Wolf List mash up...

So over the past week or so my Loganwing has taken a bit of a pounding.

This has occurred on the tabletop and in my head.

I am currently on holiday from work for 6 weeks and with the girlfriend and friends at work, this gives me ample time to ‘geek’.

The rule: (This rule is to borne in mind as we discuss this) I wanted to take something different to the UK GT in November.

I did not want to take ‘cookie cutter’ lists, so-called ‘net-lists’ (but as I am putting content out there on the net…I think whatever I run falls into this crappy Catch-22!) etc.

So my Mech Blood Angels are sitting on the shelf.

They have been rigorously playtested since April, I knew what I wanted from competitive BA (fast and shooty), they are painted, weathered and ready to go at a moments notice.

So I am using the summer as a test bed for other concepts/armies.

The Loganwing and Nids have been my main candidates. Nids have been pushed to one side purely for financial reasons. Buying a property is expensive…especially when the girlfriend has expensive taste in flooring etc…

Loganwing has been doing really well, but lacks a couple of elements at 1500 points:

-Mobility

-Staying power

Now, Deathwing (upon which this whole concept is based) is more restrictive than Loganwing – its all Terminators. I run this too, but at 1500 it takes a pounding. It requires real finesse and practice over a very long time to keep this running well…and I do not have the focus to stay with one army for so long!

Due to the ability to mix Power Armour (PA) and Terminator Armour (TDA) you can get a cheap, shootie squad for just 135 points.

This has only 5 men, but you can get up to 7/8 and still only be at the 200 point mark. Quite reasonable.

So staying power can be resolved easily enough.

The main strength of this army is its ability to put high quality, high volume shots at long range across the battlefield.

It has some tricks too (relentless MM Long Fangs w Logan & Arjac in a Drop Pod?) and can take good cheap support units like Long Fangs and Riflemen Dreads, MM/HF Landspeeders…even other toys like Thunderwolves (TWC) and Lone Wolves.

But this does not make the army really mobile, even adding in the things such as TWC, who have a threat range of 19”-24”…doesn’t truly make the list mobile, merely gives it another high priority target to be shot at, increasing the survivability of the troop choices.

But the issue I am finding at 1500 points is, that as my support units increase, my long range shooting is diminished.

Comments from bloggers such as Mercer and Chumby, plus my own knowledge indicate that mech is better.

I know this. We all know this (bar FootDar players! Rawr!)

But we like a challenge!

Hence the Loganwing.

I have played it a lot now, over a couple of months, every week, several times per week. Probably racked up 30 or so games with it..including playtesting various minor alterations/tweeks.

Combined with the lists that I have played before with Wolves:

http://sanguinesons.blogspot.com/2010/06/logan-drop-listkidding-just-one-dp.html

http://sanguinesons.blogspot.com/2010/04/really-big-rocks-rock.html

http://sanguinesons.blogspot.com/2010/04/wolf-cavtroops-pah.html

http://sanguinesons.blogspot.com/2010/04/foot-wolves-but-no-cav-read-on-mcduff.html

I now know what I like and don’t like, what works what doesn’t across a huge spectrum of combinations and lists.

So I set my Internet spirit free and have been roaming long and hard for what is working at other points levels and what certain Internet ‘personalities’ are having success with.

I then picked elements I liked from my own experiences and set to combining it all together.

The things I know I really want to include are:

-          Long Fangs. No shit Sherlock. I love long range firepower. Simples.

-          Thunder wolves. Though not en masse.

-          Wolf Guard. Can’t let them go…

-          Grey Hunters in Rhino’s with Melta’s…

-          Rune Priest.

So who actually gets left out of this cluster fuck?

Its like Eldar (taste the rainbow!)

Logan goes. The big dawg is insane. I love him to bits. Smashy, survivable, a great force multiplier. Just too damn expensive for this points level! Please note: I am not saying he is too expensive!

Arjac – nice. But the expense ties up too many points…Mini-Arjac Lone Wolves though…

Dreadnoughts. I love me a dreadnought…but so many things compete for a dreads points…TWC, Lone Wolves, LF’s, more troops… plus I can get what they offer elsewhere.

So what have I created then?

HQ?

Simple, cheap and effective. A Rune Priest. Living Lightning and Storm Caller. Storm Caller kind of indicates that there will be a mechanised element here yes…

Troops?

They come next as I need to make sure they are multiple, survivable and can operate mid range, as I can deal with long range…

So we go:

4 x Grey Hunter squads. Size is important. With all the other elements I need, I want size but not full load outs.

So I ended up with 2x7 man, 1x6 man in Rhino’s with HKM and a Meltagun each.

1x 5 man with a Meltagun in a LasPlas Razorback.

Elites?

Wolf Guard..4 of. 4xCombi-Meltas. 1 of them in TDA with a CFist. Next we buy them a drop pod…

One each of the PA WG go into the Rhino GH squads…making them 8,8,7 strong with dual melta’s out of the rhino.

The final TDA, Combi-Melta, Chain Fist stays in his Drop Pod as a throwaway mini-Lone Wolf…he has a shot at killing a tank… and IF, IF he survives past turn 1, he can charge something with his chainfist…

Oh, and an actual Lone Wolf – TDA, CFist and SShield…only thing I can’t afford are his ablative wounds….the Fenrisian Wolves..so for 85 points this is cheap.

Fast Attack?

2 x 1 man Thunderwolves with Wolf Claws…this one is for Stelek and Chumby who have put me onto one man unit as a counter charge element, mobile blocking etc.

The Wolf Claw as it is cheap and a power weapon, and perhaps most of all as it gives a shot at hitting fast moving vehicles.

Heavy?

The ubiquitous Long Fangs. 3 squads of 5 men, with 4 Missiles each squad. One squad has an attached LasPlas Razorback.

This will be empty and can provide long and mid-range fire and cover if needed. It can also run out front of the rhino wedge to give cover first turn. If it is not shot due to its empty nature, it can be a ride for any of the squads that gets shot out of their rhino and loses a man or two…keeping the whole mess mobile.

The alternative use is to keep it at the back with the other Razor as home objective sitter. When the scoring razor is destroyed, the squad hops in the other…when that is destroyed, they run for cover! Keeps them alive for an extra turn!

This is if the opponent can even focus fire on them with the other elements up in his grill.

So how does this finalised Wolf list look together?

Rune Priest – LL, SC

Wolf Guard x 4, 4x Combi Melta, 1x TDA/CFist, Drop Pod

Lone Wolf, CFist, SShield

GH x7, Melta, Rhino-HKM

GH x7, Melta, Rhino-HKM

GH x6, Melta, Rhino-HKM

GH x5, Melta, Razorback – LasPLas

TWC x1, Wolf Claw

TWC x1, Wolf Claw

Long Fangs x5, 4xMissile Launcher, Razorback, LasPlas

Long Fangs x5, 4xMissile Launcher

Long Fangs x5, 4xMissile Launcher

Total 1497 points

It should be noted that the Wolf Guard set up, whilst ‘classic’ in nature (Combi’s and attach) …the TDA/Cm/CFist/Drop Pod idea is from Hulksmash! At DakkaDakka…his IP totally!

The lone TWC have been illuminated to me from Stelek at YTTH and Chumby. Mainly Chumby through comments on this site.

Tactics:

Objectives are placed mid field wherever played.

The Rune Priest joins an 8man GH (8 due to WG) and the trio of rhinos bombs forward, pops smoke and hopes for the best.

The Razors run in front of the rhinos and as a flying wedge the five APC’s move up.

In the midst of the wedge run the TWC and the Lone Wolf.

The Long Fangs provide fire support…

If I get first turn and keep it (no seizing achieved) then I will move only 6 and fire HKM’, Lascannons, Living Lightning and Missile Launchers as an alpha strike to try and cripple movement and/or reduce fire power.

Following this, everything tries to get into midfield to claim and kill.

TWC and Lone Wolf are there as counter attack units, not really to lash out on their own, but to work in harmony with the other units.

So whilst the GH/RunePriest/Rhino set up is not unique..we can’t ignore effectiveness.

The Lone Wolf, TWC and Wolf Guard allow me to do things differently and I still have the fire power I love.

Plus some CC…

I will test it tonight maybe (if its not all Malifaux!) and over the weekend… Bat Rep coming soon…