That aside, I decided I'd paint up some of my Retribution, and try to make my favorite borderline-psychotic elf work in a theme list: Dawnlord Vyros. Everyone's favorite flanking caster got himself a new theme list in No Quarter #35.
The Tiers
The Limits
Non-character warjacks with field dependent.
Small-based Dawnguard units; any Houseguard units.
Arcanist solos, Dawnguard solos, and Houseguard solos.
Tier 1
Obey the aforementioned limits
FA of non-character Dawnguard units/solos goes up by 1
Tier 2
Battlegroup has 2+ heavies
Point cost of heavies in the battlegroup goes down by 1
Tier 3
2+ units
For every two units you have, one heavy in the battlegroup gets Advance Move
Tier 4
the army has 4+ warjacks
Each jack in the battlegroup gets 1 focus at the start of Control Phase 1
On the Benefits/Restrictions
For me, Tier 3 is the money. Tier one is so-so; given the subsequent restrictions (and lack of extra unit attachments) I don't see redundancy in the units as a major benefit. As we have all of zero Houseguard solos and two Dawnguard solos, I'm not sure I see a benefit there, either. Scyirs are somewhat questionable with Vyros, as heavies belong in his battlegroup and lights still like the benefit. At best, they're a guided MAT10 weaponmaster missile that fires through your Dawnguard lines. Thanes are useful for feat turn and as flankers, but I'm not sure I'd want to take 3 in the army.
Tier two, however, is pretty easy to get to. Vyros likes warjacks, and he's gonna like cheaper heavies even more. Seven point Manticores are hard to argue with, and I can live with 8pt Hydras a bit more. The Phoenix at 9 is still nice, since you're probably not going to use the arc node and frankly, a 360 front arc + reach can be a liability to a canny opponent, as you kind of lose the benefit of free strikes.
Tier 3 is where we start making money. Advance move on heavies is nice, and with access to Houseguard units (and the 2pt Heavy Rifle Team) we can reasonably get advance move on a couple of heavies as low as 35pts. Any of our heavies can use this: Manticores can put suppressive fire just outside the enemy DZ, Hydras can fuel up and move into the mid-line on turn 2, and a Phoenix can get in there and be ready for a devastating charge or a nasty Combustion even faster.
Tier 4 is bound to be nicer for larger games, as you'll be able to push your jacks up faster and still crank out your upkeeps on turn one.
Downside of the Restrictions
Offhand, you'll notice a couple of things you're NOT gonna get in this list:
Eyriss
Stormfall Archers
Eyriss is your only real answer for upkeep removal. This could hurt you. You're otherwise stuck with Soulless for anti-magic duties, which could be passable. Stormfall Archers are also a bit of a loss, as they're one of our main answers to high-DEF infantry and/or stealth stuff, plus they can do a number on hard targets as well. I like these guys, what can I say?
You also lose out on some of our hard-hitting solos and our movement shenanigans, but I've always kinda felt Vyros liked the straightforward approach anyways.
Working the Tier
My experience with the tier is largely at the 35pt level. I think aiming for T3 is going to maximize your benefit, as it's unrealistic to get to T4. I want my cheap heavies, and I want my heavies to be able to get up there in a hurry.
1) The Choice of Heavies
Honestly, I'm currently liking a pair of Manticores for my T2 requirement. Here are some reasons why:
1) Covering fire WAY out there early on
You can help control enemy movement, and with a turn one mobility, you can be 14" across the field, add in a foot-long range for covering fire and you ARE putting it on their doorstep. If you go first, you can get some great board control against enemy infantry
2) Enemy stealth people don't like covering fire
...if you can't kill them early, you can at least control them somewhat. One template isn't too hard to get around; two near each other forces a considerable detour
3) The feat can help fuel them
Against enemy infantry lists, it's not going to be too terribly hard to slag a handful of guys during your feat turn, and fuel these things.
Pondering Hydras
On the one hand, you can also push Hydras up to the mid-line, and they can set up shop. One of them can get two focus from Vyros, one gets one from an Arcanist; you then chuck up Inviolable Resolve and Mobility and you have Hydras at the midline and your infantry buff in play. Next turn, you can fully fuel them with 3 focus, upkeep, and have a couple left over in case you feel the need to cast Hallowed Avenger.
T
he Con: this is more of a gimmick in that Stealth still shuts you down. On the other hand, you can bounce some high-damage shots off enemy targets, and start doing a number on them as they CANNOT hide from you unless they have stealth.
On Phoenixes
I'm hesitant about the phoenix for a few reasons. On the bright side, combust is a fine way to kill high-DEF enemy infantry, and you still have the Phoenix's lovely PS17 reach weapon. On the downside, you're still probably never going to use the Arc Node. Finally, a canny opponent will exploit your 360 front arc to avoid free strikes, and a phoenix has a large area around it where they can do so. The gun on it is so-so, so pushing up to the midfield early on really only uses this thing's melee and combust capabilities.
I just think you can get more for less in jacks with this particular tier; I still like the Phoenix and it still has a nasty threat range with reach and mobility.
2) The Units
If we're going to Tier 3, you probably want to grab a pair of Heavy Rifle Teams. It's 4 points for some armor-piercing shots (still vulnerable to stealth, but frankly, if the enemy is stealth-heavy you just try to grab/hold territory with these guys. They're 2 bloody points). Let them run turn one, and set up for shots on turn 2 and later. Some people take exception to armor piercing as well, and with an effective RAT7 with the binocular grunt, you can make people leery of getting heavies nearby, or even heavy infantry.
So, let's pretend you're gonna take two of these. Let's pretend you're taking two Manticores as well. You've spent a total of 6 points after accounting for Vyros' jack points, and if you're shooting for 35 you have a solid 29 points. Let's be honest, you're gonna take a couple of Arcanists, so you've spent 8 points and have 27 to dump on two more units and any more solos you choose to take.
At this point, you're going to want to decide what you want for a core. We have movement control, heavy hitters for melee, and anti-heavy gunfire. I would like a little accurate melee damage. When it comes to Vyros, I have a soft spot for Invictors. Expensive? Yeah. You get what you pay for, and Vyros doesn't mind a ranged punch. You have an easier time on the feat turn, and in a pinch if you can get the ranges right, you can mess up even Stealth infantry, as most of them don't like RAT8 tag-teams that re-roll misses. You have 360 front arcs on heavies, so you can also get the flank bonus out there a bit easier, then you have MAT9 weaponmasters at PS10, which isn't bad. You ARE dependent on your jacks, though, for this to work. I would consider a Griffin with them as a flank-bot for them and for Vyros.
On the other hand, you can go for the Houseguard module. At 9 points, you can get a fully-equipped unit of Halberdiers; they can go up to ARM20 in shieldwall with Inviolable Resolve, and with the minifeat, a pair of them can tag-team something at MAT10. You get your hitting power, AND any guns behind them still see through 'em. This brings me to the Riflemen; you have good range (still worrying about stealth...) and with the UA, they're almost tailor-made to go with Halberdiers as they can accurately CRA into melee.
3) Solos & Support
Frankly, take your two arcanists already. Just do it. There are currently no Houseguard solos, so forget that. You have access to a pair of Dawnguard solos: the Scyir, and the Thane. As you're likely to keep warjacks in Vyros' battlegroup for the benefits (Mobility & Bird's Eye), the Scyir is really just a guided missile. Then again, it's a MAT10 PS12 weaponmaster guided missile with flank, and if you're rocking Dawnguard, you can fire it through the lines and knock a chunk out of things. It's no Mage Hunter Assassin, but it'll do some damage and not draw near the fire the MHA does.
The Thane, in my mind, competes with the Griffin. The Thane is a great flanker: it can hold down objectives and still contribute, and in a pinch it can throw out a nasty charge at a distance; MAT10 PS14 is on par with the Griffin. Plus, multi-fire on a POW12 gun is just plain fun; you can mow down infantry or ding up softer targets. Don't forget you can go for a RAT9 with the aim (fun if someone gets a high-DEF target or a caster within 10") or get a nice scoot 'n' shoot with multi-fire + ride-by attacks.
The Griffin, on the other hand, does two things: VERY long-ranged missile, and flank-bot/distractor. Start with SPD6, add 3" for a charge, and 2" for reach. If you fleet, you can get another 2", and with Mobility, that's another 2" still; you have a max threat range of 15" in any direction, but it costs you. More likely you'll either fleet or mobility, but a Griffin already has MAT8 on the charge with the spear. Two focus is enough to eke out a 13" threat range with fleet + charge, or you can boost to be sure you hit. It's also an ARM18 light with reach; if you are benefitting from Bird's Eye you can tie up a LOT of infantry or solos.
Some Sample Lists
List 1: Houseguard Heavy, 35pts
Dawnlord Vyros [-6]
-Manticore [7]
-Manticore [7]
-Griffin [4]
10 Houseguard Halberdiers [7]
-Officer, Standard [2]
-WA: Soulless [1]
6 Houseguard Riflement [5]
-Officer, Standard [2]
Houseguard Heavy Rifle Team [2]
Houseguard Heavy Rifle Team [2]
Arcanist [1]
Arcanist [1]
The Logic: Manticores push up, establish covering fire. Halberdiers provide a front wall; riflemen and rifle teams abuse Ranked Attacks for all they're worth. Arcanists do what they do. Griffin serves as a guided missile/flankbot for Vyros. Optional: drop the Griffin; trade its delaying tactics/threat range for a full unit of Riflemen and another Soulless. I like the Griffin, though.
List 2: Invictors Holding the Line
Vyros [-6]
-Manticore [7]
-Manticore [7]
-Griffin [4]
10 Invictors [10]
-Officer, Standard [2]
-WA: Soulless [1]
6 Houseguard Halberdiers [4]
Heavy Rifle Team [2]
Heavy Rifle Team [2]
Arcanist [1]
Arcanist [1]
Here, we're abusing Halberdiers as a roadblock with Set Defense. You could again drop the Griffin, and free up points to upgrade the Halberdiers with either the UA or a full-up unit + soulless, but I lean towards the griffin, again. Your strategy is much the same, except all your troops are capable in melee, and you still have a decent shooting contingent.
Overall
This is a tight tier to get the meat out of in 35pts, no lie. I do feel that there's mileage to get out of T3's Advance Move on heavy jacks, and if you were only going to go with one heavy and some lights, you'd have more options. Still, I think that guns + advance move on 7pt Manticores open up some fun opportunities for board control. Just be mindful that you are missing out on Eiryss and Stormfalls, though.
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