Editing Kings of War/Tactics/Elves (section)

==3rd edition==

===Infantry===
*'''Kindred Tallspears:''' Mostly what they say on the tin. Like most elves they have solid nerve and speed 6, and they do have more attacks than their non-spear-wielding compatriots. However, they lack any CS, and they lack the staying power of your other infantry options while coming in only slightly cheaper. Also, they are no longer your only horde options. Unless you really, REALLY need the phalanx, you're gonna want to take Palace guard instead.

*'''Shield Watch''' Elves? With good defence? Surely an error? In all seriousness, the staying power on these is tempting. That said, hitting on 4s makes them not particularly deadly, and, ultimately, inferior to Palace guard. You might find a use if you're facing an army that lacks any real CS, or want a more conservative battleplan (if you do, why are you playing the games fastest army list though?). They'll also sit on objectives well even if you come under enemy fire.

*'''Forest Guard''' Pathfinder is... nice, but beyond that you're paying slightly more for a Palace Guard alternative that doesn't come in hordes and trades CS for TC, so although the regiments aren't objectively bad, you are literally never going to use them. Troops could be useful chaff in a list that is (somewhat) short of it.

*'''Palace Guard''' This is an ''excellent'' unit. Like all elves they are a little short of staying power, but they are solid and will churn out the damage. At least one horde will likely form the core of your army, and will one shot most all regiments.

===Heavy Infantry===
*'''Hunters of the Wild''' In the last edition they were an interesting choice from left-field. Not so anymore. Irregular? Check! As expensive as Palace Guard? Check! Loses Elite? Check! They have an attractive statline, but they are slower than the rest of your army, have no CS, and are just all-round look pretty ineffectual

===Ranged Infantry===
*'''Kindred archers''' Thematically, I hate this. Militarily, I'm more ambivalent. They are nothing like the elven archers of old, but they also are your cheapest unit, and they can still put out a bit of damage.  But don't get it twisted - they are no longer a deadly machine that you can build an army around. You'll probably end up using them anyway, but the affront to the elves of having the canonically best archers in Pannithor field bowmen that are only mildly better than '''skeleton archers''' is infuriating to say the least.

*'''Kindred Gladestalkers''' They're irregular, which means you won't be taking lots of these. Luckily, you probably won't want to. Steady aim is nice, as is pathfinder, and they are your most accurate ranged option, but at 130pts a pop for troops (and more for regiments) their defence is ''abysmal''. Unless you really need that combo of pathfinder and steady aim, these are, at least in my opinion, not great

*'''Therennian Sea Guard''' I really want to like these, and I somewhat do. A reasonable number of attacks and they hit on the same score as archers. However, that lack of ranged elite is likely gonna hurt, and the lack of CS makes them merely passable in melee. Useful, but a bit overpriced for a jack-of-all-trades, master of none unit

===Cavalry===
*'''Stormwind Cavalry*''' This is a pretty solid cavalry option. They hit hard, they move fast, and they have a reasonable amount of sticking power. Make sure you don't get them bogged down in melee, and consider bringing someone to bane-chant them if you're facing high defence enemies. They'll never be as good as Drakon riders, but this is an excellent, and very elven, unit, and it comes with invaluable unlocks.

*'''Silverbreeze Cavalry*''' I've seen some people suggest that you could use these as an effective gun line, and while I haven't had a chance to try that out, that seems a promising option. They put out a reasonable number of pretty accurate attacks, and they are very quick. And, while they are hardly indestructable, they are reasonably hard to kill, and not too shabby in melee at a pinch (especially if you use their maneuverability to get yourself some flank and rear charges). Their one flaw is that, in an army with a ''lot'' of irregular units, they are yet another one, so they won't be forming the core of your army.

===Swarms===
*'''Battlecats'''* Not sure what to make of these. They will die at the drop of a hat, and they won't provide much cover at Ht 1. They could be useful as general chaff, but at 80pts they are probably too expensive, without providing any real threat since literally anything can oneshot them. They'll annoy your enemy, but unless you have a specific plan for them, they're probably not worth it. They're irregular too, so no cheap unlock spamming.

===Large Infantry===
*'''Forest shamblers'''* They're quite tough, not overly expensive, ignore terrain, and will deal some damage. The problem is the shambling. Unless you're bringing a Tree Herder (which, to be fair, you might be), you'll find them infuriatingly slow in a fast-paced elven battleline, as literally no-one else has surge. That said, they'll sit on objectives nicely, and with scout and pathfinder they're not as bad as they look on the maneuvering front. If you have a use for them, great. If you don't and just want a unit that's a bit tougher, you'll do better with Shield Watch.

===Chariots===
*'''War Chariots'''* Slighly Silverbreeze. They lose the stand-out pace, the nimble, the bows are pretty poor, and they aren't good enough in melee to justify an inclusion. Also they are ''still'' irregular. They could be a nice option to harass the flanks, but likely, in spite of the beautiful models, they'll be staying on the shelf.

===Large Cavalry===
*'''Drakon Riders''' Speed 10, fly, CS1 and TC1. These are some pretty deadly hammers. They'll dart around the board, wreaking havoc and spreading terror. They're not tough, but a horde will '''break''' things. Shame they're irregular, but still one of the best weapons in your arsenal.

===War Engines===
*'''Bolt Thrower''' Since Archers are... ya know... bad now, these will be a more common sight. I personally love a war engine anyway. They're pretty reliable, and they have enough piercing and blast to do a bit of damage. They aren't gonna set the world alight, but they're a solid pick.

*'''Dragon Breath''' It's a flamethrower war engine. Most lists come with one, and the elves are no exception. Either you like them or you don't. Elite on the dragon breath is nice.

===Heroes===

*'''Tree Herder''' Now weirdly a hero, this is a nice bit of kit. It packs some surge for any Forest Shamblers you might be bringing, and is one of the two non-unique units in the main factions to come with Radiance of Life. Stick him in the middle of your melee line and he'll kick some ass, and his nerve and defence means your enemy will have trouble bringing him down while you bash their high defence crack troops. He'll also keep the rest of your army in the fight with Inspiring and the aforementioned Radiance of Life. Not cheap by any means, but a nice inclusion.

*'''Elven King''' Has mighty, so he can tie up his enemies, but he won't turn out a whole lot of damage is more killable than most comparable units. You may well find some theoretical use for him, especially since the Prince lacks inspiring, but since this is a list that is short on unlocks and long on good heroes and irregulars, he's probably superfluous on foot, if cheap. Kit him out with a horse and some items and he could make a good character hunter.

*'''Lord on Drakon''' The little brother of the dragon lord, he's clearly a lot less good, but also wayyyy cheaper. With only 5 attacks, but fly and nimble, you'll mostly be using him for flank charges, but that's a fair reason to take him. Also could make a good distraction against shooting-light armies - it can dart around and can roll with a couple of punches, while presenting a big-ass model and the permanent threat of flank charges.

*'''Elven Archmage''' With lightning bolt, heal, or bane chant she'll be a very nice support for you, or a nuisance in her own right. Master of Magic is also pretty nice, and this unit as a whole sits well with elven fluff, so I like her.

*'''Elven Prince''' A non-inspiring, pretty mediocre, hero. Some armies might bring his equivalent, but the elves are well stocked in the hero department. Not objectively bad, just never going to be the right hero for you to take.

*'''Army Standard Bearer''' Everyone has one. Stick him behind your line and get those rerolls. Or don't. Who cares.

*'''Dragon Kindred Lord''' This unit is an absolute weapon. Expensive as hell, but comes fully equipped to cut through your enemy. Just be aware that he's not ''actually'' a god, and if you lose your 315pts of Death Star early on you will be in trouble.

*'''Noble War Chariot''' Would be alright if it were a unit, but instead it takes up a hero slot and lacks inspiring. He'll chip away nicely at the flanks, but he's probably not worth bringing

===Unique Units===
*'''Madriga the Elf [1]''' Your enemy will find it difficult to lay a finger on her. Unfortunately, she also won't be doing much damage to them. A nice concept, and Trick Shot looks cool, but with no inspiring and limited damage output she's probably not worth it.

*'''Argus Rodinar''' Somewhat pointless character, but in a list that struggles for inspiring he might be useful now that he can move. Also his ability to cast his inspiring is something I feel you could make use of for some clever tactical maneuver (although I haven't managed to yet).

*'''Tydarion, Dragon Lord''' A somewhat more impressive (and more expensive) version of the Dragon Lord. The extra CS and inspiring range could be useful, but he drops nimble. Quite cool, but unless you're facing horde upon horde of defence 6 enemies this is probably not worth it.