Plague Cyst: the Rotbringers close-combat formation (AoS 4th Ed)
Rewards a mortal, Rotbringers-heavy melee list that punishes enemies for fighting your infected troops.
SprueSentry strategy commentary for Age of Sigmar 4th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
Plague Cyst is the close-combat, mortal-focused formation, built around Rotbringers and punishing opponents who engage your units in melee. Community summaries describe damage reflected back onto attacking enemies. Specific mechanics and thresholds are seasonal, so confirm them on your current faction pack.
What the formation does
It rewards a melee-oriented, Rotbringers-heavy list, adding retaliatory or supportive effects that make fighting your units costly for the enemy. It reinforces the attrition plan by turning your durable infantry into a threat that grinds attackers down.
Who it suits
Players who want a boots-on-the-ground brawl with mortal Rotbringers rather than daemons or fliers, and who enjoy holding the center and daring the enemy to charge in.
Key units
- Putrid Blightkings as your resilient elite melee core
- Lord of Blights and other Rotbringers heroes to buff and lead
- Supporting daemons or a Greater Daemon for healing and utility
- Cheap screens so your Rotbringers reach combat intact
When to pick it
Pick it when your collection and playstyle favor mortal Rotbringers infantry and a grinding melee game, especially on objective-dense boards where you want to sit tough and win the attrition war.
Common questions
Is Plague Cyst a daemon or mortal formation?
It's built around mortal Rotbringers and close combat rather than daemons. If your list is daemon-heavy or flier-based, another formation is usually a better fit.
What's the core idea behind it?
Turn your durable infantry into a trap: hold ground, let enemies commit, and grind them down while disease chips away. Confirm the exact reflected-damage rule and any keyword requirements in your current faction pack.
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Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.