Drakecast - The Thread

[RileyArlic]

Definitely an interesting read. I really want to play an all-dragon or dragon-ish list and have been considering a number of things. Here's what I've been considering so far:

Krondys
Knight-Draconis
Knight-Azyros
Stormdrake Guard (swords)
Stormdrake Guard (swords)
Fulminators
Desolators

This comes really close to 2000 points if I have my math right. Krondys does Krondys things, the Knight-Azyros gets the Mirrorshield so he can't be gunned down outside of 9", and subsequently has an important role to play. He can fly, he can move pretty quick, and he can point at a unit and give your other units +1 to hit it. Going from 3+ to hit to 2+ to hit on a beefy unit that you want to kill will really help with all of the extra attacks you get, for your Fulminators, for your mounts attacks, and a bunch of other things.

Of course, you have to take Hammers of Sigmar to make this list legal, but a 6+++ FNP isn't too bad, considering so many of your models have so many wounds. I mean, heck, this is 11 models with 94 wounds? All with a 3+ save and none moving slower than 10"? That seems pretty spicy to me. Also consider that all the Stormdrake, including Krondys and the Knight-Draconis, do mortal wounds on 5's according to their wounds within 1" when they are slain. That means you're either forcing your opponent to not get as many attacks in, or you're doing an extra 2-3 mortal wounds every time a Stormdrake Guard model goes down.

In terms of other support units, I don't think we should count out Dracolines. They fit the 'dragon-ish' theme and, as stated before, can do some pretty decent damage. From there, it's really a matter of figuring out what support heroes or characters might be able to keep up or give you really important bonuses to help your damage output. Looking through the battletome...

Lorc-Arcanum on Dracoline has the ability to keep an expensive model alive on 1 wound. As far as I can tell, there's not a lot of limit to this ability, only that it's gotta be within 18" of that model when they are slain. The Lord Arcanum on Gryph-Charger has this ability as well, and also has a healing spell that can help keep your very few units alive, as well as a redeploy mechanic, letting you put it exactly where you want it to give the most support. It's not a dragon, but with its redeploy mechanic it can be anywhere you want.

The Knight-Heraldor lost it's very handy ability to help other units re-roll charges, but now it can do mortal wounds to enemies that get too close to terrain features. If a unit of snipers tries to hide in some terrain, blast them with Thunderblast every turn. Still might not be worth it...

And of course there's the Celestar Ballista. Considering your other units will likely be able to hem the enemy in where you want them, or at least limit their movement with your sheer speed, you'll likely be able to get quite a few shots off uncontested with this nifty little weapon. It may not be dragony, but I feel like it'd still be a good support unit in a dragon army.

[Kaleydoscope]

17 hours ago, RileyArlic said:

Also consider that all the Stormdrake, including Krondys and the Knight-Draconis, do mortal wounds on 5's according to their wounds within 1" when they are slain. That means you're either forcing your opponent to not get as many attacks in, or you're doing an extra 2-3 mortal wounds every time a Stormdrake Guard model goes down.

Sadly, it is only one more dice thrown for thunderstrike units (so 4 dice instead of 3 when a 3-wound model dies) instead of getting MWs on 5+ instead of 6+. Other than that, your list looks fun but could have problems on scoring objectives (few bodies) and punch (Stormdrakes can turn out to be more of flying tanks than hammers).

Edit: Ofc, you could use the holy command final thunderstrike (?) once, to get MWs on 5+. Still, I would not like that personally because it implies that I want many of my models to die that turn..

Edited October 4, 2021 by Kaleydoscope
I got holy commanded to edit this

[RileyArlic]

1 hour ago, Kaleydoscope said:

Sadly, it is only one more dice thrown for thunderstrike units (so 4 dice instead of 3 when a 3-wound model dies) instead of getting MWs on 5+ instead of 6+. Other than that, your list looks fun but could have problems on scoring objectives (few bodies) and punch (Stormdrakes can turn out to be more of flying tanks than hammers).

Edit: Ofc, you could use the holy command final thunderstrike (?) once, to get MWs on 5+. Still, I would not like that personally because it implies that I want many of my models to die that turn..

Ahhhh, I see, that makes more sense now. I was misreading that rule.

I think some of the better lists are going to have less dragons and more basic cheap battleline, like Judicators, to help keep backfield objectives secure while the dragons and dracoths run up and do what they do. Krondys is one of those big units that requires a lot of knowledge to get the most out of, but his ability to throw out buff/debuff spells is probably one of his greatest features.

Considering a few things, I've come up with this list that I think will be a 'best of both worlds' sort of thing:

Stormhost: Celestial Vindicators
Krondys
--Lore of the Storm: Celestial Blades
Knight-Draconis (General)
--Command Trait: Master of the Celestial Menagerie
--Mount Trait: Thunderous Presence
Knight-Azyros
--Artefact of Power: Mirrorshield
Stormdrake Guard (Battleline)
Vanquishers
Judicators with Crossbows
Judicators with Crossbows
Dracothian Guard Fulminators

Points: 1995

With this list, you have really key support with Krondys and the Knight-Azyros and Knight-Draconis. Celestial Blades gives you +1 to wound for a unit. Knight-Azyros targets an enemy and gives you +1 to hit against it (and he can't be targetted down by ranged weapons outside of 9" with the Mirrorshield). Master of the Celestial Menagerie makes Krondys, the Knight-Draconis, and the Stormdrake Guard even tankier as long as the Knight-Draconis is on the field, and his Mount Trait can shut off command traits, so enemies that target him might not benefit from things like all-out-attack, etc. 

Supporting your Draconiths, you've got the powerful Fulminators, with the Celestial Vindicators making sure that any 6's they roll get additional hits on that all-important charge. This also helps the Vanquishers and Stormdrake Guard as well, making sure that those units get that extra bit of damage in, while Judicators with Crossbows are a decent ranged battleline unit that can sit back, push back reserve deep striking units, and hold backfield objectives without being too expensive but while also contributing their damage. 

The death of any particular leader will be felt, since those buffs and benefits will start to vanish, but with various benefits spread across Krondys, the Knight-Draconis, and the Knight-Azyros, your opponent will have to take out ALL of your leaders in order to get rid of all the different bonuses that you're getting on the field. The combination of Knight-Azyros and the Judicators (or any unit, really) will help target down troublesome units with that +1 to hit. 

The Vanquishers meanwhile are a decent, cheap unit that gets a extra attacks when they're outnumbered, so charge them into some chaff holding your opponent's objectives to help clear the way. At only 5 models, the Musician isn't really necessary, but hey, it's a neat model.

And, of course, most of the list fits nicely into a Battle Regiment, meaning you get a 2-drop deployment, with the Battle Regiment as one, and Krondys as the other. 

I think a list like this could still fit the dragon theme while also being competitive, tanky, and choppy all at once. 

[boyadventurer]

Sicne it may be of interest here, the new bat rep shows the Stormdrake bases pretty clear. Looks like 105mm to me.