My UK nationals games 2017.

Last weekend was UK nationals at Stockport (just out side Manchester).

The powerfist team were there in force. We are based around 2 hours (+traffic...) away so we were 8 strong.   We all give pretty well I think, I managed to win 4 of my 7 games finishing 37/109 well with in the top half which was my goal. I had a very bad start to the event, but it was a great event over all.  Plenty of room for improvement.

www.tiebreak.co.uk/wmh-uk-nationals-2017/stats

I played the following lists

conflictchamber.com/#ca201b_-0taIaQbvcOaOeKbecocob9brbjblhW___-0ug-g_bfeKbubbbbfUbacocoaYa_b0b2___-0lbmctepaNfxfxcocobdbdaYbibieLb3b4

[Theme] Oracles of Annihilation
(Saeryn 1) Saeryn, Omen of Everblight [+28]
- Carnivean [19]
- Naga Nightlurker [8]
- Nephilim Bloodseer [8]
- Seraph [14]
- Zuriel [18]
Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion [0(6)]
Spell Martyr [1]
Spell Martyr [1]
The Forsaken [0(4)]
Blackfrost Shard [9]
Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters (min) [9]
- Bayal, Hound of Everblight [0(6)]
Throne of Everblight [16]

[Theme] Children of the Dragon
(Kallus 2) Kallus, Devastation of Everblight [+28]
- Azrael [21]
- Nephilim Bolt Thrower [11]
- Zuriel [18]
- Succubus [4]
Blighted Nyss Shepherd [1]
Blighted Nyss Shepherd [1]
Blighted Nyss Warlord [5]
Incubus (5) [0(6)]
Spell Martyr [1]
Spell Martyr [1]
Blighted Nyss Raptors (max) [18]
Blighted Nyss Swordsmen (max) [15]
- Blighted Nyss Swordsman Abbot & Champion [0(6)]
Spawning Vessel (max) [7]

[Theme] Ravens of War
(Bethayne 1) Bethayne, Voice of Everblight [+20]
- Afflictor [6]
- Blight Wasps [8]
- Teraph [10]
Grotesque Assassin [0(4)]
Grotesque Assassin [0(4)]
Spell Martyr [1]
Spell Martyr [1]
Strider Deathstalker [0(4)]
Strider Deathstalker [4]
Blighted Nyss Raptors (max) [18]
Grotesque Raiders (max) [12]
Grotesque Raiders (max) [12]
Strider Blightblades [10]
Strider Scouts [9]
- Strider Scout Officer & Musician [4]




He’s how it went as I remember it today.

Round 1: Strakov 1 vs Beth = Total mistake game by me. Outlast 2.
- In sleepy mode, I picked the right list. I had my AD removed from me, and my opponent had his AD removed from him. I was desperate to get back up the table to make up for loosing my AD (I still don’t know why). Then I went second. Without my AD, and going second I was very sad! I thought Despoiler did power 10 or 12 damage, so would probably kill the eliminators I thought I might be in range of, I thought I was out of Strakov feat range. And I put Beth within 20” (quite comfortably) of a Khador jack. So top of 2 he feated and I died. Well played to Andrew – he did everything right, and I’m sorry to give him such a poor game – but he got an easy win to start the event with at least. My opponent got 10 VP for the caster kill. Nothing else scored.



Strakov had about 8 jacks, some eliminators and man hunters and could have been a really fun game. Andrew was great about it.






Round 2: Coven vs Saeryn – Breakdown.
- Hugh had a really pretty army and played it well. He wasn’t in theme, which meant he could mix Deathjack, Strixis raiders and some other neat stuff into the list. He hasn’t gone out and bought enough stuff to play any of the Cryx themes, so felt disadvantaged. I could see why. Turn one I put banishing ward on the Hex Hunters, then turn 2 I moved it to Saeryn where it lived for ever. Still he put up a good fight to the bitter end, killing 77 points of me killing 92 of his. The Throne killed a bunch of I think banes, Zuriel and the Black frost shard killed a lot of Breath stealered raiders. Under feat, Deathjack and Errabus manged to kill my Carnivian, who did a lot of retailory strike damage to Deathjack, and spinygrowth damage to both of them. (11 I think) retailory strike was good. This let the Throne kill Errabus the next turn, and take out Deathjacks cortex. Deathjack managed to kill zuriel, then Deathjack died to the Blackfrost shard. The Throne of everblight was unhurtable by what he had left, and I’d killed all the arcnodes. He was trying to get the blind effect on the throne so it couldn’t kill erragore – tried 3 times, but didn’t crit once. Throne pumbled on the pot, one witch died. I scored enough points to win the game. Hugh was a bit dishearted by everyone else getting free points, but not wanting to spend the time and money to get stuff to theme level. I have some sympathy towards that. CP 7-2. VP 92-77.




Round 3: Darius vs Saeryn The Pit 2
- Dave choose Darius is very cool. I’ve played this match up a few times against one of our club member. He can cast full Throttle which lets his jacks charge for free, which is annoying. His battle group was something like Double Centrion, Hammer Smith x Ironclad, and a Cyclone., and a Chargers on Junior and Jakes. He was in Heavy metal and I think had some mechics too. I went first I think, and ran everything. He ran everything. I shadowbound part of his battle group on the left and moved a carnivian to be able to walk over to the shadow bound centurion next turn. I put down blight bust on about 3 jacks, but only shadowbound the front one, so they could charge around and do stuff. Was shaping up to be tough game – though I think the matchup would be good. I could keep doing some shadowbinding stuff because Bayl had some good terrain to hide behind, and I had wraithbane from my naga – so I could feat and kill a bunch of stuff next turn, being in a good position the turn afterwards and score some scenario points, I think it was a ok matchup for both of us really, but Darius then walked within 13” of Zuriel, and 12 of the throne – hiding in a trench. I landed 2 icecages, a Kiss, a flare, 2 Hellfires and he died before I got to charge. Game was over top of turn 3. Dave got 2 CP, I got none. Dave got 1 VP I got 10 from the caster kill.


Round 4: Scaverous vs Saeryn – Standoff
- Very rarely do I play 4 round events. (Props to the Wargamestore on the Wirrel which is where I do get to play 4 rounds) and boy are they tiring for me. I completely blanked this game from my mind for hours but having stat and thought about it its coming back to me.
- Scaverious in Dark Host, with one of each type of bane unit, is what I remember so far. A battle engine hiding at the back. I had a perfect assignation plan, where I could slipstream Zuriel and get a line to charge, and I could slip stream my Carnivian and get a line to charge both at the caster. I had to kill a lot of banes that were in the way but that was OK, the Bloodseer, Seraph and Naga could do that. I forgot to Slipstream Zuriel with my caster so he couldn’t’ do anything good. I could have just ran him and Arced -2 Def and some damage on to the caster. Anyway – the buffed Carnivian did a little bit of damage to Scaverious. If I’d got lucky might have killed him – but would have been really lucky. I think either the Def Debuff from breathstealer or charging him with Zuriel (remembering the slipsteam) would have finished him off. Zuriel did something else instead. I think kill a few banes or a Jank may be? Anyway the next turn zuriel dies to his character jack, respawns and dies again to scaverous himself. A few banes and the Wraith Engine finish off the carnivian. I think the Throne must die too (Bane riders may be?) The next turn I have BFS, Icecage, and Kiss the caster, and my Seraph shoot him – roll one shot and hit, roll 5,5,6 for the damage and leave him on I think 8 boxes. My clock runs out. I definitely had a very good chance the turn before – and I messed it up. Good defensive play from my opponent too. Having banishing ward on my caster made me feel good in this matchup. Many banes were killed.

Round 5: Akios vs Saeryn - Spread the Net
3rd Time I get Cryx this weekend. James had ghost fleet without Denny but chose not to drop it. I again drop Saeryn. I work out if I had a Naga in my Bethayne list I could drop that into Cryx pretty happily but I can’t drop K2 into it – and I’m starting to be worried about being list locked. Again it was Darkhost with one of each, and this time I knew a bit more about killing things that would stop me shooting and spelling stuff to death. (learning as we go along…) anyway I removed so many banes. This scenario was really bad for James, I could spread out using a Helion to score my flag, and to contest he had to run his little light assassin jack to contest, and I killed it with Zuriel easily enough. I got to then use my Hellion to spray a bunch of banes dead, and shoot some with naga’s and Serpahs. I got to shadowbind the wraith engine that was a bit too far forwards, which meant I could get my carnivian onto it the following turn. My Throne pushed towards may other banes and killed a few. I feated, and his bane riders/banes couldn’t kill it. He kept his cool character jack back rather than try and kill the throne -but I don’t know if he could have finished it off. At this point I was still scoring my flag, and had scored my zone the previous turn too – so went something like 3-0 on his turn, so in my turn just needed to kill a bane and 2 bane riders with the throne to score to 5-0 or 6-1 or something like. This senerio is very quick, and hard to meaningfully contest both the zone and the flag. The Akios list – does have a very long threat range, 13” walking from the character jack, and pulls from Akios himself. Was fun. If I hadn’t been murdered vs Strakov in round one I might not have been so cautious and he might have got me.


Round 6: Kallus 2 vs Lyth3 – Recon 2
-I got to face Cole with the mirror faction. I think he had Fyanna, Abby2 and Lylth 3. I saw my chance to get unlist locked, with Kallus – who makes his control area immune to fire and I took it. When he dropped L3, I thought OK, I can do this. I managed to drop Inclubi in annoying places and if his angels engaged in melee with my swordsmen – place them so Zuriel could charge in and kill them. I didn’t’ feel the need to Overrun or Battle lust – just wanted to stay safe and score points – Lylth couldn’t const the one zone or my flag very well (I put Azuriel and raptors at the back of one zone, and the swordsmen and zuriel at the back of the other.). He sent an angelius to fight some swordsmen, and they soften it up in return and hurt badly another one that was far back. Zuriel has to come forward to finish it off. My bolt thrower and inclubi kill off 2 Hellions, and the swordsmen and incubi are all over the middle of the zone, with Zuriel still at the back – (with Lylth, 2 angels and a carnivian basically at the other end. Kallus is hanging out in a forest in the middle with the Pot, and Azuriil is the other side. My raptors are not quite within 4” of the flag, so he runs a sheherd to that flag to score 1, I think I scored 2 the previous turn. His Carnivian charges my Pot and objective I think killing both. Lylth feats Stationaries Zuriel, but it takes 2 Angelii to kill him. She kills a couple of Raptors, and other beasts stationary the rest of the Raptors. (The Carnivian assult spray did 2 of them I think) Kallus was missed and trapped in behind them. The swordsmen, bolthrowers, shredders and inclub I think finish off the Angels. Kallus can walk 7 into the Carniivan such that he can reposition back into the zone, which would leave room for Azurel to finish it, but some good dice mean Kallus kills it himself. Incubi and a Spell martr can’t hit the sheherd on the flag, so Azurel charges him. I think I the score is 3-2 at this point. The next turn I score to 7-2 or something like, where he can’t contest – though he tries I think he only has a Naga, a boltthrower left.




Round 7: Kallus2 vs Severus 1 – Recon 2
Dan from Scotland, I played in Welsh where I learned don’t’ drop spell spam into Menoth, was locked into this list.

Sev1
-2 Rocket pod Jacks (Redeemer?)
-2 Reconer heavy jacks
- Blessing of vengeance
1 Wrack (Which could deploy on to the flag!)
A unit of Max Errants + UA.
Rovan + Bros.
Choir

One of Sev1’s best spells does a power 10, then D3 Power 10 fire damage spells. Or he has Immolate which is a fire spell. The Reckoners are quite expensive when your opponent is immune to fire.
Anyway clock was again very tight, and I had 2 turns where I spent ages trying to do assignation runs that didn’t quite work. We both had about 2 mins left on our clock and we couldn’t agree about me not activating a beast, so I just didn’t. I rolled badly on some damage rolls and couldn’t remove his reckoner that was in the way of Zuriel and Severus. If I had a little more time, I could either have succeeded the run, or killed enough to make him unable to contest my zone/flag while contesting his and rapidily have won. But because of my short time I didn’t have the vision to see that. I think some more 2017 practice will help me see that. Dan played well into what was a touch match up, but eventually managed to pummel Kallus to death with reckoners. He nearly didn’t manage it – he shot him 3 times at rat4, and then charge in and hit him 4 times with the other one killing him on the last possible attack. Well played.


So overall I had 4 wins and 3 losses. I’m happy with that. Each of the losses was preventable. My round one was a total error on my part, and the other two looses were due to my choice to spend time trying to assassinate rather than win the game. I think I can improve that aspect of my play. All of them poor play by me, and solid play by my opponents.

Best thing – all 7 of my opponents were great to play against, it was a good day. I got 7 matchups which were very playable for me, and had a lot of fun. I was a bit scared of getting list locked at the end, but I think I shouldn't have been. Worked out ok for my opponent in the last round anyway.