Hello everyone Well, after almost a decade I am going back to Warhammer World to take part in the October Age of Sigmar Doubles Tournament. I am bringing a companion who this will be their first ever event. We have to bring two 1000 points vanguard armies to make up 2000 points. You can find the rules for the event here. I would love to bounce ideas for what I should build for my 1000 points to compliment my friend's army. However there will be some restrictions on my list: 1: My army is a saurus army, skinks are secondary mostly reserved for summoning. 2: If I take an EotG I will only be taking one. 3: I would like my army list to be competent, it doesn't need to be hardcore. 4: I cannot change my friend's list. My friend will be taking a Kharadron Overlords force which will consist of the following: Aetheric Navigator 10x Arkanaut Company 10x Arkanaut Company x5 Grundstok Thunderers Arkanaut Frigate x2 Grundstok Gunhaulers Now, I wish to compliment this force, I am thinking of providing a melee shield of Saurus so that his guns are free to fire on whoever they wish. I have two ideas currently but I am welcoming ideas: The Saurus Tide So this is a rough draft but the general idea is that I provide the sheer weight of numbers to shield the Kharadron gunline while able to capture objectives, I could make it 40 saurus but then I miss out on the EotG. Engine of the Gods Saurus Sunblood x30 Saurus Warriors (with spears) x10 Saurus Warriors x10 Saurus Warriors Sunclaw Starhost Balanced This list is a little more balanced though Saurus Guard will lack the numbers and are valuable to mortal wounds. This will still support the Kharadron gunline providing a strong shield. I could replace the EofG for a Skink Starseer to buff the ship's powerful cannons with re-rolls. Engine of the Gods Eternity Warden x10 Saurus Guard x10 Saurus Guard x10 Skinks Stegadon I am curious what you guys suggest, I am open to ideas so please bring them to the table.
Here's the following models that I will have access to: Engine of the Gods Slann Starmaster Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur Saurus Oldblood Saurus Sunblood Skink Starpriest Skink Priest x40 Saurus Warriors 3x10 Saurus Warriors 2x20 Skinks 3x10 Saurus Guard x3 Ripperdactyle Riders Stegadon Bastiladon Now, I have time so I can buy more models.
I think that Saurus are a good option in a doubles game if your partner has shooting. The Kharadrons will be happy about some bodies on the table that also bring some melee power. I'd advise against 30 Warriors. They are only good in units of 10 or 50 IMO. Guards are dangerous because they melt under mortal wounds. Only really good against armies that cannot bring a lot of mortal wounds.
I advise strongly against taking EotG for the purpose of summoning. With recent FAQ our rerolls mechanics through Kroak and Starseer are gone completely. They now generate CP intstead. You need a Slann with Vast Intellect to have some control of Engine results. I'd go for a Saurus tide list, but throw away EotG and take another 10 warriors and Oldblood on foot. Take a Mighty Warleader trait for additional CP. You will have strong saurus unit that reroll to-hit and 1's to-wound. Oldblood's command ability will give this unit better positioning.
Cheers very much you two, I will drop the EotG for now and as for the Skink Starseer it looks like I will be dropping that after quickly seeing the FAQ as it wouldn't support my friend in the way I wanted. So below is something I might test out with a few friends: Leaders Saurus Oldblood with Greatblade (General) 120pts Mighty War Leader, Light of Dracothion Saurus Sunblood 120pts Coronal Shield Battleline x40 Saurus with Spears 360pts x10 Saurus with Clubs 100pts x10 Saurus with Clubs 100pts x10 Skinks 60pts Battalion Sunclaw Starhost 130pts Total Points: 990 I will give this a test run, see how it goes.
I would recommend making your Saurus Sunblood the General and replacing the Oldblood with a Skink Starpriest. The buff Summon Starlight and Serpent Staff provides will get you more than an extra three inches of move and rerolling 1's to hit. You will also have a mage in case you need make an unbind attempt on a crucial spell or remove a bothersome endless spell. Also you should check out Ghyrstike for your Sunblood. making both 5's and 6's proc to hits and wounds will almost double his damage out put. Hope this was helpfull.
This is very helpful, I had been bouncing the idea of a Skink Starpriest because the Serpent Staff would be lovely with the hoard unit and the battalion. My only question is would I be allowed to take Ghyrstrike in all the matches. In the tournament rules it says "Malign Sorcery will be in use including endless spells and artefacts of the realms." but can I take Ghyrstrike if I am not battling in Ghyran realm?
Yes, you can take Gyrstrike. The Artifacts of the Realm are based on your army's realm of origin. You simply need to declare that your army is from Ghyran and then you gain access to use the realms artifacts. However, spells from each realm are only usable when playing in that realm of battle.
I'd argue, that Starpriest is 100% better choice for this list. Reasons are: 1) Starpriest buffs only Jaws attack that are 6's to-wound. Oldblood gives reroll to-wound to all unit's weapons and even small units on saurus; 2) Your main unit armed with spears and will most likely attack in two ranks, so Jaws will not be in range anyway; 3) Single wizard will not save you against strong magic-heavy army, while not critical against 1-2 wizards. You still have Light of Dracothion, if you'll need a critical dispel. However, there is one thing that Starprest provides that Oldblood cannot - it gives you -1 to-hit with his spell. Additional defence will work better here if you want to tarpit enemy while Kharadron deal damage. And if you play with Realm Magic, some spells here end there could be helpful. So the choice is yours here, what do you need more. I completely agree, though, that you need to give Ghyrstrike to Sunblood. This artefact fits perfect for him. Also, look through Malign Sorcery book, if you have the possibility - it has many interesting artefact choices.
I too like the Starpriest. It could potentially even be your general. There might be more value from taking Master of Star Rituals trait for the prayer on your main Saurus Warrior blob than 1 extra command point 33% of the time.
Reroll 1s to wound. The Oldblood has one of our very few abilities that allow rerolling wound rolls. So in fact it does synergize pretty well with the Sunblood. However a Starpriest is also a good choice (Serpent staff, casting spells, and unbinding).
Quick update, we did a few test runs and we are working out our synergies and teamwork. The lists you given me was very effective but can be valuable to a alpha strike force like 4 Morghast. I'll just have to use those skinks as a screening unit to protect against that. We plan to deploy and move the Frigate or Gunhauler with the 40 Saurus Warriors, if any non flying units charge within one inch of the sky-vessels then they have to attack last allowing my 40 Saurus Warriors to pile in and attack. We are working on my friend's list as he has some fat that needs to be trimmed and replace some key units which will hopefully improve his shooting ability. His list looks like this now which we will test this Saturday: City-Port of Barak-Mhornar Aether-Khemist x10 Arkanaut Company x10 Arkanaut Company x10 Grundstok Thunderers all with Rifles Arkanaut Frigate Grundstok Gunhauler Skink Starpriest (General) with Master of Star Rituals, Light of Dracothion Saurus Sunblood with Gyrstrike x40 Saurus Warriors with Spears x10 Saurus Warriors with Clubs x10 Saurus Warriors with Clubs x10 Skinks Salamander Sunclaw Starhost