Chaos Alpha Strike lists

[Eldercaveman]

So if you've been following the rise of shooting armies thread you'll have noticed the discussion about the potential for alpha strike lists in chaos armies to counter the increasing shooty armies in the meta, I've started this thread as an open discussion and rolling list creation around this purpose. 

Obviously a few of yhe options we have at our disposal are change host swaps to set up potential alpha strikes, slaanesh seekers backed up by keeper of secrets for double pile in first turn charges, sayl and Duel bloodthirster getting a first turn charge off, blue scribes summoning soul grinders turn 1 to get some early damage off. 

What other options do we have and how do we best fit them into a list together? 

[TrexPushups]

I do not think melee alpha strike lists will overcome strong shooting.

They frequently depend on critical characters & combos and tarpit then shoot is too strong a response.

I am thinking that we will need to bring out the big guns like plague claw catapults, etc to focus down either fragile characters or fragile units with shooting. While hoping our hand to hand units can come all in one fast wave.


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[backslide]

15 seekers with a keepers command ability has worked wonders for me perhaps not outright destruction, but sheer disruption its impressive, i use 70 daemonettes to sort it from there

[James McPherson]

I rarely come up against any shooting lists. Infact only one army I've played has been gunline.

 

 

[Somanlius]

On 2017-3-3 at 5:46 AM, backslide said:

15 seekers with a keepers command ability has worked wonders for me perhaps not outright destruction, but sheer disruption its impressive, i use 70 daemonettes to sort it from there

That is the exact same ting I do. I also use Bel'akor for his sweet ability on units/heroes that will be dangerous later.

[Killax]

On 2017-3-2 at 9:54 PM, TrexPushups said:

I do not think melee alpha strike lists will overcome strong shooting.
They frequently depend on critical characters & combos and tarpit then shoot is too strong a response.

I am thinking that we will need to bring out the big guns like plague claw catapults, etc to focus down either fragile characters or fragile units with shooting. While hoping our hand to hand units can come all in one fast wave.

I agree with this statement very much. It's the prime reason as to why I hope the Shooting phase in the Core rules will eventually be revisited. The balance of shooting is not there. Shooting is either too bad or too good, even the slightest of Rend added to a cheap shooting model can carry it's own weight now due to the sheer ease where characters can be destroyed with. This disruption offsets all synergies based on Heroes.

We can shoot back, there is also always another option. Ensuring that second turn where 3+ Chaos units can reach melee. Granted I only know what Khorne and Tzeentch can do into detail. For Khorne players that option is there. For Tzeentch players shooting is their kingdom  

On 2017-3-3 at 11:46 AM, backslide said:

15 seekers with a keepers command ability has worked wonders for me perhaps not outright destruction, but sheer disruption its impressive, i use 70 daemonettes to sort it from there

I absolutely agree that this works.

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Alpha striking still works, Sayl still works, for many of our Chaos lists I can confirm swarming still works. One of the beauties for Chaos is that swarming is all very possible to every Daemonic Legion, from Tzeentch to Slaanesh.

As a Khorne player myself I know I will play more in casual settings as tournaments. Though if I'd feel inclined to enter one and have high hopes of succesion it would indeed be by bringing absurd ammounts of Bloodletters, alternatively Skullcrushers. However for Bloodletters we're then also talking 90+ ammounts and for Skullcrushers 21 is just the start. 

To me, a player of many miniature games, it only means that AoS isn't designed to be fun at the highest competative level. There are players who enjoy these types of 2 turn games where basically the most filtered of lists boil down to the start dice roll but I personally don't thake as much fun out of that  

@Eldercaveman, there are many lists, is there any of particular faction you want to see?