A Grand Keyword Overview - Starting Moonstone

With so many keywords and troupes now available to play in game, there's a huge variety of choice for someone deciding who to pick up as their first troupe. With this in mind here's an overview of some of the most common keyword troupes in the game. So if you're wondering where to start or if you fancy trying something new to play, check below for a swift overview of the most common troupe archetypes in the game! I've given each archetype a difficulty to play rating, a 1-5 star rating (1 being the worst and 5 being the best) on several stats, a handful of models you'll commonly use with them and a one sentence description based on how they'll play!

Commonwealth

Humans (Difficulty: Low) 

Melee: ☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Baron von Fancyhat, Quack

Playstyle: Very all round depending on how you build your troupe, models don't need support from other models but will always appreciate it if available! 

Gnomes (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Mama Gimble, Gradock

Playstyle: Like to clump together and enjoy each others aura bonuses, then shoot anything to pieces that gets into (their very long) range!

Giants (Difficulty: Low)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Kaufman, Brunhilde

Playstyle: Get into melee as soon as possible where your huge wound reserves and massive damage will give you victory!

Nobles (Difficulty: Low)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆ 

Toughness: ☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆

Key models: Baron von Fancyhat, Eric the Squire

Playstyle: Get into melee as soon as possible where your huge number of melee cards and excellent passives will give you victory!

Soldiers (Difficulty: Low) 

Melee: ☆☆☆☆☆  

Ranged: ☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Sir Guillemot Poppycock, Eric the Squire

Playstyle: Enjoy some simple movement tricks and plenty of bonus melee cards courtesy of Poppycock and get stuck into melee!

Animals (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: Joanna, Boris the Bunny Summoner

Playstyle: Bring and Summon plenty of animals to make Joanna invincible and Boris hit like a tonne of bricks with his signature!

Norse (Difficulty: High)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆

Ranged: ☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Olim, Liv

Playstyle: Manipulate the top cards of the arcane deck to boost your own abilities or hamper your opponents, then charge!

Dominion

Goblins (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆☆☆

Key models: The Goblin King, Shabaroon, Beaky Bobby

Playstyle: Will always lose in a fair fight, but great at setting up unfair fights, will manipulate energy and trigger random effects for crazy combo's and super charged activations!

Faeries (Difficulty: High)

Melee: ☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: Diana Queen of the Fae, Fraya

Playstyle: Very reactive, will often want to activate second to play around the opponent, then hit them with nasty and fiendish arcane attacks!

Rogues (Difficulty: High)

Melee: ☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆☆

Key models: Muridae, Creep

Playstyle: Evasive and tricksy, destroy your opponent with arcane attacks then swoop in at the last second to steal the rest of the enemies Moonstones!

Pirates (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: El Capitano, Swigarty Swooty, Powder Monkey

Playstyle: Mobile and armed to the teeth with pistols, will dash up, unload a broadside of pistols then charge to finish off the survivors!

Trolls (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆

Ranged: ☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Knoll, Duchess

Playstyle: Tough normally and even tougher with the right support, the trolls will outlast and crush all in melee!

Humans (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆

Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: Duchess, Creep

Playstyle: Lots of disruption, sap energy and wounds from your opponent and punish them anytime they target your models!

Leshavult

Fauns (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆☆☆

Key models: Hoff, Chubs

Playstyle: Swift and speedy, the fauns will be able to gather lots of Moonstones early, then beat a hasty retreat whilst peppering their foes with arrows!

Cultists (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: Brother Daniel, Kalista

Playstyle: No armour, but plenty of access to protection and healing will keep the cultists alive and plenty of energy manipulation will keep them swinging hard in melee!

Witches (Difficulty: High)

Melee: ☆☆☆☆
Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆

Key models: Danica, Antonia, Zorya

Playstyle: Creates massive combos, often utilising their own catastrophes which have good effects, to setup huge activations at the end of the turn which can swing the entire game!

Animals (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆ 

Ranged: ☆
Toughness: ☆☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆☆☆

Key models: Gloom, Chubs

Playstyle: Moves singular models incredible distances to harvest far off Moonstones or threaten any model on the board with a terrifying and beastly animal!

Treefolk (Difficulty: Medium)

Melee: ☆☆☆

Ranged: ☆☆☆
Toughness: ☆☆☆☆☆
Speed: ☆☆
Harvesting: ☆☆

Key models: Ruwt, Gump

Playstyle: Plenty of healing and other non-convential methods to stay alive as well as a huge focus on growing and utilising wooded patches!