Hi guys,
I'm thinking of starting a Lizardmen army, since no one in my local gaming club plays them, but I've been wondering, are they any good? I'm not talking "I must win every time, at all costs", but rather, are they a decent enough army where a person will have fun with them? Is it a tough army to play (ie: one that routinely gets its butt kicked)? What is your experience?
Thanks!
-Max
They range, in my opinion, from solid to very strong. The 'very strong' aspect of the army comes from their cheap, powerful and very reliable magic in the form of the Slann. There are a few builds based around a Slann bunkered in Temple Guard which are very good at points denial. All-round, though, they're definitely strong enough to put up a good fight against any other army. Their combat blocks are good value, strong, tough, and very stalwart. They have a few good monsters and powerful mid-range shooting (salamanders). Problem is, without magic they tend to struggle a bit due to low WS and I, and medium cost, meaning they outfight weak enemy core, but not fast enough, and are utterly outclassed by enemy elites. There's a few different routes you could go down:
Slann-based, temple guard block: This is probably the strongest and most competetive build.
Solo-Slann, saurus blocks: No 'deathstar' unit, instead the Slann tries to keep out of harm's way and boost the reliable, if somewhat 'mediocre', Saurus blocks.
Carnosaur Oldblood: No room for a Slann in this list, instead you take a combat lord mounted on a big dinosaur who will absolutely shred anything in his path.
'Monster mash': lots of stegadons, high toughness units, kroxigors (monstrous infantry)
Southlands: A Slann supported by tons and tons of Skinks, overwhelming the enemy with masses of poisoned shots.
Originally Posted by Avian
Let me just say that Lizardmen was my first army; it's actually what sucked me into the game in the first place (the other races just didn't look so appealing at that time), and YES, a person can definitely have tons of fun with them. The Beauty of Lizardmen is that they have the potential to be relatively strong in all aspects of the game - maybe lacking a bit in terms of raw firepower though. It's all up to you and how you want to tailor your list...
As I always say, Lizardmen = best army in the game (this does not have anything to do with powerlevel, though they certainly aren't weak, either).
One of the filthiest armies if you want to build them like that. But balanced Lizard list with a slann, some saurus block, skins and a few other goodies like salamander or stegadons are very fun to play in all phases of the game although they do rely on the magic phase quite a lot.
Lizardmen are certainly quite good, pretty high up there, actually.
What I find the beauty of lizardmen, is that they have a lot of different types of troops and options, allowing you to do plenty in all phases of the game, and having an enormous amount of manoeuvrability with skinks, hunting packs and terradons. I started lizardmen after my dwarfs, and with lizardmen I figured out what I enjoy most in an army, and I enjoy having plenty of units to move around. Such flexibility is very appealing and very entertaining to play with on the table.
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Their exact position may vary depending on who you ask, but they're generally seen as being one of the 3 most powerful armies in the game.
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They were my entry into WFB. There were a number of reasons behind it.
1.) The have dinosaurs.
2.) They have something to give in all phases.
3.) The have big Dinosaurs.
4.) They have the all powerful Hypnotoad!.
5.) They are the cranky old men of the warhammer world, and hate it when the young'uns mess about with their world.
6.) They have a dinosaur with a frikk'in lazor on its back!
Who cares about what tier they are on.
They have dinosaurs. Done. But seriously, lizards were my first army. I used the slann points denial before it was cool, lol. Lots of options and plenty of list possibilties. Just wish cold ones and basic krox units were a tad bit better.
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Key to balance: Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you HAVE to
You can't go wrong with Lizardmen, the potential is there to create hard as nails lists that can go toe to toe with the best of the best and also create fun fluffy lists.
My biggest issue like a number of other amries is it is really hard to take the old blood on carney. Once you play with Slann you really notice the difference in power level of the army, it is sad but the Slann is just so dam good!
Slann is what makes Lizardmen a top tier army plane and simple, the rest of the army is average which is a good thing in 8th edition
Potentially very strong. Your basic Saurus infantry are some of the best basic troops in the game, Skinks can harass the hell out of anything for minimal points cost, your magic phase can be positively brutal and you get a dinosaur with a bolt thrower on it's back (or, for more points, a frickin' laser). They're definitely competitive enough to have a lot of fun with.
Last edited by Ebon; 11-06-2012 at 05:47.
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They are amazing average and balanced. The list and the player can tip the scales to greatness. As mentioned they have something to bring to every phase. My only issue with them is that because you need to use a Slann for magic, it gimps the other caster options. You end up taking a little skink priest for his 1 spell which may or may not get used and as a Dispell Scroll caddy. Skink Skirmishers are feared by anyone with war machines and monsters. They have to make changes to their deployment plans when playing lizardmen characters.
Also I don't know if it's been mentioned but the Scar Vet heroes are better than a lot of Lords of other armies for a tidy 90 points. 4 attacks, S5 T5 makes them almost a monster class.
. . . and they have Dinosaurs.
The Slann is the lizardmens greatest asset but also the cause of the poor internal balance when it comes to characters.
Yes. But he is by no means a no-brainer. The Slann is mighty, but if the rolls are bad in the Magic Phase he can also seriously let you down. Trust me, it's not pretty. And if the enemy scores a lucky cannon hit, there goes your 500 points spellcaster general / army backbone. The Slann may be more powerful, but also a bit of a glass cannon. A well rounded selection of characters is more reliable overall. Besides, in 8th Edition you don't really need the über casters anymore to have an actual impact in the Magic Phase. A Level 2 Skink Priest can cast pretty nasty stuff too you know.
Last edited by Ultimate Life Form; 13-06-2012 at 04:04.
Put a Lord on a Carnasaur and give him the Ruby ring and dragon helm. Use a Godzilla toy as the model. Aim him at another monster. Profit!
I disagree, the slann is probably the toughest caster out there, he has an innate 4+ward, a solid 5 wounds, can get gear that protects against miscasts, can become semi-ethereal, can get a 2+ ward vs shooting, can stand in the second rank of a unit of TG, having T4 doesnt hurt either.
An empire wizard, now there's a glass cannon.
Yet if the dice will it, he can still undo himself in a single moment. And if he's the BSB (which is a no-brainer really), breaking from combat means instant KO for him. Also you forgot to mention that the setup you suggest would easily cost half your point allowance, making him quite isolated on the battlefield and therefore very easy to pick off. Trust me, I know my stuff around Lizardmen.
This guy also costs only a fracture of the Slann's points.
They are prety good, but far from invinceable, And generaly prety fun.
Is it? People keep telling how you have to have the slann as the BSB, and then they keep telling how it is a weakness for the slann. Is it such a far-fetched idea to have the slaan, and a scar-vet or a skink chief as the BSB? Sorry that it has to fall on you, but after a while this argument is getting old. If it's so bad, just don't do it? Because it is not a no-brainer, in fact. Just do like everybody else and burn some points on a cheap hero, if that worries you so much. Might be that you'll be able to do new tricks if you got a BSB that can actually change units, for a change.
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Don't for the cold one calvery and temple guard standard bears can take magic standards as well.
Being subject to miscasts doesnt make one a glass cannon, and with access to cupped hands you have some of the best defence against dimensional cascade there is.
Having the Slann as a bsb IS a no-brainer, and with the normal setup with TG he almost never breaks.
I never suggested any setup in specific, I just gave good examples for the many ways for a Slann to be hard to kill (even more than he already is).
Lastly, I never implied that you dont know your "stuff" about Lizardmen, but then again... calling the Slann a "glass cannon".
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