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Age of Sigmar: How to Play Maggotkin of Nurgle

5 Minute Read
Jul 4 2024
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Today we look at how to play the Maggotkin of Nurgle. Get down with the sickness AND the thiccness.

Not all the Chaos Gods are uncaring when it comes to their followers. While it can’t be said that the gods outwardly dislike their followers (though Khorne’s nonchalance towards their death may be worse) no dark power cares more about their followers than Grandfather Nurgle. Offering them his noxious “gifts” and sending them to battle alongside surprisingly jolly daemons, he delights in seeing them thrive and share their pestilence with the world. Here’s a quick rundown on how to get the most out of your plague-ridden warriors, and a few essential units that would make the CDC blush.

Who Are The Maggotkin?

The Maggotkin of Nurgle are the followers of the Plague God. Generous in their distribution of epidemics and loving in the care they have for the foul creations of the Grandfather Nurgle, the Maggotkin seek to bloat the Mortal Realms with rot and contagion.

By allowing diseases to spread far and wide, they herald the coming of life in its most vivid and natural expression. Indeed, if one is to value and cheer at the birth of every maggot and parasites allowed to thrive in raddled corpses, then disease and rot become not the faltering of life towards death, but the overabundance of life. In this, the Maggotkin are the enforcers of the natural cycle, their ever-loving actions ultimately making the circle of life so vividly round that its curves can be seen by mortal eyes, to their greatest displeasure.

Why Play Maggotkin?

Maggotkin are a devastatingly powerful, resilient, and rewarding force no matter how you like to play. While they won’t be winning many foot races, they can dish out a metric ton of punishment and take even more in return. Whether you prefer daemons or mortals, you won’t be disappointed by the results.

Strengths

  • One of the most durable armies in the game with army-wide ward saves.
  • You can layer on mortal wounds with a mechanic that has few reliable counters.

Weaknesses

  • You are extremely slow.
  • Your army is likely to be very small because of how expensive your stuff is.

Signature Rules

Battle Traits

  • Blessed by the Plaguefather– A mechanic which gives out the Diseased keyword to enemy units.
  • Desperate Remedies– If a Diseased unit Heals or uses an ability which brings back models, the Diseased keyword is removed instead.
  • Wracked with Disease– At the end of each turn Diseased units have a chance of taking Mortal Wounds.

Battle Formations

  • Tallyband of Nurgle– adds additional mortal wounds to Wracked by Diseased.
  • Nurgle’s Menagerie– You can include two Gnarlmaws.
  • Plague Cyst– Rotbringers explode and deal Mortal Wounds when they die.
  • Affliction Cyst– two Flying units can be redeployed anywhere on the battlefield outside 9″ of enemy units.
  • Heroic Traits

    • Gift of Febrile Frenzy– 12″ aura of increased movement.
    • Grandfathers Blessing– if in combat with a Diseased unit, Heal(D6).
    • Overpowering Stench– one third chance to cancel commands for units in combat range.

    Artefacts

    • The Witherstave– chance to give a unit that charged you Strike-Last.
    • Rustfang– Once per battle reduce the save of a Hero in combat for the rest of the game.
    • The Carrion Dirge– reduce the control score of three enemy units.

    Key Maggotkin of Nurgle Units

    Depending on if you prefer daemons or mortals you’ll be investing in different things, but these are some units that will find their way into nearly every list.

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    Great Unclean One

    One of the biggest and most resilient Greater Daemons out there. While not as punchy as the Bloodthirster or Keeper, the GUO can still pull his (considerable) weight in combat, throw out some nasty spells, and even bring in a half-strength replacement daemon unit once per turn.

    Putrid Blightkings

    A solid unit with extra control mechanics, the Blightkings are ridiculously hard to put down and will kill some single-wound models every turn.

    The Glottkin

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    Probably the best model in the book (and he better be for that cost), and one of the best monsters in the game. They are good at support, magic, and combat, and they excel in whatever role you play them in. The ability to trigger other units to Counter-charge in addition to themselves is incredibly powerful.

    Beast of Nurgle

    Basically, a combination between a golden retriever and a rabid gorilla, the Beasts of Nurgle are playful rascals that tend to leave their playmates in several pieces. They do damage on the charge and can charge over enemies, but unfortunately have limited objective presence thank to the Beast rule.

    Rotmire Creed

    What the Rotmire give the Maggotkin army is a weight of ranged fire, even if it is short-ranged, which dishes out a chance for the Diseased keyword.

    Pusgoyle Blightlords

    The Pusgoyles are decently fast, very resilient, and have a bucket of attacks. They are great objective takers thanks to extra damage on the charge and Relentless Attackers giving them an extra rend when contesting an objective they do not control.

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    Sample Maggotkin Army

    Allegiance: Maggotkin of Nurgle
    – Battle Formation: Affliction Cyst

    Regiment 1
    Gutrot Spume
    Rotmire Creed
    Rotmire Creed

    Regiment 2
    Glottkin
    4 Pusgoyle Blightlords
    2 Pusgoyle Blightlords
    Rotmire Creed
    Rotmire Creed

    Maggotkin of Nurgle Tips

    Make your opponent come to you, then ruin their day by keeping them stuck in unfavorable combats. Never let up once you’ve got them, never let them go.

    ~Grandfather Nurgle loves you.

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    Author: Allen Campbell
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