Vampire Lord Unit

[Umbra]

Just interested to see what most people do with their VL, I've not had too many games so far and this may be covered elsewhere, but do you like to put your VL:

a)Mounted, with a unit of BK/BK, better save and mobility
b)On foot with a combat heavy unit like graveguard, but putting a few eggs in one basket and ?overkill
c)On foot with a core unit like skellies with HW/S to basically just generate CR and give a LoS save.
d)On a large, cannon ball attracting target like TG or coven throne
e)Other option

Will be interested to see what you all prefer!

 

[Bullhax]

personally all of them.. I use a wide variety of lists almost never use the same one twice, where I play we allow proxies.. So I've tried it all..

a) in a cav. heavy list CC lord with QB and RF, and 4++ ward save with a baby vamp rocking the nightshroud next to him..

b) Well it depends on what your meta is if it's MSU this might be overkill but in a horde heavy envirorment this might be just right.. When I do this build, the unit is often flanked by two MEs..

c) This is the one I use the most at the moment, my meta has shifted towards more of a MSU kind of thing and I use GG's less and less so when my lord is on foot he is often with my ghouls (I do have a nag of taking a GK too).. When I leave the CC heavy lord at home I often leave him in a unit of zombies or skeletons for the LOS!

d) The GK on TG is something I do once or twice in fun games where I know my opponent wont run 600 cannons, but NEVER a CT for the lord, the CT is reserved for a baby vamp with my lord close by, this in one of the few builds where you can make your baby vamp a BSB.!

e) I've run a mounted CC VL in a unit of CH's, mind you it was against a WoC opponent who dislikes the hellcannon A LOT so I was pretty sure he wasn't going to bring it..

First it depends on your list and the type of lord all units benefit from having a VL there to amp up their CR and melt face. Second it depends a lot on your meta, some options will seem glaringly suicidal once you get to know your meta.
Option d) I would leave at home in all other than friendly games, for a start, as it can be VERY discouraging as a new VC player (I speak from bitter experience here)

 

[Umbra]

Yeah, i think i'm probably leaning more towards option (a) or (c). Interesting, thanks for the input!

 

[Bullhax]

Yeah, i think i'm probably leaning more towards option (a) or (c). Interesting, thanks for the input!

I don't have any numbers to back it up but these are the two most used of the ones listed..

The cavalry list was very popular once though it seem to have shifted towards the more infantry heavy with a sprinkle of MI..

You can always post your lists in the Legions of the Damned part of the forum..

We have avid list proofreaders, mainly Sunny (The Sun King) who will pop up like a jack in the box the very instant you hit "post thread" and help you out with your list making problems.

 

[Adam_Barrow]

E.) Abyssal Terror. Team Necrarch! If i'm dying it's on the back of a stitched together monster.

 

[Seneschal]

I go with "C." Ranks are always a good thing and the 1+ armor save untis are scared of my VL so let 'em try and charge me.
I do agree that the Black Knight bus is a very good setup, however. When the book was released, GT players immediately gravitated towards it months before this forum did.

 

[The Sun King]

I never play with the BK Bus so I always take my Lord on foot. Other than that I'm quite flexible, she might be in the Ghouls one day and in the Skeletons the next. Really depends on the enemy I'm facing and the army I'm bringing.

 

[Lynks]

They all get a pretty decent work out around these parts I think.

In order of popularity though off the top of my head it would likely be b->a->c->d->e

 

[Vipoid]

When I first started, I did (b) a lot. However, I've come to dislike that option - it basically turns the GG into a death star (and, if I make a death star, I don't want it to be an incidental one ). Also, I don't like having one unit which basically screams "Kill this and my army is completely de-fanged!"

Now I mostly go with (c) and run my VL/SGK in a block of core; which, up till now, has been ghouls. Although, I'm tempted to try Skeletons instead for a few reasons:

- Full Command (musicians in particular are very useful...)
- Can take a magic banner
- half the cost of ghouls (My lord always feels safer if there are more bodies between him and crumbling.

I'm not sure of this counts as (e), but I've occasionally started a winged SGK in a unit, only for him to leave it early, and spend most of the game flying around.

 

[Umbra]

Cool! That certainly sounds unconventional! How did your SGK do on his own?

 

[Vipoid]

Cool! That certainly sounds unconventional! How did your SGK do on his own?

He did very well, killing Vilitch, a unit of Chosen and a hellcannon.

Unfortunately, the rest of my army didn't fare so well. :tongue:

 

[Umbra]

Haha! sounds fun, shame about the rest of the army, but must've been nice to total all those others with your SGK!

 

[Vipoid]

Haha! sounds fun, shame about the rest of the army, but must've been nice to total all those others with your SGK!

It was indeed fun. It's the reason I always run my SGK with wings now - I don't always use them, but I absolutely love having the option.


With regard to the rest of my army, I felt it was doomed anyway. See, the game in question was a 2v2 - Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings (Team Crumblefest ) vs WoC and Beastmen.

Basically, because our armies needed to keep near our generals, we deployed with TKs on the left and my VCs on the right.

Unfortunately, our enemies deployed less evenly. I believe the TK player was matched with some small Chaos Warrior units, and a Gor chariot. I, on the other hand, was facing a Gor Horde (plus hero and 2 casters), 6 Minotaurs and a Doombull, Vilitch in a unit of Chosen, A hellcannon, and a Ghorgon/Dragon-Ogre-Shaggoth tag-team. :O

I couldn't expect TK reinforcements any time soon (certainly not soon enough to help), and I doubted that my lines would hold. I just didn't have enough stuff to counter theirs, nor enough fodder to prevent their monsters making their way round and either flanking me, or eating my mage-bunker. :grave:

However, I noticed that Vilitch and his Chosen unit had moved quite close. So, I thought that my Ghoul King could at least make himself useful and take out their magic support. And, he did - winning combat in the enemy turn, causing them to flee and then cutting down the chosen. In my turn, he charged the hellcannon and killed that too.

The rest of my army died, but it was still immense fun to have my SGK flying around, and it remains one of my favourite games.

 

[Blutsauger]

The Zombie Dragon is a massive, intimidating and most importantly gorgeous model, so I use it at every opportunity, regardless of how effective it is.

 

[HOneym]

Put em on a horse with blood knights

 

[gilbo12345]

I always used to have my VC in core back in 6th ed. I had Strigoi bloodlines and had a Count / Lord with two Thralls in a Skeleton block each. (Summon Ghouls rocked!! Ambushing skirmishing ghouls). The only issues I ever had was a friend's stegadon since he'd direct all of its attacks to my thrall, my banshee's helped keep it in check though

Though later on I started putting my Lord in Sword and Board GG, (to make a killy anvil unit lol).

Though now the GG have been upgraded with GW I think I'll just put him back in core. Perhaps horded ghouls to give them some anti-armour punch.

 

[Bane]

I like the GG footbus, truth be told. I know it isn't optimum, but it does handle itself well, and provides ranks at T4.

The BK bus is also beautiful.

Also consider the Ghoulbus if running pure vamps and maybe even double MEs.

I just find that spreading the characters amongst the core doesn't give any one thing enough punch to survive very long. I end up with all the eggs in one basket in an effort to have one punchy unit, and the rest are to hold everything else up.