AoS - 1000pts May 5, 2026

Hammer Spearhead vs Blade Spearhead

DRAW

An intense battle of attrition. My Hammer Spearhead faced off against a swift Blade Spearhead. See where I went wrong and what I learned.

The Armies & The Mission

My Hammer Spearhead

Slow, durable, hard-hitting. Anvil + Hammer combination.

  • Hero: Warden King (General) - Durable, buffs nearby units
  • Hero: Runelord - Magic support, defensive buffs
  • Battleline: 2x Warrior Blocks (20 models each) - Anvil units
  • Battleline: Ironbreakers (10 models) - Elite anvil, very durable
  • Special: Hammerers (10 models) - The "Hammer" - elite melee
  • Artillery: 2x Cannon - Long-range fire support

Opponent's Blade Spearhead

Fast, mobile, precision strikes. Pure Blade formation.

  • Hero: Archmage (General) - Fast caster, mobility spells
  • Hero: Loremaster - More magic support
  • Battleline: 3x Reavers (5 models each) - Fast cavalry, scouts
  • Special: Shadow Warriors (10 models) - Deep strike, ranged
  • Special: Sisters of Avelorn (10 models) - Elite ranged, can move and shoot
  • Fast: 2x Great Eagles - Very fast, objective grabbers

The Mission: Battle for the Pass

4 objectives total:

  • Objective 1: Center-left (near my deployment)
  • Objective 2: Center-right (near his deployment)
  • Objective 3: My back-left corner
  • Objective 4: His back-right corner

Victory points earned per objective held at the end of each battle round. Game lasts 5 battle rounds.

The Clash of Spearheads

This was a classic matchup of:

  • My Strengths: Durability, staying power, elite melee units, long-range shooting
  • His Strengths: Speed, mobility, deep strike, ability to threaten multiple objectives
  • My Weaknesses: Slow, vulnerable to flanking, can't be everywhere at once
  • His Weaknesses: Fragile, can't win a prolonged battle of attrition, melee units are not elite

My Game Plan (What I Thought Would Work):

  1. Anvil First: Advance my Warrior blocks and Ironbreakers to claim the central objectives
  2. Hammer in Reserve: Keep Hammerers back until his fast units commit, then counter-charge
  3. Cannons: Use long-range shooting to pick off his fast units as they advance
  4. Magic Defense: Use Runelord to counter his magic

His Likely Plan (What I Expected):

  1. Speed to Objectives: Use Reavers and Eagles to grab undefended objectives early
  2. Deep Strike Threat: Shadow Warriors arrive from reserves to threaten my rear
  3. Magic Harassment: Use mages to buff his units and debuff mine
  4. Attrition Through Mobility: Hit and run, never letting me bring my Hammerers to bear

Turn-by-Turn Breakdown

Battle Round 1: He Won the Roll-Off

This was bad news for me. With a Blade Spearhead going first, he could claim objectives before I could even move.

His Turn 1:

  • Movement: All 3 Reaver units zoomed forward. One unit went for Objective 1 (center-left near my zone), one for Objective 2, and the third flanked wide. Great Eagles flew toward my back-left Objective 3.
  • Magic: Archmage cast a speed buff on the Reavers going for Objective 1, letting them move even farther. Loremaster cast a protection spell on the Eagles.
  • Shooting: Reavers have bows - fired at my Warrior block on the left. Killed 2 Warriors.
  • Charge: Didn't charge - stayed back to hold objectives.

My Turn 1 Response:

  • Movement: Advanced my Warrior blocks toward the center. Ironbreakers stayed back to protect my heroes and cannons. Hammerers also held back (my mistake - should have advanced them).
  • Magic: Runelord dispelled his protection spell on Eagles. Warden King gave a combat buff to nearby Warriors.
  • Shooting: Cannons fired at the Reavers on Objective 1. Hit! Killed 3 Reavers, leaving 2.
  • Charge: Left Warrior block declared charge against the remaining Reavers. Made the charge!
  • Combat: 18 Warriors vs 2 Reavers. Not even close. Killed both Reavers without losing a Warrior.

End of Round 1:

Objectives held: Me = 1 (Objective 1 now), Him = 2 (Objective 2 and Objective 3 with Eagles). Close, but he had more.

My First Mistake: I held my Hammerers back "in reserve" but they weren't in reserve - they were just doing nothing. They should have been advancing to threaten his units.

Battle Round 2: Deep Strike Arrives

His Shadow Warriors arrived from deep strike. This is where things went sideways for me.

His Turn 2:

  • Reserves: Shadow Warriors arrived behind my lines, near my unprotected Objective 4 (back-right corner) and right next to my cannons.
  • Movement: Reavers on Objective 2 stayed put. Eagles continued holding Objective 3. Sisters of Avelorn advanced toward the center. Shadow Warriors moved toward Objective 4 but were also in position to shoot my cannons.
  • Magic: More speed buffs, more protection spells. He was effectively using his magic to amplify his Blade Spearhead's greatest strength: mobility.
  • Shooting: This was the big one. Shadow Warriors fired at my cannons. With their bows (they're good shots), they killed 3 crew from one cannon and 2 from the other. Both cannons were now effectively neutralized. Sisters of Avelorn fired at my Warriors, killing 4 more.
  • Charge: Reavers didn't charge. Eagles stayed on objective.

My Turn 2 Response:

  • Movement: Now I had a problem. Shadow Warriors were behind my lines. I had to split my force. Ironbreakers turned around to deal with the Shadow Warriors. Hammerers... still held back (another mistake!). Warrior blocks continued advancing toward center.
  • Magic: Tried to buff Ironbreakers for the coming fight.
  • Shooting: Remaining cannon crew (what was left) fired at Shadow Warriors but missed.
  • Charge: Ironbreakers charged Shadow Warriors. Made the charge!
  • Combat: Ironbreakers are elite, very durable. Shadow Warriors are ranged specialists, not melee. Ironbreakers killed 5 Shadow Warriors, losing 2 Ironbreakers in return.

End of Round 2:

Objectives held: Me = 1 (Objective 1), Him = 3 (Objective 2, 3 with Eagles, and now 4 because Shadow Warriors were contesting it and I had nothing there).

Mistakes This Round:

  1. I didn't screen my cannons or my rear objectives. The Shadow Warriors deep struck completely unopposed.
  2. Hammerers were STILL doing nothing. They were my most elite melee unit and they were just standing around.
  3. By splitting my Ironbreakers off to deal with Shadow Warriors, I was weakening my anvil in the center.

Battle Rounds 3-5: Attrition & Objective Dance

The rest of the game became a messy battle of attrition where he used his mobility to contest objectives, and I tried to bring my superior durability to bear.

Key Moments:

  • Round 3: Hammerers FINALLY advanced and charged the Sisters of Avelorn in the center. It was glorious - Hammerers absolutely mulched them. But by then, the Sisters had done their job: they'd softened up my Warriors and delayed my advance.
  • Ironbreakers vs Shadow Warriors: The combat dragged on. Ironbreakers eventually killed all the Shadow Warriors, but by then 6 Ironbreakers were dead and they were out of position for the rest of the game.
  • Objective Musical Chairs: This is where his Blade Spearhead really shined. When I moved units to claim an objective, he'd fly his Eagles or zoom his Reavers to another undefended one. I couldn't be everywhere because I was slow. He could be everywhere because he was fast.
  • Round 5 (Final Turn): I had:
    • Hammerers at 8/10 models, holding Objective 1
    • Warrior Block 1 at 11/20 models, contesting Objective 2
    • Warrior Block 2 at 9/20 models, moving toward Objective 4
    • Ironbreakers at 4/10 models, near Objective 3 but not quite there

    He had:

    • Reavers at 3/5 models, holding Objective 2
    • Great Eagles at 1/2 models, holding Objective 3
    • His Archmage was near Objective 4 but had no units to hold it

Final Objective Count:

  • Objective 1: ME (Hammerers)
  • Objective 2: HIM (Reavers - I was contesting but he had ObSec and I didn't have enough models left)
  • Objective 3: HIM (Eagle)
  • Objective 4: NEITHER (my Warriors got there but his Archmage was contesting, and it was the end of the turn)

Final Result & Key Lessons (The Important Part!)

Victory Points (End of 5 Rounds):

Hammer Spearhead (Me): 7 VP
Blade Spearhead (Him): 8 VP

RESULT: MINOR VICTORY FOR HIM (essentially a draw in my book - very close)

What I Did Wrong (And What I Learned):

Mistake 1: Underestimating Deep Strike

I didn't screen my rear area at all. His Shadow Warriors arrived completely unopposed and took out my cannons AND threatened a back objective.

Lesson: Even with a slow Hammer/Anvil army, you need screening units or you need to hold some units back to deal with deep strike. If I'd kept 5 Warriors back to screen, this wouldn't have been a problem.

Mistake 2: Wasting My Hammer Units

My Hammerers are my elite, hard-hitting melee unit. They did NOTHING for two full turns. I was "holding them in reserve" but I meant "keeping them back doing nothing."

Lesson: Hammer units need to be advancing. They're not a reactive unit - they're a proactive unit. If I'd advanced them Turn 1, they could have charged his Sisters of Avelorn on Turn 2 instead of Turn 3.

Mistake 3: No Answer to Objective Grabbers

His Great Eagles and remaining Reavers could fly/zoom to undefended objectives and I had nothing that could catch them. My anvil units were too slow to reposition.

Lesson: Even a pure Hammer/Anvil army needs something fast for objective control. Maybe a small unit of fast cavalry, or at least some way to threaten fast units (like better shooting).

Mistake 4: Poor Deployment

I deployed everything in a line facing forward. I didn't consider that he might come from behind OR the sides. My cannons were particularly exposed.

Lesson: Deploy in depth, not just in a line. Have units that can face multiple directions. Keep valuable units (like artillery) protected by screening units.

What He Did Right (And What I Learned From His Play):

  1. He Maximized His Spearhead's Strengths: His Blade Spearhead is fast and mobile. He used that speed to be everywhere at once, grabbing objectives and forcing me to react.
  2. Deep Strike Was Perfectly Timed: He didn't just use deep strike - he used it to target my most valuable units (cannons) and threaten undefended objectives simultaneously.
  3. Magic Amplified His Playstyle: His mages weren't just doing random damage - they were casting speed buffs to make his fast units even faster, and protection spells to keep them alive.
  4. He Never Committed to a Prolonged Fight: His units are fragile. He knew this. He'd hit an objective, then when I moved to retake it, he'd be gone to another one. Classic Blade Spearhead hit-and-run.

Want to Learn More About Spearheads?

Check out our complete Age of Sigmar Spearheads guide to understand how to use each formation effectively!

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