OLLIE GRAY'S DARK ELF ARMY
You'd think Ollie Gray was preparing an invasion of Ulthuan, such is the size of his Dark Elf army. He regularly takes to the field with it at Games Workshop Lincoln, where he is the manager, although in smaller, more game-sized chunks.
Ollies Dark Elf Executioners
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Ollie has a whopping 8,000 points of the malicious Elf kin, his fondness for the race, something he puts down to the dichotomy of their character. "Elves are meant to be high and mighty – it's the maliciousness and depravity that appeals to me. They are flouncy and superior but like to kill their enemies as well."
Ollie's General, Mykan Soul Spite riding a Manticore
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Mykan Soul Spite riding Cold One |
The leader of this unholy horde is one Mykan Soul Spite, whom Ollie has modelled on foot, on a Cold One, riding a Manticore and astride a Dragon – so whatever mode of transport is appropriate for the game, his General can have it!
Ollie's General is one of the few conversions in the army, most of which is ‘pure', straight out of the box or blister. "The models are that cool, you don't need to do too many conversions."
He has however, converted his own Cauldron of Blood. "I've given it a different statue – the Eldar Avatar model – so it's a bit more dynamic."
DESTRUCTION OF THEIR ENEMIES
Initially, the Dark Elves presented Ollie with a sharp learning curve, by his own admission a "difficult army to use." He's had a lot of practice since then and is now winning more than he's losing. "Recently, I'm playing a lot more aggressively – I pack my army with Corsairs, Cold Ones and a dirty great Lord."
Ollie Cold One Knights
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It's a far cry from Ollie's old tactics – those commonly employed by a lot of Dark Elf players – maxing out on Repeater Bolt Throwers, warriors with Repeater Crossbows and Sorcerers, packing them on a hill and blasting the enemy to bits. "Yeah, I tried that, but it just got dull," he says.
Ollie advocates a new strategy now and has this advice to tempt players off that hill, "Take the pain – it will get better. They take a lot of getting used to – just find your balance."
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Ollie's Dark Elf Lords on Dark Pegasus |
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WHAT'S NEXT?
Not content to rest on the considerable laurels of 8,000 points, Ollie has plans to extend the army even further and has been inspired by the Black Library novel, Blood Storm. "One thing I'm having fun with at night now, is writing a Temple of Khaine army list."
Ollies Dark Elf Chariot drawn by purple Cold Ones
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