My next game was versus the one army I knew could give me some problems - dark eldar with venom spam... Can match my speed and the venoms are really bad news versus a low model count.
Round 2 vs Dark Eldar
The Baron
Succubus - assorted weapons
5x Wyche haywire grenades
Venom - double splinter cannon - Flickerfield
5x Wyche - haywire grenades
Venom - double splinter cannon - Flickerfield
5x Wyche - haywire grenades
Venom - double splinter cannon - Flickerfield
10 Warriors - splinter cannon
Raider - Lance - Flickerfield
Ravager - 3x Lance - Flickerfield
Ravager - 3x Lance - Flickerfield
Beast Pack - 3x Beast Master - Khymeras & Razorwing
Mission - Crusade
Four objective markers this time.
Deployment - Dawn of War
I won the roll to go first and got Master of Ambush for my Warlord Trait. My Librarian got Prescience, Foreboding and Forewarning. My opponent got the Warlord trait for +1 to seize.
NOTE - I chose the wrong psychic lore (Divination) for my Librarian... Honest mistake there... Didn't matter much.
I deployed my HQ with command squad behind a big piece of terrain for LoS blocking. My opponent deployed back against his long table edge then I infiltrated my two biker squads 18" away on one of his flanks. My opponent failed to seize.
1st Turn - White Scars
I move and flat out my HQ and command squad out from behind the terrain into the heart of the Dark Eldar putting lots of pressure on the enemy and relying upon the storm shields, FNP and my 2+ armor to weather the coming storm of PAIN. The two biker squads move into range of a venom and Ravager. Shooting is focused on the two skimmers and I manage to drop two hull points on the Ravager immobilizing it with the grav weapons but it shrugs off the second glance with Flickerfield which would have destroyed it for First Blood. I also shake a venom. Not a great turn but everything is where I want it to be - I'll just have to take my licks.
1st Turn - Dark Eldar
My army is out in the open now and have big bulls eyes painted on them. The Baron and his posse move up to assault then the dark eldar guns open fire. Amazingly the HQ and command squad only lose a couple veterans and one biker squad is intact. The other bike squad is cut down to two bikers and they pass their leadership test. The Baron and beasts then charge - Overwatch manages to clip one Beast Master. My Chapter Master issues a challenge and proceeds to crush another Beast Master and I only lose another veteran. Combat is drawn and we both hit and run. I push over towards a flank while the Baron and beasts drop back forming a semi shield.
2nd Turn - White Scars
I make a major blunder here. I should have charged all my units into the BeaStar but I got greedy and focused on taking down the skimmers. I move my bikes into position to multi assault as many skimmers as possible and forgo shooting so that all primary targets remain. I take out the immobilized Ravager for First Blood, the shaken venom and stun another Ravager.
2nd Turn - Dark Eldar
One squad of wyches disembark to charge the two bikers then the dark eldar unload on my HQ and command squad again. I lose a couple wounds on the Chapter Master and one wound on the Librarian. In assault I lose the two bikers to the wyches and the Librarian. I then roll a 6 to hit and run out of combat with the a Chapter Master and what's left of the command squad - huge... So they remained locked in with the BeaStar. I am slowly losing the war of attrition.
3rd Turn - White Scars
The full squad of bikes moves into position to shoot the wyches and multi assault them and another venom. I blow away most of the wyches - they hold - then I just miss hitting the other venom by less than inch. The wyches die to Hammer of Wrath. In the other combat my Chapter Master tanks a lot of wounds and is left hanging with only one last veteran (thunderhammer). I dished put seven wounds with the two hammers but my opponent only loses two dawgs and the BeaStar barely passes it's break check - huge again for dark eldar. The BeaStar then hits and runs.. I do too and move to the edge of my opponent's long table edge.
3rd Turn - Dark Eldar
This is the beginning of the end... The bikers are whittled down to two and in assault I roll two snake eyes on four armor saves losing my Chapter Master and then the last veteran.
4th Turn - White Scars
So I only have two bikers left. They suicide into a venom, destroy it and four out of five wyches onboard are toasted by the explosion - too little too late.
4th Turn - Dark Eldar
The two bikers are blown away... Game over.
Post Game Analysis
I felt my opening gambit was the right move. I had to go in big for the alpha strike. I probably should have also infiltrated the command squad too. The dice favored the dark eldar for the key rolls... You know that story. Losing the Chapter Master on four wounds with two left on a 2+ armor save was tough. If I could have broke BeaStar they would have most likely broke off the table as I was right up against it the last two turns. I gave it my best and came up short. Like I said this was my worst matchup but I did manage to make a game out of it. If a couple key rolls had gind my way I think I could have squeezed the win. My opponent (Thor665 from Dakka Dakka) has been playing dark eldar for a long long time so his experience was a big factor but I do think he made a couple mistakes but the dice let him off the hook. I look forward to a rematch.
The next round was versus Astra Militarum. I drooped down a bit in the overall rankings so probably a better matchup for me.
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