Top 5 Best Ballistic Skill Based Shooting Units

Okay, a bit of a disclaimer when it comes to this list guys and gals. I will not be including anything that has the Scout and/or Ambusher special rules, that will be for another list at a later time. This list will also only include units that naturally come with a base ranged weapon. Meaning Night Goblins and other things where you have to buy the bows or guns will not be included in the list. Just wanted to get that out right now before everyone loses their minds over this list.

#5: Peasant Bowmen (Bretonnia)
 These boys are certainly one of the 'sleeper agents' that Bretonnia has access to in the sense that this is one of the few choices in they army that is still very well priced and can still hold it's own in terms of shooting. For 3 Skaven Slaves apiece, these guys come base with a Hand Weapon, Longbow, and Defensive Stakes. Two key things to note thus far. Longbows have a 30" range, meaning these guys are going to be shooting at about the same range and rate of High Elves. Also, Defensive Stakes are freaking amazing for something that just comes free with the unit. It basically allows you to leave these guys alone and not have to babysit them like Empire has to do with its BS based units. They can take full command for 20 points, they can replace their Defensive Stakes for the ability to Skirmish for a point apiece, and finally they can for 5 points take a Brazier which makes the unit have Flaming Attacks. They are sitting at Ballistic Skill 3, barring the champion who has BS 4, and they reside in the Core section of the book. For what these guys can do, they are punishingly cheap. I like to use them in combination with my Trebuchets to take out Regen units like Troll Hordes and Chimeras. Hit them with some bowmen equipped with a Brazier, and then chuck a Trebuchet rock at them for maximum carnage. While by far the worst units to get into close combat and have absolutely abysmal Leadership in this list, these guys are still very useful to have in a list. While not means am I saying to get rid of a Lance just to put them in your list, if you do have some points left to fill to get to 25% core, then I highly encourage you to try taking a unit or two. Braziers are nice but optional, and Skirmish is okay, but Defensive Stakes are still the best option in my mind. I really like them, and their sheer output/price ratio guaranteed them a place in this list.

#4: Quarrelers (Dwarfs)
Much like the Bowmen, Quarrelers are in this list due to their price and sheer flexibility on the battlefield. They are BS 3, but they do have a range of 30" and they come with heavy armor and a hand weapon. They can be upgraded to take shields, and they also come out of the core section of the book. I have seen these guys as the ultimate primary defensive line in a Dwarf Gun Line list. These guys crowd the 12" line for deployment, with Longbeards, Hammerers, and/or Ironbreakers in the secondary line, and artillery behind them. With a 30" range these guys are going to hit basically anything on turn 1, and then they're still T4 and with shields are rocking a 4+, 6+ (I don't remember if they have the Shieldwall special rule) armor/parry save. They will inevitably be within range of something with Stubborn, and thus they're going to be hard as all get out to break in combat. They also take no penalties for making a stand-and-shoot reaction, meaning even monster cav is going to come in a little bloodied when they charge Quarrelers. I've even seen some players stuff a cheap Thane into some Quarrelers for guaranteed Stubborn and an extra punch in close combat. These guys are scary because you'll break your units against these guys and then when you finally punch through them, your bloodied up army is now staring at over 1500 points of elite, heavily armored infantry right in their faces. If I do have a concern, it is that these guys can be pricey when you start upgrading them, but they are in Core, so it's not all that big of a deal.

#3: Skink Skirmishers (Lizardmen)
I shouldn't have to really talk too much about these guys becuase if you've played more then 3 games against the Lizardmen then you know what these are and you know how dangerous they are. Much like pretty much everything else in this list, they also come out of the Core section. They come generically with Poison, Skirmish, and they can be equipped with either Javelins and Shields or Blowpipes and Hand Weapons for no charge. They come in at 7 points a piece and can be upgraded to have a Champion, but you'll almost never see that. Swarms of these guys can eliminate Daemon Princes, lone characters, artillery, other chaff, small bunkers, etc. They also naturally come with a 6+ Armor Save. If you want to make sure that the field will be clear for your monsters and Saurus to go smashing down the lane, then these guys are probably the best pick for you in that regard. They are not without their weaknesses though, as they are only Toughness and Weapon Skill 2 and they have an atrocious Leadership of 5 (they are still Cold-Blooded). So as soon as they get into combat they are going to die en masse. However, they are cheap and expendable enough to not worry about losing in the grand scheme of things. Thus, I put them at #3, pretty good at what they do, but exceptionally vulnerable in close combat.  

#2: Leadbelchers (Ogre Kingdoms)
The one unit on this list that isn't in the Core section of their book that you will almost always see in any Ogre list. They have the same stat lines as Ogre Bulls, barring they have an extra pip of Ballistic Skill. They also have one of the scariest shooting attacks in the game. Each guy makes a D6 amount of Strength 4 Armor Piercing shots. These shots are also not subject for either Move and Shoot or Multiple Shots penalties. Meaning, these guys are going to hit what they shoot at more often then not. Their specialty is not the usual clear chaffing game although they are quite talented at that. No, these big boys are capable of culling the herds of enemies that will certainly prove to outnumber your own army. Not only that, but they have pretty long range of 24", meaning pretty much your only negative modifier will be long range. These guys are also, unlike pretty much everything else on this list, not going to be easy to knock over. True, Quarrelers when fully kitted out can hold their own, but they're not nearly as capable as dishing out the punishment as Leadbelchers. Whether you like BS-based shooting or not, you have to respect and even partially admire the absolute carnage that these guys can create.

#1: Glade Guard (Wood Elves)
Considering that Wood Elves are THE shooting army of the game, I figured this list wouldn't be complete without them. For a Core Unit, these guys are rocking a pretty kick ass shooting potential. They can take special arrows and are equipped with bows that have a 30" range and the Armor Piercing special rule. Now the reason that I put Glade Guard at the very top of the list is that the psychology behind the Woodies and the ability these guys can crank out the shots is absolutely insane. We're talking about a Core unit that has higher BS than anything else on this list, and can have either Poison, -3 to Armor Saves, but the best arrows for these guys are going to be Trueflight arrows, which makes them Tomb King archers with much higher base BS. Unlike everything else in this list as well, you are almost guaranteed to see these guys in every Wood Elf army. With the other four on this list, the armies they belong to can honestly still be very competitive without taking the aforementioned choices. Hell, it's entirely possible to take a competitive list that simply doesn't have a Shooting Phase! But with Woodies, the Bread-And-Butter of the Eco-Terrorists is in indeed in the Shooting Phase. Thus, how can I deny these guys their place in the sun?