Which elf combo is better?

[Elf_Archer]

Originally Posted by Aldin

Might not be so bad, depending on the Hivelord. For SuBakNa you only lose the D20 +1, for WoSaGa you only lose Coil Crush. Both still toss huge amounts of attack dice and would still be able to bond with and snack on the Nagrubs (since that ability is on the Nagrubs' card, not the Hivelords'). It'd be great versus TorKulNa though - trample stomp is the ability that makes him so deadly, not his other stats (though he's still a powerful hero).

~Aldin, who agrees that Morsbane is situational but notes that unique units with powerful specials are going to be more "common" at the table

Oh yeah. For a second I thought it was on the Hivelord's card. But still, a negated Marro Hive or a negated Thecarus....

[rdhight]

Originally Posted by Aldin

Might not be so bad, depending on the Hivelord. For SuBakNa you only lose the D20 +1 and flying, for WoSaGa you only lose Coil Crush and Slither. Both still toss huge amounts of attack dice and would still be able to bond with and snack on the Nagrubs (since that ability is on the Nagrubs' card, not the Hivelords').

Selling the 'Bane a little short, aren't you?

I agree with your basic point, though: those attack dice can still get the job done, special powers or no special powers.

[IAmBatman]

The Elf Wizard army really does work well together. I played a 700 point one last night and Ulginesh, Arkmer, Emirroon, Chardris, Jorhdawn, and Morsbane all really earned their points. Even if pretty much all the killing was done by Chardris and Jorhdawn especially, with a little Arkmer and Morsbane (natural 20 negation roll) thrown in. Kyntella Gwyn and Acorlah didn't really end up doing much, but I guess they didn't need to.

[Heroscape Elffy]

If I had Acolarh...I REALLY need to get to a TRU. He'll really help my armies. So far, he is the only elf I don't have: 3 of each squad and one of each hero.

[Sk8erScaper]

Originally Posted by Heroscape Elffy

If I had Acolarh...I REALLY need to get to a TRU. He'll really help my armies. So far, he is the only elf I don't have: 3 of each squad and one of each hero.

Acolarh (I think that's how you spell it) is useful when you have an army of elf squads. This gives him more chances to "negate death". I know, I have him.

[NecroBlade]

Originally Posted by Sk8erScaper

Acolarh (I think that's how you spell it) is useful when you have an army of elf squads. This gives him more chances to "negate death". I know, I have him.

Wow, you're special!

150 Ulginesh
100 Jordhawn (needed, as you have no squad control otherwise)
090 Chardris
080 Emirroon
050 Arkmer
020 Kyntela Gwyn
010 Otonashi (great for a first-order-marker-of-the-game-glyph-grab)

That gets my vote. First elf (wizard) army I tried and I'm sold.

[Aldin]

In agreement with most of the above, I would say that Jorhdawn may be the one figure that is needed by every all hero Elf Wizard army. The typical switch out in a 500 point set up is, in my mind, Chardris/Otonashi for Morsbane - depending on your opponent.

When would you use Morsbane? Not versus Kato Katsuro, who will stay so far away from your Elves you'll need binoculars to see him. It's the Dragons. More than any other unique, Dragons have to expose themselves to retribution in order to use their abilities - and they're all a lot less impressive without their specials. Other figs like TorKulNa make sense too (though, intriguingly enough he can still snack on Nagrubs even if he is negated) - any fig that is pricey, needs to engage you to use their powers and has a significant portion of it's cost come from it's powers calls out for Morsbane in your army.

Why Otonashi over Isamu? Ten speed can get you places quickly - let you stake a claim to a nice defensive spot or even take temporary control of a glyph. Both Isamu and Otonashi die easy, but against a single skull I like Otonashi's chances better - especially if you've used her mobility to get her into a good place. Since half the Wizards are Tricky, she's a natural here. I'd only consider Isamu if I knew I was up against Jandar.

~Aldin, eager to hear the post-action report

[Windy_City_Hawk]

Originally Posted by Aldin

When would you use Morsbane? Not versus Kato Katsuro, who will stay so far away from your Elves you'll need binoculars to see him.

I was thinking that it may be possible to use Emirroon to get Morsbane into range to zap Kato.

[Aldin]

Originally Posted by Windy_City_Hawk

I was thinking that it may be possible to use Emirroon to get Morsbane into range to zap Kato.

But then Emiroon needs to make the hike far behind enemy lines to where Kato resides. It isn't that Kato is a bad target, not at all. It's that the entire Ashigaru army should be between your Elves and their Daimyo - making the seemingly simple task of engaging him in battle extremely difficult in practice.

~Aldin, who thinks it could be done on a small enough map

[Zealot]

When it comes right down to it...
If they are played strategically, the Elf Wizards can be a competetive force.

Emiroon and Ulginesh are the 2 most important players for your army's synergy, protect them at all cost, otherwise the Wizards' effectiveness will begin to nosedive.

Arkmer, Jorhdawn, and Chardris are pretty much your entire offense. Chardris and Jorhdawn have enough life and firepower (sorry for the pun) to take out most enemies before they can get close enough to attack. Arkmer's engagement strike is a surprisingly powerful deterrent and should almost always be put up front. He makes a good wall and will typically survive until the end of the game where he can act as a clean up figure.

In the 600 point game that I watched Buddy Lee and Torog play last week...

Buddy Lee = Elves

Ulginesh
Jorhdawn
Arkmer
Emiroon
Kyntela
Chardris
Acolarh

Torog = Kato army (Buddy Lee let Torog play a 610pt army)

Kato
Kozuke
Izumi
Kaemon Awa
Tagawa Archers x2

This game went by VERY fast. Buddy Lee got some really good rolls from Emiroon and was virtually moving his entire army every turn marker .
Arkmer prevented Torog from engaging with his Kozukes (choke point on map) and Jorhdawn + Chardris plowed through pretty much the whole samurai army (something to note was that Acolarh DID actually save Jorhdawn from being killed by Kaemon later in the game with his aura)
The game defining moment however was when Jorhdawn got in range of Torog's starting zone and got 3 skulls out of 4 on a cluster of Izumi and Archers. All 3 izumi and 3 archers went down in one shot.

Elves are devastating if played right. Their worst enemy however is Cyprien, who I used in the following game along with Wo-Sa-Ga, Nagrubs, and a couple other marros. Cyprien can fly to each Elf (starting with Ulginesh, then Emiroon, ect...) killing them one by one until he has wiped out the whole army.

Conclusion... Elves don't do well when facing Vampires but have high potential against lots of other opponents.

[Phaethon]

Originally Posted by Aldin

But then Emiroon needs to make the hike far behind enemy lines to where Kato resides. It isn't that Kato is a bad target, not at all. It's that the entire Ashigaru army should be between your Elves and their Daimyo - making the seemingly simple task of engaging him in battle extremely difficult in practice.

~Aldin, who thinks it could be done on a small enough map

But if you keep your Ashigarus as guards, they become easy pickings for Jorhdawn. Jorhdawn's attack devastates low-defense units. If you use them as guards, or if you're on a small map, it's tough to get enough separation to withstand the onslaught she's gonna lay on you. In one game I played with my daughter (where I was "being easy" on her), Jorhdawn took out the Tagawa Samurai on one turn and 7 Ashigarus on another turn.

Similarly, imagine Zelrig going after the Ashigaru! Same problem, you can't mass your army because he's going to annihilate you, but then you can't use your army as blockers because they're so spread out.

[IAmBatman]

Unless you're playing 700 point games, though, I wouldn't take Acolarh over any other elf wizards, personally. He's just not enough of an offensive threat and his defensive power is too flukey. His speed boost is kind of nice, but really only kicks into gear in the starting zone unless you use a turn on him to move him closer to the rest of the gang or summon him with Emirroon. In both instances there are usually better uses for your resources.
So, in a 700 point game, IMO, with a base of Emirroon, Ulginesh, Kyntella, Arkmer, Jorhdawn, Morsbane, and Chardris, it's a tough call between throwing in Acolarh or going Warriors of Ashra x2 and a ninja.