25 replies to this topic

[cypher623]

Just wanted to keep you all updated as to my continued success with my strollaz list in tournament play.

 

I took the following list 2000 point list to Adepticon this past weekend:

 

3 gyros vanguard

 

2 gyros

 

Thane, BSB, Grungi, Strollaz, Stoicism (with shieldbeards)

 

Runesmith  Spellbreaker X 2, passage (with shieldbeards)

shield,  rune of stone, +1 initiative rune

 

Runesmith  Spellbreaker X 2, (with hammerers) General

shield,  rune of stone 

 

38 longbeards double rune of slowness, full command

 

29 hammerers, strollas, full command\

shields

 

I played against the following armies in this order:

 

Legions of Chaos - L going into the last turn of the last round I had 800+ points to his 260 points.  He made a long charge against my hammerers, I fled and rolled double ones, lost 678 points for the unit and hero, plus 125 for general and standard, otherwise I had him the whole way.

 

Orc and Goblins - W

 

Dwarves - W

 

Lizardmen -W

 

Eternity King (Malekith, plus sisters on dragons) W

 

Players have NEVER seen this list at a major tournament and they absolutely do not know how to react.  I had no big heroes, no war machines and when my opponents looked across the table they must have thought, what a bunch of spaghetti men, but when the entire army vanguarded the element of surprise was mine.

 

I may post something about my battles.

 

JG

 

[Rayn Oathforge]

Congratulations! Glad to see the Vanguarding gaining in popularity, thanks to players like yourself, Monty, Mammoth and Swordthain.

Edited by Rayn Oathforge, 25 March 2015 - 05:16 PM.

[WI Dwarf]

wouldn't say it is the first time a list like that has been brought to a big tourney. I got best dwarf at blood in the sun last year and only lost was to the top place player and a draw the last fight too. Had three units vanguarding and only one gyrocopter. Anyways congratulations. 

[Rayn Oathforge]

wouldn't say it is the first time a list like that has been brought to a big tourney. I got best dwarf at blood in the sun last year and only lost was to the top place player and a draw the last fight too. Had three units vanguarding and only one gyrocopter. Anyways congratulations. 

 

I think it was more in reference to most people expecting Castle Dwarf and not expecting people moving at them.  The best kept secret of Dwarfs is people rush at them and deploy like chumps and then get counter charged and beaten in combat.  

[cypher623]

Right, Ryan, everyone I played asked "Where are your war machines".   They expected me to play the gunline or castle. I love the simplicity of the list. No magic, no herohammer, limited shooting.  It is the opposite of the other popular army lists out there and yet is very competitive.  Like the Greeks said: "The fox knows a great many tricks.  The hedgehog just one good one."

 

JG

[Krudd Kraggsson]

Congratulations. A great result.

How do you deal with Malekith using a strollaz army?

[Rezyn]

Hey cypher, I was there as well and placed 15th with my TAC dwarfs.  My only loss to Malekith.  Would love to know how you handled that one as I had major issues dealing with him.

[cypher623]

Congratulations. A great result.

How do you deal with Malekith using a strollaz army?

 

 

Hey cypher, I was there as well and placed 15th with my TAC dwarfs.  My only loss to Malekith.  Would love to know how you handled that one as I had major issues dealing with him.

 

I have played the strollaz list before and I know monsters are a problem.  No heroes to kill the monsters nor war machines to shoot them and flying monsters are in particularly hard because they can't be redirected easily with my gyros.  Malekith being the the king of all monsters I knew would be a problem.

 

 But I had three things going for me: 1. malekith was his only close combat threat (the sisters can fight but are more finesse) and i didn't believe makelith could kill 80+ dwarves; 2.  His remaining "troops" were tailor made for my gyros, two units of 12 elven bowmen with poison arrows and one unit of 5 silverhelms.  All with full command.  3.  There was a swamp on his side of the board which we rolled as "abyssal swamp" which requires anyone sitting in it during the movement phase to take an initiative test or have d6 models dragged to the bottom by Fimir.

 

So,  when I got first turn I had both my longbeards and my shieldbeards in column and jammed then all of the way up into malekith's face, my shieldbearers on my left and the hammerers on my right threatening Malekiths flank if he charged the Longbeards.  I was concerned he would bypass the shieldbeards and charge the hammerers, so I fiiddled with the hammerers ( I had plenty of movement) and put them at an angle that if he charged them me he would be in the swamp.

 

First turn Malekith charged the hammerers.  He immediately began taking initiative tests.  Essentially he had to kill 80 dwarves (on my turn my longbeards charged into his flank and beat him by 2) before he rolled a 6.  

 

My gyros set about mauling his troops.  I killed all of them without the loss of only one gyro which left me up 420 points.  In the movement phase of turn three Malekith rolled a six, bye bye Eternity king.  

 

My opponent did not give up, slammed into my longbeards with the sisters to a prolonged combat.  In the end I lost all of my gyros and he only had the sisters left. I didn't commit my hammerers against him to table him because I really felt bad that he lost Malekith the way he did (but if you put all of your eggs in one basket then put that basket in an abyssal swamp you get what you get) and he beat up the longbeards pretty good and killed my gyros when I charged them in against his flanks and rear. 

 

My plan with the swamp worked, but I think I had malekith anyways.  He killed both of my champions in challenges on turns one and two, but I was gong to continue to challenge with my runesmiths, and bsb which meant he would certainly lose at least three more rounds of combat and without a bsb I was hoping he would flee (we were close to his board edge).  After my bsb challenge, which would definitely have been the last , he had only four rounds of combat to either kill all of the hammerers or kill all of the longbeards,  With good rolls he could do the former, no way he does the latter.  

 

I knew the match was against me.  So I took a risk and my opponent committed 1000 points of his army against all but 460 points of mine.  I will take those odds any day.  On another note, it probably would have been smarter for him to ignore my slowfoots and go and kill the gyros.  He could have breathed on me, magicked me and shot me and there was little i could have done to stop him.  BUT when I jammed my two dwarf squads right at him he really didn't know what to think and made the wrong decision.

 

I must say my opponent was a very nice guy and took the loss of Malekith quite well and he didn't give up.

 

JG

Edited by cypher623, 26 March 2015 - 04:42 PM.

[Rezyn]

Thats awesome.  Definitely makes me want to try the strollaz just to see how people react to the unfamiliar threat.  Great job BTW.

[cypher623]

Thats awesome.  Definitely makes me want to try the strollaz just to see how people react to the unfamiliar threat.  Great job BTW.

 

Thanks, brother.  Glad to represent.  I really think the Strollaz list or Swordthain's ambush list are the way to go.  People expect the gunline or the castle.  Shock them with a little something different.

 

JG

[Krudd Kraggsson]

Haha, Malekith succumbs to a swamp. Brilliant. Imo you are too kind though. Anybody who brings Malekith doesn't deserve mercy.

[Theatralic]

That List looks like Fun, congrats to your success and being the Downfall of Malekith....that Tale will be sung for years to come.

 

 

I would be really interested in some more in depth Reports about your Battles.

[Geordie Grungni]

I tried a 1200 point all vanguard list out tonight. Thane general (tanky), bsb with strollaz and 2 × slowness, 19 shieldbeards, 20 hammerers with strollaz, gyrocopter with vanguard and 6 rangers. Rangers deployed 12" in front of both infanty blocks allowing them to vanguard. The game was immense fun and it felt like what dwarves should be doing (not sitting back and shooting as ive done previously). I was against chaos. Prince kitted out with loads of wargear, khorne knights and loads of khorne marauder horsemen. Game was a draw but very exciting.

[cypher623]

That List looks like Fun, congrats to your success and being the Downfall of Malekith....that Tale will be sung for years to come.

 

 

I would be really interested in some more in depth Reports about your Battles.

I have been working on some battle reports and will post them shortly, probably under another heading.

[cypher623]

I tried a 1200 point all vanguard list out tonight. Thane general (tanky), bsb with strollaz and 2 × slowness, 19 shieldbeards, 20 hammerers with strollaz, gyrocopter with vanguard and 6 rangers. Rangers deployed 12" in front of both infanty blocks allowing them to vanguard. The game was immense fun and it felt like what dwarves should be doing (not sitting back and shooting as ive done previously). I was against chaos. Prince kitted out with loads of wargear, khorne knights and loads of khorne marauder horsemen. Game was a draw but very exciting.

Was this a closed list game or did your opponent know you were vanguarding.  In my games at Adepticon it was a closed list and everyone I played was wrongfooted when the dwarves moved up into midfield with the strollaz.  I really don't use the rangers.  I tried them, but there are so many armies out there that have no scouts and no way to block the vanguard that they were pretty much a waste of points.  The Gyros can protect your vanguard.  In closed list games I really don't need the rangers because nobody anticipates the vanguards.  

 

The list is also very deceptive.  When my opponent looked across the board and saw no war machines only infantry and gyros, they were non-plussed figuring they had an easy win.  The mental advantage is huge because the army looks like nothing threatening. Most guys were expecting to shoot it up or blast it with magic while the boys were footslogging across the board, and then charge in to finish them off with their flimsy combat squads when they were depleted.  That strollaz move puts an end to those plans. 

 

The real attraction to this list is that it is fun and simple.  You make your opponent commit before he is ready and take advantage of this to grind him down. Also when your opponents lose to it, and lose they will,  they are pretty cool with it because its not typical shooty dwarves, nor is it hero heavy. 

 

I love it.  I am just sad I found it so late.  I am really worried about end times and 9th edition and what they will do to our dawi.

 

JG

[Geordie Grungni]

It was a closed list. Also last time i played that opponent i used a double volley gun gunline. So the element of surprise was fully achieved.

[Geordie Grungni]

Ive had the list in mind after watching the no nonsense approach of the dwarves in the 3rd Hobbit film. If only i could put my thane general on a pig!

[Grumpgrim]

Ive had the list in mind after watching the no nonsense approach of the dwarves in the 3rd Hobbit film. If only i could put my thane general on a pig!

 

Shieldbearers conversion!

 

 

It was a closed list. Also last time i played that opponent i used a double volley gun gunline. So the element of surprise was fully achieved.

 

Mind you, there's nothing saying a strollaz list can't have a warmachine or two fro shooting down big scary things.

[Geordie Grungni]

Ive bumped the list up to 2400 pts. My mate is doing the south coast GT and wants some practice games for his wood elves. Should be a good test as hes an excellent player, he usually wins best general or comes in the top 5 at comps. Ill let u know how i get on.