So it was requested that I put up my 5 steg list. The first thing I need to point out is that this is still very much a work in progress list. Also I play in an etc environment so war machines are often comped, but even if they are not you should be ok, you have 5 after all. Slann (life) Bsb, scroll. This slann is sadly not as good as our old incantation in the role of super healer. I have tried upgrades of various sorts but have found that the best thing to do is keep him cheap. This way he has a certain amount of redundancy. Yes to your opponent he is worth 550 points, and they will be gunning for him but I am starting to learn that it is worth trading anything for a win. Core this is where I am doing the most playing around with. I have tried a large amount of Saurus but I find that they are slow and cannot do what I really want. I am testing two new ideas but not getting much game time. Idea one is a unit of 60 skinks with cohorts to back them up. Idea is area denial and ranks, whilst the cohorts act as speed bumps to set up charges. The second idea is a couple of cohorts with krox(st 7 is sweet) and 4 units of skirmishers to do what they do best. It is key to try and only spend 600 points as you need points for stegs. Two ancient stegs with sharpened horns. These do what they do best. You need to use your other units to try and ensure that they get the charge. Whilst this is a great role for them it is just a minor part of what they offer the list. There is the psychological aspect of sticking these two bad boys down. Anything that puts your opponent off of their stride is good for you. They are great mobile gun platforms. Things that are zippy enough to get the slann are usually lightly armoured and don't like 8d6+6 poison shots. The best thing that they are used for though is area denial. Want to keep some ogres out of an area then plonk down mr ancient steg and smile. Next in the list are three baby stegs. I am currently not running these with horns, as I do not see all that many ogres and find it gives me more room for extra toys like a second bastie. These guys have a different role than their older brothers. Firstly you are rocking 3 poison bolt throwers. This is pretty cool for softening up the monster cav the big boys will charge or as anti artillery at a push. I tend to run them as interference so they often don't get the charge, I will usually try to have a lead steg that will be the target of flesh to stone. This dude can often then take the charge of a lot, and if you have picked your target right it should survive. So steg gets charged, probably loses to static combat res but you are stubborn who cares. Your turn smash in the support, 2/3 more stegs with impact hits, attacks and maybe thunderstomps can just destroy units. This is the core of the army and you have some points to spend as you want. What I am about to start play testing is 2 basties. If 5 monsters are good then 7 must be amazing! It will also offer up a ranged threat that might kill off monster hunters or eat dispell dice, allowing Healy goodness off. I certainly wouldn't call you mad if you wanted a priest cube caddy, to pimp the slann, or to get some warmachine hunters. A note on spell selection, only keep dwellers if you need it. Swapping it out for earth blood may seem mad but it can often let you heal a wound on the cheap as most people will let it through. Anyway those are my thoughts on the list, I only have 7 games experience with it in the new book and am still working out the kinks. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for posting! 5 stegs and 2 bastis would be crazy. I do think the bastis really help out because of the +1 initiative and the extra offensive spells the life slann will sometimes lack. They are also cheap enough to not worry about a whole lot. Have you tried putting a skink character on a steg? Leadership 6 has always made me worry about testing. I really think that skink cloud would be the best core for this army. they would be able to screen and keep up with the stegs as well as serve as warmachine hunters if necessary. One very large cohort unit with a bunch of skirmisher units. stick your slann in the cohort and run amok with the skirmishers.
How do you deploy this? From what I remember the life lore atribute is fairly limited in range. What does it mean that war machines are comped?
Yeah I think skink cloud certainly has some potential. The list is fun to play but will certainly be undone by lots. Flying blender vamps. Deployment really depends what you are up against. The range is only 12" but that is often far enough if the slann is running with the pack. Plus chariot bases are deep so that can keep you in range. Life is all about knowing where you need the buff, the heal is just gravy. Oh also a slann in a building near the action can give him a good range.
Honestly i think skink cloud might be a reasonable way to run the cwore for this list. With 5 stegadons you have a decent punch, the skink cloud can be used to divert and redirect scary units away form them so you can get nice flank charges. but who really knows. such an unusual list i'd think you'd have to playtest it to really know for sure.
Comp is when a system usually tournament puts restrictions on army lists. Etc is big where I am and that can comp hard. But to be honest people are still going to struggle to bring down 7 monsters and a slann before you hit the safety of combat.
I remember in 7th edition I tried running a whole army of stegs and two units of skinks and i went against a VC blender lord and he ate pretty much all of my stegadons with a flank charge into each one lined up in a row. pRetty bad turn of events and there was nothing I could do. I am sure this isn't the kind of list to take against VC because of thier screams and eat-face lords but it may work crazy against ogres or O&G. the real way to find out is play it.
I find it tends to run okish against vamps. You can generate so much combat res that you just delete units. A player patient with scream units or with a highly mobile blender can ruin your day though. But again this is kind of where the basties come in as they can put pressure on the terror bats, plus you still have three bolt throwers. Ha ha Bretonians are another army I would hate to face. Heroic killing blow, no stomps, trebs, Amber spear.
nothing you could do? I'm sorry, but thats a little disingenuous dont you think? You lost the second the blender lord could even POTENTIALLY do something like that. Games are won and lost in deployment and movement.
He was on a winged nightmare I believe, so he was really maneuverable. I was trying to make it hard for him but there is only so long until dancing around a flying vampire gets you in a lot of trouble. I also only had about 7 drops so there was a lot of extra time for him to set it up in deployment. I dont know why I'm giving excuses, I just stand by my statement. He ate all my stegs, pretty much in a row. I guess not in a long row of stegs but he charged each one or sometimes flank overran into them. My history has taught me to HATE vampire counts. Too bad that doesn't pass on to my models
ahh, i see.. my mistake, i misunderstood, i thought when you said "in a row" you literally meant they were in a row and not he killed them one after another! I kept thinking how weird it was that you lined up all your stegs like that haha, i should have known better!
Oh, seven monster mash sounds like a lot of fun! And with all the poison shooiting and high mobility As for core, I also think the saurus lacks the mobility in a list like this. Maybe: Cohort 11 st, 1 krox Cohort 11 st, 1 krox Cohort 34 st, musician Skink skirmish 10 st w javs Skink skirmish 10 st w javs Skink skirmish 10 st w javs 600 pts OR Cohort 32 st, musician 3 krox Skink skirmish 10 st w javs Skink skirmish 10 st w javs Skink skirmish 10 st w javs Skink skirmish 10 st w javs 600 pts
After watching justmedaly's battle reports I think that I will try out 19 skinks, musician 19 skinks, musician 20 skinks, musician 10 skirmishers 10 skirmishers 10 skirmishers 10 skirmishers