Scions of the Storm advice

[Agent of Chaos]

Having played a few games now I find myself agreeing with those  who don't rate Scions of the Storm.  I appreciate that most stormcast units are slow moving and so the ability to drop anywhere (outside 9") is enticing. However the ability is far too unpredictable in terms of what unit is coming down when. Often times you need a specific hero near a certain unit for a crucial buff however you can't rely on Scions to produce that. What other allegiance ability is unreliable in how its used and punishes you severely for low rolling?

Rather than a benefit I find it hampers me tactically and I would love to hear of ways that people are making it work for them.

For the above reasons I usually only set up prosecutors in the clouds because;

• their shooting attack is unlikely to be in range first turn so I'm not missing out;
• they are the only SC unit likely to make the 9" charge;
• I am unlikely to cry if they get stuck in the clouds and refuse to come down; and
• if the drop ends up leaving them isolated they have the movement to get back into position.

Unfortunately as I'm only running 1 or 2 units of 3 x Prosecutors their appearance via the storm is usually little more than a minor nuisance for my opponent.

I have toyed with Retributors starting in the clouds a few times as a way of getting them into the thick of the action however they rarely make the charge after dropping and if I don't get the double turn my opponent is left to shoot them to pieces, charge them first or simply avoid them, knowing the Retributor's movement is too slow to get back into the action. Then there are games where they don't come down until turn 4 or 5 and virtually have no impact on the game which is a tragedy for 220 points.

I tried another game where I put 6 units into the clouds and then watched as only one unit arrived each turn (with one refusing to come down at all) leaving me short on the ground throughout the game. To lose a unit through it refusing to come down is heartbreaking.

Given that we have access to the Lightning Chariot prayer, which comes without the risk of a unit becoming trapped in the clouds, or the guaranteed behind the lines deployment ability of Vanguard Hunters, is there really a reason to utilise Scions of the Storm at all? If you can live without Lightning Chariot, are we better off just running the Grand Alliance Order abilities? 

What is the thought process behind those who rate Scions and what principals do you apply when putting it into practice? Are there specific units you always set up in the clouds or is it dependent on the scenario/opponent?

[Marc Wilson]

'Are we better off just running the Grand Alliance Order abilities?' - No, I would say certainly not, otherwise you lose traits like Staunch Defender, and items like Mirror Shield and Lantern of the Tempest. What are Liberators doing turn 1? If they're not securing a home objective or providing a screen they're not taking any part in the game. You may well be better off starting them in the sky and having the option of bringing them down on a neutral objective or threatening an enemy objective. In the latter case they don't have to have much of a chance of taking it - but rather cause your opponent to have to deal with them.

As a general rule of thumb units without a function in the hero phase,  and thsoe without an early game function make great candidates. Usually this means small units of liberators and prosecutors. I always start at least one unit in the sky not least to make my opponent have to think about it, and possibly throw them off a but.

[Carnelian]

Dropping down a 5 man liberator unit is what it is all about 

[rokapoke]

1 hour ago, Carnelian said:

Dropping down a 5 man liberator unit is what it is all about 

I've been misled by the Hokey Pokey song for decades!

[Requizen]

2 hours ago, Carnelian said:

Dropping down a 5 man liberator unit is what it is all about 

Agreed. Only things worth dropping are cheap things - Liberators for sure, occasionally I'll drop Crossbow Judis/Raptors, but never more than one unit. 

 

However, while it is risky, you can use it to protect important units from alpha strikes. For instance, if your opponent has lots of Eindrinriggers on the board and you have something you'd rather not have charged, keeping it off the board is a calculated risk to prevent them from that turn 1 charge, if you don't have bubblewrap available.

[Agent of Chaos]

Thanks all!

So the consensus is that the Stormcast artifacts and abilities are worth keeping, even if you don't get much out of Scions. 

I see the point about Liberators not doing much early anyway so agree they are another good candidate for setting up in the sky.

The impact of the threat on the opponent isn't something I hadn't given much weight to however I can see how this could be used to toy with them.

Defence against enemy alpha strikes is another good point.

I'll keep the above in mind for the next few games and see if my opinion is swayed :-)

[Kako]

Hello, I've been asked by a friend who was playing SCE yesterday how does the Scions of the Storm deployment works, if it's "one by one" or you declare all units that will be off the table at once. Wasn't sure what to say since I've never used SotS, so I'm looking for help. Thanks!

[Freejack02]

5 hours ago, Kako said:

Hello, I've been asked by a friend who was playing SCE yesterday how does the Scions of the Storm deployment works, if it's "one by one" or you declare all units that will be off the table at once. Wasn't sure what to say since I've never used SotS, so I'm looking for help. Thanks!

You still deploy one at a time, unless you are choosing to deploy an entire battalion at once. Scions does nothing to change the normal process.

[chord]

It's a disappointing ability. It's like GW just hears the ppl complaining about Stormcast and over reacted. 

I've used it with the hammerstrike before to decent effect

[newsun]

Meh, it's unfortunate they didn't go the route 40k had or has. 4, 3, 2, auto or just drop when you want.

[Somanlius]

Ive had some pretty good success with Scions of the Storm and Hammerstrike Force battalion. Dropping the prosecutors 9" away from a high target enemy, then retributors 3" away from the target and protectors directly behind, nearly guarenteeing a charge. Ive wiped out quite a few thundertusks and deathlords with this tactic, the only issue is missing out on lord celestants +1 to hit on the retributors, or missing scion and having a celestant stranded after a lightning chariot.