2nd Blood Angels batrep (1850 points) • Blood in hte Sand • versus Space Wolves

So I had the opportunity to play one more game before returning home. My buddy wanted another shot at my dual core Stormraven list with his Space Wolves and he decided to bring the following:

HQ
Bjorn

TROOPS
3x 5x Grey Hunter/meltagun & MotW - razorback/TL HB

ELITES
3x Venerable dreadnaught/assault cannon, heavy flamer, extra armor - drop pod

HEAVY SUPPORT
3x Predator/autocannon turret & HB sponsons

Honor Guard/jump packs, 2x meltagun, power sword, power fist

Sanguinary Priest/jump pack, infernus pistol, lightning claw
Sanguinary Guard/Chapter Banner, 2x infernus pistol, power fist
Furioso Librarian/extra armor, heavy flamer

10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist
10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist

Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Dreadnaught/extra armor, heavy flamer, multi-melta

Here is how I bundled my army:

1st Storm Raven + Astorath + Honor Guard + dreadnaught (Black Sword)
2nd Storm Raven + Sanguinary Priest + Sanguinary Guard + Furioso Librarian (Golden Sword)
1st Assault squad (Alpha Sword)
2nd Assault squad (Bravo Sword)

Mission was Take & Control, deployment was Dawn of War. My opponent won the roll to choose the turn and opted to go first. There was lots of terrain on the table. My friend started with everything held in reserve and so did I. He placed his objective deep in a corner of his deployment zone, I placed mine in the opposite table corner.

First turn he drops one Venerable close to my objective and it scatters right on top. The Venerable disembarks using the pod for cover & pops smoke. The second pod comes in empty and he drops it beside the other... It is a hit and he has great cover for the Venerable... Drat! He then brings on all his bolter backs popping smoke with the other two Venerables & Bjorn behind them covering his objective. The trio of Predators all come on side by side on the outside of his castle at cruising speed & pop smoke. I decided to hold Alpha & Bravo Swords in reserve with Black & Golden Sword moving onto my table edge at combat speed opposite his castle. Black Sword fires all four Bloodstrike missiles at one enemy Predator and wrecks it. Golden Sword targets the next Predator with all four Bloodstrike missiles & blows off the turret. I then target the third Pred with both TL lascannons and manage to shake it.

Second turn the third SW drop pod fails to arrive. The lone Venerable holds it's position while the three bolter backs shuffle around to better shield Bjorn & his two Venerable brothers.

My second turn both Alpha & Bravo Swords arrive via reserve. I drop them both close to the lone Venerable holding my objective. I get good scatters with one squad just in half range with the meltaguns while the other squad is just outside half range. They are staggered so he will have to assault one unit then the other. By the way both squads succumbed to the curse of hte Red Thirst. I fire all my meltas minus one infernus pistol out of range. One shot gets through the cover and I just manage to pen and immobilize the Venerable; my friend decides not to reroll the result. Black Sword & Golden Sword up to position so I will be in assault range next turn and pop smoke. We play it you can't pop smoke & use PotMS same turn. I am banking on one Stormraven surviving the third turn enemy shooting.

3rd turn the Grey Hunters disembark and move up into position to shoot meltaguns at my pair of armored ravens; note they will be outside of half range. The remaining Predator sits still while Bjorn and his two brother Venerables move up to support the Grey Hunters. First the immobilized Venerable over in my corner heavy flamers and fires it's assault cannon into Bravo Sword & I lose three Marines. Next the Predator targets Golden Sword and bounces. First GH squad fires another shot at Goldie and miss. Next GH squad fires, hits but can only glance shaking the golden raven. Bjorn then lights up Golden Sword with two pens but I pass both cover saves. Finally the other two Venerables both fire their cannons into Golden Sword but again can only shake it.

My turn I decide to see if I can pop the lone Venerable with massed melta fire from Alpha & Bravo Swords... If it can make it through to turn five then I'll charge to contest. Shooting scores two destroyed and one wrecked results and the rerolls cannot save the Venerable... So now I just have to take put the two pods and I've got one objective, should be easy. Golden Sword and Black Sword both move in for the kill. Everybody disembarks, Furisio Librarian cast WoS to sail over the rhinos landing beside a Venerable with no intervening cover. Second dread moves up to assault one squad of Grey Hunters. Astorath the Grim detachs from Black Sword to assault second squad of Grey Hunters. Jump infantry moves & scoots into position to fire on Bjorn and second Venerable if necessary. Stormravens then light up the Pred wrecking it, blow the DCCW off of Bjorn & wreck one of the rhinos. Shooting from jump infantry immobilize and shake one Venerable while the other is wrecked. Furiosio is within aura of Priest and destroys last Venerable. Astorath cleans out four GH, breaking the last one who hits the board edge and is gone. Dreadnaught charges another GH squad (heavy flamered them for two dead), kills two and breaks the last one who falls back a few inches short of the table edge... He won't be able to regroup due to proximity of my units so my friend pulls him. I then decide to charge Bjorn with the Honorguard to tie him down so next turn my two dreads can take him out in close combat. It's pretty much a done deal so my friend concedes again and we go out for a big lunch before I have to return to the plant. The Venerable dread loadout sounded good in theory but they were just not strong enough for all the shooting followed up by the strong assaults.

G