Hey guys and welcome to part 8 of my Wood Elf Unit Tactics. Today we are taking a closer look at Wardancers, the first of our full time special choices.
Wardancers are the super fast ninja assassins of the wood elves. Every member of the troupe is capable of killing even the mightiest general in a single blow as well as cut down hordes of enemies with ease. Wardancers combine sold rules with a great statline to produce a kick ass unit (the models are not bad either!)
Strengths and Weaknesses
The base statline of a wardancer is good, but it actually worse than a dryads in nearly every regard and 6 points more expensive to boot. Luckily, they have some special rules that bring them up to scratch. They wield Wardancer Weapons which grants +1 attack as well as +1 strength when charging. This gives them a hefty 2 attacks at strength 4 WS6 I6. The real meat comes from the Shadow Dances. Wardancers can pick between 4 dances and they either let you land Killing Blows, have an additional +1 attack, have a 4++ ward save or Always Strike First with a -1 attack modifier in place. Despite their lack of armour they pack a 6++ ward save naturally and have a magic resistance of 1 so against magic they have a nice 5++ ward save and being skirmishers means hitting them with ranged weaponry is more difficult. Finally being immune to psychology means even fear and terror causing units wont hinder your slaughter.
The downsides however are that they are pricey and very fragile. Yes a 6++ ward save is handy but its not going to save you reliably and having no armour and only being Toughness 3 you are going to fall to supporting attacks REALLY fast. The dance that grants always strikes first is a complete waste since you get less attacks and your high initiative should be hitting first or at least at the same time as most other units in the game. And unfortunately only being S4 some of the time really hinders their attack power in prolonged combats...oh and they suffer from Skirmishers which means they cant break your opponents ranks...fantastic.
Tactics
The idea is to use them in 1 of 2 ways. You either want to have them as a supporting unit where you get flank charges in whilst your anvil holds up a unit (Ancients for example). And in most cases you want to be using the +1 attack dance giving you a hefty 3 S4 attacks each letting you pile on the hurt against weaker foes and since you are on the flank you shouldn't take to much damage from counter attacks. The other use is assassination. You want to find and challenge powerful or vulnerable characters and take them out with a few well placed Killing Blow strikes. Unit size is important when running Wardancers, they cant have more than 15 and to be honest you never want that many anyway. 8 is the magic number as any more and you are just wasting attacks. 8 wardancers doesn't set you back to much in terms of points either letting you focus on other portions of your army.
Magic
As with most wood elf units Hidden Path is a life saver as these really lack any sort of protection. Becoming immune to most ranged weapons is just to good to pass up. The Lore of Life is simply overkill and not needed since you shouldnt require the defensive bonuses...and certainly not as much as other units in your army. The Lore of Beasts is perfect however as Wyssans Wildform really gives them a combat boost and is reccomended when charging...heck its recommended every combat phase.
Command
I would possibly being a Champion along as it gives you and extra attack in combat however he certainly is not a must have upgrade, and musicians are simply not worth their points in such a unit. Heroes and Lords can have a great effect on combat however. A Noble can simply pack Blades of Loec and Wardancer Kindred and become a handy tool in your unit giving you an addition 4-5 S4-5 attacks that get rerolls to hit and to wound. If you want a particularly beefy character take a Highborn with Blades of Loec, Helm of the Hunt and Stone of Rebirth and Wardancer Kindred. This guy has a 2++ ward save when reduced to 1 wound and gets 6-7 attacks with rerolls. Remember that Blades of Loec can be used in conjunction with Shadow Dances which makes this character particularly deadly against characters as 6 killing blow attacks with rerolls could mean the death of just about any character in the game.
Overall
Wardancers are good unit. Fun to field, fun special rules and great stat lines over all. Are they worth the extra 6 points when compared to Dryads? yes and no. Dryads are more reliable however wardancers have more potential for insane damage output. Its up to you to decide which one you prefer.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Wood Elf Unit Tactics Part 7 - Eternal Guard
Hey guys, and welcome to my 7th part to the Wood Elf Unit Tactics series. Today we are looking at the Eternal Guard. Our second 100% melee unit...how will these guys hold up to the might of the Dryads?
Eternal Guard are odd...they have odd rules, odd weapons, odd points cost and odd Force Organisation Placement. Lets start from the top. They have a special fighting style that basically means they are using 2 weapons, a spear AND a hand weapon and shield (minus the parry save) all at the same time. So you basically get to attack in 3-4 ranks, the front rank has 2 attacks each and everyone gets +1 to their armour save. Pretty strange if you ask me! They also benefit GREATLY from having a noble or highborn tagging along with them however they are REALLY expensive being the same cost as a dryad but statwise...and rule wise not as good. Strange indeed...
Strengths and Weaknesses
They are our first real anvil type unit (excluding the ancient) being able to take large numbers and have them in a rank and file formation. This is great since we lack anything that can do this effectively and when you are packing Ld9 and a 5+ armour save you are surprisingly good at holding units up on paper. Whats even better is if you have a noble or highborn as your entire unit becomes stubborn meaning they will be very hard to shift once they reach combat. Speaking of combat they do pretty well packing WS5 I5 and a standard unit of 30-40 will be getting 40-50 attacks in combat. And finally they are Core when a Highborn is your general (usually Special).
Unfortunately this all comes at a price. They can be taken in large numbers but cost to much to do so effectively. You get a lot of attacks but only have S3 meaning your not going to be doing a lot of damage. Your stubborn but it further increases their already heavy cost. Highborns are expensive, and in lower points games not as useful as a wizard meaning they are usually Special...and that puts them up against some really good units.
Tactics
Well, as you have guessed they are best used as an Anvil unit. They get into combat and hold a unit so your more powerful units can come in with a flank or rear charge and finish the job. Getting stuck in a 1 on 1 combat is rarely a good idea since even the most basic troops will be a match for you. A unit of Skaven Slaves for example could overwhelm you with attacks and just rip you to pieces due to your low armour. There are ways around this however such as using your eternal guard as a Character Bunker. Placing several nobles or higborns kitted out for close combat and you can really add to the punch of the unit and cause some real damage as well as retaining that all important stubborn.
Command
Always take a full command. You want the banner for the extra res and the 50 point banner (armour piercing is always a good choice), a champion for the character protection and a musician in case you do run and you want to get back into the fight! In terms of characters you have a few good options. A battle standard bearer is usually very safe in the ranks of the eternal guard and gives them a combat resolution boost as well as making your unit EVEN HARDER to break in combat. You can even kit him out for combat if you want or add a very expensive banner to increase effectiveness. To improve defense and mobility throw in a Lord with Rhymers Harp for the 5++ ward save for the unit or maybe a hero with Wraithstone to reduce the enemies leadership. Taking a character with Moonstone will also let you jump to a better vantage point if you need to. And the classic combat heroes are always welcome!
Magic
In order to survive you need some sort of magic. As with all our units Hidden Path from Athel Loren works wonders here, however beasts gives your unit some added toughness and strength and if you are character heavy a savage beast of horros can be a game changer. Life however takes the cake in this instance giving you insane toughness, regeneration, added damage and regrowth to keep your units fighting fit. The downside is you will need to focus A LOT of power into keeping your eternal guard standing.
Overall
They are OK. You need to invest heavily in terms of points to bring them effectively and then throw in expensive characters and then it just gets silly. When you consider many armies have access to horde destroying spells you have to be very careful as 1 spell could very easily wipe out your lightly armored tanks...and when you look at it for the same price you could get Glade Guard or Dryads who are both superior.
Eternal Guard are odd...they have odd rules, odd weapons, odd points cost and odd Force Organisation Placement. Lets start from the top. They have a special fighting style that basically means they are using 2 weapons, a spear AND a hand weapon and shield (minus the parry save) all at the same time. So you basically get to attack in 3-4 ranks, the front rank has 2 attacks each and everyone gets +1 to their armour save. Pretty strange if you ask me! They also benefit GREATLY from having a noble or highborn tagging along with them however they are REALLY expensive being the same cost as a dryad but statwise...and rule wise not as good. Strange indeed...
Strengths and Weaknesses
They are our first real anvil type unit (excluding the ancient) being able to take large numbers and have them in a rank and file formation. This is great since we lack anything that can do this effectively and when you are packing Ld9 and a 5+ armour save you are surprisingly good at holding units up on paper. Whats even better is if you have a noble or highborn as your entire unit becomes stubborn meaning they will be very hard to shift once they reach combat. Speaking of combat they do pretty well packing WS5 I5 and a standard unit of 30-40 will be getting 40-50 attacks in combat. And finally they are Core when a Highborn is your general (usually Special).
Unfortunately this all comes at a price. They can be taken in large numbers but cost to much to do so effectively. You get a lot of attacks but only have S3 meaning your not going to be doing a lot of damage. Your stubborn but it further increases their already heavy cost. Highborns are expensive, and in lower points games not as useful as a wizard meaning they are usually Special...and that puts them up against some really good units.
Tactics
Well, as you have guessed they are best used as an Anvil unit. They get into combat and hold a unit so your more powerful units can come in with a flank or rear charge and finish the job. Getting stuck in a 1 on 1 combat is rarely a good idea since even the most basic troops will be a match for you. A unit of Skaven Slaves for example could overwhelm you with attacks and just rip you to pieces due to your low armour. There are ways around this however such as using your eternal guard as a Character Bunker. Placing several nobles or higborns kitted out for close combat and you can really add to the punch of the unit and cause some real damage as well as retaining that all important stubborn.
Command
Always take a full command. You want the banner for the extra res and the 50 point banner (armour piercing is always a good choice), a champion for the character protection and a musician in case you do run and you want to get back into the fight! In terms of characters you have a few good options. A battle standard bearer is usually very safe in the ranks of the eternal guard and gives them a combat resolution boost as well as making your unit EVEN HARDER to break in combat. You can even kit him out for combat if you want or add a very expensive banner to increase effectiveness. To improve defense and mobility throw in a Lord with Rhymers Harp for the 5++ ward save for the unit or maybe a hero with Wraithstone to reduce the enemies leadership. Taking a character with Moonstone will also let you jump to a better vantage point if you need to. And the classic combat heroes are always welcome!
Magic
In order to survive you need some sort of magic. As with all our units Hidden Path from Athel Loren works wonders here, however beasts gives your unit some added toughness and strength and if you are character heavy a savage beast of horros can be a game changer. Life however takes the cake in this instance giving you insane toughness, regeneration, added damage and regrowth to keep your units fighting fit. The downside is you will need to focus A LOT of power into keeping your eternal guard standing.
Overall
They are OK. You need to invest heavily in terms of points to bring them effectively and then throw in expensive characters and then it just gets silly. When you consider many armies have access to horde destroying spells you have to be very careful as 1 spell could very easily wipe out your lightly armored tanks...and when you look at it for the same price you could get Glade Guard or Dryads who are both superior.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
GW hammering down
Unfortunatly i will have to remove all GW related images from my blog as it is apparently a violation in their terms and conditions. This is outrageous, so expect all images from GW to be removed and in the future photographs of my own models.
Sorry for the inconvienence guys!
Sorry for the inconvienence guys!
Wood Elf Unit Tactics Part 6 - Glade Riders
Hey Guys and welcome to my 6th entry to Wood Elf Unit Tactics. Today we are looking at Glade Riders which just so happen to be our cheapest Fast Cavalry unit.
Glade Riders are extremely fast and very maneuverable and are probably the most accurate firing bases in the game being able to move insanely far per turn and still fire their bows with 0 penalty to accuracy. Put it this way, you can potentially 'move' 52" on the first turn of the game and fire your 30" long bow giving you a whopping threat range of 82" on the first turn. Its not all positives however as you will soon discover.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of the Glade Riders comes in 3 forms: speed, maneuverability and harassment. They are fast cavalry which allows them to March and Shoot, they can move 12" before the game starts, they can reform for free and gain a nice little ability called Feigned Flight which essentially means when you flee and regroup you can move as normal...including march however you always count as moving when you come to fire your weapons. Combine these abilities with the wood elves special rules and you can flee, regroup move 18" and fire your bows with 0 penalty to hit...which is insane. Add to this the ability to ignore dangerous terrain tests when moving through forests and it seems like nothing can stop you!
Unfortunately a slight breeze can stop you as you have 0 armour, and your only defense comes from the fact you are on a horse (so a 6+ save)...and being T3 your not going to last long at all. Unfortunately your bows are horribly ineffective since they are only strength 3 (not 4 at close range like Glade Guard) meaning you are struggling to do any damage despite your mobility and accuracy. The final nail in the coffin is the price...at almost 25 points a model you are paying a load of points for very little damage out put with next to no defense...a risky move indeed.
Tactics
Despite their weaknesses and the general hate they gather from many wood elf players Glade Guard are still in fact rather useful. As mentioned above they can potentially move 52" in their first movement phase...depending on the size of the board. Lets say for arguments sake you have a 12" deployment zone. Deploy on that line, move 12" with vanguard and march 18" and bam you have just reached the other side of the board. Bearing this in mind, what tends to lurk at their board edge? Lone Wizards (occasionally) and Warmachines. That initial burst of speed makes them perfect warmachine hunters as you might well imagine. But they have other roles such as 'Bait'. You place your riders in a position where the enemy can charge you, when they attempt it you flee, escape in most cases rally (Ld9 with a musician) and them move your 18" (for example you move PAST the unit that charged you) not only have you pulled the enemy out of formation and into a possible ambush but you have also managed to slip your glade riders behind his unit making them a very real threat when combat begins as you could come in with a flank or rear charge. Finally using them as light infantry hunters. Some armies may utilize skirmishers which are often small in number and easy pickings for your riders especially in combat where you have the clear advantage. You may as well exploit it! In terms of unit size 5 is probably the safest option as it is not to expensive and you can do your general duties pretty well however if you want to risk it for a bit more of a punch then 10 (max unit cap) is not a bad idea, especially for combat support as you will have enough ranks to deny their rank bonus...providing you dont lose a single rider to magic or ranged weaponry.
Magic
A fantastic spell to make riders a bit harder to kill is Hidden Path as it makes you immune to mundane ranged weaponry however even that could be a waste as a simple magic missile could very easily wipe out an entire unit. It is probably best using your magic on other units as riders do not really benefit from it.
Command
Never take a champion and ALWAYS take a Musician as it lets you rally easier letting you Feign Flight more reliably. Standard Bearers are hit and miss. Needed for a certain mission and handy in a combat but when push comes to shove and points become tight dropping this guy is probably a good idea. Whilst not part of the command dont place your expensive heroes and lords with Glade Riders, they are far to fragile to be bodyguards for your general etc. so keep characters out of the unit!
Overall
I like them BUT they are nowhere near as 'must have' as Glade Guard or Dryads. Against some armies they can prove to be effective if used right however be constantly aware if your foe chooses to destroy them he can and will do it in a heart beat. This makes them EASY victory points for your opponent. Because of this, if you take them you have to have an objective for them per game like: Take out X number of warmachines etc. This way when they die they have done something to help your armies cause...
Glade Riders are extremely fast and very maneuverable and are probably the most accurate firing bases in the game being able to move insanely far per turn and still fire their bows with 0 penalty to accuracy. Put it this way, you can potentially 'move' 52" on the first turn of the game and fire your 30" long bow giving you a whopping threat range of 82" on the first turn. Its not all positives however as you will soon discover.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of the Glade Riders comes in 3 forms: speed, maneuverability and harassment. They are fast cavalry which allows them to March and Shoot, they can move 12" before the game starts, they can reform for free and gain a nice little ability called Feigned Flight which essentially means when you flee and regroup you can move as normal...including march however you always count as moving when you come to fire your weapons. Combine these abilities with the wood elves special rules and you can flee, regroup move 18" and fire your bows with 0 penalty to hit...which is insane. Add to this the ability to ignore dangerous terrain tests when moving through forests and it seems like nothing can stop you!
Unfortunately a slight breeze can stop you as you have 0 armour, and your only defense comes from the fact you are on a horse (so a 6+ save)...and being T3 your not going to last long at all. Unfortunately your bows are horribly ineffective since they are only strength 3 (not 4 at close range like Glade Guard) meaning you are struggling to do any damage despite your mobility and accuracy. The final nail in the coffin is the price...at almost 25 points a model you are paying a load of points for very little damage out put with next to no defense...a risky move indeed.
Tactics
Despite their weaknesses and the general hate they gather from many wood elf players Glade Guard are still in fact rather useful. As mentioned above they can potentially move 52" in their first movement phase...depending on the size of the board. Lets say for arguments sake you have a 12" deployment zone. Deploy on that line, move 12" with vanguard and march 18" and bam you have just reached the other side of the board. Bearing this in mind, what tends to lurk at their board edge? Lone Wizards (occasionally) and Warmachines. That initial burst of speed makes them perfect warmachine hunters as you might well imagine. But they have other roles such as 'Bait'. You place your riders in a position where the enemy can charge you, when they attempt it you flee, escape in most cases rally (Ld9 with a musician) and them move your 18" (for example you move PAST the unit that charged you) not only have you pulled the enemy out of formation and into a possible ambush but you have also managed to slip your glade riders behind his unit making them a very real threat when combat begins as you could come in with a flank or rear charge. Finally using them as light infantry hunters. Some armies may utilize skirmishers which are often small in number and easy pickings for your riders especially in combat where you have the clear advantage. You may as well exploit it! In terms of unit size 5 is probably the safest option as it is not to expensive and you can do your general duties pretty well however if you want to risk it for a bit more of a punch then 10 (max unit cap) is not a bad idea, especially for combat support as you will have enough ranks to deny their rank bonus...providing you dont lose a single rider to magic or ranged weaponry.
Magic
A fantastic spell to make riders a bit harder to kill is Hidden Path as it makes you immune to mundane ranged weaponry however even that could be a waste as a simple magic missile could very easily wipe out an entire unit. It is probably best using your magic on other units as riders do not really benefit from it.
Command
Never take a champion and ALWAYS take a Musician as it lets you rally easier letting you Feign Flight more reliably. Standard Bearers are hit and miss. Needed for a certain mission and handy in a combat but when push comes to shove and points become tight dropping this guy is probably a good idea. Whilst not part of the command dont place your expensive heroes and lords with Glade Riders, they are far to fragile to be bodyguards for your general etc. so keep characters out of the unit!
Overall
I like them BUT they are nowhere near as 'must have' as Glade Guard or Dryads. Against some armies they can prove to be effective if used right however be constantly aware if your foe chooses to destroy them he can and will do it in a heart beat. This makes them EASY victory points for your opponent. Because of this, if you take them you have to have an objective for them per game like: Take out X number of warmachines etc. This way when they die they have done something to help your armies cause...
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Wood Elf Unit Tactics Part 5 - Dryads and Branchwraiths
Dryads were once considered to be one of the most over powered units in the game since they were so cheap yet so powerful...this was back when Dwarfs were considered the toughest infantry in the game...years on things have changed however Dryads are still one of the BEST core choices we have access to and considering they are so cheap they are another must have core unit for any wood elf army (unless themed of course).
Strengths and Weaknesses
When looking at a Dryad you have to think of an elf then imagine the exact opposite. Elves in our book tend to focus on ranged, lack armour, be fragile and pretty weak. This naturally means dryads are tough, strong and have a pretty damn good save to boot. Dryads go into battle with 2 S4 magical attacks each at initiative 6 meaning 9/10 times you are striking first and your striking hard. When the foe hits you back he has to punch through Toughness 4 and a 5++ ward save! Finally they cause Fear giving them some extra defense against the more wimpy units in the game.
When it comes to disadvantages Dryads have very few. They are Skirmishers meaning its harder for them to shot at which is great but it also has a negative impact on their combat ability because they cant break ranks, don't benefit from steadfast and don't have a rank bonus for combat resolution meaning they will have a hard time breaking most units since they will ALWAYS be steadfast against you in a 1 on 1 fight. Dryads are also Forest Spirits, this is a GREAT rule overall giving them loads of benefits however because of this they cant be accompanied by wizards or nobles and only Branchwraiths can reliably and safely join their ranks. They have no access to command units so if they flee they are more likely to not rally than our elf troops and they cant benefit from standard bearers. Finally their ward save does not work against magic based attacks, so whilst its great against most units they are very vulnerable to more elite units and wizards.
Tactics
Dryads can be used in a few ways, however most will agree the best way is to run them as a Hammer unit...and they are one hell of a hammer. The ideal size for Dryads in my opinion is either 8, 10 or 12. Any more and you are wasting attacks and the cost rises and maneuverability of the unit drops significantly. Bear in mind that 8 dryads cost less than 100 points and pack 16 S4 magical attacks which can be a combat decider when you have a strong anvil up front (like a Treeman Ancient). 10 - 12 Dryads are more expensive and are just as effective as Hammer units and of course they can take more of beating, whats more they can act as mini anvils since they are tough enough to hold up weaker infantry (goblins, humans, skaven) quite well. The final tactic is to go with a full unit of 20 (max unit size). This 20 man unit should be run 10x2 and should be used as an Anvil. The REAL use however comes into play when you are playing the Watchtower mission as you have the hard hitting power of the dryad for assaulting the watchtower (bearing in mind only 20 Core troops can start in the watchtower and dryads are more than a match for most core units in the game) and if you manage to start in the tower you have a very hard to move unit able to hold up against nearly anything.
*REMEMBER: Dryads are skirmishers! They are stubborn when in woodland terrain and enemies cannot benefit from steadfast when in woodland terrain! Use this to your advantage and bait enemies into combats on your terms!*
Magic
Dryads are one of those units that go from great to amazing when given some magical attention. The lore of life is common as you can make them Toughness 6-8 but my personal favorite is to run them near a Lore of Beast weaver and simply cast Wyssans Wild Form giving them S5 T5 making them stronger and tougher letting you deal more hurt and take it back in droves. Finally if you have a Athel Loren singer with Call of the Hunt this can really boost a dryads attack power. For overkill combine Call of the Hunt and Wyssans for some real carnage!
Branchwraiths
These are our cheapest Heroes coming in at under 70 points. They have come in with 3 S4 WS6 attacks at I8 meaning she is pretty darn good for her points. She has access to 50 points worth of Spites and is the cheapest way to gain access to Cluster of Radiants (+1 dispel dice). Optionally she can be boosted to a level 1 wizard but this upgrade almost doubles her points and is not worth it AT ALL. She is an OK choice to take especially in themed lists or games at a lower points level when you cant take a Treeman Ancient but as a whole she can only really join dryads and doesn't add enough to be worth it (you could just upgrade a dryad to a Nymph/Champion to get the same results).
Overall
Branchwraiths are your cheapest way to get hold of CoR but other than that are not worth the investment. Dryads on the other hand are fantastic despite thier flaws. A few units of 8-12 and you have some very potent hammer units that can also take a beating.
As a side note, they are 3 points cheaper than Sword Masters (High Elves number 1 Special choice) and they destroy them...every time...high elves beware!
Azeebo
Wood Elf Unit Tactics Part 4 - Glade Guard and Scouts
I love Glade Guard both in game and in model terms. They look fantastic and when used right they can be devastating. They have a few special rules that let them hit targets from 3ft away, the most powerful long bows to name a few. You would be foolish to run an army without a solid core of Glade Guard in my opinion.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Being BS4 is the most obvious advantage they will be hitting most targets at short range on a 3+, but this by itself isn't that special compared to most other archers. What does make them superior is the ability to move and shoot without any penalty meaning you essentially have a 35" range and even at that range you are still hitting on 4+ when most armies will be hitting on 5-6+ after moving. Finally, at short range you become very deadly indeed coming in with S4 shots hitting on 3+. And all this for 1 point more than the High Elf equivalent...you cant complain with those results!
The downsides are that you have 0 armour meaning you cant take much punishment especially when you are toughness 3. This has been made even worse in 8th since magic has had a bit of a boost meaning your armour-less archers become ideal targets and there is very little you can do to combat that.
Command
When it comes to Glade Guard you want to keep them cheap since they are vulnerable and any ranged or magic attention will seriously hurt them. This means a command group is pretty pointless on the surface. Look deeper and you will see that they can be very helpful overall. Champions are pretty much useless, the extra +1 BS wont make much difference making him a waste of points. Musicians on the other hand are very good to have around. When a unit charges your glade guard fleeing is often a good tactic and the Musician will let you regroup. Finally the Standard Bearer...you dont want to be in combat so the +1 resolution is not needed however Blood and Glory (Mission) requires standards otherwise you automatically lose the game. Glade Guard are some of the only units able to take them so you might as well. Remember though, if you flee your standard bearer is killed so dont flee unless its ABSOLUTELY necessary. The other bonus is the ability to take a magic standard up to 25 points...which we will go into more detail in a moment.
Tactics
My favorite way to use Glade Guard is to take a few units (3-4) of 10 glade guard usually with musician and possibly standard bearer. You have 3-4 mobile archer units that can just wreck havoc on the enemies lines. Cheap and effective. However you can opt to turn your cheap archers into very expensive Anvils. Taking units of 40-50+ in horde formation you get about 35 shots a turn, just before the enemy charges you reform into 5x10 formation stand and shoot and lock them in combat with steadfast leaving the enemy open for flank charges. You will want full command and probably a character with Rhymers Harp and maybe even a BSB in or nearby your unit. Its a good idea but i am not a big fan of it. My second favorite idea is to run a unit of 20 Glade Guard with the Banner of Eternal Flame probably with a hero packing the Hail of Doom Arrow. You have a rather mobile unit getting 20 flaming shots a turn making you ideal for taking down regenerating monsters, flammable targets and more importantly damaging units in buildings as you get Rerolls to wound when attacking such units. And having your noble throw out 3-18 shots with his arrow once per game also flaming you have some serious firepower. Have them supported by 2 units of 10 glade guard and your good to go. Optionally you can combine this tactic with the horde tactic mentioned earlier but that is up to you!
Scouts
So far i have only mentioned Glade Guard, however for 5 points more you can upgrade them to scouts. Scouts lose their S4 bows however become skirmishers with the Scout special rule. They can take command options as usual but cant have more than 10 elves per unit and unfortunately you can only take 1 unit of scouts per unit of glade guard.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Being Skirmishers makes you much harder to hit with ranged attacks esspecially if you keep in cover (forests for example) making you a bit more survivable, you are also much more maneuverable thanks to being able to March and Shoot giving you a total range of 40" with no penalty when moving and shooting. Finally, with the scout rule you can deploy further up the field and use them as harassers, lone character assassins and war machine hunters.
Unfortunately they are very expensive to take, their bows are only S3, they still have no armour and are just not that effective in game. They are basically a poor mans Way Watchers who are ironically over priced scouts...when it comes to our scout units unfortunately they just don't perform as well as we would like (more on Way Watchers later!).
Tactics
Lone Characters are common in fantasy whether it be a Mage trying to get into a key position, a character mounted on a flying mount or monster etc. Using your scouts you can get into a good position and use your high volume of fire to weaken or kill the target early before he causes trouble later on. War Machines are a bit issue for wood elves as we have very few reliable units able to handle them, scouts are a good way of taking them out thanks to their scout move and long ranged weaponry and maneuverability. Wizard Protection...believe it or not scouts make for good wizard body guards since they are so resilient to ranged attacks thanks to being skirmishers. A small unit of 5 can keep you wizard pretty safe throughout the game. Harassers, because they move 10" a turn and can still fire (accurately) they can run circles around larger infantry blocks and their is not much the enemy can do to stop you...using this to your advantage is key.
Overall
Glade Guard are almost a must have unit in any army (out side of a themed list) and scouts, whilst full of weaknesses can be used to achieve certain things...even if it is for a extortionate price!
Look out for more tactics!
Azeebo
Friday, 24 June 2011
Wood Elf Unit Tactics Part 3 - The Treeman Ancient
How do you describe the Treeman Ancient in 1 word? Anvil. When it comes to survivability this guy everything we have access to and most other anvils in the game. As you might expect being a Treeman he is not only tough but very strong and when he comes in with 5 +D6 attacks he can take the pain and dish it in equal measure.
Spites
There are 2 things that seperate the Treeman Ancient from the regular Treeman:
- Leadership
- Spites
Spites are pretty average across the board (represented by the low points cost) however 2 spites really stand out and are almost must haves when taking your Ancient.
Cluster of Radiant's
A cheap item that literally gives you +1 Dispel dice per magic phase. This is the ONLY spite that Elves cannot take so when you have the opportunity to grab it you might as well! The added magic defense is a blessing especially for the cost.
Annoyance of Netlings
Often considered the most annoying item in Fantasy is the AoN. In a challenge your foe has a 1 in 6 chance of hitting you...this + high toughness means you are not going to be killed easily in a challenge and since you hit so hard in combat most things will then die seconds later. Whats more is, people will very often accept a challenge from an Ancient simply because they dont want their unit losing 6-11 models a turn in combat, and if they decline the challenge well their character simply wont be able to harm you that phase...its literally a win win situation.
*Tip: Never forget your overkill bonus! Just because a champion only has 1 wound, you can get up to +6 combat res for killing him! This can win you some combats!
Anvil Tactics
I have mentioned a few times that the Ancient is a great anvil, and as you might of guessed with AoN he becomes almost unstoppable. What makes him much better than many anvils is the fact he is Ld9 with Stubborn and immune to psychology. This means your Ancient will rarely, if ever, run from a combat, he is completely immune to fear and terror and he is Toughness 6 with 6 wounds.
Magic
Magic can help your ancient in many ways. Lore of Life for example has an attribute that heals 1 wound for ever life spell cast. Having your weaver near your ancient means without even focusing any attention on the ancient he can heal him back to full strength. Lore of Life also has a toughness increasing spell making him toughness 8-10 finally the lore of life has a dedicated healing spell that can heal your treeman from near death to unharmed in an instant.
The Lore of Beasts has a spell that increases Toughness up to 9 and another spell that boosts his Attacks to 8 + D6 and his Strength to 9 giving him loads of stopping power and a huge bonus to his offensive capabilities.
Even the Lore of Athel Loren can lend a hand when it comes to the Ancient. The Hidden Path in particular will make him immune to mundane shooting attacks...so the majority of ranged weaponry will simply be unable to harm him making him even hard to take down.
Hammer/Unit Support
The Ancient is a fantastic anvil but can also be used as an effective hammer unit since he gets a lot of high strength attacks (more with magic) and he causes terror which are all good things for a hammer. His unit support of course comes from not only his attacks but from his leadership. If he is your general he comes in with an 18" radius of Ld9 which is fantastic as you might imagine. And just to top it all off he has access to 2 Treesinging spells a turn and a powerful ranged attack which is not needed but an added extra.
Downsides?
So far there have been none. But everything has them hidden somewhere and the Ancient is not exception. He is very costly coming in at 350-375 points depending on Spites. Because magic is so dominant in 8th edition he will very likely be taking a seat until larger games of 2000 points and above. And being a Forest Spirit he is susceptible to flaming attack so be warned!
What a way to end the Lords and Heroes section of my tactics, the Ancient is by far my favorite Lord choice for wood elves simply because he such a unique character on the battlefield and can very easily become your enemies worst nightmare!
Look out for Part 4 where we will be looking at the Core units of our book. Until next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)