Warmachine - Saskatoon tournament results

[milothewise]

Five Regina players ventured North to Sasaktoon this morning, braving snowy roads, high winds, and the minions of Everblight. They returned victorious, taking 3 of the 4 major prizes, and 3 of the top 4 places in the event.

I piloted the forces of the Nightmare Empire (Cryx), using a Witch Coven of Garghast tier list with 2 units of undead cavalry and a Gaspy3 list featuring 27 points of AD (in a 35 point list!). We were playtesting the new proposed SR2016 scenarios, so they were all-new to us. Made for some...interesting games.

Round 1 I played against Rhett, also playing Cryx, with Goreshade3 and Gaspy2. I played the Coven, and he dropped Goreshade. Scenario was a large, circular central zone with a friendly flag oriented below and to the left of the zone. You can dominate the friendly flag for a point, the enemy flag or the zone for 2, and control the enemy flag or the zone for a point.

I get about 7 Blackbanes and 2 Soul Hunters dead top of 2, and feat. I've positioned terribly, though, and Rhett feats to turn most of my Soul Hunters into easy pickings - and what's left is mostly useless when he passes the turn, dominating his flag. I do what I can, contesting his flag, clearing and dominating my flag and killing some McThralls (and the Necrosurgeon, I think). Bottom of three Goreshade moves up to clear his flag, casts two Mockeries and buying an attack, finishing his Ride-by attack back on his flag, camping 2 focus. We both score a point.

I decide that I have to go for the assassination, as too much has died and I can no longer keep the Coven safe from a SPD8, Stationary-causing, POWlots cavalry caster. I get Curse of Shadows on him, then my dice go hot as I fish for a crit Shadow Bind, and roll boxcars twice on two dice at dice-5 on damage. So I got 14 damage on him, but he's still at full DEF14+cover from a wreck. My Withershadow Combine all miss their shots needing 11s. My remaining Soul Hunter misses all his attacks, and its all on Darragh Wrath, dismounted, who hits needing a 7 and polishes off the Bastard.

Round 2 I played Ryan with Legion's Lylyth2 and Thagrosh2. I drop Gaspy3, and he drops Lylyth. Scenario was bizarre. Centrally positioned objectives flanked on each side by a pair of flags - 4 in total. You can control or dominate your OPPONENT'S flags for a point, and destroy their objective for a point.

I win the roll and go first (since the scenario is unwinnable, and likely terrible - also, I'm playing against Lylyth). Terrain is basically symmetrical, and TERRIBLE for Lylyth. I can run turn one and land in a trench. I do that, getting the rest of my force up the table - and my Deathjack and Cankerworm behind a linear obstacle that Gaspy gets to on the top of 2. Ryan's turn one he advances and fires off some Scather shots, not killing anything but setting 4 Raiders on fire that don't go out. He does, however, move a Ravagore into charge range of the Deathjack.

My second turn I get Gaspy behind cover at the midline, camping 4 after allocating and casting Mobility. I feat. Deathjack charges and flubs his initial damage roll on the Ravagore; I end up leaving it on like 8 boxes. Raiders run to jam up his Ravagores and Lylyth. When I pass the turn, he goes into the tank for a long time, and decides that he has to try and kill me. He moves Lylyth to make ranged attacks, feats, gets the boosted Pincushion onto me (2 Souls), and boosts to hit and damage on a shot (4 souls). Feat shot misses; she's sitting on no camp. Ravagore engaged with DJ tries to throw him into Gaspy, but doesn't get the deviation he needs (6 souls). Naga misses two boosted attacks on Gaspy (8 souls). Ravagore 2 casts his animus, and misses both his boosted attacks (11 souls). Ravagore 3 gets knocked down on a crit KD from a Raider as he tries to get free from shots, and Ryan ends his turn.

Rough beats. With 18 focus, I am able to control both flags, destroy his damaged Ravagore for Carnage, destroy the Objective, and then kill Lylyth with one attack.

Round 3 I played Dan, also piloting Cryx with Terminus and Denny2 Body & Soul. I drop the Coven, he drops Terminus. Scenario is an odd version of Two Fronts - the zones are horizontally oriented, and only 8" off the board edge. Friendly objective in your zone, which you can dominate for a point. Enemy zone can be controlled/dominated for 1/2 points, enemy objective can be destroyed for 1 point.

I win the roll and opt to go second, since there is a neat patch of forest hiding my friendly zone, and my plan is to win this one on scenario by denying the charge for as long as I can. He runs everything full to about the midline. I advance a bit, using the zone, my objective, and a Veil of Mists to cover my advance.

He doesn't have a good charge anywhere, and just shuffles a bit, not wanting to expose Terminus to every attack in my army. I get Curse of Shadows on his unit of Knights and kill all ten between a Defiler spray, Siren spray, Stygian Abysses, Soul Hunter attacks, and a Darragh Wrath Hellfire. I also get about a dozen McThralls dead this turn with Soul Hunters and Dark Fire attacks from the Withershadow. I get the Coven into the zone and feat.

Dan clears his zone with Terminus and contests mine, tying us at 1 point each. Doesn't get a lot more done. I continue the plan, killing McThralls, failing to kill his Darragh Wrath but getting both his Necrosurgeons dead with Stygians. I go to 2 points. He charges Terminus out to start threatening the Coven, continuing to attack Soul Hunters and contesting my zone. I clear my zone, contest his, and mostly get in the way, killing McThralls whenever I can. I consider pumping some Stygians into Terminus at this point, but go back and forth on plans multiple times, make a few mistakes, get flustered, and just in general spend a TON of time, ending with a third point and just over a minute on my clock.

Dan finishes off the Soul Hunters, charges into my zone (taking a disproportionate amount of damage from a Wrathe free strike who he hasn't managed to kill yet), but doesn't move any other models into my zone. I get a point on his turn and end my turn for a point on my turn. Rough end for a game Dan played well. Making more than 10% of his tough checks would have helped him contest. I probably lose that game on time if just one thing doesn't go my way at the end, there.

I'm the only undefeated at that point, and go home with first place! Jordan from Saskatoon took 2nd and Regina's Chris Wagner takes 3rd on CP-based tiebreakers. Derek from Regina takes the fully-painted drawing, and the five of us headed home, tired and victorious.

A great day! Thanks to Jeff for organizing, all the Saskatoon guys for the games, and the Dragon's Den for hosting!

[AlexMeeres]

Thanks for the battle reports. A good showing from the Regina crew.

[Lance]

Well done!