Librarium Online Wood Elf Tactica (WiP)

[Cyric the Mad]

Naestra and Arahan- Sisters of Twilight
Contributors: Remind, Cyric the Mad

Strengths

• Sister-Twins rule
• Master of Wild rule
• Bow of Arahan
• Bow of Naestra
• Lots of wounds spread across models
• Special mounts - Dragon or the Eagle
• Viable in smaller games with the eagle
• Fly (if mount is alive)
• Dragon mount comes with his own special set of rules Large target,Terror,Fly,Poison Breath, Scaly Skin(3+)

Weaknesses

• Very expensive (mostly because of the dragon)
• Special character, so no weapons items armor or spites
• They cannot be the general
• Dragon mount takes a hero slot
• No armor or ward saves at all (for the sisters)
• Both sisters are pulled in during a challenge which can tend to be problematic

Uses and Tactics
The sisters can be used in a number of ways:

1. The sisters can draw ranged fire with little fear of long turn damage. Both sisters must be killed in the same phase. If at the end of any phase either sister is alive, both characters are returned to their starting wounds. Remember that they are fragile characters, so dishing out enough hurt to bring them both down in a single phase is not impossible. The mount does not benefit from this special rule – if the mount dies, the Sisters become skirmishers, making them vastly more vulnerable.
2. They can clean up or help clean up small units. The unit (Sisters and Mount) is strong enough physically and ranged to where if a small unit or a fleeing unit gets away from you the sisters can be right there to help with clean up. This must be done carefully - you don't want to put yourself in a dangerous situation to be counter charged by a lot of units or put yourself in range of lots of projectiles.
3. Going Hunting- same with small units but going after war machines and other loose characters. The same set of guidelines would apply with this as above - be smart about it. Don't put yourself in a bad place if you don't have to.
4. Support Support Support - this applies mostly if the Sisters are mounted on the dragon. The Forest Dragon is a large creature, which means you can see over most things within reason. With this you can use your sisters to jump into a fray from behind or help a unit brace for a charge by helping dwindle its attackers down - possibly taking it out before it even gets there. As there is always a downside large creatures make it easier to hit so while helping a unit going to be charged make sure not in range of a ranged unit and stay behind the unit to be charged if possible or if on the dragon use the terror effect to your advantage. If you plan on jumping into a fray maker sure the enemy unit doesn't have a commander or character in it that will pose a threat to the sisters with no armor or ward save it ends up bad if you get hit to many times.
5. Blocking war machines - The Sisters can be used as a march blocker early on. Using the Sisters in this way may not be easy and you will want to be extremely cautious while doing so.
6. With the bow of Arahan and the dragon's breath you can effectively use the sisters as a highly mobile war machine. Naestra's bow will hold units in place, making them further targets for your other ranged attacks. These attacks look good on paper, but they can be extremely situational. If you choose these tactics, be extremely careful because these moves are a bit more risky than the others - one wrong move and you have just given your enemy a lot of VP's!

Being a high-cost unit that requires practice to use well, using it in an important match may be a gamble. The high cost of this unit dictates that at least part of your overall strategy be based around its inclusion. However, once mastered this unit could be one of the most deadly in your force. This unit can be used in smaller games if taken with the eagle instead of the dragon; the forest dragon mount is not recommended in games with less than 3,000pts. The Great Eagle mount could be used in 2,000pt games, but the effectiveness of the unit decreases disproportionately to the points saved. The Sisters are vastly better with a Forest Dragon mount.

[Cyric the Mad]

Drycha
Contributors: Remind

Strengths

• Branchwraith
• Forest Spirit
• 2 Spites
• Level 2 wizard
• Fanatical
• Drycha's Army
• Treesing twice per turn
• Low cost
• 1 Lord slot
• Spirit Walker

Weaknesses

• Must be Army General
• Lore of Athel Loren Only
• Drycha's Army ( No Non-Forest Spirits)
• Strong but shouldn't be alone
• Cannot take Armor, Weapons. Items, or Additional Spites)
• Few Wounds

Uses and Tactics

1. Drycha, and an army based around her, gives new meaning to running circles around enemy troops. With the Spirit Walker ability, units can move to wooded places on the battlefield instantly. This, combines with the Drycha's Army ability, allows you to outflank and flat out move circles around the enemy with ease. However, this ability is contingent upon having multiple pieces of forest terrain on the board.
2. What Drycha lacks in all out physical bashing ability she makes up for in her wizardry. Drycha generates 2 dispel dice, and can Treesing twice per turn as bound spells (making 3 total Treesinging attempts per turn, if Treesinging is taken as a spell). This is one of the many reasons she should not be left alone - if she gets picked off by the enem,y you have lost a very important caster as well as your general. She can be good in combat but one must be mindful of her low wounds.
3. Drycha serves to be the perfect leader for a unit of Dryads. She needs to be in a unit to to take full advantage of Spirit walking ability. Even though a unit of Dryads led by Drycha can be a force to be reckoned wit,h you will still want to use her as support. It is recommended to restrict charges from a Drycha-led unit to Flank and Read charges to limit her exposure to challenges. Although she becomes better in combat as she starts to take wounds, this ability should be regarded as a last-ditch effort.

Practicality
While it is very possible to make a successful army based around Drycha, doing so leaves extremely limited potential for ranged attacks. Drycha’s army is pure speed and mobility. Its success is based around distracting your opponent with tough units (Treekin and Treemen) while flanking and performing shock attacks with Dryads and Wild Riders. Drycha’s army works very well at 2,000pts or less, though its one-dimensional nature begins to become a burden at 2,000+ pts.

[Cyric the Mad]

Denied Flank
Contributors: Skarsgard
Denied (or Refused) flank is a term that pops up quite often in Warhammer when speaking of deployment. Denied flank involves only fighting the battle on part of the battlefield, forcing your opponent to fight the majority of your army with a portion of theirs.

Denied flank can be used in many situations but is typically used against gunlines, horde armies and slow armies. This type of deployment generally requires you to trick your opponent into spreading their force out. Remember, the point of this type of deployment is to fight part of your opponent’s army with your full force. There are three basic subsets to this strategy:

• True Denied Flank
• Sacrificial Flank
• Fast Flank

True Denied Flank

This is used against an opponent that will have no choice but to spread out, gunlines and hordes. There is no deception required in this stratagem, what is required is dedication and commitment. Your opponent will try and trick you into spreading your force out by placing potentially “soft” targets that seem too good to pass up. With this deployment you have to be careful not to get units in the way of each other. Thankfully Wood Elves are very mobile and this seldom presents a real problem.

Sacrificial Flank

Here make the pretence of intending to spread our army out. A unit is deployed on one side of the table and another is deployed near it. A third unit is then placed on the other side to give the impression that more units will go there. Once your opponent commits a couple of units to that side, stack the rest in your original deployment area. The reason this is called the Sacrificial flank is that the unit(s) placed there are ones that you will leave there to draw your opponents attention. The sacrifice has to be something that will draw their attention but you are willing to lose. Glade guard are excellent as this.

Fast Flank

This is similar to Sacrificial Flank but it is very different. Here you start placement as normal then place fast units like Wild Riders, Warhawks and even skirmishers on the denied flank. This forces your opponent to place units to combat them. The first turn of the game these units all move at an angle across the battlefield and join the rest of the army ignoring your opponents units on the denied flank. The end result is that you're facing a portion of your opponents army with your full force.

[Cyric the Mad]

Woodland Ambush
Contributors: Cyric the Mad

*GW posted a helpful article on making a portable 6” forest. You can find it here. You can leave the magnets out if you wish, but I made mine using this guide and it has been very helpful.

Free Terrain Means Extra Terrain
One of the most often-debated benefits of the Wood Elf army is its ability to place an extra piece of forest terrain after all other terrain has been set up. It is important to remember that this free forest is above and beyond what you and your opponent would normally have on the table.

I’ve seen some unscrupulous opponents decide that, if a table should normally have 4 pieces of terrain, then 3 should be placed with the free forest making up the 4th. Remember that this free forest terrain is a benefit of your army. Extra terrain helps you more than any other army in the game. Factoring your free woods into to the normal terrain makes this benefit meaningless.

Six Inches of Wood
The Woodland Ambush special rule states that Wood Elves may (in an average game) place a free forest terrain piece up to 6” in diameter anywhere on the Wood Elf player’s side of the table before deployment begins. Since this rule allows a piece of terrain "up to six inches", it is clearly a good idea to have a full 6" diameter terrain piece.

With this in mind, it is highly recommended that you plan ahead and prepare a 6” woods terrain piece to accompany your army wherever you take it. This way you’re always guaranteed to get your due, and you don’t have to worry about your opponent debating the size of the terrain. Think of the 6” woods as just another figure in your army, and things will be much easier for you.

Placement
It is important to note the difference between “on your half of the table” and “in your deployment zone”. This may seem obvious to most people, but I have personally witnessed Wood Elf players making this error, and it can have significant impact on the rest of your game.

“Your half of the table” means just that. If the table is 48” wide, it means you’ve got up to the 24” center point to place your woods. Where to place this free terrain is up to a few factors:

My Forest My Surfboard
One favorite trick is to place the free forest eight or nine inches away from the edge of your deployment zone. The intent here is to immediately run a unit (Wardancers or Treemen are the usual suspects) into the forest terrain, and begin surfing said terrain forward via the Treesinging spell.

But Sir, There’s a Clear Path Right Over There
The free forest can help you trap or direct enemy units. If your terrain has been set in such a way that there are two obvious routes for your enemy to take, simply block one of them off. If you can manage to cast a few treesinging spells, this forest can even be re-deployed to block enemy retreat.

By the Power of Moonstone
You’ve paid the points for your teleportation item, but there’s only a single forest terrain on the board? Fear not, for your free forest can easily be placed within or close to your deployment zone to allow use of this favored item. Now whether or not the moonstone can still be useful is up to you to decide.

Sniper’s Perch
The free forest can be a good way of making sure your Waywatchers have somewhere to deploy if all else fails. Combine this with their improved cover modifier, and these gents can keep you free forest warm all game.

Summary
The true beauty of this benefit is that, even if the terrain doesn’t favor you, you can still make sure that the trees are on your side. This free terrain can help you plug holes in your defensive strategy, block enemy units, and help the sons and daughters of Athel Loren arrive safely to combat.

[Cyric the Mad]

The Waywatcher Kindred
Contributors: Skarsgard

Strengths

• Benefit from special deployment rules
• Lethal Shot
• Extra protection from shooting

Weakness

• Cannot take great weapons
• Cannot have a mount
• No armour

Uses and composition
Very good Kindred for nobles. The Forest Stalkers rule allows you to deploy the character last and you can deploy them as an individual or as a part of a unit of Waywatcher. They can deploy as normal scouts but with no minimum distance from the enemy or can deploy in plain sight up to 12” away. The Lethal Shot is a good ability but very random. Also it is negated when firing from a magic bow or firing a magic arrow.

Weapons
Depending on the role of the character you may wish to consider a magic weapon of some description.

• Sword of Might. A good generic weapon that increases the characters ability to fight well armoured opponents.
• Rageth’s Wildfire Blades. Cheap magic weapon, great for dealing with Ethereal creatures like banshees or daemons and forest spirits.

Talismans
Stone of Crystal Mere, Glamourweave and the Fimbular Shard are all excellent choices for this type of character. The Merciw’s Locus may seem like another obvious choice as the character cannot take great weapons but when you consider the role of the character and the fact that it should be picking the fights you really shouldn’t engage those types of units with this character.

Enchanted Items
Hail of Doom Arrows springs to mind straight away. The ability of the Waywatcher to deploy and potentially see a target that normally would not be visible allows this items to be used very early on to great effect.

Spites
Annoyance of Netlings and Murder of Spites are very good choices for an assault based character. Pagaent of Shrikes is also good for one that will sit back and snipe. Due to its ability to get close to the enemy units Muster of Malevolents can be a good choice as well. One potential surprise packet is the Blight of Terrors. The ability to force panic checks from Terror on Turn 1 could cause a large headache for your opponent.

Tactics

This fairly versatile character can have several roles.

• Sniping. Taking pot shots at enemy units or delivering the Hail of Doom Arrows.
• Assassin. Taking out lone enemy characters, models.
• Hunter. Hunting warmachines or small units.
• Blocker. Marchblocking enemy units by themselves.
• Disruptor. Sowing terror or forcing enemy units to respond to their presence.

Some of the options for Wargear for these characters are:

• Sniper

• Hunters Talon and Pagaent of Shrikes.
• Hail of Doom Arrows

• Assassin

• Murder of Spites and Sword of Might
• Annoyance of Netlings, Sword of Might (Rageth’s Wildfire Blades)

• Hunter

• Murder of Spites

• Blocker

• Glamourweave

• Disruptor

• Blight of Terrors
• Horn of the Asrai

In addition to this the character can boost the survivability of a small Waywatcher squad and allow it to marchblock and snipe for longer. Opponents will in general send light skirmishing units to take out your Waywatchers and the Noble can provide a lot of assistance in the ensuing combat.

[Skarsgard]

End Game
Contributors: Skarsgard

The End Game should start being considered seriously at turn 5. At this stage a good look at the battlefield is required to work out what the best course of action is to maximise your victory points.

Things to look at are:

1. Enemy units
2. Quarters
3. Banners
4. Killing the General
5. Preserving Points

1. Enemy units
Start by doing a rough count of what the enemy units are worth. Factor in the bonus for Banners as well. Sometime you are better of reducing a large unit to below half than wiping out a unit of archers. As long as you have the tools at your disposal start going where the points are. It is important to know that a unit of spearmen will yield more victory points than a unit of archers. All these decisions are situational. If your 24” away from the spearmen then obviously go for the target you can reach.

Another factor is last turn panic checks. If you get to go second, then your opponent cannot rally from any panic checks they might fail. Try and force as many panic checks as you can. Every unit that fails, counts as dead for victory point purposes and they cannot contest or claim quarters.

Don't forget enemy characters. A single wound on an enemy magician can mean half points, or full if he's already got a wound on him. Eliminating any enemy character in the last turn or two can only mean good things for you.

2. Quarters
Table quarters are worth a lot of points if uncontested. If a unit of yours has no clear role to play in the last couple of turns, then move it to claim (or at least contest) a quarter. With the speed and maneuverability of the Wood Elves this can be fairly easy to achieve. This also ties in with the killing of Enemy units. A unit that is dead or panicked cannot contest or claim a quarter. Once again the situational bonuses should be weighed up. A unit of Wildriders may claim a quarter with their fast moves, but there may also be a juicy target worth more VP in charge range. Always go for the maximum VP.

3. Banners
Banners come in two types. Unit banners and BSB banners. If the situation arises that you can go for a unit with no banner and one that has a banner, go for the banner wielding unit (provided you can win the combat). The extra VP could make the difference. BSB’s are a very juicy target as not only do you get the points for killing a character but you also get the extra banner bonus for him. Never forget to allocate the odd attack against the BSB and these, generally, lightly armoured characters can be a source of many VP.

Don't forget your own banners. Most WE armies don't include a lot of banners, if any, but be careful if you do. Make sure you know what banners you fielded and if they were captured or not. A mundane banner on Wild Riders or Glade Riders represents more Victory Points than a standard unit of Dryads.

4. Killing the General
Let's start with not all General’s are created equal. A Vampire Count or Treeman Ancient is a scarier target than a Wizard Lord. If you feel you can take on the General and win then they, like the BSB, are a great source of VP. Not only does the army lose its leadership, but you get a nice big bonus. Generally one of the better ways to deal with the General is to fight the unit they are in and avoid them. If the unit runs, the General runs.

Don't forget your own general. Keep your general out of losing combats and with at least one remaining wound. Don't be foolhardy in the final rounds.

5. Preserving Points
Consider the points you have left on the table. Wood Elves characters tend to cost a fair amount. In later rounds, let Spellsingers who have attached themselves to units disappear into the trees. Keep flying chracters far from the fray. Don't forget your ordinary units either. A single Glade Guard model represents half the victory points of a unit of Elven archers. Keep your treasures close to home.

[Skarsgard]

Battle Standard Bearer (BS
Contributors: Skarsgard

Kindred: For starters the BSB cannot be a member of any of the Kindred. So no Wildrider or Wardancer BSB’s are possible.

Combat Resolution: A BSB provides a bonus of +1 to CR for the unit they are with. If using a Warbanner this is increased to +2 to CR.

Used In: In most cases the BSB will feature in two types of armies. First, the multiple Treeman armies to help with the Stubborn break checks. Secondly, in an Eternal Guard army where the addition of the BSB to the unit makes it Stubborn. It may be used in other types of armies but these two are the main ones.

Tactica:

Treeman Armies

In Treeman armies the BSB is basically running around by themselves and hovering near the Treemen to give them the re-rolls for break tests. The Treemen are used to shield the BSB from any incoming fire and from potential enemy charges. It works quite effectively especially in a list with the Treeman Ancient. The character can be give protection in the form of a Wardancer unit. This gives the BSB protection from shooting, magic resistance (if the spell targets the unit) and Immunity to Psychology. It also gives the BSB protection in combat if required.

Eternal Guard Armies

The BSB is either the sole character or accompanied by a Highborn. The Highborn can be fitted out in various forms but the most common is Rhymer’s Harp and Annoyance of Netlings. This not only gives the BSB (and indeed the unit) a ward save but allows the Highborn to take out any characters that may want to target the BSB. The BSB in these units is generally best placed on one of the corners and this will limit the amount of attack that they will face. If the BSB is alone then it is still best to place them on the corner with some form of protection (Amber Pendent and Biting Blade are one example, Stone of Crystal Mere is another), the unit champion can take any challenges and the BSB can take care of any rank and file in base to base with them. Remember the role of the BSB is to make sure that the unit doesn’t run, not to win the combat.

Standard Armies

Sometimes a BSB can be handy irrespective of the army. A BSB can add a bit of punch to Wardancer units, in particular with a Warbanner. The +2 to CR, not including wounds inflicted by the BSB can help win many combats. For players who tend to use Glade Riders agressively, the BSB with Warbanner mounted on an Elven Steed, will add a lot of punch to the unit. However, this unit is very fragile and vulnerable to shooting. But +3 to CR, 2 from the BSB and 1 from the unit banner, can be very tempting. Units of Glade Guard can also benefit from the BSB, this is mainly to help combat the normal range of archer "hunters" that tend to be low on static CR.

Flying BSB

Another interesting option is to have the BSB mounted on a Great Eagle. This unit has 5 strength 4 attacks and can spell the doom for any small unit. It also allows you to get the re-roll of break tests where you need it. This BSB is fairly easy to keep hidden but is very vulnerable to shooting if you make a mistake as they cannot join a unit.

Equipment

The equipment that you give the BSB will depend in a large part on what you have in the rest of your army. In Treeman armies it may have little to no equipment as you are not expecting to fight, in Eternal Guard armies it may have a lot of protection or offence depending on what else you have. It is to be noted that seldom do people include magic banners on a BSB as they cannot take magic items if they do. Banners are covered in the Magic Item tactica. If you do take a magic banner, ensure that you have protection via a Highborn or another Noble.

Per the 2008 FAQ from GW, you can take a magical standard and a spite, which means the ever-envied combination of a BSB with an Annoyance of Netlings and the War Banner is now street legal. Enjoy, and remeber to thank the opposing player after the game, but don't feel compelled to apologize for spanking his sorry ass.

Some “standard” fits are:

1. Hail of Doom Arrows and Asyendi's Bane (Surprise packet on a Stand and Shoot)

2. Oaken Armour (Regeneration save to make it more survivable)

3. Amber Pendent and Biting Blade (Kill the enemy before they strike, good vs High Elves)

4. Amaranthine Broach or Stone of Crystal Mere (Protection in the form of a ward save)

5. War Banner and Annoyance of Netlings (Don't forget to challenge and take light armor and a shield, too)

There are many possible combinations but these are the most common encountered.

[Skarsgard]

Using Skirmishers
Contributors: Skarsgard

Introduction
This tactica will deal with general descriptions of the use of skirmishers. For more information on the different skirmishing units available to the Wood Elves, consult the relevant article for that unit.

Movement
Skirmishers move differently to ranked units. They can move in any direction without having to maneuver. They can move through difficult terrain without impediment. However, they can be marchblocked by units within 8”.

This brings me to the important part of moving skirmishers. If you wish to maneuver past an enemy ranked unit you have to ensure that you take their movement rate into account. For example, if you have a ranked unit of Empire Swordsmen and you wish to move past them with your dryads to set up a flank or rear charge. Move your dryads so that they stop more than 16” from the Swordsmen. This will mean that if they move 8”, they still cannot marchblock and you can use your full move to flash past them. You have now broken through the enemy lines. If you have marchblocked the Swordsmen with another unit then the distance is reduced to more than 12”. This maneuver is sometime referred to as “tap dancing” as your opponent will be reluctant to expose a flank to dryads.

Shooting
Skirmishers loose formation offers a protection from shooting in making them harder to
hit. Beware those things that hit automatically or on an unmodified number. Skirmishing archers, Glade Guard Scouts and Waywatchers, can shoot 360 degrees. They can move and shoot in any direction. They are extremely hard to out maneuver. Skirmishing archers are very good at taking out other archer units as they are harder to hit with shooting and our ones suffer no modifiers for moving and shooting.

Combat
In combat there is a bit of confusion about skirmishers. Skirmishers cannot negate ranks! They can, if their US is greater than 5, get the bonus for a flank or rear charge. So it is worthwhile trying to set up the flank/rear charge, if also helps avoid those nasty combat characters. Skirmishers cannot take on a ranked unit in a fair fight. The idea is to get multiple units to charge the same one. In our previous example the Empire player now has two dryad units, one has run past his Swordsmen and the other is to the front but out of charge range. If he moves his unit to face one, the other unit will get his flank. If he flees from the charge he will need to roll very well to get away.

Conclusion
The skirmishers are the masters of the “Game of Inches” move them one inch too much or not enough and they will be routed easily. But get you measurements (guesses) right and they are flexible and deadly. Always consider the placement of your skirmishers and what you wish them to accomplish.

[Skarsgard]

Enemy Type: Gunlines
Contributor: Skarsgard

I know about gunlines. My other armies are Dwarves and Empire. If facing them, I will have to recommend to you the Alter Noble equipped with a Briarsheath. I've had very little more fun experiences than watching a BS5 Master Engineer hit you on 7's.

Another key aspect to remember is that you must NEVER hit them straight from the front (but more on that later), unless using a character with the Briarsheath, a skirmishing unit (preferably Dryads), or a unit that is at least 15 strong. Another thing to avoid is shooting battles, unless you're in cover (but even then...).

The thing to remember when facing gunlines is that the troops are fragile, expensive and will usually come in units no bigger than 10. Therefore, you even a unit of Glade Riders should be able to dish out significant damage on the charge. Just beware of the Stand and Shoot reaction. if you really want, you can get within 9" to prevent the S&S reaction, or you can try a multiple charge (as they can only S&S against one unit). However, if you can manage it, get in a flank or rear charge, it will save you so much pain. We swears it on the precious.

If you're not charging, try to keep out of the sight arc, to prevent thier deadly volleys. They WILL inflict significant damage.

Deployment.

Refused flank deployment should be considered when facing gunlines. The shooting arcs of the units can be fairly limited and only having to face a portion of the gunline is an immediate advantage.

Shooting

Wood Elf archers have a better range than a lot of gunline armies do. Handgunners and the like are outranged by Glade Guard. This means that the opposing player must either move forward to enter into range or stay back and get shoot to ribbons. The mobility of the Wood Elf archers also means that they can keep moving back to stop the enemy missile troops from getting into range.
However, shots should not be traded with units that can match the Longbow range. Using maneuverability to get more than one Wood Elf unit shooting at one enemy target is paramount.
The Hail of Doom Arrows is a very good magic item to use against gunlines. It has the potential to take down an entire unit and force multiple panic checks.
Starfire Arrows are another great item (especially on a Bow of Loren) as even one casualty forces a panic check.

Movement

Movement is the key to defeating gunline armies, which are by nature static. Being able to get units out of the firing arcs is an ability the Wood Elves excel at. Also, the large number of skirmishing units means that we can approach a little more confidently. Being Immune to Psychology is a boon here as it means that even if one Dryad or Wardancer is left, there are no panic checks to take and it will still pose a threat.
Using fast units to swamp the enemy gunline becomes quite a viable tactic as once the Wood Elves are amongst their lines it is very hard for the gunlines to repel them.

Magic

Spells from the Lore of Life can play havoc on gunline armies. They can neutralise their shooting ability fairly well. The Lore of Athel Loren also has some spells that can be of use, Tree Singing to block LOS and The Hidden Path makes a unit immune to non-magical shooting.

Combat

Combat is the best place to deal with gunlines. Almost any unit is able to take down a small missile unit in combat. But beware of tricks. Some units can have banners or characters that could give you some nasty surprises. To use a Wood Elf example the Banner of Springtide which allows a unit to always Stand and Shoot and a Noble with Greatweapon and Amber Pendent which could give a few nasty surprises.

[Skarsgard]

Enemy Type: All Cav
Contributor: Skarsgard

All cavalry or large amounts of cavalry present a significant problem to most armies. Wood Elves, with the low toughness and non existent armour, are more at risk from these units than other armies. The three main types of cavalry include Fast, Light and Heavy. There is also flying cavalry but they can be lumped in with the Light Cavalry section.

The Threat

Fast Cavalry
These units are very fast and can quickly outflank most opponents. Most heavy infantry units won’t fear much from these but a well timed blow can be devastating. Lightly armoured Wood Elf units are a soft target for Fast Cavalry; they generally combine some element of shooting as well so pose a double threat. They can also be used to bait units to set up charges by other cavalry units.

Light Cavalry
These are lightly armoured cavalry units that don’t have the fast cavalry special rule. Their save is typically 3+ or worse. Flying Cavalry are often in this group and they combine speed with the ability to hit hard. Typically with strength 4 or 5 they can pose a real threat to all but the toughest units in the Wood Elf army.

Heavy Cavalry
The big boys of the scene; they typically have a 1+ or 2+ save and are strength 5 or 6 with their lances. These units can attack any unit in the Wood Elf army. Even the mighty Treeman is not safe.


The Solution

The major problem for the Wood Elves is that a Pistolier presents as much a threat as a Brettonian knight to most of our units. Dealing with these units is a matter of your play style. If your army is very aggressive then Fast Cavalry units may be a bigger threat than Heavy Cavalry. In all cases, marchblocking becomes paramount in dealing with fast moving armies. Treesinging can help significantly against Light and Heavy Cavalry but is of less use against Fast Cavalry.

Fast Cavalry
Shoot them. Unless you have no shooting units in your army, this is the best way to tackle them. Other units like Wild Riders or Alter characters have the speed to catch them. The Hail of Doom Arrows is almost perfect for dealing with these lightly armoured pests. One volley can potentially wipe out a unit and force a panic check on surrounding units.

Light Cavalry
Shooting from Glade Guard as close range can help. Once again; the Hail of Doom Arrows can work wonders. These units are a little easier to deal with than either of the other two categories. Although fast; they do not have the maneuverability of Fast Cavalry and their armour is not as good as Heavy Cavalry. They can be dealt with in close combat by most of our combat units, but getting the charge is the prerogative. These units are unlikely to flee as they can be costly. Alter characters, Dryads, Wardancers, Wild Riders and Treekin are all good at taking them down in combat.

Heavy Cavalry
The bugbear of the Wood Elves; fast, heavily armoured and packing a punch. These units can cripple anything in the Wood Elf army if they get the charge. There are several ways to mitigate their effectiveness. Shooting or magic to force panic checks, marchblocking, shooting units around them to force panic checks and baiting. Are all ways of slowing them down. But eventually you will have to face them. Ranked up units can make a unit of Heavy Cavalry bounce off it as they tend to have fairly low static combat resolution and rely on wounds. Wardancers with killing blow, characters with Great Weapons, Waywatchers, Treekin and Treemen are all good combat units to deal with them. Characters will the Spear of Twilight can be a good addition. Shooting can help against them but don’t forget to shoot at the softer targets first. They can be just as lethal in combat to a T3 no armour save Elf.