As tournament results have slowly begun trickling in in this new format and people have been getting in more and more games it has become apparent that the lists showing the most consistent results so far are generally the ones able to leverage the biggest baddest characters effectively or that have the tools to deal with them. That can be a scary prospect for newcomers to the Old World and is the source of one of the questions I get asked the most when doing episodes of my podcast That Old World Charm (available wherever you do the podcast thing). So, how do you deal with dragons? Or conversely, how do you stop your opponent from dealing with your dragon?
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What Makes Them Good
Ridden Monsters are a particularly difficult unit to deal with in the Old World. With the onset of split/combined profiles for characters riding monsters and chariots, these beasts generally have 8-10 wounds, a large number of quality attacks, and 2 – 3 saves you need to get through to put them into the ground. On top of this, they are highly mobile with Dragons and lesser monstrous mounts like Wyverns, Hippogriffs, and Manticores all have the Fly special rule. And unfortunately, lumbering has a negligible impact on the ability of a canny general to get them where they need to be. Let’s look at a couple of build examples from different factions:
The Chaos Dragon
Chaos Lord on Chaos Dragon
Full Plate, Shield, Lance
Crown of Everlasting Conquest
Favour of the Gods
Healing Potion
Brazen Collar
Mark of Nurgle
Enchanting Aura
The above is just one of the ways you can run this terror from the depths of the warp. They are Toughness 6, 10 wounds with a 3+ Armour, 5+ Ward, and 5+ Regeneration save. Opponents in combat reroll 6s to hit and have Strikes Last. They have Magic Resist (-2) to shut down the scarier spells in the game, and magical attacks to get through Ethereal problems. With base 11 attacks at WS 6-7 plus Stomps this creature is a wholesale threat which it probably should be at an eye-bleeding 631 points. If you’re looking to save some points, the Mark and Aura are completely optional and if you feel 3 saves or the MR is overdoing it you can always toss most of this away for an Ogre Blade or play them bare bones to save points as 3+, 5++ and 10 wounds is probably defensive enough as it is.
The Sad Elf Dragon
Dark Elf Dreadlord on Black Dragon
Lance, Full Plate Armour
Shield of Ghrond
Obsidian Lodestone
Pendant of Khaeleth
The saddest elves of Naggorond can put together some pretty aggressive lists and this Dreadlord makes for an impressive anchor with 9 wounds, a 3+ Armour Save, Magic Resist (-1) and either a 4+ or 5+ ward depending on what is coming their way. When you consider that all attacks (this includes shooting) directed at the dragon will also be at -1 Strength, it makes for a threatening target. Over 100 points cheaper than the previous build, this dragon does suffer from a lack of magical attacks and only 2 saves to get through should your wounds be successful.
The High Dragon(s)
The Sons and Daughters of Caledor of several good dragon builds as befits their history, and while you can reliably make a Prince with a 2+ armour save, a 5+ ward and 5+ regen by mixing the Dragon Helm, Talisman of Protection, and Seed of Rebirth (or drop the Talisman for an Ogre Blade like a true connoisseur), I wished to highlight the other predominant dragon build in the army. Also keep in mind, High Elves have the option to run Moon Dragons and thus fit 2 slightly less scary versions of these creations instead of just the one.
The Archmage on Dragon sacrifices some of the combat prowess of their Princely counterpart for the ability to make itself Ethereal round to round, making it a particularly frustrating unit to deal with.
What Can You Do?
Even though dragons and their ilk can be problematic for the rank and file members of your army, just because you see one across the table does not mean all is lost. In fact, there are a myriad of ways to hamper, hold, and hang these point sinks out to dry. I wish I could tell you there was a single silver bullet when dealing with these beasts, but that just isn’t the case. Every army has access to different tools, and generalship makes a huge difference in mitigating the worst of what these beasts can do. Let’s take some time to go over some of the options we have at our disposal.
Option 1: They Are Fascinated by Close-Up Magic
If your army has access to it, Illusion magic is perhaps the outright best method to shutting down a ridden monster without investing a tremendous amount of energy into it. Column of Crystal completely blocks line of sight and, as the FAQ seems to have indicated, it is infinitely tall, making charges and movement in general problematic. Just try to cast it from outside dispel range if possible as it is Remains in Play. Miasmic Mirage is the other big winner here, not only slowing a big target but forbidding it from declaring charges at all. Miasmic does have a hefty casting cost at 11+ and a relatively short range so it is not without its risks. If you plan on going this route, I would recommend packing some kind of arcane ‘buff’ to your casting ability (the new Book of Gork for example is a helluva buff to this spell).
Having locked down my fair share of big scary units with Miasmic now, it is fair to say that MR is a sound investment if you are running your own dragon. Reducing the roll on those casts by 1 or 2 drops the average level 4 spellcaster into the 40% and less probability zone on top of making your own dispels easier to get off.
Option 2: Only Feed Them Small Portions
If you are a faction that does not have reliable access to Illusion magic, then you may be better off utilizing your all-important chaff units to minimize their damage potential. Small screening units like Empire Archers, Skinks, and Goblin Wolf Riders are mobile, and cheap. If you deploy with foresight it is very possible to bait opposing behemoths into charging out of position, allowing you multiple turns of reprieve for the rest of your list and sacrificing a pittance, while taking a quarter of your opponent’s points out of the game.
Fast Cavalry with access to the Open Order formation are absolutely incredible for this like Glade Riders or Marauder Horsemen. Their speed and free pivot after a move or march will allow you to get the most out of redirecting a charging monster out of position. Bonus points if they have Feigned Flight.
There are also a number of magic items that can help you run rings around your enemies and keep your opponents larger targets flailing in the wind. The Falcon Horn of Fredemund for Bretonnia is particularly useful at giving you more space to breathe and to a lesser extent the Skaven Storm Banner.
Option 3: Challenge Their Worldview
Challenges are an excellent way to lock down a monster for multiple turns if you have built your units appropriately. As ridden monsters will often be trying to maneuver around the board solo to bully flanks and take down juicy targets they will generally be alone when they lock you in combat making them unable to avoid a challenge. This is probably amazing for you. While it is more than likely that the dragon rider will more than overkill your poor champion, you will only lose 1 model and probably continue to fight for another day.
There are a number of caveats to this strategy you will need to keep in mind. If you are planning on challenge-locking a point sink unit you’ll want your challenging unit to either be large enough that they will not succumb to the worst of the Fear special rule and thus be unable to Fall Back in Good Order or be Immune to Psychology. Bonus points if you happen to be Unbreakable. My Wild Rider champion has been valiantly crushed beneath multiple stomping paws in the past, allowing for the rest of his unit to escape and pull dragons, wyverns, and carnosaurs well out of position.
You could also further enhance this option by building units with a lot of ‘static combat resolution’. These units are normally deployed with maximum ranks and magic items/banners that give them stacking bonuses to their combat res regardless of if they do a single wound. Consider a unit of Iron Breakers with a Rune of Battle standing near a standard bearer with the Rune of Stromni Red Beard, that squad is sitting on 5 combat resolution just by breathing. Given that a dragon rider will be locked to a maximum of 6 combat res in most cases due to how overkill works in a challenge, it is very possible to either maintain parity or outright win that fight without scratching their paint with the right combo. Alternatively, units with special challenge rules like Temple Guard, Grail Knights, and Blood Knights, can do this for multiple turns potentially locking up a monster for the entire game. Just keep in mind, should the dragon’s user be canny enough, there is nothing stopping them from electing to attempt a restrain and reform should they win one of these combats on your turn and then just fly away from their frustrations to hit a better target.
Option 4: Most Monsters Hate Ghosts
As noted before, a lot of the big bads in the game are built with defense or points effectiveness in mind. As such, it is common to see behemoths being ridden by characters sporting plain Great Weapons, Flails, or Lances, instead of a juicy magic weapon and even if they do decide to bring something nasty for the rider to use, the mounts plethora of attacks and stomps don’t gain that benefit. So maybe try Ethereal. Sure, most armies do not have ready access to the special rule, but those that do can get a lot of mileage out of it. It truly is a joy to watch the light leave your opponent’s eyes when they realize their 500 point creation can only yell and bawl at their foe. High Magic users have been using Walk Between Worlds on aggressive units to everyone’s chagrin since the game launched and those units can be especially effective at dealing with dragons. Prior to the nerfs the Slann received in the latest large FAQ, I was actually having a lot of fun equipping one with Higher State of Consciousness and a Dragon Slaying Sword to lock up non-magical monsters and either beat them with combat resolution or a cheeky Spectral Doppleganger. Now that the Slann is much less mobile this strat can still work but is far less appealing. Unfortunately, Ethereal is hard to come by, and the most readily available avenue to get it is a spell that can be dispelled and that most armies do not have access to. That said, when it works, it is a great feeling.
Option 5: Just Fucking Kill Them…Or At Least Maim Them
Sure, I have waxed poetic about how difficult this is to do, but it is not like it is impossible. If your army has ready and efficient access to the Monster Slayer rule, then you might just be able to scare your opponent’s units into submission. Virtue of Heroism and Tomb Scorpions for example, are both excellent ways to keep an enemy honest as they are just 1 6 away from delivering oblivion. Weapons, spells, or abilities that ignore 1 or more saves and/or do multiple wounds are also excellent here; a well-timed Viletide from a Beastmen spellcaster with a Hag Tree Fetish may not outright kill a dragon in one go, but once you’ve stripped it of half its wounds you may cow your opponent into playing with too much caution. Weapons like the Blade of the Revered Tzunki, Rune of Smiting or the Ogre Blade in the right hands will definitely make even the scariest beasts pucker their orifices. And while cannons and stone throwers are not what they used to be, they are far from useless. It only takes 2/3 lucky shots to put even the hardiest heroes within a hair’s breadth of death.
Option 6: Bring Your Own
Kaiju battles fuckin’ rock. Be the bad you want to see in the world. It might end up being a coin flip for you, but when your opponent decides to be cool and not a coward there is nothing more cinematic than 2 dragons fighting in the air over a battlefield littered with their dead comrades.
Conclusions
It is no secret that most of the ridden monsters in the game right now are just a bit too strong, particularly in more casual games, but they are not unbeatable. Whether you find yourself playing against them frequently, or want to bring your own, there are all sorts of factors you need to consider in what is becoming a really interesting strategic dance. Do your best to figure out what your army has access to for answers from the above and try to slip a couple of them into your lists in the future. And if you have your own winning strategy that we didn’t cover here, leave it in the comments below!
