Editing Warhammer/Tactics/6th Edition/High Elves (section)

==Units Analysis==

=== Named Characters ===

'''Tyrion'''

'''Teclis'''

'''Imrik'''

'''Alarielle'''

=== Lords & Heroes ===

* '''Prince:''' The embodiment of the whole issue with the army. Pricey, easy to kill (for a general) but still somewhat deadly when he gets the chance to shine. His LD10 is not that important due to the court intrigues not guaranteeing him to the be general so you have to think twice if you actually bring one. If you do so there are several good options and one bad one. Never bring him (or any general other than dwarfs for that matter) on foot. He is an interesting choice on a steed with a 2+ safe and greatweapon but if you want to go big get him a griffon, a golden shield or armor of protection and a sword of might / great weapon. Alternatively, pick the quick gold blade (+3 A) to make him a light infantry killer or the bow of the seafarer to get a flying spear thrower that hits on 2+ most of the time - truly nasty. A dragon is of course the most powerful option but usually not worth sinking in even 120points more. 
* '''Archmage:''' For most lists around 2000 points probably the better choice, the archmage packs a serious magic punch for 255 points (lv4) which is pricey but certainly better than the alternative of 260 points for 2 lvl 2 mages. High magic is not half bad but most of the time you will want to bring lore of the heavens for rerolls and some truly powerful indirect damage spells. both his mounts are great. Lots of good gear to kit him out, just make sure you have a high chance to get the spells you want and some additional dice or bound spells to get at least one spell each round through.
* '''Noble:''' Nobles are a crucial addition to your army. Since most of your units lack the killing power of their own, your nobles will have to do some of the heavy lifting. Greatweapons or at least a lance when mounted are crucial here for additional strength 6 attacks for your units. Best used on a steed supporting your cavalry and with a 2+ save but it also pays off to have one on a great eagle for easy flanking or war machine hunting.  
* '''Mages:''' pricey and on their own will not win a match for you. I recommend bringing one with scrolls or just go with an archmage and never look back. If you want to try magic spam, then bring two and an archmage or otherwise you might not have the dice or spells to dominate. Lore of heavens is great as always, but high magic or fire magic might also be viable. Depending on the lore get a steed or hide one in a forest out of sight or least preferred option an infantry block but usually you will not have a spare unit for protection and at 250+ points needing another unit for protection really gets too costly.

=== Core Units ===
* '''Bowmen:''' Here is the first black sheep of the army. For 12(13) points you get strength 3 shots at BS 4... not great in an army already grasping for any spare points for more useful units. They are not completely useless though and on a hill they can be somewhat effective. They do have two times when they can truly shine though - against goblin fanatics (or the slayer equivalents) and if you fight an enemy with a lot of light cavalry they can guarantee that your mobility domination is somewhat secure. Still, overall not an essential unit that will not win you battles and very overpriced for what they can do.
* '''Spearmen:''' Unless your enemy brings high toughness or high save armies the spearmen are your best infantry unit. potentially 16 attacks if 5 wide in 6th edition is huge and they can take potentially a magic banner (probably better for your silver helms though). M5 also means they are likely to get the charge against enemy infantry. As most units they are very easy to kill and at 11 points are not cheap. However, you should still bring at least 20 to get rank bonus and outnumbering and survive a bit of shooting. Since not a lot of enemies will be able to reliably take them on 1:1 they are a great tool to force your enemy to do something about them or avoid them. 
* '''Lothern Sea Guard:''' No. 4-5 points more expensive than spearmen for a measly bow. I love the fluff and the concept but they are not worth it. Other than that, refer to the Spearmen and Bowmen entry. 
* '''Silver Helms:''' The star of the army list. 19(21,23) points for very good M9 heavy cavalry in core. This is a big deal and ensures you can deliver heavy blows against most enemies where you want to. One unit of 5 probably will not kill a lot due to strength 3 so I prefer using several of them supporting each other or supported by other fast units. Give one unit a battle banner and embed some nobles for killing power and silver helmets will ensure your enemy will regret any opening in his battle line you can exploit.

=== Special Units ===
* '''Ellyrian Reavers:''' Excellent companions for your silver helms. Never take a bow unless you coincidentally have some point left in your list though but armed with spears and as fast cavalry with M9 reavers are your best cavalry for quick warmachine or shooting unit hunting. Take a banner and musician only or just go without for "just" 90 points which is really a steal in this army. Essential special choice and the (2nd) best redirector you have.
* '''Dragon Princes:''' Weapon skill 5, M9 and good against fire attacks for 3 points more than a silver helm. Not bad but also not a big update over silver helms in most cases. Also 50pts for a magic banner and 25pts for a magic item for the champion. Against Bretonnians they become essential with a noble in them so that you have heavy cavalry that gets the charge in first but otherwise not essential. The magic banner can give some nice possibilities but due to their looks and elite status they will already attract a lot of enemy shenanigans so you have to do a risk assessment if you want to make the unit even more expensive.
* '''Swordmasters:''' Possibly your best elite infantry but very squishy. Still for 2 points more than spearmen you get strength 5 attacks that often attack first. In a direct comparison the spearmen would defeat the Swordmasters probably but if your enemy brings heavy infantry or stuff like ogres the Swordmasters will perform well.
* '''Shadow Warriors:''' Even more expensive than Bowmen the shadow warriors are highly situational. Their shooting is nothing great, they are too expensive for skirmisher baiting and in melee they are abysmal (no banner or musician and a useless champion). For me a hard pass but in some situations they can be effective in distracting your enemy in difficult terrain like woods.
* '''Tiranoc Chariot:''' 2 for one elite slot and can be used by your heroes. Not bad since you get guaranteed strength 5 impact hits on a M9 chariot and 2 elves with spears but the lack of scythes and a save throw of 5+1 hurt its effectiveness a bit. Not bad to support your cavalry charges though. Only use characters in them if you know you are not going to face strength 7 attacks but even then better not rely on them as a character carrier even if the model looks amazing.

=== Rare Units ===
* '''Phoenix Guard:''' At 15 points way too expensive for what they do which is a shame since the unit looks amazing. Only situation they will be useful is against undead armies but otherwise they are a luxury if you take them over Swordmasters and waste a rare slot on them.
* '''Repeater Bolt Thrower:''' Must-have essential unit. Bring at least one or better two of them. They are your best source of shooting. Don't forget the regular bolt option if you fire at monsters and focus their fire. At 2000 points it is not a bad idea of thinking about 4 of them. They are amazing because they are good against basically any target and deal well against enemies that the high elves are otherwise not great against - high toughness and save throw units / characters / monsters.
* '''White Lions:''' Good against some enemies and very reasonably priced. Strength 6 attacks and good defense against shooting is great for an elven unit. Overall, they suffer from being in the rare slot though and if attacked they will become a point grave pretty quickly.
* '''Giant Eagles:''' 1-2 as one rare slot. The other great rare unit that every elven army should consider. For 50 points they are the best at redirecting and great at warmachine hunting. With 3 wounds they can also take some hits. If you don't bring 4 repeater bolt throwers at 2000 points get yourself 1-2 eagles.