.::. Conclusion .::.
Wrap-up - The elements at our disposal can be hard to master and combine effectively into a winning fighting force. Our choices are so far away from braindead as they can get. T3 and a 5+ save across the board is very unforgiving.
With that said, keep the elements discussed here in mind and you will find it easier. Ask yourself questions such as:
- Do I have at least 2 elements capable of dealing a blow to heavy cavalry?
- Do I have a reliable way of dealing with Hordes?
- Is my list Balanced or Focused? Why?
Trying to reason with ourselves why we do what we do makes it easier to see why some things work and other things don't.
Evaluation of this Article - I will post your thoughts about this article in this section
Example Lists and Rationale
Seredain's Cavalry Prince List
Prince- Barded Steed, Dragon Armour, Shield, Giant Blade, Helm of Fortune, Plucker Pendant, Talisman of Loec - 286
Lvl 4 Archmage - Dispel Scroll, Lore of Life - 280
BsB- Barded Steed, Great Weapon, Heavy Armour, Shield, Dragonhelm, Dawnstone, Amulet of Light - 190
35 Spearelves- Full Command, Gleaming Pennant - 345
14 Archers, Musician - 159
11 Archers - 121 (Archmage here)
14 Swordmasters- Bladelord - 222
12 White Lions- Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame - 220
8 Silver Helms- Musician, Shields - 192 (Prince and BsB here)
5 Dragon Princes - 150
1 Tiranoc Chariot - 85
2 RBTs - 200
1 Eagle - 50
= 2500 points
Seredain takes an unusual approach in bringing a mounted Prince as one of his primary fighting elements. What's good about this list, in my opinion, is that it mixes everything together and does so preserving all the strengths of the High Elf army list. There is an element to handle every situation, and most situations can be dealt with by more than one unit. His list does not in any way rely upon one hit wonders and as such can be expected to perform consistently well. Against big infantry armies he can outmanoeuvre with his fast units and still have a solid infantry core to threaten the middle of the field with. Against shooty lists he has a lot of fast stuff which will move forwards at an alarming pace. Against elite armies the support and fast elements should ensure that the High Elves dictate when and where to fight.
Most of you will notice that one of this list's biggest weaknesses is a fragile elite infantry core. We're basically looking at 26 T3 models with a weak save to carry a lot of the heavy lifting. This weakness is covered well by the Archmage taking Lore of Life - a perfect complement to his list. An alternative here would be to swap out the elite infantry for other units and go for shadow - effectively turning any unit into a potential killer through okkam's.
The synergy and balance in this list is a wonder to behold. I would advice you to read his thread linked at the top where you will find Seredain's rationale behind his choices and also interesting battle reports about how this list fares in practice.
Flanker's Shooting Cavalry List
Tournament special rule: Balanced list (no cheese), no Lords, 8 power dice max per magic phase
GENERAL
Mage Lv2 High
Silver Wand 145 pt
BSB mounted 177 pts
GW, DA, Barded Steed, Shield, Helm Fortune, Talisman of Loec
CORE
25 x Spearman with Full Command and Gleaming Pennant 255 pts
11 x Archers 121 pts
SPECIAL
14 x White Lions with Guardian and Banner of Eternal Flame 244 pts
9 x Silver Helms 207 pts
5 x Dragon Princes 150 pts
RARE
1 RBT
2 x Great eagles
Flanker demonstrates our list's power with relying on troops here. Due to the tournament rules it is hard to beef up characters to dominate the game. Flanker instead manages to create 3 very powerful combat units - the SHelms, Spearmen and White Lions. The BSB with the SHelms make for a fast and powerful hammer and the infantry units provide a nice basis around which the support elements can work. The sole mage acts as a support caster, picking high magic for overall buffs and magic nerfs on the enemy.
The rare choices round out this list nicely, providing more mobility (even for a High Elf list, this army is very mobile) and support. The RBT can work in tandem with the archers for mutual benefit and protection. This provides a solid anchor around which the army can fight defensively, if needed.