Kovnik Komuniqué: Tournament Summary
SR 2015
Today I played in my first Steamroller in 2015! I took first place after 4 grueling rounds. Each nearly going to time. Here's the run down:
The two lists I brought were:
List 1: Butcher3
Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
* Spriggan (10pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Greygore Boomhowler & Co. (Boomhowler and 9 Grunts) (9pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Winter Guard Mortar Crew (Leader and Grunt) (3pts)
Winter Guard Rifle Corps (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Goblin Tinker (1pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Kell Bailoch (2pts)
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich (2pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (2pts)
--Specialists--
Great Bears (5pts)
Ogrun Bokur (3pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
List 2: Butcher2 Tier List: Mad Dogs of War Tier 3
Kommander Orsus Zoktavir (*6pts)
* Conquest (19pts)
* War dog (1pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Fenris (5pts)
--Specialists--
Greylord Escort (2pts)
Yuri The Axe (3pts)
Manhunter x2 (4pts)
My first round matchup was against a Cryx player, which I am ALWAYS excited to see...
Game 1: CryxHe was running a Goreshade3 army, and Goreshade2 tier list which he dropped on me:
Goreshade the Cursed (*5pts)
* Deathripper (4pts)
* Deathripper (4pts)
* Defiler (5pts)
* Skarlock Thrall (2pts)
Bane Knights (Leader and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
Bane Thralls (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
* Bane Thrall Officer & Standard (0pts)
Bane Thralls (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Bane Thrall Officer & Standard (3pts)
The Withershadow Combine (5pts)
Bane Lord Tartarus (4pts)
Pistol Wraith (3pts)
3 Scrap Thrall (1pts)
3 Scrap Thrall (1pts)
Cryx List 2:
Goreshade, Lord of Ruin (*5pts)
* Deathripper (4pts)
* Defiler (5pts)
* Harrower (10pts)
* Skarlock Thrall (2pts)
Bane Riders (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Satyxis Blood Witches (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
* Satyxis Blood Hag (2pts)
Soulhunters (Leader and 4 Grunts) (9pts)
Darragh Wrathe (4pts)
Warwitch Siren (2pts)
He was running it opposite a Goreshade3 army, and at the risk dropping a swarm of living models (Mad Dogs of War) into Heresy of Shadows, I dropped Butcher3. Here's a match that I would have much rather had Alexia1 for. Her epic form did almost nothing for me all game, but she did effectively tie up two arcnodes thanks to her large base.
There was a GIANT forest right smack dab in the center of the board, so I swapped in Saxon Orrik from my specialists (for Kell, because most of his stuff had stealth).
The Scenario was Two Fronts. I went second. I think I killed off his objective in my second turn after some Boomhowlers gave it the business. On the other side, my Mortar Crew was mopping up banes, until Goreshade arced a Hex Blast into it, killing it. My spriggan was using targeting flares to allow my Rifle Corps to actually shoot Tartarus, which by god they succeeded at killing! Spriggan finally trampled over a bunch of banes to the back edge of his zone, (it was either let it die where it was, or let it die in the backfield). Even though he eventually turned my Spriggan into a Seether with a combination of bane thralls and the Withershadow Combine, it was still totally worth 10 points! And to add to the fun, he only had enough banes to make it happen because he popped feat to refill one of his units, so at least I didn't have to fear any crazy threat ranges after that point! Hilariously enough, after he rebuilt it into a cryx jack, it couldn't do anything because it ringed by the combine and banes. Gorman just sauntered up, hit it with Black Oil, and splashed the whole lot of them! :D
I'd popped my feat much earlier in the game. There was a round when butcher had been forced to wade into the forest to deal with the bane knight problem. I'd spent all my focus trying to kill a ton of banes while energising around, so I had popped feat then. I was worried that the six or so Bane knights left in play would be able to chop down the random infantry and 2-3 Boomhowlers I'd shoved in front of butcher almost as an afterthought with their vengence attacks, then be able to just walk right up to him (if not charge), and just tear him to shreds because they could ignore any remaining free strikes. My opponent ended up FORGETTING to vengeance that turn, and butcher didn't see a single swing come his way. But at least I was safe about it! I didn't have the time to run the numbers in my head of what they'd be capable of so I just popped feat, camped it, and hoped for the best.
Ultimately, the only control points were gained by destroying the objectives in this game. The rest of it was a damn slog fest! I barely made any tough rolls on my Boomhowlers and he was stacking up the banes like crazy. The greylords, and rifle corps were both champions in this game. I think that I chose the right list to drop on my opponent. I think I just got lucky near the end.
The game was coming down to time for BOTH of us. He tried for an assassination on Butcher with Goreshade. He connected with the charge attack, making me stationary, but couldn't quite kill butcher who was on full camp. I think it would have been very easy for him to clock me. We were both under a minute or so left, but with both zones heavily contested, I think that if Goreshade had just sat back and camped, I probably would have clocked myself. But I'm glad he didn't because this gave me the first win of the day!
Game 2: Minions: Thornfall Alliance
This might have been a tier list, but I don't know Helga or pigs that well. I do know he had:
List 1: PIGS!!!
Helga The Conquerer (*6pts)
* Gun Boar (5pts)
* Gun Boar (5pts)
* Razor Boar (2pts)
* Road Hog (9pts)
* Road Hog (9pts)
* Targ (2pts)
Farrow Brigands (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
Farrow Razorback Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt) (3pts)
Farrow Razorback Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt) (3pts)
Farrow Razorback Crew (Leader and 1 Grunt) (3pts)
Farrow Slaughterhousers (Leader and 5 Grunt) (6pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
I just saw pigs all over the place and called up the local butcher (3)!
Second game was against PIGS! Helga was running 3, count them, THREE razor back crew! And it was pretty effective! There's not much else to write home about in this game. Scenario was Fire Support and I felt pretty well in control of the scenario most of the game. I goofed near the end and it nearly cost me. I had spent my feat, +1 focus killing both the Road hogs, then meant to energizer an extra inch away from Helga, and be base to base with his flag to dominate it, but I FORGOT. It almost cost me the game: My opponent moved in a slaughterhouser to try to grant gang fighter to Helga when she went for the assassination on Butcher3, I counter charged with my war dog to kill it and deny her. Good thing, too. After I took a few gun boar shots (Rage Howler for Boomhowler helped keep me alive here) and some damage from the razorbacks, Helga managed to drop butcher to 2 health (I was camping 5 at the time). Gang Fighter would have allowed her to pull it off.
Game 3: Skorne
List1:
Void Seer Mordikaar (*5pts)
* Basilisk Krea (4pts)
* Despoiler (10pts)
* Titan Gladiator (8pts)
Keltarii (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Praetorian Ferox (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer (3pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Tyrant Rhadiem (5pts)
Void Spirit (2pts)
List2: (not the full list, this is just what I saw on his sheet; I was pretty sure he was going to drop Mordikaar anyhow)
Archdomina Makeda (*5pts)
* Archidon (7pts)
* Molik Karn (11pts)
* Titan Gladiator (8pts)
Cataphract Cetrati (Leader and 5 Grunts) (11pts)
Nihilators (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Agonizer (2pts)
Extoler Soulward (2pts)
Third game against Skorne. I dropped Mad Dogs into Mordikaar. Scenario was Outflank. On that same damn table with the huge forest in the middle!
He jammed hard and feated bottom of turn 1. While I had some charges on him turn 2, I ultimately killed maybe 5 models. Two Ferox, and three Keltarii.
Turn3, Agonizer was crying so I couldn't allocate to Conquest. Feated with butcher2 and killed two of the Ferox (and one doom reaver) with a charge into the back side of the left zone (rolled a two for focus and sat on all of it)! My conquest charged into the forest LoS to one of my doom reavers to get reach onto the Despoiler. Cracked it good with his second initial. 7 rage tokens total. Gave conquest 3, and two each to two doom reavers that had pressed forward hard on butcher's side of the table. 3 Rage tokens and MAT 8 were enough to let the Conquest kill the Despoiler. The doom reavers with the rage tokens pressed onward and went after Mordikaar. One was just a hair away from being able to engage him. The two together were able to kill of the TyCom and Flag. Other doom reavers had cleared the zone butcher was camped in, so I dominated on turn 3. He eventually contested with a Beast handler.
Meanwhile the left zone was a MESS. The Keltarii were doing SEROIUS work against my doom reavers. Undead, Tough, Inspiration, Parry, it was a mess. My doom reavers were just wiped out over there, only managed to continue contesting because conquest was in the zone. His gladiator tore into conquest but was was unable to fill the left grid entirely (did get his arm, though). Next turn, Butcher rolls up 5 focus, puts three on conquest, boosts a blunderbuss into the Beast Handler to trigger conferred Rage. Conquest goes to town on the Gladiator killing it with his two initials (despite one arm being broken), and 3 bought attacks. Butcher dominates for a second round and I go to 4 control points.
My opponent resurrects two beast handlers, then puts an upkeep on them making the Undead and Tough, before backpeddling Mordikaar toward his own deployment zone. The Beast Handlers charge them into the zone, killing some doom reavers. Luckily, they're all within range of being butchered! With seconds left on my clock, butcher rolls up about 4 focus, wades in, and just dices up all three of them. It took two bought attacks to get through the tough rolls, but I dominated once again for the win.
Game 4: vs Legion
He ran:
Lylyth, Reckoning of Everblight (*5pts) (Lylyth3)
* Shredder (2pts)
* Shredder (2pts)
* Zuriel (10pts)
* Scythean (9pts)
* Typhon (12pts)
Blackfrost Shard (5pts)
Blighted Nyss Striders (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
* Blighted Nyss Striders Officer & Musician (3pts)
Blighted Nyss Shepherd (1pts)
Blighted Nyss Shepherd (1pts)
Succubus (2pts)
The Forsaken (2pts)
He had a second, eThagrosh list, but he'd told me he was going to run Lylyth and I believed him (because he's a standup guy like that).
Scenario was Recon. I dropped Butcher 3 into this game one last time. I didn't regret it. I think Lylith would have shot all those doom reavers off the table.
I swapped out the Rifle Corps for Great Bears, and Kovnik Joe for Saxon Orrik (to deal with the giant pond in the middle of the table).
This game was strange. Everything in my army did it's job reasonably well. The mortar took apart my opponent's objective, as well as a shepherd and a few Striders along the way! Fantastic. These SR 2015 objectives for artillery are Great!
On his feat turn, he laid down the death chill on a bunch of models. Spriggan, trolls, a War Argus, etc. My next turn is slightly blunted. Butcher gets up on a hill, two of the great bears get charges on Zuriel doing about half his grid in damage, the other one hangs back for a charge next turn. The Boomhowlers Jam. Eiryss peels off upkeeps...
The MVP of the game was Corbeau. Zuriel at one point got a spray on to a bunch of my models, including Corbeau. She suckered it onto one of Butcher's puppies who was already nearly dead, and it killed off the puppy triggering Vengence. Breathing a dejected sigh he says, "Oh man, I think that just caused me to lose the game." He tries jamming with some stuff but it didn't end up mattering.
It took just about every single model I had to Kill Zuriel who was in Butcher's way... But with his last gunshot, Holt pulled it off! Butcher Energizes into position (after his corbeau move, and Vengeance moves) and charges through two free strikes from Shredders to kill Lylith. All in all this was a good game, and I'm not even going to call shooting at corbeau a mistake, really... But it did cost him in the end.
A great tournament. A great day for the Motherland!
