My Chemical Bromance: Building My Capital Clash List

With the Capital Clash tournament in Berlin on April 18th approaching, it’s time to start thinking seriously about what I’m bringing to the table. After some back and forth between factions, I’ve decided to lean into the shadows a bit this time around and field an Umbral Veil warband.

After all, it’s the faction where I can field the most fully painted models - a very important competitive metric. But jokes aside, the faction is also incredibly fun to pilot on the tabletop. The Veil rewards clever positioning, a bit of risk-taking, and the occasional moment of controlled chaos. In other words: perfect for a tournament.

So let’s pull back the curtain and see what the list looks like!

Symphony of Destruction: The Skirmish Pack Ensemble

The core of the list will start with the Umbral Veil Skirmish Pack. It’s a great foundation and already brings a strong mix of battlefield roles.

The Abominable Alchemists provide early pressure thanks to their Scout ability, letting them advance into key positions before the battle properly begins. Once they’re there, they start spreading poison like it’s going out of fashion.

Then there’s the Spinebreaker Brute, which does exactly what the name promises. If something on the battlefield needs to stop existing in a hurry, the Spinebreaker is usually the solution. Big damage, big presence, and a very convincing argument for staying out of melee range.

Of course, no Umbral Veil army would be complete without Hans, Sir Victor Benedicte’s beloved monstrosity. Hans is exactly the kind of unpredictable presence I enjoy in a list - part guided missile, part crowd-control device, and occasionally part problem for whoever happens to be standing nearby when Victor gives the order.

And leading the entire performance is of course Lord Victor Benedicte himself. His mix of battlefield manipulation, poison effects, and inspiring speeches ties the whole force together. 

Another One Bites the Brute: Expanding to 200 Points

To bring the Skirmish Pack up to 200 points, I’m adding a few more tools to the conspiracy.

First up: two additional Spinebreaker Brutes. Sometimes subtlety is overrated, and adding more giant monsters that hit extremely hard is simply the correct strategic decision.

For ranged pressure, I’m bringing Deathspitters, whose Essence-fueled gatling weapons provide brutal fire support and help soften up targets before the brutes arrive to finish the job.

To handle scenarios and objectives, I’m including two Shadowstalkers. These quick and slippery creatures excel at grabbing objectives, slipping through enemy lines, and generally being extremely annoying to deal with.

The Transmuted Fleshcrafters add some valuable sustain, allowing damaged monstrosities to patch themselves up and return to the fight. When your battle plan involves a lot of large, angry creatures, keeping them alive a little longer tends to pay off.

Finally, there’s Clynt from the Eastern Forest, who brings the Hexed condition into play. Lowering enemy defenses and making them easier to hit and damage fits perfectly with the Veil’s overall strategy.

For terrain, the Toxic Bog is an obvious pick to help spread poison conditions across the battlefield. Alongside it, I’ll bring the Granite Enclave and Spire Passage, which provide useful ways to hinder the opponent’s movement opportunities.

Master of Puppets: Playing the Umbral Veil

What I enjoy most about the Umbral Veil is how they operate like a carefully orchestrated conspiracy. The brutes apply pressure. Victor manipulates positioning and buffs the warband. Hans causes chaos exactly where it’s needed.

Of course, that means that the scenarios on the table have to fit the playstile. My go-to scenarios are: Ruthless Rampaging Raiders (Shadowstalkers go!), Scented Surprise Sabotage (again, hello Shadowstalkers), and Legendary Ley Line (it's always useful if my opponent has to bunch up).

The goal isn’t always brute force victory - it’s more about controlling the rhythm of the game. Slowing opponents down, forcing them to react, and exploiting the openings that appear when their plans inevitably fall apart. Or, in musical terms: sometimes you don’t need to play louder than your opponent. You just need to make sure they’re always one beat behind.

Final Rehearsal

There’s still some testing to do before Capital Clash, and as always tournament lists evolve with every practice game. But right now this setup feels like a strong and very thematic starting point. Plus, any list that includes a corrupt politician, a monstrous pet, and a slightly unhinged scientist is already halfway to a good story.

If you’re attending Capital Clash in Berlin (or just dropping by to get a look at the games), come say hello! And if the battlefield starts filling with poison clouds, experimental monstrosities, and the faint smell of alchemical accidents… then the Umbral Veil is performing exactly as planned…