# Versus... High Elves



## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

Hi all,


Continuing with the Fantasy Versus... series, next on the list is High Elves(suggested by Baalirock). If you want to add your suggestions as to who Fantasy Versus should deal with next, go here for the general thread.

So, High Elves, how do you combat these irritating pointy ears? You can generally assume you will face powerful magic, a range of ASF combat units and a strong shooting phase. It is not uncommon to see a star dragon floating about or possibly Teclis or maybe just more 'drain magic's than you care to think about!

How do you plan when facing High Elves?


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

For me it depends a lot on which army I'm using.
Ogres, well apart from the inward groan as the Highelves are their personal nemesis, I try to avoid combat as much as possible and hope for lots of lucky leadbelcher shots to thin the units before I fight them.
My gnoblars for the best part deal with any small cavalry units. other than that its down to the luck of the artillery dice.
With Chaos Dwarf I generally just castle up and let them come to me. My earthshakers can normally shut out their shooting and my fast cav is up to the task of clearing out any skirmisher units. Then its a case of bolt thrower death until they get close a bit of blunderbuss lovin then let them bounce of my armour before cutting them to pieces.
With my Empire its pretty much more of the same but with a few tweaks to make sure I have some combat troops left if they get across the board.
I don't worry to much about their magic as I have an almost universal inability to remember the magic phase I usually gear my army up for defense so drain magic becomes irrelevant and with Empire and CD they lean towards a horde anyway so losing a few troops isn't the end of the world.


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## Ascendant Valor (Jan 3, 2009)

Shooting is typically the bane of the High Elves. Only a few of our units have a respectable Armor Save (or, in the case of the Phoenix Guard, a great Ward Save). Being only T3 means that most shooting won't have too much of an issue with wounding, and there's no worry of ASF against the arrows.

One thing that I like to try to do (yet rarely accomplish) is a grand Combo Charge. That is, I like to try and charge my Phoenix Guard into the front of an enemy unit, while my Sword Masters, Dragon Princes, Kitty Kart, or what have you smashes a flank. How to stop it? That's kind of hard other than with proper movement, but if the opponent can charge my units first, despite my ASF, I won't be able to generate enough SCR and the odds significantly tip in your favor.

Nobody should bother with using ASF against High Elves. Often times the items in a list are few and far between, and the Initiative of the units that can carry these items is just too low. There are some exceptions, of course, like the Black Guard who are quite strong with it in most cases. The reason I say this is that it's not too often that you'll truly benefit from the item.

Next point: Don't fear ASF. It's strong, yes, but will not create an Auto-Win. You never crapped your pants before when your units were charged, right? Well, this is somewhat similar! There's plenty of ways to limit the effectiveness of ASF: high armor save, lots of troops, etc. Use your imagination!


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## Captain Galus (Jan 2, 2008)

Having played High Elves for a while, I can honestly say we're not that hard to beat. Our most powerful units, and by that I mean Star Dragons, are well below the max power threshold of other armies. I've seen a Chaos Lord or w/e lay down the hurt on a Star Dragon/Prince combo in one turn before, and it wasn't because of good rolls.

Our Cavalry isn't nearly as scary as other armies, and usually as expensive or more expensive than other armies' Cavalry. Our basic Spearelves and Marines are pretty good, actually, and should form the majority of any High Elf player's list. Our Archers are decent, but we pay way too much for them, and as such, you will never encounter too many units of archers when playing against High Elves. At most, you'll see three units in a 2000pt game.

Our special units aren't bad, especially the PG who have heavy armor and a nice Ward Save. High Elves can take more special units than other armies due to their FoC allowances, so that is something you should prepare for. Expect to see a lot of Swordmasters, Phoenix Guard, and White Lions...in that order. Our special units are pretty hard, but not unbeatable by any means. Usually only taken in units of 5-10 elves, they are vulnerable to heavy-duty shooting and massed infantry.

Also, bear in mind that High Elves, like most of the "good" armies, don't do well under 2000pts. Originally, I thought it was just me, but I've talked it over with other High Elf players and they all agreed that High Elves don't preform under the 2000pt mark. If you play one of the "evil" armies, you have the versatility to be able to out-man or out-gun the High Elves. The exception to this, of course, are the Dark Elves, who can only out-gun the High Elves (something they excel at).

Teclis. Probably one of the most powerful casters in the game, you'll find him in most High Elf competitive builds. The problem with Teclis is how easy he is to kill. With his abysmally low Toughness, he is vulnerable to hero hunters and flying monsters. High Elves can't really come up with any really powerful characters, so taking out the general is usually pretty easy unless he's riding a Star Dragon; in that case, just shoot at it a lot.

The bottom line is that High Elves _can_ be a very dangerous enemy if used correctly. Their strengths are in highly-disciplined troops and mages. If a High Elf player chooses to go magic, they have to go all-out and sacrifice any combat characters. Basically, if the High Elf player isn't playing defensively, all you have to do is rush him and you'll win the game. ASF means that High Elves rarely have to move, especially if there's no cavalry in the army.


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

Tough units with good save excels vs HE since it reduces the effect of ASF quite alot. Sadly thats not the kind of units one have alot of...
Charriots are ace. ASF this *the sound of impacthits crushing weedy elves*:laugh: Sure some charriots can be shot to bits but still worth trying:wink:

Psychology can work too, most elves are LD8 and HEs with a Lord lvl mage is stuck on LD9 which is far from foolproof.
Most elf armies are fast with a bit ranged backup and magical help. Include atleast one real plan for dealing with parts of that whilst constructing your army...


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

High Elves are expensive. For 2 Chaos Warriors, they can get 3 Spearmen, or a single elite unit.

For Chaos Warriors, there's no need to go for your heavy equipment, unless charging their cavalry, so Shields will do fine - although that is really needed against Swordmasters and White Lions (2 Str 5 attacks, or 1 Strength 6 attack).

Their elite units are the issue for Chaos, as other than your own Elite Elites - Chaos Knights, Dragon Ogres, and the like, you're hard pressed to counter them. Luckily, they're expensive, and quite few and far between.

If you've gone Marauder Heavy, then the Shooting is negligable, and I think that with the Outnumber, Ranks, Standard, and odd kill you'll get, you'll win most combats.


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## crocodilesoldier (Aug 29, 2008)

High elves excel in the amount of magical items they can bring to the table and at a cheaper price than the other races (cheaper dispel scroll for instance), each of their special troops can take a magic standard and their unit champs can also take magical items. 
Though this is another point sink for the already expensive High Elf army, in the right hands it can be a nasty surprise for the unwary.

Vampire counts beware the vortex shard.

Edited: Please do not post individual points costs for items, models or upgrades. It is against forum rules as it is a violation of GW IP rights - squeek


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## Arcanum (Feb 17, 2009)

I ususally shoot their special units to bits with repeater crossbow fire. except the PG unless i don´t have other targets. Dark elf assains are good to since they have ASF and I 10 or is it 9?. 
their ranged units i usually try to take out with shades and harpies.
But i have only played agains High elves 2 times in this edition so i cant say so much more except that Black guards with the Asf banner are quiet good against High elves to.


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## NagashKhemmler (Apr 28, 2009)

Try playing skaven against HE WITHOUT using the hated tactics.....a lesson in futility.


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## karlhunt (Mar 24, 2009)

Didn't you get shot down on that one in the last HE thread about ASF? You are in no way required to use hated tactics vs HE. Just don't charge a 20 block of SM on three sides with clanrats and you'll be fine. Always considder the averace ACR the elves are going to pickup before you commit to a melee fight. Against anything but their specials you should still comout in the lead with some basic manouvering. Besides, VC are the only race that should be coming to the table vs HE without some kind of shooting to deal with deathstars of SM, WL, or PG. Really I don't see why anyone wouldcome to a game without some ranged attack against any race. It's basically a "free" kill.


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