Saga of the Murderfang catapults (Final1/2 done and written)

[TiguriusX]

Pod1-Murderfang + Terminators

Round 4 (Finals)

Space Wolves v Aeldari Soup (all 3 flavors)

Map-The scouring

My army

Battalion Pod 1

No Force Org

40 2xCompany Vets + 2xCS/CS

HQ

100 Captain on Bike

30 TH/SS

140 Master of Sanctity on Bike

115 Chief Librarian

25 Jump

Troops

90 5xBC

90 5xBC

90 5xBC

Elite

150 Murderfang

135 Wulfen Dread Claw/Shield 2xHF

95 5xWolf Guard

45 Jump + 4xLC/SS + LC/SS

95 5xWolf Guard

45 Jump + 4xLC/SS + LC/SS

140 4xBladeguard Veterans

165 5xWGTDA SB/SS

25 CML

Heavy

108 6xLong Fangs

105 5xMulti-Melta + Armorium Cherub

Fast Attack

15 Cyberwolf

15 Cyberwolf

15 Cyberwolf

Transport

70 Drop Pod

55 LS Storm

1998 Total

His army

++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Aeldari - Craftworlds) [27 PL, 10CP, 548pts] ++

+ Configuration +

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

Craftworld Attribute

. *Custom Craftworld*: Expert Crafters, Superior Shurikens

Detachment Command Cost [-2CP]

+ HQ +

Asurmen [8 PL, 160pts]

Autarch [4 PL, 80pts]

+ Troops +

Dire Avengers [5 PL, 110pts]

. 9x Dire Avenger: 9x Avenger Shuriken Catapult, 9x Plasma Grenades

. Dire Avenger Exarch: Two Avenger Shuriken Catapults

. . Exarch Power: Bladestorm

Dire Avengers [5 PL, 110pts]

. 9x Dire Avenger: 9x Avenger Shuriken Catapult, 9x Plasma Grenades

. Dire Avenger Exarch: Two Avenger Shuriken Catapults

. . Exarch Power: Bladestorm

Dire Avengers [5 PL, 88pts]

. 7x Dire Avenger: 7x Avenger Shuriken Catapult, 7x Plasma Grenades

. Dire Avenger Exarch: Two Avenger Shuriken Catapults

. . Exarch Power: Bladestorm

++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (Aeldari - Harlequins) [48 PL, -1CP, 903pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Detachment Command Cost

Masque Form: The Soaring Spite: Serpent's Blood

+ Stratagems +

Enigmas of the Black Library (1 Relic) [-1CP]

+ HQ +

Troupe Master [4 PL, 76pts]: Darkness' Bite, Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Kiss, The Starmist Raiment, Warlord

+ Troops +

Troupe [5 PL, 95pts]

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Blade

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Blade

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Blade

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Blade

. Player: Fusion Pistol, Harlequin's Blade

+ Elites +

Solitaire [5 PL, 102pts]: Cegorach's Rose, Chromatic Rush

+ Fast Attack +

Skyweavers [15 PL, 275pts]

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

Skyweavers [15 PL, 275pts]

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

. Skyweaver: Haywire Cannon, Zephyrglaive

+ Dedicated Transport +

Starweaver [4 PL, 80pts]

++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Aeldari - Drukhari) [37 PL, -2CP, 545pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Detachment Command Cost [-2CP]

Obsession: Prophets of Flesh

+ HQ +

Urien Rakarth [5 PL, 100pts]

+ Troops +

Wracks [6 PL, 85pts]

. Acothyst: Haemonculus tools

. Wrack with special weapon (up to 1 for 5 models): Ossefactor

. 8x Wracks: 8x Haemonculus Tools

Wracks [6 PL, 80pts]

. Acothyst: Haemonculus tools

. 9x Wracks: 9x Haemonculus Tools

Wracks [6 PL, 80pts]

. Acothyst: Haemonculus tools

. 9x Wracks: 9x Haemonculus Tools

+ Fast Attack +

Scourges [7 PL, 100pts]

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Solarite: Shardcarbine

Scourges [7 PL, 100pts]

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Scourge with Special / Heavy weapon: Blaster

. Solarite: Shardcarbine

++ Total: [112 PL, 7CP, 1,996pts] ++

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

Pregame

Since this is the finals we decided we wanted to be fully prepared to play our best game

We shared our WL/relic selections in advance in the spirit of good sportsmanship

Mine

Warlord-Wolf lord on bike

WLT1-Rites of War

WLT2-Hunter

Relic-Pelt of Balewolf (if I stay away from his poison weapons I will be wounded on 6s only basically...melee monster is the goal)

Primaris Master of Sanctity on bike

WLT-Wise Orator

Relic-Wulfen Stone

-Catechism of Fire (+1 wound makes the terminators and all their dakka dakka wound on 2/3s for most targets...with decent luck I will wipe an entire unit with each volley)

-Canticle of Hate

Chief librarian/Rune Priest

WLT-Psychic Mastery

Relic-Armor of Russ

-Null zone

-Might of Heroes

-Veil of Time

*I would usually have tempestas spells and null zone via tome of malcador but this matchup I don't really need melee buffs...I figured I could access a different relic if I just stick to the vanilla spell tree

Long fang pack leader

Special issue wargear-Morkai bolts

His

Warlord Troupe Master

WLT-Skystrider (he can disembark after a vehicle moves...so basically 22" transport move then he can get a normal move also)

-Twilight's Grasp (always wound non vehicles on 2+...so my bike HQs basically)

-Darkness Bite (does 2 mortal wounds after fighting)

Relic-Starmist Raiment

Solitaire

-Chromatic rush

Relic-Ceogarch's Rose

I want to avoid his dakka and get in tight

Everything in his army is basically 4++

Some even have 3++

Never played drukhari but I understand wracks can be a PITA

T5 with poison weapons a 4++ and a 5+++

I need to rely on buckets of dice to do work this game

Will be lots of charging and savage striking all game from my army

If the terminators can dakka entire squads I will be happy as well

Hitting on 2 and wounding on 2 with 20 SB + CML shots should be very effective for me

There will be no BATREP as normal

I will be on the clock and need to focus

However...it will be streamed live on twitch

Game is Thurs 7pm PST

https://www.twitch.tv/tacticaltortoisetv

Edited March 3, 2021 by TiguriusX

[jpwyrm]

Good luck mate! I'll see if I can drop in and raise my voices for the Wolves on the chat.

 

I've seen the end of your game against Nids, man that looks like it was a rough game. That being said, thank you for sharing all this with us. I for one can't play at all right now and getting first hand battle report like this is both entertaining and a good motivation to keep working on my next army.

 

Cheers!

[TiguriusX]

Good luck mate! I'll see if I can drop in and raise my voices for the Wolves on the chat.

 

I've seen the end of your game against Nids, man that looks like it was a rough game. That being said, thank you for sharing all this with us. I for one can't play at all right now and getting first hand battle report like this is both entertaining and a good motivation to keep working on my next army.

 

Cheers!

Noooo!

 

That Tyranids game is for speedhammer and was so embarrassing lol.

 

I haven't written about it because it is basically training for me.

 

You get 1 hour total on your clock and it starts running during deployment.

 

The time crunch is super stressful. I was forgetting to fire and forgetting psychic phases non stop while hurrying through turns.

 

I was expecting a beating under normal circumstances bc the map and his list just counter my strengths.

 

The speedhammer aspect just snowballed things even worse

[TiguriusX]

Sorry for the mess of a game.

 

That darned clock gets in my head still and I forget basics.

 

We both clocked out but I put him out of time first and pulled out the victory in my first ever finals match.

[jpwyrm]

Congrats on the win! I couldn't make it in time unfortunately, I hope the game will be posted on Youtube.

 

I'm working on a Raven Guard Successors list based on your list, I should be able to test it sometime this year when all that crazyness finally ends.

[TiguriusX]

Video is the 2nd match of a doubleheader video

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/937232570

3:57:00 is where my game starts

I was able to do a BATREP recap to save you time using the video screen caps

Pre-game & Deployment

My secondaries

Domination

Strategic Scan (scouring mission specific)

Oath of moment (I picked this over warrior pride b/c I wanted to turn the middle of the map into a melee pit)

His secondaries

Engage

Assassination

While we stand

-Asurmen

-Skyweaver1

-Skyweaver2

BATREP

He won the roll for first turn...bad for me b/c his guns get into position to fire first....good for oath and final turn scoring

Turn 1 was super fast...just him moving into position

My turn I picked off a handful of wracks and setup my strategic scans

The left flank where he had all his dire avengers was a risky move on my part

I threw BGV-WG1-BC1 as bait while my rune priest did a strategic scan

I wanted him to commit so I could counter attack

My biggest concern was the mobility and randomness of his starweaver + TM and the solitaire

Turn 2

He uses 2 CP to bring back all the dead wracks I shot from turn 1

He goes ALL IN to shoot the left flank

I was NOT expecting to be obliterated by all those shurikens. He rolled a ton of 6s to wound for AP3

When shooting is done I have lost 4/5 WG and 5/5 BCs

Melee sees luck turn my way as his TM fails a charge leaving him stuck in the open

Solitaire bounces off BGV who make 4/5 3+ saves after a CP reroll. I lose 1 BGV only

My turn

I counter attack hard on left flank and middle

I kamikaze the rune priest deep into his lines and pop null zone near his skyweavers and smite his solitaire to death (it had 1 wound left and a 3++ so didn't want to risk it living)

LF DP comes in and kills 4/5 skyweavers. I couldn't get them ALL in the bubble so he made saves on the final 2. The last survivor went nuts rolling 4++ and survived everything thrown at him

Wolf lord and stormspeeder move to left to help

Wulfen dread moves up to eat his TM

BGV are freed up after the smite kills solitaire so they charge into his starweaver and kill it

He uses emergency debarkation to pop his obsec unit on the objective

I have to burn a CP to consolidate 6" to stop him

In the middle I have terminators charge in and WG deep strikes and makes an 8" charge with a 10

In melee I reduce a unit of wracks to 2 models but also make a mistake

He pulls my BC out of combat so I don't get to consolidate or move

My BCs in the middle are NOT on the objective (literally less than an inch away...so close)...so even though combat went my way and I have a ton of bodies in the area I do NOT have obsec touching the objective itself and he steals it from me

This is huge and denies me domination and earns him 15 primary instead of just 5

I also I forgot to fall out of combat with his starweaver and my last WG1 so I can't shoot it and force his fusion pistol troupes out...they are free to hurt me

*Turn 2 took over 1 hour combined b/c we had so many moves and lots of thinking

Turn 3

His last surviving skyweaver flees to preserve WWS points

His full strength unit comes in to haywire wulfen dread to death and charges in to WG in middle

He only kills 1/5 with skyweavers

His shooting kills last WG on the left flank and 2 terminators with blasters

Very good turn for me as the defense holds in the middle and my BGV and WG2 are alive and well to go on the offensive

My turn

I push up HARD on the left flank

Land speeder charges into dire avengers to shut down their shooting

Wolf lord does the same and kills off a unit of scourge in melee before touching 2 units of dire avengers

I also do this to make him roll dice and burn clock...he is at 3 or so min remaining at this point so I know he will clock out

The BGV kill 4/5 skyweavers in the middle

WG finish the job and I remove a WWS unit from the points

Murderfang finally reaches the middle and begins slicing and dicing through wracks as well

Turn 4

He clocks out after killing my BGV with shooting

I have approx. 10 min on my clock still

My turn

I hurry with dice rolling and kill his obsec in middle to take it

I kill asurmen to wipe out another WWS unit

I clock out at the VERY end while murderfang was rolling to kill his scourge and take another objective

I am in position with hold more + domination + oath of moment in the middle so I will max out turn 5

I actually think if the clock out doesn't happen I am still in good position

I survived the worst of his shooting on turn 4 already and just needed to finish up melee

FINAL AND RECAP

65-61

SW VICTORY!!!

I knew I was going to eat a ton of shooting...I just needed to get into melee

I got lucky but i also had bad luck

Chaplain failed 5/6 chants...that means my SB catechism of fire combo NEVER went off all game

The speeder and wolf lord going in hard to shut down his shooting and was the game clincher IMO

I made some big mistakes but was able to work around and pull out a nail biter

I rewatched and saw some major errors.

Turn 3B the BGV consolidation was an error...I never saw his wracks on the other side of the wall when I tagged his dire avengers. I should have gone into wracks and touched the objective. Obsec from Wolf Lord would have flipped the point and made big point swing

We both clocked out but the practice I had in speedhammer left me with 11 minutes when he hit 0. That let me do almost everything I needed to secure the score.

He had 6 min to start turn 4

I had 11

I am hyped...my first ever RTT style victory. Never gone 4-0 before.

Will keep on practicing my skills and the terminators have earned another pod of play

They may not hit like a ton of bricks but they have versatility and horde tools...in games where they can't shoot they still provide a super tanky objective holder

Edited March 5, 2021 by TiguriusX

[Karhedron]

 

How does the Murderfang catapult work?

The catapult requires company vets for the bodyguard rule and ideally some type of LOS blocking terrain

 

The 3" bodyguard bubble extends through the wall so you can move murderfang all the way around the terrain into the clear for a much shorter move to the enemy on a subsequent turn (I call this loading the catapult)

 

On the following turn I leave the safety of the company vets and walk 8" into danger with a reroll charge to help me hit my target (firing the catapult)

 

I also advance the veterans and follow murderfang just in case I fail the charge

 

Basically you get a free turn of movement out of this combo and don't have to hide murderfang behind a wall for safety.

 

He stands in the open and gets a running start to his target and the enemy can't shoot him because company vets make him unshootable

 

Wondering about adapting this strategy for a Blood Angel's Librarian Dreadnought. It should work just as well although the Libby Dread is not quite the blender that Murderfang is. On the other hand you can pull some sneaky tricks like standing in the middle of the table and being untargetable while conducting a psychic ritual.

[TiguriusX]

 

 

How does the Murderfang catapult work?

The catapult requires company vets for the bodyguard rule and ideally some type of LOS blocking terrain

 

The 3" bodyguard bubble extends through the wall so you can move murderfang all the way around the terrain into the clear for a much shorter move to the enemy on a subsequent turn (I call this loading the catapult)

 

On the following turn I leave the safety of the company vets and walk 8" into danger with a reroll charge to help me hit my target (firing the catapult)

 

I also advance the veterans and follow murderfang just in case I fail the charge

 

Basically you get a free turn of movement out of this combo and don't have to hide murderfang behind a wall for safety.

 

He stands in the open and gets a running start to his target and the enemy can't shoot him because company vets make him unshootable

Wondering about adapting this strategy for a Blood Angel's Librarian Dreadnought. It should work just as well although the Libby Dread is not quite the blender that Murderfang is. On the other hand you can pull some sneaky tricks like standing in the middle of the table and being untargetable while conducting a psychic ritual.

Not sure it will work the way you imagine

 

Murderfang is 100% expendable...I dont care if he dies in melee because of fight on death and i can make it costly to charge him.

 

The bodyguards remove his main weakness (shooting him to death)

 

Your BA dread can get charged and killed...Psychic ritual fail

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

That and the psychic actions can be a pretty big trap. You can't use any other psychic powers, still have to pass a test, and your opponent can deny them. Granted if they deny them or you fail, you can play the dread like normal for the rest of the turn but you only have so many turns to accomplish it. Compared to other actions that are harder for your opponent to interact with they just feel risky, especially with how automatic some of the action based secondary objectives are.