Rhyas vs. Zaal, 50 points

Hey guys, found the time to write up another battle report! Unfortunately, this game was incomplete, but I still enjoyed it a lot and thought it would be fun to write about. Last night I tried out a 50 point game for the first time, and was excited to discover that I could run a solid list with all my casters. I had one of the other players pick my Warlock, and he suggested Rhyas, so I put together the following list:

Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight
-Carnivean
-Scythean
-Seraph
-2 Shredders
Striders + UA
Full Warmongers
Blackfrost Shard
The Forsaken

I'm worried about keeping the 3 heavy warbeasts under control, but otherwise pretty excited since I didn't feel forced to put more stuff that wouldn't work in to make it to 50. My opponent was trying out a Zaal tier 4 list for the first time:

Supreme Aptimus Zaal & Kovaas
-Titan Cannoneer
-Titan Gladiator
-Aptimus Marketh
Min Immortals
Min Immortals
Min Praetorian Karax
Full Praetorian Karax
Ancestral Guardian
Ancestral Guardian
Extoler Soulward
Extoler Soulward
Hakaar the Destroyer

I've only played against Skorne once before, against an Epic Morghul theme list, so I was asking a lot of questions since I hadn't seen any of his models before. Eventually I just gave up and decided I'd have to figure it out on the battlefield!

Terrain

This map was interesting because there was no area terrain (forest, hills, rough terrrain) in the center. I've noticed those games play very differently than ones that have a terrain piece in or near the center. We roll for deployment and my opponent wins, electing to go first.

Skorne Deployment
The full Karax unit deploys in the center, with units of Immortals on either side. The min unit of Karax deploys just behind the max unit, and Zaal, his Kovaas, and Marketh deploy behind them. The Gladiator deploys behind the Immortals on the right, while the Cannoneer deploys behind the immortals on the left.

Everblight Deployment
Deciding I want to take advantage of terrain as much as possible, I deploy most of my force behind the forest on the right, with the Heavy Warbeasts forming a line behind it that Rhyas and the Forsaken stand behind. The Blackfrost Shard deploy on the far right next to the edge of the board, since I want to keep them out of the action until they can make a difference, especially since they're my only good way to take out the Kovaas. The Shredders deploy to the immediate left of my heavies, and the Warmongers deploy to their left, with an open field in front of them so they don't have to worry about the forest.

Skorne Advance Deployment
The Ancestral Guardians each deploy in front of one of the Immortal units, and Hakaar deploys in between them, probably to lend support to whichever side needs it.

Everblight Advance Deployment
The Striders deploy as far up as possible on the right flank, hoping to threaten the Ancestral Guardian or Immortals there so I can roll up the right side of the board and take advantage of the cover provided.

Skorne Turn 1
Both units of Immortals run up in front of the Ancestral Guardians ahead of them, and the Full Karax unit walks forward and uses Shield Wall. The min unit follows behind them and does the same, and both Titans run forward with their groups of Immortals. Zaal walks up behind the Karax and gives the full unit Inviolable Resolve, and Marketh moves up and uses Awakened Spirit on the Canoneer.

Everblight Turn 1
The Striders activate first, moving up and making 4 2-man CRAs on the Immortals in front of them, unfortunately killing only 2. They then Reform back to form a defensive line. Rhyas casts Dash and puts Rapport on the Carnivean, then uses Slipstream and moves up to the edge of the forest, slipstreaming the Carnivean up behind her. The Seraph also uses Slipstream and moves into the forest, pulling the Scythean up. The Warmongers run forward, threatening to charge the Immortals and Karax in the middle if they advance. The Carnivean and Scythean both walk up into the forest, and the Carnivean gives himself his animus. The Blackfrost Shard runs up the right side, and both Shredders run forward between
the Warmongers and forest, ready to help whoever needs it.

Skorne Turn 2
My opponent continues to advance cautiously, with the Karax and Immortals in the center just moving foward. The Immortals on the right use their Vengeance move to get in range of the Strider and charge them, but fail to hit DEF 15. I'm concerned that they'll be tied up and blocking the rest of my force, but then I remember Dash can make them immune to free strikes. The Canoneer moves up and takes a shot at one of the Warmongers, and though he rolls poorly on the initial target, thanks to boosted attack rolls he kills one and seriously wounds another with the blast. Zaal upkeeps Invioable Resolve and spends fury to fill the Ancestral Guardians with souls, and the Gladiator, Ancestral Guardian, and Kovaas on the right fall back to avoid the counterstrike from my beasts, and Hakaar moves towards them to help reinforce that side.

Everblight Turn 2
Its tempting to pop feat now and see how much damage the Warmongers can do, but since the rest of my army is out of range I decide to save it. Rhyas activates first, upkeeping Rapport and casting Dash before moving so all the Warmongers are effected by it. The Striders then move forward turning to make 2-man CRAs against the Immortals that were engaging them, leaving only 1 left. They reform even further forward, pushing his right flank back. The Warmongers then activate, charging the center Immortals and full Karax unit. In a stunning display, they kill 3 of the 6 Immortals and 8 of the 10 Karax! I'm feeling pretty good now - I'm crushing the right flank and just seriously injured th left, and my Warmongers are there keeping the bulk of my force safe from the counter attack. The Seraph stands still and shoots the last Immortal from the left group, then the Shredders move up and fill the gap between the Warmongers and Striders. The Carnivean and Scythean move up in the middle, ready to take advantage of Rhyas' feat next turn, and the Blackfrost Shard moves up and shoots down the Kovaas.

Skorne Turn 3
My opponent is reeling from the damage the Warmongers just did, and decides if he's going to get back in the game they need to go die immediately. He debates feating due to the 17 tokens he'd get, but decides not to since most of my army is still out of range. The remaining Immortals use their Vengeance move to take down the 2 Warmongers closest to them, as both had been weakened by the Canoneer's shot last turn. The remaining Karax flail uselessly at one of the remaining Warmongers, and the Ancestral Guardian charges the other...and misses! Next an Extoler tries to take one down with a shot, but flubs the damage roll and it survives. The next Extoller tries the same, but misses since my Warmonger is engaged with the Karax. Finally the Immortals charge in, but poor damage rolls mean only one of the Warmongers falls. Deciding the last one isn't worth the trouble, my opponent has the Canoneer then uses his shot to seriously wound one of the Shredders, but the tenacous little beast refuses to die. Meanwhile, the Gladiator, Ancestral Guardian, and Hakaar on the right fall back so they're partially covered by the obstacle, trying to avoid getting shot up the the Striders and Blackfrost Shard. Zaal moves up behind them, giving them Invioable Resolve and gives the remaining Immortals last stand, just in case I draw free strikes.

Everblight Turn 3
Time to bring the pain! The Striders activate first and move forward, taking several CRA shots at the Ancestral Guardian and killing him. Rhyas then moves up and Slipstreams the Carnivean into charge range of the Gladiator before using her feat. The last Warmonger takes advantage of the feat to clear out the remaining Karax and the Immortal attacking him, and the Seraph moves towards the center and Slipstreams the Scythean forward and boosts several shots to finish off the Immortals. I now have a slight problem - my Warmonger is blocking the Scythean's charge lane to the Gladiator! After a moment of debating, I have the healthy Shredder step up and finish off the Ogrun, then charge the Canoneer with my Scythean. Halfway through killing it, I smell smoke, and unfortunately we have to evacuate the store since the back room is filling with smoke from next door.

Aftermath
I was feeling pretty good about that game when we had to call it - I was about the bring down both his warbeasts, meaning he would have to cut for fury. Worse, he would then be facing down 3 of my heavies with just an Ancestral Guardian, Hakaar, Marketh, the Soulwards, and a min unit of Karax, not to mention the whole rest of my army behind them!

MVP for this game definitely goes to the Warmongers. They carved through my opponent's units like a knife through butter, and then provided a solid defense to keep me from getting overrun. They actually help fill a role I've been having problems with - taking down lots of high ARM infantry. The Striders are my standard infantry solution, but they really struggle against ARM 17 and higher. The Warmongers managed to bring down nearly a full unit of ARM 20 Karax, and had attacks left over to seriously injure some Immortals. I'm going to have to start trying out the War Chief with them, since he can boost their MAT to 9 and make hitting all but assured.

Overall, I really liked playing at 50 points. List building felt a lot less cramped, and playing didn't take that much longer since the extra models fit into my plan, so it was pretty easy to figure out what I wanted to do with them. I think my next purchase will be another unit for some variety, and then I'll try to move up to playing 50 points all the time!

Battle Report: Rhyas vs. Gunnbjorn

Hey guys, sorry its been a while since my last post - May is turning out to be a busy month! While I've been working on a bunch of stuff for my army, a lot of it is still "in progress", mostly due to the fact that I don't have much time. Hopefully I'll get more of it done by the end of the month. In the meantime, here's a battle report from the league!

One things I've noticed is that almost all of my games go the same way: I  use superior speed and range to dismantle the opponent's army piece by piece, finishing off the Warcaster last. However, many people say Everblight is an assassination army, so with that in mind, I'm trying the following list, hoping to win by caster kill:

Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight
-Scythean
-Seraph
-Shredder
Striders + UA
Full Warmongers
Warmonger War Chief
The Forsaken

I'm hoping that on Rhyas' feat turn, the Seraph will Slipstream the Scythean forward so he can charge something, teleport behind it, and then crush the enemy caster. Assuming the thing he hits is a Heavy Warbeast, thats a total of 19" threat range! (2" Slipstrem + 9" Charge + 2" Reach + 2" Enemy base + 2" Scythean base + 2" Reach)

I've been doing really well at my store's league, so the Press Ganger decided he wanted to bring me down a peg. He normally play Khador, but brought his Trolls this league:

Captain Gunnbjorn
-Earthborn Dire Troll
-Dire Troll Bomber
-Troll Impaler
Full Fennblades + UA
Fell Caller Hero
Trollblood Skinner

He won the roll, but decided I would go first.

Terrain

Everblight Deployment
I placed my Scythean and Seraph directly behind the forest, figuring they could take advantage of the blocked line of sight. The Shredder deployed directly to their left, and Rhyas and the Forsaken were placed directly behind the beasts. The Warmongers and Warchief deployed in the center of the board.

Troll Deployment
Gunnbjorn and his beasts deployed behind the hill, probably hoping to run to it on turn 1 and get the elevation bonus against my Striders. The Fennblades and Fell Caller deployed to their right, across from my beasts. I've got to be careful that I don't get tied up by them, since that'll ruin my assassination plans.

Everblight Advance Deployment
As my opponent has very little shooting and I'm going first, I deploy the Striders in a line directly across from the Fennblades, their intended target.

Troll Advance Deployment
The Skinner deploys on the far left, hoping to to avoid the Striders and getting to my beasts.

Everblight Turn 1
The Striders advance straight forward and try to shoot the Fennblades, but fall short. They reform into a scattered formation to avoid the Bomber's 4" AOEs. Rhyas activates and casts Slipstream, Dash, and Rapport on Seraph before moving forward, pulling the Seraph with her. The Warmongers and Warchief then run forward, making it about halfway up the board thanks to the speed boost from dash. The Seraph slipstreams the Scythean forward as it moves, and places itself in front of Rhyas. The Scythean ran forward to the forest and riled for 1, and the Shredder moved up, gave the Seraph Tenacity, and riled for 1.

Trolls Turn 1
The Earthborn and the Impaler ran forward onto the hill as projected. Gunnbjorn gave Snipe to the Bomber and Far Strike to himself before moving up and boosting hit and damage rolls on the Warchief to kill him. The Bomber moved up and tried to shoot the Striders and managed to bring down 1. My opponent then realized he'd forgotten to put up a rock wall, so under he had the Fell Caller give the Fennblades Pathfinder before he ran forward with them. The Fennblades positioned themselves to block the charge from my Scythean to the Earthborn, but they were in perfect position for my Warmongers...

Everblight Turn 2
Its a bit early, but I really like the potential damage the Warmongers can do and decide its worth a shot. Rhyas activates and casts Dash so she can move through the forest to Slipstream the Seraph forward before using her feat. The Striders then activate, and each manages to injure a Fennblade, though two of the seven make their tough rolls. Fortunately, they're knocked down, leaving the Officer open. Thanks to Slipstream the Seraph can stand and shoot, and rolling max shots on his breath allows me to kill off both the leader and 2 more grunts. The Warmongers then activate, most charging the Fennblades and 1 getting through to the Earthborn thanks to reach. What ensues is utter carnage. Thanks to Beserk and the extra attack from Rhyas' feat, the Warmongers carve through the 3 Fennblades before diving into the Bomber, Imapler, Earthborn, and even Gunnbjorn. By the end,  both Dire Trolls are at half health, and even Gunnbjorn has taken 6 damage. Best of all, the Bomber, Impaler, and Gunnbjorn are engaged, keeping them from shooting next turn.

Trolls Turn 2
My opponent is reeling from the damage the Warmongers did, but tries to pull his force back together. The Fennblades Vengeance move does almost nothing since most are dead or knocked down, so the Impaler first tries to kill the Warmonger engaging Gunnbjorn, but bad rolls mean the Ogrun survives. The Fell Caller then stands up the Fennblades before moving up and finishing the Ogrun off, and the rest of his team meets the same fate due to the Earthborn and Bomber. Gunnbjorn remembers Rockwall this time and puts it up in front of the Earthborn, then moves to the right and takes a shot at my Seraph, but misses due to the forest. The Fennblades then charge my forces, hoping to tie them down to keep Gunnbjorn safe.

Everblight Turn 3
I'm faced with a choice: I can have Rhyas move towards the Scythean, slipstream him forward, and finish off the Earthborn and Bomber; or I can have her move forward, slipstream the Seraph up, and go for Gunnbjorn. Curse you, 10" control range! Well, I'm supposed to be practicing assasination, and with Rapport on the Seraph and no fury on Gunnbjorn, this is as good a shot as I'll ever get! Rhyas casts Dash and Slipstream before charging the Fennblades holding down the Seraph, cutting them to ribbons as the Seraph slides forward. It charges Gunnbjorn, and I boost to hit on the charge attack, hoping for a critical. Alas, it is not to be, but even 3 dice is enough to bring the troll down to 3 health. I buy another attack and boost the hit, and though I once again fail to get a crit, it does enough to finish off Gunnbjorn, who obliges me and fails his tough check.

Aftermath
That was an exciting game, particularly since I got great use out of models that normally don't do much. My opponent was caught off guard by the Warmongers and Rhyas' feat, which allowed me to do a lot of damage and mess up his game plan pretty badly. While the Seraph was solid in melee, I was pretty annoyed that I still haven't gotten a critical with him. The last time he was in this situation he was trying to finish off Barnabas in a tournament, and a critical would've sealed the game, but the 40% refused to come up. Ah well, I guess I'll just have to keep trying!

My case

So I realized the other day that I haven't posted about my gaming case. Its mostly a surprise because I've gotten a lot of compliments on it at the stores I go to, and you guys may be interested in using the idea for yourself. A little back story: before I played Warmachine, I played Warhammer 40k, and carried my figures around in a paper bag. No dividers, no cushioning, just tossed them all in a bag. Unsurprisingly, a lot of my minis broke, and it was a pain to transport other supplies like paints. When I switched to Warmachine, I decided to figure out a better solution. I didn't like the foam-filled army cases, particularly since they wouldn't be good for storing warbeasts and other larger models, but luckily, I found this cool idea on the forums. So without further ado, here is what I use to transport all my gaming equipment:

Its a metal toolbox I got off of Amazon. Why this box? Because I've glued magnets to the bases of most of my models, so they don't move around! Here's what the inside looks like:

All of those models are magnetized to the bottom. When I first set it up, I got a real kick out of turning it upside down and showing that everything was still in place! I also have my templates held to the side with a magnet, as well as part of a cup that I use for water when I'm painting. The other nice part about this box is there is a removable tray that fits on top that holds my other equipment:

I've got all my paints, dice, markers, cards, and measuring tapes. Its really convenient since I never have to worry about forgetting things - everything Warmachine related fits in my case!

For those interested in using this idea, here are the magnets I used:

When they say "Super Strong", they mean it - sometimes when I try to pick up a model, the magnet proves stronger than the glue and stays stuck to the case! Because of that, I've started gluing a scrap of paper towel to the side of the magnet that will touch the case. Here's a picture of the bottom of a model both with and without the paper:

On the top half of the second picture, you can kind of see the circle of glue from where the magnet initially was before it came off. Keeping the magnet from touching the metal helps significantly, and I have a lot fewer instances of magnets removing themselves from a mini these days.

One problem I'm running into with this case is I'm running out of room. I currently have 4 large based models, 7 medium based models, and 31 small based models. I'm currently working on a plan to open up some more space - I'll post again when I have something new to show you!

End of the Month of Madness

Last weekend was the tournament I was aiming for to end the Month of Madness, and I have to say I failed epically at my goal. All I managed to do was strip down my Shredders and Spell Martyrs, and I'm still having trouble with my Scythean. On the bright side, I do have battle summaries from the tournament. It was 25 points, 2 lists. I brought the following lists:

Saeryn, Omen of Everblight
-Carnivean
-4 Shredders
-Striders + UA
-2 Spell Martyrs

Thagrosh the Messiah
-Scythean
-Seraph
-5 Shredders
-Spell Martyr

The first game was against a Retribution player, who brought Rahn, Halberdiers, Battle Mages, and a min unit of Destors, as well as a Chimera for his only jack. I brought Saeryn, and was doing ok until he almost got an assassination by knocking my Carnivean over her and feating. I realize afterwards that I should have been upkeeping Banishing Ward on her the entire time, but managed to get back into the game by using my feat and Banishing Ward to stay alive for a turn while I killed off most of his army, but I ended up losing when slammed his last Halberdier into Saeryn.

Second round I had a bye.

Third round I was against a gator player who took Barnabas, a Wrastler, a full unit of Gatormen, a pair of Bull Snappers and a pair of Croak Hunters. I brought my Thagrosh list, and was doing really well until I realized I had less than a minute left of my clock. Though I went as quickly as possible, time ran out as I was making attacks on Bloody B, and he ended up at 1 HP and I had enough fury to buy a fully boosted attack from the Seraph on him.

Both losses were annoying, but I feel like I learned a lot from my mistakes. I'm going to start timing myself in the casual games I play, since none of the other players felt like the time limit was tough, and thats a skill I'd like to perfect.

As for my painting, I've set a new goal for myself - I'm going to try to have everything I currently own painted by Lock & Load in June. Interestingly, I opened a fortune cookie yesterday that said I would accomplish my goal in two months. Coincidence? I guess we'll find out then!

Battle Report: Saeryn vs. Rahn

Hey guys, I'm back from my vacation with another battle report! This is the first one of the Thundercliff Peaks league, and I was using the terrain benefit from Kovosk Hills, so I had an extra warbeast point and could place another forest. There were also several new players that came by, and I played against one of them with my Saeryn list:

Saeryn, Omen of Everblight
-Carnivean
-Scythean
-Shredder
-Shredder
-Shredder
Striders + UA
Blackfrost Shard
Spell Martyr

My opponent was bringing the Retribution of Scyrah, a faction I haven't played against much. To make matters worse, he brought Adeptis Rahn, a warcaster that I haven't played against, and who is reputed to be the best the Retribution has to offer.

Adeptis Rahn
-Phoenix
-Phoenix
Battle Mages
Battle Mages
Stormfall Archers
House Shyeel Magister
Mage Hunter Assassin
Mage Hunter Assassin

This looks like its going to hurt - those Phoenixes will be tough to bring down, and the Battle Mages can be brutal on feat turn. I also need to watch out for the Mage Hunter Assassins, since with a 4" reach and weaponmaster they can do some serious damage from long range. I lost the roll, and my opponent decided to go second.

Terrain

Both the tall hill and the wall blocked line of sight to small based models. Interestingly, this meant every piece of terrain blocked line of sight. The smaller forest on the center-left was a bonus due to controlling Kovosk Hills.

Everblight Deployment
I decided to try to take advantage of the large forest on his side of the board, so I deployed my beasts back and to the left of the obstacle on my right. Saeryn and the Spell Martyr deployed behind them, and the Blackfrost Shard deployed to the right, hoping to move around the right edge of the forest to avoid getting shot up.

Retribution Deployment
He opted for a more balanced deployment, putting Rahn and the Magister behind the Phoenixes in the center, and one group of battle mages on each side. The Stormfall Archers deployed on the left, I'm guessing with the hope that I would put my Striders there.

Everblight Advance Deployment
Wanting to avoid the barrage of AOE 3's from the archers, I deployed my Striders on the far right side fo the board, next to the obstacle. I was hoping I could bring down the right battle mage squad before the rest of his army could get to mine.

Retribution Advance Deployment
The Mage Hunter Assassins deployed as far forward as they could on the mid-left side. I'll have to be careful that they don't flank me, since they can really dish out a lot of damage.

Everblight's Omen approached the ruins cautiously. This was supposed to be a routine information pickup from one of their spies in Ios, but as she had left the main camp, a chill ran down her spine. Knowing better than to ignore such warnings, she had brought a larger escort, and was thankful she did when she saw the Iosian army in the distance. Whether the informant had been captured or was a traitor from the start no longer mattered - only that she deal with the enemies before her.

Everblight Turn 1
In short, everyone but Saeryn ran forward. The Striders hoped they could get in range of the Battle Mages for next turn, and the Blackfrost Shard followed behind them. The beasts all ran towards the forest, and Saeryn followed behind to give the Scythean Banishing Ward and the Carnivean Respawn. I've never cast Banishing Ward before, but with this many enemy casters it seems like a good plan. The Spell Martyr ran up behind the beasts, preparing for its eventual sacrifice.

Retribution Turn 1
His turn was similar to mine, though since his forces were spread out, the ones on the left ran towards the middle. Of note were the Mage Hunter Assassins, who ran behind the wall in the center, staying out of line of sight from most of my army but still in threat distance. The Myrmidons and Magister ran forward, and Rahn followed and gave the lead Phoenix Polarity Shield, ending my internal debate about whether to try to charge it. The Battle Mages on the right moved up and tried to use Force Blast on the Striders, but my opponent forgot about Stealth and they failed.

Adeptis Rahn smiled as the draconic forces entered the remains of the ancient tower. The spy's information had been accurate. Now all he had to do was bring down the blighted sorceress, and he would have a new guest for the torture chambers - this one with much more interesting information.

Everblight Turn 2
Worried about the Mage Hunters, I checked my control range and quickly devised a plan to finish them. I had one of my Shredders go Rabid and run around the wall, and he managed to get about and inch away from both of them. Next, my Spell Martyr followed, and Saeryn (after dropping both upkeeps) arced Blightbringer through it onto the Shredder. 2 boosted damage rolls later and my left flank was clear. The Carnivean then moved up to the edge of the forest, and managed to catch one of the battle mages in his breath attack. Boosting the hit roll, I killed him, and the Striders followed up by killing four more of the mages. The last one managed to stand his ground though. Without much to fear, the Striders reformed forward, around the right side of the forest and into it. The rest of my force just moved up into the forest, the Scythean preparing to get to the Phoenixes even if Polarity Shield was up again.

Retribution Turn 2
With both mage hunters and one of the battle mage units down, my opponent was facing a tough position since most of my force was protected by the forest. He moved the other unit of battle mages forward and had them all use force blast on my Scythean, pulling him closer to them. Unfortunately he got too close, and they were blocking the Phoenix's charge lane. They tried pushing him back away, but he ended up out of LOS of the Myrmidon once again. The Iosian jack ended up running up behind the battle mages, hoping next turn it could tear into my beast. The other Phoenix charged one of the Striders, but missed even with a boosted attack. Rahn then tried to arc Chain Blast onto the Striders, and two of the Nyss fell to the blasts. The Stormfall Archers then ran up to protect their warcaster, and the Magister just moved forward.

Saeryn's mind lept over the battlefield, directing her beasts to hunt down flanking opponents while dancing in and out of the trees, always keeping the enemy at arms length. Little by little she was whittling them down, and soon the warcaster foolish enough to challenge her would be at her mercy.

Everblight Turn 3
The Shredder who had run off the Blightbringer the Mage Hunter Assassins was out of control range, so it went rabid and devoured one of the Battle Mages on the left. Another Shredder moved up and ate two more of them, clearing a path for the Scythean to charge in and seriously wound the jack, unfortunately not taking out any systems. On the bright side, Bloodbath did trigger, and enough mages fell that they unit need to take a command check, which they failed. The last Shredder tried to finish off the Myrmidon, but also did little damage. To keep my expensive beast safe, Saeryn then cast Respawn on it before falling back. The Striders then moved forward past the other Phoenix, the engaged one falling to a free strike. The rest managed to bring down the remaining battle mage from the almost-destroyed group, the Magister, and two Stormfall Archers, forcing the other two to take a command check, which they failed. The Blackfrost Shard then moved up and placed two Ice Cages and Kiss of Lylyss on the Phoenix, allowing the Carnivean to charge and destroy it.

Retribution Turn 3
My opponent's situation had gotten desperate - all he had left was Rahn, a half health jack, and two units in retreat. Both units managed to rally, and my opponent formed a desperate plan. He placed two focus on the remaining Phoenix, then Telekinesis'd it 3 times to get it closer to Saeryn. It then charged my Warlock, but unfortunately missed its sword attack even on 3 dice. Ironically, it managed to hit with its fist without the boost, but I used my last fury to transfer the damage to on of my Shredders.

Everblight Turn 4
With most of my army intact, I tore apart his last Phoenix and finished off the archers and mages before running the Shredders into combat with Rahn to keep him from escaping. Out of options, my opponent conceded.

Adeptis Rahn triggered the force barrier traps behind him as he ran, keeping the dragonspawn from pursuing. Though he had hoped the contingency would not be necessary, it had once again saved his life. As he retreated toward the hidden Retribution fortress, he envisioned the battle in his mind, focusing on the motions the blighted warlock had made. Perhaps she had taught him more than expected...

Aftermath
This match was pretty much a blowout. By the end, I had lost 3 Striders and a Spell Martyr, compared to his entire army. Though he had an assassination attempt, I had the fury to transfer the boosted sword strike, so I wasn't terribly concerned. Once again, my strategy revolved around using a forest to shield my army while being able to strike at his. Its been a really effective strategy for me so far, though I'm concerned some opponent will catch on and force me to fight away from terrain. A Ravagore could help there, since it'll give me the range to chip away at them while hiding in the forest. On the bright side, I don't need to worry about it until after this league, since as long as Everblight holds Kovosk Hills, I can place a second forest on the other side of the board so I have protection no matter where the battle takes place.

Battle Report: Saeryn vs. Epic Madrak

I'm out of town for the next week, so I thought I'd help tide you guys over with a new battle report! This is against a troll player I haven't faced yet, and should be an interesting challenge - I still don't have much experience against Hordes. I decided to take one of my 7 fury warlocks, and since my Shredders hadn't been fully stripped down yet, I ended up using Saeryn:

Saeryn, Omen of Everblight
* Carnivean
* Scythean
* Shredder
* Shredder
Blackfrost Shard
Blighted Nyss Striders
* Blighted Nyss Striders Officer & Musician
2 Spell Martyrs

It's been a while since I've played this list, but in the past it hasn't let me down. My opponent brought Epic Madrak:

Madrak Ironhide, World Ender
* Mulg the Ancient
* Troll Impaler
Full Trollkin Fennblades
* Trollkin Fennblade Officer & Drummer
Min Trollkin Long Riders
Fell Caller Hero
Janissa Stonetide

Light on beasts, but heavy on power. The Fennblades will be a tarpit that can get pretty dangerous on mini-feat turn, and Mulg can easily take down either of my heavies. At least Janissa isn't as dangerous, thanks to the Scythean's reach and hunter on the Striders. He won the roll for deployment and opted to go first.

Terrain

Deployment
Trolls put everything in the middle, with Madrak and his beasts in the center, the Long Riders on the left, and the Fennblades on the right. Janissa deploys next to Madrak, and the Fell Caller hangs with the Fennblades.

I decide to deploy in the far left corner, for two reasons. First, it means I can run up behind the forest. If I can force the battle to be fought in the terrain, I'll have a huge advantage. Second, his Fennblades will have to run across the board to get to me, either slowing down the rest of his force or coming at me piecemeal. With that in mind, I put my Carnivean and Scythean on the far left, with the Shredders to their right and Saeryn and the Spell Martyrs behind them. The Blackfrost Shard deploys closer to the middle, behind the obstacle, hoping to come in late and flank once the battle is centered on the forest. The Striders advance deploy as far forward towards the forest as possible, hoping they can use it to take shots at anything that came near.

Madrak gazed out into the distance, towards the foe he could sense but not yet see. Calandra's prediction had been accurate so far, but he would rather have avoided this conflict if at all possible. Still, Doomshaper had been insistent that they hunt down this blighted witch, even sending Mulg the Ancient to assist. With a heavy sigh, Madrak shouldered Rathrok. Battle would be joined soon.

Trolls Turn 1
The Long Riders run towards the wall in front of them, while Madrak, his beasts, and Janissa follow suit after the Warlock puts up Warpath. The Fell Caller and Fennblades run down towards the hill, as they are unable to get cover without being blocked by the rest of the army next turn.

Legion Turn 1
The Striders run into the forest, hoping that anything that he'll continue to advance closer and I can take a few shots. The beasts and Spell Martyrs also run forward, still about a turn outside the forest, and Saeryn moves up and puts Respawn on the Carnivean before giving several models Tenacity so can leech all the fury next turn. The Blackfrost Shard advances up and gets Stealth, both trying to stay out of the fight and keep away from the Impaler.

In spite of the thundering steps in the distance, Saeryn urged her forces towards the safety of the trees. Whatever Warlock she had been sensing, he had clearly come to fight, and she would rather do so from relative safety.

Trolls Turn 2
The Fennblades and Fell Caller run left, forming up on the far edge of the wall, while the Long Riders move forward a bit, unable to get at the Striders because the lack line of sight. Madrak and the beasts are close behind, followed by Janissa who puts up a wall in front of the Buffalo riders. He's trying to reposition his forces so he can hit me with everything at once, though thankfully he's just a little too close...

Legion Turn 2
I make a Shredder go Rabid and run, getting close to 4 Fennblades, a Long Rider, and Madrak. A Spell Martyr runs in behind, and Saeryn arc Blightbringer onto the lesser warbeast. I boost the damage on the Long Rider, killing him, and while one of the Fennblades makes his tough check, Madrak's Grim Salvation takes him down anyway. The Striders then advance up, 4 of them nearly killing another Long Rider who succeeds at his tough roll. The others then shoot at several more Fennblades, taking out another 2 before the blighted elves reform back into the forest, out of line of sight. Saeryn and the beasts, advance up behind the forest, trying to move towards the edge of the board to avoid the Fennblades. The Blackfrost Shard is unfortunately too close to escape, but a few Ice Bolts kill enough Fennblades to force a command check, though they pass.

The little beast seemed to come out of nowhere - one moment his forces were advancing on the enemy, the next, the unnatural creature comes sprinting at them, a cloud of acid erupting from its body. One of his Fennblades stepped in front of Madrak to keep him safe, but he and his comrades were all consumed by the toxins. Ironhide did not have time to grieve for the lives his axe had taken. A flurry of arrows erupted out of the woods, cutting down even more of his forces. Gritting his teeth, Madrak let out a bloodcurling roar, pushing his forces forward to take vengeance for their fallen comrades.

Trolls Turn 3
Though he's taken some damage, there are still plenty of trolls for me to deal with. First the Fennblades use their mini-feat and getting War Cry from the Fell Caller to charge the Blackfrost Shard, taking down Rhylyss (the one who can increase damage) and reducing the leader, Sevryn, to one health. The Fell Caller then charged the Shredder, killing it but taking damage from Blightbringer. The Long Riders also charged, the wounded one going after a Strider but missing, while the leader ran into the forest, engaging 3 Striders. The beasts advanced again, staying behind a wall put up by Janissa, and Madrak then stayed back and used his feat, granting each model an attack against everyone in their melee range. The Fennblades cut down the Blackfrost Shard, and the Long Rider in the forest killing 2 of the 4 Striders he could reach, while his injured companion managed to kill the Strider he was fighting.

Legion Turn 3
All in all, his feat turn wasn't that bad - his army has taken a beating and I still have both my heavy Warbeasts. The Scythean moves up and puts up his animus to kill the Long Rider in the forest, freeing up the Striders who move right and kill all but one of the Fennblades. I debate using Saeryn to take down the last Fennblade and Long Rider, and decide that I can still block line of sight to Mulg and pull it off. For good measure, I also drop Respawn so I have the extra fury, and manage to kill the last of both units with 3 fury to spare. The last Shredder then goes Rabid and walks up to the Fell Caller, and gobbles the troll up, and the Carnivean moves around to keep things out of base contact with Saeryn. At this point, I'm feeling pretty good - my opponent is down to Madrak, Mulg, the Impaler, and Janissa, while I still have my Carnivean and Scythean, as well as half my Striders and a Shredder.

A cold smile crossed the Omen's face as her Deathspurs killed two more trolls. Her opponent had underestimated her, and was paying with the lives of his soldiers. Now all that remained was to finish off his mighty beast...

Trolls Turn 4
It's do or die time for my opponent, but he's got a plan. First, the Impaler throws a pair of spears at the Shredder, seriously injuring the beast, but not killing it. Madrak then does the same with Rathok, killing it. Foolishly I don't reave the fury, and Warpath triggers to move Mulg so he can see Saeryn. I had forgotten that he'd been upkeeping that spell this whole time, and now it may cost the game! Mulg charges Saeryn, but thankfully he has to boost to hit in order to get me. After a flurry of attacks, I'm down to 1 health and no fury! Janissa then moves up and tries to cast Rock Hammer on the Carnivean. It hits, and he needs an 8 or better to finish me off. He rolls...






...and gets a 9!


Saeryn awoke with a start, finding herself in the Carnivean's arms as they ran. Her memory was a blur - the last this she could remember was killing Trolls...and then that huge one came out of nowhere and pummelled her with its club! She shook herself and tried to look around to regain her bearings, but a sharp pain fired up her spine when she tried. Eventually they stopped, and she was able to determine that while she had been badly hurt, most of her force was intact. As the Striders began to make camp, Everblight's Omen used her own pooling blood to read the world's flow. Somehow the Trolls had known where to ambush her. Next time, they would not be so fortunate.

Aftermath
I felt really dumb after that match. I was doing really well, and hadn't even used my feat, but put my caster too far out - something I often chastise other players for doing. To his credit, my opponent played a great game. He didn't simply walk his forces into melee range and allow me the first strike, instead hanging just out of combat range most of the game. This made it much harder for me to use my feat, since there weren't obvious openings when it would be effective. Then again, I have lost many more games because I didn't feat than I have when I feated too early. In the future, I think I'll be more liberal with its use, and see if that helps!

Month of Madness Update

Hey guys, been a while since I've gotten a chance to post. Figured I'd give you an update on how my month of Madness project is going. Right now I'm almost done stripping all the minis I want to repaint - just 1 more Shredder left, and I'll probably finish him later today. Next up, gotta fix the Scythean's arms. I ran into the problem with pinning that apparently, the pin drill will heat up the glue still stuck there and melt it, wrecking the pinning drill. Since that won't work, I'm going to try a different approach, actually recommended by a reader, Somnicide - I'm going to try to use green stuff to attach the arms while the glue dries. I've been meaning to try green stuff for a while, especially since one of the members of the Blackfrost Shard has a huge gap I need to fill. I'll throw up some pictures once I'm finished!