When most people build lists, they go for a very mixed and balanced approach. However, most codexes have the potential to throw enough bodies or armor at your opponent to frustrate him beyond belief. I am, of course, talking about the Unbalanced List.
The Unbalanced List is not necessary an overpowered or broken one, simply one that aims to maximize a certain strength in order to completely minimize or make ineffective the impact of a balanced list.
By removing one or more elements entirely from your list and using those points to further enhance another element, you create the unbalanced list. Examples are the Imperial Guard Armored Company (a couple infantry squads, command squad - all in Chimeras, and then more Leman Russes than you can shake a stick at.), the Ork Horde, Nidzilla, Elfzilla, IG Infantry spam, Dreadnought/Kan spam, and so on so forth.
The idea is to completely overwhelm your opponent's ability to nullify your strong point (Kill their templates, anti-armor weapons or fast movers) and then just clean up everything else. The beautiful thing is that even it takes you two or three turns to wipe out your opponent's anti-armor (and you lose one or two pieces in the process), you still have enough armor on the board to be a credible threat that they might not even be able to deal with effectively.
What are your thoughts on the Unbalanced List?
Squirrel_Fish
Tom Meier's Frost Giant Dio in a box!
2 weeks ago
The unbalanced list has some promise...
ReplyDeleteI think Orks are a fine example, since they can flood the table with bodies.
The risk of the unbalanced list is that you might run into a balanced list that can still tag you, or an unbalanced list that will just eat your face.
IE: I bring a Nob Bikers list. I spend most of my army on two squads os the Bikers. They are tough, they are resilient, they are killy.
Example of other not-so-balanced list: I meet TH/SS Vulkan Termies. He assaults both my Biker Squads with Vulkan-Termies out of Raiders. I...lose my bikers, or effectively lose them. Then he's traded 400-600 points for the bulk of my army, and mops up my support elements.
Example of balanced list:
I fight IG that brings Battle Psykers.
I can't counter the Ld Reducer. My super-units get Ld-reduced, then broken.
Just an example, mind you, but it's a gamble like anything else.