Which Faction has the best Battleline?

[CentralKarma]

2 hours ago, Verminlord said:

Really should be best battleline at X job bc there is so much variance

Agreed, plus it seems most units in the game can be battleline now depending on general/ battalions/ etc.

Pink horrors and hearth guard berzerkers are both incredible units.  20 berzerkers for 400 points is very reasonable. Scourge runner chariots are still great, even with there points hike.

Personally my favourite battleline unit are the dire wolves though.  very fast, good base size for screening, 2 wounds a piece makes them decently durable, and solid synergy with the army.  If they die, just resummon them

[LordCelestant Imperius 1st]

What about dryads ? 30 of them is just really a hard block. Always near a wood for the -1 to hit and the ability to get  +1 to hit. Not cheap, not overcosted. Not a killing machine. Just does what a battleline should do. Hold the fu......g line.

Thoughts ?

[Maier666]

I say Chaos Marauders. Would live to play more Warriors, Chosen or Knights but they are so damn good

[NauticalSoup]

47 minutes ago, Maier666 said:

I say Chaos Marauders. Would live to play more Warriors, Chosen or Knights but they are so damn good

Actually now that I think about it I almost like Marauders more than HGB. Even with the points nerf I'm pretty sure Marauders have to be one of the most underpriced units in the game, and have a bizarrely powerful warscroll for supposedly being the chaff option.

[Vasshpit]

Gore Gruntas are pretty legit. 

[Kramer]

1 hour ago, NauticalSoup said:

Actually now that I think about it I almost like Marauders more than HGB. Even with the points nerf I'm pretty sure Marauders have to be one of the most underpriced units in the game, and have a bizarrely powerful warscroll for supposedly being the chaff option.

Yeah for me that doesn’t get the vote because of the mismatch between rules and fluff. 
that rules writer must have been watching a Usain Bolt highlight reel during the design of that warscroll. 

crazy reliable though. A good contender. Also battleline in all 5 chaos flavours. 

[Beer & Pretzels Gamer]

5 hours ago, Sleepa said:

Blightkings are pretty efficient battleline for their reduced cost in GHB 2020. Not as good at holding objectives, but they can weather some MW and retain high combat effectiveness.

Having had the “fun” of regularly going up against PBKs (with Rend from Blight Cyst and the Harbringer’s CA aftersave) and their exploding 6s I concur that they have to be in contention.  Plus I find they provide a very versatile foundation as I’ve seen them stacked with lots of other options from the 3x GUO Thricefold Befoulment to units with Pusgoyles or Plague Drones and even comboing with another Nurgle Battleline, plaguebearers, for a nice Hammer & Anvil style.  This also means they are rarely, if ever, inconvenienced by the battleplan.

[Maddpainting]

Ha just thad a cross to my mind. 

Bestigors are the best! Not b.c they have Best in their name and they are the Best Gors. But b.c they are single handling caring the BoC book.

[Jaskier]

1 hour ago, Maddpainting said:

Ha just thad a cross to my mind. 

Bestigors are the best! Not b.c they have Best in their name and they are the Best Gors. But b.c they are single handling caring the BoC book.

They're very popular in Slaanesh builds too (though they aren't Battleline there unfortunately) such a great unit and one I'm sorely tempted to run. On that note, Ungors are the best Slaanesh battleline 

[Kramer]

1 hour ago, Maddpainting said:

Ha just thad a cross to my mind. 

Bestigors are the best! Not b.c they have Best in their name and they are the Best Gors. But b.c they are single handling caring the BoC book.

I find the first argument stronger than the second 😂

[readercolin]

I have a two answers to this question.  The first is to answer the question in the thread title - which FACTION has the best battleline.  Here, I would choose Cities of Sigmar, not because any one of their units stands out as the best, but because they have so many options for battleline.  This means that you can find a unit that does what you want your army to do, and make it battleline.  Want a brick wall?  Phoenix Guard battleline.  Want shooting?  Sisters of the Watch or Irondrakes can be battleline.  Want mobility/screening?  Scourgerunner Chariots can be battleline, as can dark riders, pistoliers, and outriders.  Yes, many of these require a leader tax to be battleline, but usually that leader is something you want to bring anyways because it is going to buff your units.

If you are looking at one unit that is the best at trying to be everything, I would say probably Chaos Marauders.  They work as a screen, because you get 20 bodies on 25mm bases to take up board space.  They work as a hammer, with guaranteed 8" charges and then being able to put a 3+/4+/-1/1 damage profile down.  They work as an Anvil, because you are paying 8 points per wound.  And most importantly, they are battleline for Slaves to Darkness, Tzeentch, Khorne, Slannesh, and Nurgle, meaning that if you get 3 units of these guys you can literally play whatever book you want.  This makes them a flexible unit that you aren't going to be upset about putting into your army, no matter which army you bring.  

[Popisdead]

On 7/27/2020 at 6:45 AM, Neverchosen said:

What criteria are we using to determine this question?

If we are trying to determine which faction has the best battleline: I would argue Cities of Sigmar, as it has the most battleline units which are capable of fulfilling a diverse set of roles. 

I thought initially too, cause,.. it sort of sounds like initially the OP was asking the faction then in the post sounded like invariable the best unit that is BL.  CoS has some good longevity for BL cause, so much can be BL.  I'm guessing loosely best BL on it's own the zombie dragon thing of FEC is probably up there.

[Deadkitten]

Boy this blew up!

I had Faction in mind when I posted.  I think part of being a battleline unit is that it is a piece of a greater whole.  So many units look blah on paper but then get enough support to come up to something decent.  We play Factions, not hodge podges of individual units.  Having said that, looking at individual units is fine too.  I'm considering a new army for the season and I always start with the Battleline.  If they don't appeal both playing and painting, then I take a pass.

 

[Skreech Verminking]

Deciding which Battleline is the best is a pretty hard task.

I think we would have to categorize them into different kind of classes.

For example into hard hitters, cheap meatshields, unbelievable though, extremely fast, and  what ever I’m missing.

For hard hitters,

I kinda consider witch Elves as one of the best units, considering that they are pretty cheap, though er than most Units in this category (mostly counting their special allegiance with the 5++ save), and can deal a immense amount of damage, while most of their abilities work on units that are within instead of wholy within.

with mind razor, there won’t be much standing afterwards.

For cheap meatshields,

Stabbas/shootas, clanrats, gobbos from the ogor mawtribe faction, can be considered as the best units in this category.

although stabbas seem to be taking the top spot, since they can be pretty greatly buffed, have the magic number of 60grots, a number which many armies seem to struggle against in combat, can be easily buffed to debuff enemy units in combat with them, have netters, Are pretty efficient at surviving shooting attacks, thanks to their banner, and can kill if necessary certain heroes, thanks to their stab them good loonboss command ability.

For unbelievable though,

there are 2Units I consider the top contestants.

-bonereaper infantery unit.

they are extremely though to kill, do a good amount of damage with their rend 1 attacks, and thanks to their CB they can basically reroll their save in combat.

They may have gotten a small (or huge) nerv, but can still be considered a extremely good choice.

-with a very generous points reduction for the blightkings, they probably have taken the top spot in this category.

for 580points you get a unit that has 80wounds with a 4+ save, can get a 5++ feel no pain through a pretty cheap hero, and can seal a significant amount of damage with their exploding 6.

They also have the option to be taken in many different battailons, which one of them even gives them a incredible -1 rend, that makes them even better at killing.

They may not out kill which elves but through their incredible amount of wounds per units, there won’t be much need to do so.

Extremely fast:

-I would personally consider, Grundstok Gunhaulers as one of the best units in this category.

although being a if battleline unit, they can be incredible.

with speed and shenanigans, they can basically be in front of the enemy army, and their shooting, can, if your lucky even snipe small support heroes of the table turn one.

although they are pretty lucky, because if the Skaven Doomwheel was a Battleline option (could be a new Idea for the mext skaven battletome, and since we’re already at it why not add a Doomwheel riding Walrock engineer just for fun) they would have immediately lost that spot.

 

s: this are just my thoughts, So I could wrong entirely, since I don’t know every single Battleline unit with their  allegiance ability in the game 

[Mcthew]

On 7/28/2020 at 12:01 PM, Nizrah said:

i dont know the best but i know the worst. Its SCE liberators xD. They are pricy, 90* now, hit like wet nuddle and die from a breeze of wind. Also they cant cap obj cuz there are only 5 of them... 

Which kinda demonstrates why this question is problematic. In a SCE or CoS army Liberators are rubbish battleline, granted, barely benefitting from any buffs. Stick 'em in a Lethisian Defenders army tho, they move 6", hit on 3s against a charging unit, and with a CP they get a 3+ save and become a pain in the butt to dislodge off objectives in units of 10. 🤔

Edited July 29, 2020 by Mcthew

[El Syf]

Nighthaunt?! Unrendable, access to mortal wounds and they can fly. Spirit Hosts have always shone for me when I've used Nighthaunt; more natural sixes then there is the any right to turn up!

[erasercrumbs]

Plague Monks are pretty darn good for the points.

[stratigo]

The new lumineth wardens can cast spell on themselves that has a full unit do an average of 20 mortal wounds with 3 inch spears. That's actually really strong.

 

The bowmen can do this from 30 inches away out of LoS.

 

The lumineth list is super limited at the moment, but, like, these two units are looking quite solid. In grind fights I think that mortal wound output are going to take them over any grindy unit like morteks. But they are still vulnerable to a big hammer unit.

[Skreech Verminking]

20 hours ago, erasercrumbs said:

Plague Monks are pretty darn good for the points.

They are an incredible pick.

In a Pestilence only army they can be considered the best battleline unit (and only good horde unit) in that army.

In a Skaventide mixed Army they are basically one of the best damage dealing non battleline unit, since they are a only full out pestilence army Battleline

[a74xhx]

Is there a faction which hasn't been suggested?

[stratigo]

On 7/31/2020 at 5:30 PM, a74xhx said:

Is there a faction which hasn't been suggested?

KO.

 

There's a lot of conditional battleline out there though, so it's not hard to find super good battleline units, since battleline units are quite common.

[The World Tree]

20 hours ago, stratigo said:

KO.

 

There's a lot of conditional battleline out there though, so it's not hard to find super good battleline units, since battleline units are quite common.

KO were mentioned and there is definitely an argument to be made for Gunhaulers. Though I'm not sure they'd be my pick.

For me it has to be Morrsarr Guard. The insane speed and damage capability mean that their small numbers don't matter. 

[stratigo]

Gunhaulers are just okay, especially in the context of a list where they are battleline. If you're relying on Gunhaulers to be your battleline, you're probly gonna lose because you can't hold objectives.

 

 

[GutZilla]

Mournfang are pretty damn good, hit like trucks on the charge and are beefy boys all around. 

[Frowny]

There are some factions that just don't have it on offer. Sylvaneth are pretty lacking. Dryads are far too average and don't really do anything well. Ogors have lots of choices but again none really carries them above and beyond. Nighthaunt again with several ok choices. Not every race is strong here. 

My thoughts-

witch elves carry their faction. Blight kings define theirs. However most of all I think Marauders as mentioned are incredible.