Competitive 40k tactics and Battle Reports with the Tyranid Codex

Friday, October 26, 2012

Beaky Con game 5: IG/Space Wolves



Wow, it's been a while since the last one of these... Sorry about that. Real life has just been beating up on me, I haven't had the time to get these written. But, I'm hoping to get these busted out tonight and tomorrow!

*Disclaimer on Batreps! I played 6 games this weekend. It's entirely possible I forgot some details, but I'll do what I can to make it as accurate as possible. I may confuse if I blew up a chimera on turn 2 or 3, etc. If you were my opponent in any of these reports, please speak up and correct any errors I made. Also, opponents will be identified by first name only. If anyone would like even that removed, just let me know and it'll disappear.*

Warlord- walking tyrant, armored shell, 2x Devourers, Old adversary, one guard
Flying Hive Tyrant, 2xDevourers
2x3 Hive Guard
2x Zoanthropes
10 gants
19 gants
20 gants
Tervigon #1 with Toxin/Adrenal, 3 powers
Tervigon #2 with Toxin Adrenal, 3 powers
Tervigon #3 with Toxin Adrenal, 3 powers, and Crushing Claws
2x Biovores

Here comes game 5, and I'm 4-0 on the day, and also I believe the top player at this point. However, my next game comes up against Alan, who was last years undefeated BeakyCon champion, and is also 4-0 this year! I'm going to go ahead and say that in 6 games, he's the best player I faced over the weekend. His list I am unsure of, I seem to have misplaced my copy, but I know the generals

2 Space Wolf JAWWS priests in Termi armor
5 Grey Hunters in Pod
5 Long Fangs with 4 Missiles

IG Primaris Psycher
CCS with unknown weapons and a Lascannon
2 Big Blobs (one will be held in 40/50 guys with autocannons, the other in 4x10 with Autocannons.
Hydra
IG artillery piece, has strength 10 AP 2. I believe this is a Medusa.
2 Vendettas with Flamer PCS inside
Psycher Battle Squad
Aegis Line with Autocannons

(His Primaris can remove fearless, and can make a single model shoot at one of my units. Puppet Master and Dominate, I believe)

Warlord Traits: His I don't recall, mine was the Stealth Ruins (Quite useful. Definately my favorite Warlord Trait!)

My Psychic Powers:
Flyrant: Warp Speed, Smite
Tyrant: Iron Arm, Warp Speed
Zoanthrope 1: Iron Arm, Warp Speed
Zoanthrope 2: Enfeeble, Life Leech
Tervigon 1: Iron Arm, Enfeeble, Smite
Tervigon 2: Iron Arm, Warp Speed, Smite
Tervigon 3: Iron Arm, Enfeeble, Warp Speed

The Mission: Dawn of War, Table Quarters is primary (most VPs in quarter), secondary is KPs, tertiary is raw VPs.

For reference, The 4 table quarters will be, from my POV on my long edge
                                                                (his edge)
2 (top right)                                1                                2
1 (top left)                           
4 (bottom right)                          3                               4
3 (bottom left)                                         (my edge)

Terrain: Exlusively Ruins. Quarter 2 is mostly free, thats where the Aegis is. Big ruins in the left of 3, right of 4, and in the dead center, as well as a very tall one in between 1 and 2, and a large tall ruin in 1.

Deployment IG: Aegis in a wrap in corner 2, Both blobs and CCS behind it, as well as both tanks. That is definately his. Psychers behind building on line of 1 and 2, and the Long Fangs are on the third or fourth floor in quarter 1. Pod with both priests inside and Vendettas in reserve.

Deployment Tyranids: With Jaws incoming, I'm nervous. Last time I saw DPing Jaws I lost 800 points turn 1... (Helluva game there... ) So, Tervigons 1 and 3 are in reserve, and number 2 is on the second floor of a ruin, in the middle of my DZ. One Hive Guard and the Biovores are there with her. According to the TO, Jaws will affect the same floor level that the caster is on, my opponent agreed to this. Then, Hive Guard and Zoanthropes on the far right in a ruin. Next to it is the Dakkarant, and then 20 gants behind there. The next 10 and 19 are to the left between two buildings. The Flyrant is also far left. My plan is to hold 3 and 4, and then push into and at least contest table quarter 1, as it is far weaker. Only Long Fangs there, and only Psycher battle squad anywhere nearby.

Turn 1 IG/GK: Pod comesin quarter 4. He deploys one priest seperately, 6" away and up in the second floor of a building. (This was illegal. Vehicle rules are that you place in base, then move 6", so he wouldnt have had to move 5" and then 3" up to get there, not 6" straight. This was an honest mistake though,  I don't believe my opponent intended that. I'm not great with vehicles, and it's a very, very obscure difference. It also didnt affect much, and was actually better he did.) Both Jaws are outside of Shadow, he passes both and somehow misses both! Apparently it's a beam, and so rolls to hit. Woo! Other incoming fire kills a few things, and random wounds take the first two wounds off the Tyrant. I like my position at this point, as I'm ready to pounce on his Grey Hunters... However, my opponent remembers he has not yet shot the Aegis gun, and targets the Ground Tyrant. Two wounds, and I take them on the Tyrant. No big deal. I roll Snake eyes... Of course. This is how it's gonna go...

Turn 1 Nids: Tervigons alive! Ah ha! I Spawn away, but double. Them and a bunch of gants run up and assault the single priest and Hunters. Hive guard combo fire and take out the lone priest, after putting 8 wounds on him. Flying Hive Tyrant rolls Warp Speed (stupid. I did it to autopass Jaws by boosting I above 6, but a 6 fails aanyway, all the time...) I perils. Every other power gets Wolf-Talismanned away. Every... one... Urg. The Hunters lose one model in assault, I lose a bunch of gants. the Flyrant kills three models in the LF squad (2 missiles) , they fail and fall back, down one level. Other than that I advance. Biovores kill a few Guardsmen.

Turn 2 IG: He gets a Vendetta in. Flyrant gets hit, various shooting drops him to 1 wound. He does fail his first grounding check, as seems a tradition... Shooting mostly focuses on my far right. I lose a few Hive Guard and a Zoey, as well as a few gants. In CC he kills some more gants, they get Dominated and fall back, and are swept.

Turn 2 Nids: Reserves! I roll, ready to swing the tide to me... I roll a 1 and a 2. Crap in a hat... I try to hide my last Zoey. My gant wave on the left advances, I'm about to enter his DZ and quarter 1. Flyant advances and tries to shoot his Vendetta. I only get two glances... Hive Guard whiff horribly trying to hit the Vendetta. Nothing there... I try to shoot at the Grey Hunter squad, he's hot on saves, none die. Again, 0 powers go off.... Not good!

Turn 3 IG: Both Vendettas are now in and zooming across from quarter 1 to 4. Shooting. The freed Priest zaps my last Tervi on the board, he dies. Had a bit of a dispute on who denies the witch. He hit one gant first, so that's the unit to deny, they fail (There was an FAQ I was unaware of for multiple effected units). The Tervis demise kills a bunch of gants nearby. Shooting kills two Hive Guard and the Zoey on my right. Hive Guard is out of synapse and falls back. Finally, the Hydra and other shooting downs and murders my Flyrant... I have no Synapse on the board...

Turn 3: Reserves... 2 and a 2... :'( I now have to take an entire turn with no synapse... Jesus. I then fail every single Instinctive behavior test... Wow. Just... wow. My army has no movement phase, I'm stuck a few inches from his DZ! Shooting is nearly worthless. However, my one high point is when I try to shoot a few random gants at his Hunters. He points out that technically, his Vendettas closer. I hit it rear armor, and bring it down! (it had one HP remaining) One guy inside lives, sadly, but hilarious!

Turn 4 IG: Psycic Battle Squad is now wholely in quarter 1. His Primaris Puppet Masters my Hive Guard, and says "Ok, shooting one guy at the Bugs." I then reply "Who, the Biovores?" He forgot about them! So he says "Actually, yeah I'll shoot them!" Thats me being a dumbass... HUGE mistake there. No wounds are caused, but I forget my Warlord trait, and go to ground. Didn't need it at all. This comes back to bite. Shooting whipes the lone Hve Guard, he drops the PCS out the Vendetta and flames and kills some gants. At his end turn, he has  LFs and the Psychers in 1, a crap ton in 2, and in 4 he has a few Hunters and some Guardsmen.

Turn 4 Nids: Instinctive Behavior is before reserves. I fail every one except the Hive Guard. My Tervis both come in, I now out point him in quarter 4. I kill all the IG guys still on the ground in that quarter. I then make a desperation move to clear him out of Quarter 1. Hive Guard are going to shoot te two long fangs, both must die, or 1 and then the other falls back, then the Biovores have  LoS to the Psychers, who re all bunched up with 0 cover... I shoot, then relaise I've gone to ground. Nothing. I only have one unit in range of two targets... I can't kill them.

Game ends at turn 4. Victory: IG Table Quarters, tied, 2-2, Secondary I lose on KPs.

Summary: This game was very, very frustrating. My opponent was a great guy and general, but I feel I shouldve won.If even a single Tervigon makes a reserve roll, from turns 2 or 3, I win. Synapse means I advance gants into his quarter, and easily outpoint him. As it was, I had way too many point sitting motionless 3" away from his lines. The early loss of the Tyrant hurt me early, I wouldve wrecked the Grey Hunters with him if he'd lived and then the surviving Tervi would have moved my troops across that line... Just very disappointing. I knew I wouldn't damage him much, but I really should have won I feel. Bone headed Biovores mistake, both in telling him and then going to ground by forgeting I had +1 already, really hurt me there, that cost me my last chance to pull it out... My opponent did exactly the right thing though, for what I did. He was, again, the best general I played that day. I now sit at 4-1 and I'm in fifth place.

3 comments:

  1. Funny as this is from the Space Wolves FAQ.

    Q: Is the Jaws of the World Wolf psychic power a beam?(p37)
    A: No.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Double drop Jaws is a nightmare of a tervigon-addicted tyranid player)
    Nevertheless, you managed to tie on primary regardless bad reserve rolls.

    ReplyDelete