Post by twity on Jan 1, 2018 17:41:51 GMT
Hey, I have been diverging from Everblight recently and playing with my old druids due to my love of CotW. I would like to get your guys input on a list I am going to pair with a bones list (with either eKreuger or pBaldur). I have tested this twice and both times it has worked well but has been a little tricky to pilot optimally (though it still has won both times even with suboptimal play).
I think that the latest buff to spiny growth really opens up a niche for a bit of a generalist pKromac CotW list, and really tips it over the edge.
So first, the first draft of the list:
[Theme] Call of the Wild
(Kromac 1) Kromac the Ravenous [+26]
- Feral Warpwolf [18]
- Ghetorix [21]
- Pureblood Warpwolf [17]
- Warpwolf Stalker [19]
- Warpwolf Stalker [19]
- Druid Wilder [0(4)]
Blackclad Wayfarer [0(4)]
Gallows Grove [2]
Shifting Stones [0(3)]
- Stone Keeper [2]
Shifting Stones [3]
First up, Ghetorix and the two free Stalkers get to cast their always useful animi for free. This means Ghetorix can always sit at armor 21 with spiny, and a 14/21 is an interesting problem that really CotW with Kromac can present. The Stalkers with the free sprint have their power amped by warpath and wild aggression. You can either blender a group of infantry with berserk and the warpath into the next clump or give yourself a free 9-inch retreat to avoid retaliation. Throw in a wild aggression if you need to blender high defense infantry.
The Feral and Pureblood are fulfilling their normal role here, but an extra three inches of threat makes them very scary, and given they are in this list to provide animi to others the reduced cost is always going to pay off. They synergize fantastic with CotW and gain a few benefits from Kromac.
The rest of the crowd is doing their normal roles. The wilder is mandatory given Kromacs love of upkeeps, and her shepherding ability is handy with the wolf loadout. The wayfarer provides hunters mark but is also handy for triggering warpath. The Gallows grove is there to allow Kromac to shuffle upkeeps, as he really likes to give wild aggression for the charge and inviable resolve for the retaliation to said punch. It is two points you invest to make your Ghetorix as scary as possible. The Stones are tricky to use, but gold when you want to put an emphasis on sprint. I usually play with the aggressively, and if my opponent ignores them (or lacks a way to kill them) there is little to no retaliation from my first alpha. The stone keeper gives you an easy way to trigger warpath too, given his extreme mobility. I have considered a second over the Gallows Grove.
General Play
So obviously this list can crack armor with primal wolves, but it might have issues trading with a pure armor spam. Against a pure Khador armor spam I might be tempted to drop the more control oriented Bones list. Into a more balanced list Ghetorix usually cracks armor and then sits in the enemy's face at high armor. Knockdown is a problem here, but if they invest a power attack into it they are going to need too much to kill him. Position a wolf or two to make them pay for killing your beloved Ghetorix.
This list can mulch infantry if they are not playing a list that denies kills, in which case it only murders infantry. Stalkers with Berserk and Warpath into more beserks are insane, and Ghetorix with Overtake/Warpath (and snacking if you need it) destroys valuable models holding the front line. Apply Wild Aggression/Wraithbane as needed to handle defense/armor/incorporeal. I think it is worth using the Wilder in dangerious locations if it means optimizing this killing spree deep into enemy lines.
Kromac likes to sit in an aggressive but defendable position. In general he will die (if not in angry mode) to a dedicated attack, and he has nothing he really wants to transfer damage too anyway. I play him so that if the enemy advances positions their caster within 13 inches of kromac I will murder them, but kromac is usually not making them retreat. This is handy for keeping people out of zones, or controlling a house in the center of the board. Ring around the rosey goes away when Kromac can jump over the house. I don't usually use bestial to prevent the enemy from casting, instead making it so assassinations with spells on kromac are off the table and units with magic utility suffer a bit. Also if there is a caster who relies on channeling (see eHaley, pDenny, pGaspy, eVayl) their life becomes a living hell. You can make entire sections of the army nearly useless.
I think the most difficult part of the list to play is the shifting stones, with triggering early warpaths being second. I think it fits very well into the current meta, and is not something people are used to seeing from circle (ie it's not bones/una2) which is worth it's weight in gold. Honestly I would put the "not the usually bag of tricks" as the strongest part of the list. If your opponent is on the clock and needs to figure out what exactly you can do.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Go back to Legion you filthy traitor?
I think that the latest buff to spiny growth really opens up a niche for a bit of a generalist pKromac CotW list, and really tips it over the edge.
So first, the first draft of the list:
[Theme] Call of the Wild
(Kromac 1) Kromac the Ravenous [+26]
- Feral Warpwolf [18]
- Ghetorix [21]
- Pureblood Warpwolf [17]
- Warpwolf Stalker [19]
- Warpwolf Stalker [19]
- Druid Wilder [0(4)]
Blackclad Wayfarer [0(4)]
Gallows Grove [2]
Shifting Stones [0(3)]
- Stone Keeper [2]
Shifting Stones [3]
First up, Ghetorix and the two free Stalkers get to cast their always useful animi for free. This means Ghetorix can always sit at armor 21 with spiny, and a 14/21 is an interesting problem that really CotW with Kromac can present. The Stalkers with the free sprint have their power amped by warpath and wild aggression. You can either blender a group of infantry with berserk and the warpath into the next clump or give yourself a free 9-inch retreat to avoid retaliation. Throw in a wild aggression if you need to blender high defense infantry.
The Feral and Pureblood are fulfilling their normal role here, but an extra three inches of threat makes them very scary, and given they are in this list to provide animi to others the reduced cost is always going to pay off. They synergize fantastic with CotW and gain a few benefits from Kromac.
The rest of the crowd is doing their normal roles. The wilder is mandatory given Kromacs love of upkeeps, and her shepherding ability is handy with the wolf loadout. The wayfarer provides hunters mark but is also handy for triggering warpath. The Gallows grove is there to allow Kromac to shuffle upkeeps, as he really likes to give wild aggression for the charge and inviable resolve for the retaliation to said punch. It is two points you invest to make your Ghetorix as scary as possible. The Stones are tricky to use, but gold when you want to put an emphasis on sprint. I usually play with the aggressively, and if my opponent ignores them (or lacks a way to kill them) there is little to no retaliation from my first alpha. The stone keeper gives you an easy way to trigger warpath too, given his extreme mobility. I have considered a second over the Gallows Grove.
General Play
So obviously this list can crack armor with primal wolves, but it might have issues trading with a pure armor spam. Against a pure Khador armor spam I might be tempted to drop the more control oriented Bones list. Into a more balanced list Ghetorix usually cracks armor and then sits in the enemy's face at high armor. Knockdown is a problem here, but if they invest a power attack into it they are going to need too much to kill him. Position a wolf or two to make them pay for killing your beloved Ghetorix.
This list can mulch infantry if they are not playing a list that denies kills, in which case it only murders infantry. Stalkers with Berserk and Warpath into more beserks are insane, and Ghetorix with Overtake/Warpath (and snacking if you need it) destroys valuable models holding the front line. Apply Wild Aggression/Wraithbane as needed to handle defense/armor/incorporeal. I think it is worth using the Wilder in dangerious locations if it means optimizing this killing spree deep into enemy lines.
Kromac likes to sit in an aggressive but defendable position. In general he will die (if not in angry mode) to a dedicated attack, and he has nothing he really wants to transfer damage too anyway. I play him so that if the enemy advances positions their caster within 13 inches of kromac I will murder them, but kromac is usually not making them retreat. This is handy for keeping people out of zones, or controlling a house in the center of the board. Ring around the rosey goes away when Kromac can jump over the house. I don't usually use bestial to prevent the enemy from casting, instead making it so assassinations with spells on kromac are off the table and units with magic utility suffer a bit. Also if there is a caster who relies on channeling (see eHaley, pDenny, pGaspy, eVayl) their life becomes a living hell. You can make entire sections of the army nearly useless.
I think the most difficult part of the list to play is the shifting stones, with triggering early warpaths being second. I think it fits very well into the current meta, and is not something people are used to seeing from circle (ie it's not bones/una2) which is worth it's weight in gold. Honestly I would put the "not the usually bag of tricks" as the strongest part of the list. If your opponent is on the clock and needs to figure out what exactly you can do.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Go back to Legion you filthy traitor?
