The Sultanate is a realm of unmatched opulence and wealth, precariously balanced upon three pillars: the shadowy House of Gold and its unlimited wealth, the otherworldly Order and its mysterious powers, and the Crimson League's Enlightened sciences. 

The Sultanate's dominance against the Great Powers is assured

Greetings, humble subjects of Sultan Mustafa the Golden!

This blog provides an overview of how the Sultanate plays on the Battlefield, including their key strengths, and insights on how to build an effective Sultanate army, with example Force Lists for all three Force Scales.

How The Sultanate Plays

Setting the Sultanate apart from their contemporaries is a distinct new element to Armoured Clash, and your key to victory: Portal Markers! Placed at the start of each Round, this powerful extraterrestrial technology allows you to deploy your Reserves directly into the fray and move Infantry from one side of the Battlefield to the other, circumventing Difficult Terrain and enemy fire alike. Partnered with your Commander units’ Portal Mastery special rule, a Sultanate Force controls the Battlefield like no other.

You must be careful, however. After moving a unit through one of these portals, both Entry and Exit Portal will be removed from the Battlefield. While there are ways of keeping valuable Portals open, these are often costly, and prioritising which units you move, and when, will be crucial to your strategy.

Sultanate units are some of the most elite in the game. Boasting a Long Range of 18", along with the Veteran (1) special rule, your Janissaries are remarkably potent against tougher  Light targets, and even Aerial units.

Even as these troops pick off enemies from afar, your opponent's forces will have to contend with the Sultanate bringing the fight to them. Chief amongst your melee units are the Persian Immortals. Their Immortal special rule increases their Defence attribute and (assuming your opponent manages to inflict casualties at all!) allows them to replenish their ranks at the start of their next Activation provided they remain within 3" of a Portal Marker. Combine this with Pavises, and the ability to deploy directly onto a Strategic Objective Marker if there is a Portal close enough, and the Immortals are unparalleled objective holders.

If the Immortals are your rigid shield, then the Spica Orionis are your scalpel. Able to burst through Portal Markers and then vanish into Reserve in the same Activation, thanks to their Portal Strike special rule, these guerrilla fighters can cause chaos amongst the ranks of your opponent, thanks to the Precision weapon quality on their Ranged (Light) and Melee attacks.

Sometimes, however, you require a sledgehammer. This is where the Cor Caroli, the game’s first Heavy Infantry unit, come in. Practically impervious to the attacks of regular Infantry, their low Speed is largely offset by their ability to Portal Strike across the Battlefield. While the Cor Caroli Luminant charge headfirst into the foe with a near-unmatched Melee profile, the Penetrating Ranged (Light/Heavy) attack of the Cor Caroli Nyx ensures that even a unit of Galahad Main Battle Tanks will have to think twice before exposing themselves to their fire.

Your Cavalry are equally hard-hitting, with your Macedonian Companions delivering a Devastating Melee attack which, combined with the extra dice of Shock and the re-rolls of Veteran (1), ensures the swift dispatch of all but the hardiest of Light targets. Their Durable special rule, meanwhile, means that they are no slouches on the receiving end of an attack either.

More delicate, but no less potent on the offence, are your Sipahi Monowheels. Despite their fragility, their All-Out Attack (2) makes them a particularly potent offensive unit, with both a Trail attack allowing them to strike Size 1 units they Hurtle across, followed up with a Penetrating Ranged (Light//Heavy) attack.

Your Armour units, though relatively light by the standards of other Factions, do not lack for speed or firepower. Mergen Transports are capable of carrying your troops across the Battlefield, possibly saving your Portal Markers for more strategic moves, while its variant Ulgen Field Gun provides a highly manoeuvrable weapons platform, with a Ranged (Light/Heavy) attack perfect for targeting Infantry - particularly those hiding inside Defensible Buildings! The fast-moving Kavgaci ATV provides one of the Sultanate’s few anti-Aerial units, while the Parlama ATV’s Seismic attack makes it a nightmare for enemy Infantry.

The heart of the Sultanate’s Armour lies in the Pillar of Light Hover Tank and its variant, the Hayalet Tank. Boasting a 30" Ranged (Light/Heavy) attack, the Pillar of Light is a nightmare for Infantry and Armour alike, with Siegebreaker ensuring that even those hiding inside buildings aren’t safe. The Hayalet, meanwhile, is a key spreader of  Disorder amongst Light targets, with Seismic and Suppressive all but guaranteeing repeated Suppression Tests.

Skimming over the battlefield are your Rotor Automata, with each of its three variants providing specialised support to your ground forces. While the Khepri and Senehem are adept at dealing with ground units and Aerial targets, respectively, the Apophis fills a unique niche on the Battlefield. Rather than choosing an enemy to target, the Apophis instead chooses a Portal Marker to collapse, dealing Damage to any units within 5" before removing the Marker from the Battlefield.

Of course, the centrepiece of any force is its Behemoth units and the Sultanate is no exception.

Capable of moving through enemy units, the Ferik Command Skiff's Trail attack is especially effective against Light units, while its deck-mounted turrets provide Devastating attacks against Light targets and Penetrating volleys against Heavy ones. All the while, its Portal Mastery (2) special rule allows it to generate or remove up to two Portal Markers from the Battlefield. Its Mushir variant, meanwhile, sacrifices this versatility for yet more firepower, with a Ranged (Light/Heavy) attack capable of levelling entire buildings.

Battlegroups

The Sultanate Faction Battlegroup offers a flexible and powerful mix of units that, with careful selection, are sure to bring victory after victory. For the Commander, you have the option of either Janissaries or, at bigger Clash sizes, the powerful Ferik Command Skiff. Both options give access to Portal Mastery, which combined with the Portal Permanence Commander Bonus, allows you to shape the Battlefield to your will: opening, closing, and holding Portals as the situation dictates.

With one to five Infantry Elements to fill, there is plenty of room to take all of those excellent units that make up the Sultanate list, from stalwart Janissaries to terrifying Cor Caroli. With the Order units, as well as the implacable Persian Immortals, having access to Portal Strike,these will make up the most flexible parts of your force; wield them like a blade to strike at the enemy's weakest points. With a wide range of Armour units to choose from and seven (yes, SEVEN) Elements to fill, The Pillar of  Light Hover Tanks represent a solid addition to any force, their impressive mobility and indirect firing ability making them able to react to any contingency.

Drawing on the proud nations of the Sultanate, the Armatoles Auxiliary Battlegroup allows for a varied selection of Rotor Automata and cavalry. The Battlegroup Bonus of Klephtopolemos allows Cavalry units, after a successful Special Command, to gain the Portal Strike ability, augmenting their hard- and fast-hitting Melee profile with even greater mobility. Combined with Rotor Automata deploying through Portals from Reserve, this Auxiliary Battlegroup provides incredible Battlefield presence and reach.

Finally, the sinister Order gets an Auxiliary Battlegroup of their own. With the ability to take Cor Caroli units as Commanders and backed up by the reliable Spica Orionis, this Battlegroup can dominate with its mixture of Light and Heavy units. The Prescience Through Order Commander Bonus allows you to manipulate the Command & Conquest Deck in your favour, ensuring the right card is where you need it, depending on the battlefield situation.

Boons

The Sultanate's three unique Boons lean into what makes the faction so powerful. The 20 points spent on Weighed, Measured and Found Wanting makes targeting enemy units with the Disordered status even more lethal, with the plethora of Precision attacks on your Order units opening up some powerful battlefield synergies. 

For 30 points, To the Winds gives the Sultanate even more manoeuvrability, with the ability to remove units from the Battlefield via Portals and into Reserve, allowing a unit to strike anywhere on the Battlefield and then withdraw once things get heated.

Although expensive, at 50 points, The House Always Wins allows your pre-planted agent to prove their loyalty to the House of Gold by assassinating that unit's Officer. When wielded at just the right moment, this can really interfere with your opponent’s carefully laid plans.

Key Strengths 

Portal Power

Your Portal Markers provide unmatched manoeuvrability and control of the Battlefield. As early as the first Round, your Infantry should be controlling Strategic Objective Markers or charging into the enemy using their devastating Portal Strike special rule. But be careful. This manoeuvrability comes at the cost of both your Command & Conquest Cards, and - should too many of your units disappear from the Battlefield - a very real chance of Zero Ground Presence…

The Elite of the Elite

When your units hit, they will hit hard. From your Janissaries to your Macedonian Companions, each unit in your force is capable of dealing breathtaking levels of Damage, while weathering almost any counterattack the enemy might send their way. But you must use them wisely. For the loss of even one unit is costly, and could prove to be exactly the opening your opponent needs.

The Cor Caroli

As powerful as the Teutonic Knights of the Imperium looked on their release, they were just the warm-up act… The Cor Caroli represent the scariest troops in the game (Literally, with their Terrifying (Order) special rule!), and are the game’s first Heavy Infantry unit, making them impervious to Ranged (Light) attacks. Coupled with a crushing Melee attack and a Ranged (Light/Heavy) attack with Penetrating, your opponent will be hard-pressed to move them, let alone survive them. However, beware their high Break Limit of 3. For if even one of their models is lost, even with their Discipline of 11, you might risk losing them entirely…

Watch out for…

Elite But Costly

Your units are amongst the most elite in the game, but they are costed accordingly, both in Points Cost and in Victory Points (VPR). You will often have fewer units on the Battlefield than your opponent, and you must be careful not to lose them. One wrong move from you, or one lucky Attack Roll from your opponent, and you will find that high VPR stacking up quickly, and your presence on the Battlefield disappearing even quicker.

A Delicate Balance

Your Portal Markers are a powerful tool, but to make the most of them you will often have to sacrifice your Command & Conquest Cards. If you find yourself with no cards left in your Hand, you will be unable to issue Special Commands, interfere with those of  your opponent, or, perhaps most crucially, claim that all-important Initiative in the next Round…

Forces of Light

Despite their effectiveness in Melee and against enemy Light units, your Sultanate forces will struggle against more heavily armoured forces. You must rely on your manoeuvrability, clever positioning, and Combat Rating Bonuses to ensure that your units hit as hard and as fast as possible before your opponent has the chance to retaliate.

Building your Force

For those looking to raise a Sultanate force, the best starting place is the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup, as it contains a good mix of units to form the core of your new army. A logical expansion is the Sultanate Introductory Set, allowing you to construct variant builds or bolster existing units. It would also make an excellent starter for those who are curious about the Sultanate and wish to experiment with the Faction at smaller game sizes. The Sabhia Fighter can provide some welcome air support, while the Sultanate Armoured Regiment and Sultanate Infantry Regiment can be used to tailor your forces with an emphasis on Heavy or Light units. 

Skirmish-Scale List (1,000 points)

Using the Sultanate Introductory Set and the Sultanate Infantry Regiment, this Battlegroup is highly mobile and can force the opponent onto the defensive. 

The core of the army is two units of Janissaries, one of which will be upgraded to be the Battlegroup Commander. As the Commander has Portal Mastery, they can generate and manipulate extra Portals during play, increasing your Force's mobility even further. The Cor Caroli Lumiant and the Spica Orionis provide the army's punch, using portals to move about the battlefield to deliver said punch to wherever it is most needed. 

The two cavalry units, the Macedonian Companions and the Sipahi Monowheels, work great on the flanks, either to seize objectives or to harass your opponent's battleplan. The plethora of fast Armour units is more than capable of keeping pace with the cavalry, the Hover special rule allowing them to ignore most obstacles between themselves and their hapless targets. 

Finally the Khepri Rotor Automata offer even more mobile firepower. This overwhelms your opponent with attacks from all sides, leaving them easy prey for your heavier units.

Battle-Scale List (2,000 points)

With the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup Starter Set and a Sabiha Fighter, this larger army uses the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup as well as the Order Auxiliary Battlegroup. 

This maximises the number of units with Portal Mastery as well as your ability to manipulate the Command & Conquest Deck, through Prescience Through Order. The Apophis Rotor Automata, meanwhile, should make the opponent even more wary of your Portals! With a heavy melee focus from the Cor Caroli Luminant, Persian Immortals, and Macedonian Companions, this army is well-suited to making hard precision strikes. With cunning use of the Weighed, Measured and Found Wanting, these attacks could hit even harder, with disordered enemy units being even more vulnerable. 

Longer range fire support is provided by the Mushir Escort Skiff while Pillar of Light Hover Tanks and Ulgen Mobile Guns roam the battlefield, obliterating their targets' enemies with impunity. The Sabiha Fighter, though fragile and requiring careful positioning at the start of each turn, brings a welcome anti-armour punch to your force, whilst the Kavagaci ATVs protect your forces from similar attacks. 

Cataclysm-Scale List (3,000 points)

Here, you will be combining two of the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup Starter Sets and two Sabiha Fighters to make a powerful combination of the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup and the Armatoles Auxiliary Battlegroup.

 The Ferik Command Skiff and the Cor Caroli Luminant Command both have Portal Mastery, which, when combined with Portal Permanence, allows you to get the most benefit from your Portals. With the Armatoles Battlegroup giving access to the Klephtopolemos Battlegroup Bonus, even more of your units can use Portal Strike, Macedonian Companions and Siphai Monowheels joining your Order units and Persian Immortals in charging through Portals to take the fight to the enemy.  

A Mushir Escort Skiff provides heavy firepower, backed up by Kavagaci ATVs and Ulgen Mobile Guns. In the air, a Reinforced unit of Sabhia Fighters provides top cover, whilst the Apophis and Khepri Rotor Automata hover over the table, picking out targets and detonating Portals, with equally devastating consequences to your foe.

In Short…

The Sultanate and their Portals are a unique force in the Dystopian Age. While other factions have elite units, none can field them in such numbers as the forces of Mustafa the Golden. A Sultanate force will invariably be outnumbered, but rest assured that your forces are far more capable than their foes. Careful curating of your Command & Conquest Cards will make the most of your unit’s abilities, allowing for surgical strikes, lightning withdrawals, and dizzying redeployments that will leave any opponent reeling. 

But the time has come to form up the Janissaries, call on the nations of the  Sultanate, and bring in the sinister acolytes of the Order; it is time to form an army to bring glory to Sultan Mustafa the Golden!