Dwarf Irondrakes - Why I almost always include them in lists
May 18, 2017 22:52:08 GMT
KevinC, mottdon, and 4 more like this
Post by knoffles on May 18, 2017 22:52:08 GMT
There are very few units, from the dwarf army book, that I would consider an auto include in my lists.
Hammerers are a possibility but more often than not opponents will avoid them like the plague and they become an expensive bunker for the general (although they also cast a 12″ stubborn bubble, if you run it in my preferred groth load out, so not a total waste).
Some players swear by Ironbreakers as the ultimate anvil and with elite dwarf stats and a 3+/ 5++ save there is an argument for them but with the profusion of high strength attacks in 8th, the save will quickly reduce and the ward is only in close combat.
Gyrocoptors are definitely on the list and will always be in my armies but in this post I want to look at Irondrakes.
The Irondrakes have the same elite stats as Ironbreakers but with a slightly reduced 4+/ 6++ (non restricted ward), which increases to a 2++ vs fire. As an anvil, this makes them more effective than a unit of shieldbeards, our go to core anvil unit, with the added advantage of an extra point of Leadership (10) and the same 50pt Magic standard allowance.
Ok so they are still not as good as Ironbreakers but there’s more. On top of that they get an 18″, flaming, str 5, Armour Piercing, Dwarf crafted, ranged attack and they are quick to fire meaning they can move and shoot and stand and shoot without penalty (except long range). The unit champion can be upgraded to dual drake pistols (two, 12″, str 5, flaming, AP, ranged attacks and these also gives the unit the chance of removing regen in combat with his 2 flaming attacks) or to the trollhammer torpedo (a 24″, str 8, flaming, d3 wound, slow to fire attack).
Being both a solid anvil and having a high str ranged attack gives them a versatility that our other infantry units lack. They work equally well as a flank or centrally placed unit and adding a stubborn runic banner means they will normally hold to the last dwarf. The rune of slowness, whilst an obvious and well known choice, is very effective even against cavalry or other high distance chargers.
Add in a basic Runesmith to the unit (who can be tooled up to add further depth with items such as the silver horn, breath weapon or even a basic runic weapon to counter ethereals) and their ward becomes 5+ vs direct dmg spells and their close combat attacks gain AP which effectively doubles their combat effectiveness vs armoured troops and if you choose to charge with them (a possibly option if you have the rune of slowness) then they get the standard dwarf +1 to str that turn and an effective -3 vs nme armour.
My preferred list
If running a 2500 pt list you get 625 pts in the rare section to play with. For me this will normally be comprised of:
1 organ gun with Ro forging and accuracy (reroll misfires and +1 to hit), perhaps with accompanying engineer.
1 organ gun (no runes but with attached engineer, which give the same bonus as the two above runes but also allows you to still be effective against the BotWD - something very prevalent with HE players in my Meta)
18 Irondrakes with standard (1* Ro slowness), champion with dual drake pistols and musician (accompanied by a Runesmith).
This comes to 625pts on the nose (excluding the engineer and Runesmith) and creates a formidable selection of str 5 AP ranged attacks for the throng.
The Trollhammer Torpedo
I have been asked on several occasions why I never take the trollhammer. There are a couple of reasons:
Drake Pistols
I wanted to add a comment about stand and shooting with these as I’ve seen this played incorrectly many times. Putting them on your champion will NOT mean the unit shoots at short range on stand and shoot reactions. This is because their range of 12” is more than half the range of the Drakeguns 18” range.
So to sum up, Yes they are expensive (15pts a pop) and yes their points come from the rare section but they are only 1pt more expensive than Ironbreakers and all that versatility, wrapped up in one unit, is why I rarely leave home without them.
I hope this has been a useful post on what is, one of my favourite dwarf units.
Hammerers are a possibility but more often than not opponents will avoid them like the plague and they become an expensive bunker for the general (although they also cast a 12″ stubborn bubble, if you run it in my preferred groth load out, so not a total waste).
Some players swear by Ironbreakers as the ultimate anvil and with elite dwarf stats and a 3+/ 5++ save there is an argument for them but with the profusion of high strength attacks in 8th, the save will quickly reduce and the ward is only in close combat.
Gyrocoptors are definitely on the list and will always be in my armies but in this post I want to look at Irondrakes.
The Irondrakes have the same elite stats as Ironbreakers but with a slightly reduced 4+/ 6++ (non restricted ward), which increases to a 2++ vs fire. As an anvil, this makes them more effective than a unit of shieldbeards, our go to core anvil unit, with the added advantage of an extra point of Leadership (10) and the same 50pt Magic standard allowance.
Ok so they are still not as good as Ironbreakers but there’s more. On top of that they get an 18″, flaming, str 5, Armour Piercing, Dwarf crafted, ranged attack and they are quick to fire meaning they can move and shoot and stand and shoot without penalty (except long range). The unit champion can be upgraded to dual drake pistols (two, 12″, str 5, flaming, AP, ranged attacks and these also gives the unit the chance of removing regen in combat with his 2 flaming attacks) or to the trollhammer torpedo (a 24″, str 8, flaming, d3 wound, slow to fire attack).
Being both a solid anvil and having a high str ranged attack gives them a versatility that our other infantry units lack. They work equally well as a flank or centrally placed unit and adding a stubborn runic banner means they will normally hold to the last dwarf. The rune of slowness, whilst an obvious and well known choice, is very effective even against cavalry or other high distance chargers.
Add in a basic Runesmith to the unit (who can be tooled up to add further depth with items such as the silver horn, breath weapon or even a basic runic weapon to counter ethereals) and their ward becomes 5+ vs direct dmg spells and their close combat attacks gain AP which effectively doubles their combat effectiveness vs armoured troops and if you choose to charge with them (a possibly option if you have the rune of slowness) then they get the standard dwarf +1 to str that turn and an effective -3 vs nme armour.
My preferred list
If running a 2500 pt list you get 625 pts in the rare section to play with. For me this will normally be comprised of:
1 organ gun with Ro forging and accuracy (reroll misfires and +1 to hit), perhaps with accompanying engineer.
1 organ gun (no runes but with attached engineer, which give the same bonus as the two above runes but also allows you to still be effective against the BotWD - something very prevalent with HE players in my Meta)
18 Irondrakes with standard (1* Ro slowness), champion with dual drake pistols and musician (accompanied by a Runesmith).
This comes to 625pts on the nose (excluding the engineer and Runesmith) and creates a formidable selection of str 5 AP ranged attacks for the throng.
The Trollhammer Torpedo
I have been asked on several occasions why I never take the trollhammer. There are a couple of reasons:
- Slow to fire. It is rare that my unit of drakes is stationary and even with the increased bs of 4 for the champion, it makes a big difference to the hit roll (also see point 3) and you cannot stand and shoot with it as it is slow to fire.
- Price. 20pts for it (or 30 if you include the champion cost) may not seem an expensive upgrade but with my preferred army load out, I cannot normally squeeze it in.
- Charge reactions. Dual pistols allows a stand and shoot reaction, with an additional attack. Once in combat, they again provide an additional attack for the champion and as they are flaming, can strip regen off anything he attacks. If he does charge himself, he gets the standard dwarf +1 str, so they are back to str 5, flaming AP attacks in the first round of combat.
- Single dice rolls. It works like a cannon, in so far as, no matter the actual odds I seem to find that with a single dice roll, 9 times out of 10, it is guaranteed to roll a 1 (either to wound or hit). Conversely 2 dice rolls will more often than not come up as an 11 or 12, especially for break tests. Don’t ask me why, I don’t make the rules, it’s just the way it is!
Drake Pistols
I wanted to add a comment about stand and shooting with these as I’ve seen this played incorrectly many times. Putting them on your champion will NOT mean the unit shoots at short range on stand and shoot reactions. This is because their range of 12” is more than half the range of the Drakeguns 18” range.
So to sum up, Yes they are expensive (15pts a pop) and yes their points come from the rare section but they are only 1pt more expensive than Ironbreakers and all that versatility, wrapped up in one unit, is why I rarely leave home without them.
I hope this has been a useful post on what is, one of my favourite dwarf units.