Silver Line Stormguard

The Silver Line Stormguard Company is equipped with polished steel armor in honor of their original members. To facilitate its more defensive role, its recruits are armed with thunder halberds, mechanika polearms based on the more common voltaic halberds. These weapons can unleash devastating gravimetric energy when striking, potent enough to knock a heavy warjack to the ground. In addition, the armor of a Silver Line Stormguard is fitted with a kinetic generator that can produce a wall of energy to slow enemy troops, blunting even the most determined charge. The Silver Line sergeant carries a thunder halberd that incorporates an electrostatic nexus in its head. Strikes from the units’ thunder halberds feed energy into the electrostatic generator, allowing the Silver Line sergeant to unleash an electromagnetic burst that turns enemies into living lightning rods, making them far more susceptible to the lightning attacks of Cygnar’s deadly storm tech.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Entire unit
  • Template:CMA
  • Template:Immunity: Electricity
  • Template:Practiced Maneuvers
  • Template:Polarity Wall
  • Template:Wall of Steel

• Leader only
  • Template:Gunfighter
  • Template:Quick Work

Weapons

Leader	Electromagnetic Blast File:Gun icon.jpg  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW  6 1 5 - Template:Voltaic Snare Thunder Generator File:Sword icon.jpg  RNG   POW   P+S  2 6 12 Template:Critical Knockdown
Grunts	Thunder Halberd File:Sword icon.jpg  RNG   POW   P+S  2 6 12 Critical Knockdown

Theme Forces

• Cygnar
  • Template:Storm Division. They gain Unyielding in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this unit in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Sloan is leading the army.
  • Mercenary players can use this unit in the Template:Llaelese Resistance. They become Llaelese models and gain Pathfinder in this theme.

Thoughts on Silver Line Stormguard

Silver Line Stormguard in a nutshell

The Silver Line Stormguard are the anti melee speed bump guys of the two Stormguard units and while in base to base contact they withstand pretty well the three things that kill infantry in droves - shooting, blast damage, and charges. They resist blast damage thanks to Wall of Steel or if you plan to include her Lieutenant Gwen Keller, charges they resist thanks to Polarity Wall. And rather than destroying infantry they instead offer knockdown on critical hits and a powerful, but Warjack specific shot from the leader.

One thing that they do much better than their brothers - they are much more forgiving on a tournament clock without electro-leap and if your opponent isn’t running warjacks you don’t need to factor the leaders gun or quick work into your plan.

Combos & Synergies

Currently available only in the Storm Division theme force, they serve with their various support solos, like Laddermore, Gwen Keller or the Stormblade Captain.

• Another unit of Silverline, for an even bigger screen. Add in some Centurions and a large part of you list won't be able to be charged.
• Storm Lances - They can form a decent screening wall, and if you combine it with the Stormblade Captain's Tactician, your cavalry can charge through them without much hindrance.
• Morrowan Battle Priests the unit gains rise so they become better targets for tough effects. Although they don’t benefit from it themselves the battle priest still stacks Wall of Steel and Polarity Wall for other models.
  • keep them in the back of the unit however as the priest can still be charged and that can mitigate or even invalidate Polarity Wall for other models.
• Sir Dreyfus the Storm Knight - easily provides flanking opportunities.
• Maddox1 - Dauntless Resolve and Relentless Charge coupled with her feat allow the unit to perform.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• A little shooting is enough to break their Polarity Wall and Wall of Steel.
• Voltaic Snare does jack diddly against non-warjack targets.
• There is more versatility in Stormguard Infantry these guys punish Warmachine melee armies.
• Lots of anti knockdown tech exists.
• Depending on your list and the table, your opponent might still find a way to charge something else, then walk over and beat the Silverline to a pulp. Death Archons are especially good at this with their two 3" Blood Reaper attacks and Spectral Flicker. They can quickly turn your turn into a positioning nightmare.
• Like the rest of Storm Division's single wound infantry, they are vulnerable to Sniper and Deadly Shot, which easily get around their stacked armour. They can leave a single model alive to allow a charge into the unit.

Tricks & Tips

• Just like with Shield Wall-capable models, the triangle/arrowhead formation ensures that the enemy will have to kill 2 models out the 3 to break your Polarity Wall.
• Unlike Shield Wall though, neither Wall of Steel nor Polarity Wall is an order - you can still enjoy its benefits, while your models ran in their activation
• Quick Work combined with Gunfighter allows you to shoot even if you're engaged with the Officer after destroying someone with a melee attack, but you can only target models who are in your melee range.
• Quick work and Gunfighter have a lot of rule interactions - read the clarification pages.

Other

Trivia

Released around about 2013, as an "upgrade pack" to the regular Stormguard models.