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Home » Great Library at Hoeth » Book of Warfare » General » Caledorian Fire: Using the Dragon Mage
| Caledorian Fire: Using the Dragon Mage |
| By Arhain |
With the 7th edition rulebook here, the Asur generals are gifted with a brand new hero type: The powerful Dragon Mage. Used to its full potential, the Dragon Mage can be devastating in every phase of the game. However, as many players are finding, the Dragon Mage is difficult to use and as a hybrid between mage and fighter it is difficult to find a safe balance to maximize its efficiency. Here is a guide put together to help other players use our Caledorian friend.
Why take a Dragon Mage?
If you have the points, a Dragon Mage is a great choice for your army. By himself, the Dragon Mage effectively produces 4 dice. He produces two dice with the 2nd level upgrade, and casts with an extra dice for every spell he casts. Then, there is the even more obvious reason: he rides a sun dragon! While the weakest of the three drakes, the sun dragon is still a tough bugger to bring down. He causes terror, panics people with his breath, and adds incredible maneuverability with his ability to fly. Combine that with a combined unit strength of 6 and you have another model to take away ranks. In addition, the Dragon Mage has incredible psychological effects on your opponent. The ever present danger of the Dragon Mage looming over your opponent is enough to cause him to be overly cautious and gives you a great edge.
Misconceptions of the Dragon Mage
First off, one of the problems with the Dragon Mage is in its own name: Mage. Since the elf is mounted on a dragon, many Asur players are prone to charge him into any combat or leave him out in the open to be shot at. At best, the mage on top can have a 5+ ward save, which is nothing to brag about. Also, it is easy to overestimate the dragon itself. Regular dragons have 5 Str 6 attacks. The Sun Dragon on the other hand has 4 Str 5 attacks. While still good, it does not mean you can recklessly charge into fully ranked units alone (unless on the flank). In essence, the Dragon Mage is first and foremost a support hero/unit rather then a combat monster.
Arming the Youngin
When wondering what to arm your mage with, keep two rules in mind:
Rule 1) The thing the Dragon Mage lives for is doing damage. Think output output output. The majority of this point allowance should be spent on something benefiting the Dragon Mage’s offensive abilities.
Rule 2) Always use the Silverwand. This should be mandatory if the Dragon Mage is in use. For only 10 points, your mage now has another spell, and due to the mage’s Reckless rule you now have another die. So for 10 points, you get one more spell and one more die, which means your Dragon Mage is generating 5 PD with three spells. That leaves you 40 more points.
With that in mind, I’ll post the Dragon Mage combinations I’ve found to be most effective. Obviously players will have their own preferences, however I’ve found these combinations to be the most effective.
Favorites:
Silverwand, Power Stone, Power Stone.
Silverwand, Powerstone, Dispel Scroll
Silverwand, Ring of Fury.
-These are obviously more offensive combinations, making great use of the incredibly underrated Power Stone. I would like to point out that taking Power Stones with the Dragon Mage effectively gives you the ability to pick between an average magic phase and a strong magic phase. By himself, you will have effectively 7 PD (5 from what he generates, and 2 from the basic pool). That extra 2 PD from a Power Stone can give you amazing versatility in casting, especially if you take another spell-caster with the Dragon Mage. This is because the Power Stone makes the Caledorian self reliant for all of his casting needs, leaving the basic pool to be used by other casters.
In the games I have played with the Dragon Mage, I have found using him as a scroll caddy to be irresponsible, as he becomes more effective with items that benefit his offensive capabilities. Since the Dragon Mage is still relatively easy to kill, there is also the possibility he will not be able to use his scrolls. So as a rule of thumb limit yourself to one scroll if you decide to take any.
The “Safe” bet:
Silverwand, Guardian Phoenix
Although not my favorite, this combo is popular because it gives the reckless feller on the back of the dragon some much needed protection. It is also the best protection the Dragon Mage can have. The first reason it is not my favorite is because the new High Magic lore offers a great default spell: Shield of Saphery. For a measly 5+ casting value, you essentially save yourself 25 points to spend on another trinket that better compliments the Dragon Mage. Also, if you make use of the terrain on the board, your Dragon Mage should rarely be shot at. Still, the Guardian Phoenix can be a life saver (literally) and I would suggest players using the Dragon Mage for the first time to consider using this combination.
Tactics
One of the aspects of the Dragon Mage that appeals so much to me is the unit’s versatility. With the Warrior Mage ability, you have the option to choose your default spell as the Flaming Sword of Rhuin rather than the Fireball spell. When using the Dragon Mage, I only switch to Flaming Sword if I have the inkling that I will be unable to clear most models in front of the Dragon Mage if I charge into a flank. That way, I have three offensive spells that do not require me into combat, which makes better use of my power dice.
Now, in saying that, some of you may be thinking “So you use him as a glass cannon in most your games.” This could not be further from the truth. I view the Dragon Mage as the ultimate support, and he should be used as such.
Deployment and General Movement
When deploying the Dragon Mage, always keep in mind that it doesn’t take much to kill the elf on top, and it’s NEVER guaranteed that you will get the first turn. Keeping those two things in mind, the best way to deploy the Dragon Mage is
a.) Behind terrain
b.) on either flank
This can change depending on the army you are playing. Especially when facing an army with no range or little magic. However, there are always huge benefits to placing the Dragon Mage on the flanks.
First and foremost, with the Dragon Mage’s speed and power, fast moving flanking troops of other armies can easily be put out of commission. Any High Elf general can be thankful for that! Also, since the Dragon is a Large Target it can see over other units. On the Flanks this potentially gives you vision and range for most of the Dragon Mage’s spells. This means more spells cast which keeps pressure on your opponent. Combine its vision with the Dragon’s ability to Fly 20” you have a unit strength 6 model that can charge unsuspecting units in the flank. Let’s not forget, unit strength 6 takes away ranks. This gives you the option to set up lone flank charges or take on tougher units by combining the Dragon Mage’s flank charge with another unit to the front. In the excitement of battle, it is an all too common occurrence that a flank will be open and the opponent will not realize that the Dragon Mage can see it.
But there are war machines!
Should you choose to take a Dragon Mage, it is always better to have a couple units whose primary job is to take out war machines. Personally, I always take eagles, as I will highlight later. Regardless of what you choose to take, if you are playing an army with heavy shooting, the Dragon Mage will obviously shine in the later phases of the game than early on. Your first priority should be to take out war machines, and other shooting a very close second. Once these threats are taken out, the Dragon Mage is free to move about the battlefield as he chooses.
Further Protecting Your Caledorian Friend
Personally, I enjoy playing my Dragon Mage in a slightly reckless manner (once the opponent’s shooting has been neutralized). I enjoy charging him head on into the melee if the opportunity permits, but this can sometimes leave the Dragon Mage open to counter charges. Eagles are life savers in these circumstances because of the tried and true Eagle tactic of diverting units. This is why when taking Dragon Mages eagles should be an obvious support choice. Players should not look at this tactic as an excuse to be careless with the Dragon Mage, but should realize that it opens up more possibilities on how to use the hero.
One of a Kind Tactic
One specific spell in the Lore of Fire that is noteworthy is the Burning Head spell. Cast on an 8+ the burning head shoots 18" from the caster in a straight direct path in ANY direction. Each model in the path takes a S4 hit. Any unit suffering a wound must automatically take a panic test. The reason i'm mentioning this spell, is that Dragon Princes are immune to flaming attacks! This means, that you can surprise your enemies by casting the Burning Head spell through a unit of Dragon Princes without harming your Caledorian brethren. Very sneaky Wink
I hope this article has helped those of you who have considered using the Dragon Mage but have not yet made the plunge. I strongly suggest every High Elf player take the Dragon Mage at least once. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Now get out there and burn Ulthuan’s enemies with the fire of the Dragon mage! |
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