The Book of Acolarh

[nate the dawg]

Originally Posted by SuperSamyon

I have read through the comments which is why I made the comment I did. I found that I had to build my entire army around Acolarh to realize his potential rather than make Acolarh a piece of an overall army. I felt handicapped trying to make him viable.

Even if his gimmick was to work once in a while, basing such a high point figure on such a low probability gimmick doesn't seem like a good strategy. I see his special the same way I see Frenzy: Great if it works, but I'm not basing my strategy around it.

Unfortunately, since his only use is his defense bonus, I just can't imagine a scenario where I would want to play competitively (or even casually) and spend those valuable points on him. Its fun to play him, but I just can't get him to work.

Funny enough, the last game I played with him he ended up winning the game for me since he was the last figure standing. Of course, he was only the last one left because he was for most of the game safely at the starting zone. lol I thought of this thread when it happened

First bolded: see Hatamoto Taro...

Second bolded: While I agree that his defensive bonus is pretty weak, it's not his only use. Ullar's Amulet can be pretty useful, allowing your WoA, Sonlen, Theracus, etc to start their first turn with a couple extra movement. Does the movement boost make up for his other weak ability? No, but it's a nice consolation.

[The_X_Marker]

As I had just mis-posted in the other Acolarh thread (a mod can delete one or the other, if they so desire):

Originally Posted by The_X_Marker

After getting absolutely destroyed by an elf army, multiple times, with Acolarh as the centerpiece, I have a bit to say in this long silenced thread.

My friend had made a 450 point army, with two modules:

Acolarh
3x WoA
2x AA
+
An extra WoA
OR
Theracus + Ootonashi

I played a few armies against it, but I've figured out some things that may or may not hold true. Either way, I haven't seen them get talked about in this thread.

Each elf saved gains two bonuses:
1)Their point value doubles, as they essentially have lived twice
2)Their value increases, as they are still able to maintain their ground.

So, in that case, saving a full squad of WoA is essentially the initial 50 point investment, plus the 50 points from having them live twice as long, plus the value of maintaining board position.

Meaning that the one squad of WoA now have become worth 100 points, plus their IGPV from board position.

So Acolarh only really has to save one squad of elves to earn his points back.

With LotHTA, for the first module he adds about 3.96 extra units to the army, while the second is about 3.3. That can be huge on many maps.

Finally, with LotHTA, I was always fighting on his terms. That is, within 8 spaces of Acolarh. The AA's were able to shoot farther than most of what I threw at him, meaning that they could stay inside the Aura at all times, forcing me to engage right on the line of the Aura. If he was feeling lucky, he would move the AA's out of Acolarhs range, attack, and then Frenzy back in the Aura.

Sidenote: With Ullar's Amulet, he was able to reinforce any point relatively quickly.

EDIT: Thought this was the Book, misread the tab, with so many tabs open

[Karsa Orlong]

Has anyone else wondered what Acolarh did before coming to Valhalla? I mean, the Leaf of the Home Tree was made as Ullar's banner, and his other ability is Ullar's Amulet... so how did he justify being a wizard back on Feylund? He seems more a glorified item carrier than a wizard to me...

[flameslayer93]

Originally Posted by Karsa Orlong

Has anyone else wondered what Acolarh did before coming to Valhalla? I mean, the Leaf of the Home Tree was made as Ullar's banner, and his other ability is Ullar's Amulet... so how did he justify being a wizard back on Feylund? He seems more a glorified item carrier than a wizard to me...

Maybe he's an enchanter?

He could just be a crappy mage who's best spell makes balls of light that... light up dark hallways.

[SuperflyTNT]

He was a telemarketer, obviously. I mean, he's named "A caller"

[Karsa Orlong]

Hah! you've probably got it right Superfly!

[Serenity]

Acolarh
C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

- LEAF OF THE HOME TREE AURA : Elf Units

* ELARIA THE PALE
* HADUC

- ULLAR UNITS: Ullar's Amulet
Any unit that follows Ullar and begins their turn adjacent to Acolarh may benefit from ULLAR’S AMULET movement bonus.

* AZURITE WARLORD
* EILAN SIDHE
* HADUC
* ZOGROSS HARDSCALE

Synergy Benefits Received

HADUC : AEGIS OF THE CRIMSON SIGIL
As an Elf Wizard, Acolarh may benefit from Haduc's AEGIS OF THE CRIMSON SIGIL defense bonus.

HADUC : ELVEN SUPREMACY
As an Elf, Acolarh may benefit from Haduc's 20-sided die enhancement.

Synergy Imposed

TOMB SKELETONS : SKELETAL FORM
The Tomb Skeletons cannot receive their defense bonus from SKELETAL FORM against Clerics & Wizards.

[Astroking112]

@superfrog It looks like the beginning of the forum code for the bold text was accidentally removed from Arkmer's Staff of Lerkintin synergy in the OP.

[lefton4ya]

for those that want a better version of Acolarh, here are 3 alternate versions to choose from -
Prototype card (found on Heroscape.com at one point)


Competitive Unit Congress PROPOSAL
Proposal: Reduce points to 80. Change LEAF OF THE HOME TREE AURA as follows, "When any elf you control within 8 <omit> spaces of Acolarh receives enough wounds to be destroyed, you may roll 10 12 Ullar Valkyrie dice..."


Competitive Unit Alters - by @lefton4ya
Proposal: Add EVASIVE 1. Change LEAF OF THE HOME TREE AURA to be "...you may roll 10 12 Ullar Valkyrie Dice..."

[Arch-vile]

How is the prototype card different? I'm missing the difference somewhere.

I've only heard of the Hatamoto prototype, I had no idea there were others out there!

[DoomCarrot]

I love elves.

No really, I do. I think I brought some elves to Islandscape 2019 even, and I use elf pods every chance I get in friendly games. I like to think I've pretty well mastered how to use elf pods by now, and I have even found ways to make morsbane a fairly solid pick throughout the game, depending on my opponent's drafts.

But Acolarh? I mean... He just looks so damn cool. And he is such a collectible piece these days that I do badly want him. But I cannot, for the life of, think of any situation in any game that would inspire me to draft him over other elves.

He is a support unit, sure. Useless on offense, pretty useless in a defensive screen, but can sit out of the trouble with ulginesh and keep some folks alive a little longer maybe.

But really? 110 points? In the normal 500-600 point game, I have a hard enough time picking between Johrdawn or Chardris sometimes. In what scenario would this wizard be more useful than 2x WOA wall, or Morsbane for deterring certain figures, or heck even syvarris despite his lack of much synergy.

If I dump my typical WoA screen for this guy, then I have few chances to even roll for his aura--worthless.

If I dump Emiroon for him, then the entire elf stratagem falls apart.

Dumping Arkmer, Ulginish, or my main hitters is obviously out of the question.

I just feel like he has literally no practical use outside of massive 3000 point games where you might as well just draft all the Ullar cards you have lol.

Has anybody actually used this figure over the years, with any amount of luck? He just seems like a badly overpriced figure to my draft and my wallet, just to never be played.

If I ever got him, I think I'd houserule him as a 70 point figure, along with my houserulings of common-squad zettians and common-hero deathwalkers lol

[vegietarian18]

He's pretty bad. It's similar to Kiova where there's just no point in playing these severely suboptimal defensive cheerleaders when Raelin exists.

I do think side by side in an elf Wizard build Acolarh is better than 2x Ashra though. But I've never loved Ashra in an Elf Wizard build, just think it's counterproductive to split your OMs on to a screen in this sort of build. Really the only synergy with elves the Ashra have is with Arkmer, which I think leads you to make too greedy of plays with Arkmer if you really go for it, and Emiroon, who is optional in the best Elf Wizard builds. Acolarh is solid in elf wizard builds, just as a generic wizard, especially as the points climb higher. Every wizard matters for Jorhdawn and Chardris dice. At 1000 points Elf Wizards I'm definitely playing him.

I regret a little not playing Acolarh in Gencon Main Event 2016, when I went with Elf Wizards (Ulginesh, Jorhdawn, Chardris, Arkmer, Kyntela, Morsbane, Raelin, Otonashi). I should have subbed Morsbane and Otonashi for Acolarh and just used Acolarh as a generic wizard for Jorhdawn and Chardris dice. Morsbane is playing with fire in a single elim Day 2, and he burnt me in my first Reverse the Whip game. I probably could have made Day 2 with Acolarh but I just wasn't brave enough to take anything besides the absolute strongest Elf build.

But saying he's good in Reverse the Whip, a format that encourages you to not play optimal things, isn't saying much. He's not great with Elf Wizards, where he has the most natural synergy, since he really only gets to roll for Leaf of the Home tree five or so times a game and it has a 22% chance of hitting. Warriors of Ashra are the cheapest elves to try to mass revive with Leaf of the Home Tree, but they really want to get into the action and often end spend the midgame more than 8 spaces away from Acolarh which means you either have to move Acolarh or lose the Home Tree.

I think he's probably most impactful with Aubriens actually, which I haven't done a lot of experimentation with but the idea is just that home tree saves the 2 defense Aubriens meaningfully often, and they can stay in the Home Tree aura more easily with 7 range.