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What are viable methods for countering summoning armies?

Apologies if this has been discussed previously.

1) Unbind

As your opponent deploys units that can summon, plan on deploying at least one wizard of your own (a bonus to Unbind would be handy). You must be in LOS and within 18" to attempt the unbind, but there's nothing in the rules that stop one wizard unbinding multiple spells (unbind isn't a spell).

2) Counter-summon

As your opponent deploys wizards that can summon, plan on deploying your own wizards that can do the same. This is basically an arms-race strategy the relies on summoned units from each side basically neutralizing each other.

3) Hedgehog and play for a minor victory

As your opponent deploys wizards that can summon, consider the possibility of going defensive to try to outlast the summon swarm, hoping that you kill enough summoned models to take his losses over 100%.

4) Deep-strike/alpha-strike

As your opponent deploys wizards that can summon, plan on deploying units that can deep-strike (or move VERY quickly) to the summoner to kill it fast - might be hard for Nagrash

Others?

Shooting units that don't need LOS. An empire hell storm rocket battery will take care of most wizards in one shot on average.

 Coyote81 wrote:
Shooting units that don't need LOS. An empire hell storm rocket battery will take care of most wizards in one shot on average.

Nice!

Guardians of the deepwood formation?

Unbinding is usually limited to one per phase - just as most wizards can only cast one spell a phase. Summoner lists will likely be spamming models that can summon models or employ casters with more than one cast attempt per phase - most of which are named. If you decide not to run with named characters, it does limit the potency of many summoning lists. Demons and Lizardmen will still be a problem, of course - the latter because Slaan are nuts, and the former because demons can gate in other demons which gate in other demons. :S

If the army depends on summoning wizards, you can run a go-for-broke assassination plan and take them out - otherwise it's going to be an uphill battle.

overtninja wrote:
Unbinding is usually limited to one per phase - just as most wizards can only cast one spell a phase. Summoner lists will likely be spamming models that can summon models or employ casters with more than one cast attempt per phase - most of which are named. If you decide not to run with named characters, it does limit the potency of many summoning lists. Demons and Lizardmen will still be a problem, of course - the latter because Slaan are nuts, and the former because demons can gate in other demons which gate in other demons. :S

If the army depends on summoning wizards, you can run a go-for-broke assassination plan and take them out - otherwise it's going to be an uphill battle.

You are quite correct. I was re-reading last night and it is clear wizards are limited in the number of unbinds they can do (not always the same as the number of spells, but limits nonetheless). My mistake!

I think stuff like warmachines might be the answer. Unbinding seems too unreliable for it, unfortunately.

I think mobile wizards (i.e. ones with mounts and/or fly) are a useful thing to include. They can get to where they're needed for unbinding duties in a pinch and, yes, whilst unbinding isn't the most reliable of tactics, they have their own usages beyond simply blocking enemy magic.

 The Shadow wrote:
I think mobile wizards (i.e. ones with mounts and/or fly) are a useful thing to include. They can get to where they're needed for unbinding duties in a pinch and, yes, whilst unbinding isn't the most reliable of tactics, they have their own usages beyond simply blocking enemy magic.

I think summoning armies have an edge in AoS.
As said mobile wizards are key.
Somebody having experience against summoing armies?

I've been playing daemons a lot with my dwarves. I've found fielding 2 cannons that only target his wizards is pretty good. Or two grudge throwers. All with an engineer attached.

With my tomb kings speed is my tactic using horsemen and chariots and swarms/scorpions to limit his space and skull cats to lump his casters. Overall i find that shutting down actuall space and creating the 3"bubble works best. (At least for me.)

Any of the special deployment troops can get close and wreck the Mage easily enough if they expose themselves. Ripperdactyls, Stormcast, Chameleon Skinks, Bugman's Rangers , and so on.

I used A Hellcannon last time, was very efficient :-)

Hellcannons are gravy for taking out pesky summoners. I haven't dealt with much in the way of cannons from opponents yet, but my Hellcannon has pelted King Louis, and left him a pool of goo. I imagine summoners melt in a similar fashion.

I can personally attest to warmachines being effective against wizards. I had mine get a a boulder dropped on him from a Grudgethrower before he even had time to cast a spell. I guess it was a preemptive grudge.

 Gridge wrote:
I can personally attest to warmachines being effective against wizards. I had mine get a a boulder dropped on him from a Grudgethrower before he even had time to cast a spell. I guess it was a preemptive grudge.

I am liking the idea of a preemptive grudge lol.

My gaming group has effectively countered my summoning by house ruling the gak out of it. So, I don't even play it anymore. That's how you do it!

Gryph-Hounds with a nasty ranged unit nearby.

It effectively creates a "Oh crap, I don't want to place units there" bubble.

I have two methods I do not see discussed in the previous posts.

Before the game talk to your opponent and request a summoning limit. AOS has the environment that to play a friendly game you talk about what game you want to play before hand.

If you potential opponent does not want to discuss it and chooses to "play to win at all costs," then play a game where you are sure to be allowed to choose the sudden death option. Deploy 1 Tomb King Carrion. Choose the sudden death option where one of your models has to survive. Carrion flies high to start the game and never comes down. Instant win. But your opponent can summon to their hearts content and it will do nothing. A Carrion when flying high cannot be shot, attacked or be the target of a spell. Now ask them if they want to play a game where the summoning is more balanced for everyone involved. If they choose to only deploy one item then deploy so much that you can shoot the summoner of the table in the first turn. I would label this the 'beat the idiocy out of them' option.

As a newly annoited AoS player I'm liking the screaming skull catapult backed up by hexwraiths or horse archers for shutting down casters. granted it only been me vs Mrs.Ironjack atm but those three in some combo have gotten the job done.

Grudge throwers are great for splatting summoning wizards