Oddball Xerxis list

[Rez]

So ive been playing a bit of Xerxis of late, mainly in the standard Cetratii brick style. Its working pretty well, but it doesnt suit what I want from my second list. I need something that can play at Inucrsion and Guidons (ie: spread out) while still bringing a damage buff/feat. Have tried Zaal and Naaresh in this spot, but revisiting an old Xerxis idea someone pitched to me.

Xerxis
- Tibbers
- Gladiator
- Krea
Max Gators
Max Slingers
Min Paingivers
Marketh
Hakaar
Taskmaster
Totem Hunter
Gobbers

Going to try test it in vassal tonight but I think it will be pretty good. Gators hit at PS18 fully buffed, and with a Krea bubble are 15/18 on the approach, not counting potential Gobber cloud or other means of cover. The Krea gives the list real resilience, with Tibs at arm 23, Hakaar up to arm 25 and so on. Totem Hunter is more sneaky Delrogue tech, potential ps21 and 19 attacks v a caster for a left field assassination vector (Fury + Prey + TM buff). This list should handle Incursion easily, with the minions taking one flank and BG the other.

Hakaar and the Slingers are another unconventional Xerxis unit. Was originally max Nihils and Orin, but with all the infantry hate coming out, I don't think I would get good mileage out of the Nihils, regardless of Def Ward. The Slingers won't fare any better, but at least when they die they activate Hakaar. With Fury and feat he is a ps16 weaponmaster, which matches the dmg output of Hakaar in a Zaal list - except Hakaar doesn't auto die from Last Stand. Obviously no Kovaas is a loss by comparison, but he can still wreck a heavy in a turn. The Slingers also form a meatshield to protect the better pieces from WM charges and the like. Xerxis can give them Press Forward for a 18" threat too, which is pretty damn handy. Weight of shots should see them contribute. Infantry clearing is better than a standard Xerxis list, given the Gators match the Nihils/Cets for Mat but can get rerolls.

So, any thoughts on the list? I'm pretty keen on it, on paper it looks great.

[genix]

Well I'd be interested to hear how this list fares. My initial thoughts are:

* The heavy infantry (gators) aren't affected by feat. This is a lot of 'additional d6's lost since they are not faction (and the +2 ARM survivability)
* I don't have Slingers, so I dont know what SPD they are but 18" sounds a bit crazy. Xerxis' Battle Plan only grants the +2 when making a full advance, not a run.
* Defenders Ward is once again Faction only, and if the opposition are fielding some higher DEF infantry then maybe the Slingers wont want to be high DEF. So who else would make best use of DEF ward?

I think that it may be an interesting experiment, but Cetrati really are a prime pick for a lot of reasons. But as always it depends a bunch on which faction you're up against, and what their list is.

[Rez]

Yep, I'm aware the feat and Def Ward are both faction restricted. Gators don't get the feat, but they do benefit from Fury. With the Taskmaster buff, that's two PS18 per Gator. Fury on Cets make them PS14, natural WM makes it roughly even. From having played Cets a fair bit with X, I don't ever really charge with them, the feat just simulates a charge one turn while you stay in shield wall - so you don't lose anything compared to Gators when you factor in the Gators second initial.

As for Def Ward, that goes on Hakaar, Tibs or Xerxis - depending on where the threat is coming from. Stacked with the Krea animus and Gobber cloud, Hakaar can get to 15/25 against shooting, which I'd pretty obscene.

And as for the Slingers threat - they are Spd 6, press forward makes them walk 8" and they have 10" range on the slings.

I should reiterate, I'm looking go develop a Xerxis list that isn't hamstrung by scenarios that require him to spread out. I've played the Cet brick, and while it's effective it's also not a fan of splitting up at all (like you need to on Incursion, Guidons and the like). If you factor that in, the Gaits compare a lot more favorably.

Will post up a report on how it performed.

[Rez]

Right so played a game with the list last night vs a fairly standard Mohsar force (Megalith, Stalker, Rax, Trackers, 2x Stones and cav). Was hard to take a huge amount from the game, as I got the upper hand after a couple of jammy tough rolls trapped Morraig (he charged some Gators) and he wasnt able to sprint away. Game kinda grinded to a standstill, I had Xerxis, Tibbers and some other junk vs his Trackers and Gorax, we ended up calling it due to my growling stomach. :P

Looking at the pieces though:

Gators - did fairly well. Were the Trackers Prey and had Morraig and the Stalker staring them down early, so were always going to take casualties before engaging. I think 2 got dropped by a Stalker who then sprinted, with Morraig then going in to try and cripple the unit. He failed and was killed, with the Gators getting the TM buff and Fury the next turn, and dropping the Stalker in 3 hits. They went down very easily to the Trackers after the go turn though, 12/16 no tough is a ****ty statline vs Rat 8, Pow 11 WMs.

Totem Hunter - bossed. Got Fury from Marketh on turn two and charged Morraig. He wasnt his Prey, but had the Krea nearby giving -2 to his Def. Dismounted Morraig with the shield on the charge (Krea had already done 3 to him, so odds were solid), killed him with the Reach attack. Very dangerous with the right buffs.

Slingers - struggled a bit. Had a handy use, in that they were able to remove Pillars of Salt very easily (Corrosion typed, 3d6 dmg). Should have had Def Ward on them early, as it was the Trackers tore them up even without the Prey bonus. Did their job though, attracted shooting and fueled Hakaar.

Hakaar - speaking of, Hakaar went nuts. Got the drop on an Undergrowthed Megalith after getting PF from Xerxis. Didnt get Fury onto him but he did have the feat and with full souls he brought Megalith down to about 6 boxes. I rolled 6,6,6,4 on the charge attack though, which was insane. Part of the reason its hard to take much from this game.

Thats pretty much all the odd pieces covered. I didnt mind how the list worked, but its probably not ideal. Hakaar was great, but the Slingers really didnt offer much. Circle is an iffy matchup for them though, so not writing them off. Generally I would take eHex vs Circle to remove the Trackers and other key pieces at range, but I was still happy with how it performed. Will give this iteration another run, then try the Nihils + Orin option instead of Slingers + Hakaar.

[Rez]

All that said, looking at the list I dont think it takes best advantage of the feat. Ive been mulling over Ferox as the outside piece instead of Gators. A Cet/Ferox combo (instead of Gators and Nihils/Slingers) takes good advantage of the feat. It gives a strong core to benefit defensively and a quick first strike option to use it offensively. 3 Ferox drop an arm 19 heavy with feat and Fury, so thats a good option to have. At some point will likely test this list too:

Xerxis
- Tibbers
- Gladiator
- Krea
- Marketh
Min Cets
Min Ferox
Min Paingivers
Rhadeim
Totem Hunter
Orin/Void Spirit

This list has a really strong core with Cets and Tibs backed up by Krea aura and maybe Orin (who can remove problem solos near the brick). The Ferox, Rhadeim and Totem provide a really quick and hard to hit flank. 15/19 on the Ferox is a really silly statline, and against Cygnar (a likely matchup for this list) they can run to engage things like Gun Mages and completely nullify their shooting (they would waste Nihils/Slingers and the like). List would still be great on Incursion, plus it would give me some first strike options which I think are very useful in an otherwise slow list like Xerxis runs.

[patisarat]

Ferox & Rhadeim is a great match-up with Xerxis. They really shine with the extra buff to damage that he provides. And as you suggest, they give his brick some surprisingly fast attack options.

I like to deploy them on opposite flanks at game start; it usually works out giving the Ferox a better view of Rhadeim, for that extra +2 to hit.

I like your second list a lot. I might try running something similar next time I play.

[whitekong]

I like how you are thinking outside the box, no cetrati means you can put def ward somewhere else for a change. Throwing that spell on mr tibbs makes him just sick, heck I like to throw it on a brute once in a while just to cause trouble. It does make ferox very hard to deal with, until you want to throw fury on them.

[Rez]

Cheers for the comments guys. I really do like the look of the second list, it has a good balance of threat and durability. That said, do you think it would be worth dropping the Krea to max out the Ferox? A larger unit will allow easier swapping of buffs, as I can leave one close Xerxis and still have the majority of the unit in the right spot. Would be very easy to get Xerxis to Fury them on feat turn and have Marketh able to Def Ward them again afterwards for likely 15/21. Min unit would make this harder, but losing the Krea hurts the centers survivability.

[Rez]

Tried out the Ferox list last night, they are pretty damn cool. Got the drop on a Circle list, which was definitely a first for my Skorne. The list feels very two paced though, the Ferox can strike early, but the rest of the list is still very defensive in nature. Having first strike options arent that great unless it lets you get you other pieces into position safely, so this is the new list.

Xerxis
- Molik
- Gladiator
- Savage
Max Ferox
Bloodrunners
Min Pains
Rhadeim
Marketh
Totem
Agoniser

Idea is all out aggression. BRs jam early, be a nuisance and hopefully clear some lanes for other stuff. Totem can be fired off early, Ps19 missile against the Prey target is very tasty. The list packs a heap of threat, with Molik, the Savage, Totem, the Cats and Rhadeim all capable of hitting (like a truck) from a mile away. Going to test this list in a couple of days time, looks like a heap of fun. Has a pretty crazy combo of threat, durability and hitting power.

One thing im weighing up though is the Savage + Aggy vs an Archidon. I normally take an Aggy in every list as its so damn handy. Given how far forward Xerxis will need to play in this list (and with no defensive tech), im not sure he will have the fury to fuel the Aggy, after cycling Fury and needing a couple of transfers. Archidon brings the Flight threat which helps out a lot with positioning (especially with so many large bases), plus Lightning Strike would be amazing in this list.

Which option do you guys reckon is better?

[Delrogue]

Archidon :P