Elite armies

[SolarBur]

Hi all, just thought i would ask you all a question or two. 

In age of sigmar i happen to be picking up a lot of horde style armies (bonesplitter, verminus), but i'm struggling to find an elite style army. Now what i mean by elite doesn't mean super competitive, i mean an army that runs a smaller set of models than the two that i listed before. Sound simple enough right ? Well here's the kicker, your battleline units have to actually be substantial, more than just the minimum requirements to run the army. After all, your basic troops are what makes the army what it is, without them you don't have an army ;p

I've been looking through the gw pages, at all the different factions. But besides ogres and beastclaw, i'm struggling to find armies with a low model count that still meet the criteria of an army built around its battleline. Also, if you have the time, make a 1k list to show your reasoning, its easier to see it when its laid out. I'm curious to see what people can come up with. 

[Thain]

Soulblight can run three units of Blood Knights (780 Pts), a Vampire Lord (140 Pts), and either a Bat Swarm or Fell Bats (80 Pts). This works out to exacy 1,000 Points and consists of three Battleline, one Leader, and one "Other." You're only putting eighteen or nineteen models on the table, depending on which bat unit you choose.

Ironjawz can run with four units of Brutes (720 Pts) and a pair of Megabosses (280 Pts). 1,000 Points exactly, and you're only looking at 22 models. (Alternatively, drop one Megaboss for a Warchanter [80 Points] and pick one of the Battalions).

[Ratamaplata]

Clan Skryre with Stormfiends battleline?

Can mix a bigger Skaven force with your Verminus that way too

[TerrorPenguin]

I play a deathlords list which is:

Allegiance: Death

Leaders
Arkhan The Black Mortarch of Sacrament (340)
Mannfred Mortarch Of Night (460)

Battleline
4 x Morghast Archai (480)
2 x Morghast Archai (240)
2 x Morghast Archai (240)

Total: 1760/2000
 

with 240 points for summoning. But you could also take:

Allegiance: Death

Leaders
Arkhan The Black Mortarch of Sacrament (340)
Mannfred Mortarch Of Night (460)

Battleline
4 x Morghast Archai (480)
4 x Morghast Archai (480)
2 x Morghast Archai (240)

Total: 2000/2000
 

Its not going to be great at objective based games, but is fun to play

[Turragor]

1 hour ago, SolarBur said:

But besides ogres and beastclaw, i'm struggling to find armies with a low model count that still meet the criteria of an army built around its battleline.

I'm not sure I understand. Everything is built around battleline requirements.

So do you mean a lot of extra battleline (more than the min requirements) but still low model count? So do you mean many battleline units of less than 10 or less than 5?

Like taking Stormcast with thunderhead brotherhood minimum unit sizes - 3x5 liberators, 2x5 Judicators - as the core?

[SolarBur]

11 minutes ago, Turragor said:

I'm not sure I understand. Everything is built around battleline requirements.

So do you mean a lot of extra battleline (more than the min requirements) but still low model count? So do you mean many battleline units of less than 10 or less than 5?

Like taking Stormcast with thunderhead brotherhood minimum unit sizes - 3x5 liberators, 2x5 Judicators - as the core?

yeah it was about 7am when i wrote this, sleep is a weird thing for me

Say for instance you took... gutbusters for example, and you have to take your two battleline units to base your army around. For me i would double up on each unit, two units of 6 ogors, rather than the minimum size and then just taking ironguts. 

I'm looking for armies who will use their battlelines as a centerpoint for their army, and not just have them their because its required. As you said more than just the min requirements, but still keeping a low model count. 

Sorry if that's confusing, its really early

[Chikout]

Death lords, Soulblight, everchosen, flesh eaters with flayers and horrors rather than gouls, thunderscorn, warherds, demons of Khorne built around blood crushers. 

Can't speak to the effectiveness of these, but they all have expensive battleline units which is essentially what you are looking for.

[Jharen]

Running Mortal Khorne you can use Mighty Skullcrushers as battleline with a Lord on Jugger as your general. 

 

1x Lord on Juggernaut - 140

3x Mighty Skullcrushers - 160

3x Mighty Skullcrushers - 160

3x Mighty Skullcrushers - 160

Brass Stampede - 80

700/1000

 

Throw the other 300 points at maybe a Bloodsecrator or two or toss some Wrathmongers and a single Bloodsecrator in there.   Not a great list but it's pretty low model count.

[Kramer]

We often play 1.000 and 1,500pt games. Currently building a slaanesh chaos army. My first 500pt on the painting table is:

lord 100, 10 warriors 180, 5 knights 200. So 16 models for 500 points. 

So it can be quite elite (low number count) and with daemon princess, lord on manticore, chosen you have a lot of cool models to choose from. Also the different gods offer different elite models. 

[Thanatos Ares]

You could run a pure Beastclaw list:

Leaders

Frostlord on Stonehorn (460)
Frostlord on Stonehorn (460)

Units

Frostsabres (60)
Frostsabres (60)

Batteline/Behemoth

Beastclaw Thundertusk Riders (320)
Beastclaw Thundertusk Riders (320)
Beastclaw Thundertusk Riders (320)

2000/2000

Wouldn't make you many friends though....


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[Thanatos Ares]

Although I've just realised that lists illegal (1 to many Behemoths)


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[yarrickson]

6 minutes ago, Thanatos Ares said:

Although I've just realised that lists illegal (1 to many Behemoths)


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Not according to Azyr, which removes their behemoth keyword when they become battle line.... 

#trollin. 

To OP, I'd 2nd the deathlords idea. It looks great on the table and summoning gives you a lot of flexibility. 

[Double Misfire]

ARTILLERY

IS

YOUR

BEST

 

FRIEND

 

It's incredibly  points intensive for how few models you have to paint, and will always be considered competitive because people without it will always accuse it of being overpowered. Warmachines in AoS have the advantage of synergising with very little and operating just fine on their own as long as they've got friendly models between them and the enemy. Fill up you slots with whatever machineries you deem most destructive and their requisite engineers, then spend the remaining 60% of your points on a much smaller force of the faction of your choice than you'd usually have to paint.

[kozokus]

2 hours ago, yarrickson said:

Not according to Azyr, which removes their behemoth keyword when they become battle line.... 

#trollin. 

To OP, I'd 2nd the deathlords idea. It looks great on the table and summoning gives you a lot of flexibility. 

Not anymore, this is kind of confusing.

[Bradifer]

Allegiance: Death

Leaders
Mannfred Mortarch Of Night (460)

Battleline
2 x Morghast Archai (240)
2 x Morghast Harbingers (240)

Total: 940/2000

60 points for summoning zomies/dire wolves. This is a very low model count elite army. Not sure how powerful it is as Manndred is susceptible to focus fire, rend -X ranged attacks, and mortal wound spam. But at 1000 points you've got a fast flying hart hitting army with a tiny bit of summoning flexibility.

I like to look at the Morghasts, who are sometimes as tall as the opponent's behemoth and say "yeah those monsters are my battleline".

Sit down and proxy some dice throws as Morghast Archai against stormcast that have a Save of 4 and see how you feel about them.

-----

Secondly I would also suggest Skyre Skaven with Stormfiends. Stormfiends look cool as heck and give you lots of options for mobility, ranged, melee, and mortal wounds.

[Lucio]

Burning Chariots of Tzeentch can make for a fun Battleline

Everchosen can also work, with the Varenguard as your Battleline but 9 Varenguard plus Acharon and a Gaunt Summoner is 1900 points on it's own. Slight downside is the price tag, at £295....

[Vasshpit]

Ironjawz are pretty low if ya go pure Jawz without Ardboyz.

The whole army becomes battleline too!

[Thain]

Speaking of Ironjawz, here's something I suggested over in the Destruction subforum when discussing 1,000 Point armies:

Has anyone tried a Gorefist at this points level? You could run the battalion (120 pts.) and five units of Gore-Gruntas (900 pts.) at 1,020 points. So either asking your opponent's permission to go over the limit or dropping a unit of megaboars...

The Big Boss is the General, with the Talisman or Brew to keep him alive and your choice of Command Trait (I like Ravager).

Not much nuance to them and absolute rubbish at holding objectives... But fifteen five-wound cavalry shooting 26"+ forward during the opening turn is just nuts at 1,000 Points.

This is extremely unsubtle army, even by orc standards, as you really have no options beyond "Charge!" Oh, sure, you need to manuvre right, pick the right units to engage, use some strategery with fight activations... But it's still basically "Go dat way, fast, an' krump 'em."

[Thain]

4 hours ago, Lucio said:

Everchosen can also work, with the Varenguard as your Battleline ... Slight downside is the price tag, at £295....

Only if you insist on using the official Citadel Miniatures Varanguard models. Creative conversions and/or third party models could save you a bunch of money.

Does the Archaon on Horse model have an AoS Warscroll? That could save some money over buying his new dragon... 

[Lucio]

8 minutes ago, Thain said:

Only if you insist on using the official Citadel Miniatures Varanguard models. Creative conversions and/or third party models could save you a bunch of money.

Does the Archaon on Horse model have an AoS Warscroll? That could save some money over buying his new dragon... 

Horsarchaon lacks the keyword Everchosen

[Shoe]

On 3/26/2017 at 1:23 AM, Chikout said:

Death lords, Soulblight, everchosen, flesh eaters with flayers and horrors rather than gouls, thunderscorn, warherds, demons of Khorne built around blood crushers. 

Can't speak to the effectiveness of these, but they all have expensive battleline units which is essentially what you are looking for.

Yeah I think the OP is looking for Warherd. 

[Denneysman]

Allegiance: Chaos

Leaders
Herald Of Tzeentch On Burning Chariot (200)
- Staff of Change

Battleline
3 x Burning Chariots Of Tzeentch (480)
3 x Burning Chariots Of Tzeentch (480)
3 x Burning Chariots Of Tzeentch (480)
2 x Burning Chariots Of Tzeentch (320)

Total: 1960/2000
 

12 models