8th Ed. 2400 Comped Tournament

[popeslob]

Going to a tournament this weekend. It's comped so can only take:
2 of Becalming, Dispel Scroll, Cupped Hands or Cube of Darkness
Max 3 Salamanders
Higher State and Crown of Command can't be taken on same model
Max 3 Skink Cohorts
Also can only add at most 2 extra dice to casting pool (not including Channels) per turn.

Bearing that in mind, here is my list. Any C&Cs would be appreciated. Think I will be running against basically every other army there is, so was going for an all comers list.

Lords:
Slann, Life, General, Etheral, Dispel Scroll
Slann, Light, BSB, Loremaster

Heroes:
Scar Vet, LA, Cold One, Sword of Might, Charmed Shield, Dawnstone
Scar Vet, LA, Cold One, GW, Amulet of Itzl, Dragonhelm, Venom
Skink Priest, Cube of Darkness

Core:
25 Saurus, Full Command, HW&S
25 Saurus, Musician, Standard Bearer
10 Skinks, Blowpipes
10 Skinks, Blowpipes

Special:
8 Saurus Cavalry, Full Command, War Banner
5 Chameleon Skinks
5 Chameleon Skinks

Rare:
Salamander, Extra Handler
Salamader

Total: 2399

Idea is to use the Light Slann (bunkered with the Saurus) to bubble Timewarp from turn 1 and get everything across the board as quickly as possible. Life Slann will float behind the CoC and heal them up. I know everyone says CoC are a waste of time but I just got the models and wanted to try them. Hoping with 2 Scar Vets in they should be pretty scary. Also going to prioritise getting Iceshard and Pha's off to protect them.

Any ideas for tactics or changes would be greatly appreciated. Am still fairly new to the game and would love to get a couple of wins this weekend. Thanks.

 

[Qupakoco]

Quick note, don't forget to remove point cost for individual troops.

List looks good. I was going to comment on only having 8 CoC, but I see that you really have 10 once you throw in the Scar-Vets. So that's good. Having them 5-wide is important for rank bonuses. I like that you have so many character targets for your opponent to be wary of. Should be interesting.

Bear in mind that your Slann will be forced to be in the front rank of those Saurus. If you had another character, like a SV on foot, in the same unit then the Slann could be in the 2nd rank since the first rank wouldn't allow enough room for his base. Also remember that Saurus aren't stubborn in the presence of a Slann. You'll need the Crown of Command on a model if you are banking on that. I'd hate to see you lose your BSB after a single round of combat or from a flank charge.

 

[popeslob]

That is a good point about the Slann being in the front rank, forgot he wasn't the etheral one...

If I don't put him in the unit, instead say I put him just behind but within 3 inches then does he still get a 'look out sir'? Is this a good idea - am worried about flyers with this strategy.

Or do you think I should drop the Priest and put in a cheap Scar Vet (i.e. LA, Enchanted Shield) for the same points?

Or I could keep the Priest and drop the Sallie with the snack, the War Banner from the Cav and the Venom from the other Scar Vet and shoe horn him in that way?

What would you advise?

 

[NexS]

I would put the slann on his lonesome and make him ethereal - make him a useless target for the other guy

 

[popeslob]

I would put the slann on his lonesome and make him ethereal - make him a useless target for the other guy

If I do that then I will have to drop Loremaster as I only have 600 points to spend on Lords.

That raises a fair point though, is it worth dropping the double Slann and just having one uber-Slann instead? Might be able to get some extra stuff if I do as I doubt I can manage to give him 325 points worth of upgrades.

 

[Switchblade]

He does get a Look out, but only at a 5+

 

[Qupakoco]

I think it's a 4+ Look Out Sir save if you're within 3".

With your tournament restrictions, it may be best to go with one Slann. You could easily beef him up with 100 points of fun stuff and spend the other 200 on stuff like a Scar-Vet on foot and a second Priest. You could make your Saurus block infinitely better. Heck, you could even keep the Slann the same and get a kitted out Oldblood to lead your Saurus/Slann unit.

But in the spirit of having 2 Slann's, I'd say drop your priest to make room for a Scar-Vet. The Priest isn't going to do much for you since the Slann's will be casting. Also remember that we have to purchase the Enchanted Shield at the points cost shown in our book, not the cost in the rulebook, so it's a tad more expensive. Just run with a shield and light armor.

OR

Drop your scroll caddie, then the Charmed Shield and Amulet of Itzl could be dropped from your current Scar-Vets. They are in a unit already, so they get a 2+ Look Out Sir save from all sorts of junk. Plus they can't specifically be targeted by BS based shooting. The only reason I take those items is to protect them when they are without a unit, running as solo cowboys.

 

[popeslob]

With your tournament restrictions, it may be best to go with one Slann.

The main reason for going double Slann is the access to 2 Lores (that aren't Heavens). I can't decide whether this outweighs having the weaker Slanns...

On thinking about it, my strategy definitely depends on having 2 Slanns as there is no single lore that makes Saurus stick around and turn into combat threats at the same time. I have found that Saurus simply can't stand up to the elite units I will be facing in a straight fight so buffing them up is essential for dealing with armour saves, and making them not die in droves!

But in the spirit of having 2 Slann's, I'd say drop your priest to make room for a Scar-Vet. The Priest isn't going to do much for you since the Slann's will be casting. Also remember that we have to purchase the Enchanted Shield at the points cost shown in our book, not the cost in the rulebook, so it's a tad more expensive. Just run with a shield and light armor.

I think I am going to have to go with this strategy, think I need the other stuff (eg Salamander) to deal out the damage. Will be sad to lose the Cube but alas! Even with the extra points cost of the Enchanted Shield the Scar Vet should still come out at the same points as the Priest (85+5+15). Thanks for the advice, by all means keep it coming!

 

[popeslob]

Also, I could replace the Saurus without the champ for a unit of 24 skinks, 3 krox and a standard for the same points. Is there any merit in this?

 

[Qupakoco]

I would leave the Saurus unit mainly because I see the CoC accomplishing the same task. Skrox are fun though.

Since you are swapping out units, you may also want to consider that for the same price of your Saurus/SV/Slann block you can have a decent unit of Temple Guard with full command. That brings the benefits of stubborn, halberds, immune to psych, magic standard option, and an automatic second rank Slann. I run them in a unit of 20 and I've only ever lost all 20 once so far, largely due to a miscast. It's worth pondering over.

That said, I'd stick with your original list with the extra SV. Isn't making a list fun?! So many options...

 

[popeslob]

Since you are swapping out units, you may also want to consider that for the same price of your Saurus/SV/Slann block you can have a decent unit of Temple Guard with full command. That brings the benefits of stubborn, halberds, immune to psych, magic standard option, and an automatic second rank Slann. I run them in a unit of 20 and I've only ever lost all 20 once so far, largely due to a miscast. It's worth pondering over.

That said, I'd stick with your original list with the extra SV. Isn't making a list fun?! So many options...

Can I ask why you would stick with the Saurus and Scar Vet? Have worked out that for the same points I could get 23 Temple Guard, Full Command or 21 TG, FC a 30 point banner or even 20 TG, FC and a 45 point banner. Am starting to lean towards this option now as I think it is better value for the points!

I know what you mean about list making, its one of my favourite parts!

 

[Switchblade]

TG blocks are terrific at setting in their heels and not moving with a Slann in them, no matter what lore. with that being said, even with a higher WS and Halberds, I find them inable to kill off largeish blocks of my foes, I generally need something else to hit that block with to finish it off. That's why I bring a 10 block of SC to the field in most of my games. Saurus and SV on the other hand dish out plenty of strong attacks that chew through infantry like theres no tomorrow, only WoC can go toe to toe with my saurus blocks for more than two rounds.

 

[popeslob]

TG blocks are terrific at setting in their heels and not moving with a Slann in them, no matter what lore. with that being said, even with a higher WS and Halberds, I find them inable to kill off largeish blocks of my foes, I generally need something else to hit that block with to finish it off. That's why I bring a 10 block of SC to the field in most of my games. Saurus and SV on the other hand dish out plenty of strong attacks that chew through infantry like theres no tomorrow, only WoC can go toe to toe with my saurus blocks for more than two rounds.

Im not sure I understand, surely a Saurus block with the Slann in the second rank would only dish out 2 extra attacks from the scar vet than the TG? And if TG are higher WS and strength then aren't they better? Ok the Saurus get a Parry but does that make up for the extra S and WS? Dont want to sound like I am being awkward, I am genuienly asking lol.

 

[Qupakoco]

Can I ask why you would stick with the Saurus and Scar Vet?

Just because it's a unit that you had in your original list. That's all. TG with a Slann are pretty sweet though.

 

[popeslob]

Ah right ok, was going to swap the Saurus for the TG but then realised I wouldnt meet the minimum core points requirements. Nevermind, I'll know for next time! First half of the tournament is today, i'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Ejpok]

One thing, is this ETC cap? If yes Salamanders are 0-1 units. and max 2 Scar Vets