Part 5 – Calandra in Kriel Company
I like Calandra so much, that I have played her in every theme available to us so far. My Calandra Kriel Company list was deleted an eon ago, in favor of experiments with Grim 2 and Grissel 1, so I’m taking this opportunity to just feel my way through the CID.
| Calandra – Kriel Company (CID week 2) Calandra 1 +27 -Trollkin Runebearer (5) -Storm Troll (9) -Dire Troll Brawler (16) -Dire Troll Mauler (15) Boomhowler, Solo Artist (6 – Free) Braylen Wanderheart, Trollkin Outlaw (5 – Free) General Thunderstone Brug (4) Gremlin Swarm (3) Trollkin Gunnery Sergeant (3) Trollkin Highwaymen (15) -Trollkin Sorcerer (3) Pyg Bushwhackers (13) -Pyg Bushwhacker Officer & Mortar (5) Sons of Brag (9) Pummeler Crew (6 – Free) Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (2) |
What does she want? I can work Befuddle, trying to rig some backstab action with the Highwaymen. The pygs have high defense, and they’ll benefit from Star-Crossed. That’s two units in the company have low armor, and so they can do without the armor buff from the Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes, but to deal with incorporeal, I’m tacking on the Trollkin Sorcerer to the Highwaymen.
The Sons of Bragg have never failed me with Calandra. Trollkin Scouts are neat, but I’ll pass today. Brug aids the Bushwhackers, so he gets added. The Gunnery Sergeant only costs 3 points, and makes up for the lack of the Stone Elder when dealing with stealth models. The Gunny and Sorcerer are 6 points, which is 2 points less than a minimum stone with the elder.
Between Boomhowler 2 and Boomhowler 3, I’m thinking Boomhowler 2. The reposition is good for Calandra, and the Covering Fire template is a fantastic way to keep low to medium ARM dudes off Calandra. Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew adds a screening element that’s hard to deal with unless you get an AOE on them, stray slam, or lightning. Adding a Storm Troll takes care of lightning. Heading deeper into the battlegroup, I think I want a bit more melee in the list. The going trend is to run a Pyre Troll and Dire Troll Brawler. I don’t have a lot of targets for the Pyre Troll’s strength, so I’m going to pick up a Dire Troll Mauler and Brawler. The Brawler hits POW 20 if I need something really taken down. For the final 3 points, a Gremlin Swarm fills out the list. I thought about whelps, but the Gremlin Swarm really holds down flags.
If Barrage Team made Smoke…
Why no Trollkin Barrage Team? With Calandra, I like maneuverable models with close-ranged combat capability. The Barrage Team may have a lot of initial damage output, but I think they probably fall about as hard as Runeshapers do in melee. While they could stand in the back of my line, I don’t think Calandra really wants models hanging out in the back. She’s more about driving her army far forward, pushing the limits of her spell list, and helping them hit harder than normal with her feat and re-roll ability. I might be tempted, if the Barrage Team did something other than just shoot things. Give them a smoke screen, and not only would I think of adding them, but the Trollkin Scouts might make an appearance. Seriously… if I wanted to play Deliverer Skyhammers, I’d play Protectorate! A special action on the Barrage Team to drop an AOE3 rough terrain template with a cloud effect would be a game changer. The Storm Troll (9) would come out, then the Pummeler would be deleted, making a 5 point model free, and finally adjusting Calandra’s battlegroup to shave off 4 points. That’s 18 points, and that’s enough for a unit of Barrage Team and Trollkin Scouts. With a smoke screen, the Scouts could disappear, and the Barrage Team would be both a support and offensive unit.