Welcome, oh humble servant of Sultan Mustafa the Golden!
As the final faction introduced to Armoured Clash, the Sultanate proved to be worth the wait, making quite the entrance into the game. With powerful weaponry and unparalleled manoeuvrability across the battlefield thanks to their Portal Markers, they swiftly proved themselves a force to be reckoned with.
Given their relative youth, the Global Update for Armoured Clash has treated the Sultanate with a comparatively light touch. Our original Tips and Tactics blog still remains a font of knowledge for new players wishing to master this faction, with much remaining unchanged. In the Sultanate, you will find an army of elite units capable of outmanoeuvring the enemy at every turn and powerful weaponry that rewards careful planning and skilful strategy.
But what tweaks have the Sultanate received? Take our hand, and step through this portal with us, as we reveal all.
There’s no better time for new Sultanate generals to jump on board with the Sultanate Faction Battlegroup, serving as a perfect entry point.
Thinking With Portals
The Sultanate's most potent tools made quite an impression on their introduction. Given their immediate impact on the meta, it made sense that these rifts in reality would come under review during the Global Update.
A common issue in games against the Sultanate was how Portal Markers could be used offensively—with any models that came into contact with them immediately being Destroyed—and how it was nigh impossible to remove them from the battlefield. Now, any unit that ends its move in the footprint of a Portal Marker gains the Suppressed status, with the offending Portal Marker immediately removed. Similarly, all Sultanate units can now be deployed through Portal Markers, with one small caveat: the Portal Marker is immediately removed from the battlefield.
With these changes, you will see that while your Portals are as potent as ever, it is now far easier for you to lose them! While your Battlegroup Bonus, Portal Permanence, now allows you to keep Portal Markers open after manoeuvres and deployment, careful planning will be required to ensure that the enemy does not upset your strategy.
The Portal Strike special rule has also seen a slight adjustment. While your powerful melee units can still charge the enemy from far across the battlefield, once this charge is resolved these units no longer receive a free Advance manoeuvre through a nearby Portal and into Reserve. This means that, while your units have lost none of their manoeuvrability, timing your attack incorrectly can leave them stranded and exposed.
However, though the Allshard taketh away, so too does it give. Portals are no longer limited to your Infantry, with your Cavalry now able to take full advantage of this extraordinary manoeuvrability. For units such as your Sipahi Monowheels, this pairing can prove particularly devastating, emerging from Portals to streak across the battlefield and through enemy units, sowing destruction and disorder with their Trail attack.
Blessings of the Allshard
Many of your units have seen a reduction in Points Costs! Perhaps the most notable of these are the Spica Orionis and Cor Caroli Luminant, whose points have been reduced to reflect the adjustments to Portal Strike. Similarly, the Macedonian Companions have seen their points lowered, allowing your dream of Full Strength units of these mighty mounted warriors to become a reality. In short, your most powerful melee units have become more affordable than ever.
A 2000-point list
This Force has been designed to make full use of not only the Sultanate’s lowered points costs, but also the changes that have been made to Portal Markers. Commanded by a mighty Ferik Command Skiff, itself capable of generating up to two additional Portals each Activation, this unit will enable you to counter any attempts by your opponent to remove your Portal Markers.
Meanwhile, a Reinforced unit of Mergen Transports takes advantage of the lowered transport costs across the game to provide a speedy means of delivering your Janissaries directly into the heart of battle. As for your Cavalry, the Macedonian Companions’ cheaper unit cost allows you to bolster their numbers with ease, while a Reinforced unit of Sipahi Monowheels stand poised to make the most of their new ability to travel through Portals.
The incorporation of an Order Auxiliary Battlegroup means your (now cheaper) Luminant Command will be further enabling your manipulation of Portals across the battlefield, while the lowered cost of your Order Infantry sees you fielding a terrifying Full Strength unit of Spica Orionis.
Rounding out the remaining 40 points of this Force are its Boons. Ready For Anything is ideal for placing on your Reinforced Pillar of Light Hover Tanks, allowing you to make full use of their newly improved Attack profile (another addition in this Global Update). Similarly, Weighed, Measured and Found Wanting further improves the efficacy of your Order units, especially your Full Strength Spica Orionis, as you re-roll Blank results in attacks against the enemy.
Points values correct as of the Sultanate v1.02 Beta ORBAT
For more information regarding the overall changes of this Global Update, read the summary blog.
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