Leagues of Votann · combination

Mercenary Oathband plus Hearthguard Covenant: The Kin Strike Force Standard

2 Detachment Points plus 1 is exactly a Strike Force budget, neither carries a shared tag, and the Yield Point engine feeds the one Einhyr stratagem that spends them. Still the right answer, with two corrections.

11th edition

BySprue Sentry

ReviewedAug 28, 2026

SourceFaction Pack: Leagues of Votann v1.1 (official GW PDF, legal for matched play from 22 July 2026)

Sprue Sentry strategy commentary for 11th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly; always confirm against the current official rules and latest update before a game.

All Leagues of Votann detachments Leagues of Votann army guide

This pairing has been on this site since we first covered the Leagues of Votann, and re-reading it against the official documents confirms it. [Mercenary Oathband](/40k/armies/leagues-of-votann/detachments/mercenary-oathband) costs 2 Detachment Points, [Hearthguard Covenant](/40k/armies/leagues-of-votann/detachments/hearthguard-covenant) costs 1, and a Strike Force budget is roughly 3 DP. It fits exactly.

Two things on this page were wrong before and are corrected here.

The cost was hedged. We used to print Mercenary Oathband as "~2 DP", an estimate inherited from secondary sources. The Munitorum Field Manual version 1.3 prices it at a flat 2 DP.
The toggle's price was missing. Mercenary Oathband's stance switch costs 3 Yield Points every time you use it, which is the entire trade the detachment offers and which changes how you plan a game.

There is also something we never mentioned: Hearthguard Covenant carries a Unique Tag. It does not affect this pairing, and the section below explains exactly why.

Why it is legal, including the tag question we used to skip

The arithmetic. 2 plus 1 is 3, exactly a Strike Force budget at roughly 2,000 points. Nothing is left unspent.

The tag. Hearthguard Covenant carries the only Unique Tag banner printed anywhere in the Leagues of Votann Faction Pack, and its own rule says it cannot be taken with another detachment carrying that tag. Mercenary Oathband carries no tag at all, so nothing is shared and nothing is blocked.

About the tag's name, briefly. The two official documents disagree. The Faction Pack calls it HEARTHGUARD; the Munitorum Field Manual version 1.3 calls it HEARTHBAND and lists it on both Hearthguard Covenant and Hearthband. We assert that the tag exists and that those two detachments are the pair carrying it, and we do not assert its name. It makes no difference here, because the only detachment Hearthguard Covenant cannot be taken with costs 3 Detachment Points and could never fit alongside anything.

At Incursion this does not work. A budget of roughly 2 Detachment Points buys Mercenary Oathband alone, or Hearthguard Covenant plus one other 1 DP detachment. The pairing is a Strike Force shape.

Why the two halves actually feed each other

This is not two good detachments bolted together. There is a specific mechanical link.

Mercenary Oathband is the faction's Yield Point economy detachment. Its rule takes the automatic stance flip away and sells it back at 3 Yield Points a switch. Its enhancements are almost entirely income and spending: Mercenary Prospector banks 2 Yield Points every time the bearer's unit destroys an enemy unit, and Metaphysical Brokerage guarantees you gain at least 3 Yield Points a turn, which is exactly one switch.

Hearthguard Covenant is where the surplus goes. Its Fury of the Hearth stratagem gives an Einhyr Hearthguard unit +1 Strength on its ranged weapons, and if you spend 1 Yield Point, [SUSTAINED HITS 1] as well. That is one of very few Einhyr-facing cards in the faction with a Yield Point clause, and at 1 Yield Point it is cheap enough to fire most turns without threatening your switch budget.

The 9 inch band is the other link. Hearthguard Covenant's detachment rule gives wound re-rolls of 1 to Kâhl, Einhyr Champion, Einhyr Hearthguard and Ûthar the Destined units shooting at targets within 9 inches, and its Materialisation Matrices stratagem sets an Einhyr Hearthguard unit down anywhere more than 6 inches from the enemy. Six is inside nine. Teleport in, shoot with the re-roll, then charge.

And the Kâhl sits in both halves. Mercenary Prospector is Kâhl model only, and the Hearthguard Covenant detachment rule names KÂHL as one of its four beneficiaries. One model is doing work on both cards.

How to spend Yield Points across the two

This is the part that decides whether the pairing performs, and it is arithmetic rather than instinct.

Your income. The army rule's ordinary schedule pays 1 to 4 Yield Points a turn depending on how far ahead you are on objectives. Mercenary Prospector adds 2 per enemy unit your bearer's unit destroys. Metaphysical Brokerage guarantees a floor of 3 a turn.

Your outgoings, in rough priority order.

The stance switch: 3 Yield Points, once or twice a game. Most lists want one switch, from the aggressive Hostile Acquisition into the defensive Fortify Takeover, somewhere between turns two and four. Budget 3 to 6 Yield Points for the whole game.
Fury of the Hearth: 1 Yield Point, most turns. Cheap and immediate. This is the default use of spare income.
Optimal Expenditure or Privateer Arsenal: 3 Yield Points, occasionally. Expensive, and it directly competes with a switch. Only worth it on a decisive activation.
Asset Manipulator: 3 Yield Points, situationally. Objective denial, and it costs the same as a switch.

The mistake to avoid. Planning on switching stance every turn. That is 3 Yield Points a turn on stance alone, which without Metaphysical Brokerage is most of your income and leaves nothing for the Einhyr. The whole point of the manual toggle is that you choose the turn, not that you toggle constantly.

Remember the ordinary rule is gone. With Mercenary Oathband you have no automatic flip at 7 Yield Points. If you never pay, you stay aggressive all game. Banking a huge Yield Point total does nothing on its own in this detachment.

What to build, and the alternative to consider

The core. A block of Einhyr Hearthguard is what both cards point at, delivered by a Hekaton Land Fortress or arriving via Materialisation Matrices. The pack's amended Transport section gives the Hekaton a capacity of 14 Leagues of Votann Infantry models with Exoarmour, Exoframe and Ironkin Steeljacks models each taking the space of 2, which is the number that decides whether your block fits in one vehicle.

The characters. A Kâhl for Mercenary Prospector, and a Memnyr Strategist for Metaphysical Brokerage. We track no standalone Kâhl kit, so if you do not own one the Memnyr Strategist route is the substitute to plan around and the detachment is materially weaker without either. Ûthar the Destined is named directly in the Hearthguard Covenant rule and his amended Ancestral Fortune ability spends 1 Yield Point to change one Hit roll, Wound roll or saving throw to an unmodified 6.

The mobility. Hernkyn Pioneers are the only datasheet Mobile Exploitation can pull back into Strategic Reserves, and objectives are where the army rule's income comes from.

The alternative worth a look. If your list generates Yield Points through killing rather than through objectives, [Needgaârd Oathband](/40k/armies/leagues-of-votann/detachments/needgaard-oathband) plus Hearthguard Covenant is the same 3 Detachment Point shape with a very different economy: 1 Yield Point per enemy unit destroyed, feeding the same Fury of the Hearth. It keeps the automatic stance flip at 7 Yield Points rather than replacing it, which suits a list that wants the defensive stance and does not want to pay for it.

Common questions

Is this pairing legal given that Hearthguard Covenant has a Unique Tag?

Yes, unambiguously. A Unique Tag only stops you taking two detachments that share it, and Mercenary Oathband carries no tag at all. The only detachment Hearthguard Covenant cannot be taken with is Hearthband, which costs 3 Detachment Points and fills a Strike Force budget on its own, so that pairing was never affordable in the first place.

Does Mercenary Oathband cost 2 Detachment Points exactly?

Yes. The Munitorum Field Manual version 1.3 prices it at a flat 2 DP with no change marker, and the mirror's detachment selector agrees. Earlier versions of this page printed roughly 2 DP, which was a secondary-source estimate made before the official figure was available.

How often should I switch stance?

Once or twice a game for most lists. Each switch costs 3 Yield Points at the end of your Command phase, and that competes directly with Fury of the Hearth at 1 Yield Point, Optimal Expenditure and Privateer Arsenal at 3, and Asset Manipulator at 3. The value of the manual toggle is choosing the turn, not toggling every turn.

Can I run this at 1,000 points?

No. An Incursion budget is roughly 2 Detachment Points and this pairing costs 3. At Incursion you would take Mercenary Oathband alone, or Hearthguard Covenant plus one of the other two 1 Detachment Point detachments, Armoured Trailblazers or Farseekers.

What do I lose by taking Mercenary Oathband instead of a detachment that keeps the army rule?

The automatic stance flip. Ordinarily your army moves into the defensive Fortify Takeover stance at the end of any Command phase where you hold 7 or more Yield Points, for free. Mercenary Oathband removes that entirely and replaces it with a 3 Yield Point purchase. If your list reliably holds objectives and would cross 7 Yield Points on its own, you may be paying for something you were getting free.

Rules sources

Written by Sprue Sentry, grounded in the cited sources. Original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.