X2 List for Steamroller (need help)

Is there a reason you are taking X2 over Zaadesh2 for your imperial warhost? I have swept the last two steamrollers using my Zaadesh2 list, if your open to the possibility I am happy to share the list and how I played it.

Personally i run the 7 drake, 3 krea, 2 animantarax version with X2 in warhost.

you run the drakes and kreas as hot as you like and feat turn is absolutely devastating. the opponents frontline will just be... gone. 

Kreas get to threaten to blast at casters (16" threat), get to paralyse living heavies, and will easily trade 1 for 1 with enemy heavies if you can get Flank to go off. To say nothing of flank + ignite + feat (with enrage thats PS16wm, basically 3 mini molik karns).

the derps are clean up crew that never frenzy. they still love the feat, they're super fast and effective. 

The list doesn't need rush because drakes have pathfinder for 1 on their animus and derps have it innate. slowest (non paingiver) model in the list is Xerxis at SPD7.

downsides are its very much an alpha strike list and it also requires borrowing your friends models since most people will own a drake or two but not seven.

As for a heavy titan brick... i'm not as interested because i don't feel like it leverages  his strengths as well. Xerxis is very high octane. i like the idea of multiple archidons for example because his feat is one of the more reliable ways of generating crit pitches all over the place and they're SPD9 flight with him (lol). 

It seems to me that the scenario presence of that list could be massively improved by reducing one of the units to min and adding a Feralgeist.

Do you find that the non-Soldier beasts are usually okay into shooting without a Krea?

Generally outside of Sloan and Ghost fleet the clouds prevent the shooting list from doing enough to allow the beast handlers to mitigate the damage done. The two shield guards in the list help to distribute the damage pretty well. 

Got two games in last night. I'm back to my X2 list seeing what impact the CID might have..

[Xerxis 2] Xerxis, Fury of Halaak [+28]
- Agonizer [0(6)]
- Agonizer [0(6)]
- Basilisk Drake [8]
- Basilisk Drake [8]
- Basilisk Krea [0(7)]
- Bronzeback Titan [17] (CID)
- Cyclops Shaman [8]
- Cyclops Shaman [8]
- Rhinodon [12]
- Titan Cannoneer [16] (CID)
- Titan Gladiator [15]
Swamp Gobber Chef [1]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]

My opponent was rocking

[Kraye 1] Captain Jeremiah Kraye [+28]
- Centurion [17]
- Centurion [17]
- Hunter [10]
- Hunter [10]
- Minuteman [9]
- Sentinel [8]
- Sentinel [8]
- Squire [0(5)]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0(4)]
Long Gunner Infantry (min) [10]
Sword Knights (max) [13]

Scenario was Recon II I won the roll and took first turn. I was saddled with some annoying rough ground mid table and a wood center table.

Setup: I Setup BB and Canonner to the left and Gladiator and Rhino to the right. X2 up the middle with his group of drakes, shaman and krea.
My opponent setup with his hunters facing of against the BB long gunners on the other flank. Everything else was central.

My Turn 1: I run up reasonably cautiously making sure I had everything under Force Aura from the shaman with my Krea hiding in the back field. X2 gives the BB rapport and puts up spiny growth.
Turn 1: My opponent loads up the minuteman which badly chews up the drake on X2's right. Kraye, Sentinels & Hunters chip damage the BB.I wait to proc hyper aggressive on the last hunter shot but it fails to break ARM. Centurions move up into both zones popping polarity. Kraye is bunkered up behind the objective.

My Turn 2: I can get both drakes onto Kraye and he's camping 0. So X2 pops feat and upkeeps rapport. First Drake walks into the wood to get within 8 of Kraye sprays him down to 4 health. I then see that the BB is within 9 of the Centurion, so he gets rushed by a shaman, walks into the jack beats him back twice with his fists, chain attack throws the Centurions at Kraye and that's game.
Assassination Victory for Skorne

We re-rack my opponent wins the role and goes first, terrain shuffles around house now in the middle.

Setup: My opponent puts both hunters and long gunners on my left, Centurions and swordknights in the center. Not much on my right. I setup loading my left with the BB, Cannoneer, Rhino, Shaman and Drake are close to X2 to the right is the gladiator Krea and Drake.

Turn 1: Admonition goes on the minuteman, Kraye hang back out of threat. Centurions do there thing and get up the board with polarity shield, one for each zone. Swordknights mid table. Minuteman durdles forward.
My Turn 1: Cannoneer aims from the deployment zone and takes out one arm on the minuteman, shaman zaps him but misses, drake sprays him but fails to break any more systems. I put the Rhinodon into the zone under aura and with spiny growth up. X2 moves up into max threat of the right hand Centurion but camps 4 and puts up spiny growth. I put the right hand drake closer. Agonisers cry gnawing pain.

Turn 2: My opponent is thinking feat turn. He needs to kill the agoniser on the left but its behind the shaman. Kraye moves forward and feats allocates to hunters and on Centurion on the left. Hunter takes out half the agonisers boxes and one long gunner puts a few more boxes onto it. Second hunter blows half of the shamans boxes off with a nice spike. Sentinals flare the rhinodon and takes half the boxes off the drake. Minuteman jumps into the BB to stop counter charge but can't get to the aggy puts a few more points into the shaman. Centurions goes into the Rhino but after remembering effective ARM 22 & spiny growth damage redirects most of his attacks into the drake and shaman. Leaving the drake alive on a few boxes and the shaman dead. Right hand Centurion removes the drake and repos to the back of the zone. knights flood the center and right zone.
My Turn 2: He's left the right hand Centurion in walk range of the gladiator which in turn is blocking in X2. So one unit of PGs shuffle around heal up the nearly dead drake enrage the gladiator. Shaman rushes the glad which walks in and leaves the Centurion on 10 boxes but takes it shield out with its last attack. X2 goes feats charges sword knights that puts him into range of the Centurion. He clears all the knights and Centurion and repos back onto the flag. Cannonneer and BB remove minuteman and second Centurions allowing the Drake and Rhino to clear of more knights and contest his flag. 2-0

Turn 3: Kraye, a sentinel and remaining knights kill the Rhino. Hunters & long gunners ding up the cannoneer. He can't contest my zone or flag. 4-1
My Turn 3: Cannoneer and Gladiator frenzy, BB clears of both Sentinels and contests zone & flag, X2 kills his objective and repos to zone for the win. 7-1
Scenario Victory For Skorne


Thoughts: Game one my opponent was aware of the threat ranges but forgot about the sprays he had two SGs on Kraye but he was far to forward.
Second game, we discussed his tactic of feating T2. I suggested that he should hung back T2 after failing to kill the Aggy but I guess he had already commited to the feat by then. Still X2 was as fast as Kraye! I just had more muscle than him while he wasn't able to get to the krea which always hid at the back.