Killing a temple guard bunkered Slann

[Velmates]

Hey, guys!

I had a game last week against Lizardmen with 1500 points. I lost. Not terribly I think but still. Since then, a few questions turned up in my mind and maybe someone could chew them through for me. So thanks in advance.

- My ghoul unit of 30 was caught with a block of 20 saurus and his 20 temple guard with his slann (maybe a mistake by me let this thing happen?). Including CR he killed all but 5. Then I attacked his flank and rear with a varghulf and 5 hexies. In such a case I am better off with not resurrecting any ghouls, right? Just to deny him killing many ghouls...

- How should I kill this slann best? He didn't use the strongest of all builds but combined with his TG bodyguard he still makes a nasty unit. My plan was to go around one flank with my black knights including my vampire (NOT lord), kill off some skinks and such stuff along their way. It worked pretty well but then I rolled snake eyes and a 4 for overrun and he got a flank charge with another 20 men saurus unit. Really bad luck ... one inch more and I would have got his back the next turn ...
The rest of his army seemed to be no real threat. I finishe both his units of skinks easily and my vamp killed the flanking unit on his own...
Has anyone some good experience with killing a bunkered slann? I would appreciate both, recommendations on units/army lists (yes, I know the army specific threads) as well as viable tactics...

 

[Johnny-Crass]

Saddly due to Cold Blooded being one of the best special rules in the game and Slaan being able to be a general and BSB it means that you have to kill every single temple guard. Or if you can get him in the rear you just need to kill enough to bring you into BTB with the Slaan and then he can not reform away from you.

A Blender Lord, Varghulfs, Terrorghiests and Black Knights are all very useful and good at killing TG. Also if you can get another unit in with them and make sure they are in the rear Varghiests would also work well.

 

[Xivigg]

Would Purple Sun/ Pit of Shade help vs Saurus ?? I would think so since they don't have a very high I do they ?

 

[bigbadbat]

Purple Sun is great against Lizzies. The trick is to keep your caster less than 24" from the TG unit but more than 24" from the toad. That way you still get your 6's.
Oddly enough, the Corpse Cart really shines against them too with their short range shooting and low I. It can operate safely behind your lines.

 

[Velmates]

I included a Lvl 2 shadow caster Vampire in my 2000 points list for our next game and I hope to roll for PoS (if not, shadow is still a good lore). About death: I don't want to use a Lvl 4 MN in such mid-points games. I think it is much more important to field some badass Vampire Lord to kill some stuff since you can't rely on magic especially against Lizardmen.

I know the problem with Lizardmen and Slann. Except for a Varghulf, I have included everything Johnny mentioned in my 2000 pts list. Hopefully I can get at least one unit in his back and kill his toad.

So far, thanks guys!

 

[Scalenex]

I play Lizardmen have only recently got my toe in the water for collecting Vampire Counts.

It is very rare to kill a Slann in a Temple Guard bunker. It happened to me once when I failed to dispel a Death character sniping spell and then got very weak rolls on my Ward Saves.

Having a general who is also a BSB is awesome for me, but there is one downside. If the Temple Guard are wiped out, the Slann loses their Stubborn special rule. The turn the last of the Temple Guard are slain is usually a turn in which the Slann loses combat by a lot. When a Slann BSB is broken in combat, they auto-die just like all other BSBs.

Basically you have to kill the Temple Guard to the last man. Throw every hex and direct damage spell you can at them, direct Terrorgheists and Banshees at them when convenient (though screams are probably better served against the heavy hitting Ld 6 targets like Salamanders and Stegadons), try to isolate them from the rest of their army and charge them from two sides.

There now I traitorously told you how to kill our army's most powerful unit.

 

[AngryAngel]

As a player of lizardmen, this is a tactic I regularly use. But how you kill it is base on what lore the slann is running, because it completely changes your approach.

A true slann/tg bunker will have about 20 tg, with the slann taking becalming cogitation(a wizard within 24" looses any magic dice that rolls 6), focus of mystery(lore master), and focused rumination(gives him a free power dice for every spell). With this combo, relying on magic to kill them is a serious gamble as he's probably the strongest caster in the game and you can't rely on irresistible force since he can remove your 6's. so here goes:

Assuming he is NOT running lore of life, screaming is your best bet. Stay out of combat as long as possible and weaken the crap out of the bunker. The slann MUST stay in the second row, so once he is exposed from behind, hit him and kill him, then sit back and enjoy your victory.

If he is running life, the above tactic won't work(trust me, had two guys try it on me and I tabled them). If he is fielding life he can regrow the unit and buff them to near god-like toughness with alarming ease. In this case, short of a miracle of death magic(don't count on it), your only real hope is to punch them down with a concerted wave. Hold them in place with a unit of expendables and hit them AS HARD AS YOU CAN in the flanks. Ch's, Vargs, bk's, hit them simultaneously with as much power as you can and kill them fast. You have to drop them in your first round of combat, or at least get very close to it) or they are going to juggernaught right over you later.

In short it will take a big section of your army moving as a whole to kill them, but once you do you have basically won the game, so hold em by the nose and hit em with the biggest hammer you got

Good luck

 

[kevin.hopkins7]

That's sum useful info there. At least for the time being..the lizardmen are getting a new book soon, about to probably change.(September or August, still some time left though!)

Also, check the date of the last post before posting. Unlike the corpses we raise back to unlife, we like to keep dead threads dead! Necromancy vs threadomancy. Ty

 

[Blutsauger]

My 'other' army is lizardmen.

A Slann in a bunker unit is difficult. He'll be preventing your Irresistible Force rolls, dumping his Miscasts onto your General, and depending on the lore he chooses will be near impossible to move in combat. T8 Temple Guard, with regen and the ability to raise dead models, and stubborn LD9 with a re-roll and coldblooded? Yeah, they're not going anywhere fast.

Your best bet, IMO, is to set up multiple charges from killer units. Charging the unit in the rear and hoping to get to the slann isn't a bad idea, but remember he can do a combat reform as well, and if he's taken the lore of Life (one of the best vs Vamps, IMO) you have no guarantee of even killing five or six Temple Guard.

Another option is to simply ignore it. It's combat potential isn't huge, and it's only M4. Run magical defence, remember to dispell his RIP spells in your turn, and score points by squishing Skinks and regular Saurus units. This can be difficult, depending on his choice of spell Lore, but he'd have to pull of something pretty spectacular to start earning back the 650+ points that unit costs. Problem is, when he can cast a spell with IF, and then dump his miscast on your Vampire Lord, the potential for 'spectacular' is pretty high

 

[HOneym]

Bloodknight vamp bunker