Thoughts on Exalted Champion

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Fortunately for the hydra-inclined, the Alpha Legion has a pretty good artifact for the Champion as well in the Blade of the Hydra.  A strength buff, decent AP value, and extra attacks all rolled into one on top of replacing a zero-cost melee weapon means you can kit an EC (does anyone else see the irony in the Exalted Champion's abbreviation being the same as the Emperor's Champion, plus them having generally the same role fluff-wise?  I just thought of that, I wonder if the similarities were intentional...) for relatively cheaply and still infiltrate him up with a big blob of Zerkers or (gods forbid) chainsword-Marines.  He contributes his aura, and he's not half bad at mulching enemy infantry and characters when he's hitting at S5 AP-2 and up to 7 attacks.

[Panzer]

Yeah Alpha Legion can make good use of him by bypassing most of his weaknesses. Alpha Legion is just overall in a very good place CSM wise. However he better not be striking last and make sure he kills what he attacks tho. ^^

[Iron Father Ferrum]

That's situation dependent.  Let's say you charge the EC and the 'Zerks he's accompanying into an enemy unit that is, for the sake of argument, capable of one-rounding the EC.  Do you:

 

1.) Fight with the 'Zerks first and hope they blender away any threat to the EC

2.) Fight with the Champ first and hope he blenders away any threat to himself

 

In option #1, the 'Zerks can benefit from the Champ's wounding aura and probably will get done.  However, if they fail to completely eliminate any threat to the EC, there's always the chance that your opponent can use the Counter Assault stratagem to interrupt your flow and strike down the Champ before he gets to fight.  In option #2, you're getting the Champ's swings in, and even if he is kitted out as an absolutely murder-machine, this is a game of dice so there's always the chance he'll fail to clear the field, too.  In which case if your opponent then Counter Assaults they can put down the Champ and deprive the 'Zerks of his wounding aura.

 

Both options present pros and cons, and this is where flexibility and tactical prowess of the player come into play.  You have to gauge not just that combat, but attempt to predict how the board state is going to change (if at all) before deciding which route to take.  In either case, there's a threat to both the 'Zerks and to the Champ.  Being able to properly navigate such conundrums is what separates a good player from a bad one.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Iron Father Ferrum

[the jeske]

Yeah Alpha Legion can make good use of him by bypassing most of his weaknesses. Alpha Legion is just overall in a very good place CSM wise. However he better not be striking last and make sure he kills what he attacks tho. ^^

The question is why give your opponent the option to kill an HQ model, in a situation where the exalated can be hurt in multiple phases [shoting, psychic, melee], but hurts back only in melee and his buff option doesn't even works all the time. On the other hand if I infiltrate a shoting unit[or two if we take the zerker+exalted example], we have almost non of the problems and a lot of the boons[for example if your opponent has to disloge your shoting units with melee, he maybe leaving objectives. Or you can deploy outside of realistic melee range for him and he just can't counter your dudes properly etc.

[Sception]

A big unit of exalted-supported zerks does more damage than most any shooting units we can field, while at the same time preventing one or more non-flying shooting units from attacking back.  The assault game is just a completely different beast for alpha legion, who can deploy in virtually guaranteed assault range.

[Fhanados]

I feel like the solutions of "user more berzerkers" and "Alpha Legion" pops up a lot more than I'd like it to. Particularly considering I'm Black Legion/Death Guard....

 

I do think the AL Chainsword relic is pretty neat though. Keeps him cheap just like I wanted to.

[MaliGn]

I was looking over my collection and matching things to the new codex to get a rough Power estimate the other day and when reviewing my six-man unit of slaaneshi possessed realised that to take the sixth member costs five power, so I may as well make him and exalted champion.

 

I'm not suggesting that this would be the most effective option and I haven't done the sums on points but it seems like the best trade off in this situation as 1 exalted champion > 1 possessed for the same power cost.

[SanguinaryGuardsman]

I think the champ is a synergy HQ that should be taken with a specific list idea in mind.  

 

I would use him in conjunction with VoTLW and a bigass killy unit.  10 Berserkers hitting on 3s, wounding on 2s rerolling, with 31 attacks... getting additional attacks on hit rolls of 6(vs imperium).... attacking twice.  There is no end to the pain with this type of combo. 

[Sception]

If you're already wounding on twos, re-rolling to wound isn't really helping you that much.  Certainly not enough to pay for the cost of the exalted champ, plus the hassle of transporting him into range for the aura to matter.  If you're fielding 10 zerkers, you'll need a whole separate rhino for the champ.  If you're hitting on threes and wounding on twos, then an apostle will do more for you then an exalted will.

 

9 zerks plus the exalted in a rhino, or 8 plus the exalted and an apostle, would be how I'd recommend running them, imo.  If you're not running alpha legion, of course.  Using VotLW on them only if they're fighting a high toughness target and otherwise spending that stratagem elsewhere.

Edited September 11, 2017 by malisteen