Crossing Swords

[SpellArcher]

Turn 6

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The Prince joined the Spears and the Griffon flew up to the enemy building. The Archers replaced the Phoenix Guard in the tower. The emerging PG were joined by the Frostheart. Magic and shooting whiffed except for Convocation reducing the last Plaguebearer to ash.

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The Daemons' only play was Final Transmutation on the Spears but the Lord of Change, fearing a miscast, wisely passed on this, leaving the High Elves in control of the field.

1156 v 308

High Elf Win

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[Seredain]

Hi SA,

Thanks for the great write up. Without you recording these events they would fade for me into a haze of emails, child-raising and national holidays.

A strange battle in that the turning point apparently happened in the opening shooting phase! I think that this would have been the time to go for broke and rush with everything. After a smashing first Turn, the elves’ ranged power seemed to waver. This was a big problem because I’d become complacent and hoped to cruise to victory without having to manoeuvre. I even let the dogs into to the rear so confident was I that I could blast them away. Instead I had to direct that fire elsewhere and accept the charge from my rear. Remember, fellow High Elves, arrogance is our greatest enemy!

Ordinarily, where shooting failed, I could have kicked into gear and gone on the attack but I’d made a second crucial mistake. In deployment, I’d been affected by the wide fishing net you were casting around my left flank. So I broke the golden rule of deployment and changed my plan last minute by dropping the spears on my left. If I’d stuck to the original plan I could have used the phalanx to burst through the daemons’ left flank and taken the initiative back when my ranged power flubbed. Instead, I clustered in the middle and risked getting surrounded. For a while there I felt like Crassus at Carrhae. Uncomfortable!

Happily, those big blocks are hard to shift and I had enough space to mop up the beasts when my BSB rolled snake eyes (a nice perk of the griffon is that you lose no points when your puny elf rider dies - but this was still upsetting). However, had the daemon army been aggressively pushing with everything, I might have been overwhelmed.

My recommendation to the daemons for next time would be to go balls to the wall and rush the elven lines with everything. In preparation, the elves will separate the 10 sisters into two units of 5. Get an extra redirector back into play.

GG SA - I look forward to our next showdown!

Best,

Seredain

[SpellArcher]

Hi SA,

Ave!

Thanks for the great write up. Without you recording these events they would fade for me into a haze of emails, child-raising and national holidays.

You're most welcome sir.

A strange battle in that the turning point apparently happened in the opening shooting phase! I think that this would have been the time to go for broke and rush with everything. After a smashing first Turn, the elves’ ranged power seemed to waver. This was a big problem because I’d become complacent and hoped to cruise to victory without having to manoeuvre. I even let the dogs into to the rear so confident was I that I could blast them away. Instead I had to direct that fire elsewhere and accept the charge from my rear. Remember, fellow High Elves, arrogance is our greatest enemy!

Yeah, erasing the Horrors (and Herald) put me on the back foot. While not without risk, I agree that a turn two rush might well have swept me away. I was slightly surprised you didn't block your RBT off with the Frostheart again, 10 wounds, T4 and 5+ Ward is hard to shoot away in a single phase. I figured it made sense to fly the Lord of Change up as an additional threat, odds were (as happened) he'd take 2 or 3 wounds, leaving me options.

Ordinarily, where shooting failed, I could have kicked into gear and gone on the attack but I’d made a second crucial mistake. In deployment, I’d been affected by the wide fishing net you were casting around my left flank. So I broke the golden rule of deployment and changed my plan last minute by dropping the spears on my left. If I’d stuck to the original plan I could have used the phalanx to burst through the daemons’ left flank and taken the initiative back when my ranged power flubbed. Instead, I clustered in the middle and risked getting surrounded. For a while there I felt like Crassus at Carrhae. Uncomfortable!

A good point. Phoenix Guard would have made a solid anchor unit and you could have swung the phalanx and monsters around the tower. I'd have had a few drops left with which to counter but I'm not sure how. Oh and I recall a quote:

The Parthians who destroyed Crassus' army had their capital burned by the Romans so many times it got monotonous.

However, had the daemon army been aggressively pushing with everything, I might have been overwhelmed.

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I think we more or less concurred that the moment for this would have been my turn three. I could have charged the Sisters with my Flamers. If the former flee I can maybe redirect into the (putative) flank of the phalanx, who presumably hold. I then charge that with my Beasts. The problem to my mind is that the elves can then flee, escaping both charges and leaving the Beasts wide open to a Phoenix Guard charge next turn that they cannot flee. To be more aggressive in general I believe requires more combat muscle in my list.

GG SA - I look forward to our next showdown!

Me too dude, hit me up!

[SpellArcher]

List Implications

I was happy with the new unit, the Plague Toads. The Hover rule means they are flyers that can't march but for my purposes, being able to lurk at a long charge distance is the key thing. Yes their charge was held and after a while they died but killing the High Elf BSB was impressive. They don't tend to die quickly (especially if my BSB is within 12") and continuous S5 Poison is very respectable. At 180 points they're not a throwaway unit but neither am I afraid to take a chance with them.

The main issue I'm seeing is with Core. Daemonettes are fast and flexible but die quickly to even S3 shooting, let alone RBT. They're also very vulnerable to S4 Magic Missiles and Fiery Convocation, big issues in this match-up. Essentially, they're lightweight and are fairly useless without ASF. To achieve that requires at least a 140pt investment in the Herald taking the combined unit over 300, bad value for what it gives me. Those 140pts are not Core either, I'm throwing good points after bad.

The unit of 19 Plaguebearers plus BSB has served me well through past tournaments but those were against a wide variety of armies and players. Here, every game is against a strong player wielding Fiery Convocation and other unpleasant tools. My main combat unit has become essentially a bunker, there is no way it reaches the enemy in sufficient strength, especially considering Phoenix Guard murder it and it loses even to the Flaming phalanx. It seems to me a case now of go big or go home.

After their excellent perfomance in the previous game, I had high hopes for the Horrors. Tzeentch's lore attribute generates new models when the unit kills things and I had a few painted up in anticipation. Unfortunately said unit was adroitly wiped out Turn 1, giving up a bunch of points and robbing me of Infernal Gateway, my main ranged threat. I like the synergy with their Herald, generating three spells in total from the Lore is effective but 10 models with a 5+ Ward does not seem enough protection for him. Given that mounting him separately on a Disc is very risky against elf shot, again I feel a need to either enlarge his bunker or to drop him.

[SpellArcher]

Some Plaguebearers:

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[SpellArcher]

A simple conversion:

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[SpellArcher]

OG Keeper of Secrets:

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[sparkytrypod]

When are you guys going to a get a game of TOW

[MasterOfNone]

When are you guys going to a get a game of TOW

+1

[SpellArcher]

When are you guys going to a get a game of TOW

This depends on The Cavalry Prince finding the time. He is a busy man with babies!

[Seredain]

SA, Chaps,

I need to finish up my sisters and seaguard but after that I'm game!

[SpellArcher]

I need to finish up my sisters

I've a sneaking suspicion we'll be seeing a whole lot more of these in people's armies now.

after that I'm game!

Splendid!