[Archive] Ideas to improve CD lists for tournaments

zhatan87:

Hi everybody:),

With the 8th Ed, all my armies lack minis to be competitive except CD, my beloved army.

So, the aim of this topic is to share ideas to get a competitive CD army.

Today, I share two tips, one I have since the beginning of the 8th Ed, the second one recently.

Both start with the same entry, a poorly entry : hobgoblin hero.

1) Hobgoblin hero on wolf

I�?Tm very surprised not to see hobgob hero on wolf in every army list on CDO.

It was something that have already lack to CD army, something sufficiently mobile and cheap.

Mine always have 2 of them.

One with enchanted shield, heavy armour,

Second with dragon helm, heavy armour and shield

They perform the same goal as great eagle, or furies : redirecting charge, charge skirmishers or flyers or warmachines or lonely (or unprotected) characters.

2) Hobgoblin hero on foot

I didn�?Tt see the way to play them before last week (the french prequalification for ETC).

I have tried several of them in the same unit with heavy weapon (a way to have 6 ogres) but it didn�?Tt match cause they lack armour, and were free VP…

The new way I want to play them is to protect the two most important character of the army : general and BSB.

Till now, I used to play a level 4 with 4+ ward save and black gemm, and a 1+ save BSB with 2+ ward save against flamming attack in 25-35 CD with great weapon and full command.

But it wasn�?Tt enough against some units, and was a shame to have one of the only unit that can kill something not to go in close combat to protect their characters.

So, the tip is made on two new rules, one very known, and the second completely unknown. I hope that I not talk nonsense, as the tip comes from a great referee.

Characters can be on the second rank with no malus.

Characters have to be on the first rank if they can at the deployement, but DO NOT have to reach the first one later in the game.

With these two points, I thought about two hobgoblins heroes, the cheapest : heavy weapon and heavy armour (the old 4ed model) in a unit of 30 CD with great weapon and full command joined by the general and BSB. That way, general and BSB can go on the second rank. Later during the game, the 2 heroes can go wherever they want, in hobgoblins units for example, and our main characters are safe.

This way, my level 4 can be equipped with the rod that let reroll one miscast, and crown of command (to be sure not to loose the unit), and the BSB with only a 1+ save. The general and BSB only fear a missed look out sir, and some spells (skaven lore and dwellers bellow).

This tip can be used with many armies, but is very usefull for CD which need to keep alive their general and BSB, and have access to cheap hero…

Hope it was interesting.

If you have any idea, do not hesitate to share!:slight_smile:

Da Crusha:

Characters can be on the second rank with no malus.
Characters have to be on the first rank if they can at the deployement, but DO NOT have to reach the first one later in the game.

zhatan87
I have heard of this strategy before on warseer but many people think it is just a loop hole in the rules. and because of that most people would rather pack up there minis and leave if their opponent would try it. since I go to a lot of tournaments and I still haven't encountered anyone using this "rule", I never use it. if one day it became more widely accepted I would definitely use it in my repertoire.

CynicalFun:

  1. I have just begun experimenting with two mounted hobgoblin heroes in my list. One with Potion of Foolhardiness, Enchanted Shield, and Sword of Might, the other with the Black Gem of Gnar. The combat-oriented one does all the things you say, attacking small units, war machines, flanks of cav units, while the other is generally kept near my blocks of units in order to charge in and issue challenges to enemy characters or nullify big monsters for a turn.

    2) I wouldn’t include a hobgoblin hero in my CD units simply because I think its unfluffy and doesn’t look quite right. Anyway, even if I did have hobgoblins fraternizing with dwarfs, I don’t think I would try out your strategy because as Da Crusha said, it really isn’t very sporting. Then again, I play casual games, mainly against strangers so I am pretty weary of using particularly nasty lists or loopholes in rules, if you play in an very competitive environment you might as well go for it though.

zhatan87:

since I go to a lot of tournaments and I still haven't encountered anyone using this "rule", I never use it. if one day it became more widely accepted I would definitely use it in my repertoire.
I thought I have done it, but in fact, no.
I play only in tournaments, and friendly games are done to train for tournaments...
In France, referees use the "rules as written" point, to have the same arbitration all other the country. Sometimes, there is no doubt that it's a mistake, or we play the rule "the way that it should have been thought".
Here, I also think that it's probably a oversight, but we can't be sure, and it's not "unsporting" as every armies can do it. I have seen it done, so I thought it was played that's way all other the world. I remember when "tactica wheel" first appeared. We thought that people cheated, and then it was allowed and played by everyone.
Ok, I forget this point and will reconsider not to use it, waiting for a Question/Answer of the designers.
the other with the Black Gem of Gnar.
If I find points, I will try this build, very interesting with the arrivals of many Tomb Kings armies (and sphynx:))

Any legal tips to improve CD lists for tournaments? (I think especially to magic combinations : shadow+earthshakers, etc...)

Spikes:

Shadow and death are totally useful both to snipe people out of units and to lower the initiative/movement of units down to a level where your dwarfs may sometimes strike first!

Spikes:

Characters can be on the second rank with no malus.
Characters have to be on the first rank if they can at the deployement, but DO NOT have to reach the first one later in the game.

This tip can be used with many armies, but is very usefull for CD which need to keep alive their general and BSB, and have access to cheap hero...

Hope it was interesting.
If you have any idea, do not hesitate to share!:)

zhatan87
I have used this for my ogres. The musician and standard bearer go in front with the general, while the BSB goes in the rear rank (3-wide). The rest of the rank and file fill up the rest of the unit. So usually the enemy either kill R&F or try to hit my To 6 tyrant. Only by properly depleting the unit (which is easy to do if you have STR4 and above) or flanking me can you have access to strike the BSB directly.

CynicalFun:

Shadow and death are totally useful both to snipe people out of units and to lower the initiative/movement of units down to a level where your dwarfs may sometimes strike first!

Spikes
Shadow and Death are great lores, and are best used with level 3 or 4 sorcerer because of their relatively high casting values. In addition to a lord wielding Shadow/Death, I always take one or two low level sorcerers with fire/metal, always with the signature spells. Fireball only needs a 5+, so a level 2 can pretty reliably cast it against light cav or flyers, which is what it is best at taking out. The metal sorcerer casts the upgraded version of searing doom, rolling as many power dice as possible in hopes of irresistible force, sacrificing himself in order to decimate units of heavy cav. This tactic has wiped more units of knights off the table than I care to count, as is a pretty good investment of 65 points.