While I realize competitive builds require shadowstrikes and skinks I've never been a fan of the skink models and really want to find a way to use saurus. With that in mind what are some useful saurus tactics using any combination of saurian units and the many big dinos our army can field? While I don't play competitively my main opponent is a Stormcast player. While he isn't a power gamer the coolest looking models to him also happen to be pretty powerful ones so I'm a little nervous in facing down his many mortal wounds and ranged firepower. I'm also particularly interested in anything that uses our carnosaurs. I have two (a scar-vet and an old-blood) and have always found them to be the coolest looking models in AoS.
If you want to use your Saurus Warriors you have a few options: - Take a Sunblood and play mass Saurus in a Sunclaw Starhost. Saurus are not that good but they become actually pretty great once you have a lot of them. A list like this could do if you have that many Sauruses (except that I would use spears): Allegiance: Order Heroes Saurus Sunblood (120) Skink Priest (100) - Priestly Trappings Skink Starpriest (100) Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur (320) Battleline 40 x Saurus Warriors (400) - Clubs 40 x Saurus Warriors (400) - Clubs 40 x Saurus Warriors (400) - Clubs 10 x Skinks (80) - Meteoric Javelins & Star Bucklers Battalions Sunclaw Starhost (80) Total: 2000/2000
OK, first of all HERE you can find a basic analysis on saurus. A little outdated (written before GHB) but it's still valid for general principles. that said, i don't agree on the sunclaw starhost. A possible list could be this one: Bloodclaw starhost (100) Saurus oldblood general (100) if you face shooting or long range abilities, protect him with something as "legendary Warrior", "master of defence", "Phoenix stone". Saurus Sunblood (120) Saurus scarvet on carno (260) Saurus Scarvet on cold one (100) 40 x saurus warriors 400 (your main hitters, that will roll the battlefield at the center, and will be able to suffer casualties from mortal wounds given their number) 10 x saurus warriors 100 (just to sit upon some objective) 10 x Saurus knights 240 Saurus Oldblood on Carno 320 Astrolith bearer (reroll to hit, bonus to your wizard) Skink Starpriest (100) all your heroes in the battalion will be able to use command abilities, which will buff to stars you main troops. the scarvet on CO will go alongside with the 10 knights, to be sure they are going to hit. Sadly, in the battalion you can put only ONE oldblood; i tend to use as general the one afoot, because will give you basically a 3" additional movement, thus taking saurus warriors to 8" instead of 5". pretty fast. But another interesting option is to use the Oldblood on Carno as general, then you totally discard the oldblood afoot, and with those 100 pts, you pick a second starpriest. Each turn, with 2 starpriests you can have both mystic shield and Starlight. Variations are possible: instead of a astrolith bearer you can pick a Starseer, or a couple of sallies with handlers. If you feel that you lack shooting, then discard the oldblood on carno for a bastiladon.
Wait a minute, @Killer Angel. How many heroes you can have in a 2k battle? Or the heroes in the battalion don't count?
It's 6 heroes, and all of them count. I simply miscalculated them (probably i forgot to count the general ) At this point, I'd discard the BSB
Thanks for the replies everyone. I've read that tactica before and found it very helpful but just wanted to see if there was anything else. I'm hoping my saurus will get some more love in the future but at least for friendly games these build ideas should work well.
Is it not possible to have one OB on carno as general and another in the starhost to get the benefits from both of them?
Edit: I was wrong from my original. The list of hero choices you get to choose from to satisfy the battalion does not include another old blood. Therefore you only get one on carno or on foot, but can't have both.
As said by m0gstar, no. Your general can be an Oldlood afoot or on carno, then you can include 3 other heroes, but in the listed options there is not another oldblood. Basically, you can use another oldblood, but it won't be included in the battalion
Can you also add 3 scarvet on cold one in the battalion instead? If that's the case, does their command abilities stack themselves?
True. We don't know what will change, but with GH2 many current tactics will be no more good, and actual winning combos will cease to work.
What I meant was if you have an OB on carno as your general, and another in the starhost, shouldn't both their command abilities work? That's what I meant by benefits. In theory, your three scar-vet on CO would then have 7 attacks rerolling for extras. Super cheesy, potentially not worth it, but I'd be willing to try it out at least once! Edit: Trying to find the rule that states the oldblood in bloodclaw has to be your general, and am failing. Is that really not possible? Sorry to sound like a broken record.
Are you saying that you want to use an oldblood as General, not part of the Starhost? then the oldblood and the other heroes in the starhost apply Strategic Mastery? (thus having another oldblood with command ability). I don't know, looking at the Strategic Mastery ability, I've always read it that the oldblood is your general and the other heroes can use their command abilities even if not the general, but thinking on it, it can be read also in the other way. So yeah, you can.