Overcoming Ambushers and Super Herds

[DavidWC09]

So my buddy likes to run a couple of super herds, one with a BSB and the other with either a kickass fighting lord or a kickass spellcasting lord. He also runs some smaller herds which he might or might not ambush with.

In tourney settings, I'd play my WEs against him, so I'm looking for advice on how to overcome the converging herds. Specficially, it's the ambushing herds that confuse things for me. I can turn and shoot without penalty, but even so, the bastards jump on me. I suppose I can leave my Dryads back to support them.

But then across the board, there are chariots crashing at those same archers. And those super herds with a lord that scares my wee wood elves.

Anyhow, since you guys are the experts on beasts, how do your opponents defend most successfully against super herds and ambushers?

[kbolster12345]

DVC wouldn't this be better in the WE section?



Anyhow. Treemen and treekin would/could beat them. Even a rear charge on the treekin would be folley

Wild riders can move faster than anything in a beast army and they can hit pretty hard.

[DavidWC09]

Eh, I'm just curious what in general gives BoC players a hard time. Treekin are so immobile compared to herds that opponents just avoid them.

[Phoenix]

They come with Fire and Axes! Run Dave! RUN!



Erm, ok being serious now... Hmmm...

HoDA has the potential to damage a Herd fast. Treekin and a Treeman (Terror) should be pretty useful too.

WE arent too well equipped to deal with Chariots, but can a Noble with GW and some magic stuff reach S7? (hahaha... S7 elf ) But if so, go on a splintering run

Strange.. most players have always said that WEs are great against Beasts...

Ill have a bit more of a think and get back to you..

[frozencore]

I've got to say that wood elves are one of the armies I truly fear when I am playing beasts. Both armies heavily rely on movement, and wood elves are just a little bit faster and deadlier. While we are skirmishers we have no armor to speak of, so that close range S4 fire is deadly. If people ambush you from the board edges you can just shoot them down. Beasts have low leadership an ambushing herds generally are small, so it shouldn't be hard to inflict enough casualties for a panic check. Dryads and Wardancers are hit and miss, while your troops are better at close combat they don't get ranks like beast herds. What you can do is exploit how herds rank up. Take a super herd for example, you can do two things, either A) charge them so you only have a few skirmishers on the from rank so they only get to go 4 wide(really annoying btw), or charge them from really close so you spread out their line and make 7+ guys per rank, thus lowering the number of ranks they can get bonus from. Watch out, though, those big herds may have some hard hitting characters, even bray shamans are S5. Also, skirmishers do have a flank once they get charged, so if you combo charge a big herd you can completely negate the rank bonus they get. I don't think I can stress enough how annoying wood elf cavalry is. Bring Glade Riders and Wild Riders and you should be able to pick him apart with some fancy movement on your part. While beast chariots hit hard for their points, they are also slow and fragile.

[DavidWC09]

One trick that sometimes works for me is to advance towards the units deployed on the opposite side of the table for a turn or two. Then do an about face and deal solely with the ambushers. Of course, that depends entirely on having favorable terrain.