Some disclaimers:
- Lists are limited by models I own (everything but Pendrake and only 1 of each beast).
- Every list has two units of Gatormans before I choose a caster. The reasoning is simple. The only time I think I'd use a single Posse would be Calaban at 35pts or below, but since I try to avoid Calaban at all costs and don't play 35pts too often, the issue is moot.
- Every game I play is a scenario. Too many early experiences against gun lines and getting kited around for 10 turns have driven me to insist on scenarios. We usually roll for it at random or pick one that is easy to set up like Incursion, Close Quarters or that one with the two zones.
- I am pretty bad at the game all things considered.
Rask
Rask
(*6pts)
* Blackhide Wrastler
(9pts)
* Swamp Horror
(8pts)
Bog Trog Ambushers (Leader and 5 Grunts)
(5pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt)
(1pts)
Gatorman Witch Doctor
(3pts)
Wrong Eye & Snapjaw
(9pts)
* Bull Snapper
(3pts)
Overview:
I think this list is rock-solid in a Gargossals meta, and against tankier factions like PoM and Trolls, and some Skorne and Khador. It is very similar to
the list Werecat used to place 3rd at the Intermountain Cup in the US. You have three pillow-fisted heavies who become monsters with Fury, two units of Gators, and a token useful solo. Basically, you can put out a lot of damage and control a good deal of the board with raw threat and Rask's douchy spells and feat. Fury and Arcane Interference are game changers in a big way.
How it works in a nutshell:
Essentially you want to line up an efficient alphastrike, which you will probably get on account of the feat. If you can assault hard enough and then grind them out, you will win. If you don't assault hard enough and they crack through your armor in return, then you have your work cut out for you. Getting an alpha strike with so much of your army can also lead to efficient trades and jamming, giving you a leg up on scenario as well. If your opponent chooses to back up from the feat, make sure to get in a good position for a scenario win.
Rask will probably only have a fury +/- 1 at the end of his activation. It is important that the Trogs stay back and spread out in order to take away incentives at assassination runs, preferably on the edge of a Gobber cloud if your opponent has lots of sniper guns (DEF 16 is much harder to hit than DEF 12). Only rarely will I use them to ambush, depending almost entirely on my opponent's list. Try to also keep Rask midline so he can have maximum impact on the game with his gun and buffs.
I put the Snapper on Wrong Eye to take the burden off Rask since he is usually strapped managing two very aggressive heavies and does not really need the additional transfer targets. Wrong Eye however benefits sizably from an extra transfer target and having access to Spiny Growth.
Weaknesses for this list,
other than Rask's personal weaknesses, are very high def (17+) so stuff like Ashen Veiled Daughters or IF Kayazy can be a problem, things that stop charging or generally playing the game (Circle, Cygnar, Cryx douchery) and OP Cryx infantry in general (which is a problem for all Gator lists). There is also a serious lack of guns, but that's more or less a Gator shtick and a tradeoff for not getting shot.
Possible changes:
I quite like Snapjaw in this list because with the Rask Express Package (Fury + Boundless Charge + Elasticity), combined with a complimentary Arcane Interference bolt, Snapjaw can come within a bee's dick of one-rounding a Gargantuan by himself from 14" away. And Wrong Eye is also really useful in the Hordes matchup thanks to Voodoo Doll. Saying that, the list also works fine if you switch out WE + Snapjaw for a third Posse, or the Gatorman Witch Doctor for a Totem Hunter. Once the Shamblers are out, they will probably be more useful in this list than the Min Bog Trogs + Swamp Gobbers.
Barnabas
Bloody Barnabas
(*6pts)
* Bull Snapper
(3pts)
* Blackhide Wrastler
(9pts)
* Ironback Spitter
(8pts)
Bog Trog Ambushers (Leader and 9 Grunts)
(8pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Croak Hunter
(2pts)
Croak Hunter
(2pts)
Thrullg
(3pts)
Totem Hunter
(3pts)
Overview:
This is a pretty standard Barnabas list I feel - nothing from Domination or Gargantuans. A single Swamp Pit can fit a Full Posse and a heavy warbeast so this list can also deliver in the face of gunlines pretty well. This is a well-rounded list designed to deal with equally balanced
lists. It has a viable assassination run against softer casters (thanks
to the feat), it has excellent attrition power (also, largely thanks to
the feat), good killing power and good scenario options
In a nutshell:
I don't think there is much of a cohesive strategy for this list as much as a lot of tactical options - you want to maximize Warpath for your beasts, protect your army on the approach with Swamp Pits, and always keep your finger on the assassination trigger if a reliable opportunity presents itself. The Rise Missile trick is available with a Spitter doing the throwing, and you have THREE RANGED WEAPONS. Amazing. Remember the Bog Trogs! A full unit of Bog Trogs can do some serious damage on squishy backlines if you keep the rest of the army occupied (if you don't, they die horrible deaths). The Croak Hunters are there purely for the assassination angle and
two because they work well in pairs. They might also be just as good as
Feralgeists at sitting in the corner of a zone and playing with their
cloacas.
I take the Totem Hunter in this list rather than my Rask list in
tournaments because I will usually drop Barnabas vs Circle or Legion and
the TH allows me to kill clutch pieces like Soul Martyrs, Gallows
Groves and stealth Shifting Stones and solos quickly. He is almost like a
ranged weapon. The Thrullg is there because offensive upkeeps can ruin
your day, and you can usually hide him quite safely behind one of the
swamp pits (he doesn't benefit from the pit itself, but models in it
will block LoS to him). He can also do cool stuff to jacks when they are
knocked down.
The main weakness of this list of course is that it's a Blindwater list, so suffers from all the
weaknesses Blindwater traditionally suffers from, including Cryx, high ARM, machete-wielding Australian bushmen, you name it. On the upside, it is stronger than the Rask list against high DEF and moderate ARM lists, like non-construct Circle, Legion, or non-Stormwall Cygnar. Barnabas's feat usually results in high-DEF infantry suddenly dying , and it has a pretty strong assassination angle against non-Cryx armies.
Changes:
I think if I had a 3rd Posse I would probably just put that in instead of the many solos. Plus three Posse is kind of cool. I really like the idea of including a Swamp Horror with Barnabas as well since he can shred through infantry with Warpath, and doesn't need a Swamp Pit to get there. However, I have trouble letting go of my Wrastler and Rise Missile trick with Barnabas since it has done and continues to do so well, and the Spitter is just great with Black Tide and Warpath. You could also put in a Witch Doctor or two for some utility with tough and sac strikes.
Maelok
Maelok - The Walking Death
Tier:
3
Maelok, the Dreadbound
(*6pts)
* Bone Swarm
(4pts)
* Bull Snapper
(3pts)
* Blackhide Wrastler
(9pts)
* Swamp Horror
(8pts)
Bog Trog Ambushers (Leader and 9 Grunts)
(8pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Gatormen Posse (Leader and 4 Grunts)
(9pts)
Feralgeist
(1pts)
Feralgeist
(1pts)
Gatorman Witch Doctor
(2pts)
Gatorman Witch Doctor
(2pts)
Overview:
Maelok is pretty cool and holds his own in a lot of matchups. However he isn't better than a Barnabas/Rask combo in most two list formats. I think his one main strength might be the Cryx matchup, but I am not as certain as I would like to be. I don't play against Cryx nearly as often as I would like to (that sounds extremely masochistic) so I can't test out this theory, but with the right pieces (ie. some guns), he could be the best thing available to Minions (unless Midas with lots of guns and Bone Grinders turns out to be a thing).
The main benefits of the tier list are cheaper Croctors and your entire army being incorporeal first turn. In return you give up the Thrullg, the Totem Hunter and the option of a 3rd Posse. You never want to go Tier 4, because that requires 3 Boneswarms, which is a worse idea than invading Russia in winter. I have trouble enough taking one, but admit that with the feat and kept as a late game piece it can do some work.
In a nutshell:
Basically it is a grind. You jam in, and hopefully make it there in one piece, let them jam into you, and then feat and get serious with Revives and killing the important stuff. Using the feat at the right time will be a big part of your success or failure, as is positioning Maelok to maximize his abilities. He can work fine just sitting backfield and Reviving 1-2 Gators a turn, but I think getting him somewhat involved so you can benefit from Malediction, Venom, Cull Souls and his respectable melee potential is key to using him at fullest - but as always, it means living on the edge. And of course, remember that assassination run.
The other benefit - an advance move for an Undead model for each Croctor - is totally a trap on the Boneswarm since that thing sucks bad in the early game, but the advance move on Maelok can be neat if you intend to aggressively dominate a zone - just be sure to finish that advance move facing stuff you want to put Death Pact on. I personally like to put it on a Posse early on if my opponent has many low POW guns, and then switch it to the Wrastler once the lines have engaged, since an ARM 25 Wrastler on feat turn is srs bzns.
The Bog Trogs are kind of the ace in the list, and can be pretty devastating when used as a hammer to the Undead Gator anvil. Nobody excepts the Spanish Bog Trogs.
Changes:
Being a tier list, you don't have that much flexibility with it. I put two Feralgeists in the list because it adds some scenario and attrition power, but you could just put another Croctor in, since
2pt Witch Doctors are pretty stellar.
In a non-tier list, you probably want to take 3 Posse since Reviving Posse is really good... subbed out for the Trogs and Boneswarm. Then you can put a Thrullg or Totem Hunter in for the Feralgeists.
Calaban
.......................__ ............
......<ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL>.
........................| |...........
................... __\||/____......
.\\...............|'-|--| .\\....\.....
..\ \_...........|--|---|..\\ ....\....
../ L \____,/-------\___\___\
.|LOL|-------------O----- ----,\..
..\ L /______,---''-----------, /...
../ /.............\_________ ,/....
.//.............____//___ __\\__/.
Overview:
The rolfcopter cares not for your conventions such as playing to win or not getting frustrated.
In a nutshell:
Changes:
Play Rask.
