Hello again my friendly disciples of Lord Kroak! Up until this point in my warhammer history I have never taken CoC due to the sizable cost of all cavalry and have usually lived by investing those points into more skinks or a beefier block of Saurus. However, in 8th edition I am seeing more and more the value of swift moving hammer units and when it comes to LM that leaves us few options... 1) Stegadons, they each cannon balls for breakfast but if they can get close enough they tear things apart. Typically a harsh investment of points that doesn't usually earn it's points back (even if you consider their ability to keep warmachines aiming for them.) 2) Skrox, this is what I currently use but have notice my opponents have become more aware of the Skrox weakness, which is dedicating every model in base contact toward attacking the skinks, which die like flies. Skinks die, I start losing CR.. not a good trade off. 3) Cold Ones Cavalry, the big unknown to me.. I'm not even sure how I should field them, or IF I should field them since even a small unit will dance with costing 200-300 points. Currently, with 2+ AS they seem like a viable unit to use as hammers (not as squishy as Skrox and on the charge hit with only 1 less strength.) Are they worth it? Is it wiser to just accept the skink losses from the Skrox unit and just not offer up such a tasty point total treat to the enemy?
Skrox, CoC, and Stegadons are hammers. You need to use them in conjuction with other units, like Saurus. I think forget Coc, just get a Scar Vet on Cold One, tool him up, and you have a hammer right there.
I'm aware of how to use hammer units.. but things can still strike back against things on their flank. Imagine, if you will, running a skrox unit into a 4 deep unit of saurus.. that is still 8 attacks coming back at you (if they dedicate all models in base contact to attacking the flanker). The typical skrox unit only has 2 Kroxigor and thus only 6 real threatening attacks. That anvil unit can strike back against the hammer more effectively than the hammer can because they only need to nickle and dime the skinks. For example.. I once had a unit of saurus tangle up with an arachnarok and was slowly dying.. until a unit of night goblins flank charged me. I focused every possible attack I could against the night goblins and took combat resolution because I was given a squishier target to flood attacks into. Now, on to your suggestion.. the scar-vet cowboy, as he is so affectionately refered to. In higher point games 1.5k+ isn't the cowboy a sizable liability? One cannon shot/magic missle/template (no LoS rule and there are tons of save or die templates these days.) could kill it. Heck, even a volley of shots from standard ranged could pick him off on a lucky roll. After all of that he then suffers the No Where to Hide rule.. so if the unit he is flanking has a combat machine hero/lord they could declare a challenge that cannot be denied since he has no other ranks to hide in. (A VC Banshee or OK Tyrant both spring to mind) Lone Slann have mechanics to use to survive all of these eventualites.. scar-vets have none unless you start seriously sinking points into magic items which just makes him a juicier target.
Personaly I then to run them with a scarvet and full command and a magic banner, I am very rarely disapointed with their performance.
I've started using them again recently. A unit of 6 with full command and the flaming banner costs about the same as the ancient steg they've replaced in my list. I've found that if I keep the edge of the unit in range of my lore of light bubble (aoe speed of light and pha's) it becomes an unexpected powerhouse-- and the perfect timewarp target. Great for hunting down Hydra's and Abominations and they combo charge really well with my Skrox.
... Make a Unit of 3 Lone Scar Vet Cowboys. They will be "The Three Cowboys" That would be amazing. Haha. I need to make up a second Scar-Vet, my current is wielding a great weapon with half of Chakax's weapon. He's a bad ass.
Hmm, I only found the cold ones so/so under 7th and have pretty much shelved them in 8th. Cav. in general have suffered in a shift in balance between hard hitting units which have gotten less important and steadfast units that have gotten more so. This is true across the game not just for Lizzards. I use a combo of skrox and saurus units to do a slow grind down of enemy infantry and use skinks to go after high value monters and war machines. I really don't have any hammers as such anymore and I have been doing quite well (we are running a league at the local store and I am 5, 1 and 0.)
That's the way to do it. I've been using regular CoC in a unit of 10, mopping up after my salamanders or skinks. They aren't great at taking on some stuff all by themselves but I have had success with them. People at my local seem to be afraid of facing them in combat, even though they aren't that big of a unit. I just keep them away from elites. Plus, adding a Scar-Vet in their ranks really adds to the killiness. They are definitely a supporting unit though. I know they aren't Lizardmen, but Bloodcrushers are some intense cavalry units. Hard to kill, stompalicious, and immune to psych. I wish we had something like that...
Our CoC are immune to psych. But bloodcrushers are pretty Over priced and they are vulnerable to shooting. I've killed a unit of 3 Bloodcrushers by shooting them for 2 turns with 2 units of 10 Skink Skirmishers.
Right. I forgot about stupidity. And yeah, shooting is the bane of cavalry due to the units being relatively small.
hey, i have been using 10 CoC and have an old blood with burning blade, maiming shield and talisman of preservation and they have been decimating things, especially if you use Harmonic Convergence/Curse of Midnight to help them (along with any slann spells).
That's why I give mine the Sun Standard of Chotec, (-2 to shoot at) also the 2+ armor save seems to help.