Playing to Our Strengths: Trolls at Low Points Part 4 Solos and Minions

This weeks installment will be the final chapter in our epic journey of me telling you my opinion.  Really though we have gone over all the other stuff in faction beside solos and minions so that's where we are at now.  So starting off with our fantastic solos, we take a trip down memory lane as I don't have my book on me!


Solos:

Fell Caller Hero -
This is the lynch pin of Troll synergy.  I think there is no more important piece in our army.  It does so much for 3 points that it's almost an auto include.  The only time you don't want him is when you are running beast heavy and you have already included him.  You'll definitely start wanting/seeing him in list of 25pts of greater, but almost never in 15pt lists.

Horthol, Long Rider Hero -
The definition of Bad Ass has his picture in the entry.  Horthol is awesome, but he's 5pts of beat stick that you likely won't see unless you are bringing Long Riders which you likely won't be doing below 35pts.  He's good, but not good enough to be brought alone in smaller point games.

Janissa Stonetide -
I asked her out once but she said my chin wasn't large enough.  But in all seriousness she and the Fell Caller are probably sneaking around behind my back.  So, really though, she's one of the best solos in the game for obvious reasons.  Bring her whenever you can fit the points.  The utility she bring to EVERY WARLOCK is amazing.  I would say if it's not a MM/TC format even bring her at 15pts.

Stone Scribe Chronicler -
Pretty solid for 2 points and if you can fit him in great, if not, don't sweat it.  He provides some situational buffs that have good synergy with a few spells and abilities.  I almost never consider him over a pack of whelps or the slew of sweet minion solos that cost 2.  Take ti or leave it, it's not terrible but not great either in lower point games.

Troll Whelps! -
Whelps are awesome and even more awesome when you have beasts on the table.  So give it a 50/50.  Good in the beast heavy formats and not so much in the infantry side.  Bring them when you play eDoomy and the like.

Trollkin Champion Hero -
Yet another beast stick the helps out Champions, which you don't see often.  He's not bad at 3 pts but in smaller games I find the utility solos beast him out for a slot because he's very one dimensional.

Trollkin Skinner -
Ha..hahaha...hahahaha....  Ok, I'm done.  I don't think he's as terrible as the community says, but he's not that great either.  I wouldn't use him over our utility solos ever.

Minions

This section is going to be quite long so go get yourself a beer and some popcorn or something because we can take like every f'ing Minion model under the sun with quite a few options.  I think I will break it down list style so it can be a little more concise.

Units - 
I have a little bit of faction bias here because under nearly every circumstance I feel like in faction choices work better because of the way we buff our army.  So take what you read here as you will, but know there is a fair bit of experience behind it.

Worth it:
Bog Trog Ambushers - Pretty sweet, a little pricey but a decent way to take your opponent by surprise.
Farrow Bone Grinders - They have their place in a few lists like Calandra so there are a 50/50.
Farrow Slaughterhousers - Some Trolls have seen good use with them and I think they are ok at 35pts.
Gatormen Posse - Arguably better then Champs, a really decent option.  I like them at 35, but not below.
Boomhowlers - SWEET...in family reunion.  Not a fan otherwise. Too costly in lower point games.
Nyss - Best ranged unit in Trolls but pricey.  You could use them in 35pts or higher.
Swamp Gobbers - Pretty good for 1 point.  You'll see them when you don't have the points for Janissa

Not Worth it:
Dannon Blyth and Bull - Solid Meh, not worth their points IMO and there are better solo options for us.

Farrow Brigands - They aren't great.  They aren't even great in minion pacts.  Leave them home.
Farrow Razorback Crew - Artillery kind of suck.  So do these guys.

Solos - 
Worth it:
Alten Ashley - He's sweet for 2 point, plain and simple, brings the pain on beasts and hunts solos well.
Feralgeist - A good one point filler.  Contesting or controlling zones with a 1pt incorp model is solid.
Gatorman Withcdoctor - All signs point to good, but until I test him out, it's hard to say...
Saxon Orrick - Good solo hunter, nice pathfinder ability all for 2 points.
Totem Hunter - Great flanker, accurate, and has good damage.  Also stealth.

Not Worth it:
Croak Hunter - Really only great in pairs and at 4pts they start to edge themselves out of lists.

Gudrun - 3 points for a beast stick that is sort of hard to remove.  Not a fan.
Lanyssa Ryssyl - She seems like she's good, but she dies.  Also her anit-Legion abilities are a trap.
Thrullg - Kind of Meh when you don't have a good way to protect him.
Pendrake - He's pretty good on his own, but honestly we don't need help hitting beasts.

Playing to Our Strengths: Trolls at Low Points Part 3

When last we spoke I was going over the viability of our Units in point levels of 35 and below. This week I want to go over our beasts.  Obviously the Mangled Metal/Tooth and Claw format is the big focus here, but what about our mixed lists at 25 and 35? It can be hard to fit heavies in without losing too much of the meat of the army. So let's look at what we can bring and whether or not we should...

Light Warbeasts

It is no secret we have some of if not the best light beasts in the game.  With a host of very useful animi and some decent offensive output, we really only have a few corner-case or useless light warbeasts. 

Axer - 

Solid animus, really good offensive output, and good defensive stats he's out heavy that's a light.  He tucks nicely into a lot of lists including our Battle Box.  He can add a lot of utility to a list with Pathfinder for bigger harder hitting targets or mix it up himself.  Definitely a Solid choice.

Bouncer - 

There has been some contention lately on whether or not the bouncer is worth it. Granted his stock went up a little once shield guard got fixed, but the core of playing him remains the same.  To be honest, when i look at beast choices, he simply doesn't cross my mind.  This game is about aggression and if you haven't learned to protect your warlock well enough by now, you need to re-evaluate you play style.  This game favors the aggressor and it's hard to be the aggressor with a defensive beast.  Also, bump is a must ability not a choice, so it's easily mitigated by your opponent unless they forget about it. Not really worth it IMO.

Impaler - 

I don't think I have had many things mess up an opponents game more then watching a Warjack/Warbeast go sailing over something important in their army.  Slams are a Trollblood staple and the Impaler was the original Kriel bowler.  So really good animus.  With as much ranged low as we have been getting lately it's hard not to see an Impaler in so many lists.  I think he is essential for any Warlock who uses their gun for offense or utility.  This slots him neatly into half the lists you can make.  That alone I think makes him viable.

Pyre - 

I think that giving the middle finger to Legion is good enough to make this model viable and I would love to end it at that but let's look deeper.  A damage buff at the meezly point cost of 5 is another strong reason to bring him.  Don't have enough points for a Mauler, the Pyre is your Troll.  Need a really nice, auto fire AOE? Pyre.  This guys is solid for 5 and taking him in lower point costs is kind of his forte.

Slag -

This one is a bit tougher. He's more of the same, but just a little different.  His animus is good, but not as universally useful I would say as the Pyre.  He has a potent gun with RoF 2 that's really good against undead, Jacks and constructs, but "meh" against everything else.  He is better in melee but do you really want him there anyway? The pyre has always been a beast that is great in some lists, not so much in others, you can bring him at lower point costs, but in most cases I say save a point and bring the Pyre instead.

Storm Troll - 

There is a lot of potential here I think.  I have not had enough time to play test this beast as his model has not been released.  I think he has great potential in a number of lists but I can't be sure.  We will call this one a Jury is still out for now.

Swamp - 

What and odd duck.  Seems very one dimensional and situational.  I have yet to use him as I have never found a use for him.  Granted his is our only 4pt light. So I guess if you have 4 points you don't know what to do with and need to generate some more fury for your army, he's your Troll?  Oh and before people tell me about how he can eat the book and how good crit consume is, I know he can do that, I would rather take solos instead...

Winter - 

Let's just move along and not talk about this one...ok fine... He's not terrible, but he's not great either.  He costs too much for what he does and if I wanted to bring him for his spray I could just bring a min unit of scattergunners instead.  Let's not even mention his animus. Yeah it makes your opponent avoid or kill whatever it's on in one activation, but let's be honest here.  Not great.

Heavy Warbeasts

Our heavies are pretty awesome.  Almost every one has a super useful animus.  Most are pretty good in melee with some decent ranged compliments.  It's really hard to choose a favorite here...

Blitzer - 

I am not certain in a format where you bring maybe only 1 heavy that the Blitzer stand on his own enough to be truly worth it.  Shooting is good but it's only great if you already have an Impaler in tow.  I think he has a place in some lists but I am not sure he's worth it in enough lists to truly make him viable. So, let's call me maybe? (sorry, that was terrible)

Bomber - 

Probably our second best beast. He fits nicely in lots of lists for his obvious offensive potential.  He suffers when not paired with Gunny or an Impaler, but I don't think he has the same issues as the Blitzer.  He's more focused at what he does and has better output when he does. I say he's easily usable in like 75-80% of lower point lists and even as a ranged component to melee focused armies.  

Earthborn - 

He is our best beast hands down and I don't care if you agree with me.  If you need a heavy to perform and be useful at every stage of a game, then bring and Earthborn.  He has a fantastic animus, is self sufficient, and is a murder machine.  If you need a heavy, bring this guy and you will not regret it.

Mauler - 

The Mauler really deserves a nod as linebacker for beast heavy lists like eDoomy and others.  The animus goes a long way to making our beast more points effective and when the time comes the Mauler can wreck face with the best of them.  However I use him in more of a support role and late game beast.  He is a solid choice and easily usable at lower points or as your only heavy.

Mulg - 

What's not to love about Mulg. His point cost? Oh, yeah.  His animus? It can be useful sometimes. Really, Mulg is a nice 12 point package and has a place in beast heavy lists but I don't think he is super viable until probably 35pts and above.  Granted he has reach, but I almost always reach for my Earthborn before Mulg. Take him if you really want to but I wouldn't recommend it.  

Rök - 

Another odd Duck like Mulg at lower point levels, good in some lists, not so great in others and his animus can't be used on anything but beasts.  So unlike Rage and the other lot, you really are sort of stuck when your list is composed of mostly infantry and you really need some good damage.  Good beast, not as useful at lower points costs.

Playing to our Strengths: Trolls at Low Points Part 2

In this installment I want to talk about the viability of our infantry at low point level games of 35 and under.  We have some top drawer options for troops that don't need much support to fill their function.  So I'm going to go unit by unit and give a simple overview of their viability without warlock synergy in mind.

Playing to our Strengths: Trolls at Low Points Part 1

I have been holding off posting on this topic because I think it's more then just a, "this list worked for me" thread.  It's been stated that trolls work best at 50pts because we feel like we aren't sacrificing anything at that point.  However, I think that playing at lower points you need to look at a few key factors.  First and foremost is playing to our strengths.  At low point levels we can't just bring everything we have so we bring what works and what is most potent. The point of this is realizing our weaknesses and our strengths at point levels below 50 and playing to those. As the first part of the article I will go over our warlocks and how each of them works at low point levels. 


Warlocks:
pMadrak: Beast brick to your hearts content.  Not much can handle 90 boxes of arm 22 goodness especially at those low point levels.  


eMadrak: Our infantry is cheap.  Bring lots and one beast. They can't kill you easily and you bring an entire list full of weapon masters if you want.


pDoomy:  Your feat total screws low point jack/beast heavy armies.  Purification is golden and immunity to spells it to.  If you can protect yourself, you win.  Run a beast brick and stand behind it.


eDoomy:  Dire Trolls charging 13"+ inches wins games. Make your feat turn count and you can cripple your opponent.   As with pDoomy, make sure you can keep Doomy safe.


pGrissel: Her feat and ability to run beast light makes her pretty effective at low point levels.  She can really shine when you just jam the hell out of people in scenario or swarm your opponent with kriels or fenns.  She can lack some offensive punch though unless you take the more expensive infantry or beasts.  I tend to avoid her at lower point levels.


eGrissel:  She can beast brick pretty well and the feat can help if you can alpha struck.  Janissa and an impaler are a must.  Probably not the most solid choice at sub 50pts.


Grim:  Grim is unique because he can really play to all the trolls strengths and really shore up their weaknesses. Long threat ranges, good beast and troop support make him a great toolbox.  He can run infantry or beast heavy and has great assassination angles. Take him at whatever point value you like.   


Jarl: He plays similar to Grim but you really have to tailor a list to his spell list.  Make sure you have at least one heavy hitter and then infantry that can take full advantage of his spells.  I don't prefer him as much in lower points but he can work.  Just know that once your infantry hits the lines, quicken and other spells need to be on him or gone so you can take advantage of magic bullet.


Calandra:  She's fragile.  And while star crossed is great, it's effect is lessened the few things if effects.  So she needs to be close enough to get enemies in the bubble which puts her closer to the enemy's lines.  I think she suffers at low points because there is simply not enough in the way to keep her safe most times.  I tend to avoid her at these point levels.


Borka: He can be effective in lots of different lists and venues.  He is so hard to kill that he works at nearly any point level. Infantry heavy or beast heavy can work.  Even if the only thing list in the list is Borka you still have a chance. 


Gunny:
Built in wall, good beast brick potential, good ranged accessory and no problem sitting behind a few big beasts and blowing some stuff off the table every turn.