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Which flanking unit is best?

  • Dire Wolves

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Black Knights

    Votes: 8 12.5%
  • Fell Bats

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Spirit Hosts

    Votes: 5 7.8%
  • Vargheists

    Votes: 20 31.3%
  • Hexwraiths

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • Varghulf

    Votes: 25 39.1%
  • Cairnwraiths

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Terrorgheist

    Votes: 3 4.7%

  • Total voters
    64

forgottenlor

Ghoul
Jun 23, 2008
134
Vienna
What unit is best to guard and harrass the flanks? There are so many in the new book, its kind of hard to choose. Here are the choice as I see them.

Dire Wolves: +cheap
+core
+easy to raise
+vanguard
-can't be expected to do much in combat.

Black Knights +good armour
+can take a magic standard and a musician
+spectral steeds.
-not as maneuverable as other flankers.
-relatively slow flankers.
-not cheap when fully equipped.

Fell Bats +fly
+easy to raise
+cheap
-can't be expected to do much in combat.

Spirit Hosts +ethereal
+skirmishers
-slow for flankers

Hewwraiths +ethereal
+fast cavalry
-very vulnerable against magic
-not cheap

Vargeists +fly
+can dish out tons of damage
+vampiric
-frenzy
-suseptable to missles and magic
-not cheap

Varghulf +single model (small footprint, free turning, combat output not reduced by wounds)
+regeneration
+vampiric
+terror
-suseptable to war machines
-not cheap
-terrible leadership

Wraiths +ethereal
+skirimshers
+good damage out put
-very expensive
-slow for flakers

Terrogeist +flies
+single model (small footprint, free turning, combat output not reduced by wounds)
+shriek
-suseptable to war machines
-expensive
-terrible leadership

Which do you use and why?
 

TobiasRathein

Black Knight
Feb 27, 2012
307
I am partial to vargheists. Their ability to move 20" a turn and get free reforms means you never have to worry about frenzy...until you want to. They are probably the best flank chargers in our army. However, this is all they do well.
 

Xander

Ghoul
Jan 11, 2012
130
Looks like a lot of love for the vargulf. I put my vote towards it as well. People underestimate this model, especially everyone on this site. I've seen it bashed so often, but it's quite amazing.
 

LuciusBlake

Zombie
Apr 5, 2010
43
varghulf simply one of the best units in the old book and even now... single unit that can make good use of cover, he's fast, survivable, has regen, terror, good damage output, and reliable (not gonna go frenzy chasing a lone fanatic) why am i repeating all of this? becuz.. he's a versatile jack of all trades.. isnt that what flanking is all about?? run him alongside some knights and theres your powerful right hook...
 

bobajelly

Skeleton
Jan 26, 2012
95
LuciusBlake said:
varghulf simply one of the best units in the old book and even now... single unit that can make good use of cover, he's fast, survivable, has regen, terror, good damage output, and reliable (not gonna go frenzy chasing a lone fanatic) why am i repeating all of this? becuz.. he's a versatile jack of all trades.. isnt that what flanking is all about?? run him alongside some knights and theres your powerful right hook...

I would question his reliability regarding frenzy and his low Ld. And if you plan to avoid this by constantly turning him to avoid this problem, then you're better off with vargheists for damage output.
 

Bune

Skeleton
Jan 6, 2012
56
bobajelly said:
LuciusBlake said:
varghulf simply one of the best units in the old book and even now... single unit that can make good use of cover, he's fast, survivable, has regen, terror, good damage output, and reliable (not gonna go frenzy chasing a lone fanatic) why am i repeating all of this? becuz.. he's a versatile jack of all trades.. isnt that what flanking is all about?? run him alongside some knights and theres your powerful right hook...

I would question his reliability regarding frenzy and his low Ld. And if you plan to avoid this by constantly turning him to avoid this problem, then you're better off with vargheists for damage output.

A vargulf doesnt have frenzy. so that's not really a problem.
anyway my vote goes to Vargheists.. closely followed by vargulf..
 

forgottenlor

Ghoul
Jun 23, 2008
134
Vienna
Vladvoncarp said:
Why aren't Bat Swarms an option here?

Good question. I suppose with all the other options present, I didn't consider them, because of their slow speed, and the fact that they die very quickly in combat. I would never take them over the other choices in the list. I could have also listed blood knights, as they do have the speed for the role, but I also didn't think of them, because for me they are a "hammer" unit and not a classic flanking unit.
 

GhoulKing505

Grave Guard
Mar 21, 2011
211
I like Black Knights the best. They can dish out a lot of damage and they don't die in droves like anything else. Plus you can stick a character in them if you want to. You can't really do that with the other choices. Although I might be biased. The one time I used them they rode through a unit of Saurus Cav like it was no problem. Probably had something to do with me getting re-rolls to wound that turn and the fact that the Cav are completely out dated and overpriced but I still enjoyed it a lot. xD
 

hairyjeff

Crypt Horror
May 10, 2011
579
Either Black Knights, as above, or BIG units of puppies- 20 or more. That way, at least some will arrive, and they draw fire from your other units.
But the Knights win, point for point.
 

Alark

Skeleton
Feb 16, 2012
85
Johnny-Crass said:
Today a Varghulf killed a geared up grudge thrower and 45 dwarf warriors. I think he gets my vote;)

Lol you got your points worth out of that one. Dont you think he is overpointed for what he is though? There are better and also cheaper monsters in the game (hydra).
 

Raizi

Vampire Thrall
Oct 16, 2011
999
I was wondering how long it took until someone played the 'Hydra' -card again. :rolleyes:

I voted for Varghulf. I've been in love with the beast since last book and now with thunderstomp, it just got better. A very fast unit to begin with and it can march even out of the general's bubble, I think it's the perfect flanker. I rarely send it alone, but when played and deployed with thought it is a very effective unit. For warmachine/wizard hunting I usually sidekick it with Dire Wolves or Fell Bats and with Black Knights if I want to take out entire units.
 

Chaos_Born

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Jan 17, 2012
2,053
Omnipresent
My vote goes with black knights because although the varghulf is more killy, once he has won the flank and charges into the side of an enemy unit he cannot cause disruption. A decent sized unit of black knights charging should break enemy flank wardens, then they pile into already happening combats giving a boatload of combat res. Also, as has been mentioned, you can put characters with them and turn them into a marauding sledgehammers of doom.
 

Luvadin

Ghoul
Aug 22, 2009
104
I'm inbetween the Varghulf and the Vargheists. In fact, I have doubts in which one to field on my list. I like the Varghulf's Terror and close combat toughness, but on the other hand, he might have trouble with warmachines. What I'm truely in love about the Vargheists is the flying option + free reform, as they can be anywhere in any form. In this sense, the Varghulf is more paralytic as he can't fly and his pivoting limits his movement. How do you usually counter this last thing?
 

Johnny-Crass

Vampire Ancient
True Blood
Jan 25, 2012
6,633
California
Alark said:
Johnny-Crass said:
Today a Varghulf killed a geared up grudge thrower and 45 dwarf warriors. I think he gets my vote;)

Lol you got your points worth out of that one. Dont you think he is overpointed for what he is though? There are better and also cheaper monsters in the game (hydra).

He is the same points as a hydra and I often find he pulls his weight alot more than a hydra due to smaller basem faster movement and better stats. I mean no breath weapon but still
 

Alark

Skeleton
Feb 16, 2012
85
Johnny-Crass said:
Alark said:
Johnny-Crass said:
Today a Varghulf killed a geared up grudge thrower and 45 dwarf warriors. I think he gets my vote;)

Lol you got your points worth out of that one. Dont you think he is overpointed for what he is though? There are better and also cheaper monsters in the game (hydra).

He is the same points as a hydra and I often find he pulls his weight alot more than a hydra due to smaller basem faster movement and better stats. I mean no breath weapon but still

Yeah i guess your right, he should still be a little cheaper though. Still a solid unit though, hes on my purchase list lol.
 

bobajelly

Skeleton
Jan 26, 2012
95
forgottenlor said:
Maybe its the Hydra that's underpriced, and not the Varghulf who's overpriced? ;)

giants are more expensive than both and less useful (i find) than both. Hydra are under priced given their damage output and durability, but they are a bit slow.
 

TobiasRathein

Black Knight
Feb 27, 2012
307
Their speed is irrelevant when they're able to kill half the stuff you throw at them whenever they feel like it.

Still not as bad as hell pit abominations, though. Now those are underpriced.
 

Johnny-Crass

Vampire Ancient
True Blood
Jan 25, 2012
6,633
California
TobiasRathein said:
Their speed is irrelevant when they're able to kill half the stuff you throw at them whenever they feel like it.

Still not as bad as hell pit abominations, though. Now those are underpriced.

I do fear HPA. But Hydras are the easiest things in the world to deal with and every book has tons of great counters to them
 

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