Yesterday afternoon I played the first game of the Escalation League I joined at my
LGS. This is really motivating me to get my models painted up. By August we will be playing 3000 points and will be ending the League with a 3000 point tournament. Hopefully I can stay up on my painting!
Anyway, without further ado:
The Lists -
I've dedicated myself to a White Lion/Chrace army, so my choices will reflect that. Just go with the theme.
High Elves
HEROES 110
Lorcán Cad'fael, Mage (
lvl 1)
- Lore of Fire 110
- Silver Wand
- Spells Were: Fireball, Flame Storm
CORE 140
15 Spear Elves 140
- Musician
SPECIAL 250
6 White Lions 90
5 Lion Riders of Chrace (Dragon Princes) 160
- Musician
TOTAL: 500
----------------------------------------------
Dark Elves
HEROES 100
Sorceress (
lvl 1) 100
- Dark Magic
- Spells Were: Power of Darkness, Chillwind
CORE 248
10 Black Ark Corsairs 128
- Two Hand Weapons
- Full Command
- Reaver 2x Hand Bows
5 Dark Riders 120
- Full Command
SPECIAL 151
5 Cold One Knights 151
- Dread Knight
TOTAL: 499
Deployment:
Click for Larger Views!
Initial Thoughts: Rogue Sun's inner monologue: "I'm going to get the crap beaten out of me." That is a lot of cavalry, and at this points level cavalry rocks pretty hardcore, which is the reason I put the Lion Riders in this list. Seems I'm not the only one that realized the power of cavalry at this level though...
I put my Lion Riders on the Western flank just to see what my opponent will do with them there. Otherwise the Lions and Spears are moving up together. Seeing his Sorceress on her own is making my Mage salivate with some vigor.
Dark Elves, Turn 1:
Movement: The Druchii host surges forward, sharply pulling their entire line West, hoping to overwhelm the Asuran cavalry.
Magic: Winds are average with a 4 and 3 rolled. The Dark Sorceress calls upon her mastery of magic to cast Power of Darkness with 2 dice, which I let through. In return, she gains 2 power dice. Seeing the folly, she uses all of her power to weave an icy gust of wind into the Chracian cavalry causing a miscast. The spell downs two riders but has cost the Sorceress a wound.
Shooting: Looking around, somewhat befuddled, the Corsair Reaver does a face palm as he realizes he's the only one that has brought a ranged weapon to this fight. Unfortunately for him, he's out of range.
High Elves, Turn 1:
Movement: The Druchii have taken the bait! The Lion Riders swing east to rejoin the main column in preparation for a coordinated strike, with the Chracian Riders at the vanguard.
Magic: Winds start picking up with a 5 and 3. Seeing an opportunity to cause some serious damage with a fireball and flame storm, the Mage throws three power dice at a medium powered fireball at the dark riders bearing down on them. Needing a nine to cast the mage promptly rolls an 8 and fails miserably.
Shooting: I have none!
Dark Elves, Turn 2:
Movement: The fallen Elves form a battle line, challenging the lion warriors in front of them, while the dark riders encompass their prey.
Magic: Winds stay somewhat strong with two 4's coming up. Again, the Druchii witch uses all of her power to send an icy bolt at the Lion Riders, which I fail to dispel. Knowing this cold, though, the hearty riders shake of the frost unharmed.
High Elves, Turn 2:
Movement: The Druchii have stalled long enough. On Lorcán's signal the Asur attack. Running at a full sprint, the savage Lion Riders slam into the Corsairs, their thick armor and hide easily shaking off the arrows sent at them by the Reaver. The Spears swiftly reform to the West to face the Dark Riders, while the White Lions move to cover their now exposed flank.
Magic: Winds are strong with a 6 and a 4 rolled. Having learned from his mistake, the Chracian mage throws four power dice at a medium fireball into the Dark Riders, which the Sorceress fails to dispel. These flames are particularly rage fueled as 11 hits come up, incinerating horse and rider to ash.
The fiery mage then turns his attention to the well organized, and well clustered, battle line his dark cousins have formed. Knowing full well the Lion Riders would be well protected from any threat of flame(remember, Dragon Princes have a 2+ save against fire), the mage attempts to summon a powered up storm of flame, but rolls one less than is needed. Damn.
Combat: The Lion Riders strike hard at their sworn enemy, laying down 3 with their lances and ripping out the throat of another with their mounts. The Corsairs are helpless to pierce the armor of the knights assaulting them in return, and flee, providing good sport for the Chracian hunters who mercilessly hunt them down.
Dark Elves, Turn 3:
Movement: Witnessing the horror of the dark riders fate and seeing their battle line crumble, the Cold Ones vow to make their Asuran brethren pay, charging head long into the White Lions.
Magic: The Winds calm down a bit, with a 5 and 3 rolled. Seeing no use for the power of darkness, the Sorceress puts all of her might into another blast of frigid air, ending one of the riders of Chrace. This magic has come at a cost though, as the winds rage out of her control, draining the life from her.
Combat: The elite Elven bodyguard brace for impact as the dark knights reach their ranks. Before the knights can raise their lances, however, the White Lions bring their axes down in one coordinated strike, staining the white fur of their cloaks with the warm blood of four of dark elves. Fueled by his hatred, the Dread Knight silences 3 of the lion warriors in return.
High Elves, Turn 3:
Movement: The Charcian spears and their mounted brothers in the north both reform to face the doomed knight, moving in to to support the White Lions if need be.
Magic: Winds are huge with two 6's rolled, however, seeing no need to threaten the White Lion's safety, Lorcán quells the flames inside.
Combat: In one swift motion the head of the Dread Knight is neatly removed from his shoulders.
Massacre to the High Elves!
After game thoughts: My opponent's cavalry was really worrying me when the game started, and losing 2 Lion Riders on turn one was not helping that worry. My mage really didn't get to cast much this game, but what did get through was more than effective. Makes me kind of wonder what would have happened if I had manged to cast Fireball or Flame Storm earlier.
As always, comments, criticism, and pointing out our mistakes are welcome! Stay tuned for more reports from the Escalation League.
