Strategies against Airborne Elite

[Soul Shackle]

I can't seem to find any threads on strategies AGAINST the AE. Can anyone help? They seem to give such a hefty advantage, especially on tall maps, that we're thinking of banning them from the game. I don't want to have to do that. If there's a thread I'm not seeing could someone guide me there? (Didn't see much of anything in the official Book.)

[IAmBatman]

Don't build tall maps? Build maps where the tall parts are avoidable. If they drop at a tall place and you stay out of their range, they can't do a whole lot. Draft people with longer range, like Syvarris and Q9 and Deadeye Dan, so that you can sit down outside their range and shoot them up. Draft Sgt. Drake, who they're not going to hurt too bad with their special, and who they can't touch with their regular attack until he's right next to them. And on tall maps, he can get elevated to get next to them. Pick flyers with tough defense to fly up and go after them (like Minions and Sentinels). If you build really tall maps, try to put a few spaces all together at the top level, so that your flyers can get adjacent to the AE. If they can drop in a way that denies a landing spot, you've built a map very much slanted in their favor. Depending on how tall you go, you can also draft Jotun and toss them down from height.

[Shades fan]

Ok the AE have very low defence which allows them to be killed easily by higher attack ranged units. Here are a list of some units that could do the trick to kill them
Q9
Sgt.Drake
Syvarris
Sentinal of Jandar
Cyprein
Q10
Krav
Kaemon
EOV
and many more most of the time it has to do with the strategy you use. Unless it is the grenade special attack that you are having trouble with then it is how you lay out your starting zone.

[rdhight]

If they don't drop early, you can also race fast units or sturdy fliers (sentinels, etc.) to the top of the hills. Since each rat protects the space he's sitting on and the six adjacent to him, it doesn't take many figures to really change the Drop picture for the worse.

[Revdyer]

At the GenCon tournament last summer, markwars got the AE drop and the initiative on the first turn and threw four grenades right into my starting zone, killing seven of my 4th Mass (leaving me five alive). Then on my first turn I was able to Wait and Fire four of the 4th and they took out all four of the AE even though they had height. I think that illustrates both the strength and the weakness of the AE (aside from the "didn't drop all game" weakness). There's no real high strategy to dealing with the AE. Just shoot 'em!

[Metaknight]

Kaemon Awa. With his special attack he just pwns them! I don't know why, he just works

[Dumb Dwarf]

Aye, the AE are nice, but they aren't a dominating force in Valhalla. If you are considering banning them, the first thing I would check is are you playing only on maps that heavily favor them. Second thing is have the opponents been drafting counters to them. The third thing I would check is that you are playing them correctly. I kid you not, one person I played with thought the grenade special attack could hit everyone within range. He would tell stories about how the AE drop and it was practically game over.

As far as strategy, the biggest flaw with AE is that people tend to drop them in isolated spots, so they lack mobility, this means that any ranged unit can get first strike on them with proper planning.

Hope this helps.

DD

[ParaGoomba Slayer]

Nilheim. After you kill the AE you got 110 points of kills, and then all you have to do is kill a unique hero and then you got your points worth.

[Soul Shackle]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Your advice has convinced us not to ban the AE.

However, we've established a couple house rules to accompany them. First, you can't roll for the drop until after round 2 (due to rdhight's advice). Also, we have an hourglass timer that I got out of a Pictionary game. After a round ends, you have 10 seconds to decide whether or not you want to drop. If you decide to roll and hit a 13 or higher, the hourglass turns upside down (it is a one minute timer). You have until the hourglass "empties" to place your figures. Any figures on the board must stay where they are. Any figures not placed on the board are not placeable and are considered "dead."

Adds a little twist, and it really speeds things up. Sometimes, we would wait like 5 minutes or more for someone just to place the AE after the drop!

[Rodriquez]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Your advice has convinced us not to ban the AE.

However, we've established a couple house rules to accompany them. First, you can't roll for the drop until after round 2 (due to rdhight's advice). Also, we have an hourglass timer that I got out of a Pictionary game. After a round ends, you have 10 seconds to decide whether or not you want to drop. If you decide to roll and hit a 13 or higher, the hourglass turns upside down (it is a one minute timer). You have until the hourglass "empties" to place your figures. Any figures on the board must stay where they are. Any figures not placed on the board are not placeable and are considered "dead."

Adds a little twist, and it really speeds things up. Sometimes, we would wait like 5 minutes or more for someone just to place the AE after the drop!


wow for sure a iffy squad it sounds like ye sure are afraid of them...
the AE are nice to have but they're nowhere near that overpowered to install a no drop rule on first round...
actually that'd would unbalance yer opponent who has them as it basically elimates the whole idea of pulling the AE...


cheers
Rod

[Soul Shackle]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Your advice has convinced us not to ban the AE.

However, we've established a couple house rules to accompany them. First, you can't roll for the drop until after round 2 (due to rdhight's advice). Also, we have an hourglass timer that I got out of a Pictionary game. After a round ends, you have 10 seconds to decide whether or not you want to drop. If you decide to roll and hit a 13 or higher, the hourglass turns upside down (it is a one minute timer). You have until the hourglass "empties" to place your figures. Any figures on the board must stay where they are. Any figures not placed on the board are not placeable and are considered "dead."

Adds a little twist, and it really speeds things up. Sometimes, we would wait like 5 minutes or more for someone just to place the AE after the drop!


wow for sure a iffy squad it sounds like ye sure are afraid of them...
the AE are nice to have but they're nowhere near that overpowered to install a no drop rule on first round...
actually that'd would unbalance yer opponent who has them as it basically elimates the whole idea of pulling the AE...


cheers
Rod

I think we all know that dice can affect your perception of a hero/squad. Pick Q10 four times in a row and get handled four times in a row and Q10 can go sour for you. Pick 12 Zombies and run through half an army with no casualties and you will be compelled to keep trying them. I've only been playing for about 2 and a half months, and have never seen the AE do anything but completely dominate. Maybe I just need more time to see them fail... I'll take your word for it that it's actually possible.

[Sisyphus]

I love the AE. If they drop at a convenient time and you win initiative they are almost guaranteed to kill more than their points worth. The reason they are not overpowered is because they don't always drop at a convenient time and you don't always win initiative. With only 2 defense they get slaughtered by just about any ranged squad or ranged multi-attack hero.

[IAmBatman]

Sounds to me like it's probably your map style that's making them consistently dominate. I'd consider using different types of maps before I'd install house rules, but to each their own.

[Revdyer]

I was almost going to ask, "What's the name of the game you're playing with the egg-timer?" But, if you want to do it that way, certainly, go right ahead, flexibility is one of the geniuses of 'Scape.

[Rodriquez]

Sounds to me like it's probably your map style that's making them consistently dominate. I'd consider using different types of maps before I'd install house rules, but to each their own.

actually that's a really good ideas

what maps are ye using?
if yer building maps with some high points that almost no unit can get to than aye the Ae become stronger..

go take a look at the maps in the downloads sections as well as take a look at the various tourney threads(particularly the Texas tournament threads)
there's a ton of maps that balance the range/melee issues,
some with such simple issues as having a way of being able to "climb" up the hill.


cheers
Rod

[Soul Shackle]

Now that I've amassed much more terrain and LOS blockers, AE aren't chosen nearly as often. I think the maps we were playing on WERE the main culprit. We all know in the back of our minds, though, when someone builds that tall, tall map, AE will just be waiting to dominate.

300 POSTS!!! :o

[Phoenix 133]

the Krav, Q9, and other powerful ranged figures work well against the AE
Cyprien can also get in there and kill 'em real quick