It's been over one month since I had the opportunity to play a game not including the one last Friday night with dark eldar at BeakyCon2. I was really looking forward to this match.
We were playing 1999 points and used the BeakyCon2 mission with three objective markers. Primary is objective markers - one objective is in the center of the table while the other two are placed 6" by 18" in the far corners of either of the respective long table edges. There was some decent terrain with a nice piece of LOS blocking terrain in the middle of the table. Deployment was the one using short table edges (Hammer and Anvil).
Here is my army list:
Storm Crowes
Primary Detachment
Coteaz (Warlord)
Castellan Crowe
9x Purifier (incl. KotF - Nemesis Warding Stave) - 2x psycannon
5x Purifier (incl. KotF - Nemesis Daemonhammer) - 2x psycannon - rhino
5x Purifier (incl. KotF - Nemesis Daemonhammer) - 2x psycannon - rhino
Landraider Crusader (LRC) - psybolt ammo (Coteaz & 9 man Purifier squad go here)
Stormraven - Hurricane sponsons, twin linked assault cannon, twin linked multi-melta, psybolt ammo (Crowe goes here)
Allies
Destroyer Lord (Shiva) - Warscythe, MSS
8x Immortals - Tesla carbines - Nightscythe
Doomsycthe
So only three flyers which I think is about right for this level of points. This was my first game playing over 1500 points and I like the new build - in particular the LRC was a welcome addition.
I rolled for Coteaz' psychic powers choosing the Divination Lore - I chose the Primaris power plus he got the one that lets you roll three dice instead of just one for reserves... Very nice for my list! The Warlord Trait was worthless.
Here is my opponent's list to the best of my memory:
Forces of Disorder
Primary Detachment
Bloodthirster - BotBG, Might, Deathstrike (Warlord)
Flying Tzneetch Prince - Boon, Bolt, Breath, Might
Flying Tzneetch Prince - Boon, Bolt, Breath, Might
Bloodletters
Horrors w. Changeling
Allies
Chaos Lord - power axe, bolt pistol
Blob of cultists
10x Chaos Space Marine (CSM) incl. Champion (power fist), plasmagun, Fearless Icon
5x Havoc - 4x Missile Launcher - Flakk
My opponent had a lot of rolls on the Chaos table but the only one notable was a S5 bolt pistol for his Chaos Lord... Heh. His Warlord trait was meh as well.
My opponent won the rolls to choose his deployment zone (DZ) and go first. He also got in his preferred wave consisting of the three flying monstrous creatures (FMC). The Chaos Lord joined the blob and was deployed centrally in his DZ with the CSM close by over on his left flank. The Havocs setup on top of a high ruin back in his left corner.
I deployed my two rhinos over by my objective marker using the big piece of LOS blocking terrain to screen them from the Havocs and also placed the LRC behind it as well.
I tried to seize the initiative but failed even with the reroll (due to Coteaz).
Pre Battle Thoughts
I haven't fought versus the new CSM yet but I do know just how nasty can be Chaos daemon FMCs plus they have a Heldrake which is in many ways similar to an FMC with a decent reduction in points. I don't think one squad of Havocs with flakk are much of a worry even though I only have three flyers... But maybe in combination with the Heldrake and Bolt from the flying Princes they can inflict some serious damage. I chose the LRC simply because it is an ideal transport for a large squad of Purifiers, can lay down a lot of fire power and is incredibly tough to kill unless of course your opponent has the right tools. It will be very interesting to see how the cultists preform with the Chaos Lord attached to make them fearless. My main concern are the Chaos daemon FMCs... They are always quite troublesome. Overall my army is faster and can lay down more fire power plus Purifiers are no slouches when it comes to melee. It should be an interesting game.
First Turn - Chaos
The trio of FMC all land on his side of the table close to the center. Both the blob and CSM advance forward. One of the two Tzneetch Princes wrecks a rhino with Bolt for First Blood and a kill point.
First Turn - Storm Crowes
Intact rhino shuffles back to shield the five man Purifier squad left out in the open. The LRC moves up 6" and dumps out Coteaz and his Purifiers. Shooting from the intact rhino and two squads of five man Purifiers manages to strip one wound from the Bloodthirster. The LRC fires everything into the CSM and kills six of them while my Purifiers and Coteaz fire into the blob... They kill a bunch plus strip a couple of wounds from the Chaos Lord. They then multi assault both the blob and remaining CSM... CSM are butchered to the man... All that's left of the blob are two cultists and the Lord so they stick. I lose a couple of Purifiers in return. Definitely a solid start for the Storm Crowes putting the forces of disorder on a back foot.
Chaos - First Blood, 1 KP
Storm Crowes - Line Breaker, 1 KP (holding one objective)
Second Turn - Chaos
In come the Bloodletters from reserve whom wisely hide under the tall ruin with the Havocs on top close by their objective marker. The Heldrake also comes in as well zooming up his right flank. Horrors fail to show. Bloodthirster vector strikes the LRC and stripes off one hull point. Tzneetch princes fire both Bolt and Breath at the LRC as well stripping off one more hull point. Heldrake strips one hull point off the intact rhino. Melee resumes and the blob is crushed along with the Chaos Lord.
Second Turn - Storm Crowes
Coteaz successfully rolls for his psychic power to boost my reserve rolls and in comes all three flyers. Stormraven lines up to target the Heldrake while both Scythes both line up to target one Prince. Coteaz and his Purifiers move towards the enemy objective. LRC moves back to support my two squads of five man Purifiers. Destroyer Lord disembarks. Stormraven makes short work of the Heldrake. LRC manages to strip another wound off the Bloodthirster (down to just two wounds). Scythes just manage to drop the Prince. Coteaz and his Purifiers pop a few shots at the Havocs and drop one. No melee this turn.
Chaos - First Blood, 2 KP
Storm Crowes - Line Breaker, 4 KP (holding one objective)
Third Turn - Chaos
In comes the Horrors who drop into position to blaze my Destroyer Lord. Remaining Tzneetch Prince drops into glide mode to tackle Coteaz and his Purifiers. Bloodthirster vector strikes the LRC again but inflicts no damage this turn. Havocs strip one hull point from the Doomscythe. Horrors' shooting is smoking hot and they manage to drop my Destroyer Lord who fails to get back up. Prince tries to boon the KotF but he passes his toughness test. They lock in melee, inflicting one wound on the Prince from Overwatch... KotF accepts the challenge and passes all of his 2++ invulnerable saves.
Third Turn - Storm Crowes
Stormraven drops into hover mode moving 6" towards the Horrors... Crowe disembarks so he can assault the daemons. Nightscythe and LRC line up shots on the Bloodthirster while the Doomscythe exits the table. Nightscythe zooms over to target the Havocs. Nightscythe and LRC finish off the Bloodthirster for another kill point and Slay the Warlord. Doomscythe strafed the Havocs bringing the squad down to one last Marine who decides to leg it off the table. Stormraven lights up the Horrors bringing them down to three then Crowe assaults them, no damage inflicted on either side so they stick. KotF is finally gibbed by the remaining Prince and they stick as well.
Chaos - First Blood, 2 KP
Storm Crowes - Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker, 6 KP (holding one objective)
At this point I'm well ahead with several scoring units left while my opponent only has left a wounded Prince, three Horrors and the fully intact squad of Bloodletters. He made a great game out of it with what he has left but over the course of the remaining turns but I still ended up tabling his army. To summarize the last turns the remaining Prince finished off Coteaz and his Purifiers then charged into the melee with Crowe, whom then suicided the last Chaos FMC. My flyers shot down the rest of the daemons to finish them all off for a massacre.
Post Battle Thoughts
It was a big win indeed and the LRC performed very well fulfilling all my expectations. This was my opponent's first game with the new CSM so basically it was a big learning experience for him... I'm sure our next game will be much harder to win. I had lots of units with a wide spread which made it hard for him to maximize his potential damage with his FMCs and Heldrake. His big mistake I think was moving forward the cultists and CSMs early in the game... I know he wanted to jump on the central objective marker but that exposed him to the full brunt of my LRC and large squad of Purifiers - wiping out these units so quickly early in the game made it very hard for him to get back into the fight. The FMCS were definitely his MVPs but this game for once I was finally able to successfully pass all my strength tests from multiple boons. As far as any changes go to my list I want to add a daemonhammer to the large squad of Purifiers - I can then deal with FMCs a lot better in melee... Otherwise versus units like Purifiers they whittle you down and then go off to wreak more havoc elsewhere.
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