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Wood Elf Realms · 140 points
Are Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts good?
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts are not strong shooters in my testing. They finished 20th of 29 at short range and struggled badly against armour.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts at
- Role
- Scouting and harassment
- Good against
- Knights of the Realm (1.3, 15th): best ranking
- Struggles against
- Knights of the Realm (1.3, 15th), Ironbreakers (0.5, 18th), Empire State Troops (2.3, 23rd), Skaven Dregs (3.4, 18th), Rat Ogres (2.1, 17th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (2.7, 18th)
- Range
- Loses some damage at range (70% kept)
Scouting and harassment is the job Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 20th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range. I then fired 1,800 more Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts volleys at fixed distances, after moving and into cover. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts results.
Treat my Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts results as evidence rather than gospel: I strip out terrain, magic, characters and an opponent’s choices so the unit’s own performance shows through. With ten volleys per result, Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts (2.1) and Skaven Ratling Gun (2.0) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Use these Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts figures as a strong guide to the job, not a promise.
My verdict
I think Deepwood Scouts are for scouting and harassment rather than raw damage. Their best result was 3.4 wounds into Dregs at short range.
Best and worst targets for Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 0.8 | 20th | 1.3 | 15th |
| Ironbreakers | 0.2 | 27th | 0.5 | 18th |
| Empire State Troops | 1.4 | 23rd | 2.3 | 23rd |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.6 | 18th | 3.4 | 18th |
| Rat Ogres | 1.7 | 12th | 2.1 | 17th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.9 | 11th | 2.7 | 18th |
Range and armour
At long range Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts kept 70% of their short-range damage. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (2.6).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts averaged 0.9 wounds at short range. That puts them 19th of 29 for cracking armour.
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts after moving and in cover
My main table is a clean volley in the open, so I also fired Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts at fixed distances, after moving and at targets in partial cover. At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts averaged 1.47 wounds across the six targets, 2nd of the 18 units I tested this way. Standing still in the open at 10 inches, Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts averaged 2.03 (13th of 18).
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts: mean wounds across all six targets. Still or moved, open ground or partial cover. n = 60 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, open | Still, cover | Moved, cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 2.03 (13th) | 1.73 (6th) | 1.82 (10th) | 2.10 (3rd) |
| 22 inches | 1.33 (12th) | 1.27 (3rd) | 1.52 (3rd) | 1.47 (2nd) |
Ranks in brackets compare Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts with the other 17 units in the fixed-distance test.
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts after moving into partial cover, by distance. n = 60 volleys per cell
| 6in | 10in | 16in | 22in | 28in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.00 | 2.10 | 1.55 | 1.47 | 1.50 |
Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts into State Troops only, including full cover. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, partial cover | Moved, full cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 2.8 | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| 22 inches | 1.8 | 1.3 | 2.1 |
How I set up the test
10 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Wood Elf Realms shooters
- Wood Elf Glade Guard144 pts · 2.3 avg short, 2.1 avg long
- Wood Elf Waywatchers144 pts · 2.4 avg short, 1.9 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Skaven Ratling GunSkaven (Renegades fan list) · 2.0 avg short
- Tomb King Skeleton ArchersTomb Kings of Khemri · 2.0 avg short
- Cathay Sky LanternGrand Cathay · 2.2 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts for scouting and harassing light infantry, and not for damage against armour, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts did 3.4 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 0.5.
Are Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts better at long or short range?
Short range. Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts kept 70% of their short-range damage at long range, 13th of 29 for holding up at range. Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts averaged 1.4 wounds at long range against 2.1 at short range.
Are Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts averaged 0.9 wounds per short-range volley, 19th of the 29 units I tested.