I have had a few people message me with regards of how I pilot the 2k Dracothion's Tail/Shdowstrike list.
Normally I try not to give away too much of how I run the list out of fear that someone at an event will have read my posting. lol. At anyrate I have decided to post a quick Q and A. This is a series of question a player (
@Wilhelm Stürmer ) has PM'ed me and my responses to them.
Initial Q's and A's
Q:
What do you typically summon to the field or is that also situation?
A: Summoning is very situational. In most cases I summon cheaply and often. There are several things I find myself summoning most often though. Skinks, sometimes Starpriest, and EotGs are normally my priority. If the game hasn't required that I summon on my first few turns then I will normally bring on an EotGs or replenish Ripperdactyls. I also like to summon Chameleon Skinks, even after the nerf that prevents them from summoning into ambush.
Q:
I've always kept the Slann hidden and screened, but Dracothian's Tail seems to depend on the Slann being out on the battlefeild. Aside from screening with the two units of Skinks, how are you keeping the Slann alive. It seems like he'd be a priority target for the opponent.
A:Yeah, the Slann has to come out in the open. It is why I take Miasmic Blade. The -1 to hit helps significantly. Normally I will place him as far up as possible if I plan to take first turn. Then you can use two attempts to LoSaT the Slann to safety if the first one fails. If you take second you will have to the take the riskier move of using LoSaT to put your Slann in range and then send him back to safety. The Slann is always one of the last units I deploy. Don't forget that you can deploy some or all of a Battalion at any point during set up. This allows you to gain the most information from your opponent's deployment.
Q:
Based on this wording: "However, each reserve unit set up in the same turn must be a different unit chosen from a different warscroll" I'm guessing it's best not to have more than one unit of the same warscroll in the Heavens, as it forces you to only deploy one unit of that warscroll per Hero phase?
A: Correct. I normally place my ScV on Carno, ScV on Coldone, 5 Saurus Knights, 4 Razordons, and the Rippderactyls in the Heavens. The Rippers and ScV coldone normally come down turn one. The Rippers follow the standard advice I frequently give in regards to Shadowstrike Starhost.
The ScV on Cold is looking to charge the corner of a horde unit that I can use Crown of the Betrayer on and hopefully tie it up for a turn or two. Either because it will take multiple turns to effectively pile in, or because they will choose to retreat. Sometime I will support the ScV on CO with the Saurus Knights. This is done by pinning the opposite end of the same horde or by covering the ScV's flanks to reduce enemy pile in.
I frequently save the Carno as a second wave if I feel confident that my Slann won't be assassinated. Ideally you will be able use the Carno as a threat and force your opponent to play more conservatively. I find that my opponent often forgets about the carno as well. This can allow you to bait your opponent into exposing a key hero or monster which you can then deploy your carno to engage.
Follow Up Q's and A's
Q: Part 1:
Does having more than one Starpriest on the board help? I can see having the additional spell/dispell/unbind and of course the another Summon Starlight is great.
A: Generally I only run with one Skinks Starpriest. The rule of one prevents you from casting or attempting to cast the same spell more than once per turn. If I am summoning a Skink Starpriest it is because the first one died.
Q:
You mentioned replenishing Rippers. They seem to be a mediocre unit if not in range of Blot Toad and having used their Swooping Dive. How are you utilizing them after that first dump? They can't go back into the sky for another Swooping Dive, correct?
A: The goal is to add more Rippers to your army. They are not part of the original unit and thus can not ascend back to the clouds to swoop down. The hope is to keep sending them into units near the location of your original Bloat Toad so that they are still able to get their three bite attacks.
Q:
You mentioned using LoSaT twice on the same unit. I was unaware Seraphon could do that. I thought if you rolled a 1 or 2, that unit was stuck?
A: Read the rules for LoSaT carefully. It says it cannot move or charge if you roll a one or two. You don't care about doing either of those things with your Slann. It also does not say that you can't use it on the same unit more than once. Deployment is always very important for Seraphon. Our biggest advantage is our mobility. The goal should be to force your opponent to respond to your placements in a way that puts them at a board disadvantage and then to capitalize on it with our allegiance abilities.
Q:
Are the models you leave in the Heavens typically out of sight? Playing at my local GW, I usually just have all my Seraphon models in a box and pull out summoned models as needed. I can see that making it easier for the opponent to forget, but it also seems a bit... unfair isn't the right word, maybe unsportsman?
A: I normally only play Seraphon at Tournaments. I use my other Blades of Khorne and Maggotkin for friendly games. So yes, I keep the units in the heavens out of sight in my summoning box. My opponent always has a copy of my list and I ask them if they have any questions about my army before we start. After that it is up to them to ask for clarifications before they make choices. I myself am frequently asking to be reminded about the specific wording of my opponents rules.
Sportsmanship is always subjective. The basics are not gloating, asking if your opponent wants to just call the game, deliberately slow playing to increase the odds of you winning, and cheating. Beyond that there isn't a rubric to score high in sportsmanship. I do try to make sure my opponent is having fun with the game and I get behind whatever if any morale victories they chose to set for themselves.
One time I was at an event and got a novice SCE player for my first game. He told me he was new to the game and that his friend had loaned him the army. I let him know that I was quite familiar with the SCE army line and that I would try to remind him if he were about to miss any important rules. I also told him I was aiming for first place so I couldn't take it easy on him as I needed to score as many event points possible. I nearly tabled him turn one. He decided that his new goal would be to get his Gryph-hound across the table alive. He managed to do it with one wound. We spent the whole two hours laughing uncontrollably to the great confusion of the event hall.
Note: Edited to include the name of the questioner.
bummer