Note: this isn't actually a serious battle, it was basically just an excuse for some random banter, so the entire thing is just totally pointless in every possible way. You might not want to read this.
For this long-overdue 1000 point battle, I used
this army. My opponent was using High Elves, I don't know what the points values are exactly (can't be bothered...) but his list went like this:
Mage: Level two, Seer, Pure of Heart and Jewel of the Dusk.
Mage: Level two, Starwood Staff and Pure of Heart.
14 Archers: Champion.
15 Seaguard: Shields, Standard Bearer and Champion.
Two Repeater Bolt Throwers.
Now, I would be mildly tempted to laugh had I brought any cavalry but as it was I realised I could possibly lose this (though it was unlikely). I set up with my characters in the centre, then Warriors on either side, and the Marauders on the flanks (no Reavers: yay!).
High Elves Turn 1: My opponent began by realising that all his spells were out of range (he had deployed about 26" away from me). He then realised he Seaguard were out as well and cursed loudly. I chuckled menacingly. His Eagle's Claws opened up on my Warriors of Tzeentch, killing one. Then the Archers killed five of the Marauders with shields (they were on the left). They passed their Panic test.
Chaos Turn 1: I lost the roll off, but who cares. I marched everything up at full speed except the Exalted Champion and Sorcerer, who only marched 7" to make sure they were not the closest target for my opponent's (henceforth I'll call him Duffy. That's his surname, you see) shooting. My magic phase was okay, my Socerer casting Wind Of Death on the Seaguard, killing three. Dark Hand Of Death was dispelled and my Exalted Champion's pathetic attempt at casting Steed Of Shadows was worrying.
High Elves Turn 2: Duffy managed to cast Curse Of Arrow Attraction on my Tzeentch Warriors, only because of my worthless Sorcerer somehow failing to dispel an 8 with three dice rolled. Then his Mages singled out the shielded Marauders for more hurt, casting Fury Of Khaine on them and killing three. They failed to cast Drain Magic on my Sorcerer. The shooting phase was ugly: six Tzeentch Warriors fell to the combined volleys of the Bolt Throwers. Then another three Marauders fell to the Archers and one more of the Tzeentch Warriors to the Seaguard's arrows. Both passed their Panic tests, though, fortunately.
Chaos Turn 2: Again, everything marched up. Wind of Death was dispelled this turn so I opted for Dark Hand Of Death on the Seaguard and killed one more. My Exalted Champion rolled another 1 on his To Cast roll for Steed Of Shadows. I made a mental note to give him two dice for it next turn, as he was clearly jinxed.
High Elves Turn 3: This time, all Duffy's spells were cast. Firstly, there was Fury Of Khaine on my Tzeentch Warriors, which killed two. Then the second Mage cast the same spell on my Undivided Warriors, scoring a frightening eleven hits. Only four wounded, and two Warriors died. Curse Of Arrow Attraction was then cast on the same unit. Oh dear. The Eagle's Claws then proceeded to kill nine Warriors: ouch. Then the Archers killed three Marauders and the Seaguard failed to wound the now drastically-weakened Warriors. Both units of Warriors passed their Panic tests but the Marauders weren't so lucky, running 3". I noticed that my Marauders with flails and characters were still totally untouched. "He's dead," I thought.
Chaos Turn 3: Yet again, everything moved as fast as possible towards the Asur. Both Wind Of Death and Dark Hand Of Death were dispelled, but my Exalted Champion managed to cast Steed of Shadows on himself! He used it to charge the Bolt Thrower on the right flank (the unharmed one). The subsequent Close Combat phase was short and bloody, my Champion cutting the two crewman into small pieces but opting not to overrun, because I wanted charges next turn (mwahahahaha).
High Elves Turn 4: Oddly, Duffy's magic failed this turn, with all of it either failing to cast or being dispelled. He poured everything into the Tzeentch Warriors, but all his shots either failed to wound or were saved. "That's lucky," I grinned.
Chaos Turn 4: Duffy looked distinctly worried, but I was a little nervous as well. I only had two Tzeentch Warriors (the Champion and Standard Bearer), the Warrior Champion, my characters and the sixteen Marauders within the main battle area. Anyway, I proceeded to charge the Tzeentch Warriors into the remaining Eagle's Claw, the Warrior Champion and the Exalted Champion into the Seaguard and the Marauders with flails into the Archers. There wasn't anything to do in the magic phase, so I went straight for combat. Only one Bolt Thrower crewman was cut apart by the Warriors' blades. That's odd. The remaining Elf passed his break test, too: grr. Next, the Exalted Champion cut two Seaguard to shreds but the Warrior fluffed his attacks. The one (they were still in shallow formation) return attack from the Seaguard missed. The combat was tied and Duffy despaired at his stupidity in not taking a Musician. Next, the Marauders attacked the Archers. Or rather, the Marauder: the unit was clipped and only my Chieftain was in contact. He missed. Nice, the whole point of flails has been utterly wasted. Oh, joy. They passed his break test conveniently.
High Elves Turn 5: Straight to the Combat phase, and my Tzeentch Warriors struck down the lone Asur crewing the Eagle's Claw. Then my Exalted Champion killed four Seaguard. The Warrior Champion killed one more. We decided to be fair and move the Archers so that both units had the maximum number of models in combat. The Archers killed three Marauders and they failed to return the favour. The Marauders fled, and were duly cut down. How embarrassing! Next, the Seaguard ran, and the Exalted Champion pursued them, only to be short by 3".
Chaos Turn 5: The Exalted Champion charged off the table at the four remaining Seaguard, finally driving them away. My Sorcerer and the three remaining Warriors formed a battleline to take on the Archers. With the Exalted Champion off the table, my Sorcerer had both of his attempted spells dispelled.
High Elves Turn 6: The Archers turned around and one of the Mages left the unit to stand behind it. Thus the first Mage had both his spells either failing to cast or dispelled. The Archers shot hopefully (hitting on 5s) at the Sorcerer but he saved the two wounds they caused.
Chaos Turn 6: The three Warriors charged the Archers, with no stand and shoot because I had cunningly positioned them 3" away. The Exalted Champion returned and the Sorcerer moved round for a clear view of the hiding Mage to attempt Steal Soul. Steal Soul was dispelled, but the Exalted Champion triumphantly cast Steed Of Shadows (love that spell...) and propelled himself into the Mage. In combat, he slaughtered the Mage for his audacity in challenging the Ruinous Powers, and the Warriors managed to kill four Archers: nicely done. Predictably, the Archers failed to wound with their return attacks and proceeded to break and flee, only to be cut down by the bloodthirsty Warriors of Chaos.
Result: Massacre to me.
I won this battle because Duffy picked a silly army, I think you'll agree. Two full Mages in such a battle seems a bit like over-specialisation to me. Plus, High Elf Archers cannot possibly, ever, in a million years, be used like other missile troops: they need to be used to reduce ranks, not cause Panic tests, so ultimately I won, even with such a remarkably slow and bad army. Nice, huh?
