Heavens SM list - Help me finish the list

Hi All

i am looking at building a new list for tourney play. We typically use a soft or panel comp here which tends to frown up double Ironblater or multiple units of Mournfang.
The meta is currently chock full of elves and I am looking for something that can handle avoidance MSU while allowing me some options to out manouvre deathstar type lists.

This is where I am at

Slaughtermaster: Grut's Sickle; Talisman of Preservation; Level 4 Wizard; Lore of Heavens; great weapon 390

Bruiser: Standard of Discipline; great weapon; heavy armour; battle standard; Lookout Gnoblar 165
Butcher: Dispel Scroll; Opal Amulet; great weapon 149

9 Ogres: Crusher; Bellower; standard bearer 300
7 Ironguts: Gleaming Pennant; Bellower; standard bearer 326

6 Leadbelchers: Bellower 268
6 Leadbelchers: Bellower 268
1 Sabretusk 21
1 Sabretusk 21

Ironblaster 170

I have roughly 300 points left to play with and am looking at the following options:
2x 2 Mournfang Cavalry: heavy armour; ironfists; Bellower 150 each
4 Mournfang Cavalry: heavy armour; ironfists; Bellower 290
5 Maneaters: 5× brace of Ogre pistols; heavy armour; Poisoned Attacks; Scouts; Bellower; standard bearer 350

This is my first time having to pay the butcher tax. How to people tend to equip the maw butcher. I see him as just an expensive Irongut that may occasionally make a unit stubborn.

Any thoughts?
Anyone have experience playing this kind of list?

In this kind of list I imagine either the 2x2 fang. or the sniper poison maneaters too be the better picks. As a side note, I think 3x4 leadbelchers is more useful than 2x6, as no stand ad shoot means if they get tied up by a charger, you are losing minimal points and still shooting.

Not sure opal amulet is best shout on tax-butcher. I'd rather a flaming ward personally, to charge at k'daai and block them up. Nice bones though !

I agree, personally I'd round that list of with the Maneaters. They are hard hitting, versatile and kick ass all rolled into one sweet package.

Interesting that there was no love for the 4 Mournfang which was the direction I was leaning. Basically I saw them as the cleanup crew up crew able to punch through a depleted unit each turn to ensure I picked up the points. I figured that the 2+AS and 12 wounds would last longer than the Maneaters 15 wounds with 5+AS.

My list originally had the 2x2 Mournfang as a deterent to approaching the lines while be small enough to divert if need be. I could also charge both units in to get the full combat potential.

For the Maneaters would you still give them pistols (I'd have to shave points elsewhere) or just run them as a combat block? I have enjoyed 5 with AHW and Scout inother lists, though they usually don't survive the game.

On the the 3x4 Leadies, my preference is still 6 I think. 4 makes them more susceptable to panic and I also expect to be charging with them in turns 5 and 6 so they will act as a smaller combat block.

I think my issue with the last unit decision is I need to understand what my army is missing and what role this unit needs to play.

I think either option for the MFC would be great.  You've covered the bases of shooting nicely and I've drafted a similar list with Heavens, something about that lore fascinates me to no end, I'm yet to hang up the Lore of Beasts however for the time being.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes?

I had my first couple of games witht this list over the weekend. I chose to try the 2x 2 packs of Mournfang.
I really enjoyed playing with the Leadies....you get to roll sooo many dice
Heavens with gruts sickle was also great, 1 got to try 3 or 4 spells almost every magic phase!

I played High Elves running a pretty solid list. I was up all game thanks to dominance in the shooting phase, but ended up losing when a large pit of shades almost wiped out the whole ogre unit, including slaughter master. The remainder of the unit died to a few spear elves with mindrazor in the last turn. The Frost Phoenix refused to die to cannon shots and ended up getting both Leadie units by the end. Leadies were teh MVP here though, they shot enough white lion to reduce the unit enough to charge in and finish them off.

The second game was against Empire. The ogres were up all game in this after taking the cannon off with the Ironblaster on turn 1. Despite this a unit of 5 demis refused to take wounds from the leadbelcher fire. The iron blaster removed 1, as did a thunderbolt form the Slaughtermaster. In the end there was a dicey combat in the last turn where the 3 demis hit the front of the orge unti with SM and BSB. The unit was depleted by gruts sickle and xbow fire. The demis killed 2 ogres to remove steadfast while saving even the BSB's S7 swings. The unit had a break test on a 4, and passed it on the BSB for the win!
This one was interesting as the empire list was a shooty one (xbows, pisoliers, cannon, STank and Heavens mage) but was out shot by this list and had to push to get any points.

In short, the list feels good, but the Mournfang I was unsure on, I loved them as threatening chaff, but felt I could have run them as a 4 for a better combat block.

Does the BSB load out concern you at all?

Does the BSB load out concern you at all?

I must admit he looks like he'd fall over to a stiff breeze or even melt in the mid-day sun. How has he been fairing in your games?

I was going for the more subtle approach but yes. 

So far the BSB has been ok, but he is hiding in the 2nd rank of the ogres.
In both games thus far this unit is typically backing off and only making one charge to take out points in the final turns. It looks like a big threat, but they aren't there to grind so much as cleanup at the end.
This setup lets my guts get used anywhere they need to be rather than being stuck in the middle of the army.

So far the BSB has been ok, but he is hiding in the 2nd rank of the ogres.
In both games thus far this unit is typically backing off and only making one charge to take out points in the final turns. It looks like a big threat, but they aren't there to grind so much as cleanup at the end.
This setup lets my guts get used anywhere they need to be rather than being stuck in the middle of the army.

Seems like a fairly legitimate plan then! I often do the same with my Ogres as well but then I tend to run the Ironguts with characters so by the end of the game my Ogre's are fairly full in number and can run in to play mop up duty.