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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:11:57 GMT
This thread will be a compilation of several guides created by/from the below players/sources. Most views expressed are theirs and I have attempted to blend them into a coherent document and added a few thoughts where I thought pertinent. Feel free to point out any issues/mistakes you come across. The below list has links to the individual posts in the thread. List of Posts Post 1 - Recognition of contributors, list of posts, introduction to High elves and army special rules. Post 2 - LordsPost 3 - HeroesPost 4 - MountsPost 5 - CorePost 6 - SpecialPost 7 - RarePost 8 - White Tower of Hoeth (Hero’s guide)Post 9 - Magic CombosPost 10 - Magic Phase StrategyPost 11 - List Building 101Post 12 - List Building 102 and StrategyPost 13 - Player AdvicePost 14 - Great Eagle Tips and TricksPost 15 - Magic Item AnalysisPost 16 - HE Coven of Light (link to mrburp 's post) Post 17 - Swordmasters MSU ObservationsPost 18 - Other useful links to:- Battle reports
- Army blogs (incl. Seredain's Cavalry Prince & Curu Olannon's Path to Glory)
Contributors
As with many of the guides in this forum, I've sourced many different articles and tried to weave common posts together into one coherent document. I've tried to give full create to the authors below but if I have missed anyone, apologies and if you let me know, i'll add them in. Hero - www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=45884Rothgar13 - www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=48198Collinisimo, wamphyri101, geoguswrek, Ptolemy, Xarhain, tethlis the slayer, krysith, Mithstar, Th3_5had0w_K1ng, Furion - www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=330281d4chan - various authors - 1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer/Tactics/8th_Edition/High_ElvesSwordmaster - Path of an Outcast - swordmasterofhoeth.blogspot.com/2014/07/high-elves-msu-observations.html?showComment=1545896598321#c1842474526568182806Brewmaster_D - www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=39115
Imperator's Guides - Excellent breakdown of the army book. The first of the posts are found here: imperatorguides.blogspot.com/2013/05/high-elves-tactica-army-special-rules.html
Why Play High Elves?
Because you like Elves. And winning. High Elves win a lot. They have a BRUTAL magic phase, solid infantry choices, a variety of savage monstrous mounts and a solid shooting phase. Oh and did we mention that they have Always Strikes First, to a man, which combined with their high Initiative means you are essentially always getting rerolls. It is now only normal ASF, which means Great weapons strike at normal Initiative. Don't think they're a cinch to play though, they're not THAT overpowered. Low Toughness, light armour and high cost units means that they have to be played well. But if you play them properly you will utterly destroy the competition. An army for people who like gorgeous models and want to play a tactically fulfilling army without being hideously underpowered. An army, in short, for the exact kind of people who like Warhammer Fantasy.
What are they like? 1. High Elves are a versatile army. Given the presence of potent elite infantry, Core heavy cavalry, lots of flying monsters, solid support for the Magic phase, and plenty of dedicated shooting units, units in the High Elves army can contribute everything from high Strength-attacks to flight to massed projectiles to potent spells, and everything in between. If you like participating in all phases of the game, the High Elves can make it happen for you. All this said, their versatility has a limit, which I will discuss below... 2. High Elves are an elite army. One of the few things that is conspicuously absent from the High Elves' book is a cheap, disposable trooper - everyone has above-average statlines, and a points cost to match. Given that, don't be surprised to find yourself outnumbered in most games you play, but hopefully the following makes up for that... 3. High Elves are an offensively oriented army. The higher points costs associated with the units combined with most units being mediocre defensively mean that High Elves are at their best when throwing the first punch - even armies that like to sit back and shoot will want to get their hits in before their opponents, such that their high relative fragility doesn't come back to bite them. Army Special Rules
• Martial Prowess: One of the cornerstones of why High Elves hit like a ton of bricks. Fighting and shooting in extra ranks is huge. Other armies at one point or another have to decide between more attacks or a decent rank bonus. High Elves can have all models attacking and still have 2-4 ranks! • Valour of Ages: When fighting their dark cousins, High Elves counter their hatred with re-rolling failed panic, fear and terror tests. It's a nice rule, who hasn't lost that one critical morale test in a game before? I would however say that hatred is superior. Valour of ages unfortunately does not allow re-rolls of failed break tests, so you're anyway going to field a BSB, and he already has panic, fear and terror covered. Still, your vanguard and scouts or anything else not in the BSB-bubble can benefit. • Lileath's Blessing: A bonus of +1 to casting results for using High Magic across the board. High Magic is a very versatile and powerful lore, really drawing from the eight rulebook lores and the spells already have relatively low casting values, so Lileath's Blessing means that you can easily cast 2-3 spells each turn to get that nice Ward Save bonus for your mage and his unit. • Always Strikes First: This boon is almost astoundingly good when combined with the Elves' elite statlines in the Weapon Skill and Initiative departments, because re-rolls to hit in addition to going first is almost insult to injury. This is the defining special rule for a High Elves player, and I don't think it's a stretch to say it makes the army the elite, hard-hitting force it is.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:12:08 GMT
Post 2 – Lords
Alarielle the Radiant (Gold Standard)
I'm going to flat out say it: She's really damn good. She gives the entire unit 5+ ward vs. non-magic attacks. Her entire unit is Immune to Fear and Terror and deal magical attacks. And she can mix and match her spells from Life, Light or High Magic. She still needs to roll for those spells. Let's face it, she has a bunch of other special rules that changes the army dynamics immensely. She unlocks a magical banner that gives spell cast from Lore of Light and Life +4 to cast. An item that gives +1 to hit on all shooting and CC for the remainder of the turn. Can once a game pop her staff to allow her to cast a spell she already cast that turn. And she heals a friendly character every one of her movement phases. Just loaded with rules, some for fluff, some for use, but all of which are all quite good. Shit, she even has HKB vs. Forces of Destruction with her beastly 1 attack. For a little more than an Archmage with Book of Hoeth, she's definitely the best spell caster in the book.
Alternative view (Above Average) - I feel that she pushes you strongly in the "big block of Elite Unit X with a bunch of characters in it" playstyle (especially when her Heirloom items are taken into consideration), but that's not all bad when she gives you the incentive that she does. I'd consider her to be useful.
Alith Anar (Average)
His skill set (a decently fighty character with an accurate Bolt Thrower and Scout attached) makes me want to like him, but I have concerns about a guy who will almost certainly be your General ending up knee-deep in enemy lines early in the game. You can avoid that by just deploying him normally, but I feel that doesn't use him to full potential.
Alternative view - For his new points cost of 250, Alith is worth looking at. His BS7 and S7 D3 wounds no AS Quick to Fire Moonbow at 36" is something really special. Shadow Crown gives him and his unit Swiftstride, Stone of Midnight provides Alith with a 4+ Ward and enemies shooting at the unit suffers -1 to hit. The only thing I wish is that they gave him a Great Weapon, or in fact, gave all Shadow Warriors Great Weapons. As fast as he is with that I9 ASF, he's still swinging with a regular hand weapon. Boo..
Anointed of Asuryan (Above Average)
This guy has the skill set to be a potent support character (Immune to Psychology and a unit-wide 6+ Ward are nice benefits), and his mount option can make him a factor in a "flying circus" sort of list, should you go that route. To boot, his having a 4+ Ward baked in means (a) you don't have to put an item that grants it on him, and (b) you can spend more of his points allowance on doing other things. All in all, this is the combat Lord I'm most fond of.
Alternative view (Average) - This guy is the guy to go to when fielding foot lists I'd say. He comes with 4+ Ward, MR2, ItP, gives his unit 6+ ward, and comes stock with Fear. His price is pretty good too, although he has worse leadership than a Prince and less attacks. The ability to mount a Phoenix is also pretty good, especially when you factor the built-in Ward save. MR2 gives him a 2++ vs. MM and the Phoenix gets a 3++. He's a definite contender for having 3x Ice Phoenixes in a list, or even competing with the Prince on Moon Dragon.
Loremaster of Hoeth (Average)
Certainly an interesting character, he promises a hybrid of combat ability and casting punch, but I think the best way to view him is as an Archmage alternative that is somewhat combat-competent. With that in mind, I definitely think he's usable (and the signature spells give him a surprisingly deep toolbox), but I feel that his lower caster level gives up an important advantage, and his locked-in kit with no mount options is a bit limiting.
Alternative view (Above Average) - Very solid, I really like him. His main function is to be a fighting Noble, being able to take a 2+ armor save while still retaining his ability to cast cheap signature spells. He's going to be a staple in every list that wants to mix the stats of a Noble with a strong, versatile casting mage. He puts supporting mages to shame because of his ability to mount armor, put out decent damage and spellsling at the same time. The price tag is a little high, but I think he's worth it every game.
One thing I thought i'd point out about the Annointed and Loremaster. Although they are the Lord level characters for the Phoenix Guard and Swordmasters respectively, they each have far better synergies if they are placed in the opposite units. Annointed in the Swordmasters and Loremaster in the Phoenix Guard - Knoffles.
Archmage (Gold Standard)
Given the incredible Lore access and the potent magic items a Lord-level caster has access to, I struggle to find a good reason to not recommend him for pretty much every list. Magic solves problems, and he's really good at magic.
Eltharion the Grim (Conditional)
While he is a hybrid Lord in that he can fight and cast, his casting is a bit watered down by High Elf standards, and a Griffon makes for a rather "meh" mount for a Lord. I'm not sold on this guy, though it's worth pointing out that you can mitigate some of his issues by just fielding him on foot (though in my opinion he compares unfavourably to the Loremaster).
Alternative view (Average) - Overall, not bad I'd say. Stormwing now comes with ASF and Eltharion is still a slightly buffed up Prince. S6 no AS from Fangsword, MR1 and counts as Lv.2 Wizard that can use any of the 8 lores. His helm gives both him +1AS and 5+ ward to him and Stormwing. Not the best, but definitely not the worst. Griffons have improved slightly because of their points and such, and Stormwing is definitely a stronger Griffon with his stats as well.
Prince (Conditional)
While he is not without his share of positives (better offensive statline than the other Lords, sole source of Ld10 barring a Standard of Discipline, can ride a Dragon and not be uncomfortable in combat), I don't feel they trump the positives the other Lords have to offer. Just a bit too vanilla for me.
Alternative view (Average) - The first thing I have to say about the Prince is that I'm a little disappointed. While he got a slight points decrease, the 390 point Star Dragon is what's really off-putting. For 90 points less, we have access to the Moon Dragon which has a 6s statline. The big thing here is the points. When taking a Dragon Lord, you have to squeeze every little bit out of this guy and with the Star Dragon being so expensive, I'm not sure how I feel about having him in the list anymore. We'll talk about sample builds as we go along the week, but for now I'm looking at the Moon Dragon as a more cost-effective option. The main threat of cannons being able to bring down dragons also has me a bit worried. If dragons are not going to be effective, I'll sure as hell look into Cavalry Princes being the dominant option.
Teclis (Above Average)
Very fragile, but he has potent spellcasting tools and the option for a jaw-droppingly good spell selection. Keep him out of anything resembling close combat and he should serve you well.
Alternative View (Average) - I am a bit sad. Why? Because my favorite SC in all of Warhammer have been nerfed into the dirt. I'll say it flat out: I'd rather see Teclis stay the same and be banned in every single comped game than to see him like this. Overall, not terrible because they lowered his price and made him a Lv.5 Wizard. His staff has completely changed so instead of being a one-man magic phase, he's now a second-string Slaan who becomes even punier after one round of good magic. His spell flexibility has changed a lot; gaining either Loremaster High Magic with +6 to cast due to Lileath's Blessing, or 8 spells from each of the 8 lores. Oh, and he also keeps his Scroll of Hoeth so you can have two scrolls in your army if you take him and a supporting mage. Overall, not bad.. but for 450 big ones, I will pass on Teclis in this edition.
Tyrion (Average)
He's tougher than your garden-variety Lord and has some pretty nice gear, but his price tag prohibits a strong casting presence alongside him in a lot of games, and I'm inclined to hold that against him.
Alternative view - Well, I don't have much to say here. He's still really well-armoured, fast as all hell and can take a lot of damage. The real solid thing is that he's now off a monster base and his rules have been cleared up. With a 18" IP, he's a pretty solid general on the battlefield. However, you're paying an awful a lot of points for someone who puts out barely enough damage over a S7 Prince. A little bit of a shame for the greatest warrior in the known world I'd say. Sure, he doesn't really die, Sunfang needs to do a little more than just shoot out a S4 breath attack once a game. D3 wounds or something man.
Further take - Tyrion is an expensive close combat beast, and that's what you want him to be. Between ASF, WS9, I10, 4 attacks, S7 (4 base +3 from Sunfang, and a magical Flaming Attack at that) and a breath weapon, he can pretty much wreck an entire unit on his own and with his 1+ armor, 4+ ward, and Magic Resistance (2) he will just not die (and even if he does, the engagement necklace from the Everqueen means one wound that would kill him is negated on a 2+, essentially giving him +1 wound, or a one time immunity to killing blow. He loses his magic resistance after use, meaning that last wound is slightly more vulnerable). However, he's kinda stuck in the role of the hammer, and at that level of points you can take someone on a Dragon and he can't do TOO much that a tricked out Prince couldn't do just as well for less (that dragon can't join a unit though, which makes Tyrion worth considering far more than he was in 7th edition). He's fun, but competitive lists tend to prefer generic options or the Everqueen.
Something of note is that he can join a unit of Silver Helms or Dragon Princes which really ruins someones day in larger games (remember that now with Silver Helms being core, your anvil can suddenly drop onto the heads of the enemy rather than just hold them in place in an all cavalry list). His super-horse also has +1 M,WS,S,I and A. Be aware, he has taken a VERY SLIGHT nerfing (ie; his immunity to fire is now on a 2+ ward save meaning if he rolls a one he gets roasted. As cavalry he's no longer immune to killing blow so KB units such as Grave Guard can suddenly wreck his day again. He's also 10 points dearer). Weighing in at 410 points, he'll eat up a big chunk of your Lords points, but with the changes due to the End Times, you can now field him and the Everqueen in a 2000 pt game (and hopefully they don't start banging mid-game).
One final change to him in this edition: he no longer HAS to be General of the army he's in, but if he is his inspiring presence has a range of 18". If your strategy is wedge Tyrion in your enemy's ass while a mage hides in a bunker and faps to the scene, you might wanna keep him as a minion but if your whole strategy is to run your enemy down with a wall of equine death he should be the one in charge.
One final thing to note. With Tyrion having flaming attacks, the 5pt dragonbane gem can effectively negate the 410pts you have forked out on him. - Knoffles
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:12:20 GMT
POST 3 – Heroes
Caradryan (Above Average)
Essentially a Hero-level version of the Anointed of Asuryan, this guy has a baked-in Ward save, a nice mount option, and the ability to leave a proverbial parting shot when dropped. Pretty good.
Alternative view - Saw a minor points decrease, a few nerfs, but generally makes up for it with the fact he can take a +1A Frostheart Phoenix named Ashtari as a mount. He's now MR1 but gains ItP and 4+ Ward via Witness to Destiny. His Halberd still kicks ass with D3 wounds S5 Flaming, but his suicide trick is now D3 wounds no AS instead of D6. I guess GW was tired of him purposely dying to a Chaos Lord and making back double his points. Regardless, his ability to take a Ashtari in the Hero slot makes him a great choice. With MR1 on Ashtari's 5++, we're looking at a solid 4++ vs. MMs.
Dragon Mage of Caledor (Conditional)
At first glance, this unit doesn't make a lot of sense; it's a Fire caster (a Lore that likes to sit back and blast) on a Sun Dragon (a close combat-oriented monster). However, the ability to wear Dragon Armor and the guarantee that you will have Flaming Sword of Rhuin make this unit usable, if a bit corner-case.
Alternative view - That's right, we even have HEROES riding Dragons. The Dragon is fairly squishy (for a Dragon) and the model as a whole runs on the pricy side, but the Hero Level Dragon and the sheer power of the Mage on top make up for a lot of that. Flaming Sword of Rhuin is actually worthwhile in this edition and the Mage himself can put out an incredible amount of firepower. Note that you should never ever use the actual amount of dice you need; Figure out how much you need and then take one less, it'll give you more mileage. Can be a game breaker at lower points, but tends to get irrelevant once it becomes possible to grab a Prince on Star Dragon. Also, beware as they can only take the Lore of Fire. As Dragon Mages now have access to Dragon Armour, they have access to Magic Armour. Dragon Mage Dragon Armour + Enchanted shield makes for a 2+ Wizard, and if you've got a squishy wave of elven melee doom and a Dragon Mage advancing on a position, your opponent is just picking size or numbers for whatever they least like to find in their face.
Handmaiden of the Everqueen (Average)
A character that was obviously meant as an companion piece to Sisters of Avelorn, though I'm of the opinion she's a solid standalone piece, when properly equipped. BS7 and Quick to Fire means she rarely misses.
Alternative view - The main Valkyrie in a horde of Amazons. You will only play this character with a group of maidens as she gives them (and only them) Quick to Fire. Put the Reaver Bow on her for 3 BS7 S5 quick-to-fire shots. Add a potion of Str to make her a one round bolt thrower. She's kind of expensive for her stats, so she should only be brought if you've got a big unit of Sisters with her name on it. Can take a Horn of Isha if you take the Everqueen, which you should take anytime you aren't taking the Reaver Bow.
Korhil (Conditional)
Talk about a glass cannon; he's Stubborn and he spits out 4 WS6 S6 attacks with Killing Blow at ASF speed, but the only thing standing between him and a painful death are 2 T3 Wounds and a 4+ armor save. Too squishy for me.
Alternative View (Average) - I can't say I'm too happy with what they did to Korhil. Everything stays the same minus the fact that he's now 10 points more expensive. I was really hoping he would get something to compensate the fact that he's a SC with only a 4+ AS and is supposed to be in close combat. I don't get this philosophy.. at least make him dangerous enough to threaten everything with HKB or give him a dodge save. Even with Stubborn, I can't justify ever taking him over someone more armoured. A shame because I really like the model/character too.
Further take - Korhil's main advantages are as follows: He's cheap (but 10 points costlier in 8th) and he's Stubborn and thus grants this to any unit he joins. Those two reasons are reason enough to take him, especially if you want to dump him in a large Spearmen unit. He lost Woodsman, gained Forest Strider which is the same thing by another name. It lets his unit waltz through deadly Forests like they're a peaceful park. He's reasonably killy on his own merits with S4, with +2 strength from his magic weapon, with Killing Blow and with ASF. It is worth noting that he does get a 4th attack as his hand weapon and Chayal count as paired weapons. Pelt got a slight nerf, grants +1 close combat and +2 shooting to his armor, and instead of being immune to poison in all forms they have to roll To Wound to hit him. Not someone who will turn the game around, but he certainly helps if your strategy is an elfhorde and you didn't bring along Alarielle. See his bio in the fluff section for themed lists, basically he can show up anywhere High Elves are as long as the Phoenix King approves of whatever your army is doing. NEVER FORGET his axe DOESN'T have ASL unlike white lions, so you still get your rerolls.
Lothern Sea Helm (Conditional)
Whether it be on a Skycutter Chariot or on foot, I feel that this is a character searching for a purpose. His meager combat statline means he won't add much punch to your cause, and while Naval Discipline is potent, few armies will have a combat unit important enough to pay the premium he represents over a Noble for it.
Lothern Sea Helm BSB (Average)
The first thing to point out is that I consider a Battle Standard-Bearer of some kind to be mandatory; with that in mind, I think that the Sea Helm can offer a couple of nice things, but he's far from a slam dunk choice in this role.
Mage (Above Average)
Reasonably priced, can carry nice Arcane items, and the +1 when casting High Magic, together with the +1 to a ward from the lore can really help here. I like having at least one of these guys around for a good signature spell, if nothing else.
Noble (Average)
I'm a tad sceptical of their ability to contribute while on foot because of their relative vulnerability, but a Noble on some sort of mount (be it an Elven Steed, or something more exotic like a Great Eagle or a Griffon) can definitely make some noise. Having the opportunity to mount a Griffon is also pretty significant here. I'm not entirely convinced on the beast though mainly due to cannons, no save and a potential to be expensive depending on upgrades.
Alternative view - A great fighter for his points, but if you have the points you really should be taking a Prince (who's only 70 points more). The main reason you take a Noble is because he can be a BSB or if you're low on points (either overall or in the Lord choices) in which case, he'll serve. He's best as a BSB and you DEFINITELY want a BSB. In 8th with Lothern Sea Helms also being an option as a Battle Standard Bearer there are now conceivable lists where you might not take a Noble. As a nice little bonus for those who are low on points, the armour types (Heavy, Dragon, and Lion Cloak) are cheaper on a Noble than a Prince.
Noble BSB (Above Average)
The first thing to point out is that I consider a Battle Standard-Bearer of some kind to be mandatory; that said, the ability to field it on a flying mount (which may confer a 18" bubble, if you go for the Griffon) can really get this effect to where you need it most, and putting him on an Elven Steed is a good way to add punch to that unit while keeping him relatively safe.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:12:35 GMT
Post 4 - Mounts
Ashtari (Above Average)
Can only be taken if you take Caradryan. A Frostheart Phoenix with a little more beef in the Heroes slot, with it's +1 attack, is a pretty worthwhile investment if you ask me.
Elven Steed (Above Average)
It's cheap, it moves fast, and it lets you be in a mounted unit. Hard to go wrong with this one.
Flamespyre Phoenix (Terrible)
This thing is just a comedy of errors as a mount - an Anointed is a fighting character, so he (naturally) wants to get into fights. A Flamespyre isn't really that keen on the concept of close combat (by monster standards). Moreover, the fact that the rider goes down with it if it falls is just horrifyingly bad, and the +1 on the Phoenix Reborn Chart does not make up for it. I wouldn't touch this mount choice with a 10-foot pole.
Frostheart Phoenix (Above Average)
A very strong mount choice, it offers survivability with a dash of combat punch thrown in, not to mention the ever-handy ability to fly. If you're basing your strategy around fliers, this is likely what your General's riding.
Great Eagle (Above Average)
A very nice defensive mount upgrade (can fly, gives you T4/W3 if you didn't already have it) that I think is especially useful for Nobles. Can be upgraded to give ASF and AP. Pretty cheap but suffers from the same drawback as other such mounts, a vulnerability to cannons.
Griffon (Average)
It's a bit squishy, but it has good offensive upgrades in the form of ASF and an improved Devastating charge that gives both +1 A + Str and the ability to field it out of the Heroes allowance plays a big part in why I think it's very much a viable choice.
Skycutter Chariot (Average)
While its fragility in combat is an issue and not having access to the Bolt Thrower upgrade is kind of lame, it does get a big survivability boost against incoming fire from the Sea Helm riding it with an inbuilt 4++ ward. Respectable.
Tiranoc Chariot (Terrible)
Another amazingly awful mount option, the inability to march combines with the inability to join a unit (unlike Tomb Kings, our Chariots do not ignore that part of the rules) and the fact that the Chariot can be targeted separately (and is damn easy to kill) to make me question the decision to ever field this outside of fluff reasons.
Sun Dragon (Conditional)
A bit wimpy on the fighting end for my taste, especially given the price tag.
Moon Dragon (Conditional)
Not particularly bad, but it suffers greatly from the comparison to the Frostheart Phoenix, especially on the points front (their abilities give the Phoenix a slight edge, and the Dragon is a lot more expensive as insult to injury).
Star Dragon (Conditional)
Massive stats, but it just costs so many points when combined with its rider, that it's hard to get them into most conventional games.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:12:49 GMT
Post 5 - Core
Archers (Average)
While they won't always look flashy, these guys are somewhat reasonably priced small arms fire troops that can fight a little, and that has value. S3 bow shots will need some support to make a dent in most things, though.
Alternative view (Above Average) - Went down in points, cheap, and throws out a good amount of shots. With Martial Prowess now affecting Archers in 3-ranks, a unit of 5x3 lets loose 15 S3 shots from 30" away. This is a great way to clear enemy chaff and they're an absolute staple to the High Elf war machine. Always have some kind of archery in your army lists unless you're going for a pure melee approach.
Ellyrian Reavers (Above Average)
A very useful chaff unit, given that Fast Cavalry will give you a good shot at regrouping, moving, and diverting the foe again. A quality choice when taken in minimum units to gum up the enemy's plans.
Lothern Sea Guard (Conditional)
These guys are billed as a jack-of-all-trades unit, with their spears providing the close combat prowess and bows taking care of the ranged department. That said, I think the versatility is not worth what has been traded in for it both points and ability (their bows only have a 24" range). Usable, but definitely the nadir of this section if you ask me.
Alternative view (Average) - These guys also went down a point and still retain the same function as before. Sadly, they can no longer take a magical banner and much like archers, cannot take the Banner of Eternal Flame to threaten regen units from far away. Honestly, LSG are a pretty decent unit. They double up on shooting and function like Spearmen once they reach close combat. You can feel comfortable with putting them in a unit of 6x5 and comfortably count 18+3+3 in terms of shots from 24" away while attacking back in 4 ranks in close combat. Due to their flexibility and points drop vs. the unchanged Spears, they're not a bad choice.
Silver Helms (Gold Standard)
As a bus, I would probably give these guys the max. With Martial Prowess extending to the third rank, you can now take a decent sized cavalry bus that can chip in more damage than they did before. With the points of these guys coming out of Core, you can now run a Cavalry Prince with a lot less points commitment from the rest of the army. Any bit of 2+ armour in core is good, but Ithilmar Barding, ASF and Lances make them excellent. Units of 5 make great chaff (just look at Empire Knights) but as they are elves, they are just better.
Alternative view (Above Average) - These guys offer an abundance of speed wrapped up in a heavily armored shell, and that makes them a strong choice for a Core unit. I like them as anything from a "hard chaff" minimum unit to a large character delivery device.
Spearmen (Average)
Pretty solid option still. If anything, they are overlooked a lot because they're exactly the same as the last book. I've always liked Spears. While S3 Spear attacks aren't exactly scary to most foes, they give a lot of bodies that absolutely shred other core-based infantry in the game and can be buffed to levels that upset a lot of people due to the amount of attacks they put out. Compared to similar Core, High Elf Spearmen are amazing. Not to mention they can take a magical banner while no one else in core can. Keep that in mind! Usable, particularly in big, Steadfast-breaking blocks.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:13:00 GMT
Post 6 - Special
Dragon Princes of Caledor (Average)
While they are potent on the charge and feature some nice defensive perks over their Core Silver Helm cousins, they're a bit uninspiring offensively in later turns, given their price tag. Still usable, though not as a toe-to-toe grinding unit (at least, not by themselves).
Alternative View (Above Average) - I've always liked these guys and I like them even more now that they have improved in almost every way. They retain all their stats but their Dragon Armor now gives them 6+ Ward as default in addition to their 2+ Ward vs. Fire. Add on the fact they now move 9 because of Ithilmar Barding and are cheaper to boot, you're literally looking at a 9 point WS5 I6 2A S5 on the charge Elf with ASF. Why 9 points? Because Dragon Armor alone costs 20 points on a Prince. How's that for math? I'll probably take these guys in 5-6x and call it a day.
Lion Chariot of Chrace (Conditional)
Its being Stubborn and having a solid offensive arsenal doesn't change the fact that it is very fragile defensively, and thus expected to die to most things once its payload has been delivered. With that in mind, it's overpriced.
Alternative view (Average) - I want to give these guys an above average, but I just can't. They went down in price sure, but the point decrease and Stubborn doesn't justify the fact that the White Lions on top lost re-rolls. If the chariot was T5 or the AS was 3+ or maybe even both, then these chariots would be quite nice. However, the fact that you're paying a fairly expensive price for a single chariot that has Stubborn but can't handle damage in return. I'm a little disappointed. Still a pretty solid choice with all things considered.
Phoenix Guard (Gold Standard)
Still a rock solid unit. Has Fear because they don't talk. The 4+ Ward is still there. They only got better because of their Martial Prowess extending to the third rank. This gives them more damage potential than they had last book while maintaining all the great things that made them a solid anvil. No Unbreakable means that every character can join them, and no change in points cost makes them outright better than they were before.
Alternative view (Above Average) - Arguably the most useful of our infantry units, these guys feature something rather rare in High Elves infantry, and that is durability. Throw in some nice perks like a high base Leadership, Fear, and re-rollable S4 attacks, and you have yourself a nice anvil unit that's one buff away from shredding the foe while taking little damage in return.
Shadow Warriors (Average)
Their range and high Ballistic Skill (plus being Skirmishers) makes them quality missile troops, and being Scouts lets them do double duty as war machine hunters. A bit too expensive to be fielded in the numbers needed to make them a shooting threat (especially given they only hit at S3), but the latter role is a niche High Elves don't have many options for.
Skycutter Chariot (Average)
Flight and the option to act as a mobile artillery platform make this a more attractive choice than the other Chariots in my mind, but its fragility still looms large.
Alternative view (Conditional) - First of all, the thing flies. The Eagle Eye Bolt Thrower isn't the best thing in the world because it only shoots from 24" at S5 D3 wounds no AS, but the fact that you get a movement penalty when shooting the thing is disappointing. Regardless, you're playing for a flying chariot that can negotiate the battlefield and apply constant threat. It's mobility will allow it to get those flank shots and the price tag on this bad boy is what's really helping its score out. The Warhawk pulling it so no slouch and the High Elves on top can still put out some decent damage when M10 S5 Impact hits gets in there on-demand. A good choice for sure, probably the best chariot in the arsenal.
Swordmasters of Hoeth (Above Average)
The quintessential "glass cannon" elite infantry unit; they hit hard, but do not deal with getting hit back very well. I feel this is a unit well suited to a more mobile playstyle, where you would attempt to leverage their high attack output by sending multiple units at vulnerable foes who would succumb to the onslaught.
Alternative view (Average) - They will forever be used as MSU units. Being WS6 I5 and striking at I with 2A S5 is still good, but without their re-rolls they'll be missing a lot more. The points drop is the only thing that's giving them any validity as of now but I can't see them being used outside of pseudo detachment units. Take a unit that you know will hold Steadfast and then flank charge 5-7 of these the next round. Even without re-rolls, you'll still be able to add a good amount of combat res.
Further View - Only in the High elf army would these be looked at as below Gold Standard. Compared to White Lions or Phoenix Guard they could be considered second fiddle but that in no way makes they less than excellent. 2 attacks does mean that one is wasted in a second rank and they suffer a bit in defence compared to the other two elite units but the extra pip of WS really makes a difference against other elite warriors.
Tiranoc Chariot (Conditional)
While this Chariot is inexpensive enough to be considered expendable if need be, its defenses are even more lackluster than the others, so I still don't like it. I'm also of the opinion that fielding units of them is a trap; it expands your frontage in a huge way, exposes you to Panic, and all for a handful of extra S5 hits. Chances are you can't afford to field multiple units of them, so just field them as singles instead. It's worth mentioning that they are very fragile and if destroyed, will ensure panic tests are taken all round.
Alternative view (Average) - Much better than before, especially now that you can take them in a squadron of 1-3. Chariots have always been an odd thing with High Elves. They're flexible in that they can shoot, charge into combat, but can't really do all that damage outside for Impact Hits because they're still Elves. The chariot, however, does most of the heavy lifting but with their defensive stats, if they get stuck in combat, they're pretty much toast.
White Lions of Chrace (Gold Standard)
These have always been solid units and with Martial Prowess, these will remain top dog. The reason why this is so is because they lose nothing with their 1 attack base unlike Sword Masters. WS5 S6 hits all the right targets and striking in 3 ranks allows them to actually deal more damage than their previous re-rolls. The delta for damage is definitely greater, but there's a chance you might fark your rolls. Stubborn is pretty king for an Elite unit and Lion Cloak protects them from getting shot. I can see a unit of 3x3 w/ Champ to be really popular. Cheap, tiny ass footprint, puts out high quality attacks, and doesn't die to a sneeze like Sword Masters.
Alternative view (Above Average) - Stubborn and their Lion Cloaks give these guys a bit of staying power, and swinging at S6 makes them your go-to unit when dealing with armoured or tough units. A strong choice in this section.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:13:18 GMT
Post 7 - Rare
Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower (Average)
While they're a bit fragile for their points, the ability to fire off shots that outright ignore armor is an important piece in the High Elf shooting arsenal, especially against targets like Monstrous Cavalry. Having the Volley to have them still be useful against chaff and infantry is just icing.
Alternative view (Above Average) - Went down in points and you can still take 4 of these. You can either shoot a normal Bolt Thrower shot or choose to Volley with 6 shots at S4 AP. Overall, not a bad pick but I'd rather see these guys go down to 50. S6 shooting is powerful, but compared to a cannon for a few points more and it's not even close. Still good though, and will probably see play in more shooting-based armies.
Flamespyre Phoenix (Conditional)
I don't feel that this unit is bad, just overshadowed. Despite being a monster, it's not much of a fighter, and while Wake of Fire is a neat ability, I don't feel that it justifies this guy's price tag on its own. The Phoenix Reborn is a neat gimmick, but it's just that - a gimmick. Color me unimpressed.
Alternative view (Average) - Although I'd rather see more dragons flying around in High Elves, I can't say I'm disappointed with the Phoenixes. The Flamespyre Phoenix is a solid bird with decent stats and good abilities. His special rules are nice and so is his 2+ ward vs. Fire and ability to resurrect. I'd say he's one of the best designed monsters in the game with all things considered. He's a threat on the battlefield when flying over units, when in combat with units, and when he dies with a unit nearby, he's always a threat due to that 3-5 on the Phoenix Reborn (large blast S4 flaming) or if he just comes back to life! Great rules and balance on this unit that matches the fluff perfectly.
Frostheart Phoenix (Gold Standard)
A very potent unit, this gives you a flying monster with some measure of protection, as well as an absolutely brutal combat effect. If you're planning to win your games in close combat, I think you owe it to yourself to bring these.
Alternative thoughts - I'm not going to lie to you and say these guys are a little better. These guys are ridiculously good for their points because for 15pts more than a Flamespyre, you get +1WS/S/T/A/Ld. S6 and T6 is huge because it puts them in the sweet spot for damage and resilience. Combine this with the fact that you're flying around with a Ward save and this is pretty significant. Sure, you lose the ability to resurrect, but you gain something infinitely more worrisome for your opponent: Blizzard Aura. Blizzard Aura is absolutely huge: It's a meta-changer and one of the things that will carry the High Elves to victory on many battlefields. The ASL element of the aura is fantastic; stripping away ASF on blenderlords or other high-profile units, but it's the -S that really takes the cake. With the Frostheart in contact with an enemy unit, you're essentially looking at +1T High Elves with better armor saves (which negates the High Elves' only true weakness). Not to mention the bird himself is harder to wound with his virtual T7. Regardless of who you're pitting the bird against, I have high expectations for this unit changing the battlefield much more than any other unit in the book. Well, that and one more little thing we'll cover later.
Great Eagle (Above Average)
These guys are so good at the business of redirecting when they are lone models, that entire tacticas have been written about it. I'm not sure I'd put up the points required to field them in units, though, and they do face competition from the other entries in this section.
Alternative view (Gold Standard) - The best re-director in the game for High Elves have not changed one bit. If anything, they just gave him more options than ever before, allowing you to take huge units of them due to 1+ and giving them all special abilities. Want some ASF for that Eagle? Why not. What about some Armor Piercing? We can do that too. Although the ASF is what's really going to be amazing, I'm not sure if I want to drop 10 points on something that's just going to annoy/redirect most of the time. I love these things, and so should you if you plan on playing High Elves. A lot of people argue that Ellyrion Reavers will replace the Great Eagle as redirectors, pfft, not unless they fly imo.
Sisters of Avelorn (Average)
The range is a bit disappointing (and their lack of both a Musician and the Skirmishers special rule is inexplicable to me), but the fact of the matter is that these are archers with high Ballistic Skill, extra punch, and the ability to strip Regeneration, which makes them valuable for a shooting-centric army, as well as anyone who figures to face armor-happy Destruction armies on a regular basis.
Alternative thoughts - At first, I can't say this unit impressed me. Flaming, magical S4 shots sound great on paper, but they're expensive and die to a soft breeze much like Sword Masters. The key here is to not go too expensive on these girls but use them to deal damage and strip Regen. The 24" is a limitation, but the BS5 more than makes up for it. A unit of 15 will do a good job clearing up any chaff and put out good damage vs. Forces of Destruction with their -1AS. Not a bad unit, but they will take up points in your list so you have to be careful not go crazy. The fact that this unit has no Musician (and thus no Swift Reform) kills me inside.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:13:28 GMT
POST 8 – White Tower of Hoeth (Hero’s guide)- Lore Breakdown
Welcome to the White Tower my young mage. This is where you will master your abilities in magic to decimate the enemies of Ulthuan.
Keep in mind I purposely skipped Fire and Heavens. Why? Because I don't believe they're powerful enough to be used competitively. With only 1-2 spells that stand out from each lore, I really don't care for them.
All Lores of Magic have their uses, but I like Shadow because it gives us the most coverage on our greatest weaknesses:
1. Opponents of higher toughness that we have trouble damaging - Withering.
2. Opponents that can damage us - Enfeeble + Miasma.
3. Opponents of high armor - Mindrazor.
4. Opponents of giant hordes - Miasma + Pit of Shades.
5. Opponents that just absolutely need to be killed - Mindrazor.
The one thing to take away from this is that magic effects and special rules can stack. Blizzard Aura from a Frostheart Phoenix will work perfectly with Enfeeble!
Hero purposely skipped Fire and Heavens. Why? Because he didn’t believe they were powerful enough to be used competitively. With only 1-2 spells that stand out from each lore, he didn’t rate them. I added them back in for completion - Knoffles
Lore of Shadow - The Wind of Ulgu (Recommended)
Lore Attribute: Smoke and Mirrors.
After the wizard successfully casts a spell, he may switch places with another friendly character of the same unit type within 18".
Basically allows you to play hop-scotch with one of your other characters in the army. With so many hexes at your disposal, you can easily prevent enemies from ganking your Wizard while maintaining his debuffs on the opposing army.
Basic Spell: Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma:
Pick one enemy unit within 18 inches. Reduce one of their WS, BS , I or M of your choice by D3. The scaled up version reduces all of the above (roll the D3 only once).
The basic spell is very good because it gives you a lot of options. Nerfing their ability to move, shoot and attack back increases your tactical diversity while decreasing his. At first you might wonder if reducing a units' Initiative is worth it because our entire army is already I5 and ASF, but keep reading and you'll see why this will be worth it. The scaled up version is for units that do all 3; Wood Elves come to mind.
1. Steed of Shadows:
Character buff. One friendly character within 12" can make a flying move as if in the remaining moves phase.
Not really interested in this spell. I guess it's good if you want to catapult Korhil into your opponents General or something. In fact, that would be pretty funny.
2. Enfeebling Foe:
Hex. Pick an enemy unit within 18" (powered up at +3 to cast 36") reduce their Strength by D3. Remains In Play. To a minimum of 1.
A hex that RIPs is extremely strong against units that rely on strength to their damage. Anything holding Great Weapons or have naturally high strength (like Trolls/Monsters) will take a serious hit to their combat potential. Any unit carrying great weapons or have a high strength value typically strike after you, giving you the ability to dispatch them without fear of significant retaliation.
3. Withering:
Hex. As above but T rather than S and 3 higher to cast.
I think this hex is a lot stronger for someone like Elves. Since we typically need 4s or 5s to wound most things, reducing someones toughness is absolutely huge. It allows us to wound a lot easier and with our relatively high WS, I, ASF and ranks, we'll get in plenty of wounds that'll dispatch the high T, low armor hordes a lot easier (Black Orks for example).
4. Penumbral Pendulum:
Direct Damage. Draw a line 6D6" from the caster (multiplied by 2 for the powered up version) everyone touched by it must pass an I test or suffer a S10 hit D3 wounds.
This is pretty funny. Imagine a giant Pendulum swinging through the enemy ranks and whoever fails at dodgeball gets hit in the face. S10, D3 wounds means that anyone hit by it is taking a ward save or potentially dying. This spell is pretty medicore because of the random range, but you can always use it to swing indirectly in the direction of an enemy character if he's ever missing his LOS! rule or something.
5. Pit of Shades:
Magical Vortex. Place a small template within 24" of the caster then scatter D6". Enemies must pass an I test or be removed from play if touched. The scaled up version uses the large template and scatters 2D6".
So remember that basic spell that reduces I? Most people would let that go thinking it'll last for a turn and he's not in combat. Pit of Shades makes them think again if they know about it, or teach them a lesson they'll never forget if they don't. Imagine your Elves get their I reduced to 2 from 5 because you rolled a 3 for the d3. Now you drop a Pit of Shades on them and Elves are dying on a 3+. Against armies like Dwarves or Lizardman, you're basically telling them to pass on a 1 or die. With no partials now, if this thing rolls a hit, that entire unit is falling to their DOOM! (and yes, the capitalized DOOM is in the rulebook). Another one of those you fail, you lose kind of spells. Notice a trend here again? haha.
6. Okkam's Mindrazor:
Okkam's Mindrazor is an augment spell with a range of 18" and lasts until the start of the caster's next magic phase. Models in the target unit use their Leadership instead of Strength when rolling to wound with all close combat attacks whilst the spell remains in effect (any strength bonuses from weapons are ignored). The Wizard can choose to extend the range of this spell to 36". If he does so, the casting value of Okkam's Mindrazor is increased to 21+.
This spell does count armor modifiers when using the strength value. S8 Spears and S9 Dragon Princes will maul most things in combat through sheer amount of wounds and will completely dominate things like T5 or T6 units that you would never be able to touch. Sure, you won't get the bonus from lances or great weapons, but the raw strength value of Ld. 8 and 9 is -5 and -6. 21 WS4 I5 ASF attacks at S8 and re-rolls before any of those get to swing will pretty much destroy anything it touches.
Lore of High Magic
Shield of Saphery (Lore Attribute):
Each time a spell is successfully cast with High Magic, the caster and his unit immediately gain +1 to their ward save to max of 3. If you don't have one, 6+. Stacks.
This is pretty decent since it gives our T3 5+ units a little extra protection. Works with all units that have a ward, Any unit benefits from this, especially if they already have a ward save (dragon princes, any unit joined by an Anointed of Asuryan etc.). Phoenix Guard should be damn happy with this one because just one spell boosts theirs to a 3++ and that is just ridiculous.
Drain Magic (sig):
Cast on 7+, friend or foe within 18", friendly augment, hex on enemy, all RIP spells affecting the unit are immediately dispelled, and affects of all other spells on the target unit immediately come to an end. Can be all units within 18" for 14+.
Great spell, easy to cast and gets rid of those annoying spells that can potentially do a lot of damage. Allows you to free up your dispel dice because you can just let a hex through if needed, dispel it on your turn and gain +1 to your ward save.
Soul Quench (sig):
Cast on 8+, magical missile, 18", 2d6 s4 hits, or 4d6 s4 hits for 16+
A decent MM for below average range, but with good casting cost because you're casting with +5 anyway. The fact that it's a sig means you're never afraid of Ethereal chaff getting in your way.
1. Apotheosis:
5+ augment 18", Immediately regains 1 wound, 10+ for d3 wounds. Regardless of how many wounds gained, you also gain Fear.
The fact that we have fatties to heal now is makes this spell great. Good at gaining back those wounds on your AM should he take any damage, and can be used offensively and defensively with Fear.
2. Hand of Glory:
5+ Augment 18", Target's WS, BS, I or M is +d3. You can choose all for 10+.
Probably the best spell in the lore. Great pump spell that can provide your units with an edge instantly. WS5 units averages WS7 vs. WS3 troops; reducing their damage drastically. Pump your I to keep your great weapon wielding troops (White Lions) striking before other high initiative troops such as Chaos Warriors. Extra BS for Archers and M for cavalry are not to be sniffed at. This spell has it all.
3. Walk Between Worlds:
Cast on 8+, 24" augment, Unit gains Ethereal and can immediately move to 10" as if it were remaining moves sub-phase. Can make it go 20" + Ethereal on a 16"
You can pull off a double whammy with the Flamespyre Phoenix with this spell. Allows you extra movement in a movement-based game. This is quite huge. Ethereal just makes sure you ignore any terrain or obstacles that gets in the way.
4. Tempest:
12+, direct damage. large round template within 30" of wiz, scatters d6. All models hit suffer s3 hits (models flying is s4). If a model suffers any unsaved wounds, it suffers -1 to all hit both shooting and cc. Those that do not use BS needs a 4+ to fire.
Not a bad spell with its casting cost. Low scatter range, good at killing fodder units and who knows, you might be able to peel some wounds on the bigger stuff. The fact that it's a large blast and inflicts -1 to the unit makes it an attractive choice.
5. Arcane Unforging:
13+, direct damage with 24" single enemy model. Suffers a wound on a dice greater than or equal to unmodified armor save. No AS allowed. Reveal to the caster all magic items, if you have more than one, randomly select one and its destroyed on 2+.
Destroying a magic item is pretty huge. The fact that it's destroy means that you'll pop a 2h weapon and the guy will be left swinging with his fists. Perfect for picking off BSBs with a chance for damage as well. Yup, still calling this Vaul's Unmaking.
6. Fiery Convocation:
Cast on 19+, RIP, Direct damage 24". every unit takes S4 flaming, at the end of every subsequent magic phase, every model suffers S4 flaming.
The big spell in the lore means that if you don't dispel it, the entire unit burns to death at the end of every magic phase (you and your opponents). A huge spell that if let through, demands a dispel attempt of 19+ to remove as well. Due to its S4, it not only obliterates T3 units, but poses a threat to T4 units as well. I still call this Flames of the Phoenix.
Lore of Metal - The Wind of Chamon
Lore Attribute: Metalshifting.
Direct damage spells from the lore of metal have no strength value. Instead the unmodified armour save of the target is the required roll to wound. No armor saves allowed.
This basically means that if someone has a 2+ save, you will wound them on a 2+. If they have a 5+ save, you'll only wound them on a 5+, no armor saves allowed. This is extremely dangerous for the heavily armored units that S3 High Elves normally have trouble against. This is the reason why Metal compliments High Elves so much.
Basic Spell: Searing Doom:
Magic Missile. D6 flaming hits, 24" range. No armor saves allowed. Increased to 2D6 hits when boosted.
You can no longer snipe the BSB or another model like last edition. Instead, you get to affect d6 or 2d6 models in the unit depending on the cast level. The smaller version of this spell is really easy to get off because its a basic spell, and the more powered up version is basically Spirit of the Forge.
1. Plague of Rust:
Hex. 24" range. Target gets permanent, cumulative -1 to armour saves, 48" range scaled up.
Cheap hex from good range that nukes the target with a -1 permanent armor save. This is the spell that you would use on something like Dwarf Warriors, which are in that middle gap of average armor. Heavy armor + shield gives you a 4+ save and this spell will make them 5+. A lot easier to kill once they reach combat with our spears. Don't bother using this spell on something like knights unless they already reached combat. Nuke them with Searing Doom and use Plague of Rust once they're tarpitted to bypass their heavy armor.
2. Enchanted Blades of Aiban:
Unit Buff range 24". One unit gets +1 to hit and armour piercing magical attacks until start of next turn. Applies to both shooting and close combat. Can be extended to 48" range scaled up.
This spell is amazing. Throw this on our Spears and we're basically looking at 21 attacks that hit on 3s with re-rolls and ASF, and have armor piercing. You factor this in with something like Plague of Rust and all of a sudden your opponent is taking a -2 modifier from Elves! Not to mention this spell is really easy to get off and it'll drastically increase the number of enemy armored units you kill in combat. Fantastic buff, arguably one of the best spells in the lore.
3. Glittering Robe:
Unit Buff range 12", one unit is affected, can be expanded to all units within 12" at higher level. Unit gains a 5+ Scaly Skin save for one turn.
This is another great spell. Seeing a trend here? Glittering Robe basically gives your unit a 5+ scaly skin that stacks on top of the other armor bonuses you have. So your Sword Masters are only wearing Heavy Armor? Put this on them and all of a sudden they have 3+ armor saves. Spears and LSG become 3+ too. Put this on White Lions and they get a 1+ armor save vs. shooting (Lion Cloaks). A great armor buff that augments your weaker armor and can be cast from anywhere as long as your Wizard is in LoS and range.
4. Gehenna's Golden Hounds:
Direct damage, range 12" which can be extended to 24" scaled up. A single enemy model (can be a character) suffers D6 hits. Characters can use "Look Out Sir!" to save them, rolling once for each hit.
Trash. Don't bother. LoS! only makes this spell worse. The only thing this is good for is switching out to Searing Doom.
5. Transmutation of Lead:
Hex with a range of 24. Target gets -1 WS, BS and armour save for one turn. Range 48" scaled up.
The greater of the two Hex spells that reduces armor and WS for a turn. How will this work with the other spells you wonder? Say you already had Plague of Rust on a unit from previous rounds and you just cast Enchanted Blades on your Spears. You then cast this Hex which further reduces their armor save by one AND reduces their WS. If you're fighting WS4 units with your Spears, they suddenly turn into WS3. This means your Spears would normally hit on 3s, but with Enchanted Blades you hit on 2s with re-rolls with they have -3 armor (-1 from before, you have armor piercing and this is a further -1). All of a sudden, your opponents' "better" units are losing in combat with Spear Elves thanks to your Magic. Bravo!
6. Final Transmutation:
Direct Damage. 18" range. The target is turned to gold; each model in the unit is removed from play on a 5+ (6+ if the model has multiple wounds). The secondary effect forces all units within 12" of the original target to test for stupidity at the start of their turn. 24" range scaled up.
Oooo.. shiny things. It's pretty difficult to snipe off a character with this since you need 6s, but on a 5+, you remove the enemy model from play. No exceptions (no wards, regens, anything). This is good on something like enemy Phoenix Guard or a impossibly difficult unit with MR. But doesn't MR give you a ward save vs. direct damage? Yeah it does, but too bad this ignores all saves of any kind. Your models are simply removed from the table. Bye!
Lore of Life - The Wind of Ghyran
Lore Attribute: Lifebloom.
Every time the caster successfully casts a spell from the Lore of Life he can restore a wound to one model within 12”
Most of these spells are pretty easy to get off, so you'll heal someone in your army everytime you get it off. Great if you have a multi-wound character or Dragon to keep 'em trucking.
Basic Spell: Earth Blood:
Wizard and unit gets regeneration 5+ for one turn.
Your basic spell gives one of your units 5+ regen, which is pretty much equal to ward saves outside of flaming attacks. Imagine you take this Lore on one of your mages (a big mage) and a supporting High Magic Lv.1-2. You can have this and Shield of Saphery stacking. That's pretty awesome.
1: Awakening of the Wood:
Magic missile. 1d6 str4 hit to a unit within 18" of a wood. Or 2d6 strength 5 hits to a unit partially or wholly within it.
Since there's so much terrain on the map now, this can cause some serious problems to those in or nearby trees on the map. Keep in mind that this only effects the trees/forests/woods (hence the wood part) and is thereby useless in a heavily urbanized map.
2: Flesh to Stone:
Unit Buff. +2 Toughness to one unit within 12”.
Toughness 5 Elves. Is there anything else that should be said?
3: Throne of Vines:
Caster Buff. If this is successfully cast it increases the effect of other lore of life spells made by the caster:
Ignore miscasts on 2+.
Earthblood is 4+
Awakening of the Wood is +1S
Flesh to Stone is +4T
Regrowth restores d6+1
Shield of thorns is S4
Now this is the spell that everyone's talking about. When you get this spell off (and it's cheap, like 8+), it remains in play and your caster is forever augmented by its effects. Not only do you get to ignore miscasts on a 2+ now, all your other spells are increased in effectiveness. Awakening of the Wood gets really angry, Flesh to Stone becomes +4T instead of +2T (wtf T7 Elves really?) and everything else gets a boost. This should be cast on turn 1 and upheld as long as you can. It's really that good.
4: Shield of Thorns:
Unit Buff. Remains in play, friendly unit does 2d6 str3 hits on a enemy unit engaged in combat with it during the magic phase. 18" range.
Cast this on a unit that's going to be seeing combat and you're going to be generating a lot more kills. Good spell, should be used on any infantry that's capable of holding the line. White Lions come in mind with their Stubborn.
5: Regrowth.
Unit Buff. One unit regains D3+1 wounds/models, just like Invocation (champ first, then musician/standard, then rank and file. Characters are selected separately) Cavalry take 2 wounds to heal. 12" range.
Now everyone gets to be undead! You can respawn your own dudes with this ability and it'll make killing Phoenix Guard much more painful. With Throne of Vines, you can bring back D6+1 models a turn, so that's at least 2 Phoenix Guard per turn. Also remember that when this spell goes off, Lifebloom also procs so you can heal characters too (though note that regrow The itself only brings back units, not characters). Very useful when bringing back a near-dead fighting Prince, or someone who has just used the Talisman of Loec.
6: The Dwellers Below:
Direct Damage. All models in an enemy unit within 12" take a strength test or die with no saves allowed. Boost for more range.. yay.
Now this is funny. Imagine the weirdest and vilest things you can think of popping out of the ground and dragging your ass to hell. That's pretty much what this spell is. Cast this on a unit like enemy Phoenix Guard, Black Guard, you name it. Anything that's S3 will FEAR this spell so much it'll be ridiculous. Strength test or die means that S3 lords and heroes will regret ever being in a unit that they thought can keep them safe. Remember: No saves of any kind. Once you fail, you're dead.
Lore of Light - The Wind of Hysh
Lore Attribute: Exorcism. If targeted on a undead or daemonic unit, spells from the lore of light deal an additional D6 hits.
Lore of Light has always been the lore that saved us from the damnation that is undead and daemons. Exorcism is testament to such claims. The extra d6 might not seem like much, but once you go down the tree and look at its other spells, you'll see that it compliments them perfectly. The only thing that puts me off a little about this particular attribute is that it only benefits you vs. undead and daemons and no one else.
Basic Spell: Shem's Burning Gaze:
Magic Missile. D6 S4 hits to a unit within 24", causing flaming attacks. The scaled up version is 48" range and S6.
For dirt cheap, you get 2d6 S4 missiles vs undead and daemons and it negates their regeneration. Really craps all over all forms of regen. 48" and S6 is also pretty solid because it can reach across the map and hit like a truck. Not convinced that this is cost effective vs anything else outside of the undead and daemons.
1: Pha's Protection:
Unit Buff. Affects one friendly unit within 12", all to hit rolls against this unit have a -1 modifier. All non BS shooting have to roll a 4+ or are wasted. May be extended to all units in 12"
Great against units with higher weapon skill than you. Anything that prevents them from hitting makes your units more survivable. Keep in mind this also applies to template weapons or indirect weapons such as Stone Throwers, breath weapons and cannons. It's a great way to keep you alive when facing these type of things as well as keeping you alive in close combat.
2: Speed of Light:
Unit Buff. Choose one unit within 24". It has Weapon Skill 10 and Initiative 10. Extend this to all units within 12" with 16+.
Now here's a good spell. At first you might think High Elves don't need I10 or WS10. Let me ask you this: Would you like to hit everything in the game on 3s (save a Bloodthirster)? Would you like them to hit you on 5s? (WS4 and below). These are the things that come into effect when you cast Speed of Light on one of your units. WS10 not only allows you to hit more frequently, but it makes hitting you a nightmare. Stack this ontop of Pha's Protection and just laugh at WS3-4 troops needing 6s to hit your Elves in close combat. This also makes superior fighters such as heroes and lords hit regular troops on a 4 rather than 3. Saves you casualties all around for dirt cheap.
3: Light of Battle:
Unit Buff. Rally 1 fleeing unit. Targeted unit automatically passes all Leadership tests until casters next magic phase.
Not only does this rally the unit it targets, but basically ensures your unit is unbreakable. Passing all leadership tests means it's not going anywhere vs. anything. If you need something to stay and hold the line while the rest of your units move into a game winning position, this is the spell to cast. Don't forget about this spell! It makes the impossible possible. Scenario: Your Spears are going to get murdered this turn but you need them to hold at all costs. Next turn, you flank charge and kill everything that's stuck in combat with them. This is the only spell in the game that makes that happen.
4: Net of Amyntok:
Hex. 24" range. Targeted enemy unit has to pass a Strength test for each action they want to take (move, shoot, cast spells, pursue, flee, strike in cc, etc.) If they fail they may not perform the intended action and suffer D6 S4 hits instead. Lasts until casters next magic phase. 48" range scaled up.
Imagine casting this on something like Daemonettes. Everytime they do something they have a 50% chance of taking 2d6 S4 hits in the face. Imagine again that you're casting on Dark Riders, a unit of Spearmen who are cannon fodder for that daggered Lv.4, or any unit that relies on actively moving and preforming actions (like 90% of the skirmishers and light cav in the game). Remember to keep an eye on enemy Elves with their Lv.4 Archmage sitting there ready to cast next turn. Yeah, this spell is for them. Enjoy.
5: Banishment:
Direct Damage. 12" range. Deals 2D6 S4 hits, against which all successful Ward saves must be re-rolled. For each wizard other than the caster using the lore of light within 12", the strength is increased by 1. 48" range scaled up.
Now this spell just get silly vs. Daemons or Undead. If you take something like a Lv.1 Caddy, a Loremaster, a Lv.4, you're looking at 3d6 S6 hits at the target unit with re-rolls to ward saves. This spell is also quite excellent against enemy Phoenix Guard since they're mainly reliant on their 4+ wards. Quite situational and quite fluffy, but in all, your bread and butter vs. a lot of stuff. It's one of those must dispel spells.
6: Birona's Timewarp:
Unit Buff. Targeted friendly unit doubles its movement characteristic, increases its Attacks by 1 and gains the ASF special rule until casters next magic phase. The scaled up version is for all friendly units within 12"
Great spell. Solid augument and the buffed up version everything within 12" gets ASF (including our Eagles, Lions and Dragons), everything gets an extra attack and everything doubles its movement. Remember, use this one turn and watch the fireworks happen next turn. Our basic infantry charges an average of 17". Our Dragon Princes will happily charge 20" and deliver an insane amount of attacks. Our entire army is fast as lightning, buck as hell and re-rolls to hit with ASF.
Lore of Death - The Wind of Shyish
Lore Attribute: Life Leeching.
For each casualty caused by lore of death spells, roll a D6. On a roll of 5+ you are granted an additional power dice.
The more you kill, the more chances you'll have at casting more spells. Works best with Purple Sun because the kills that thing generates can potentially make up for its casting cost entirely plus more.
Basic Spell: Spirit Leech.
Direct damage, 12" range. Nominate a model. Caster and Target roll 1D6 and add their unmodified leadership. For each point the caster's result exceeds the targets result it suffers 1 wound with no armour save allowed. The scaled up version has an increased range.
This is pretty much Mind War in Fantasy. You and the other dude roll off basically. Winner takes all.
1: Aspect of the Dreadknight.
Unit Buff, 24 " range. Targeted unit causes fear. Caster may decide to make it cause Terror for a higher casting value.
Not as powerful as it was last edition, but since it's extremely cheap, you can cast it on something like Dragon Princes and charge them towards the enemy. Feel free to cast this on anything if you have enough dice left for it. Having some fear is better than no fear. Now I'm not sure if casting this on another unit that already has Fear will cause them to cause Terror. 7th Ed. had the spell that worked in the same way but I forgot what the 8th Ed one said exactly. Does anyone know? If that's the case, it would be great on something like Phoenix Guard.
2: Caress of Laniph.
Direct damage, 12" range. Nominate 1 target model. Roll 2D6 and subtract the target's Strength. The result equals the number of hits the target takes, wounding on 4+ and ignoring armour saves. The scaled up version is range 24".
A cheap method of picking off enemy BSBs, heroes or even Lords. Something like this can easily ruin Teclis' day or kill any Elf hero with good enough rolling. The 4+ wounds is quite a gamble, but it's cheap enough that you can snipe that Ring of Hotek or any other model that's causing you some grief. Things like BSBs come to mind.. or anything that's expensive really.
3: Soulblight.
Hex, 24 " range. Targeted unit suffers a -1 strength and toughness. The scaled up version is ALL enemy units within 24". Lasts 1 turn.
Not only does this make the enemy unit susceptible to your attacks but it also makes them incapable of dealing damage. Since this spell has a pretty fair price and good range, it should be cast on any unit that you feel can need a debuff. When in doubt, go crazy and nerf his entire army. This is a very solid debuff and there's almost no circumstance that's holding you back from weakening him.
4: Doom and Darkness.
Hex. Remains in play, 24 " range. Targeted unit suffers -3 Leadership. The scaled up version is 48" range.
Since RIP stays in play and allows you to cast afterwards, all RIP spells have gotten better. Doom and Darkness is one of those spells where you cast as soon as you can and force him to dispel. -3 Leadership is absolutely huge. Fear checks (Aspect of the Dreadknight anyone?), Panic tests, break tests, Spirit Leech.. the list goes on. This is one of those spells that your opponent will be wise to get rid of if he knows what's good for him.
5: Fate of Bjuna.
Direct damage, 12" range. Nominate 1 model. Roll 2D6 and substract the target's toughness. The result equals the number of hits the target suffers, wounding on 2+ and ignoring Armour saves. Should the target survive, it suffers stupidity for the rest of the game.
You get this off on Teclis and he's done basically. This is basically the same as Caress but a hell of a lot deadlier. With this spell, you can essentially pick off 2 key models a turn between Fate and Caress. Stupidity for the rest of the game is also extremely annoying. If he's effected by Doom and Darkness, it'll be quite hysterical when your opponents most powerful Wizard won't be able to get his spells off (assuming he survives) or attempts to solo your army on foot.
6: The Purple Sun of Xereus.
Remains in play. The Purple Sun is a magical vortex which uses the small round template. Once the template is placed, the player then nominates the direction in which the Purple Sun will move. To determine how many inches the template moves, roll the artillery dice & multiply the result by 3. Any model touched by the template must pass an initiative test or be slain outright with no saves of any kind allowed. If the result on the artillery dice is a misfire, center the template on the caster and roll the scatter dice and a D6. The template moves the number of inches equal to the result of the D6, in the direction shown on the scatter dice (if you roll a Hit, use the little arrow shown on the Hit symbol). In either event, in subsequent turns the Purple Sun moves in a random direction and moves a number of inches equal to the roll of an artillery dice. If a Misfire is rolled in subsequent turns, the Purple Sun collapses in on itself and is removed. A particularly brave wizard can infuse the Purple Sun of Xereus with even more power, so that it uses the large round template instead. If he does so, the casting value is 25+.
Quite possibly the most complicated spell ever written. You get this off, throw it their way and watch the sweat beads start pouring. It will rampage through his entire army and turn everything into amethyst statues. Lizardman, Dwarves, any army with low initiative will absolutely cower at the thought of such a thing. Large template, go big or go home type of spell. Good thing for us that our entire army fails on a 6.. but even still, you don't want too many models taking these kind of tests. Simply put: If you have I3 and lower and this thing is coming towards you, you have better make some above average rolls.
Lore of Beasts - The Wind of Ghur
Lore Attribute: Wildheart.
If targeted on cavalry, beasts, monstrous cavalry, monstrous beasts (razorgor, giant eagles etc), chariots, Monsters, or any unit from WA: Beastmen, the wizard gains an additional + 1 to cast.
If you have a good amount of beast-type units in your army (Eagles, Lion Chariots, Dragon Princes), this attribute makes it so you can get those spells off reliably. Keep in mind that if you take a Book of Ashur on your Archmage, he can get a +6 to cast on your Dragon Princes or HIS Dragons. Keep this in mind at all times!
Basic Spell: Wyssans Wildform:
Unit Buff. +1 Strength and Toughness. Scaled up version 24" range.
Beautiful spell. This is a spell worthy of a Lv.1 Mage even if his sole purpose is to cast this. +1S and +1T gives you the offensive and defensive value needed to deal and sustain damage. There's nothing else to say. Being the basic spell, this is extremely rewarding. Play this in combination with a Lv.4 Archmage using something like Lore of Metal or Shadow to deal ridiculous amounts of damage to units you wouldn't otherwise touch.
1. Flock of Doom:
Magic Missile. 24" range. Deals 2D6 S2 hits. Scaled up version 48" range.
Terribad. Quite possibly the worst spell I've ever seen. Was this copied incorrectly lol? Switch for the basic as soon as you can.
2. Pann's Impenetrable Pelt:
Character/ Caster Buff. 12 " Range. May be targeted on any character, or the wizard himself. Target gains +3 toughness. May be expanded to affect all friendly characters within 12 ".
If your army runs a Prince or Noble on foot that's a combat winner, this spell will make him even more of a winner. Can you imagine a T6 Korhil slashing faces and laughing at others while they try to damage him? I don't even want to think about the nightmares you'll cause people by putting this on Caradryan. As if that guy needed 3 extra toughness to be a nuisance.
3. Amber Spear:
Magic Missile. 24 " range. Resolved like the hit from a bolt thrower. May be boosted to gain S10 and causing D6 wounds.
Remember when you could use Beast Cowers and stop a Dragon dead in its tracks? How about you just kill the Dragon outright with S10 and D6 wounds stead? This spell gives you the ability to do so if you wanted. More on the lines of Hunter's Spear but gives you that extra flexibility of more damage if you wanted.
4. Curse of Anrahir:
Hex. 36" range. Targeted unit suffers -1 to hit (melee and ranged). Targeted unit treats any terrain as dangerous terrain, and suffers a wound on a roll of 1 and 2, not only 1. Scaled up version 72" range.
Good when used on a map with a healthy amount of terrain as it's likely to stop cavalry attempts to charge through terrain dead in its tracks. The same applies to Chariots who would rather not risk d6 wounds on a 1/3 chance. The -1 to hit that applies to both melee and ranged and its excellent 36" of reach is just wonderful. One of those spells that disrupts all kinds of stuff at long range and force your opponents' into preforming actions he would otherwise not.
5. Savage Beast of Horros:
Character Buff. 12" range. Targeted friendly Character gains +3 attacks and +3 Strength until the start of the next magic phase. May be expanded to affect all friendly characters within 12".
You cast it, your combat characters go insane and start smashing faces. As if the T6 Korhil wasn't bad enough before, imagine him now with S9 Killing Blow and 6 attacks with re-rolls to hit. Things get quite ridiculous when you have Korhil taking skulls better than Skulltaker. This spell is good if you have multiple characters in your army that you want to see rip face.
6. Transformation of Kadon.
Character Buff. Remains in Play. The caster BECOMES the creature, not summoned on any board edge etc. Transforms the Caster into 1 of three lesser Creatures. Can be boosted to become a larger, more powerful creature.
Becomes the Hydra (similar to DE one), Black Dragon (with Moon Dragon Stats), or a Manticore on one casting roll. Becomes the Greater Fire Dragon or Mountain Chimera when boosted.
Mountain Chimera
S7 T7 W10, Fly, 4D6 attacks! Mage has to be on foot.
Greater Fire Dragon
WS8 S8 T8 W8 A8 Ld9, breathweapon S5, scaly skin 2+, terror, fly. mage has to be on foot.
Any lost Wounds are transferred to the new form (so, if the dragon lost 3 wounds, and the wizard is than transformed back, he would be most probably dead). The Character may not use any wargear nor does he have any benefit from it, and may not cast any spells at the time. He keeps all his special rules, though. So a High Elf would transform into a ASF Chimera for instance.
The big bad spell that everyone's talking about. Oh hey! Let's take our AM and throw as many dice as we can and see what happens! This spell is quite.. erm.. interesting I mean, just look at the stats of the Mountain Chimera and the Greater Fire Dragon. If you want Teclis or a Level 4 to turn into a 600+ point Dragon, then sure go ahead and do it! Just keep in mind that those type of creatures are more likely to die now because of all the instant death stuff, TLoS, everything wounds on 6s, and indirect cannons that deal d6 wounds and require no guess range. Also keep in mind that if you fly your arrogant self up the field and get dispelled out of dragon form, then it'll be lol times for you. Use with caution!
Lore of Heavens
Lore Attribute - Roiling Skies:
When a spell from this lore targets a flyer, the target suffers D6 S4 hits in addition to any other effects of the spell
While obviously conditional, chances are flying troops are a pest you're going to want to get rid of as soon as possible, and this helps you do it. Usable.
Basic Spell: Iceshard Blizzard:
A hex with a range of 24” and cast on a 7+. The target suffers -1 modifier to any to hit rolls and to leadership. Shooting attacks that don’t roll to hit, must roll a 4+ before firing.
This is a nice debuff to hand out to an enemy unit you're in a grinding combat with, as well as to slow down enemy shooters (particularly artillery). A nice spell that's plenty useful.
1. Harmonic Convergence:
Augment with a range of 24” and cast on a 6+. The target can re-roll all: to-hit, to-wound and armour saves of 1. It can be cast as a bubble with a 12” range and on a 12+
Given how High Elves already have re-rolls to hit (and the armour’s not much to write home about in most cases), I feel they don't truly get the mileage out of this that other armies do, but it's still useful.
2. Wind Blast:
Magic missile with a 24” range and 7+ casting value. It pushes the target D3+1” away. It can be boosted to D6+2” with a cast value of 14+. If the target hits impassable terrain it suffers D6 S3 hits. If it hits another unit, both suffer D6 S 3 hits.
You can try and get cute with this thing and maybe pull off a few movement shenanigans, but 9 times out of 10 you're better off swapping it for Iceshard Blizzard.
3. Curse of the Midnight Wind:
Hex with a 24” range and cast on 10+. The target must re-roll all: to-hit, to-wound and armour saves of 6. Can be cast in a 12” bubble at a value of 20+
Essentially Harmonic Convergence's aggressive twin brother, this guy can help your troops crack heavily armored foes or swat away attempts at using Poison or Killing Blow. A bit corner-case, but decent.
4. Urannon's Thunderbolt:
A magic missile with a 24” range that inflicts D6 S6 hits. Can be boosted to 48” with a casting value of 13+
High Elves have plenty of access to low-Strength ranged attacks outside of magic, and this is a wonderful complement to that. To boot, its augmented range is impressive.
5. Comet of Cassandora:
Choose a point on the table and place a counter. At the start of each players magic phase, roll a D6. On a 1-3 add a counter. On a 4-6 the comet strikes. All units within 2D6” are struck by the comet. They take 2D6 hits +1 for each token and a S4+1 for each token. Once cast, the comet cannot be dispelled. It can be casted as a boosted version at 24+. This starts it with 2 tokens and 2 tokens are added for each roll of 1-3.
While certainly nothing to be relied on, don't judge its value on damage alone - the threat of this thing dropping on an opponent can often create zones that you can exploit or occupy. Just be careful you don't lose some of your guys to it.
6. Chain Lightning:
Direct damage spell with a range of 24” and cast value of 15+. It causes D6 S6 hits. After damage is resolved roll a D6. On a 3+ the lightning jumps to any enemy within 6”. Keep rolling as long as there are units within 6” of the last target (and they haven’t been hit already).
A very solid spell, this can help clear tougher flavours of chaff, threaten lone models, and put a couple of casualties on blocks, all at once. My only gripe with it is that the damage is spread out rather than focused, but that's not too bad.
Overall: This Lore offers plenty of useful spells, but it doesn't really have a standout. As such, I think it suffers from a bit of "jack of all trades" syndrome. Anything from a L1 for Iceshard to a L4 for as much as you can get can be useful here.
Lore of Fire
Lore Attribute - Kindleflame:
All spells have flaming attacks. In addition if a direct damage or magic missile is cast at a unit that has already been hit by a direct damage or magic missile in the same phase, add +D3 to the casting total.
While piling on a bit more casting value to spells you cast on the same target does offer a pretty nice way to sap dispel dice (or draw them out early so that you don't get to benefit from this), it does pigeonhole your strategy if you're looking take advantage of it. Still solid, though.
Basic Spell: Fireball:
24” range magic missile that causes D6 S4 hits. Can be boosted to a 36” range and 2D6 S4 hits. Can be further boosted to 48” range and 3D6 S4 hits.
The ability to tune the range and number of hits combined with the hits being flaming in nature make this a very good Swiss army knife sort of spell.
1. Cascading Fire-Cloak:
Remains in play. Cast on the wizard and his unit. At the end of the magic phase, anything in base contact takes 2D6 S4 hits.
Your main caster will likely not be too keen on getting into combat, but this can help his bunker out a bit if he's there. Only really useful if you're sticking him out on a limb, or if he's getting charged by chaff that can potentially be taken out by this, though.
2. Flaming Sword of Rhuin:
Augment - Cast on an 8+, range 24”. Target unit gets +1 to wound for all combat or shooting attacks. Counts as having both magical and flaming attacks. Can extend the range to 48” but will cast on an 11+
A potent buff for a unit, as a boost to Wound meshes very well with High Elves' native accuracy. To boot, it can help you deal with pesky Regenerators and has synergy with the Gem of Sunfire. A nice spell.
3. The Burning Head:
Direct damage spell cast on a 10+. Extend a straight line 18” from the front arc of the caster. Any model it passes over suffers a S4 hit. Any unit suffering a wound must take a panic test. The range can be extended to 36” with a casting value of 13+
Given that it can be cast in combat (as per the FAQ), and that you can also use it to fish for Panic tests, this spell can be useful in a variety of situations, even if it's not flashy.
4. Piercing Bolts of Burning:
Magic missile with a range of 24” cast on a 10+. Causes D3 S4 hits for each rank of 5 models. Can extend the range to 48” at the casting value of 13+
A nice spell for thinning down big blocks (a useful thing for High Elves), though it deals with deep blocks better than it does Hordes.
5. Fulminating Flame Cage:
Hex spell with a 24” range cast on a 11+. The target unit takes D6 S4 hits. If the target unit moves, every model takes a S4 hit. The range can be extended to 48” at a casting value of 14+
A very nice synergy spell with your shooting, they can either stand still and get shot at, or advance and get torched by this. A potentially great way to deal with Hordes.
6. Flame Storm:
Direct damage spell cast on a 13+. Place a small template anywhere within 30” of the caster and scatter D6”. Anything under it suffers a S4 hit. Can use the large template at a casting value of 16+ but it scatters 2D6”
A supercharged Fireball will probably get you more hits than this and strike at a longer range, and that's really all you need to know about it.
Overall: This Lore has no true standout spell, and there are several of them that come off as conditional or as outright duds. I don't think it's a bad Lore, especially on a Dragon Mage, but it's probably the weakest one High Elves have access to, and I would not recommend going past a L2.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:13:48 GMT
Post 9 – Magic Combos
In this section, I'll list the multiple ways to use specific Lores in conjunction with our units. Some Lores of Magic are flexible and unique, while some are more focused on specific strategies and units to make them work. Either way, you'll find use of them here.
There are two styles of magic that exist for High Elves in my opinion: Balanced and Specific.
Balanced Lores provide buffs and hexes that cover a large area of High Elf weaknesses. These lores include High Magic, Lore of Metal, Shadow, and Light. Specific Lores depend on certain army builds to bring out their true potential. These Lores include Life, Death and Beasts. I'll explain more below.
High Magic - Balanced
The new lore is looking to be quite solid. Lots of balanced stuff here and lots of synergy with our army. The lore attribute is pretty useful, but the best thing about the lore is its flexibility. You get magic missiles, healing, a solid augment, an aoe-pumpable dispel, a more powerful version of Flames of the Phoenix, and solid magic item removal that also damages. Just watch out for the fact that a good number of your spells are Direct Damage. This means it's probably best to stay back, play defensive and allow the magic to do its work before you go in for the killing blow.
Lore of Shadow - Balanced
Our most powerful lore in my opinion. It's almost as if this Lore was designed with High Elves in mind because it compliments our army perfectly:
1. Elite troops with high WS and I can be dealt with Miasma. 2. High armor troops can be destroyed by Mindrazor. 3. High strength can be robbed of their power with Enfeeble. 4. High toughness units can be dispatched easier with Withering on them. 5. Expensive, multi-wound models with low I can be destroyed with Pit of Shades.
I highly recommend this Lore as your go to lore for balanced play.
Lore of Light - Balanced
This is also a very balanced Lore and very powerful against the Undead. In a Coven of Light (S6+ Banishment), you are equally effective vs. all kinds of enemies. Army-wide Pha's Illumination and Speed of Light makes your entire army WS10 I10 and -1 to hit. This gives you fantastic combat potential and great protection vs. melee and shooting alike. Timewarp also allows your army to surge forward and get into combat insanely early. Once they're in combat, the army-wide buffs allow you to win combat and take less casualties. All your units will hit things on 3s with re-rolls and you'll most likely be hit on 6s. If you decide to go Light, having a Lv.1 Wizard with Light is also suggested. This gives you the ability to inflict fantastic damage with Burning Gaze and Banishment for very low casting values. As for most balanced Lores, feel free to take whatever.
Lore of Life - Specific
I really like this Lore and I almost placed it in the balanced section, but I want to highlight some key builds that I like a lot. For one, Dwellers is a no brainer for most players: It picks off characters, completely wrecks enemies with Elf-stats and destroys entire units of Skaven. Throw dice at a large target with low S and watch it disappear from the game: Cheesy archer spam builds beware! This, is a very defensive Lore for the most part. You have Regen, protection from Miscast, and awesome +4 Toughness to any unit of choice. A lot of cheap spells here that you can push really easy with Book of Hoeth. Even if you don't get off Throne of Vines, you're still looking at really solid spells can add to the battle at hand. With the ability to heal your Phoenixes much better than High Magic, this lore looks to be quite promising in the new book.
Lore of Metal - Specific
This Lore gives you the power to break through armored units as they were butter. If you knew you were going against an army with multiple, heavily-armored targets such as Brettonian Knights, this Lore is fantastic. Another great thing about Lore of Metal is the army-wide 5+ Scaly Skin. This makes your Light Armor, Shield Spearmen pack on a 3+ armor save. Heavy armor units such as White Lions, Sword Masters and Phoenix Guard also share that lovely 3+. With this in mind, I want to talk about a very specific spell and army-build: A large unit of killy units with Enchanted Blades of Aiban absolutely annihilate things in combat. Our high WS combined with ASF allows us to throw out much more damage than anticipated with this lore.
Lore of Death - Specific
For this Lore, you mainly want to focus on the destructive capabilities of character sniping. These spells allow you to pick out BSBs, Generals and other important targets that could ruin the opposing army. VC Generals, TK Hierophants, Bretonnian BSBs, the list goes on. It goes without saying that the army-wide -1S and T allow your troops to inflict more damage and take less in return. Lastly, we have Purple Sun. That thing just embarrasses Lizardmen, certain undead armies and Dwarfs. It is worth noting that most of the lore has a very short range, so you really need a mobile caster to make the most of it.
Lore of Beast - Specific
If the base unit spell for +1S +1T, the +3T to all characters in 12" is also pretty awesome. Unlike the Lore of Life though, this Lore focuses a lot on damage from characters than defense. Don't get me wrong, Curse of Anraheir can still hex someone down to -1 to hit. Combine this with tough Elven warriors and things look a lot brighter. Take what you would normally take and spam Wyssan's Wildform on everything. Then walk up a bunch of Princes and Nobles with Great Weapons and hit Savage Beast of Horrors. Can you imagine the amount of carnage you can inflict with multiple characters wielding +3S and +3 attacks? Overall, if you like buffing your characters, this is the lore to do it.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:14:02 GMT
POST 10 - Magic Phase Strategy by Brewmaster_D
www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=39115First off, let me start by saying that by no means am I a master of the magic phase. I have stinky phases and make mistakes just like the rest of us. However, due to the nature of my army list, quite a bit of the overall functionality of my army relies on a solid magic phase, and as such I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned over the course of 8th edition Magic Offense 1. The magic phase actually starts in the movement phase
In 8th edition we were given the ability to measure at any point in the game. Yet I'm still amazed at how many people I see completely foregoing that opportunity. Nearly every spell has a range, and because of this the magic phase should have a strong consideration during the movement phase. There is nothing worse than figuring out that your unit is just out of range of that critical buff, or that unit you wanted to use a direct damage spell on is just out of your front arc. Take a bit of extra time in the movement phase to think about the upcoming magic phase, and ensure that your units are in a position to execute your strategy. 2. Rank your spells in terms of importance to you, then rank them in terms of perceived threat to your opponent
If you want to be effective in your magic phase, it isn't a one sided equation. Try this experiment - in the next friendly game you play, secretly rank your spells in order of importance to you. Then ask your opponent to rank them in order of threat level, also secretly. Play out the phase without revealing them (to not disrupt the game), then compare your lists. You'll find that many times, your opponents list will be different than yours. The idea that I'd like to convey here is percieved threat. Net of Amyntok is a great spell to illustrate this. In many cases if I cast it on the opponent's main caster unit, there's usually a 1/3 chance that it will do anything (S4 units are pretty common). To me, this isn't near as critical as a Banishment or Pha's Protection, which have guaranteed, powerful effects. However, flip the situation around, and to an opponent it's a 1/3 chance that they might whiff their entire magic phase next turn. This is a HUGE threat to them. So the percieved threat is much greater to the opponent than the percieved value is to you. Use this knowledge to start crafting a casting strategy - use the spells that your opponent percieves to be a huge threat to start in order to draw out dispel mechanisms, clearing the path for the spells that you feel are the highest value. 3. Assume they have a scroll
A dispel scroll will stop any one spell - it doesn't care whether 3 dice were used to cast it or 6 dice. An opponent is going to look for situations where they can get the most value possible from the scroll. I personally don't see any reason to hand them 6 dice on a silver platter by going big on a spell. So my policy is this: Assume they have a scroll until you can irrefutably know that they don't. Some good ways to tell: - They let a spell go through that has potentially devastating effects. For example, if I get through a Banishment on a monster and don't get a scroll, I assume at that point that there isn't one in play. - They try to divide their dispel dice among your threats resulting in a sub 80% chance to dispel any given spell. For example, if you roll 12 and they throw 2 dice at it, if the effect is reasonably powerful, they're likely scroll free. - They've used it already (obviously ) Having said that, there is also a time and a place to just force out the scroll to free up further phases. 6 dice on a pit, dwellers or withering (in a shooty list) in an early magic phase needs to be a calculated risk, however - you're essentially giving up that magic phase in favour of future ones. 4. Consider the power vs. dispel dice spread
Think about not only how you're going to divide your dice among your spells, but also how your opponent can divide their dice. It's often very possible to use a casting strategy that leaves an opponent with a useless number of dispel dice if they try to dispel witht the "right" number of dice. In this case, it can pay dividends to ignore what the "right" number of dice are to cast with and use the number that forces a tough decision. For example: Magic phase is 10 v 5 - Long range banishment is usually cast on 3 dice with my level 4 for an 83% chance of success - good odds in my books. However, casting with three dice gives the opponent the ability to potentially dispel with 3 and save 2 dice, which versus a "trickle" casting phase (see below) is a decent number. If I cast banishment with 4 dice, he's either got to throw 5 dice or let it through, since throwing 4 dice will result in one left over which is next to useless, as the rest of my phase will be a long string of 2D6 spells. So even though 3 power dice seems outwardly like the right choice, 4D6 actually will be more beneficial when you consider the phase as a whole. 5. Strategy #1 - Be a bully
As has been discussed countless times before, with the introduction of 8th edition came the introduction of game altering, high level spells. These spells are often powerful enough to justify reckless casting strategies, because the return from even just one successful cast is often enough to counter the potential ramifications of the miscasts that are much more likely to occur. The premise here is to use the threat of that one spell to force a tough choice on the opponent - save up their dice to try to dispel that spell and allow the rest through? Or dispel the rest and risk the big spell? There are, of course, downsides: - Far more likely to miscast and damage your own troops and/or lose the wizard - Enemy scrolls are significantly more valuable due to the large number of dice being thrown around - Outlying events have a huge effect on the overall phase - eg. failing to cast on the big spell results in a huge number of power dice lost 6. Strategy #2 - Trickle
The idea behind a trickle strategy is that many small spells can add up to an overall effect that can compete with, and often surpass the effects of a single large spell. Essentially a phase built with this strategy will contain many spell options and opt to use as few dice as possible to cast as many spells as possible, making it impossible to completely shut the phase down. For example, whereas in a 9 power dice phase, a lore of life caster might try 3D6 Throne --> 6D6 Dwellers, a trickle phase might look like this (using my own list as an example) 3D6 Banishment 2D6 Pha's 2D6 Pha's 2D6 Speed of Light The result is that rarely can the opponent stop everything - usually two of the spells get dispelled, and the rest go through. There is also a significantly smaller chance of miscast, and it's almost guaranteed that your magic phase will amount to *something*. This particular strategy is also excellent against armies with plenty of magic defense - multiple low dice spells greatly reduces the effect of scrolls, and it also amplifies the effects of the +4 to cast versus dwarves. Even if they have more dispel dice than you have casting dice, it's still possible to force through spells, since they usually have to throw more dispel dice than you throw casting dice to compensate for your bonus to cast. The downsides here: - It's far easier for the opponent to dispel one or two of the spells of their choosing - It's rare for one magic phase to change the course of the game drastically - whereas one well timed purple sun can win a game, you're not going to achieve effects as outwardly dramatic with a "trickle" based strategy 7. Two dice from a level 1 is the same as two dice from a level 4
If a level 1 casts a 5+ spell on 2D6, then provided it goes off, the opponent is forced to choose between throwing 1 dice and risk a 1/3 chance of losing their dispel bonus, or to throw 2 dice and expend the same amount of dice as the caster despite being significantly higher level. Either way, it's an uncomfortable situation for the opponent. Dark Elves use this to great effect with the power of darkness, and I've also seen Beastmen do quite well with this using miasma spam from a herdstone. Magic Defense 1. Starts in the movement phase
Similar to the way movement effects the offensive magic phase, it also effects the defensive magic phase. The best way to defend against a spell is to deny the opponent the opportunity to cast it in the first place. In your own magic phase, consider the ranges of the enemy's spells, and if it is plausible to fit it in with your overall game strategy, place your key targets outside of the range of their spells in the next turn. Remember to factor in their own movement! 2. Write down your opponent's spells
Almost nobody I know or have played against does this! When your opponent rolls their spells, write them down or pull out the relevant cards. This way you get to consider all possibilities before committing to dispel a spell. If you rely on memory, inevitably you'll run into situations where you forget about that one spell and it comes back to bite you. As GI Joe once put it: "Knowing is half the battle" 3. Focus on stopping the worst spell(s), not every spell
We've all been on the recieving end of a brutal magic phase - a relentless barrage of spells where each one seems like it's going to end the game right then and there. It's in situations like these that it becomes critically important to keep your cool, look at the list you made of your opponents spells and decide which one will have the *greatest* effect on the overall game. Often this choice is neither easy, or obvious, but once you've chosen, stick to your guns. A good opponent is going to try to draw out your dispel dice using spells that they think hold a high threat level to you, clearing the path for their desired spell. It's tough to do, but in some cases you just need to take a few on the chin to prevent the knockout. 4. Use the 80% rule and know your math
In a game where so much relies on chance, it becomes very necessary to mitigate risk in order to achieve consistent results. If you start making risky rolls (ie. sub 80% success rates), then you must be willing to accept that you're going to have a high degree of variance in your phases. Some phases you'll look like a pro because everything works out, and others you will fail to stop anything. When you're looking to dispel, you want an 80% chance to successfully take out the spell. Any less, and you'll be that guy that tells his friends after the game "If I'd have just made that roll, it would have been a different game" A few rules of thumb to simplify things in-game: - Two dice roll 7 or higher 58% of the time, so think of things in terms of 7's - Take your wizard's level off the opponent's roll to get you the base number you need to roll. For example, if he rolls a 12, your level 4 needs an 8 or higher. 2 dice rolls 7 58% of the time, so rolling 8 is well below 80% success rate. Therefore, roll 3. - It's better to dispel one spell with certainty than it is to accept too much risk and potentially have two spells go off unimpeded. There are, of course, exceptions, but by and large these ideas will keep you on track and avoid the "OMG A SPELL, THROW SOME DISPEL DICE" syndrome. 5. Save your scroll for the turn that counts
The tendency is to drop that scroll the minute a big spell gets cast. However, stop to consider what is yet to come in the game. Saving that scroll might produce some unrealized benefits. First and foremost, if a big spell like that goes off, provided the losses are manageable, you will have successfully convinced your opponent that you *don't* have a scroll. Some of the toughest opponents I've played against, have pulled out a scroll on me in Turn 4 or 5, right when I was counting on a series of combat buffs to give me the edge. They let multiple banishments go through on high cost targets to save it for the turn that really mattered. Often the scroll can be a knee jerk reaction to a 6 dice spell, but really stop to consider if it's absolutely critical, or if you can save it to mitigate a later phase. 6. Remains in Play spells aren't just for offense
Remains in play spells not only provide beneficial effects for your army, but they also force a choice for your opponent: Do I allow it to continue and carry out my magic phase as normal? Or do I dispel the remains in play spell at the expense of my magic phase? The choice is simple for Dwarves, but everyone else is going to be in for quite a struggle - provided you were successful in casting a threatening enough spell in a threatening enough spot. Shield of Thorns on a unit that won't see combat, for example, probably won't get much attention. While the magic phase seems outwardly simplistic - here's your dice, pick a couple spells, see if they cast - it becomes clear when you sit back and think about it that it's more like a good game of poker. It's as much a phase of reading your opponent as it is about casting spells. Hope you guys enjoyed reading! I'd love to hear your feedback, or if anyone has any different casting strategies they'd like to share.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:14:23 GMT
POST 11 - List Building 101 (HERO)
The first thing I like to do when building an army is forming a "unit bucket". You take all the units that you enjoy and separate them into two piles: Competitive and non-competitive. Competitive units will be those units in the book that are points-efficient, hard-counters, or is just really good. The non-competitive ones are the ones you can play for fun vs. casual friends. Keep in mind that yours might be totally different than mine and that's OK.
Here is my competitive unit bucket:
Prince Anointed of Asuryan Loremaster Archmage Noble Mage Caradryan Alarielle Spearmen Archers Ellyrion Reavers Silver Helms Sword Masters of Hoeth White Lions Phoenix Guard Great Eagles Flamespyre Phoenix Frostheart Phoenix Eagle Claw RBT Maiden Guard of Avelorn
Here is how I like to run said units:
* means I strongly recommend
Prince
Mounted always, as cheap as possible in Silver Helms or in Dragon Princes. You want to take advantage of the armor bonuses of the mount above all else. The Star Lance is quite nice on him and try taking the Dragon Helm over the Dragon Armor to save points and gain that extra +1 and 2++ vs. Fire. You can either choose a Dawnstone or 4+ Ward, this depends on your meta. The idea here is to kit him out to deal damage while providing him with a 1+/2+ AS.
Anointed of Asuryan
I would recommend mounted on a Flamespyre; with a cheap defensive kit and maybe a decent weapon. You want to give the Phoenix the +1 so you can continue to harass the enemy all game long. Why the Fire Phoenix? Because when he dies, he causes massive damage on 2-4 every turn including your opponent's turn, and comes back to life with the rider to do it all over again on 5-6s. MR2 also gives your Phoenix a 3++ vs. MMs. If you must take the guy on foot because you want to stack ward saves onto any unit, give him a 2+ AS and be done with it.
Alternative view - The flamespyre is not a great mount and it can be argued that the Anointed works best on foot buffing the unit placed in.
Loremaster of Hoeth*
Slap on a 2+ AS and call it a day. The second slot can be Book of Hoeth if he's to be your main caster, a scroll if you're facing magic-heavy lists, or the Khaine's Ring of Fury if you want to go hard. Since he comes with a GW, I'll just keep things stock.
Archmage*
Always take the Lv.4 upgrade because it's amazing. Always take the Book of Hoeth because it's also amazing. I personally like the Golden Crown just because I don't plan on getting my AM into trouble too much, but I can see the value in taking a 4+ ward with the Book since it fits so perfectly. The choice is really up to you.
Noble*
BSB always: That's literally his only purpose in life. When I take him on foot, I either run him with a 2+ AS like Armor of Caledor or Silvered Steel. Just give him a Great Weapon and call it a day. However, I try to take him mounted as long as I have some kind of mounted element in my army. With Dragon Princes, I like giving him the standard DP kit, along with Enchanted Shield and Dawnstone for a 1+ re-rollable. If I absolutely need extra damage, I'll have the Star Lance in there. Mounted almost always sees a Potion of Foolhardiness.
Mage
With a natural +2 to cast in High Magic thanks of Blessing of Lileath, I don't think we need any higher than this. Lv.2 gives you a little more flexibility, but it really just depends on what kind of lists you'll be facing. I almost always use my "support mage" to carry the Dispel Scroll since my Archmage will be busy with his Book.
Caradryan
What can I say? The guy allows you to take another frozen turkey into the army and that's always welcome. Ashtari gets 5 attacks and Caradryan himself is pretty badass with his special rules and weapon. The MR1 gives Ashtari a lovely 4+ ward vs. magic missiles and that's always welcome. I personally would just take an Anointed if you're planning to run on foot. The Anointed gives a better bonus than Caradryan does when it comes to units.
Alarielle
Alarielle is really good for her points. For a little more than a pumped up Lv.4 with Book, she has loads of special rules that benefits not only her, but the unit she's in. She has really good spell diversity (choosing from Life, Light and High) as well as providing units with Immunity to Fear and Terror, magic attacks and a 5+ ward vs. non-magic attacks. In short, she's the new Teclis of this edition but she's also fair. I would probably avoid her heirloom magic items because frankly, they just cost a lot. She's good enough without them.
Spearmen
I always go big on Spears no matter what. You're looking at least 25, hopefully 30, and if needed, go to 40 in Full Command. Spears are the only unit in Core that can take a magic banner so make sure you take heed of that. The idea of having Spears is for a unit you can depend on holding the line; allowing your other more important units to deliver the crushing blow. They're literally fodder in terms of doing actual damage, but you'll be surprised at the results once you start piling on buffs and debuffs.
Archers*
These are your best bet at dealing with chaff from range. I like these guys because they allow you to get rid of annoying units that might hinder your path to glory. Why have that when your core answers it perfectly? I would always bring a unit of at least 10-15, in multiple units so you can negotiate different targets. Archers are also used to peel wounds off of bigger fatties with poor AS so you can deliver the killing blow later.
Ellyrion Reavers*
Speedy Fast Cav in Core is something HE players wanted for a long time. You basically use these guys like mini-Eagles and due to their flexibility and range, you can hunt down enemy chaff and threaten weaker mages. Overall, a pretty solid unit to have around and spend points on. Keep them small, you're looking at 5 max with bows.
Silver Helms
If you have a mounted Prince, you're most likely going to have Silver Helms in Core. These guys only got better in the new rules and now they don't even compete for the role of Prince bus. I'd say keep them at 8 with FC and room for a BSB + Prince, or 13 FC and go deeper so you can benefit from 3 ranks of Martial Prowess.
Sword Masters of Hoeth
MSU, always. Taking these guys in big numbers is just another way to throwing points at your opponent. However, if you keep the sizes small to something like 5-7, Sword Masters can function well on multiple levels. They basically act as mini-detachments that can counter-charge a unit while they're being held by White Lions or Spears. Sword Masters are also great protectors for your bow-type units and act as miniature speed bumps or combat-res generators. Although they're not as potent as before, in MSU-format combined with their points decrease, we will still see these guys running around the battlefield looking for something to do.
White Lions*
These guys are still one of the strongest choices in the book. Martial Prowess benefits them more than Sword Masters, they still do great damage and that WS5 S6 Stubborn is just SO nice. I recommend exactly 2 ways to taking these guys: MSU in units of 10 (3x3 + tail), or big in units of 7x3+. You can always customize your width to get either more attacks, or to squeeze a character into the back. The wider you go, the more attacks you'll get so it's best to get all 3 rows swinging back. MSU units are great counter-charge units that can potentially hold a unit in place through combat res alone.
Phoenix Guard*
Still as strong as ever. No points decrease doesn't affect these guys because Martial Prowess allows him to deal more damage than before while still taking no damage. I like these guys as mage bunkers because they work so perfectly with High Magic. If you manage to cast a single spell, you're looking at a flat 3+ ward save on these guys. For everyone who can testament how annoying 4+ ward is to take combat res from, now imagine it with even less due to the Phoenix Guard actually killing more. I would go not below 20 on these guys. They're just too good at being the best anvil in the game IMO.
Alternative thought - Don't place a mage in this unit as you want it in combat but not the mage. Alternatively try placing Khaine's Ring of Fury on a combat character (perhaps a Loremaster) and putting them in the unit. Casting Soul Quench from the ring will still give the unit +1 to their ward from the Lore attribute.
Great Eagles*
The best re-director in the game, now with more options. If you leave home without 2, you need to rethink playing this army.
Flamespyre Phoenix
This firebird has a few tricks that can really mess with your opponent's plans. The one thing I will note about these guys is that they appear to be very meta specific. If your meta has a bunch of little weenie rats, beasts and Orks running around, the Flamespyre Phoenix will do some serious work. However, if your meta has smaller and more heavily-armored quality units, then I would probably not take the Flamespyre. Regardless, I think these guys make better mounts with the Anointed than they are solo choices. The reason why is because of the rider's ability to confer +1 to their Phoenix Reborn. It acts as both points denial, power combo and general annoyance.
Frostheart Phoenix*
Super good, there's nothing more to say. Solid statline with great abilities; Blizzard Aura just absolutely shuts down some armies and combos with many of the magic lores. To make things better, the Frostheart negates one of High Elves' only weaknesses, and that's low T and poor AS saves. Good thing -1S + ASL to every unit it touches fixes that. Since they can't res like their fiery brothers, always make sure you take two in case one goes down.
Eagle Claw RBT
Pew pew pew. You can now take 3 for the price of 2 from last book. Enough said.
Maiden Guard of Avelorn
These girls are pretty decent after all. Once I got the book and saw they were BS5, I was all sorts of happy. Still fights with other units in terms of points, these girls can potentially throw out lots of damage; especially vs. Forces of Destruction. I can definitely see the merit in taking these in a unit of 10-15 just to peel Regen and take care of chaff due to their awesome BS.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:14:38 GMT
POST 12 - List Building 102 and Strategy
In this section you'll find my favourite units, their layouts and how I like to use them. Keep in mind that this section is constantly in flux as my lists always change and I drop things occasionally for more cost-effective options. For the most part, you'll find that I like bigger blocks of infantry and hover around ~10 or so deploys. While I do like to play with MSU units sometimes, my meta calls for slightly bigger blocks to compete. This might not be the same case for you.
My unit bucket
Lv.4 Archmage, Shadow = 285
Book of Hoeth, Golden Crown
I never leave home without my Archmage for the most part. Very rarely do I want to take someone else when I have one of the most flexible spellcasters in the game. Being able to take all the lores gives great flexibility, but having the Book of Hoeth is just fantastic. For an item that allows me to re-roll one die to each casting and dispelling attempt, I am absolutely thrilled at how much easier it is to control the magic phase. Book of Hoeth essentially saves you one bad dice in each casting and potentially turns your crappy dispel into a great one. With such a strong item on a Lv.4 wizard, you can't really ask for more. For now, I take Golden Crown on my dude because a one a game 2+ ward is enough. If you feel you need more protection because of snipers or magehunters, I suggest taking the 4+ ward talisman simply because it fits perfectly with Book of Hoeth.
BSB Noble = 149
GW, Armor of Caledor
BSB Noble, Dragon Prince = 161
EShield, Dawnstone, PoFools
You will find one constant in my list at all times and that's my Noble BSB. The BSB re-roll is just so huge I can't imagine any anyone not taking it unless you're Undead of Daemons. Although the foot version of the Noble has gotten significantly weaker from the last book, it's now in line with the rest of the 8th Ed. BSBs in terms of protective gear. That's a step in the right direction for now, but there's still a couple of books out there that have better options. When I'm mounted up, I feel much more comfortable with the amount of damage I can negate. The Dragon Prince setup means he comes with Dragon Armor, Shield, Lance and of course, a Ithilmar-barded Steed. Since the Enchanted Shield and Dawnstone gives me an enjoyable 1+ re-rollable, I finish up the build with a simple Potion of Foolhardines for that ItP (to him and his unit) and Devastating Charge on the round that means something. If you want a more damage-centric build, I suggest the EShield, Star Lance combo with the Potion. This gives you 4 WS6 S7 I7 ASF attacks on the charge.
Lv.1-2 Mage, Support = 110-145
Scroll
There's been times where I feel the Book of Hoeth is enough to keep the dispels up and the magic flowing. However, I like the fact that I have a scroll somewhere in my army. For this reason, I normally take a Lv.1 supporting mage to accompany my main caster everywhere I go. The function of this mage is simple: Pick a good signature spell and hope you get some other low-cost spell. With only Lv.2 max or pseudo +3 when casting High Magic, the guy's primary goal in life is to throw out a cheap spell, draw some DD and hopefully live long enough to scroll a big spell. There's not much to say really, his function differs from army to army and some generals claim they don't even need it! That's fine for the most part, but I like having him just in case things go south and I don't feel like chancing a dispel. For lores, go with a lore that's easy to cast and have stacking effects with your main lore. I prefer Heavens, High and Light magic.
30x Spearmen, FC, SoDiscipline = 315
Most people do not take Spearmen but I always take at least one. Now, you might be thinking that Spearmen suck and it's true. By themselves, they're pretty shoddy compared to the other crazy core choices other armies can take. Saurus, Dwarf Warriors, Chaos Warriors, Chaos Chariots, the list goes on. In all honesty, Spearmen don't even hold the line well because a lot of the units that will hit them will hit them hard enough that they'll flounder in the following rounds of combat. So why take them? Well, Spears give you one the thing that I think Elves need on the battlefield: More bodies. More bodies gives you another unit that you can jam down someone's flank for max combat res before any blows are struck. This negates steadfast, isn't too expensive, and for the most part they do a pretty great job killing other similar S3 T3 core. What really makes them stand out is that they fight in an additional rank and have ASF. A lot of people underestimate their damage but once you stack on a few buffs and debuffs, their damage goes through the roof. Why? Because of their ability to consistently hit their target. WS4 I5 ASF with a ton of attacks is a great way to get a lot of hits, so the only thing you need to worry about is doing the damage. That's where spells like Wildform and Withering come in.
15x Archers, Mus = 160
This is a pretty mainstay unit for me. I either take my archers 10-15 and give them a Musician for Swift Reform. The reason why I like archers is because they kill annoying chaff units. When the enemy has a bunch of Sabretusks, Dire Wolves or Eagles flying around the battlefield, there's no greater unit to clear those from the field than your humble archers. Martial Prowess allows them to shoot in 3 ranks and Swift Reform allows them to redirect needed missile fire into outflankers or overrunning units. Sometimes it's also wise to bunker your mages in these units. That way, they can avoid the dangers of close combat and continue to throw out hexes and augments to support your troops. Just be mindful that archers aren't the greatest combat units and they won't win any reasonable combat. For this reason, be mindful of assassinations that might come out and take out your mage.
25x Phoenix Guard, FC, BoEF = 415
Depending on your meta, you might also want to look into Razor Standard. Right now I have my Phoenix Guard setup to deal with Regen units, but if you're fighting an more armored army you might want to consider the Armor Piercing. With Martial Prowess being what it is, Phoenix Guard got a definite buff in the new edition. They lost nothing but gained an additional rank of choppiness and that's something truly amazing. The unit is rock hard, can be pumped to a 3+ ward via High Magic and can make mince-meat out of lesser units. Their one power play is the fact that they're insanely hard to kill. This in turn means they outright deny combat res to even the strongest of enemies. For units that count the majority of their effectiveness on how many wounds they can inflict, Phoenix Guard are one of the best counters.
24x White Lions, FC, BotWD = 392
I outright enjoy having White Lions in my army. They hold the line, do great damage and when buffed with a few spells, they are just fantastic units. WS5 and S6 is already amazing, but the lack of re-rolls means they can suffer from rubber lance syndrome. Fortunately for us, statistically, the amount of damage we can do with Martial Prowess gives us a better chance to inflict more damage than we did last book. While rubber lances is certainly a problem, we can maximize their damage potential by choosing spells that benefits them most. Ideally, we want to keep these guys alive so they can continue to hit back hard with each combat. Right now I have the Banner of the World Dragon on them to protect them from spells, but be careful that spells like Dwellers can still get in.
5x Dragon Princes, Mus = 155
Dragon Princes are one of my favorite units and they're just downright awesome. A unit of 5 with Musician is extremely affordable, moves very well due to M9 and Iltilmar Barding, and comes with some of the best rules in the game: 2+ AS, 2+ ward vs. Fire and 6+ built-in ward. Their fighting prowess is also second to none: WS5 2 attacks each, S5 on the charge at I6. With an average threat range of 16", these guys are one of my go-to units. Most of the time I like to take these guys in small numbers, but in the days that I'm feeling ballsy, I'll field a lot more. You should use these Dragon Princes as a precision-based combat res generator. Yes, that's exactly how you should look at them: This is where you want combat res, so I put these guys there. They charge in on the flank, kill a lot of models, and gives you enough combat res to push the battle in your favor.
Frostheart Phoenix = 240
I have at least one of these guys in every single game I play. They have very good stats for their price, great threat range and maneuverability because of fly, and the most amazing special rule to ever grace High Elves. Blizzard Aura's ASL and -1S to every unit it touches is absolutely huge. This effectively increases the Toughness of all your fighters in combat as well as giving them an additional armor save. Anything that improves the survivability of our expensive troops is good, but anything that allows us to completely turn a combat is another. The Frostheart Phoenix is one of those units that reverses the course of combat just by engaging the other unit. To make things even better, his ability stacks with our formidable array of magic spells such as Enfeeble or Soulblight; essentially making your Elves as tough as Stegadons.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:14:56 GMT
POST 13 - Player Advice
Knowing your Enemy
The first piece of advice I have for newer players is knowing your enemy. There is nothing more important than this piece right here. You look across the table and you see a bunch of units you don't know, you already know this game is going to head into disaster. Very few players have the ability to asset threat, damage and power on the fly so its best you go into battles prepared. Key units like the Skaven Doomwheel, the Bloodthirster or the horde unit of Khorne Marauders with Great Weapons, all of these are important pieces on the battlefield. The best thing to do in these situations is to point across the table and ask. If the player you're playing with is a gentleman, and it's a friendly game, I hope he can tell you what each unit does. In a tournament setting, forget about it. Fantasy already takes a day and a half to set up, so it's best you do your research ahead of time.
Think of it like this: Every game of fantasy (the actual) game is a test of skill and generalship. Any good general takes the time to learn about his enemy and so should you. That's why I buy every army book GW prints. Not only is it superb shitter material, but it's also valuable information on what kind of ridiculous combos, units or special characters that might show up on the battlefield.
Understanding Your Army
I almost think that knowing your enemy and understanding your army works hand in hand. If you think about it, you spend all this time making up your army list and for what? Each army list is designed to accomplish a certain thing on the battlefield. Playing for fun is one thing, but you're also playing so your troops are victorious on the battlefield. This is why army design is crucial and how you can make the best out of your army composition.
Keep in mind that this is not advice on how to min-max your army, it's about making your army work for you. As a general of any given army, you must find a medium where you're comfortable with the units you've taken, and you understand fully how they work. The best way to do this is by assigning battlefield roles. Take Sword Masters for example, what do they do best? They generate CR by ripping up lowly troops in combat but they die as fast as a swift breeze. What's the job of Spearmen? Or Skavenslaves? To hold the line and await reinforcements, using their superior numbers and ranks to tie the enemy down.
To be a successful general, you must know your units like the back of your hand. Understand each unit's functionality and purpose, but most importantly, understand why you put them in your army in the first place.
Deployment
I've seen many games where games are lost on deployment alone. Don't worry; hopefully these next lines of text will give you a better understanding of why deployment is so important. Picture for a second that your opponent puts down a unit of heavily armored Chaos Knights after you put your White Lions down far away from them. If those White Lions were your only defense against heavy armor, then I'd say you're in a world of shit once those Knights come crashing on your flank.
That's why you see players taking units whose sole purpose is to give them an edge in deployment. Some might be good enough to be used as re-directors or warmachine hunters too. These units are also known as chaff. Chaff is important because it allows you put these units down anywhere you want for the most part. They pretty much always go in the same place or have outrageous movement speed that they can relocate and not be troublesome for the movement of your army. Eagles can be used as chaff, Sabretusks and Fellbats for example, all can act as chaff for your army.
The key to deployment is matching your opponent's units pound for pound, literally. You don't want to put down a unit that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against another unit he put down right off the top. Your unit must have support, or is capable of holding the line against whatever he puts down or your side is just going to fold. The best example is the Knights scenario I presented above. You want to be able to match your opponent in deployment, or be superior to him in deployment. I call these "drops". If your army has greater or equal to the number of drops he has (total # of units he can put down during deployment), you're in a good place. This minimizes on the chance your army will be out-deployed. The person with more chaff will have more chaff that he can put down, forcing you to put down your last unit of White Lions so he can purposely drop a power unit on your flank. Unless your army is designed to fight uphill battles, you should never let this happen.
If you know you're going to be out-deployed, you should analyze which units on his side you don't want in your flanks and deploy your answers last. This is where knowing your enemy comes into place.
Analyzing Threat
To be successful on the battlefield and during deployment, you must first analyze threat. You must understand which units on the other side of the table can cause you most harm. This is huge. Keep in mind that army scale does not equate to the harm they can cause in combat. The best example of this is a giant unit of Skaveslaves vs. a small unit of Sword Masters. The craziest thing to assume is that the unit of Skavenslaves is going to do a lot of damage on the battlefield. Sure, there's a whole bunch of them, but their fighting prowess equates to dried fish where your Sword Masters preform like a hot knife through butter.
One of the things that 8th Ed. has going for it is big creatures. If it's a big monster on the other side of the table, this is probably worrisome. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons, it's probably going to do a lot of damage. If a unit is carrying Great Weapons and is in horde formation, it's probably something you should
deploy smartly against because that thing is going to pluck your shit up if you play dumb. The most pronounced threats on the battlefield are normally the ones your opponent has heroes and lords going into it. It's either going to be a caster bunker, or a frontline unit that'll do solid bits of damage.
Remember what I said about battlefield roles? Your opponent does the same thing with his army. He knows what his frontline units are, which ones do the most damage and which ones are designed to hold the line. You know his primary sources of damage and these are the ones that should be generating the highest amount of threat in your mind. You might run into scenarios where certain units don't want to be in combat at all. These are often caster bunkers or vulnerable Magelords who would hate to have an Eagle pick out his eyes. Knowing the weak points of his army can prove to be a great advantage to you during deployment and when you're playing the game. Again, understanding how the opposing army works helps greatly here.
Understanding Favorable Scenarios
Hesitation can lose you a game, but so can your ability to underestimate your troops.
Here are some examples:
A scary dragon on the battlefield is not so scary when you shoot him with a billion arrows.
Knights actually do quite poorly against White Lions.
A small unit of Sword Masters into the side of Skavenslaves really fucks up their shit.
A Spearmen unit, given enough ranks can hold a charge from most non-GW equivalents units in the game.
A lot of this might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many times players second guess themselves on the battlefield. Know your army, know what each unit is designed to do (which is surprisingly easy for High Elves because everyone's so specialized), and know which scenarios go in your favor on the battlefield when paired up against any given opponent. This normally takes a lot of experience (normally horrible ones at that), for a player to figure out, but most players understand the gist of it.
At the end of the day, you should always apply a unit's actual battlefield role to do battle. You should always be thinking: The only reason I'm bringing X unit is to fight against Y units. In a game of rock-paper-scissors and random surprise Mindrazors; it still works in your favor when you know what counters what.
Predicting Combat
This is definitely more in the lines of advanced players, but after so many battles, players start seeing the same numbers. A unit of 7x2 Sword Masters hits a unit of Skavenslaves. Aside from a ton of rats dying horribly, how many Sword Masters did you lose and how much CR did you generate? What about Spears? Even if you didn't charge but was instead charged by a unit of Empire Halberdiers, how many Spearmen died and how much CR did you generate via kills, ranks and standard? What about that beefy lord-class character sitting in a relatively weaker unit? I bet he can do some serious work. I'm not saying go out there and mathhammer the life out of everything in the game, but you should have an idea how your units will preform on the battlefield.
The battlefield is a pretty unpredictable place, especially when shit like magic is involved. However, successful players have a good idea of what to expect when they throw their units into combat. For the most part, players only throw their units into combat they can win. This is why predicting combat outcomes are so important. A unit of Spearmen charging a horde unit of Marauders w/ Great Weapons in the front might not be the best choice alone, but what if you plan your magic phase to get Withering off on the unit? What if you decide to combo charge with your Spears and Sword Masters on the flank so you can use your magic elsewhere? The combat res generated from the combined charge "should" win you combat.
You see how predicting combat drastically changes the way you play the game? By assessing the battlefield and seeing the game on a larger level, you are able to make plays ahead of time. The key to being a successful general is being able to see multiple instances of this at once and analyzing which ones generate the highest amount of success with the lowest number of risk. Your ability to capitalize on this is what will take you from good, to great.
Lesser of Two Evils
Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made in order for victory for be secured. Sometimes, you just have to choose. Imagine yourself in a scenario where no matter what you do, something bad is going to happen to your army. This might be a loss of a flank, a loss of a key unit or letting a horrible spell go through. If your opponent plays it right, there should be scenarios where all of these happen at the same time. Take note here for a second about what I just said. A well-played game of Warhammer is when you make your opponent sweat over the choices he has to make. No matter what choice he makes, something bad should happen to his army. That's when you know you've made a good play.
If you have to choose, always go with the play that'll guarantee you the greatest chance of victory in subsequent rounds. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have to first let that flank fall, or that unit be destroyed so you can strike back in a manner most decisive. This is why predicting combat and understanding favorable scenarios is important. In a situation like this, always put yourself in the opponent's shoes. Think from his perspective and predict what he would do after he successfully pulled off a big play. Predict what he does and counter it to the best of your advantage. Think to yourself: If he wins big on combat there and I flee, will he pursue or will he reform? If he persues, do I have anything that can hit him in the flank or catch him in a bad spot? If he reforms, do I have anything that can strike decisively and win combat on that unit next turn?
Don't get yourself caught up in the moment. Understand that the 300 odd points of Spearmen you just fed your opponent can equate to you combo-charging his General's bunker and send it into the oblivion, then it's well worth it. If sacrifice has to be made, it has to make its points back and more. If not, then the sacrifice is not worth it.
Magic Superiority
The first thing to understand is that a small advantage is still an advantage. This is how you should analyze the winds of magic. A successful magic phase is all about analyzing which spells your opponent can afford to let go and which spells he can't. With an Lv.4 Wizard, you have access to a good amount of viable spells. The spells your opponent can let go are often the spells you want to take advantage of. That's when why you draw a big winds round, you cast moderately but still vital spells that plink at his dispel dice. These should be all moderately dangerous to the outcome of the fight in question (which will be his main focus).
Use smaller castings of hexes and augments, because a slight advantage (what he sees, and analyzes as less important), is still an advantage (huge for High Elves). A clever mage will be able to feint the significance of a fight and get off multiple spells a turn. If your opponent lets it all go because he's anticipating Mindrazor, that's his problem because now his unit is now -WS, -T and you ASF with a better combat result. Mindrazor isn't even needed at this point. If he throws dice trying to dispel your other hexes, that's less dice he has available when you actually do through down the MR. This goes hand in hand with what I said about anticipating combat results. How badly your troops need your magic will save a lot of unneeded dice.
Redirecting focus: Say you have a unit engaged in combat and you anticipate a victory, or at least a draw result. You concentrate magic on another area of the battlefield that your opponent isn't focused on. This breaks his concentration and draws a big cloud of WTF? over his head. This happens when you see something crucial your opponent doesn't, as often times or not, players get tunnel-visioned in the combat they're in but don't grasp the wider vision of the battlefield. Hexing incoming Knights on your turn with -WS or -S will make much more of a difference than watching Sword Masters narrowly win combat vs. a flanking unit of Clanrats.
Baiting and Feinting
Fleeing from a battlefield is not always a sign of cowardice. It can also be used to bait an opponent out of position or force him into a position he doesn't want to be in. The best example of this could be a unit of Spears fleeing from a charge of Bretonnian Knights. God knows you don't to take that charge in the face so you opt to flee with your Spearmen. He now has two choices: Take a Ld. test to charge something else, or roll for the Spears. Say that you have a unit of White Lions or Sword Masters next to the Spears. Does he really want to re-direct into the Lions or SM? Or does he want to risk the charge and risk exposing his flank to the Lions?
You see what you just did here? A simple flee can put your opponent in a rock and a hard place (especially if the charge is long). Both scenarios equally suck for him so he might opt to charge at all. This is also good for you because it gives you the chance to charge his Knights next turn! And if he doesn't opt to charge, your Spears will still be there to assist in the main battle. Warhammer can be a game of cat and mouse, so it's best to know all the options available to you before you commit. If you plan on charging something, know all the possible reactions your opponent can take before investing. You don't want to be in the same shoes as the above player.
Eagles are an Elves' Best Friend
I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eagles are my MVP. First off, they are probably one of the most annoying pieces of chaff ever. They're great in the deployment phase when you can just put one down and stare into your opponent's soul. They're great ingame because they can fly boldly into your opponent's charge lanes and take one from the team; forcing them to charge them and re-position. Eagles buy you time, buy you movement and allow you to re-position your army while the Eagle re-positions your opponents. They allow you to chase down enemy chaff or flankers, help pressure warmachines and provide you with flank and rear charge CR should they survive mid-game. They act primarily as re-directors (a Frenzied unit's worst nightmare) and are the true workhorse of most High Elf armies. You can find more uses of them here.
Counter-charges and Flanking
Sometimes, the good ol' hammer and anvil is something even the experienced players forget. The concept of a counter-charge is simple: Unit #1 is a unit that can take hits - in the case of High Elves, a giant block of Spears with Steadfast CR up the ass. This is known as the anvil. Unit #2 is a unit that hits hard as pluck but dies to a soft breeze. Sword Masters are an popular choice for an hammer. Your opponent charges your Spearmen because it's the only viable target and you hold knowing that your Sword Masters (who are conveniently placed on your flank), will have a flank charge next round. Magic is invested in keeping the Spearmen alive and steadfast while the Sword Masters charge their flank next turn. Heads start rolling and combat heavily swings your way, winning you the day.
Flanking is also quite simple: Place something that has good threat range on the far sides of your army and use them as CR generators. I normally like using Dragon Princes for this type of role. Put 5 of these guys down on a wide-flank and they can be used to reliably add CR to any combat mid-field. Flanking can also be used to bypass some of your opponents' attention to hit warmachines and other units chilling in their backfield. Lastly, flanking is also good for having additional CR in combat. An Eagle charging from the far flank gives you 2 CR for just having the balls to be there. It's pretty much free CR.
Winning combat, now what?
So now that you've won combat, you have to think about what to do next. Unfortunately, most players think about this step immediately after the combat resolves. I want you to take a step back and think about what can happen even before you charge. If you charge now, and win a victory over your opponent, can you overrun into an important caster bunker in back? Does your opponent have anything that can crush your overrun if you choose to do so? Is your unit stretched too far and out of range of your BSB? Is he out of his BSB? If you push the advantage, will your advantage be negated if he engages the rest of your army while your best unit is out of position? Winning combat is important for sure, but what happens after is even more important. You must be in a favorable situation to benefit from it: The result of a successful charge should net you more success in the subsequent turns than harm.
Keep in mind that you don't have to keep going after you wiped out a unit. Check to see if the unit has been mauled enough that the only way he can rally is if he rolls double 1s. Sometimes the position you're in begs you to combat reform and stay still. If you commit anymore, you might go from crushing victory to outright defeat. Never lose sight of the bigger picture and don't over extend yourself. Unless you're Stubborn, or have a unit that's incapable of losing combined charges in the next round of combat, it's best to wait for the rest of your army. You want to be in magic support range, you want to be in BSB range and you want to be in support charge range of other units. Don't forget this.
Another thing to keep in mind is Line of Sight. If your unit can surge forward enough after winning combat that'll take him out of LoS (and thus enemy charges), this is a great advantage. It allows you to drive deep in the enemy lines and force him to turn around or suffer a rear charge from you in the subsequent turns. This also allows your main force to advance and catch him in a vice. Surely this is a good thing as even the most lackwit of generals know that enemy forces running in their backfield is bad.
Lost combat, now what?
So your beautiful charge turned into a crushing defeat, what now? Obviously, this means your unit will be running back to your lines like a whipped dog. Don't worry, you can now look into the future and analyze why you lost combat and how you can regain the momentum in the next phase of the game. Maybe something completely unpredictable happened in the magic phase that killed your opportunities in combat? This is the single biggest factor in how combats can sway. This is also something I want you to remember: Magic can greatly skew the outcome of any combat you're invested in. Think about this before you charge, and understand what magic lores he has that can shift momentum in his favor. In order for you to succeed in combat, you must dispel the magic he will use to turn combat in his favor. This is not negotiable.
After losing combat, you need to analyze several things:
Did he Overrun? If so, are you in a position where you can take advantage of his over-extension?
Did he Combat Reform? If so, are you able to counter-attack next turn?
What made you lose combat? Was it some beefy character or was it magic that turned the tides?
How do you not lose combat again? Neutralize the beefy character (or avoid him completely) and dispel the magic that sways combat his way.
Is your fleeing unit useless? Treat the game as if you're 1 down, but don't forget about the fleeing unit. Even if he's below 25%, you can still test for double 1s.
When ahead, stay ahead
The philosophy behind this concept is simple: Don't do anything stupid that'll throw away your lead. What happens most of the time when players start winning is they start playing careless. This is a sure way to lose your lead and put you behind in a game where you're almost guaranteed to win. A great example of this would be killing your opponent's Dragon Lord and 1-2 Hydras with your Warmachines first turn before they even get to do anything and still managing to lose the game. I don't know how this happens, but players get lost the ecstasy of great plays (or luck) and think now that the main threats are gone that the game is in their hands. This is the wrong way to approach a lead.
The more appropriate way to take advantage of a lead is to think: How do I get further ahead? You want to be in a position where your next step is to eliminate any and all possible ways the opponent can swing the game around. You put yourself in his position and you think to yourself: I just lost my Dragon Lord and my Hydras, so what can I do now to walk away from the table like a man? Once you think about the situation from your opponent's mindset, you counter it and deny him of it. With no victory options in sight, your opponent will have no choice but to fold. That's just how the cookie crumbles.
Post-game Analysis
Now that the game is won (or lost), you can look back and see what you can do to improve. Human beings are meant to improve; we're a race of learners and adapters. No matter how badly you just massacred your opponent or how crushing your defeat, there's always something to take away from the game. The most important part here is that you must learn from your game to improve. If you won the game, think about the scenarios you could have done better. If you lost the game, think about why you lost and which units caused the most problems. Think about all the topics that were covered above. There must be something you could have done better in the never-ending list of becoming a better general.
It's important that you discuss the game with your opponent. Talk about how the battle could have gone differently if you did this, or that. How his game could have changed if he did this, or that. Not only does this give you a better perspective on the game (and your opponent's army), but also the player you're playing against. Share your thoughts with your opponent and let him share his with yours. Criticism and advice should be taken with an opened mind. It helps broaden your perspective on other general's opinions and makes you a better-rounded player overall.
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Post by knoffles on Dec 16, 2018 10:15:13 GMT
POST 14 - Great Eagle Tactica by Collinisimo www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=33028 Due to requests on my Gaming Blog forum, I have decided to throw together an Eagle Tactica. In my list (see sig), I take a grand total of 4 GEs, and after the success I have had with them in 8th Ed., I doubt I will take any less at this point. They have almost been the stars of my team, even though I don't think a single one has lived all the way through a game of mine. Therefor, I would love to share some wisdom with everyone here on Ulthuan regarding Great Eagles. The following are five different tricks I have picked up in my 8th Ed. games. If anyone else has any eagle tricks, please post them, as I am sure that these are only a few of the many wonderful different things you can do with eagles. The most recent additions are added in blue. I will be adding in tricks thought up by other people, and adding their name to the contribution list, which is listed below. So far we are up to 9 eagle tricks. Hopefully this will continue to grow with Ulthuan's wisdom! Collinisimo wamphyri101 geoguswrek Ptolemy Xarhain tethlis the slayer krysith Mithstar Th3_5had0w_K1ng Furion All Battle Chronicler images have been made by Th3_5had0w_K1ng. Thanks! Trick #1, 'The Classic' War Machine Hunting
I thought that we may as well start off with a classic trick that I am sure everyone is familiar with. And that is warmachine hunting. Through my experience, most of all of my opponents warmachine crew have been s3 and ws2. That means that when you charge that warmachine with your eagle on turn two, which is almost inevitable, your opponents will be hitting you on 5s, and wounding you on 5s. Therefore, they only have 1/3 chance of doing a single wound to you. You, however, will be hitting on 3s, and wounding on 3s as well, so you should be getting .89 wounds on your opponent. That means you will be winning combat mostly every time. 1 from the charge, and 1 for wounds. From my experience, warmachines have low leadership, and will usually break even when beaten by 2 points. A tip I would like to point out to everyone, is that your opponent will like sticking more than one warmachine together, usually on a hill. This means that if in your first turn, you move your eagle up on his flank and within charging distance of one warmachine, you can usually charge the closest one, beat it and run it down, while at the same time overrunning into his second warmachine, successfully taking out 100-200 points with your single 50 point eagle. Also, if you get this kind of charge off in your second turn, then you only are giving your opponents warmachines 1-2 turns to shoot, depending on who goes first. Trick #2, 'Wizard Assassination'
Here is another classic that most of you must already know as well. Don't worry old experienced players, we'll get into some more complex tricks later, but this is for those of you who are relatively new and still need to learn the old tricks. Anyways, what you do here usually takes 2 or more eagles, but the pay off is well worth it. What you do is you charge in an eagle to the front of an opponents unit that is holding their oh-so-powerful-mage. Then, you direct all of the eagles attacks at your opponents mage. Because mages are generally fragile and do not have much protection, you should be getting .89 wounds. You're eagle will then surely be killed afterward. However, in your next turn you do the same thing, charge in with a second eagle. With two onslaughts of this, you should be averaging 3 wounds on their mage, and this is usually enough to kill it. And trust me, 100 points is well worth the points for your opponents mage, and stopping their magic relatively early in the game. Trick #3, 'The Run-Down'
Now here is where things get interesting. This is the one trick that my opponents question/hate the most (other than Trick #5..). Let me set the scene for you: As you can see in this scenario, your two blocks of PG have just charged your opponents two enemy units. Your GE flies up to the right. You also notice the size and threat of the two enemy units that you just charged. You look at the larger enemy unit to the left. You realize that you have a good chance of tying/holding against that large unit with your PG, but you do not think you can beat it alone. You also look at your opponents smaller unit on the right. You think you can definitely beat that unit alone with your PG unit, but it may take two rounds of combat. Because you were smart and looked ahead, you moved your eagle to the right of the combats, and the reason why will become clear soon. So the battle goes on. You turn out to be right, neither units go anywhere on your combat phase. Then it goes over to your opponents combat phase. Because you have numbers on the smaller enemy unit now, you break it and it flees. However, you decide not to chase after it with your PG unit. You instead reform looking to get a flank charge against your opponents larger unit, and you let the smaller unit get away, because you know that you need the help in the other combat. So it is the beginning of you're turn now, and the scene looks like this: So what do you do? You declare two charges. The first is your PG unit into the flank of the large enemy unit. The second, however, is your GE into their fleeing small enemy unit. You know that if that enemy unit rallies, you will have then gotten no points for it because of the new rules, so you chase it down with your eagle. You charge with your eagle and get the average of 19" charge range. Because they were only approximately 7" away from your eagle, there is close to no way they can flee far enough (and they have to flee, as they were already doing so) from your eagle, so once again that little 50 point model has made up for its points three fold or more, and allowed you to turn the tables on the other larger enemy unit. Trick #3.2, 'Chasing Away', special thanks to Ptolemy
Here is another similar thing you can do, that helps you clear those smaller units on the board and gain you a few extra points in the game. When you charge a unit, and you know that they are going to flee, then you can charge them once again with an eagle. That way, they are forced to flee once again, either to be caught by your eagle, or run off the board. If neither of those things happen, then it is well worth moving that unit another 2d6" away from the action. Remember, your eagle only has to be within 22" of that unit to be able to declare the charge. Trick #4, 'The Speed Bump'
This is a simple trick, but I find that it works rather well in slowing your opponents down to give you more time to shoot/magic their big combat units to give you a combat edge when they get to you. Pretty much all you are doing is flying your eagle up to their big units, then angling the eagle so that if the eagle is charged next turn, the big combat unit will overrun in a direction they do not want to go, or they can not charge and reform to get out of the way of your eagle, which you will then just move back and do it again, or they can charge, kill your eagle, and then not overrun, and move a total of one inch in their turn, instead of their typical 8-10" advancement on your line. Trick #4.2, 'The Double Block', special thanks to geoguswrek!
This is very similar to 'The Speed Bump', however you would use it when it is not guaranteed that you're eagle would hold, ie. your opponent causes Terror. In this trick, you put two eagles blocking your opponents unit, and when he declares a charge against the first, you flee, but then he can only redirect into your other eagle. You flee a second time with the other eagle, and because each unit can only redirect one time in each turn (see page 18), your opponent is then forced to go after the second eagle. If you set it up right, this can lead your opponent into a bad position, sometimes setting you up for a flank charge. Trick #4.2.1, 'The Double Block'
In this variation of the double block, instead of fleeing with both eagles, sometimes it can be advantagious to hold with the first eagle. Then, when your opponent overruns, he will hit the second eagle, and be stuck there for he cannot fight in combat that turn. However, be watch out for your opponent using Trick #5 on your to try and get through the second eagle as well. Trick #5, 'The Place Holder'
This may just be my favorite trick of all to use in a game, because it catches your opponent off guard, and can help you get out of very tricky situations. Some of you may already know this trick from reading my past BatReps, and if so, kudos to you for reading my BatReps! Anyways, here is a situation where this trick could be applied: --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------ ----------------------[EEEEEEE]---[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------ ---------------------[EEEEEEE]--------------------------[GGG]-------- --------------------[EEEEEEE]--------------------------[GGG]-------- -------------------[EEEEEEE]----------------------------------------- ------------------[EEEEEEE]-------[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------ ---------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]-------------------- ------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]-------------------- ------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]-------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- As you can see, your opponent has put a weak unit right in front of your PG unit, in hopes that you will charge it, beat it, and run it down. If you did this, then you would run into his second smaller unit. However, in doing so, you will have fallen into his trap, as he will then be able to flank you with his larger, more formidable unit. So what do you do? You declare two charges. Your eagle is conveniently placed on your right flank, so you charge the small unit right in front of your PG with your PG, then you charge the small unit behind that with the eagle. In doing so, you then proceed to beat that unit and chase it down with your PG, running into the small unit behind it. However, because you flanked that unit with your Eagle, you can then fight another round of combat in the same combat! You then can beat and run down that second unit with your PG, and in doing so get out of harms way from the flank charge. Trick #6, 'Placement Stalling', special thanks to wamphyri101!
I believe that the placement of units at the beginning of the game is the one largest thing that will make or break the result of any game. Great Eagles, believe it or not, can give you quite the edge with this, and here is how. The very first thing you place down at the beginning of the game is your eagles. The more eagles you have, the more units your opponent will have to place down for you to see before you start putting down actual units. This way, you can 'pick your fights', so to speak, and place your units the way you want them in relation to your opponents units. I typically try to put my GEs on the flanks to begin with, because with their 20" movement they can get were they are needed relatively easily. Trick #7, 'Combat Res Generator', special thanks to Xarhain!
Xarhain wrote: One more basic tactic is the combat res generator. Often you'll have flown behind enemy lines to attack a war machine or attempt any number of the tricks listed above, but for some reason the eagle is no longer required. Maybe the cannon blew itself up or the unit you were stalling got purple sunned. Either way, you now have a free eagle you can charge into the back of a stalling combat. With the new lack of unit strength you get +1CR for charging and +2CR for the rear charge. You'll do a wound against standard infantry and maybe take one back. Instant +3CR, and a speedy unit involved in the combat to chase them down once they break! Trick #7.2, 'Reform Prevention', special thanks to tethlis the slayer!
Not only does charging an eagle into an already existing combat grant you extra combat resolution, but it can also give you much more in certain situations! Now that in 8th Ed, you can take a combat reform even if you lost the combat. Luckily for us, there is a quick and easy way to get around this, and keep your flank bonus. So say you have a flank an a relatively large unit, and you don't think you are going to win by much this next turn, so you want to keep that flank. All you need to do, is charge an eagle into a different flank. That way, because the opponent is engaged in more than one frontage, they cannot take a combat reform! Trick #8, 'Helping Avoid Standing and Shooting', special thanks to krysith!
So we all know that Great Eagles can take down a small unit of skirmishing archers/skinks in combat. Or even holding up a large unit of archers/crossbowmen for a turn or two so they can't shoot for a bit. The only problem is getting them in combat. There are a couple of ways to do this. First, there is the simple flank charge, or charging from within 10", but sometimes this just isn't good enough, because we don't have enough time to set that up, or you are attempting to charge a skirmishing unit. So how can we charge in without getting shot to pieces from Stand and Shoot? As krysith pointed out, one way to do this is charge the unit with the eagle from behind one of you're own units. Because of the tall nature of the Great Eagle models, they can typically see over our own infantry units. Therefor, they can charge over units because they can see over them, due to true line of sight. The benefits that come from this, is it becomes much more difficult to shoot at something when it gets a cover bonus. So, if you charge at a unit from behind one of you're own units, they will get a -1 penalty for standing and shooting, -1 for long range (usually), and -2 from hard cover. That adds up to a whopping -4 to shoot at them. This is a 7+ for elven archers, and 8+ for everything bs3, making the likelihood of you're eagle dying much less. Trick #9, 'Mobile Impassable Terrain', special thanks to Mithstar!
Mithstar wrote: Mobile “Impassable Terrain”: Because magic and war machine shooting has become so dangerous, more and more players are using scouts and skirmishers to try and neutralise the threat. Most scouts and skirmishers operate between the two armies. This creates quite a unique opportunity. If a group of scouts or skirmishers are in front of an important enemy close combat unit (basically any unit you can’t yet combat) or a unit containing the bsb, general, etc, charge it with a GE. Your GE should take no more than 1 wound (using cover) charging in. Combat should be close (±1 point difference, very important) and both units are stuck in combat. However, now you have a combat that can continue for ± 2 turns, slowing down the enemy unit behind it considerably. In the hands of a capable general this tactic (even though it's situational) can be used to outmanoeuvre the enemy to great effect. This tactic has a very nice synergy with the Lore of Life. I would however like to point out that this tactic has one flaw. If your opponent has anything that can charge into the combat between your GE and his unit, that can shorten the time where you can cause a road block, so make sure when setting this up your opponent has no way of charging your eagle so that he can just blow through it and continue on his merry way. Remember, the point of Eagles is to be as annoying as possible. Trick #10, 'Basic Redirection', special thanks to Th3_5had0w_K1ng!
The following is taken from the "Redirecting?" thread. Th3_5had0w_K1ng wrote: I made a quick scenario in Battle Chronicler on a basic redirecting. I was an eagle hater until I learned how to use them. They really are invaluable and allow the Elves to control the flow of battle. Sorry this post seems long but it's worth reading if you want to learn how to use the eagles (plus it's mostly pictures!). 9 Irongut Ogre Deathstar VS 7 SM, 30 Spears, Eagle Ogre Turn- move up cautiously to give the high elves a 10 inch charge on their turn. High Elf Turn - Freedom to move units closer without the danger of being charged by the Ironguts. Move eagle at an angle to where the ogres can't overrun into either unit. Ogre Turn - Lets say he decides to charge the eagle. Excellent. High Elves - Lets say due to either inexperience or Frenzy he overruns the dead eagle an average 7 inches. This gives us 2 charges on the flank and allows us to benefit from ranks of spears and killing power of swordmaster MSU. There are more aspects to redirecting but this is the basic premise. Hope this helps! Trick #11, 'Safe Long Charges', special thanks to Furion
Furion wrote: Guess I can share with you one of the protips Safe long range charges Description: your White Lions are 15-17" away from enemy units. While charging at them would be glorious, your enemy has longer range than you. If you happened to fail, you would get charged by both of his units and then lose. What to do then? You have to plan one turn ahead. Position your eagle close to your unit, as per picture. In the following turn, declare a charge with your White Lions on enemy unit, make your opponent react and after all charges have been declared, roll for it. Now there are two options: a) you rolled high and you are in! With a successful charge you can enter 1" within your unit and you go through. b) you rolled not enough and you fail charge. With fail charge your unit can't enter <1" from other unit / impassable terrain. Therefore, your unit moves only a little bit (marked with a green line) With careful placement, it is possible that your unit won't even move at all! That's it. Tell me if you like this short tactica cheers Furion Overview:
I guess what I'm really trying to tell everybody is this: think ahead! If you can think ahead a couple of turns, you can set up these neat tricks, and avoid tricks that your opponent tries to set up against you. A lot of this comes from me being an avid chess player, because in chess it is all about thinking ahead. I use the same skills in warhammer, and so far I am doing pretty well.
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Post by strutsagget on Dec 16, 2018 12:40:48 GMT
I can't wait till this is finished!
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