scourge Privateers sub-faction.
The Kharibdyss and the Chariot can be assembled alternatively as War Hydra and Drakespawn Chariot respectively (both from the Order Serpentis sub-faction).
Anvilguard is a dark and shady city where the outcasts found their safe heaven.
This is reflected also in the city rules, with particular attention to the dark aelves of the Scourge Privateers.
This box is also a perfect start for the Charrwind Beasthunters battalion providing everything except 2 units of Black Ark Corsairs (although the battlion is quite weak, for 120 points and you only get +1 wound roll against monster).
The city rules itself are uninspiring (at least compared to some of the other cities which are really good) but do not let this distract you from the content of the box.
1 Black Ark Fleetmaster
Let’s start from the Black Ark Fleetmaster, the cheapest unit and leader of Cities (together with the Cogsmith and the Scourgerunner Chariot).
As a leader for that cost he has decent values giving also +1 attack to Scourge Privateer units for a command point.
If chosen as your general, he allows Black Ark Corsairs and Scourgerunner Chariots to be battlelines.
10 Black Ark Corsairs
The Black Ark Corsairs are the basic infantry of the Scourge Privateers.
They have 2 weapon profiles: either two sword to double their melee attack or a crossbow to add 2 missile attacks.
If they are more than 15 in one unit, they can add +1 to the hit roll. Basic profile, but also a really cheap unit.
1 Scourgerunner Chariot
The Scourgerunner Chariot is an interesting option with lots of missile attacks and the ability to dish mortal wounds on a 6.
Being the cheapest unit, and cheapest battleline with the Fleetmaster as general, he is worth some consideration.
The alternative assembly option for this kit, the Drakespawn Chariot, instead can become battleline if the Dreadlord on Black Dragon is selected as general and, compared to the Scourgerunner, is a much more melee-focused option with mortal wounds on charge.
So when you build it, you have to decide if you want melee or ranged output from the chariot.
1 Kharibdyss
The Kharibdyss is a beautiful model and for its cost, only 170 points, it is worth keeping in mind.
He is a behemoth but can become battleline in an Anvilgard army, exactly as its counterpart the War Hydra.
It has different attacks and can re-generate when slaying enemy models, perfect against horde enemies.
The War Hydra can be assembled as an alternative and shares a similar profile adding a missile breath attack to its weapon rosters plus the ability to regenerate each hero phase independently by the damage done in the combat phase.
Both models roll 3 dice on a charge and choose the 2 they prefer, making it more reliable to get into combat with your big beasts.
Total point cost and point cost of the different models in the Start Collecting Anvilgard box
Using the points from the Cities of Sigmar book:
- Black Ark Fleetmaster is 60 points
- a unit of Black Ark Corsairs 80 (discounted at 280 for a group of 40)
- the Scourgerunner Chariot is 60 and the Drakespawn Chariot is 80 points with a discounted price of 210 for a unit of 3
- Khraribdyss or War Hydra is both170 points
Note: this article was made prior to the December 2019 points update, so some points could have changed there.
Value of the Start Collecting Anvilgard box
The sum of all models as purchased directly from the GW store is 100£ for a discount of 40%.
Most of these models cannot be found outside of GW direct order, so getting them via this start collecting box is definitely your best option.
Overall verdict on the Start Collecting Anvilgard box
Cities of Sigmar is a diverse allegiance with units from all backgrounds: duardin, humans, aelves.
This box captures the essence of one of the aspects of the cities: the dark and questionable pirates living in Anvilgard.
If you never had the dark elves this is an interesting entry option, however, you will need many more units to complement it.
You will probably need some wizards and some extra punch unless you want to go all-in with just the Scourge Privateers. The box itself can provide different assembly options allowing re-buyability. However, there are better units in Cities of Sigmar and better synergies.
The choice if to buy or not this box is purely aesthetic: if you like the models you’ll be able to use them in any city, but if you want to start a city army and you are not bothered by this look and feel, this is not the box for you.
You should get this if you like the models, not for the power they bring (as better options can be found).
Assembling the content of this box as Scourge Privateers provides more synergies but you don’t get extra allegiance abilities for them so feel free to mix and match with other Cities units.
The behemoth is also usable as a monster in the skirmish game Warcry, so that is a plus.
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