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 #4 versus Kelsay from Virginia - Raven Guard
So Sunday morning comes (a bit too soon). My mind wouldn't give up last night so I got a solid 4 hours of sleep. Kelsay totally out-played me this game too and hit me in the blind side twice. I'll try and point out my perceived mistakes as I go. Also, I was so rocked after turn 1, I didn't take many pictures so I apologize.
Kelsay's list - Shrikes Ravenguard
Shrike
Assault Terminators x6 - 4xTH/SS, 2xLC
Dedicated LR Crusader with EA
Assault Terminators x6 - 4x TH/SS, 2xLC
2x 5 scouts
Tac Squad + Rhino
7 Assault Marines
Vindicator
Another LR Crusader with EA
My heart sank twice here. #1 the mission is KP/VP and he's got less KP than me to start. #2 av14 is the bane of the list I play. Without str10 shooting, I rely on trygons to flip land raiders. Kelsay gets turn 1. His dice were on fire. I think he rolled a 6 in every batch he rolled no joke. Rends from assault cannons, ungodly armor saves, even failing several morale tests. Anyways, he deploys very spread out across the diagonal deployment zone. Shrike is going to join the assault marines and infiltrate.
My mistake #1. I try to deploy back out of his first turn assault range with fleet terminators. I then bubble wrap my MC's with 2 units of gants using the only crater in my dz to ensure everything has cover. I should have deployed bottom center to minimize his angles of movement and shooting.
My mistake #2. My double gant wrap has models from both units open to assault on the flank. Kelsay infiltrates Shrikes unit exaclty 18" from my line.
His turn 1... He shuffles the raiders forward 6" and does some minimal damage. He flies up Shrike's unit, fleets, and assaults both units of gants. I even fail one of my counterattack tests. Marines kill a total of 10. I mostly wiff and kill 1 marine. He had first turn so both units crumple to fearless wounds and no FnP. Shrike consolidates pretty far away from my line.
My turn 1... Ok I have two units of assault terminators about to punch me in the nuts and I'm down 2 kp. I don't think I can reach out for the assault marines and I need bubble wrap or he can assault any target he wants. I spawn gants. 1,1,1 no joke. Then 2,2,3. FML. Ok I just popped out two more KP. I throw my only trump card and unload the dakkafex's on the assault unit, but shrike and 3 marines survive 17 wounds!!!
Hive guard shake one raider.
Kelsay's turn 2 and the second time he rocks me. Everything in his army moves directly away from me. I hate this tactic so much, I never consider when it may be used against me. I'm sorry, we build and paint toy soldiers to kill stuff so lets throw our armies at each other and see who survives, not run away. So both raiders back up and the assault marines make it nearly to his board edge. He puts a couple more wounds on my MC's.
At this point it's the bottom of two and I've nearly given up inside. I'm down 2-0, my str8 shooting can't wreck his raiders, and he's outpacing my trygons. I'm no quitter though so I duke it out. No more pics because I was spending 2-3 minutes planning out every move and shot. I go all in, moving and running everything forward. I chose hold the center as my tactical objective so I need to get any points I can.
Kelsay's turn 3. He's flanking the rhino squad so I figure he chose table quarters as his tactical, so I make note to leave the 3 gant unit in my quarter. Stuff backs up more, he puts out a couple wounds.
My turn 3. I push forward again with everything. Hive guard shake another Land Raider. At this point we've had a 5 minute discussion on impaler cannon rules. Kelsay doesn't like what I'm telling him so we call a judge over who rules in my favor. My fexstar is crossing midfield and might be able to hit scouts or jumpers next turn.
Kelsay's turn 4. He plants the vindicator shell on my fexstar and ID's a prime. I'm down 3-0 now and one trygon is looking beat up from all the assault cannon shots.
My turn 4. My ymgarls finally arrive table center and make for his scouts. I'm open to another ID shot from the vindicator, but I need kps or else I've already lost so i push the fexstar forward. They shoot down the remaining assault marines and put a wound on shrike. 3-1. Ymgarls morph for toughness and assault scouts in cover. I kill 3 and lose none and the scouts hold, YES!
His turn 5. Shrikes on his own and he's sweating my ymgarls. He immobilizes a land raider on a crater and the other one moves towards ymgarls. Terminators pop out of the immobile raider and head for one of my tervigons who with a hive guard is heading to stop the flanking tac squad. Vindicator fires and it's off! However, his raiders kill one trygon. 4-1. Ymgarls finish the scouts and consolidate towards the second scout squad and shrike. 4-2.
My turn 5. My last ditch assault. Dakkafex's crush the scout squad with devourers. 4-3. Ymgarls want shrike, but to not die if the game plays on. I string them around terrain to consolidate into and then assault shrike. They only do 1 wound! OMG NO! Shrike kills 3 and they hold. We roll and the game goes on.
His turn 6. He turns all guns on gants but leaves 1 alive. He shoots the other trygon down. 5-3. He assaults a tervigon with terminators and smashes it. 6-3. He assaults ymgarls with the other terminators. Ymgarls kill shrike then die. 6-4.
My turn 6. Hive guard pop the flanking rhino. 6-5. Dakkafex's unload on the terminator unit that killed the ymgarls and are standing literally on the table edge. 4 terminators go down but they pass morale! And the game ends 6-5.
We tally up vp's and it's only 26pts difference. So he wins primary by 1kp, we tie secondary, and tie tacticals. Loss 37-12.
Review: Well, I never considered two raiders full of termies would run away so that bit me. I screwed up my deployment too. However, I didn't give up and nearly earned a draw. It's my only loss of the whole tournament and close enough that I don't feel too bad about it. We had the little tiff about hive guard rules and I wanted to attempt a multi-assault that the judge said was a no-go so I felt kinda like a dick. I offered to buy him a drink during the break but he declined.
Wow. One of the most thought-provoking batreps I've ever read.
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