Crucible 4 GT Day One Report

I showed up a bit late but managed to get in one team game with my good buddy Teddy. It was White Scar bikers and drop podding Space Wolves versus the Steel Host and Smurfs. Teddy had to do all the really dirty work. It turned out to be a tough game but we pulled it out the last turn with BikeStar holding the winning objective.

Tomorrow is the first day of the GT - I'm playing White Scars with Space Wolves. Crucible is always a good time. I'll try to remember to take pictures and notes.

40k Tutorial • Deployment 101

Hi everybody - it's your friendly neighborhood Black Blow Fly here with a basic bare bones tutorial for newer players to the game that want to play competitively in tournaments. No dirty tricks or underhanded tactics... Just some basic techniques that might help you improve your game. I was at the LVO this past weekend and watched several games at the top tables during the final day. There were some armies that made it based on skill rather than spamming or dropping the most broken stuff on the table which was refreshing to see.

Drop Pods and Null Deployment
Null deployment is a style in which you deploy nothing on the table. This means you must have some units that automatically arrive from reserve the first turn... Typically the more the better too. Drop pods can do this as well as can the Grey Knight Nemesis Strike Force (NSF).

One of the major advantages of this deployment is avoiding the alpha strike while being able to hit your opponent with the alpha strike. This style can do very well versus certain armies such as flying circus if you go first since you can shoot them while their flying monstrous creatures (FMCs) are still on the ground. It may also force your opponent to start some of their key units in reserve since they don't want to risk losing them the first turn.

A major drawback to null deployment is these types of armies have limited movement once they arrive. Serpent spam for example can jink then turbo boost away and run circles around you.

BikeStar
Space Marine biker armies have never been better than now. Of course the best chapter tactic for this style of army is White Scars:

- S5 Hammer of Wrath for bike squads
- Outflank and Scout if you take the Khan as your Warlord
- 3++ jink save
- Hit and Run

These are all huge advantages with no real drawbacks. Deploy all your units to overload the opponent... Bikes are hard to kill with T5 and the 3++ jink. If you don't take Khan you can turbo boost all your bikes the first turn... Often it's just as good if not better than the scout move.

This is a highly mobile army that can quickly decimate the enemy. I have found it's better to go with all biker units to play to the strength of the central theme. It can do well versus flying circus and flyer heavy armies since you'll always dominate the ground. Keep moving ! Versus flyers grav guns cause immobilization which automatically removes them from play if they roll a 1 or 2 on a d6... It sounds like a long shot but it's actually very efficient if you have enough grav guns and that's why I eschew mixing your special weapons with melta and plasma. Twin linked bolters can be brutal versus any unit they can wound. I run the attack bikes with multi-meltas to increase the odds versus heavily armored tanks and fortifications.

Defensive Deployment
As has been noted this is a very shooty game now. Never before can an army lay down so much fire power... Even more than the old leaf blower Imperial Guard... Whoops I meant to say Astra Militarum. Strangely enough assault armies can still win but they must be able to weather one to two turns of enemy shooting prior to locking horns and breaking off a piece. Heavy shooting has been augmented by ridiculous levels of cover saves often up to a 2++ if certain conditions are met such as night fighting or stealth in ruins.

The best cover is complete line of sight blocking then your only worry is barrage which is not all that prevalent except mainly for Thunderfire Cannons and Wvyerns which both can ignore cover. You can refuse flank versus barrage to keep out of their maximum range if necessary or even better deploy your units using the fire drill - every single model is at least two inches apart.

Defensive deployment is a must for dark eldar with their paper airplanes. Holding some of your units in reserve is another way to help avoid the alpha strike too... This is great for units that can outflank or are flyers (obviously). Your army must be properly designed from top to bottom for this style of play.

Conclusion
Deployment can make or break you. It is still one of the most important aspects to the game. A lot depends on who goes first or second but it's not as critical now since you don't have to move first to jink and casting psychic powers is a separate phase.

Deployment is often overlooked by players and they inevitably pay the hard price if they make mistakes and are sloppy. I didn't touch on things like fortifications since I never use them but they are tools to help you.

Remember that practice makes perfect. In time you'll get it down. Be focused.

Train

I had a job, I had a girl
I had something going mister in this world
I got laid off down at the lumber yard
Our love went bad, times got hard
Now I work down at the carwash
Where all it ever does is rain
Don't you feel like you're a rider on a downbound train

She just said "Joe I gotta go
We had it once we ain't got it any more"
She packed her bags left me behind
She bought a ticket on the Central Line
Nights as I sleep, I hear that whistle whining
I feel her kiss in the misty rain
And I feel like I'm a rider on a downbound train

Last night I heard your voice
You were crying, crying, you were so alone
You said your love had never died
You were waiting for me at home
Put on my jacket, I ran through the woods
I ran till I thought my chest would explode
There in the clearing, beyond the highway
In the moonlight, our wedding house shone
I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door
My head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed
The room was dark, our bed was empty
Then I heard that long whistle whine
And I dropped to my knees, hung my head and cried

Now I swing a sledge hammer on a railroad gang
Knocking down them cross ties, working in the rain
Now don't it feel like you're a rider on a downbound train

Crucible 4 GT

Three GTs in one month... I'm an iron man... Hee hee. I am bringing my BikeStar and I am ready to rock and roll. I have played in two of the most competitive GTs in the country to prepare. I have practiced all the missions with my evil minions. I hope Lady Luck will be so kind as to grace me.

This is one of the two major GTs in Florida and is an excellent event drawing players from all over the state. I've only ever had one opponent at Crucible that was a dick... Everybody else was totally awesome. If you see me and want to hang out then say hello... I'd love to talk to you.

GTs are one of the best things about the hobby - an entire weekend of total 40k geeking it out. Good luck to everyone !!!

LVO Report • Day 2

Here are some pictures from the final round for day 2 in Vegas. Most are from the top tables. It's looking like the following players will advance to the day 3 final rounds:

Nick N. - Daemons
Justin Cook - Tau & ?
Steve Sisk (White Scars) or Alex Fennel (Eldar & Cullexus)

Not sure about the rest... Seems like the super heavies and gargantuan creatures came out empty.

Sisters of Battle working the Green Tide (not top table) - Panzer Leader

Tau-Tyranids - jy2 (not top table)

Tau - Justin Cook working it hard

Steve Sisk (White Scars) vs. Alex Fennel (Eldar and Cullexus)

That game was going right down the wire !

Top eight finalists -

Nick Nanavati:
Daemons/Inq

Nick Rose:
Marines/BA

Tyler DeVries:
Eldar

Vincente Arroyo:
CSM/Daemons

Steve Sisk:
SM/IK

Nayden:
Tyranids/Tyranids

Aaron Albert:
GK/SM

Geoff Thompson:
Wolves/AM

Round 2 @ LVO

How round 2 at LVO went down yesterday... I was paired up against Steve Sisk, the BAO champion... So two top biker armies slugging it out with Purge the Alien for the primary. I had the lead on kill points going into the final turn. BikeStar concussed his Knight with a Grav gun bringing it down to 2-3 hull points then I charge. Chapter Master swinging five attacks with the power fist, command squad biker swinging 3 attacks with a thunderhammer and two Meltabomb attacks hitting on 3+... BikeStar comes up empty inflicting no damage... Aaaaarghhhhh ! The Knight in turn takes out my Chapter Master and that's all she wrote. Oh well it was a great game indeed.

The LVO is a W - L format so I dropped out for today to hang out in Vegas.

My LVO Championship army list

Here is my list (I have no illusions about winning the championship btw):

White Scars (look like Storm Lords) - primary detachment

Chapter Master:
bike - artificer armor - shield eternal - auspex - power fist

Librarian (Level 2):
bike - force axe - armor indomitus - meltabombs

command squad:
bikes - chapter banner - 4x stormshield - 4x grav gun - thunderhammer - 4x meltabombs
Apothecary

4x biker - 2x grav gun
Attack Bike - multi-melta
Sergeant - combi-grav - meltabombs

4x biker - 2x grav gun
Attack Bike - multi-melta
Sergeant - combi-grav - meltabombs

4x biker - 2x grav gun
Attack Bike - multi-melta
Sergeant - combi-grav - meltabombs

Space Wolves (looks like Iron Wolves) - allied detachment

Rune Priest (Level 2):
bike - runic armor - force axe - meltabombs

Iron Priest - bike

9x Grey Hunter - power axe - 2x meltagun - chainswords
Wolf Guard - stormshield - power fist - meltabombs
drop pod

Pretty much an all biker list except for the podding Grey Hunters... Hits like a ton of bricks !

40k Advanced Tactical Analysis - Parallel vs. Series Attack

A parallel attack is composed of multiple units fighting side by side while a series attack is composed of multiple units hitting the enemy in one wave after another. Obviously this discussion is centered around assaulting the enemy.

A good example of a parallel attack is White Scars bikers due to their excellent mobility. Versus the Green Tide for example you can shoot then charge the mob with multiple units then use Hit and Run during their turn to break from combat then shoot and assault them again your next turn. This is a very powerful tactic versus horde armies such as the Green Tide and Astra Militarum blobs. One unit alone cannot inflict enough damage to overcome the enemy mass but multiple units can and do.

A good example of series attack is a classic Tyranid horde army. Large units of gaunts and raveners quickly advance in the front line forcing the opponent to deal with them first while the heavy hitting slower units such as carnifexen move in from behind to form a second wave. An army designed for this style of play should have at least three waves, four or more is better. The third wave is there to take out whatever is left over from the first two waves. The third wave should be the strongest and most durable since it will have to tackle the opponent's most durable units they hold back for a counter punch.

There is also the hybrid combining both parallel and series attack elements. A good example is the combination of White Scars bikers and Space Wolves deployed in drop pods. The drop podding units form the series attack formation and if you have two or more drops arriving on turn 1 then they can fight in parallel as well. The White Scars biker units form the second parallel wave. So you can actually interleave your parallel and series attack formations within each other.

A hybrid army is a network of intertwined units fighting together versus the opponent with well coordinated attacks. This is the most powerful of the three styles and requires both a well designed army list and the ability to pull off complex tactics required to bring the overall strategy to fruitition. Tactics such as these demonstrate that the assault phase is still very viable and can win games versus top tier armies such as serpent spam and daemons.

...

I'm not in love
So don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because
I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

I like to see you
But then again
That doesn't mean you mean that much to me
So if I call you
Don't make a fuss
Don't tell your friends about the two of us
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

I keep your picture
Upon the wall
It hides a nasty stain that's lying there
So don't you ask me
To give it back 
I know you know it doesn't mean that much to me
I'm not in love, no no, it's because.. 

Ooh you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh you'll wait a long time
Ooh you'll wait a long time for me
Ooh you'll wait a long time 

I'm not in love
So don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through
And just because I call you up
Don't get me wrong, don't think you've got it made
I'm not in love
I'm not in love

Return of the Jetseer Council (JSC) & Necrons

Eldar
Here is a link to the new rules for Harlequins:

Harlequin Rules

They really have lots of nasty tricks up their sleeves.

I predict the return of the Jetseer council. Harlequin jetbikes have Hit and Run which JSC lost when the Baron was removed from the new dark Eldar codex. Hit and Run plus Fortune are the core rules for JSC. The Harlequin jetbikes have some solid mėlee buffs plus are two wounds apiece with decent shooting. JSC had some issues inflicting wounds in combat but the Harlequin jetbikes will fix that aspect for the council. Mark my words you'll see soon see JSC back on the tables and it will be more fearsome than ever before. I predict the standard build will be with up to four Jetbike Farseers (double CAD) and two or more Harlequin jetbikes. A new deathstar will be reborn and better than ever ! I don't have the Harlequin codex yet but expect to see some tactical articles here within the next week or two.


Necrons
Necrons are back and tougher than ever with their newly revised Reanimation Protocols (RP). In my opinion it's the best seventh edition codex yet. While some units and wargear took a few hits from the nerf bat overall they are stronger now overall.

I can easily see Jetseer Council and the new Necrons quickly climbing back up to the top of the meta in short time. Necrons will be one of the armies that can match up well versus JSC... CANOPTEK WRAITHS with RP and two wounds apiece plus T5 will tear through lots of armies.

Be prepared or be afraid - it's one or one of the other.

Iron Priest biker

DraigoStar vs. Daemons - Round 5 (Part 1) • TempleCon

Here is the daemon army list I faced in the fifth and final round:

Fateweaver /Warlord

Be'lakor

3x Nurgling

10x Pink Horror

20x Seeker of Slaanesh

Daemon Prince - Daemonic Flight - Warp Forged Armor
Psychic Mastery Level 3 (Tzeentch)
2x Daemonic Reward
Exalted Reward - Grimoire

Exalted Seeker Chariot of Slaanesh

Seeker Chariot of Slaanesh

Seeker Chariot of Slaanesh

Soul Grinder (Tzeentch)

Vindicare Assassin

Really light on objective secured units.


Here are the psychic powers I rolled:

Severian Loth (Telepathy)
Psychic Shriek - Dominate - Invisibility - Shrouded

GK Librarian (Santic & Divination)
Sanctuary - Prescience - Forewarning - Perfect Timing

Draigo come stock with Banishment (casts on a 2+ versus daemons), Gate of Infinity, Hammerhand and Purge Soul.


I forgot to record the psychic powers my opponent got - Be'lakor knows all the spells from the Telepathy lore. I do remember he rolled Enfeeble twice which is worrisome.


Here are the ETC mission rules...

Primary Objectives:

Eternal War - Crusade
Eternal War - Purge the Alien

Maelström - Cloak and Shadows

Secondary Objectives - First Blood - Slay the Warlord - Line Breaker

Deployment - Hammer & Anvil


Sorry but this was the last game and I forgot to take pictures.


I won the roll to choose my deployment zone. The board was open in the middle with most of the terrain close to either short edge. I chose the side with some line of sight blocking terrain 24" from the short edge.

I also won the roll to deploy and go first, choosing to do so. I deployed DraigoStar and held everything else in reserve - five man Strike squad would deep strike and scouts would outflank. I placed DraigoStar behind some of line of sight blocking terrain in case my opponent seized the initiative.

My opponent deployed everything except for the Horrors which would deep strike. He infiltrated the Vindicare assassin on top of a building in one corner of his deployment zone. Nurglings were placed on a Crusade objective marker. Seekers and chariots were placed up at the 24" line along with the Soul Grinder. The three big daemons were deployed in cover.

He then rolled to seize and up popped a six. Note that was the third game out of five I got seized on... Annoying.


Pre Game Analysis:
This was the second daemon army I fought at TempleCon. While daemons can be a tough match Grey Knights obviously have some of their own trickery. The main threats obviously were the big daemons and I wanted to ignore them as much as possible... However with Perfect Timing maybe I'd get a shot at Fatey with the Centurions.

LVO less than one week away

Some people have asked which deathstar I plan to bring - BikeStar or DraigoStar. For now it's top secret. 270 people will be attending which is pretty crazy. I'm looking forward to it !

Different colors

I want to discuss the hobby from different perspectives. Each person that plays 40k has their own ideals they aspire to in the pursuit of their own happiness. You can't really make a simple matrix to identify individual types of players because we are complex and our desires change over time.

I remember when I first started to play I was the n00b trying to just learn the rules. The person who taught me how to play did not really help me learn the game beyond a yes or no to my questions. After about six months of reading the third edition rulebook over and over it finally began to click.

Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines were my first two armies and they will always have a special place in my heart. My current perception of the developers is they do not want either of these armies to be competitive. I think it's the same for Blood Angels as well. Blood Angels finally got back the great things they lost but nothing really new to give them a unique edge over armies like Eldar. Dark Angels were never really competitive - I don't understand why they don't get better rules.

I am a competitive player but I also like the background for 40k. The background is a big hook that draws a lot of players to the game. There is a wide spectrum between being competitive and background but these aspects can overlap. While the rules constantly continue to change the background mostly has remained the same.

Having played the game for well over two decades I always get a kick when a fifteen year old reminisces about back in the good old days playing Necromunda and Rogue Trader era 40k. It's amusing. It's harder now to get up two days in a row and play a lot of games but it's still a lot of fun for me. There are lots of ways to enjoy the game - we should respect what each person wants. I've always said its in your best interest to play with like minded individuals.

I mostly play with young people now. I have no desire to aspire back to an earlier version of the game or try to force people to play the game how I think it should be. People who picked up the game in sixth edition will tell you they have no desire to play fourth edition. Allies and super heavies are in now in a big way. Just take a look at the new Necron codex.

If we can respect each other it's better for everyone. Don't expect others to like the game for the same reasons you do. Veteran players should be stewards of the new game rather than constantly harkening back to the old days.

DraigoStar vs. Jetseer Council • Part 2 • TempleCon

Turn 1 - Eldar
This was a fairly uneventful turn with the Eldar performing the serpent shuffle and the Cullexus moving forward towards my deathstar while hugging cover like a green tree lover. The Farseer jumps out of a serpent joining the tail end of the JSC.

JSC successfully casts Fortune on itself.

My Storm was popped by a serpent giving Eldar First Blood.

Turn 1 - DraigoStar
The five man Strike squad and scouts jump back behind the building moving completely out of sight. DraigoStar moves to my right drawing a bead on one serpent with the lascannon.

I successfully cast Invisibility and Perfect Timing. Loth burns a warp charge for the 2++ invulnerable save.

The lascannon hits and penetrates the Fire Dragons' serpent. It explodes killing one of the Fire Dragons.


Turn 2 - Eldar
The Cullexus feels bold moving forward again just within 12" of DraigoStar canceling Invisibility... This brings the assassin out in the open. JSC moves forward as well so it can line up some shots on DraigoStar - roughly about 10" out with the lead jetbikes and a small bit of terrain between them. The remaining serpents also move into position to target what they can see of DraigoStar.

My opponent casts some psychic powers... I save all my dice to deny Fortune, which I do - they won't be risking an assault this turn.

My dice are hot during the Eldar shooting phase and I make all my saves.

Turn 2 - DraigoStar
The Stormraven with the embarked ten man Strike squad comes in from reserve... Just what I needed !!! I move the flyer into position to blast down the Cullexus and the Strike squad paratroops down behind it with minimal scatter - all guns are trained on the assassin with the psycannons up front in rapid fire range.

DraigoStar moves further right and out of the Cullexus' 12" anti psychic bubble.

DraigoStar botches the roll for Invisibility but I successfully cast Shrouding, Perfect Timing and Prescience. I also botch the rolls for Force and Hammerhand. Loth burns another warp charge for his 2++ invulnerable save.

The Stormraven then unloads into the Cullexus... Thank the Emperor for all those twin linked weapons (you always have to snap fire at that cunning bastard) !!! The assassin is splattered to oblivion - untimely death for the Imperial turncoat... What a relief that was gunning down the assassin. I also manage to shoot down a jetbike with DraigoStar. The Strike squad targets the Fire Dragons and blows them off the table.

I then attempt to assault the JSC and just miss reaching them by 1"... Shouldn't have shot them... Oh well.


Turn 3 - Eldar
The serpents shuffle around again with one squad of Dire Avengers disembarking to draw a bead on the exposed Strike squad. JSC moves up to within an inch of DraigoStar.

This turn the Eldar successfully casts Fortune on the JSC and reveal DraigoStar.

It takes two serpents to pop my Stormraven. Some more shooting drops one Grey Knight from the Strike squad. JSC unloads on DraigoStar... Loth tanks the rending shots and Look Out Sirs the armor saves onto a Centurion like a boss.

The JSC then makes the charge into DraigoStar - psychic deathstar versus psychic deathstar. I fail one armor save on a Centurion and fail the ensuing blind test from the Farseer's special witch blade... That's rolling a 1 for a 2+ armor save followed by a 6 for the blind check which would have passed on a 5 or less. I am less than pleased with my dice to say the least. My opponent passes all his invulnerable saves thanks to Fortune and we remained locked.

Turn 3 - DraigoStar
The big Strike squad moves forward towards the relic and that's pretty much it for the movement phase.

I cast a few dice to successfully Prescience DraigoStar which my opponent does not attempt to deny. Most of the rest of my warp pool is cast on Gate of Infinity via Draigo which is denied by the Eldar using all their dice. I have a couple of warp charge left and just manage to successfully cast Gate via the GK Librarian. DraigoStar at full strength bounces across the table squatting down in a big ruin beside the relic... Really needed that to go down !

The Strike squad targets the disembarked Dire Avengers wiping them off the table. DraigoStar targets another serpent and blasts it off the table. Four of the five embarked Dire Avengers go up in flames from the ensuing explosion and the last Avenger breaks legging it towards it's table edge.

No assaults this turn.

I have a solid lead on kill points and currently have two units in range to grab the relic with the JSC caught out of position way over on my table edge... Heh ! The plan is methodically coming together but time is starting to run low now. Eldar are currently on the back foot though much to their chagrin. I need to keep applying the pressure.


Turn 4 - Eldar
The remaining two Dire Avenger squads both disembark from their serpents... One squad is in position for a challenging attempt to procure the relic while the other squad runs up to an upper level in the ruin beside DraigoStar (i.e., xenos death wish). JSC makes a long haul back stringing out towards the relic to support the ground level disembarked Dire Avengers. One of the remaining serpents performs a flyby landing dead center on top of the relic... I knew it was coming and was well prepared.

JSC casts Fortune on itself again.

Most of the xenos shooting is directed at the Strike squad, whittling them down to roughly five Grey Knights and they just barely pass their break check.

No assaults this turn again.

Turn 4 - DraigoStar
Time is running out... There'll only be enough time left after this turn for a fifth turn. Scouts pop out from behind the building moving towards the JSC while the fully intact Strike squad pops out as well heading towards the relic along with remainder of the other Strike squad. DraigoStar encircles round the serpent situated on top the relic.

I successfully cast Shrouding and Invisibilty on DraigoStar along with Shrouding and Hammerhead.

I assault the sitting serpent and wreck it (no passengers inside) blowing it up a mile high. Only one more to go ! There is much rejoicing amidst the brutal Marines.

Turn 5 - Eldar
JSC moves into position to contest the relic but are blocked off by DraigoStar. Farseer splits off to intercept my Scouts. The final serpent cruises in place of the last one to block off the relic yet again. My opponent forgets his psychic phase... Oh well. Shooting finishes off the remainder of the remnant Strike squad and the Farseer heavy flamers a couple of Scouts it can see but they pass their break check. The JSC fail their attempt to chsrge DraigoStar - big break for me.

Turn 5 - DraigoStar
DraigoStar moves into position to assault the final serpent currently holding the relic while the Scouts encircle the Farseer. The five man Strike squad moves and runs toward the relic ending up beside the JSC just out of range from the relic.

First DraigoStar shrieks the Dire Avengers up in the ruin - gone. I then am able to cast Hammerhand and Loth juices his armor again for the 2++ invulnerable save.

Scouts bolt pistol the Farseer dropping a wound. DraigoStar splits fire pounding the JSC managing to pop a few more jetbikes.

Scouts opt not to assault the Farseer and run around him cutting the Eldar psyker off from the JSC. DraigoStar charges the last serpent and explode it as well... Game over.

JSC is contesting the relic from DraigoStar so we draw on that objective. Eldar take Maelström and I take kill points. I have Line Breaker and my opponent has First Blood and Line Bresker. We tally up the final overall score... 13-7 in favor of the Eldar.

One heck of a close battle... Wish there had been enough time for one last turn as I probably would have scored the relic.

Next up is one of the two battles versus Chaos Daemons... Stay tuned !

DraigoStar vs. Eldar Jetseer Council • TempleCon Round 4 • Part 1

I have decided to present mine out of sequence. We all know I didn't win the event so it's not a big deal in my opinion. The first report will cover my first game from the second day which was the fourth game out of five overall. The second day can make or break you at a big event and this game was versus Jetseer council featuring a Cullexus assassin and bastion with an escape hatch. I had not played against the new Cullexus assassin but did a lot of research since it's literally the bane of any psychic Deathstar.

Deployment was Dawn of War so the Cullexus had a potentially huge foot print to shutdown DraigoStar. I knew that my initial deployment was key which I'll cover in more detail later.

TempleCon used the new ETC mission which means you want to accumulate as many battlepoints as possible every round. The first primary goal was The Relic from the Eternal War missions and is typically fairly easy for DraigoStar to achieve but versus a Jetseer Council (JSC) it's by no means a given. That said I knew I needed to fend off any eldar infantry unit from grabbing it and making a quick dash into the bastion. The head judge made the ruling you couldn't use the escape hatch to move the relic into the bastion as some players were hoping they could do with the escape hatch located 12" away. I think this was the right call.

My army is not great at scoring Maelström points which was another primary objective. The ETC modified Maelström deck is really good for a competitive tournament. This round it was the Maelström Spoils of War.

The other primary goal was Purge the Alien (kill points) which is easy for DraigoStar to achieve no if, ands or buts. :D

Taking a page from the 2014 BAO my overall strategy was to focus on the Eternal War and the secondary objectives - First Blood, Slay the Warlord and Line Breaker. First Blood is typically very easy for DraigoStar to achieve but Iike I said above my deployment was key to defending against the Cullexus so it wasn't a sure thing this time around.


Here is my opponent's army list:

Baharroth /Warlord

Farseer Bel-Annath (Forge World)

8x Warlock - jetbikes & 3x spear

5x Dire Avenger
Wave Serpent - Ghostwalk Matrix - scatter laser

5x Dire Avenger
Wave Serpent - Ghostwalk Matrix - scatter laser

5x Dire Avenger
Wave Serpent - Ghostwalk Matrix - scatter laser

5x Fire Dragon
Wave Serpent - Ghostwalk Matrix - scatter laser

Bastion - escape hatch

Cullexus Assassin


Here is my army list again:

Draigo /Warlord

Grey Knight Librarian - stormbolter - Nemesis daemonhammer - Liber Daemonica

9x Grey Knight (Strike squad) - 2x psycannon
Justicar - Nemesis daemonhammer

4x Grey Knight (Strike squad) - psycannon
Justicar - Nemesis daemonhammer

Stormraven - locator beacon - twin linked assault cannon - twin linked multi-melta - Hurricane sponsons

Severin Loth

Techmarine - combi plasmagun

4x Scout - bolt pistols & combat weapons
Sergeant - bolt pistol & combat weapon
Landspeeder Storm - heavy flamer

4x Devastator Centurion - grav cannons - grav amps - chest missiles
Sergeant - twin linked lascannon - chest missile - omniscope

Here are my psychic powers:

Draigo - Banishment - Gate of Infinity - Hammerhand - Purge Soul

GK Librarian - Gate of Infinity - Prescience - Pefect Timing - Misfortune

Severian Loth - Psychic Shriek - Invisibility - Shrouding - Dominate

I didn't write down the psychic powers my opponent rolled but he did get multiple Fortune which he really wanted to protect the JSC.

I won the roll to choose my deployment zone picking the side with a line of sight blocking building in one of my table corners to hide DraigoStar from the Cullexus. I also won the roll to deploy and go first which I chose to do. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of my deployment... Basically I deployed DraigoStar in the corner behind the building with the scouts outside their transport and the five man Strike squad in front of the DeathStar and also behind the building to form a buffer. I held the ten man Strike squad embarked in the Stormraven held in reserve.

My opponent deployed his entire army spread across his table edge with the bastion in the middle with the escape hatch right beside the relic. He chose to infiltrate the Cullexus as close to my deathstar as possible in a big ruin right up against my building.

You can't even see that nasty bugger it was so well hidden !!! Aaaaargh !!!

Note I chose to place my Landspeeder outside the building to push back the Cullexus. The thought here was I was going first so unless my opponent seized on me I could move it back behind the building before the wave serpents could shoot it for First Blood. Even if he did seize I felt it was worth the risk to keep the Cullexus far enough away so I could cast psychic powers the first turn.

Of course my opponent did seize the initiative using one of those scatter dice from NOVA - personally I don't like them as the 1 and 6 pips both have the scatter symbol on them which can lead to confusion.

Pictures from TempleCon (DraigoStar)

Some pictures from the GT...

Draigo versus a super juiced daemon prince

DraigoStar wading through Astra Militarum

DraigoStar finishing off a DogStar

Strike squad capturing an objective late game versus Eldar

DraigoStar escorting scouts versus rogue Space Wolves


Batreps to follow this week for each match:

Round 1 vs. Space Wolves

Round 2 vs. Daemons

Round 3 vs. Astra Militarum

Round 4 vs. Eldar

Round 5 vs. Daemons

TempleCon

Wow this was an awesome GT - very well run, every opponent was fun to play. There was lots of other events there as well... Saw a great rock band on Friday evening. I will definitely go again next year if I can make it. The TOs did a great job with the missions (ETC format), rules for army list construction, etc. This is an excellent primer for LVO too to test your army. Batreps to follow:

First round vs. Space Wolves

Second round vs. Daemons

Third round vs. Astra Militarum

Fourth round vs. JetSeer Council w. Cullexus Assassin

Fifth round vs. Daemons

hurt

I hurt myself today

To see if I still feel

I focus on the pain

The only thing that's real

The needle tears a hole

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it all away

But I remember everything

What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know goes away

In the end

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns

Upon my liar's chair

Full of broken thoughts

I cannot repair

Beneath the stains of time

The feelings disappear

You are someone else

I am still right here

What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know goes away

In the end

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

If I could start again

A million miles away

I would keep myself

I would find a way

Horus vs. Abbadon • Part 1

A cold wind blew through the crypt chilling to the bone. Subsonic distortion played in the background squelching any attempt at spoken conversation. The Sorcerer mouthed the words to the ancient spell as the fresh sacrifices were offered to the warp. Abbadon watched in silence. The sky lit up like day as a lightning bolt speared straight down splitting the encircled pentagram bleached into the ruined cobblestone. Booming like the first wave of an Exterminatus the thunder clap deafened all observers to the ancient rite. Fresh red blood boiled up through the deep cracks in the cobblestone swelling into a lapping pool of crimson. The air grew hazy as electrical sparks began to play amongst the parched white bones left from those consumed. A deep throbbing moan grew in tempo like the heart beat of a giant raging with eternal hatred.

Abbadon felt the hair on his arms involuntarily go stiff as the mixture of perverted powers swirled like a maelstrom. The warp opened at first like a tiny dot in the center of the wreck then slowly opened. Hidden fiends spilled through wailing like Banshees then all was silent. There at the very center of the pentagram stood a behemoth covered in black plated scale. His eyes shone like silver as he opened them to the dark night. "You have called me back through time and space but you cannot bind me to your will for I am your sire - you were created from my genetic matter as were all my children." Horus flexed his great Talon distorting the immediate area in a sheath of blinding light as he stepped from the center. The claws folded back tearing through the fabric of reality like daggers penetrating skin. The weapon called out to its twin shrieking like a phantom. "You have violated the very core of quantum science. Two things of precisely equal measure cannot occupy the same place and time. This you should know." Abbadon felt the sudden weight of his Talon. It felt like a tonne of brick pulling his arm down by his side. "Only the original can reside." said Horus as the Despoiler's Talon began to dematerialize. "It is mine!"

There was a gaping hole in the armor of Horus' lower torso. Darkness filled the void. "This is my wound taken from Sanguinius. He was the one who in truth slayed me as you know. The Emperor could not contain him so deeply consumed by his Black Rage that drove him mad. So the Emperor took his life and at the greatest cost. It was Dorn whom bound the Emperor to the Golden Throne in a pique of deep loathing. This too you know for you were there with me. For the briefest moment I was lucid and the Emperor recognizing it beckoning me back to his side which in turn ignited the Blood Angel's bout of Black Rage and brought about Dorn's ire. I am completely corrupt as are you, which was our choice made in the name of free will."

TempleCon

TempleCon is this weekend and I'm going. It's a highly regarded GT for only 100 players drawing some of the best players from the country. I will be bringing DraigoStar to this event since they allow character Lords of War. Here is my army list:

Grey Knights Primary

Lord Khaldor Draigo /Warlord

Librarian - Level 3 Psyker - Liber Daemonica - stormbolter - Nemesis daemonhammer

9x Grey Knight - 2x psycannon (Strike squad)
Justicar - Nemesis daemonhammer

4x Grey Knight - psycannon (Strike squad)
Justicar - Nemesis Daemonhammer

Stormraven - twin linked multi-melta - twin linked assault cannon - hurricane sponsons - locator beacon


Red Scorpions Allies

Severin Loth

Techmarine - combi-plasma

4x Scout - bolt pistols & close combat weapons
Sergeant
Landspeeder Storm - heavy flamer

4x Devastator Centurion - grav cannons & grav amps - missile launchers
Sergeant - twin linked lascannon - missile launcher - omniscope


I have play tested the list as much as possible locally but would have liked to play against a wider variety of armies. This should be a great test for the army. I will try to take lots of pictures for the coming battle reports.

Harlequin jetbikes