Witch Aelves

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Shadowspite
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Witch Aelves

Post by Shadowspite »

Has anybody managed to use Witch Aelves effectively in AoS?

In my admittedly minimal experience with them, against an enemy with any significant shooting ability they're completely worthless. Having no save at all just means they die long before they have any chance of getting into combat. They can't even benefit from cover or Mystic Shield.

I have a Cauldron waiting to be built, but I'm starting to think it was a waste of money. Bloodshield isn't a real save, so it doesn't benefit from cover or Mystic Shield either. Meanwhile, Black Guard can put out the same damage as WE in melee, but have a 4+ save as standard and greater range.

And using points, Witch Aelves seem even worse. 20 plus a Cauldron is a full 500 points, and that's probably the minimum that's even worth fielding. And they're still likely to die to half their own points' worth of Thunderers (or whatever) before they can reach the enemy (especially since the Cauldron slows them down if they want to use Bloodshield, and slows them even more as it takes damage). For 360 points, I could field 20 Black Guard instead and not need the Cauldron. For 400, I could field 20 Executioners and make WE damage output look utterly pathetic in comparison (and still not need the Cauldron).

I know this post sounds kinda whiney, but I like Witch Aelves and would really like there to be a way I can make them worth fielding!
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Barking Agatha
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Re: Witch Aelves

Post by Barking Agatha »

I use them, 20 and a cauldron just as you say. They've worked really well for me, but they can't be your battleline (regardless of what the Daughters of Khaine say!). You can march in support of another unit, so that the witch elves pile in when that unit gets charged, send them around the enemy's flank while you keep his line troops busy, and so on, but if you charge-of-the-light-brigade them up the middle, they'll die. That was never their thing!

Bloodshield doesn't benefit from cover or Mystic Shield, but it isn't affected by Rend and Mortal Wounds either, so that's not too bad! With Frenzied Favour, Witchbrew, and Strength of Khaine they get 3 attacks each, hitting on 3s, re-rolling misses, wounding on 3s and re-rolling 1s. I find that they eat through pretty much everything, as long as they can a) get there, and b) hit first. You don't want to let them be shot or be hit first.

But yeah, they're not easy to use, and an all-DoK army against people with guns or bows is just asking for trouble!
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Shadowspite
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Re: Witch Aelves

Post by Shadowspite »

I'll persevere with them. But with the way shooting and cover works in AoS, I don't see any way to stop the enemy from obliterating them if he chooses to do so. It used to be, back in 6th edition WHFB (I've been away from the hobby for a decade, but I assume the same was true in 7th and 8th edition?), you could advance them behind a screening unit, or hug the terrain to keep them reasonably safe. But in AoS, every enemy shooting unit can target them and there's nothing you can do about it.
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Catrine
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Re: Witch Aelves

Post by Catrine »

I've been using them to some effect, it's a matter of target saturation, sure your opponent can probably shoot them off the board, but you need to put pressure on those shooty units with other stuff to force them to take hard choices.
Also note not all armies are laden with shooty stuff, and even if they are not necessarily with anti-infantry weapons, I've not had the displeasure of fighting a full-on gunline of yet, but if there are just a few shooty units it's not too difficult to deploy and move around them.
Plus, of course, if those guns are aiming at the Witches then that means they're not aimed at other stuff, target saturation again.

Buff them with a Cauldron and they are alarmingly potent, almost all of their many, many attacks will force saves, enough to shred even good armour, add the Cauldron's Command Ability to double your fun.
Just don't rush them in, I've found them best as something of a counter assault unit, to deter and spring on any fast, flying things bounding into your lines before advancing to prey on the weakened enemy.

As an aside I think you might be able to stack the effects of multiple Bloodshields to garner multiple 5++ saves, but, er, just don't do that if you value making many friends.
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