Magic, magic, magic

[Zingmark]

Another question from me..
I've now played a total of 6 games (not counting smaller battles at <1000 pts) against WoC and WE.. I've won twice against WoC.. lost twice and won twice against WE.. But I have a dilemma.. Since my opponents are expecting a nasty magic-based army with 9+ PD they always go with mainly magic lords and heroes.. This begins an evil circle where I am forced to keep having alot of magic (lord with MotBA and atleast 1 vamp with Dark Acolyte), thus keeping me from actually trying out a more combat-oriented character setup.. If I don't do this I probably wont get many spells out and will be overwhelmed in their magic phase

Has anyone else had this problem? Found any way of negating it? Spend loads of pts on dispel scrolls?

 

[Sovereign]

If you know you can't win in the magic phase, go for a defensive setup and don't even bother arranging offensive spell+item/bloodline combos. Still try to cast things when the magic phase comes around (just in case) but don't count on anything getting off.

I'd recommend that if you want to try combat stuff, ignore casting gear on your Vampire(s), take Wight Kings, and for magic defenses take a "scroll caddy" Necromancer- that is, one with two Dispel Scrolls and no other upgrades. Have him take Invocation of Nehek since he might as well try to cast something with his solitary power die.

Taking bound items is also a bad idea if you don't have at least 7 or 8 power dice- but taking the Black Periapt is a very good idea. When magic is turning against you, it's basically a 15 point dispel die.

Corpse Carts with Balefire are also a good idea, as they'll play havoc with your opponents' magic and maybe let you occasionally get a spell off. If all else fails, they have 2d6 attacks and move as monsters.

 

[Oracle]

Sovereign has good points, but I would disagree for the 'Use Wight Kings part". A vampire is excellent for magic defense as he (or she ) generates another dice, even when you kit them out for combat. So take Black Periapt, a scroll caddy necro, the same number of vamps (or 1 less to make room for the necro) and a Corpse Cart with balefire, and you will have a very strong magic defense. Just make sure to invest heavily in troops, as you won't be raising many back.