Obsidian Guards, Now A Viable Draft?

[tcglkn]

I have been thinking a lot about their worth lately. With their immunity to the Searing Intensity, they could become a viable counter to the FE. I still don't think they are tournament worthy (unless it is a tournament with a side pool to draft at the table from), but for casual drafting play, let you opponent grab ten or twenty FE, then grab a few squads of Obsidian Guards and Brunak to crush them.

What does everyone think about this?

[Filthy the Clown]

Personally, I have never used the Obsidian Guards, but they don't seem that bad for a 4/4 squad. Sure, they are a bit on the expensive side, but I could see them being a viable counter-draft (or part of one) for the fire elementals, especially if there is lava on the map. Use them for what they are made for: guard dogs, and add the Warden for Guard Leadership.

Warden 90
OGs X2 290
Raelin V1 370
Stingers X3 550

Place the OGs around the stingers, or at key choke points, and keep them in Raelin's aura. Then, fire away with your stingers.

Purely theoretical on my part, as I don't own the OGs (nor have proxy'd them). If my Granite Guardians weren't such a hard find, a couple of cans of cheap spray paint could give me a couple squads of OG's.

[Frylock]

I've always thought people hate on them a lot more than they deserve. Sure they're slow, don't bond, and cost a lot. Still, they are a force to be reckoned with, on any map without too much elevation or water. On lava maps, watch out!

[tubafication]

I personally think that the best counter would be Brunak. Considering he can fill a role even if there are no F.E's in play. Plus, he's less expensive then Obsidian Guards will be.

[tcglkn]

Originally Posted by tubafication

I personally think that the best counter would be Brunak. Considering he can fill a role even if there are no F.E's in play. Plus, he's less expensive then Obsidian Guards will be.

Well I was talking about in theory that you know you will be facing FE. Such as a friendly game with drafting or a scenario. Brunak also lacks the 3 attacks of the Obsidian Guards and costs more than a single squad...

[Krizo]

I don't have them, but sure. They have there uses.

[SuperflyTNT]

Originally Posted by Frylock

I've always thought people hate on them a lot more than they deserve. Sure they're slow, don't bond, and cost a lot. Still, they are a force to be reckoned with, on any map without too much elevation or water. On lava maps, watch out!

Seems to me that there's a good reason to hate them. I'll never buy them, and I cannot really see a viable reason (as of yet) to draft them into any army, unless it's a "Tard Draft" where you pick your opponent's team and try to hose him over as best as you can.

[tubafication]

Originally Posted by tcglkn

Well I was talking about in theory that you know you will be facing FE. Such as a friendly game with drafting or a scenario. Brunak also lacks the 3 attacks of the Obsidian Guards and costs more than a single squad...

True, I felt as though his 7 defense would hold up better and that his Blood Hungry would be pretty awesome against a huge swarm of the F.E.

[dok]

There are only two situations where I can see a good argument for Obsidian Guards:

1. You're playing on a map with easily accessible elevated lava, or against an all-melee army on a map that has lava surrounded by lava.
   
   
2. You know you're playing against an army that's getting the vast majority of its offense from fire elementals.

The problem with OGs is that they have the same stats as the Fire Elementals except they're slower. The per-figure cost is essentially identical (33.3 per versus 35 per). Granted, an OG army doesn't need Kurrok, which is a significant advantage. But this only gives them a net advantage in the pure head-to-head counterdraft situation. In any other situation, searing intensity is such a drastically superior power to lava throw that it's not even close.

Even the counter-draft option is sketchy. The only way I think it works is if you know your opponent is locked into the pure fire elemental build (e.g. it's a "king of the hill" draft format where you know your opponent's entire army). Otherwise, your opponent can bait you by drafting a couple fire elementals, then switch over to something else once you've sunk 200 points into the OGs. The safer counter-draft options are ranged commons or, as others have pointed out, Brunak.

[gorthan313]

My first thought when I saw this thread title was not using the OGs as a Firestorm COUNTER, but as a Firestorm ALLY.

[Scapemage]

I really don't think they're worth it. I'd take Brunak instead. At BatBIII in Saturday, the most FEs I saw in 1 army was 3.

[tcglkn]

Originally Posted by scapemage921

I really don't think they're worth it. I'd take Brunak instead. At BatBIII in Saturday, the most FEs I saw in 1 army was 3.

Yes, for now thats probably the most you will see because of their one figure per order marker problem. But when Kurrok comes out I think we will be seeing some FE hordes.