This was my favorite year for ATC and my third time in a row. The past two years out of twelve total games I won twice... It was very depressing for me as a competitive gamer. The first two years I brought my Nurgle army but just couldn't really make it work. I had some bad dice and tough matchups but it was a lot of losses no matter how you spin and I kept my team from placing higher. This year I brought my BikeStar and felt going into it I could do a lot better. My team did not place as high overall (ended up in the middle of the pack) but I was able to go 4-2 which is twice as good as my past two years collective performance so I'm happy.
I've always said the ATC is the most competitive event I have ever attended... It's literally a whose who of many of the greatest gamers across the country. The ATC by its very nature is the ultimate experience when it comes to Rock-Paper-Scissors. You will often end up each round with a great match or a super tough one due to how the individual pairings work.
This year I had four good matchups, one I'd call fairly even and one that was really hard as I had to fight an army that does better than what my BikeStar can do - über wolfstar with a ton of S10 hitting on 3+... I was literally out-starred facing off against a stronger deathstar than my own. I think I played it as well as I could but after Smashfacker fails his last save it all comes down to how good you can roll a 3++. I wasn't tabled - my Grey Hunters watched in horror from afar at the wanton epic destruction. My opponent got exactly what he needed - the fearless warlord trait and the psychic power Endurance for the 4++ feel no pain. Unfortunately for me I didn't get Invisibility when I really needed it the most. It was brutal and I killed almost my opponent's entire army except for a few last Thunderwolves, his Wolf Lord and a couple Iron Priests slinging the S10 instant death. Of course this had to be the kill point mission. My opponent went 6-0 too.
I learned a lot this year about the game what to expect in the coming months in terms where the meta is going. Ravenwing is very strong and unless a new codex for Tau can revamp player interest they will be right at the top. I saw the Wraithknight spam which can be effectively countered by the combination of the Skyhammer formation and Centurion Devastators in drop pods.
The folks who run the ATC did a fantastic job this year - everything ran smoothly and they had plenty of qualified judges to help out. I was very impressed and think this was the best big event I've ever attended. Christian Adorno played on my team this year and won the award for best Blood Angels running a pure army with no gimmicks - very impressive performance and he had his share of tough matches. Jwolf was five points out from taking the award for best Grey Knights and as usual was our heaviest hitter. Marcus Baxley brought his beautiful Green Tide and did well consistently scoring points for the team almost every round and often drew the toughest matchups. Our other team mate we hope will be a rising star... A teenager playing his Tau against grown men.
I posted a lot of pictures over on my Facebook page so check it out if you're interested.
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