Dwarf Force One

Roles

Build Cycle

2

2

3

4

Shortest Cycle

11

4

4

5

Playable Anywhere

Looking for a new meta build for the newest dwarf mini to join the fold?
Look elsewhere!

Looking for a build where you can finally raise your pickaxe and play Warcraft Rumble the way the dwarven ancestors intended?
Then you've come to the right place!

ROCK AND STONE

- This is mostly a build for fun, but still dwarf-functional.
- I enjoy this talent build but none of them feel game changing like a Troll's regen, it's mostly "do what you're doing but better". Play around with the talent build.
- Won't win high end PvP. Probably.
- Will fight back with bearded fury. Might make your ancestors proud.

Onto our bearded minis:

-- Emprah Thaury
- Burn everything without a beard!
Surprising amount of health for a ranged fighter, so no need to be too shy with him. He can work as an off-tank once your elementals bite the dust.
Fiery Weapon Enchant grants your units a "win more" button by giving your non-elemental troops some Burn damage, and boy, the damage seems to stack up when there's many units in play.
Heal from burning enemies improves Thaurissan's longevity as a tank, but Hubris might be a more competitive option.

-- Dark Iron Miner
- Strike them with bearded fury!
Everyone knows this fella is here for stealing gold behind enemy lines, but he makes for a surprisingly interesting cycle unit to whack at a tower while your Earth Elemental takes the aggro, or to surprise enemy ranged units that are already engaged.
Fury talent makes the miner a slightly more useful damage dealer, and mines a bit faster after each strike, but lacks the extra survivability of becoming Armored after mining, or the area denial from the mines. Your pick.
Benefits from Fiery Weapon Enchant.

-- Firehammer
- Smack 'em from afar!
Thaurissan's enchantment is nice, but it does not substitute raw elemental damage, especially when there's a Gargoyle that needs to be dealt with.
Just don't let anything touch her, and she'll reward you for not picking the Pyromancer by putting the Hammer Bros. to shame when combined with the extra fury talent.

-- Fire Elemental
- Fear the Fire of the Forge!
This is your brawler boy. Good lane pusher. I try not to think of this li'l boy as a solo tank, but rather the angrier half of the elemental duo. AoE melee is great against swarms that would otherwise chip down single target tanks.
Immolation brings in extra dps, solidifying its role as a brawler. Melts swarms that dare get close and even denies Defias Bandit stuns.

-- Mountaineer
- The Right to Bear arms!
Good when you want to bait your opponent into a lane and let your real pushers work on the other side once your enemy commits. Surprising longevity against stragglers in the same lane doing the same thing, thanks to the bear healz. It's the old "Provide your enemy dilemmas, not problems" proverb, in a single package.
I find none of the talents particularly interesting, so Bloodlust gives one half some extra "oomph" when their other half dies. It's either this or Taunt.
Benefits from Fiery Weapon Enchant.

-- Gryphon Rider
- Take to the skies and put your enemies to the dirt!
Not a lot needs to be said about this mini. Keep her away from danger, and you're good.
Extra range talent helps with just that.
Benefits from Fiery Weapon Enchant.

-- Earth Elemental
- ROCK AND STONE!
All that dirt we've been digging finally found its use! Bind it into a vaguely humanoid shape and send it hurling towards enemy towers! The Calm, Cool and Collected™ half of the elemental duo. Great to draw aggro and save your more fragile units in a pinch, but remember it doesn't react to enemy minis.
Obsidian Shard talent gives a precious few extra seconds of target practice to your enemies while your other minis get off scot-free, but Taunt can also save the day if timed correctly.
Benefits from Fiery Weapon Enchant.

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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
- Dwarves are great.

- Thaurissan is great against ground swarms. Fiery Weapon Enchant is a neat "win more" map-wide effect while he's in play.

- Use the elementals in tandem! It's a high investment for just melee (4+3), but you'd be surprised at the effectiveness of an armored tower destroyer and a resistant AoE brawler working together.

- Don't be afraid of using your Dark Iron Miner to add some DPS in a pinch if you've got the gold mines covered. Plus, it's funny to watch how fast he whacks at stuff with the Fury talent. Deploy him behind ranged enemies (so long as they're busy) and he works as a budget Worgen. Sacrifice to banshees if necessary.

- Mountaineer forces your opponent to commit more than they might want to a lane. It's sort of bait, albeit an expensive one.

- Will suffer against massive air pushes!
The Ironforge Air Force chose not to support us during these trying times.
Your ranged units are expensive, so if you know your opponent has lots of air (Imagine a Gargoyle, Drake and Gryphon Rider push), your best option is expert gold management; start thinking like a dwarf and be greedy! Drop an Earth Elemental to draw aggro and a Firehammer to defend. A single Mountaineer or Gryphon Rider often won't be enough.

- Feel free to choose the S.A.F.E. Pilot, gnomes are still welcome in Ironforge, after all, so it's still slightly in-theme.

Firehammer vs S.A.F.E. - Miss out on some insane single target dps in exchange for unbound AoE chaos.
Mountaineer vs S.A.F.E. - We can all agree the mountaineer isn't the most competitive of units, but it still has some tanking power for the bait strategy.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS
That was a fun little build to play around with. I've been waiting for the chance to make a dwarf themed army for a while, but it never felt right without a a dwarf leader. I'm not super interested in meta builds, and enjoy putting together themed armies that remain functional and fun to play. Even managed to surprise people in some PvP matches.

Pack your axes, oil your beards, and ROCK AND STONE.