11pt Starter list for Slow Grow league - Mohsar

[KhandK]

11pts. list (for weeks 1-2)

Mohsar -5
Warpwolf Stalker +10
Gorax +4
Total: 9pts.

the starter list HAS to be in future lists (for later weeks) so I figured, these guys are no-brainers. Furthermore, rules stipulate that we can only take locks and beasts for the first two weeks.

I guess my question is: Did I mess up with this start? If I did, please let me know why and how I can improve.

15pt list (for weeks 3-4)

Mohsar -5
Warpwolf Stalker +10
Gorax +4
Tharn Bloodtrackers +5
Total: 14pts.

25pts list (for weeks 5-6

Mohsar -5
Megalith +11
Warpwolf Stalker +10
Gorax +4
Tharn Bloodtrackers +5
Total: 25pts.

After this I can start swapping Warlocks and basically rebuild the list completely (except for the two starter beasts).

[owniscool1993]

one major problem is the fact that mohsar is an 8 fury caster so suffers greatly in lower points games, with wat u have for your 11pts uv really gotta cover ur beasts lest they get killed early, causing mohsar to have to work with half fury unless you wanna cut.
Now i am not a circle player but i do know quite a bit about it, but kromac would probably be the easier one to start with

[mercury]

Mohsar is utter filth in low model count games. By abusing Pillars Of Salt, you should be able to put yourself in positions where your opponent simply cannot get to you because he doesn't have enough pieces to destroy the Pillars first. Your plan should always be to hit something with the Stalker, then Sprint to safety behind a Pillar. Curse Of Shadows should be your primary damage buff. Do not use Primal unless it can end the game for you - your Stalker is your only killer melee piece and it's not worth losing it for a turn (and any Fury it might generate) or risk it dying unless the game will be over anyway.

With regards to your lists, weeks 1-4 are fine. Bloodtrackers are absolutely great Mirage targets, and should always be Mohsar's first infantry choice. Mohsar pretty much needs a Geomancer or Gallows Groves though, because he has to play at the back of his army. You will probably get less use out of Druids with Mohsar than other Warlocks because Pillars serve much the same function as Summon Vortex. I would consider keeping the Blood Trackers in place of the Druids in your 25-point list, and dropping the Gnarlhorn. This leaves you 11 points to spend, so get Megalith - he is silly good with Mohsar. His healing ability synergies well with Maltreatment, he can Geomancy Crevasse and Curse Of Shadows (meaning that Mohsar can sit back and spam Pillars) and his animus adds a huge layer of defence to Mohsar (5" of rough terrain behind Pillars Of Salt should make Mohsar near untouchable by non-pathfinder enemy models).

[KhandK]

thanks for the answers guys, a few things to think about for sure

@mercury: Would you still consider Gorax though, for low model matches, or should I drop him for Wyrd or Argus ? (wyrd + stalker = 10pts., argus + stalker = 9pts.)
Personally I love the Wyrd, since his ROF3 gun has just worked wonders for me in previous matches (although these have been higher pt. matches) and I've never actually gotten full value outta the Gorax... any thoughts on this ?
Furthermore, any thoughts on when to upgrade Bloodtrackers to full unit? I'm thinking 35pts myself, but not sure if I should wait even longer, before getting the last few girls in there...?

[mercury]

It's a difficult one, for sure. Your 11 points limit is more than a little awkward. I personally believe that Mohsar's favourite Beasts are (in order):

=1. Megalith and Warpwolf Stalker (pretty much auto-include for me)
3. Pureblood Warpwolf (if you have to activate Mohsar first for some reason e.g. eHaley feat, or you need to heal an aspect; then Ghostly will let your Warpwolves move through any Pillars you place)
4. Gorax
5. Gnarlhorn Satyr
6. Feral Warpwolf
7. Everything else

I agree with you on the Gorax. I am very much set against conventional forum wisdom because I don't rate it that highly. I rarely field a Gorax games under 50-points with Mohsar because I have other priorities, and feel that Primal is less necessary in a list which already has access to Megalith's animus and Curse Of Shadows. Primal also interferes with the hit-and-run game I like to play using Pillars and the Lightning Strike animus. Having said that, Primal can be very useful when you absolutely, positively want something dead that turn. As I said above, I would avoid putting Primal on your Stalker until the end game in your smaller matches, but would think nothing of sending a Primal'd Gorax against an important light Jack/Beast (e.g. one with a valuable animus, or an arc node), especially if Maltreatment has activated its Pain Response for a free charge.

Alternatively the Wyrd could be used to snipe some damage on enemy Jacks/Beasts with upkeep spells on them, so that the Stalker can finish them off easily in your smaller games. It comes into its own in larger games where it can annihilate infantry with upkeeps on them, and if you ever get the opportunity to give it the Pureblood's animus then you will laugh in the face of spells like Arcane Shield, Iron Flesh or Defender's Ward. If the Woldwyrd works for you (and the Gorax doesn't), then you could bring it by all means. However, in your format I'd be inclined to keep the Gorax. The problem with the Wyrd is that it makes your 25-point list harder to assemble since you won't have the points available for Megalith. Additionally you will lack the ability to generate 8 Fury in your smaller games, and will not have a good Maltreatment target.

I'd say that including Nuala is more important than increasing the size of your Blood Tracker unit. The combination of Mirage + Reform is pretty sweet. Ideally you want to Prey the enemy tarpit unit and position yourself so that they can run to engage you (but not charge you). In your own turn you can Mirage out of combat, aim, throw spears with Prey and then Reform back a further 3"; before blocking any retaliation with Pillars of Salt.

Alternatively, select a soft target as your Prey. Mirage effectively extends the range of your Prey aura, which can guarantee that you get off that Prey charge attack, hopefully killing your targets so that you can chuck spears at something else with Quickwork.

If I were you, I'd look to field forces that looks something like:

Mohsar (25)
- Megalith
- Stalker
- Gorax
6 Blood Trackers

Mohsar (35)
- Megalith
- Stalker
- Gorax
2 Gallows Groves
Shifting Stones + UA or Thrullg (for upkeep and animus hate)
Full Blood Trackers + Nuala

OR (if you want a Woldwyrd):

Mohsar (25)
- Warpwolf Stalker
- Pureblood Warpwolf or Woldwarden
- Woldwyrd
6 Blood Trackers
Gallows Grove

Mohsar (35)
- Warpwolf Stalker
- Megalith
- Woldwyrd
Gallows Grove
Full Blood Trackers + Nuala
Shifting Stones + UA or Thrullg

The problem with the second lists is that you lack a strong Geomancer at the 25-point step. The Woldwarden is a pretty poor Warbeast in general, so I would probably preferentially choose a Pureblood and hope (pray!) that a Gallows Grove is sufficient for arcing my Curse Of Shadows/Crevasse and that doing this doesn't drain my resources (for casting Pillars) too much! It would also mean obtaining a heavy Warbeast which does not feature in your 35-point setup (though this is a non-issue if you already have the models, or are permitted to use proxies).

Finally, a note on the Shifting Stones: yes, they are a really good utility choice, but I personally do not regard them as 'auto-include'. If I have a distinct plan for them in my list then I will include them, but otherwise will consider other options. This is true of my Mohsar 35-point list, where I am currently favouring the Thrullg because there is a lot of Iron Flesh'd Khador and Spiny Growth'd Legion in my meta.

[KhandK]

Alright, I had my first matches for the week tonight. Weeks 3 and 4 are 15pts weeks, så I went with a unit of Bloodtrackers instead of a third beast.

BEST
MOVE
EVER!

The girls made 2 assassinations in 3 matches (Morghull (Skorne) and Kreoss (Menoth)), so I'm VERY pleased with how they performed. The third match was a complete brainfart on my part, so I can't blame anyone or anything else but myself for that loss

Anyway, thanks again for the help guys. I edited the original post with my 25 and 35 pts. lists, just need to stick with 2 beasts for another week and it's "HELLO MEGALITH!"