35pts Grissel list: two light warbeast viability

[Lord Xalys]

Dear all,

For an upcoming Stampede tournament I'm planning on going out on a limb... I haven't played Trollbloods for a year, but my Gatormen have seen too much playtime laterly, so I need a switch. I still have Grissel in her blister, along with two Long Riders. With those assembled, I've been thinking about this list:

System: Hordes
Faction: Trollblood
Name: Stampede!
Casters: 1/1
Points: 35/35

Grissel Bloodsong (*5pts)
* Pyre Troll (5pts)
* Troll Axer (6pts)
Trollkin Champions (Leader and 4 Grunts) (10pts)
Trollkin Long Riders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Fell Caller Hero (3pts)
Horthol, Long Rider Hero (5pts)

Quite a fluffy list, with Grissel's beloved Pyre and Axer (Kortu). The basic idea is to get the Long Riders upfield quickly (with Hoof It, also nice for hit-and-run), ready to slam or charge the enemy's first line. The Champions are meant as second wave, augmented by either the Fell Caller, Pyre or Grissel herself (depending on the need for more attacks, more damaging attacks or more accurate attacks). Horthol just does his thing, like he always does (good flanker also).

Basically the only thing I find tricky is having only two light warbeasts: even though Grissel is not a spellslinger, she can use that room to deal out more animi. I'll need to be careful with committing the beasts, as the loss of one (preferrably the Axer) will cut my fury production in half.

Does anyone have suggestions as how to play above list? I do have a good feeling about it, and it sure as heck will be fun, but maybe you guys have some pointers?

LX

[Xobal]

Hello,

I played a grissel vs pHoarluk game this weekend. Maybe my recap can give you some ideas

I wanted to test my latest acquisitions being Skaldi and the bouncer.

My list looked like:

Grissel
*Pyre 5
*Bouncer 5

Full Fennblades + UA (10)
Full Champions + Skaldi (13)
Fell Caller (3)
Janissa (3)
Swamp gobbers (1)

On the other side of the table you had

pHoarluk
*Mulg (12)
*Earthborn (10)

Full kriels + UA (8)
Full scattergunners + UA (10)
Pendrake (2)


We played caster kill and I was lucky that my opponent left a charge lane for the fenns on Hoarluk on turn 3 (he forgot about the fennblades reach :/).
My initial plans were to keep the warbeasts in the back with Grissel and use grissel + pyre as +2dmg buffers with the pyre animus for skaldi and the Fennblades officer (under the feat or under heroic ballad only) and use the fenns as a 1st wave tarpit and the champions as wave 2.

The adversary troops were not a problem -- still very scattered thanks to the standards, meaning that I had to dedicate the fenns on 1 side and the champs on the other side, already impacting my initial plan -- but the beasts might have been a bigger threat would he have played more agressively (both his heavies remained in the back as bodyguards for Hoarluk)
He had once a Mulg charge on a fenn but precisely the one who had the bouncer animus on it ^^

Still I think that if I could have charged Mulg, even if I would have rolled the dice - 8/7 I should have had enough attacks to deal with him.
Lets assume 4 champions charging Mulg (3 champs + skaldi with reach) = 8 attacks (or better 12 under the feat or with heroic ballad ON)), 3 of them with a +2 damage. Chances that you can finish him are fair. 3 pow 13 + 4 dice charge attack= avg 25damage = 6 damage per charge * 3charge attacks = 18damage on mulg. Then you need to make 16 more damages with the 5 (or 9) remaining attacks...
With the fenns, I don't think it would'nt have been possible to kill him in 1turn and then, this would have been the road open to a mulg snacking party in the next turn.

Basically, my opponent played maybe too defensively not exposing his beasts.
As for the defense of my caster, the wall of janissa and the cloud of the gobbers + grissel's rift really provided nice assets preventing charges/denying Los for the scattergunners on the side.



As far as you're concerned, with your composition, I'm not sure you could achieve the same results with the long riders. Their large base being the reason you could charge with 2, maybe 3, but 4, I don't know... On the other hand, I was against trollbloods with regen capability. Should you encounter heavy warjacks or other heavy warbeast from other factions, even if you don't kill them in a turn, they do not all have snacking/regeneration/repair abilities to bring the beatstick back to 100% damage efficiency...

In your army, you have 2 powerful units, maybe with using the champs as tarpit with arm 18. But I would try to fit in a more cheap and expendable unit as 1st wave.
As for the Axer, the champion hero would be more efficient and a good target as well for a +2damage but then it means changing a lot in your composition.
The best is to give it a "live" try and come with a debrief for further discussion on how to refine it :)

Coming back on your initial question :)
It's feasible to play (win) with Grissel without heavy in a way that I suggest (use the damage buff of you light beasts on good infantry hitters). Moreover, if you look at her tier list, it's only light warbeasts... So... Should be feasible if tier list is built this way ? No ? :) (yet, never played her in tier, cost too much money for 2 kriel warriors units)

Here are my 2 cents ^^

Xobal
PS : while previewing my answer it seems it goes a little bit in all directions ^^ Hope you can find sth interesting in it ^^

[Lord Xalys]

Thanks for the insights, Xobal. Unfortunately I don't have a cheap Trollkin unit other then the KSB and Scattergunners (not assembled yet), so I'll have to make due with the Champions and Long Riders. I'll let you know how it went!

LX