DaBoyz GT Batrep #1

Here's my GT list - 1850pts Splinter Fleet Colossus
Tyranid Prime - LW/BS, Scytals
Tyranid Prime - BS/BS, Rending
Hive Guard x2
Hive Guard x2
Ymgarl Genestealers x7
Termagants x10
Tervigon - Catalyst, TS, AG, SS
Termagants x10
Tervigon - Catalyst, TS, AG, SS
Trygon - AG
Trygon - AG
Carnifex Brood (2) - Twin Linked Devourers x4

Batrep Disclaimer:  This was my first GT, and first attempt to batrep tournament games.  I screwed around with the flash so picture quality will vary.  Also, the more difficult the games became, the less I focused on taking pictures so please excuse the lack of photos later on.  Enjoy!

Game #1 versus Paul S. from Boston - Vulkan's Salamanders.

This was Paul's first GT also.  He's a cool dude and his army was really well painted.  The game remained fun and light-hearted throughout.  If I had a chance to vote favorite opponent, it would have been him.
His list as I remember:
Vulkan
Librarian - NZ, GoI
Sternguard - ~5 combi melta, 4 combi flamer, 1 hvy flamer, rhino
8 Hammernators
5 Scouts with camo and rifles
2 Tac squads with various flamers, melta, MM, hvy flamer, two rhinos
3 MM/HF speeders
Pred - autolas

Mission #1 was "Spearhead" - traingular/spearhead deployment from the short edges.  To win you must move more units into your opponent's deployment zone, prevent him from taking yours, and don't leave your own units near your edge.

We started on table #37 and I believe first round pairing was based on comp.

Good BLoS terrain and we called everything area on the base.  I deployed as such:

... and held both Trygons in reserve and hid the Ymgarls in table center.  Paul deployed as such:

... with no reserves.  Vulkan and Libby with the hammernators.  He failed to seize.  During turn 1, I moved and ran most of the army.  No spawns.  The Tervigon further from the camera takes a perils on Catalyst with boxcars lol.  Hive guard shook one speeder.

Paul moves up and smokes all transports.  The shaken speeder flat outs and he points all guns at Tervigons!  I take 3 wounds on the one closest to the camera.

Ok, now a lot of the guess work is done.  Hammernators on foot are easy to predict and I know his target priority.  I get 1 Trygon from reserves and begin turn 2 moving everything up.  I plan on using Trygons and Ymgarl to tie up the backfield and also act as scoring units for the objective.  Tervigons, gants, hive guard,  and fexstar will tarpit and torrent anything crossing center.

24 twin linked devourer shots drop 2 hammernators and put a wound on the libby.  Hive guard fire at a speeder and...

Paul's turn 2, he gates the hammernator unit into my flank, 5" from gants and 5" from the board edge and nails it...

He moves the rest of his forces up and unloads the Sternguard right in front of my Trygon...

He really wants the closer tervigon dead, and succeeds with speeders and the predator.  Sternguard and scouts unleash combis and rifles on the trygon and it survives with 1 wound muahahaha!  This turn events was bad for him as I now have a trygon in assalt range of scouts, sternguard, and rhino.  My turn 3 begins with ymgarls and the second trygon arriving.

I decide the hammernators can wait, I can't risk a trygon assaulting 10 sternguard in cover with 1 remaining wound.  My dakkafex's drop 9/10 of the sternguard who fail morale.  Hive guard finally drop a speeder and shake another.

I break off both Primes to escort gants into the scoring zone and keep the pressure on with Carnifex's in the center to keep him from scoring.  Hive Guard stun and w/d a rhino.  Ymgarls assault the stationary predator and wreck it.  Trygon with 1 wound assaults scouts in cover and eats them.  His turn 3, he smashes some Hive Guard with his hammer unit.

My turn 4, I spawn a unit of gants to try and tie up the hammernators midfield.  Dakkafex's drop 2 more terminators from behind a wall of gants.  Hive Guard find their mark again and drop another speeder.  One Trygon kills a rhino and the other kills the fleeing sternguard.  Ymgarl assault and wreck the stunned rhino.

Paul has a great turn, killing gaunts with the lead tac squad, the fex's with the terminators, and 3 ymgarl with the rear squad.

My turn 5, I spawn more gants to continue to tarpit the terminators.  Primes and gants run into the scoring zone.  Trygon rages and takes down the last land speeder.  Hive guard explode the last rhino.  Ymgarls assault the tac squad, kill five, lose 2, and break the marines but fail to sweep.  This will also acually help me with points as the player with a unit closest to his own deployment edge loses out.

Paul's got termi's locked in combat at this point, a tac squad in the center, and fleeing tac squad.  He finishes the gant tarpit and the game ends on a 2.

Final results: win 37-0.

Review:  I was a ball of nerves in the beginning.  I've only faced off against Vulkan's boyz once and they aren't in my comfort zone yet.  The only mistake I recall making was not anticipating his first turn target priority.  I usually play trygons on the table, and without them he ignored my fexstar and hive guard and went right for the tervigons.  I didn't play the terrain angles well and both were without cover for t1 shooting.

Paul was making most of his rolls in shooting and wounding, but target priority hurt him in t2, when he split fire between the tervigon and trygon, leaving the trygon up for assault.  The combination of list design and mission skewed things in my favor I believe.  Salamanders are geared towards very short range play and the mission forced him right into the jaws of tyranids.