ATC Game 4: TyranKnights vs Astra Militarum

Sorry for the delay! I've had a vacation followed by a family situation, and I haven't had computer access in a few days (no way I'm typing this on a phone!) Enough of that, here comes game 4. At this point I have won two of my games, but my team is still stuck mostly in the middle of the pack. This round, we are paired up against Gateway Gamers. The first list put down is Guard, and I happily match myself up against it! In my experience I do very well against the Astra Militarum so I was confident going into the game. 

This game was Vanguard Strike deployment. 

Michael's Astra Militarum/Inquisition List: 

Company Command Squad, 2 Meltas, Astropath

Tanks Commander Pask (HBolters) with Leman Russ (HBolters)

Psyker

Enginseer

Platoon Command with Missile

Platoon Infantry, Flamer

Platoon Infantry, Flamer

Veterans, 2 meltas, in Chimera

Veterans, 2 Meltas, in Chimera

2 Wyverns

2 Wyverns

2 Basalisks

Aegis Line with Quad gun

Coteaz

Jifel's TyranKnights

Flying Hive Tyrant, Devourers, ElectroGrubs

Flying Hive Tyrant, Devourers, ElectroGrubs

Venomthrope

Zoanthrope

25 gants

3 Rippers, Deep Strike

3 Rippers, Deep Strike

3 Rippers, Deep Strike

3 Shrikes, Barbed Strangler, Rending Claws

Hive Crone

Hive Crone

3 Biovores

Imperial Bastion, 3 Barricades, Void Shield

Imperial Knight Errant

Psychic Powers:

Flyrant 1: Catalyst, Paroxysm

Flyrant 2: Onslaught, Psychic Scream

Zoanthrope: Catalyst

Warlord trait: I got stealth Ruins. Me gusta!

Pre-game thoughts: Even before the game starts, this is a very very hard matchup for my opponent. He has a ton of Blast weapons, but very little that can deal with my Flyers... his list is geared towards anti infantry but we had no infantry heavy lists on our team. No unique strategy in this one, I'll just protect my flyers for one turn and then start blowing apart his transports!

Deployment Tyranids:
I use my standard template deployment, with all my FMCs behind a piece of terrain for a 2++ cover save. My Knight is right in the corner of my DZ so he has the shortest route possible to get to my opponent! 

Deployment Astra Militarum: 

Most of my opponents artillery is castled behind the Aegis with a blob in front, while the Russ and Chimera are outside of the Defense Line. 

Turn 1 Astra Militarum:

I allow my opponent to go first, and he moves a little and opens fire. He puts two wounds on one of my Flyrants, but ultimately doesn't achieve First Blood. He also puts two Hull Points on the Knight. 

Turn 1 TyranKnights:

I advance all four flyers, going after the Chimers on my right. Devoruers and Haywire are sufficient to kill one, and put a Hull Point on a second model. This gives me First Blood. There is also a hullpoint on a Wyvern from my Knight. 

Kill Point Counter: Guard: 0 Tyranids: 1 

Turn 2 Astra Militarum:
His lone reserves, a Chimera with CCS, comes in. His firepowere is mostly neutered by snap shots, and he kills a few gants with Wyverns. My Warlord takes a wound but is ungrounded, and my Knight loses a third Hull point.

Turn 2 TyranKnights:
Both Hive Tyrants catch the two Russ in a crossfire, taking off hullpoints with Electroshock Grubs and finishing both off for Warlord with rear armor shots. The Crones use their Missiles to take out a Chimera, and my Knight and Biovores pummel the Guardsmen behind the wall. The Knight actually kills the Enginseer with lucky dice and a good scatter! My Rippers all came in and hid out of range of the Wyverns.

Kill point Counter: Guard: 0 Tyranids: 4

Turn 3 Astra Militarum:
 My opponent is swiftly running out of non blast weapons, and has no real effect on me. I do make a mistake and allows his Wyverns to shoot and murder my 3 Shrikes.

Kill Point Counter: Guard: 1 Tyranids: 4

Turn 3 TyranKnights:
 My flyers continue their rampage. One lands behind a Wyvern and kills both. The other takes out a Chimera, the last one. The Knight continues to advance and explodes one Basalisk. Biovores hit the Infantry platoon again and finish it off.

Kill Point Counter: Guard: 1 Tyranids: 7

Turn 4 Astra Militarum: 
Even less shooting accomplishes little other than forcing my Warlord to jink. His Platoon Command Squad backs away from the Knight.

Turn 4 TyranKnights:
 My Knight blows up the last two Wyverns. One Flyrant and the Crone flame and kill the Company Command squad, forcing a Vet squad to fall back off the table as well.


Kill Point Counter: Guard: 1 Tyranids: 10

Turn 5 Astra Militarum: My opponent finally kills my Warlord with Coteaz on a quadgun!

Kill Point Counter: Guard 2 Tyranids: 10

Turn 5 TyranKnights: My Knight and Biovores kill the Command squad, including Astropath and Coteaz. Other Flyers buzz around and he has 3 Veterans left, who go to ground. I also stun his Basalisk.

Kill Point Counter: Guard: 2 Tyranids: 13

At this point, we decide to end the game. My opponent is down to 4 models and would have been tabled in the next turn.

Final score: I won Purge the Alien 13-2, I won Crusade 3-0, and I win Emperor's Will 1-0. I also claim First Blood, Slay the Warlord and Linebreaker with some Rippers, while my opponent slew my Warlord.

Crushing Tyranid Victory 30-2!

There really isn't much to say about this game. He brought a template heavy list, and I countered with a Flyer heavy list. Nothing against my opponent, he was a very friendly guy, but this game was purely determined by lists. He played as well as he could have with this matchup, but there was nothing different he could have done. Our team won this round 90-68, a solid round and a good victory. Up next is team Skull n Bonez, another Florida club!