What lore would you take?

Hi guys

I'm playing a doubles game soon, and am partnered with Lizards. What Lore would you suggest taking on the Slann? This is a great situation because my Ogres are getting potential access to any Lore we want, so what's the most complimentary Lore to take?

I was thinking either High Magic, Light, or Life. Thoughts? What would you do?

ASF, ws10 ogres would be a great sight to behold I must admit.  Don't forget though the Slaan will still have to look after his own army I would think?

True... but I'm thinking that if he's probably going to be  playing a more supporting role: with most of his points in a large TG bunker + Slann, and the rest skirmishing chaff etc - my ogres will be the more aggressive killy side of the army and warrant the buffs.

In any case, I am leaning towards Light too, it will greatly benefit the TG/Saurus as well as my ogres (Lizards and Ogres seem to share some of the same weaknesses of low WS/I) so he should be interested in it. If it helps, we're playing against a HE/Dwarf team.

If it helps, we're playing against a HE/Dwarf team.

This does help to know! Unfortunately, those Dwarves are gonna give the Slann a run for his money!

That being said, Light will definitely be one of the better lores to choose; High magic might be fun, too, but I'm not as familiar with its spells. But lotsa strong augments means happy Ogres!

Were you planning on running magic as well? Or just dedicating all your points to some killy Tyrants and Bruisers and letting the Slann have all the fun?

High Magic is beautiful. I do not know if the Lizards get the Unforging spell, but that spell alone can cripple an Elf list that is normally dependent on magic items, and can nuke magic banners. It also gets ignored a lot in my experience, at least until a 2+/4+ Combat Lord becomes naked when his armor dissolves.

Or when say, a Level 4 High Elf Archmage loses his Book of Hoeth... that hurts in the jibbly bits.

However, a HE/Dwarf combined force, there are really only two viable options that I can see you going against:

Gunline to the extreme. The Dwarves will form the infantry blocks with elven archers in between, sisters and bolt throwers, with probably some heavy cavalry for finishing combats once you hit the dwarven tarpits. Dwarf Cannon, and Grudgethrowers making the march to their army deadly.

Option two: The elves go a strong Cavalry list, supported by heavy dwarf shooting, and some light infantry action on the elves part. In this set up, expect Dragon Prices, Silver Helms, and White Lions to be the primary threat.

Knowing I was fighting Lizard and Ogre, I would go with option 1, because I know the Ogres are going to come to me. Dwarves can take an Ogre charge surprisingly well.

I would expect him to gear up his magic to be a dick to your magic. That team is going to set up to thwart your magic at all costs to A: Increase the effectiveness of their own shooting, and B: To increase the effectiveness of their own magic phase.

With this in mind, I would think High Magic wins another point because you can let lower risk spells go through, and use the Signature spell to dispel it easy peasy on your turn, and save the scrolls and dispel dice for the stuff you really don't want getting off. Those gives you a stronger defensive hand. Combine with a Hellheart, and you can probably do some damage to something they plan to use well.

Life I'd throw out if he plans on supporting the ogres with the Slaan, because most of the good life spells require the caster to be in the unit. Although the ability to six dice with near immunity is an awesome thing to have, and dwellers is a great way to murder dwarf gunlines.

Light is nice, but I think High Magic offers more utility, it has some buffs, a good magic missile spell, and some great utility spell. (Teleporting a unit of Mournfangs to a flank for kicks and giggles type thing.) It also has some decent range to it, allowing you to keep the slaan tucked behind another unit making it harder to be taken out at range.

Or if you're playing with End Times: Khaine rules, you could just have the Slann take the "Loremaster of Hoeth" mystery and get all the BRB lores?

That being said, they're all good.

We're only playing 1000 points each, so his entire army consists of the TG/Slann bunker and 2 units of skirmishers with a lvl 1 priest in each. Not particularly killy - i think I'll have to take bulk ogres simply to get more bodies on the field.

As for my magic -- I'm only taking a level 2 firebelly.

My partner seems interested in High or Light, and while High has its benefits, I'm worried about facing a giant unit of HE greatswords with a life mage buffing/reviving them. Unless my firebelly/leadies can shoot them down to a manageable size I think we need the light buffs more than the High magic utility.

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate your help. I'll let you know how it goes 

HE Greatswords at 1000 points is the best thing you could hope to see. After he pays for that Mage, the Core tax, he is left with about 500 points. Half of that will go to his Swordmasters. He will want to take 14 or so to absorb losses. (Having run them, if they do not get in combat fast, they will die fast, and a level 2 mage is easy to dispel.) Leaving him with 2 units of 14, without any real support. They are faster then the dwarves, so they either have to slow down to not get ahead, which is bad for their health. (Afterall, the dwarves have the armor to absorb that onslaught of shooting. The Elves are down to a 6+ and a 6+ special parry for the ranged attacks.)

If he gets a level 4 mage, he has even fewer points to work with.

Plus, the swordmasters are gambling on getting enough wounds delivered to break the ogres on the charge. The impact hits alone have cost me a good chunk of Swordmasters before, and if pitted against bulls, you can get the 6+ parry, and the swordmasters are still only wounding on fives, and they do not get rerolls. (The ASL cancels ASF, so don't let them BS you into letting those rerolls in.) If any of your bulls survive, they get a bunch of attacks that wound on three and reduce the swordmasters to a 6+ save.

If you have a bruiser or tyrant in that group, it gets even worse. Swordmasters are good, but they have severe drawbacks, and they would not be my go to unit to hit ogres with unless I could weaken them first with range archer fire. At 1000 points, this is a lot of eggs in one basket. Also, Ogres are fast enough to play the avoidance game against a single swordmaster unit.

Whitelions or Phoenix Guard are what I would be afraid of, but they cost more then Swordmasters and as a result have the same issue but worse.

If I was designing the High Elf list, it would be a unit of Sisters, two five man units of reavers, and a block of sea guard with a Sea Helm. Then a level 4 archmage in the Sea Guard to provide some buffs, likely High Magic, Shadow, or Life.

I'd set up the Sea Guard in an archer formation, and pelt your ogres as they approach, using the reavers to harry, fire pot shots, draw out a charge, run, and regroup on my turn and rinse and repeat. If my main line, the sea guard get charged, the sea helm shifts the formation into a melee formation, receives the charge. Using the High Magic spells to get a ward save up in my sea guard to help them survive. If not High Magic, then life for increased toughness and regeneration, or shadow hoping or razor. If razor, those spears get you before you even land a blow. They do get rerolls to hit. If life, then expect them to be just as tough as you and to keep coming back, and it is a level 4 Life mage. Dwellers is a possiblity.

My sisters are doing the same thing as the reavers, but avoiding being charged at all, just being mobile, and using their high BS to not care about movement penalties. This frees up the dwarves to go min core, and serve as a second line of defense, allowing him to soak his points into counter magic and cannon/grudgethrower/gunline evilness.

No I don't know either player, but this is how I would play it.

Honestly, I think magic is not going to help you much, I think you are going to have to play against his expectations and counter-skirmish. Of course, that is a gamble, because if he doesn't do this, your lines will be to weak to take the hits.

I have to vouch for Light. There's two spells there which deny the Helves re-rolls and help you hit more easily, and Net of Amyntok can ruin a lot of units. Easily bubbled too.

High Magic is pretty good, but the Lizzies have a rather dull attribute. And the spells are quite a mixture, so it can be hit and miss (though Fiery Congregation is one of the most evil spells in all of Warhammer).