Deathrattle List Advise

[Skorp]

Hi All,

New to the death grand alliance and wanted to get some advise on how to expand and build my army before I start gluing and priming things. Below I'll list the models i have/want, the 1000 point list I'm aiming to focus on first, and a high level list I'm aiming for at 2000 points. Looking for feedback on the following:

1. How do the 3 Montarch's compare, which should I build? Is it worth having more than one of them? I'm leaning toward Arkhan as that is what people seem to recommend. Should I be considering a different one for my list direction?

2. Right now I'm picking units based on what I feel I'd enjoy modeling and painting. I like to have variety as opposed to one million skeletons. I'm not so keen on the flesheater courts direction. But should I be looking at them more than I am ?

Owned:

Blade of the Blood Queen 
- 1 Montarch
- 1 Wight King (want to build with skeletal steed and standard)
- 2 Morghast (leaning toward harbingers for the summoned charge)
- 10 grave guard
- 20 skeletons

Also picked up:
- Another box of 10 skeletons
- Necromancer
- Vampire Lord with Wings (love this model)

Shadespire:
- Sepulcheral guard

Planning to get:

- More skeletons (aiming for 50 total at the moment, block of 40 with spears, unit of 10 with the other weapon option)
- Spirit Hosts (love these models and really want some)
- Black Knights (have read it is good to have a block of 10 or so)

Thinking about the skeleton hoard SC, the malignants SC, or the nighthaunt tormented spirits box. Maybe a couple of these. 

 

1000 Point List Goal

- One Montarch (Arkhan cheapest)
- Necromancer
- 40 skeletons
- 10 skeletons
- 2 Morghast harbingers

Feel like the wight king or vampire lord command ability would be good to fit in here, maybe the montarch is too much for 1000 points? Drop arkhan, add vampire lord/wight king and grave guard?

2000 Point List Goal

- One Montarch (arkhan cheapest)
- Necromancer
- Vampire Lord with Wings

- 10 Grave guard
- 40 skeletons
- 10 skeletons
- 10 black knights
- 6 spirit hosts

- 2 Morghast harbingers
- Mortis Engine

 

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!
 

 

 

[Gotrek]

For your 2k list youll need another generic battleline unit since youll be over your allies allowance. Other than that, its too different from the lists i run to really offer insight ?

[Somanlius]

My friend has a death army with very similar units to what you have. The 40 skellies with spears can be pretty powerful with the Necromancer's spell and the Vampire Lord's command ability. They can dish out damage, wont go down easily, and regenerate every hero phase.  2 morghast summoned in turn 2 rolling 3 dice on the charge is great for supporting units or smashing an unsupported flank, especially if you manage to get the Vampire Lord's command ability on them and a mystic shield.  For 1000 points Arkhan is a bit expensive and his spell can be a bit hit or miss. I've lost whole units of 20 to it before but also lost only 1 mortal wound (or none!) other times. I would also consider Hexwraiths. 4+ saves, ignoring rend, good movement, and the ability to cause mortal wounds makes them pretty versitile. For 1000 pts I might reccomend :

Vampire Lord - Ruler of the Night, Sword of Unholy Power (for auto summon morghast)

Wight King with a Standard

40 Skeletons

10 Skeletons

2 Morghast Harbingers

5 Hexwraiths

Makes for an even 1000 with lots of shrugs on the skeletons, fast moving units with vampire, morghast, and hexwraiths, a huge tarpit with the skellies, and an objective holder.

As for the mortarchs, Neferata can be deadly when combined with some Blood Knights or a large unit of Morghasts, and Manfred is pretty deadly in combat, but I think Arkhan is the best for the point value.  There are quite a few Nighthaunt and Soulblight units that kick serious butt too. 

If you feel interested at all Nagash is a real monster. His command ability is amazing, he can cast better than anyone else in the game (providing you bring enough heroes to let him cast multiple spells) and is pretty invincible in combat against most units. My friend brings him fairly often and Ive only been able to kill him twice, once with 2 stonehorns, a megaboss on maw crusha, and a megaboss on foot, and the second with really lucky rolls on a Hammerstrike Force. Add Neferata to a Nagash list and laugh as he has 2+ saves, rerolling 1s, ignoring rend, deathless minions on 6s, and ignoring mortal wounds on 4+ 

[Skorp]

Thank you both for the feedback. I'm starting to lean toward Hex Wraiths now instead of Black Knights, but also wondering if I should try and convert them to blood knights. 

For 2000 points:
(pretty sure I want these units, but could be discussed)

Neferata
Necromancer
Vampire Lord with Wings

2 Morghast Harbingers
10 Skeletons with Sword/Shield
10 Skeletons with Sword/Shield
40 Skeletons with Spear/Shield
10 Grave Guard 
6 Spirit Hosts

Total: 1790 points. 

Leftover: 210

I will have 10 black knights or hex wraiths to build. Was planning for the vampire lord with wings to accompany the cavalry. I'd like my models to go in the soul blight direction so blood knights seem like a good idea. If a full deathrattle list was viable I'd go with black knights. Hex wraiths seem the best for battalion options. 

Also unsure between coven throne and mortis engine. They both seem kind of meh to me at the moment. Mortis I understand can be good with Arkhan, but I'm favoring neferata and her -1 to hit bubble. Coven throne seems meh too, but would go with the soul blight theme more.

I will probably magnetize Arkhan/Neferata and Mortis/Coven throne. But need to figure out how to build my 10 mounted units. 

Would also consider the SC flesh eater courts box if I can pawn the ghouls off on a friend and make a vampire lord of zombie dragon and Vargheists. But this will probably be down the line after I've finished the purchases I've made thus far. 

[Skorp]

Not sure how to edit the post again, apologies for the double post,  but forgot to add the following: 

Should have 2 bat swarms in the list also for 80 points. I like the stacking with neferata's -1 to hit. Don't have these yet though and could remove them from the list to fit something. 

Realized blood knights are a lot more expensive than hex wraiths (160 vs 260) so I'm leaning toward hex wraiths as they will actually fit in the list. Without the bat swarms 5 blood knights would fit. Total is 1950 with 10 hex wraiths added and 10 grave guard removed. 

For blood knights removal of the grave guard and bat swarms isn't enough to keep it under 2000. 

Probably leaning toward a final list like:

For 2000 points:
Neferata
Necromancer
Vampire Lord with Wings

2 Morghast Harbingers
10 Skeletons with Sword/Shield
10 Skeletons with Sword/Shield
40 Skeletons with Spear/Shield
10 Hex Wraiths
2 Bat Swarms
6 Spirit Hosts

Total: 1950 points. 

[Somanlius]

Nice I like that list. The hex wraiths and spirit hosts are great for engaging enemies with high rend to negate that advantage, Neferata is awesome, her spell and the necromancer's spell on 40 skellies could really buff them up, or her spell on the morghasts + a mystic shield could be devistating.  I also like the idea of utilizing the two -1 to hit bubbles from Neferata and the Bat swarms, that could really ruin somone's day.  Plus, at 1950, you are almost always going to get a Triumph for having less points and those rerolls can really swing a game, especially when heavy hitters are attacking.

It's too bad about the Blood Knights, expensive and powerful units but hard to find legit models so everyone ends up converting from Dragon Blades or Chaos Knights or Black Knights.  You might not be missing out so much on them, I had a 1500 pt game yesterday where my friend brought 5 Blood Knights and they really underpreformed. Couldnt kill a unit of 5 Brutes on a turn where they had mystic shield and a vampire lord's command ability on them and ended up getting smashed by my megaboss on maw chrusha. The -2 rend on his fist attack shreded through their armor and I cant help wondering if hex wraiths with a mystic shield would have easily survived where the blood knights didnt.

[smucreo]

Cool list, you could always go for direwolves to complete the battleline requirements and that would give you either an extra 20 or an extra 40 points (depending on whether or not you replace one or two units of 10 skeletons), putting you at 1930 and 1910 respectively, which would allow you to either make one of the wolves units have 10 models or to have the possibility of summoning 10 skeletons or direwolves during the game. One thing, remember that Nef ability works well with highly armored units that wouldn't appreciate rend otherwise, so try to cast it on them and not on the skeletons to get better value out of it.

[Skorp]

Glad you like it Somanlius, really excited about getting this army together and trying it out. Just half a gillion more skeletons to finish. 

Thanks for the suggestion about dire wolves smucreo, not sure I really like the models GW offers for them. Fenrisian wolves seem like they'd be a great substitute though. I would love to be able to fit in a wight king also, will have to consider how that could be done. 

[Skorp]

To fit a wight king you'd have to drop the 40 skeletons to 30 and sub wolves for skeletons for battleline. 

 

Neferata
Vampire Lord
Wight King
Necromancer

30 Skeletons with Spears/Shields
5 Dire Wolves
5 Dire Wolves

2 Morghast Harbingers
10 Hex Wraiths
6 Spirit Hosts
2 Bat Swarms

Total: 1990

 

Alternate:

Instead of Wight King can keep the 40 skeletons and add Sepulcheral Guard or 5 Grave Guard for 80.

[smucreo]

Right now grave guard aren't that good honestly, and since skeletons get the buff to their attacks when over 30 running them at 30 means losing a single one will decrease your damage output by a third on a whole. It's still better than 20 but whenever you can you should try running them either as 10 or 40. The wight king also I feel can be a bit situational, but I'd get rid of the Hexwraiths before getting rid of him so really do what you feel is cooler for you!