There's a very cool thread on the Privateer Press Forums where people challenge each other to play lists they wouldn't normally try right here. I've been challenged to play Xerxis a little outside my comfort zone - that is, without Cetrati.
Here's the list, provided by Sgb. I'm going to play it this weekend, and give some reports as I go.
Tyrant Xerxis (+5)
*Titan Cannoneer (9)
*Cyclops Raider (5)
*Basilisk Krea (4)
10 Praetorian Karax (6)
6 Venator Reivers (5)
*Officer and Standard Bearer (2)
4 Paingiver Beast Handlers (2)
Ancestral Guardian (3)
Extoller Soulward (2)
Agonizer (2)
So, Karax and a Cyclops Raider instead of Cetrati, but otherwise identical to the Xerxis list I've been working with. I'm excited about Snipe, but nervous about not having a Medium-based screen for Xerxis. I'll have to be extra vigilant when I play.
Here is the teamwork scheme.
Team 1: Cannoneer, Raider, Krea, Paingivers, Extoller Soulward
This is going to be one of the teams providing me with firepower. The Cannoneer has a nice 20" threat range on its gun with Far Strike, as does the Raider. Together, they should be able to put some damage on any type of target. The Soulward will hand out Eyeless Sight so that either of them can see through woods, or ignore Stealth on the Move. The Krea will be around to protect them from return fire with Paralytic Aura, and also benefit from Far Strike with its Spiritual Paralysis, which it can use to reduce Warbeasts and other living models to Def 7 and prevent them from running or charging for a round.
Team 1 is going to go pretty close to Xerxis, because they're Medium and Large bases he can hide behind if he needs to, and because he can provide additional castings of Far Strike, and bask in the protective emanations of the Krea's Paralytic Aura without having to cast it himself.
Team 2: Xerxis, Ancestral Guardian, Karax
The Karax are going to be my main infantry unit for this list. They'll be deployed in one to three groups depending on where I feel I need their defense. They'll mostly stay near my other models in a brick, ready to take an enemy charge while my shooting models pressure the enemy to engage. Xerxis and the Ancestral Guardian are the main counterattack force for the Karax. They can put out a lot of attacks at a high Mat, and high Pow with Fury or Xerxis' Feat.
Team 2 will be pretty close to Teams 1 and 3, with the Karax a little ahead, and Xerxis and the AG back with the shooters. The Karax will be my shield against chargers, and will give blast damage immunity to other models via Girded. Xerxis and the AG will mop up infantry or kill off beasts who kill the Karax.
Team 3: Venators
The Venators will be my second firebase. While the Cannoneer, Raider and Krea will focus on single models (solos for the Cannoneer and Raider, Warbeasts for the Krea), the Venators will work on whittling down infantry units to the point where they'll be easy to finish off in melee, even for the defensively oriented Karax. They can also team up with the Cannoneer and Raider to put a bunch of shots onto one heavy. They shoot at Pow 19 against a large base if they all fire together.
They'll stay behind the Karax, and will probably be on the opposite side of Xerxis from my warbeasts. They'll have a lot of flexibility to shoot different targets and redeploy due to Extent Fire and Reform.
Team 4: Agonizer
The Agonizer will usually stick with Team 1, but is its own team because I can send it out in front to limit Arc Nodes or shut down Focus allocation. Against Hordes, it will stay by the Warbeasts, where its Gnawing Pain ability will do the most good.
So overall, this seems like a pretty solid brick. I'm not convinced on the Karax, but I'm willing to try them, and they will be at their strongest in a list that doesn't rely on them to do any damage while they're blocking charge lanes, and doesn't require them to move up the field quickly, all of which this list can provide. We'll see how it goes this Friday. :)
"The Karax are at their strongest when they aren't expected to kill anything or move."
ReplyDeleteWhat a shining endorsement!
Hmm, I look forward to playing this list. According to the guys at Tower (the guys from www.focusandfury.com), I tend to like models that everyone else considers absolute crap (or, as the prevailing theory goes, I like something and it retroactively becomes crap as the universe decides that I'm why we can't have nice things). Case in point, Karax. I like them.
ReplyDeleteI've also volunteered on the PPF thread, so we'll see if I have a similarly not-my-usual list to play.
:P
ReplyDeleteI want to like Karax. They have strong abilities, but their stats are too weak. Defensively, they're Swordsmen except when they're in Shield Wall. If they're in Shield Wall, then they're clumping together where all sorts of terrible things can happen to them. They're also only moving 5" a turn with most warlocks.
Their abilities also aren't the best fit for Skorne. Ranked attacks is a good ability to support a ranged unit like Venators, but most of our warlocks don't support Venators very well. Girded is nice, but then they need to keep up with the infantry they're protecting.
Offensively, their Mat is bad, and their P+S is low. The only thing they have going for them is CMA.
Basically, my opinion is that if you want to get some decent use out of them, you need to build your army around them, at least to some degree.
Xerxis is a good choice, for Inhospitable Ground and Defender's Ward. I'd say that Venators are almost necessary, and a good choice for Xerxis.
Then Again, I haven't played the Karax very much. Maybe they'll surprise me, especially in a list like this that wants to do a lot of damage at range, and use the Karax for a reasonably high-arm buffer.