Shaezus' 3rd Company 9th Ed reports - game vs new DG

Shaezus · January 13, 2021

Game 4 vs Necrons

Mission Sweep and clear

Final score 95 – 57

BA primaries 45

Oaths of moment 13

Relentless assault 12

Direct assault (mission secondary) 15

Necron primaries 25

Purge the vermin 5

While we stand we fight 5

Assassinate 12

Lawrence’s list

++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Necrons) [75 PL, 1,542pts, 7CP] ++

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Detachment CP [-3CP]

Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Novokh

Gametype: Matched

+ HQ +

Chronomancer [4 PL, 80pts]: Entropic Lance, Relic: Veil of Darkness

Lord [5 PL, 70pts, -1CP]: Dynastic Heirlooms, Relic: Voltaic Staff, Staff of Light

Technomancer [4 PL, 90pts, -1CP]: Canoptek Control Node, Rarefied Nobility, Warlord Trait (Codex 4): Thrall of the Silent King

+ Troops +

Immortals [4 PL, 85pts]: Gauss Blaster, 5x Immortal

Necron Warriors [6 PL, 130pts]

. 10x Necron Warrior (Gauss Flayer): 10x Gauss Flayer

Necron Warriors [12 PL, 247pts]

. 19x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 19x Gauss Reaper

+ Elites +

Deathmarks [8 PL, 180pts]

. 10x Deathmark: 10x Synaptic Disintegrator

Skorpekh Destroyers [10 PL, 210pts]

. 2x Skorpekh Destroyer (Reap-Blade): 2x Hyperphase Reap-Blade

. 4x Skorpekh Destroyer (Thresher): 4x Hyperphase Threshers

+ Fast Attack +

Canoptek Scarab Swarms [2 PL, 45pts]

. 3x Canoptek Scarab Swarm: 3x Feeder Mandibles

Triarch Praetorians [6 PL, 125pts]: Rod of Covenant, 5x Triarch Praetorian

+ Heavy Support +

Canoptek Doomstalker [7 PL, 140pts]

++ Supreme Command Detachment +3CP (Necrons) [23 PL, 450pts, 6CP] ++

+ Configuration +

Detachment CP [3CP]

Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Szarekhan

+ Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander +

The Silent King [23 PL, 450pts, 3CP]

. 2x Triarchal Menhir: 2x Annihilator Beam

++ Total: [98 PL, 13CP, 1,992pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

This was the big game for me. I’ve played against Lawrence a few times over the last couple of years, enough to know why he is regarded here as one of the top players. We recently played each other in a friendly mini RTT, my first time with the new BA rules and whilst I was utterly whumped, I can say very truthfully that game was a case of me testing his guns without revealing how I would use my list.

Going into this game, I knew how destructive the doomstalkers could be in overwatch. The Silent King himself wasn’t so worrying for me even with his fight last effect aura. I reckoned there were two ways to deal with this list: go for the kill / degrade on the silent king or ignore him and give him nothing left to buff. I decided I would try the second approach. It would mean a full strength silent king running around in mid to late game, but he couldn’t be everywhere at once.

Terrain was spread differently to the previous missions with the obscuring ruins on opposite sides of the board and a huge open area with barely any cover around the centre.

The Flow of Battle

Lawrence won first roll off and chose to be defender. His deployment was a very cagey and cautious process centred around absolutely not leaving any gaps for the smash captain to reach the doomstalkers or silent king. It seemed right then that he was hindering his ability to score primaries. In this hold 1 / hold 2 mission with 5 objectives this seemed to be an early lapse on his part. Perhaps based on his early experience against my smash captain.

I deployed everything obscured with the BGV and terminators ready to move as quick as possible into the centre and hopefully into his DZ the following turn. Scouts and infiltrators went on the left corner objective, same from any turn 1 damage. Incursors went forward on my right behind some ruins, ready to take that objective.

I won the roll off and gave Lawrence first turn.

On the left the scouts hugged cover with the infiltrators until the skorpekhs arrived there from reserve. The infiltrators used Guerrilla tactics to get into hiding for a turn, arriving later in the opposite corner.

In the centre the BGV advanced up then next turn charged the warriors on Lawrence’s objective, netting the full 5 VP for direct assault 2 turns in a row. The priest darted up behind them and risked sivingbehind some crates rather than staying within 3” of the BGV. Lawrence jumped his deathmarks over to the right and they and the doomstalkers put everything into the priest but believe me my dice were showing that BA six so many times and fives too. The priest lived. For now.

On the right the incursors kicked off the fighting by securing that corner with fire support from the terminators, killing the immortals and scarabs. The SG leaped into the cover vacated by the incursors, sanguinor, smash cap and ancient alongside. They went on to storm the necron blob, wiping out the warriors and deathmarks and eventually tying up the doomstalkers. Suppression fire kept one of the doomstalkers unable to fire overwatch. This was just as well, because again and again Lawrence was rolling super hot on overwatch and I was whiffing everything. The priest died. The sanguinor died. The sanguard lost two models. All to overwatch from one doomstalker.

In the end the BGV touched the left hand doomstalker whilst killing his chronomancer and lord, preventing the doonstalkers from using their special ability. To shoot a unit which kills a character. The sanguard were butchered by the silent king but their sacrifice enabled smash captain to get into the other doomstalker under cover of suppression fire.

Turn 4 / 5 saw me taking down both doomstalkers and characters. All that remained was the silent king and something else in that area of the board. The skorpekhs chewed up the terminators on the centre objective and were counter attacked by the intercessors and scouts. Here Lawrence’s luck absolutely maxed out. In the second round of combat he lost 3 of the surviving 4 skorpekhs. Then he rolled disgustingly well on reanimations, bringing back all 3. Cue dead intercessors and scouts.

The outcome was unchanged though, despite both sides suffering huge losses.

Post game thoughts

Talking with Lawrence afterwards and he agreed he gave too much respect to the smash captain, affecting his deployment badly. Suppression fire was critical. I felt I played the game well, used the terrain, was bold and aggressive where needed and cautious where needed. Fully buffed, 5 sanguard removed 20 necron warriors from the table.

Majkhel · January 13, 2021

What a game! You got nerves of steel Shaezus.

An interesting idea of adding Quake Bolts to the BGV Sergeant. Only 3+, but then you can fire it in CC as well, correct? Was it worth it during your games?

Shaezus · January 13, 2021

What a game! You got nerves of steel Shaezus.

An interesting idea of adding Quake Bolts to the BGV Sergeant. Only 3+, but then you can fire it in CC as well, correct? Was it worth it during your games?

The quake bolts were definitely worth it! I haven't done the exact math but the +1 to hit is better than rerolling 1s by my estimates. It activated enough times in the games I needed it and that shooting in melee was defs a bonus! Against Damien's necrons it made for that savage turn 2 multicharge which killed 5 skorpekhs, a few Lychguard and actually some surviving wraiths now i remember. It also made the difference for the sergeant wrecking the triarch in the final turn. Against Chaos he got at least one hit, definitely helped to take down the lord of change. Against Lawrence he missed the first shot but the BGV killed the warriors anyway. Edited January 13, 2021 by Shaezus

Xenith · January 13, 2021

Nikolas said that failing that psychic test decided the game, but I’m not sure.

I think if your gameplan hinges on a single roll...it's not a great gameplan.

Great reports, thanks for sharing, will be maybe trying out some of these tactics.

You seem to be pretty set on Oath of Moment and relentless assault. I haven't played many games of 9th, but struggled to see how I'd keep enough units in the 'wholly' middle of the board to score it - many objectives have been things like ransack, or in a cross from the middle, but not in the middle itself. Do you think engage on all fronts could synergise with relentless assault better? Or possibly linebreaker?

Edit: Those are all competing for battlefield supremacy roles, so mutually exclusive. Still have the oaths issue, though.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Xenith

Shaezus · January 13, 2021

Nikolas said that failing that psychic test decided the game, but I’m not sure.

I think if your gameplan hinges on a single roll...it's not a great gameplan.

Great reports, thanks for sharing, will be maybe trying out some of these tactics.

You seem to be pretty set on Oath of Moment and relentless assault. I haven't played many games of 9th, but struggled to see how I'd keep enough units in the 'wholly' middle of the board to score it - many objectives have been things like ransack, or in a cross from the middle, but not in the middle itself. Do you think engage on all fronts could synergise with relentless assault better? Or possibly linebreaker?

Edit: Those are all competing for battlefield supremacy roles, so mutually exclusive. Still have the oaths issue, though.

Agreed! I don't know if it was an optimal list or not, but it certainly seemed to miss something. I think I played a similar list a few months back which also had plague marines and a keeper of secrets.

My take on Oaths of Moment is, in this list there are the phobos, scouts and ATVs which can occupy the centre in turn 1. In the missions with a central objective I'll be scoring twice over. In the others, if the opponent puts firepower on the centre units then he's not shooting me off an objective.

It scores every round so if I'm going second, it should be a guaranteed 4 VP for the first turn.

SM with small units are more likely to die before they can fail a morale check, and falling back isn't a thing for this list. For me this half of the VP is as safe as taking deploy scramblers. Wth the exception of the Sanguinor. I've found that with a maximum possible 20VP, it's usually affordable to use his fall back and still exceed the 15VP

Edited January 13, 2021 by Shaezus

Are Verlo · January 13, 2021

Would +1 to wound have made all that difference? I hardly think so. With regards to the Flames of Mutation stratagem, it does not matter that the flickering flames (+1 to wound) failed to maifest. Because FoM does mortals on unmodified 6s

And grats on the win and thanks for taking the time to post in "your" thread. I´ve followed it with interest the last 3 weeks or so. Even before the tournament it was a good read.

Edit: vs the chaos daemons, your sang ancient spent a few rounds in combat, without getting shot up by the flamers? Or did they you engange the flamers with multiple units and kept the SA further away than your other engaged models? Just askin because i have found ongoing combats vs flamers painful, their weapons are pistol d6 after all :-)

Edited January 13, 2021 by Are Verlo

Shaezus · January 13, 2021

Would +1 to wound have made all that difference? I hardly think so. With regards to the Flames of Mutation stratagem, it does not matter that the flickering flames (+1 to wound) failed to maifest. Because FoM does mortals on unmodified 6s

And grats on the win and thanks for taking the time to post in "your" thread. I´ve followed it with interest the last 3 weeks or so. Even before the tournament it was a good read.

Edit: vs the chaos daemons, your sang ancient spent a few rounds in combat, without getting shot up by the flamers? Or did they you engange the flamers with multiple units and kept the SA further away than your other engaged models? Just askin because i have found ongoing combats vs flamers painful, their weapons are pistol d6 after all :-)

Thanks so much for your positive feedback! Very useful insights there too. I rarely face chaos daemons but I understand Nikolas is a long time chaos player. Maybe it's my error and he did actually say MWs on 6s

As for the sang ancient and the flamers, I'm really trying to recall exactly what happened. For example I can't remember anything about the Sanguinor in that game. I just don't recall him doing anything or even being on the table. Maybe I used him to HI and Angel's sacrifice when the LoC hit the bladeguard.

Edit - I know the sang ancient buffed himself that turn, so 4 attacks hitting and wounding on 2s. The sanguard were still locked with the surviving nurgle beasts. Perhaps the flamers failed morale and maybe lost another to attrition?

Then again I don't recall the ancient joining the sanguard on the chaos DZ objective afterwards. So maybe it's more likely that the terminators finished them in shooting before they joined the BGV in the fight with the LoC.

The foggy memory of war lol

Edited January 13, 2021 by Shaezus

BrotherAetherick · January 13, 2021

Would you go to 2 squads of BGV (if you had the models) now that you've had some games with the terminators?

Btw I know I pointed out the whirlwind doesn't block counter offensive strat, but in light of the new FAQ for rare rules, I'm more and more convinced that GW just has different writers writing rules and that they intend that they do the same thing. Otherwise the rare rules section doesn't cover "select an eligible" nonsense at all except for the new clarification that counter offensive can't be used.

Shaezus · January 13, 2021

Would you go to 2 squads of BGV (if you had the models) now that you've had some games with the terminators?

Btw I know I pointed out the whirlwind doesn't block counter offensive strat, but in light of the new FAQ for rare rules, I'm more and more convinced that GW just has different writers writing rules and that they intend that they do the same thing. Otherwise the rare rules section doesn't cover "select an eligible" nonsense at all except for the new clarification that counter offensive can't be used.

On the contrary, I'm looking at another squad of terminators instead of 2 BGV. Assault terminators with hammers and shields.

Yeah it's a relief to have suppression fire clarified! tbf the TO had ruled the same for the necron silent kings ability,even though the wording didn't include the select thing. That strategem was crucial for me.

Shaezus · January 14, 2021

Game 5 vs custodes - sisters

Mission the scouring

Final score 35 – 89 custodes

BA primaries 10

Oaths of moment 5

Strategic scan 10

Relentless assault 0

Custodes primaries 40

Engage on all fronts 12

Strategic scan 15

assassinate?? 12

Al’s list

++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Adeptus Custodes) [72 PL, 1,419pts, 11CP] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points)

Detachment CP

Shield Host: Shadowkeepers

+ HQ +

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike [9 PL, 175pts, -1CP]: Auric Aquilas, Captain-Commander, Salvo Launcher, Strategic Mastermind, Superior Creation, Warlord

+ Troops +

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 159pts]

. Sagittarum Custodian: Misericordia

+ Elites +

Allarus Custodians [12 PL, 260pts]

. Allarus Custodian: Guardian Spear

+ Fast Attack +

Venatari Custodians [16 PL, 275pts]

. Venatari Custodian