Ok, so now that I've had some sleep, I can report back. Sadly these won't be detailed battle reports, as I didn't take notes/pictures, and am waaaay to tried to rely on memory. Tournament had around 14 or so people playing. I remember 2 Cryx, 3 Grymkin, 1 Menoth, 3 Troll, 1 Convergence, 1 Cygnar, 1 Minions, and I don't recall the rest. I don't think there was any Legion, Circle, Skorne, or Khador, which surprised me.
Game 1: vs Convergence
Scenario is the Pit II. Opponent is running Axis and Orion,both in Destruction Initiative, both with double TEPs. Figuring TEPs would slaughter my infantry-based Old Witch 3 list, I dropped Dreamer. Opponent took his Axis list, which I've tried to reproduce here.
Axis
Corollary
Cipher
Inverter x2
Galvanizer
TEP x2
Elimination Servitors x2
Reflex Servitors x3
Optifex Directive
I lost the roll for first (happened 3 of my 4 games). He runs up, gets his wall of servitors going. I run up. Turn 2 he gets a spray on a Skin, Rattler, and 2 Gremlin Swarms (Optifex giving magic weapons), but rolls poorly, only killing the swarms. In response, I manage to kill the TEP, and either bog down or kill the nearby Inverter. From this point it's a slog, with me winning the left-hand side, while my right-hand side crumbles as the Skin&Moans fails to kill the Inverter, and goes down to TEP and Cipher.
End of game, I have Dreamer, Skin&Moans, Rattler, and the large phantasm left all on the left of the board (Skin killed the objective), with Rose and my objective contesting the right zone, and a crabbit and medium phantasm in the center. Opponent had a Galvanizer on the left (pushed out of zone by phantasm), a TEP, Axis, Cipher and his directive in the right. I won on clock, with about 20 min left.Think the score was 1-0 for control points.
Result: WIN by time!
Game 2: vs Grymkin
Scenario is...Breakdown, I think. Didn't matter. Opponent (who I've played a lot, he is easily one of the best I know) has a Child list in DM, and Dreamer in Bump with hollowmen and Mad caps. I decide to be silly, take Old Witch. This was a mistake. He took Child.
His List:
I honestly don't remember. It had 5 crabbits, no Death Knell, and other than that was a run-of-the-mill Dark Menagerie. Some Cage Ragers, some Skin & Moans, a Ratter for flavor, a Gorehound, maybe so other stuff.
I honestly remember very little of this game. It was a slaughter. My hollowmen proved ineffective, and then died to a Rattler when I forgot about Tantrum. My Neigh Slayers failed to kill a Cage Rager (left it on about 6) even with Curse of Shadows, my other unit of Hollowmen + unit of Murder Crows charging a prey'd Skin & Moans left it on about 4. I played badly all around, then got killed by a Skin & Moans.
Turns out, this was his anti-Grymkin list, as he knew there'd be at least 2 other Grymkin players. And I played really badly this round. That said, I hit a new high on Cask Imps, having 13 on the board at one point (had to borrow one of his, as I only on 12).
Result: LOSS by assassination. I don't think either of us got control points.
Game 3: vs Grymkin
YES, another mirror match! Scenario was Spread the Net. He had a VERY similar Dreamer list, and a Heretic list using Hollowmen and Piggybacks. I took Dreamer, figuring I could punch through Piggybacks easier with beasts. He took the Dreamer as well, which was highly amusing.
His list:
Dreamer
Cage Rager x2
Skin&Moans x2
Gorehound
Rattler
Crabbit x3
Death Knell
Karianna Rose
min Dread Rots
Gremlin Swarms x4
This game, my opponent's inexperience showed. He apparently paid somebody to paint his army (they were absolutely amazing, btw) and just recently got the army back, so had only played 1 other game with Dreamer. I win the roll to go first. Deploy two Skin&Moans and a Rattler to my left, Death Knell, Dread Rots and Dreamer in center, and a Skin & Moans, Cage Rager and Rattler on my right, with support scattered about (my normal deployment). Opponent does similar, with a Skin & Moans and Cage Rager on each side, Rattler towards center/left (my vantage), Gorehound far left, Knell and Rots in center, support scattered (most important, Rose on left side). I took Sacrifice and Shadow, he took Sacrifice and Ill Omens (he never popped a single Arcana all game).
Turn 1, Mirage goes on a left Skin&Moans, and everything runs. Opponent turn 1, Mirage goes on Dread Rots, everything runs. Importantly, the right-hand Skin is within 13" of my Skin and Rattler.
Turn 2, upkeep Mirage (mistake). Right Cage Rager runs within 8" of enemy Skin & Moans. Dreamer arcs Abyssal Gate, succeeds and places the Skin&Moans 3" closer, in threat range. Unfortunately, due to keeping Mirage and needing a boost, I can't cast Manifest Destiny, so I opt instead to Enfeeble the Dread Rots. My right-hand Skin charges the now in-range Skin (POW17 vs ARM17, it's out of Death Knells bubble), fails to kill, having missed 3 attacks. It's close enough to dying I send in the Rattler to finish the job, and the Rattler fails. Rest of my turn is just positioning, with Dread Rots unable to charge due to a forest.
Opponent Turn 2, I get punished. The right-hand Skin&Moans manages to kill both my Skin&Moans and Rattler. Dread Rots kill 3 of my Dread Rots. Gorehound runs to contest my flag, Gremlin Swarms for both of use are all over the place grabbing/contesting flags. On the left, a Skin&Moans is place 11" from my mirage'd Skin & Moans, which I feel a little dirty about, as my opponent didn't think about Mirage despite there being a token, and specifically asked "you can't do that abyssal gate trick on this side cause you don't have a cage rager, right?" I used All Fall Down this turn to make sure I'll kill that stupid Skin&Moans that should have already died.
My turn 3, I kill the left hand Skin with my Cage Rager, the Mirage'd Skin&Moans kills the Skin&Moans that was 11" from it, and the other Skin&Moans kills the Gorehound on my flag. Rattler clears his Dread Rots.
Opponent Turn 3, Cage Rager on the right goes at my Cage Rager and Rattler, I pop Shadow to put a Cage Rager behind it and in position to kill both it and Death Knell. Right hand Cage Rager and Rattler go for my Skin&Moans, fail.
My turn 4: Screwed up, had the Mirage'd Skin & Moans (no longer Mirage'd) activate 2nd (after Dreamer used Manifest), fail to kill either Rattler or Cage Rager due to ARM bubble from Death Knell. So now the Shadow Cage Rager kills the Death Knell. Right hand Cage Rager + Shadow Cage Rager also kill the Cage Rager on that side. At this point, opponent concedes.
Conclusion: WIN by concession! Game ended with something like 4-2 control points in my favor.
Game 4: vs Cryx
Playing against someone from my meta I play vs all the time. He has a Gaspy3 Black Industries list with a ton of Slayers, and a Denny2 Black Industries list with lots of magic sprays and higher-quality (Nightmare, Deathjack) jacks. I take Dreamer, as I've tried Old Witch into this and that's just not gonna work, and he takes Gaspy.
His list:
Gaspy3 - Black Industries
Cankerworm
Inflictor
Seether
Slayer x6
Nightwretch x2
Aiakos1
Scavenger
Scenario is Standoff. I choose Sacrifice and Shadow as my arcana. Opponent goes first, places Aiakos, Cankerworm, Scavenger all on my left, the two arc nodes center right, and Seether center-left, and everything else in a giant line of death. I do my normal deployment (see above).
Opponent turn 1: Stuff runs.
My turn 1: I'm actually able to pull the same Abyssal Gate trick as last time, and this time get Manifest up too (as I don't use Mirage). So Cage Rager runs within 8" of a forward slayer (it's in a forest), Dreamer activates, manages to land an Abyssal Gate and damage without needing a boost, then casts Manifest Destiny. Skin&Moans now goes up and kills the Slayer. Rest of the stuff moves around a bit, with Rattlers and Gremlin Swarms trying to prevent landing spots for him to get at my Skin&Moans.
Opponent turn 2: My plan works! A slayer goes at my Cage Rager, but fails to kill, leaving it on 8 boxes. Aiakos kills a Glimmer Imp on the left, and his Scavenger kills the Rattler, opening a hole. Two slayers on the right kill my Rattler and do some work on the Skin&Moans, but not a ton. Slayer moves next to his Seether (which had Counter-Charged a Swarm last turn to get closer) to kill some Dread Rots, and I pop Shadow for a Cage Rager behind the Slayer and Seether (so Seether could either turn around and go at the Cage Rager, or take a free strike to go after the Skin&Moans Aiakos had opened up, I forgot it was +6 vs Free Strikes). Seether shrugs off the free strike, goes at the Skin&Moans, leaving it at 7. Last Slayer goes to bodyguard Gaspy, and Gaspy popped feat. End result - I lost 1 Swarm, 2 Rattlers, 2 Dread Rots, and have a badly hurt Skin&Moans and a badly hurt Cage Rager.
My turn 2: Dreamer backs out of Gaspy's feat range, uses 3 fury to get my hurt beasts back to full, and casts Manifest Destiny. Death Knell gives bodies to the Skin&Moans on the left, as it was going to try and take down both an Inflictor and Slayer, and needed all the help it could get. Cage Rager kills its Slayer. Left hand Skin&Moans kills the Inflictor, drops the slayer enough that the two Gremlin Swarms there could move behind it (into B2B with an arc node, to hopefully wreck its speed and stop it from getting into range of Dreamer) and finish off the slayer (I think one of the Swarms was actually able to sabatoge the arc node instead and managed to roll for 6 damage, taking out the node). The Shadow Cage Rager kills its Slayer. Full health Skin&Moans on left kills Seether, hurt Skin&Moans on left kills a Slayer. Dread Rots charge an arc node, only one hitting (maybe all missing?), but 3 managed to engage. Gremlin Swarm on left runs to contest the zone, stop Gaspy from scoring.
End result - killed 6 heavy jacks this turn. My damage rolls were insane (a LOT were something like 6/6/4, 6/6/3, 6/6/1, stuff like that).
Opponent turn 3: He's in a tough spot. Gaspy is sitting on about 24 focus (a lot of my beasts were able to get outside his feat range, to stop him gaining even more), but one arc node is engaged, the other is broken, and he's down to one Slayer, Aiakos, the Scavenger and Cankerworm free. I don't remember what the Slayer did, Gaspy killed the contesting Swarm and did...stuff?, and the Scavenger and Cankerworm went after my two left-hand Skin&Moans. Importantly, he did this in the wrong order, Cankerworm at the full-health Skin&Moans first, bringing it to one, then sending in the Scavenger, AND he didn't give the Scavenger Grievous Wounds. As such, the Scavenger killed the Skin&Moans that was on 8, and I popped Sacrifice, completely undoing all of Cankerworm's work and bringing my Cage Rager back to full.
My turn 3: Pull in all my fury, Cage Rager is left with 4, goes nuts, and kills Kariana Rose. Dreamer casts Manifest Destiny. Right hand Skin&Moans kills Cankerworm, still has two attacks left when my opponent concedes. I think we ended 1-1 or 2-1 on points.
Result: WIN by concession! So even though I know my damage dice were super-hot, and my opponent made some bad mistakes, I'm still really proud of this game, as I have been beating my head against Gaspy3 for a long time, and this was the first time I not only won, but get even close to winning.
Overall: I got 2nd place! My round 2 opponent got 1st, round 4 opponent got (I think) 4th. The third place was a Troll player I never faced, only thing I saw him running was Kolgrima.
I honestly don't remember. It had 5 crabbits, no Death Knell, and other than that was a run-of-the-mill Dark Menagerie. Some Cage Ragers, some Skin & Moans, a Ratter for flavor, a Gorehound, maybe so other stuff.
