My son (who got me back into WFB) wants a 2500 pt game against his Dark Elf filth. I use the word advisedly given I know he going Lord/Hero heavy, with the rest of his army being a mix of spear men, executioners with a 10 figure bus of cold ones (trying to out dinosaur the dinosaurs!) I was undecided about magic users, but given he's taking Morathi, I feel I have to take a Slann. Normally My lists are quite light on skinks, but here I was thinking of doing the opposite. I don't have any of the flyers yet but can field any of the other monsters in our book. Over to you for thoughts, comments and suggestions. Thanks for your time.
Elves don't like Firey Convocation or Burning Alignment. Or comet! Can you you field Tetto'eko? You'll probably make a lot of Elves dead with a Solar Engine on a Bastiladon, too. Dark Elves basically hit and wound with every attack they are allowed to make, cheaty jerks. So stand back and Skink/Magic him until there's not much left. If he's got RBTs, get rid of those as fast as possible (if no Terradons then use Chameleons and maybe try a Magic Carpet SV/OB?) The ASF sword on a Scar Vet is a nice trick to save him from the Elf Rerolls. I think I'd go for a barebones Slann (High or Death) and an Old Blood. Tetto and maybe a Skink Priest (heavens and dispel scroll). An Ancient Steg with Engine and a Bastiladon (or two?). Some Chameleons. Some bit Skink Cohorts with a Kroxigor or two and lots of 10 man units of Skirmishers (with Javs) If you don't want that much Magic, I'd go for either Lore Master High Slann or just stick with Tetto and a Priest or two (and get a 2nd Old Blood or put a OB/SV on a Carnosaur?)
Having advised against Salamanders for DE in a different thread due to my local meta, if you know he will be bringing hordes (or hordish blocks) then I totally second this. Salamanders are awesome against big blocks of T3 with a low armour save. They do many many wounds. But yeah, definitely need to deal with any of those bolt throwers, if you don't have flyers then you will pretty much have to go with some camo skinks to deal with them. Other than that go heavy with magic and bring loads of chaff. Skink skirmishers can strip wounds off of a unit with their poisoned shooting and being skirmishers can usually stay out of the way of nasty charges, unless you want them to get in the way of course for redirection.
I would take a Bastilodon with Solar Engine. The DE will have a hard time hurting it outside of magic or characters and the cheap bound spell can really put the hurt on T3 troops. If nothing else, the potential mental impact of the beast is useful.
@hdctabien @Ondjage @D43m0nSp4wn @rychek Thanks for the comments. Skinks, skinks and more skinks, some chameleon skinks and then bastilodon solar engine, ancient Steg with the engine, sallies plus Oldblood / scar vets. Plenty of pew pew!
Also remember that a salamander has the skirmisher special rule for protection! Even if it is alone )