One of the most important parts of the game comes well before any models are placed on the table or dice are rolled. Some of the most important choices are made when you are making out your list. So today, I would just like to go through what I tend to look at when I am building lists for SR2011.
Typically, The first thing I do(after selecting my ‘caster) is take a look at their spell card, more specifically, their upkeep spells. You want to have specific targets in mind for each upkeep you plan on using, that is the first step towards building a solid game plan. For today, I’ll be breaking down a Witch Coven list. The first thing that jumps off their spell list is Infernal Machine. With this spell and the witches’ ability to activate separately(along with FOC 9) means I’m gonna be able to field a couple heavies relatively easy. So, for starters we will add Deathjack and a normal Slayer. The next thing that stands out to me is the spell Occultation. Another terrific spell, the ability to give stealth to a model/unit is fantastic. This combined with the ARM debuff(Curse of shadows) will allow me to add in Bane Knights over their thrall brothers while giving up very little. Next we want to look at the Coven themselves. They are the farthest thing from front line casters. So naturally, they will need Arc Nodes. We’ll start off with 2 for now. This comes down to preference, but my go to ‘node is the deathripper. Cheap and with Infernal Machine up, these things can be scary.
So now that we have the basis of our army(Stealthed Knights and Infernal Machine’d Deathjack/Slayer), now its time to look into the support solos/units.
Since we are playing Bane Knights, Bane Lord Tartarus is most likely coming along as well. He is one of the best solos in the game, and the ability to give the Knights a 12” threat range is fantastic, so we’ll go ahead and add him to the list. We are paying a few arc nodes, so a couple Warwitch Sirens are always handy to have for the arc nodes to run into place without taxing the Warcaster’s FOCUS, plus they are great at clearing out infantry and possibly tying things up with Shadowbind. We’ll fit two of them in for now. Another great solo is the Skarlock Thrall. A free spell a turn is fantastic. The Skarlock can cast one of your upkeeps for free on turn one for the girls to upkeep the rest of the game. She is also great in the mid to late game for a free casting of Ghost Walk on a Warjack to help it get out of a bad spot or even a Stygian Abyss at an annoying solo. With effective RAT 9, the skarlock shouldn’t have too much trouble hitting. Now, looking at the girls spell list again, they would love a free upkeep a turn, so we’ll look at the Withershadow Combine. Not only do they allow them to upkeep a spell for free, they also give you the ability to reroll that crucial hit/damage roll and also have stealth and great defensive stats. Adding those in we have:
