What is it with people wanting to use horde High Elves? When did we turn into Skaven? I'm not sure I get it.
A 50 man strong LSG unit (including shields, fc, fancy banner) is 700pts. If you count on magic buffs to increase the performance (which is nescesary) you have one mage just for this unit (or 2 that split their attention). This is another 150pts (give or take). This makes the investment in this M5, T3, 5+ save 850pts. A deathstar number if I ever saw one. Add into this that with 2 mages needed (buffs from 2 different lores), you have a chance of not getting the spells you want and for me the math doesn't add up at all. It just depends on your opponent being silly too much.
Magic is a big uncertainty this edition. Appart from not getting the right spells there is a big chance of having only one or two PD more than your opponent having DD(even if he doesn't take a mage). Or you just get 2 or 3 PD total and the whole thing goes out the window. And you can bet your opponent is going to dispell the T8 etc spells on you LSG deathstar. Anyone who doesn't just doesn't understand the game. You can't count of IF because you will just blow up your mage.
I don't know if any of the buffs are RIP, but if they are, then even if you get them trough, your opponent will save some dice to dispell them in his turn, right before he charges.
Then there is the problem that with 850pts tied up in 1 unit, you're not going to have many other units in the field. So your M5 unit will be avoided and may not even see combat. If it does then you can bet no sane person will charge it right in the front. And while the minimum attacks to the front is 15, to your flank it's 5 and to your rear it's 3. Just rear charge it with Tyrion and watch him slowly kill your T3 elves 6 elves at a time (not to forget the breath atack). Or park a stardragon in the flank and suddenly you've lost half your unit to dragon + prince + breath atacks. And only 5 (or 4 if you lose a rank) guys get to strike back. And both these options are loads cheaper than your LSG deathstar (Tyrion is 400, SD is about 620).
And I haven't even mentioned warmachines. You can bet that any general is going to shoot all his no measuring range, no partials (is that already confirmed?) warmachines and template weapons at your 700pt LSG long before they get a chance to shoot back (they're only 24'' range). And when you shoot back at those nasty, mean warmachines, you can only take out 1 per turn (and for instance, O&G can have 6 easy). Even if you're LSG unit will ever get into combat it will be horde no longer. And if you lose the unit, you will likely loose the game.
And finally (sorry for the rant), you can easily be out-horded by the realy horde armies. For 700 pts you can have 350 skaven slaves (are they still 2pts?) or 140 clanrats. Even if on the first turn you kill with all 50 attacks, you're still getting 30 attacks back, and suddenly you're loosing a few LSG. And those skaven are stubborn on LD 9 (assuming a general nearby), so not going anywhere anytime soon.They can easilly keep your LSG unit tied up for the rest of the game. And as to flank charging to help your LSG unit, remember he is the real horde and so will have more units and therefore is more likely to actually get that charge in.
Like I said, I just don't see it happening. Our models are too expensive, die too easily from missile/template attacks and can be flanked or outnumbered.
Rod
edit: spelling
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