I had a bit of time last Friday, so I stopped by one of the stores I don't normally go to and managed to get a game in against Cygnar. The guys here are much better than at my normal store, and this guy had beaten me in both our previous engagements (including once during the end of the last league). This time I'd gotten a bunch more experiance though, and felt like I had a pretty good shot.
Looking at my previous two blowout wins against Cygnar, I considered playing either my Epic Lylyth Ravagore Rain of Death list, or Epic Thagrosh and his Shredder spam, but decided to try to get more testing in with the Ravagore and went for the following:
Primal Lylyth
-Carnivean
-Ravagore
Striders + UA
Full Warspears
Forsaken
1 Spell Martyr
I figure if I'm going to buy a Ravagore then he should work with at least one of the Warlocks I already have, and pLylyth seems like she is the most likely option as eThags, Rhyas and Saeryn all prefer melee beasts.
My opponent was trying out a new Warcaster that day: Captain Jeremiah Kraye. This was the force he fielded:
Kraye
-Hunter
-Hunter
-Sentinel
-Sentinel
-Stormclad
Squire
The Black 13th
Captain Arlan Strangeways
Lanyssa Ryssyll, Nyss Sorceress
I've never played against Lanyssa before, but I knew she had a bunch of anti-Legion abilities. Combined with the Black 13th, I was starting to wish I had gone with Epic Lylyth.
Terrain
The left side of the map was pretty much covered with forests, while the right had a giant hill. I'd never played a map with this much terrain, but figured it would probably help considering I was playing Legion. He won the roll and opted to go first.
Cygnar Deployment
Kraye, his jacks, the Squire, and Strageways deployed on the right side of the map (in front of the hill), while the Black 13th and Lanyssa deployed on the left (in front of the forest).
Legion Deployment
Lylyth, the beasts, and the Forsaken deployed in the center, while the Warspears deployed on the right and the Spell Martyr behind them. The Striders advance deployed as far up as they could in the forested left, figuring they could do some damage to the infantry there while taking advantage of stealth and cover.
Cygnar Turn 1
His forces run forward, the jacks getting atop the hill while Kraye and Strangeways stay a little back. The Black 13th and Lanyssa move up so they are barely in the closest forest.
Legion Turn 1
I move my Ravagore up and, deciding to tempt fate, take a shot at one of his hunters. Its well short, but deviation causes it to hit the jack anyway, and I boost the damage for 5 points. First blood! The Warspears run up the hill with the Spell Martyr close behind, while the Carnivean and Forsaken move up into the forested middle. Lylyth follows, putting Spiny Growth on the 2 heavies, and the Striders run forward, hoping to be close enough to move and shoot at the infantry next turn.
Cygnar Turn 2
He moves up his jacks and has them start taking shots at the Warspears, killing two as well as the Spell Martyr they were shielding. He then retreats them using the cavalry move granted by Kraye - this looks like its going to be a painful fight, since he can move, shoot, and withdraw. The Striders are also in for a shock, as Kraye uses Mage Sight to make them visible and shoots 4 to shreds with help from Lanyssa and the Black 13th. Lanyssa then uses winter storm to take away pathfinder, making their lives even more difficult. Strangeways moves up and tries to heal the damaged hunter, but fails his skill check.
Legion Turn 2
I'm not liking the look of this game, as even though I've only lost a few guys, we're playing on my opponent's terms, not mine. I decide its time to feat as if I don't I may not get the chance, so I move Lylyth up and activate it, though she is too far back to hit anyone. The Warspears on the other hand are able to assault his jacks, and manage to take out the movement and arm of one of the Sentinels. The Striders move up and try to CRA Ryan, but my opponent points out they have prowl and are in a forest. I could copy the series of explatives here, but in short, those guys just have way too many abilities. Its never come up before, but I'll have to look out for it in the future. The Ravagore moves up and drops a shot on the damaged hunter, and by boosting the damage rolls I'm not only able to cripple its movement, but also kill Strangeways! The Carnivean just moves up to shield Lylyth from the Black 13th and Lanyssa, in case they get ideas about going after her, and the Forsaken just follows up.
Cygnar Turn 3
The Striders get shredded by the Black 13th, and Lanyssa moves towards Lylyth and her battlegroup and once again uses Winter Storm. Hes a bit too cautious though, and only the Carnivean is affected. The rest of his army combines shooting and finishes off the Warspears. By this point they're all on the hill, figuring if he isn't going to be able to keep out of range, he may as well get the def bonus.
Legion Turn 3
With my units gone, I have 1 shot: kill Kraye. Thankfully I have a pretty good position, with only the Stormclad blocking him, and easy angles from the side. Lylyth moves first, getting atop the hill and taking a shot at the enemy Warcaster while boosting to hit. The blow lands, and while it only does minor damage, I'm able to drop Parasite on him. I buy another attack and hit, doing much more reasonable damage. The Ravagore then activates and moves on top of the hill before dropping a fully boosted attack right on Kraye's head! With the help of Parasite, he's down to 2 hp, and my opponent is starting to regret bringing him so far forward. Last up is my Carnivean, who assaults the Stormclad to catch Kraye in the spray. He lacks pathfinder, so I'm slowed a bit by the forest I'm hiding in, and Kraye is still under the spray. Thanks to the hill I need a 12 to hit and roll...
an 11! Looking at the range, I realize that if I hadn't been affected by the forest, I would've been on the hill, and that shot would have hit. At this point, I'm ready to concede, though my opponent believes theres still a change we won't kill my unprotected Warlock with no focus...
Cygnar Turn 4
Put simply, he's wrong. The Stormclad slams the Ravagore into Lylyth, whose a sitting duck without her DEF 16. The rest of her army unloads their shots, and turn her into paste.
Aftermath
Man, I hate playing against Cygnar shooting lists. This one was particularly bad since he could move, shoot, and retreat, not to mention the damage the hunters' armor piercing shots were doing to the Warspears. Lanyssa was also brutal - in the future, she's a high priority. Really, my first reaction was correct: against Cygnar, I should bring either Epic Lylyth or Epic Thagrosh. On the bright side, I came within a hair of winning anyway, so I feel pretty good.
The Ravagore was pretty much the only reason I was in the game at all, and if I had taken another one instead of the Carnivean, I probably would have won. This doesn't actually seem like a bad plan - the main reason I'm hesitant about 2 Ravagores in my Epic Lylyth list is I lack punch, but with Parasite, Ravagores hit even harder than a Carnivean. While I definitely want to try pLylyth with 2 Ravagores, I don't think I'm going to sideline the Carnivean just yet. This was a very range heavy game, so he was not at his best. Hopefully next time there will be more melee, and I can track the damage rolls to see if the extra power of the Carnivean is significant. Actually, this also gives me an idea for my Epic Lylyth list - the Blackfrost Shard. They can improve both hit and damage rolls to bring the Ravagores up to scratch, and have stealth so they won't be the only shootable guys on the table!
Sorry that most of my recent posts have been battle reports - right now they're what I'm focusing on because of the whole deciding-which-new-heavy-to-buy question. I should have it wrapped up by the end of next week, and I'll start showing off some more painting.
Looking at my previous two blowout wins against Cygnar, I considered playing either my Epic Lylyth Ravagore Rain of Death list, or Epic Thagrosh and his Shredder spam, but decided to try to get more testing in with the Ravagore and went for the following:
Primal Lylyth
-Carnivean
-Ravagore
Striders + UA
Full Warspears
Forsaken
1 Spell Martyr
I figure if I'm going to buy a Ravagore then he should work with at least one of the Warlocks I already have, and pLylyth seems like she is the most likely option as eThags, Rhyas and Saeryn all prefer melee beasts.
My opponent was trying out a new Warcaster that day: Captain Jeremiah Kraye. This was the force he fielded:
Kraye
-Hunter
-Hunter
-Sentinel
-Sentinel
-Stormclad
Squire
The Black 13th
Captain Arlan Strangeways
Lanyssa Ryssyll, Nyss Sorceress
I've never played against Lanyssa before, but I knew she had a bunch of anti-Legion abilities. Combined with the Black 13th, I was starting to wish I had gone with Epic Lylyth.
Terrain
The left side of the map was pretty much covered with forests, while the right had a giant hill. I'd never played a map with this much terrain, but figured it would probably help considering I was playing Legion. He won the roll and opted to go first.
Cygnar Deployment
Kraye, his jacks, the Squire, and Strageways deployed on the right side of the map (in front of the hill), while the Black 13th and Lanyssa deployed on the left (in front of the forest).
Legion Deployment
Lylyth, the beasts, and the Forsaken deployed in the center, while the Warspears deployed on the right and the Spell Martyr behind them. The Striders advance deployed as far up as they could in the forested left, figuring they could do some damage to the infantry there while taking advantage of stealth and cover.
Cygnar Turn 1
His forces run forward, the jacks getting atop the hill while Kraye and Strangeways stay a little back. The Black 13th and Lanyssa move up so they are barely in the closest forest.
Legion Turn 1
I move my Ravagore up and, deciding to tempt fate, take a shot at one of his hunters. Its well short, but deviation causes it to hit the jack anyway, and I boost the damage for 5 points. First blood! The Warspears run up the hill with the Spell Martyr close behind, while the Carnivean and Forsaken move up into the forested middle. Lylyth follows, putting Spiny Growth on the 2 heavies, and the Striders run forward, hoping to be close enough to move and shoot at the infantry next turn.
Cygnar Turn 2
He moves up his jacks and has them start taking shots at the Warspears, killing two as well as the Spell Martyr they were shielding. He then retreats them using the cavalry move granted by Kraye - this looks like its going to be a painful fight, since he can move, shoot, and withdraw. The Striders are also in for a shock, as Kraye uses Mage Sight to make them visible and shoots 4 to shreds with help from Lanyssa and the Black 13th. Lanyssa then uses winter storm to take away pathfinder, making their lives even more difficult. Strangeways moves up and tries to heal the damaged hunter, but fails his skill check.
Legion Turn 2
I'm not liking the look of this game, as even though I've only lost a few guys, we're playing on my opponent's terms, not mine. I decide its time to feat as if I don't I may not get the chance, so I move Lylyth up and activate it, though she is too far back to hit anyone. The Warspears on the other hand are able to assault his jacks, and manage to take out the movement and arm of one of the Sentinels. The Striders move up and try to CRA Ryan, but my opponent points out they have prowl and are in a forest. I could copy the series of explatives here, but in short, those guys just have way too many abilities. Its never come up before, but I'll have to look out for it in the future. The Ravagore moves up and drops a shot on the damaged hunter, and by boosting the damage rolls I'm not only able to cripple its movement, but also kill Strangeways! The Carnivean just moves up to shield Lylyth from the Black 13th and Lanyssa, in case they get ideas about going after her, and the Forsaken just follows up.
Cygnar Turn 3
The Striders get shredded by the Black 13th, and Lanyssa moves towards Lylyth and her battlegroup and once again uses Winter Storm. Hes a bit too cautious though, and only the Carnivean is affected. The rest of his army combines shooting and finishes off the Warspears. By this point they're all on the hill, figuring if he isn't going to be able to keep out of range, he may as well get the def bonus.
Legion Turn 3
With my units gone, I have 1 shot: kill Kraye. Thankfully I have a pretty good position, with only the Stormclad blocking him, and easy angles from the side. Lylyth moves first, getting atop the hill and taking a shot at the enemy Warcaster while boosting to hit. The blow lands, and while it only does minor damage, I'm able to drop Parasite on him. I buy another attack and hit, doing much more reasonable damage. The Ravagore then activates and moves on top of the hill before dropping a fully boosted attack right on Kraye's head! With the help of Parasite, he's down to 2 hp, and my opponent is starting to regret bringing him so far forward. Last up is my Carnivean, who assaults the Stormclad to catch Kraye in the spray. He lacks pathfinder, so I'm slowed a bit by the forest I'm hiding in, and Kraye is still under the spray. Thanks to the hill I need a 12 to hit and roll...
an 11! Looking at the range, I realize that if I hadn't been affected by the forest, I would've been on the hill, and that shot would have hit. At this point, I'm ready to concede, though my opponent believes theres still a change we won't kill my unprotected Warlock with no focus...
Cygnar Turn 4
Put simply, he's wrong. The Stormclad slams the Ravagore into Lylyth, whose a sitting duck without her DEF 16. The rest of her army unloads their shots, and turn her into paste.
Aftermath
Man, I hate playing against Cygnar shooting lists. This one was particularly bad since he could move, shoot, and retreat, not to mention the damage the hunters' armor piercing shots were doing to the Warspears. Lanyssa was also brutal - in the future, she's a high priority. Really, my first reaction was correct: against Cygnar, I should bring either Epic Lylyth or Epic Thagrosh. On the bright side, I came within a hair of winning anyway, so I feel pretty good.
The Ravagore was pretty much the only reason I was in the game at all, and if I had taken another one instead of the Carnivean, I probably would have won. This doesn't actually seem like a bad plan - the main reason I'm hesitant about 2 Ravagores in my Epic Lylyth list is I lack punch, but with Parasite, Ravagores hit even harder than a Carnivean. While I definitely want to try pLylyth with 2 Ravagores, I don't think I'm going to sideline the Carnivean just yet. This was a very range heavy game, so he was not at his best. Hopefully next time there will be more melee, and I can track the damage rolls to see if the extra power of the Carnivean is significant. Actually, this also gives me an idea for my Epic Lylyth list - the Blackfrost Shard. They can improve both hit and damage rolls to bring the Ravagores up to scratch, and have stealth so they won't be the only shootable guys on the table!
Sorry that most of my recent posts have been battle reports - right now they're what I'm focusing on because of the whole deciding-which-new-heavy-to-buy question. I should have it wrapped up by the end of next week, and I'll start showing off some more painting.
Great BR!
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