In a Nutshell; The Lore of Light

Lore Atteibute: Exorcism
Besides just being an awesome movie Exorcism is also a pretty cool lore attribute that dictates that whenever a spell from the Lore of Light inflicts a number of hits on an enemy unit that is either Undead or Daemonic, then it will cause an extra D6 hits on top of whatever is already being inflicted. D6 goes to 2D6, 2D6 goes to 3D6, you get the gist of it. This is pretty nice if you play a lot of Vampire Counts and.or Daemons of Chaos, and it can be nice if you want to drop a Daemon Prince from flying around and jerking himself off with a Purple Sun. However, it's kind of like Roiling Skies in the sense that it's much too selective for my tastes. Also, as a side note, this Lore Attribute does not work on Tomb Kings, since Tomb Kings are Nehekharan Undead and not Undead. Just something to keep in mind if you ever play Tomb Kings.

Signature Spell: Shem's Burning Gaze
This is a Magic Missile spell with a range of 24" and a base casting value of 5+. It inflicts D6 S4 hits on the target, and these hits also counts as Flaming Attacks. You can boost this spell to have a range of 48" and increase its Strength value from 4 to 6, for an increased casting value of 15+. Because of the very defensive nature of this lore, Shem's can be a nice pocket-shotgun to have in your hand should you find yourself in the need to whittle down a few guys across from you. It can also work well if you refuse to put a Banner of Eternal Flame on one of your units and you find yourself in need of removing Regeneration off of a few Trolls or a Chimera. Due to the lore attribute, this spell is especially deadly against MSU style Daemons lists. The upgrade in Strength is nice, but it is an expensive tax to make it higher. For that reason alone, I give this spell a 3 out of 5. Still a good spell to swap for if you roll up some of the stinkers in this lore.

Spell #1: Pha's Protection
An Augment spell with a range of 24" and a casting value of 6+, this spell makes all attacks (both shooting and close combat) that target the unit it augments suffer a -1 penalty to-hit until the start of the caster's next magic phase. Shooting attacks that don't use a BS base must roll a 4+ on a D6 before firing or the shot is considered to be lost. It can be boosted to effect all friendly units within 12" for a higher casting value of 12+. This is a decent spell if you play a lot of Gun Line armies. It can shield things that might be susceptible to artillery, making monsters and mounted characters a much more viable option. -1 to-hit is also a nice boon, so if you get to the point where all your units are engaged and are fairly close to each other, than this is a great way to turn the tide. Again, -1 to-hit is nothing to ignore. It's what makes Nurgle so damned scary. it is by no means the best spell around, but it's nice to have and will almost always be viable in any situation you're in. However, Lore of Light suffers from a syndrome that is beginning to spread to all 8 standard lores. There's something out there that does it better for less, and in this case, it's Shield of Saphery (the High Elves lore attribute for High Magic). However, if you don't play High Elves, then this is a great substitute. I give it a personal 2.5 out of 5, I hate doing decimals, but this spell is really deserving of it because I'm very in the middle of the road about it.

Spell #2: The Speed of Light
Remember how I mentioned about things being out there that do more for less? Well, this spell is a great example. It's another Augment spell with a range of 24" and a casting value of 8+. It gives the targeted unit Weapon Skill 10 and Initiative 10 until the start of the caster's next magic phase. It can be boosted to effect all friendly units within 12" for an increased casting value of 16+. This spell's power is mitigated by two very distinct things that are very prevalent in Warhammer right now. First off, there are three entire armies that are universally ASF in nature. Initiative 10 means nothing when those letters are special rules for what's across from you. All it does is negate their re-rolls, which is nice, but it isn't exactly that awesome in the grand scheme of things. Also, there's a spell in this lore that gives your units ASF, so in comparison to that this spells itself is very lackluster. However, WS 10 is pretty nice. It means that against pretty much everything you'll be hitting on 2's and only getting hit on 6's. Not that great for characters or small bricks of big infantry, but for hordes, this is really quite an effective spell. If you like keeping your battle lines tight and in order, then a bubbled out version of this spell is always very effective. I personally give it a 3 out of 5 myself.

Spell #3: Light of Battle
An Augment spell with a range of 12" that grants the following bonuses to the targeted unit; it automatically rallies the unit if it is fleeing and makes the unit pass all Leadership tests regardless of the modifiers until the start of the caster's next magic phase. This is all for a casting value of 9+. It can be boosted to encompass all units within 12" for a boosted casting value of 18+. I am not a big fan of this spell, because I have an army that's on LD 9 with a re-roll and Cold Blooded. I'm not going to say that Leadership isn't very important to me, but it's not as if I'm playing an all Goblin army, you know what I'm saying? If you play Empire, and you're afraid that some of your lower Leadership units won't hold all that well, then you should cast this spell as full-proof safety-net. Other than that, it's never really had any other use for me on the battlefield. I'll give it a 2 out of 5, but only because it can be used as a last resort to keeping a unit in the game.

Spell #4: Net of Amyntok
Finally, something that isn't a Hex spell! This spell has a range of 24" and a casting value of 10+. After the spell is cast, the target unit must pass a Strength test every time it moves. This includes charging, marching, fleeing, reforming, compulsory movement, any other kind of movement, shoots, or casts spells until the start or the next magic phase. If the test is failed the unit is unable to to perform the desired action and remains in place, taking D6 S4 hits from the net. If the test is passed, the unit may act normally. The caster can choose to boost the range of this spell to 48" for an increased casting value of 13+. This spell is fucking metal against S3 Elves and Daemons. I am a very big fan of this spell as a whole not because of its direct power, but because of what it does in combination with the rest of the spells of this lore. By itself, this spell is a very tactical choice. It can stop chaff and blocks of infantry in their tracks, putting your opponent's strategy all out of whack. I really like this, especially in combination with how this lore works. It's a little hard to explain, but when you look at the rest of the spells and how the Lore of Light is used as a whole. I give it a 3 out 5, because it does rely heavily on the synergy of Light magic in order to be effective.

Spell #5: Banishment
Ah, here it is. The spell that's gotten me so much hate from Lore of Light fanboys. As many of you know, there are entire army lists made around this spell, and here's why. It's a Magic Missile with a range of 24" that causes the target to suffer 2D6 hits with a Strength value equal to 4 plus the number of wizards that know spells from the Lore of Light within 12" of the caster. This doesn't include the caster him/herself. Successful Ward Saves made against this spell must be re-rolled. It can be boosted to have a range of 48" for an increased casting value of 13+. As you know, this spell is what makes the Empire Light Counsel so damned deadly, especially since it's one of the only spells that can hurt anything with the Banner of the World Dragon in it. I pretty much already did my bit on this spell in my Top 5 Most Overrated Spells list, so go look it up there. I give it a 3 out 5, but that's because it's at least still strong enough to damage most things in addition to being able to crank a lot of damage provided you have a few Light casters in your army.

Spell #6: Birona's Timewarp
An Augment spell with a range of 12" and a casting value of 12+. Until the start of the caster's next magic phase the targeted unit has its Movement doubled  and its Attack(s) increased by 1. In addition the unit gets ASF for the same duration the other effects of the spell. It can be boosted to effect all friendly units within 12" for an increased casting value of 24+. This spell is incredibly awesome, as if I have to say that to you people! This spell can turn Empire Halberdiers into a meat grinder, and even better units into things of shear awesomeness! Trust me, I use to run a Slann on Light in 7th edition, and I would have Chaos Warriors hesitant to go into a unit of Saurus Warriors or Temple Guard when I whipped out this spell. This is a #6 spell that is certainly worth it's weight in gold, and in a multi-unit combat, the boosted version of this spell can change the tide of the battle. The key is to use this spell as you would for the majority of the spells in this lore. I give it a 4 out 5, and it is most certainly an excellent spell to be keeping in your hand.

So overall, this lore is not the best one out of BRB, but there is a certain synergy that exists in it that makes it quite a powerful thing to be wielding. The three armies that come to mind when I think of this lore, are the Empire, Lizardmen, and the Tomb Kings. This lore is not a tool that works well on the offensive. Unless you're going full-tilt on the Empire Light Counsel with the War Altar, this lore should be taken when your overall strategy is to sit and wait for the enemy to come to you. If Dwarves were to be incarnated in a magical lore, then it would be the Lore of Light. These armies are able to bring large amount of troops to battle, but these troops lack in compared to some of the more elite things out there. Thus, giving them advantages like ASF, WS10, and for all intents and purposes Unbreakable, it makes for have a battle line that will, if played correctly, will not buckle but will instead repel anything it comes into contact with. It also has a few tricks up it's nonexistent sleeve, like Shem's, Banishment, and Net of Amyntok, making for a lore that is semi-balanced but certainly still a lore that is designed primarily to be used on the defense.