AoS Stürmer's Battle Reports

That’s a lot of skinks. And importantly, yeah the update in points still has them pretty viable. I think what disturbs me though is the fact that you would physically block whole sections of the table under a near infinite pile of chaff. What’s more you probably could actually kill stuff with that much firepower.

 

That's still going to be 140-ish skinks in a 1000 point game. Plenty to claim objectives and stand in the way of his stupid terrorgheists

but yeah, works better at larger games.

I'd actually get more minimum sized units. You avoid battleshock completly, attacks are quickly wasted into overkill & you have so many units running around that you won't even really notice 3 or 4 of em being completly annihilated each turn. And let's face it, it's not like you're going to be doing much damage anyway, horde unit or not. So might as well maximize the nuisance of loads of unbreakable fodder.

 

And that's how you make people ragequit against a cannonfodder army

 

That’s a lot of skinks to buy, and paint. However the result must be amazing, literally blocking your opponent from whole sections of the table. There are literally so many wounds that there is no possible way to deal with them all. It’s beautiful

 

@Wilhelm Stürmer the thing you 're struggling with - placement - is actually by far the hardest part of our army. We have one of the - probably THE most but anyway - most unforgiving armies in the game. 1st 7 months of play against really really good / comp opponents I was literally losing turn 1/2 because they had awesome synergizing lists with lots of tricks that I couldn't keep up with at the start of the game and utterly destroyed me.

Our army is one of the hardest due to this. We have rules that happen at completely different times and different ranges and besides needing to know EVERYTHING from our own and not forget to use them, it really is a MUST to know your opponents' army as good as he does otherwise it will be probably over after placement. I started winning when I did that and also had games where my placement + 1st turn was half an hour.. that was half of my whole game. It was a pain for me and my opponent ( well my friends understood so that was ok ) but that was the only way for me to start competing ( don't worry, through experience this becomes faster and faster )

Keep trying and thanks for the reps !

 

Escalation League
1750 MPP in Ghyran, Game 2
Seraphon vs Stormcast Eternals
GHB 2019​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Miasmatic Blade
- Spell: Meteoric Convocation
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
- Artefact: Betrayer's Crown
Skink Starpriest (80)
- Artefact: Spellmirror
- Spell: Stellar Tempest
Skink Priest (80)
- Priestly Trappings

Battleline
5 x Saurus Knights (80)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (80)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (80)
- Lances
10 x Skinks (70)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (70)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
3 x Razordons (120)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)
Firelance Starhost (150)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 1750 / 1750
Extra Command Points: 2
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 99

Spoiler: Stormcast Eternals

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals

Leaders
Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals

Leaders
Lord-Arcanum (160)
- General
2 other Heroes

Battleline
5 x Sequitors (130)
- Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields
- 3x Stormsmite Greatmaces
10 x Sequitors (260)
- Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields
- 5x Stormsmite Greatmaces
10 x Sequitors (260)
- Stormsmite Mauls and Soulshields
- 5x Stormsmite Greatmaces

Units
5 x Evocators (220) - In the Heavens
- 2x Grandstaves
- Lore of Invigoration: Celestial Blades
5 x Evocators (220)
- 2x Grandstaves
- Lore of Invigoration: Celestial Blades

War Machines
Celestar Ballista (110)
Celestar Ballista (110)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Dais Arcanum (30)

So, I've got three 1750 Battle reports to write and I've waited far too long to write them, so I will likely forget a lot of details, as I'm relying almost entirely on the pictures I took to write the reports. As such, these three reports may be shorter than usual.

This battle was actually the first 1750 game I played, with the prior FEC battle taking place after. I don't recall exactly what the SCE list was, but what I do remember is in the spoiler tag.

We rolled for Duality of Death. I had one less drops than my opponent and opted to go first. I rolled The Great Drake for constellation. This will be my first ever battle against SCE.

T1 Seraphon: The deployment for this battleplan seperates each deployment zone into 2 areas 12" x 24". I deployed the Slann, Starpriest, Skinks, Razordons, and one unit of Knights in my left zone and the Scar-Vet on Cold One, Priest, and two other units of Knights in the right zone. I failed the cast on Balewind, but got the Cogs. All my Knights used War Drums to secure both objectives. I brought down the Rippers on a Ballista, where the Blot Toad was, and massively over-killed it. Unfortunately, the Rippers were in range of a unit of Evocators. He was only able to get one model in melee range, but it killed one Ripper. 2-0 Seraphon


T1 SCE: The Lord Arcanum cast the Dias. The Sequitors and OOC Evocators moved up for charges. I don't recall the remaining Ballista doing much throughout the rest of the game. The unit of Sequitors on the left made their charge, but the Evocators and Sequitors on the right side of the board failed. The Sequitors on the left decimated the Knights there. The other unit of Evocators moved in on the Rippers and finished off the unit with melee and their explosive MW output at the end of combat. When I saw that ability in action, I nearly conceded. Evocators are ridiculous. 2-1 Seraphon

T2 Seraphon: I got off Balewind this time. I LoSaT the Slann to the middle of my zone. I moved my remaining Knights and the Scar-Vet up to charge. End of Movement, I summon in an EotG. The Razordons repositioned to shoot within 6". I made some impressive rolls during their shooting, killing of 6 Sequitors. My charges were successful, but the Knights damage output was pretty bad. I only inflicted a few wounds on the Evocators and 3 Sequitors died. Retaliation saw the Knights engaged with the Evocators melt, 3 more Knights of the other unit die, and 3 wounds inflicted on the Scar-Vet. 4-1 Seraphon


T2 SEC: So, he easily kills the rest of the Knights, and the Scar-Vet. The Evocators on the right move up and charge the Priest (he's SO DEAD). On the left, the remaining Sequitors charge the Razordons. Instinctive Defense goes off and 2 more Sequitors die. The two remaining Sequitors kill one Razordon. 4-4 Seraphon


T3 SEC: His win on initiative here sealed the deal in my mind. He dropped down the 5x Sequitors right in the middle of the EotG, Slann, and Skinks. The Evocators on the left moved up, charged the Razordons and easily dispatched them. The summoned Sequitors made their charge into the EotG and murdered it. 4-9 SEC

T3 Seraphon: I conceded... my army is in ruins. i won't be able to kill the units he has controlling the objectives, so he will just keep accumulating VP.

POST BATTLE ANALYSIS​

IIRC, this was the first game I'd played with GHB2019, not the battle against FEC. I forgot about my spell lore completely. I likely should have dumped my Rippers into one of the units of Evocators, because while the Ballista are scary, the Evocators are terrifying. This is also another battle I should have let him go first. Also, the Skinks stayed OOC for so long due to his Evocators in the Heavens, but I should have used them to maintain the left objective for at least one more turn, thus potentially allowing for more options to keep the lead.

 

Escalation League
1750 MPP in Ghyran, Game 3
Seraphon vs Tzeentch
GHB 2019​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Aqshy

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Ignax's Scales
- Spell: Meteoric Convocation
Skink Starpriest (80)
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (160)
- Artefact: Incandescent Rectrices

Battleline
10 x Saurus Knights (160)
- Lances
20 x Skinks (140)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
20 x Skinks (140)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
3 x Razordons (120)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 1740 / 1750
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 111

Spoiler: Tzeentch

Allegiance: Tzeentch

Leaders
Gaunt Summoner (160)
- General
Lord of Change (380)
The Blue Scribes (140)

Battleline
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)

Units
10 x Brimstone Horrors of Tzeentch (60)
10 x Brimstone Horrors of Tzeentch (60)
10 x Blue Horrors of Tzeentch (90)

Battalions
Changehost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Aethervoid Pendulum (50)
Balewind Vortex (40)
Purple Sun of Shyish (50)

Total: 1750 / 1750
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 84

We rolled for The Better Part of Valour battleplan. I moved both units of Skinks forward with Stealthy Advance. I rolled The Hunter's Steed for my constellation. He out dropped me with only 2 drops and opted to go first.

T1 Tzeentch: As expected, he casts every T1 offensive spell into the 40 Skinks I moved forward. He also used Changehost to put a unit of Pinks into combat with a unit Skinks. One unit of 20 Skinks is utterly decimated by Spells, shooting, and battleshock. The other unit manages to have 5 remaining after all spells, shooting, and melee is completed (including a Purple Sun cast at it). They Wary Fighter away and just manage to get in range of Tzeentch's right objective and manage to contest it. He also brings in a unit of Blues to further screen his left side. 0-1 Tzeentch


T1 Seraphon: I am able to cast Balewind and Cogs. I LoSaT the Starpriest after his cast to buff the 10 Knights and then LoSaT the Knights to his left objective, over 9" away from the summoned Blues. The Scar-Vet and Razordons moved up to control my left and middle objectives and a unit of 10 Skinks are summoned in to control my right obj. The Knights made their charge and were able to wipe out the summoned Blue Horrors. 3-1 Seraphon

T2 Seraphon: A double turn! Tzeentch moves the Purple Sun towards the 5 Skinks contesting his right obj. but only manages one MW. I LoSaT them to my left obj. and the Slann towards the middle of my zone, using the Razordons as a small screen. The Slann also casts Meteoric Convocation on the closest Pinks, but only kills 2. Summoned Skinks move up to cover the objective and the Knights move in for another charge. I summon in 2 Salamanders and a unit of Handlers, allowing me to shoot into the conga-lined Pinks, killing 5 more. The Knights make their charge and kill 7 Pinks, but he uses a Destiny Dice of 1 in battleshock and rolls for 4 to be added to the unit. 7-1 Seraphon



T2 Tzeentch: Unfortunately, I'm missing a bunch of information for this turn. My Knights on the left suffered losses, bringing them down to three models. He moved the three remaining Pinks from the unit I'd damaged to his left objective to have more bodies there. He moved Brimestones up and summoned in a unit of Blues to head for my right obj., I believe. 7-3 Seraphon

T3: So I apologize profusely, but I simply don't recall exactly what happened in what order in this turn. My Knights suffered more losses, but did not get wiped, thus tangling up the left side. He summoned in more Pinks as a further screen, likely in response to the Rippers coming down and wrecking the 3 lonely Pinks on his left objective. He was able to reduce those Rippers down to two models, but I maintained control of the objective, because he'd moved away from it. The Razordons and Salamanders destroyed his unit of Blues and Brimstones that made the move towards my zone. I believe we ended on 12-5 Seraphon.

POST BATTLE ANALYSIS​

So, we misread the battleplan and thought is was simply cumulative VP with the same wording, but missed the burn the objective wording. It still would have been a victory for me, but the points would have been a bit different.

I moved the 40 Skinks forward specifically to absorb his T1 casting. He took the bait. While it was devastating to see 35 Skinks fall, I'd actually planned to lose all 40. Probably not the best play, but it worked out as I had wanted it to. Since he did not move, I dominated the objectives. Astrolith Bearer next to Salamanders and Razordons is amazing!

 

Escalation League
1750 MPP in Ghyran, Game 4
Seraphon vs Fyreslayers
GHB 2019​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Aqshy

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Ignax's Scales
- Spell: Meteoric Convocation
Skink Starpriest (80)
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (160)
- Artefact: Incandescent Rectrices

Battleline
10 x Saurus Knights (160)
- Lances
20 x Skinks (140)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
20 x Skinks (140)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
3 x Razordons (120)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 1740 / 1750
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 111

Spoiler: Fyreslayers

Allegiance: Stormcast Eternals

Leaders
Auric Runefather (100)
- General
Auric Runemaster (120)
Auric Runesmiter (120)
- Runic Iron
Auric Runesmiter (120)
- Runic Iron

Battleline
10 x Vulkite Berzerkers (160)
- Handaxes & Slingshields

Units
10 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (240)
- Broadaxes
10 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (240)
- Broadaxes
10 x Hearthguard Berzerkers (240)
- Broadaxes

War Machines
Celestar Ballista (110)
Celestar Ballista (110)

Total: 1560 / 1750
Extra Command Points: 0
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 116

I'm basing my opponents list on the few pictures I took, but you can see the list is nearly 200 points short. There may have been a battalion that I don't recall.

We used the new battleplan cards and drew Gifts from the Heavens. I rolled The Hunter's Steed for my Constellation and mostly just shuffled the Skinks around in Stealthy Advance. Fyreslayers ended up going first.

T1 Fyreslayers: Short turn here - Prayers were prayed, everything moved up a bit, one Ballista took 1 wound off the Starpriest.

T1 Seraphon: I cast Balewind and Cogs, Serpent Staff and Summon Starlight on the Knights. LoSaT the Knights to the far left SCE Zone for a charge attempt on a Ballista. Skinks and Razordons strung out in a long screen. Then the Rippers descended to attack the Vulkite. Rippers charge was good, but the Knights failed. The Rippers were able to kill 5, but the Vulkite Killed 3 in return.


T2 Fyreslayers: His obj. dropped in his left (my right) zone. He tunnels up a Runesmitter and 10 Hearthguard Berzerkers near the objective. The Runesmitter stays at the obj. but the Berzerkers head down the board to munch on 20 Skinks, which they obliterated. His left most Berzerkers headed back towards my Knights and the Ballista managed to inflict 3 wounds to the unit. 1-0 Fyreslayers


T2 Seraphon: My obj. drops on the right in my zone. The Knights and Scar-Vet LoSaT to the right side of his zone now. Razordons reposition to claim my objective and shot into the Bezerkers that will be coming their way. Knights make their charge and kill the Runesmitter on his obj. 2-1 Seraphon

T3 Seraphon: The Knights stay put. I bolster my position at my objective with 3 Salamanders, Skink Handlers, and 10x Skinks. The Salamanders whiff on all of their wound rolls. The Razordons manage to kill one Berzerker. 6-1 Seraphon

T3 Fyreslayers: His Vulkite move towards my Knights, but fail their charge. The Ballistas are once again ineffective (I don't recall if they did any damage, but it wasn't substantial if there was any). The tunneled-in Berzerkers moved around the terrain they were in and did make their charge, but due to the positioning of my units, he couldn't get the whole unit into play. IIRC, they did kill two Salamanders and 2 Handlers, but I still controlled the objective. Still 6-1 Seraphon


T4 Seraphon: We talked out how this would go. I would move my Knights back, keeping all within 6" in an arc but increasing the distance between them and the Vulkite. My unit of 20 Skinks would move towards my obj, increasing the body count. I would likely lose the last Salamander, Handler, and possibly the Razordons on my obj., but the unit of 10 Skinks there outnumbered his remaining Berzerkers. I would likely still control both objectives by the end of my turn, giving me a commanding lead of 12-1. Even if he tabled me in his two remaining turns, he wouldn't be able to have control of the objectives long enough to come back. Major Seraphon win!

POST BATTLE ANALYSIS
​

I played the objective game. I definitely got lucky with the placement of objectives and his poor shooting rolls. Still, I think summoning three separate shooting models in front of another unit, and forcing the Berzerkers to split their attacks to deal with that definitely assured control of my obj. for me in T3. This is probably one of my best played games, even with luck being more on my side than usual.

 

Is the duality of death mission the one where you get increasing VPs equal to the amount of turns that you hold the objective?

and you hold the objective until you are killed off it or move away from it but only with battleline and heroes?

I thought that you only gain the VP at the end of ur turn not both player turns? Or am I incorrect?

 

Yes, you gain VP only at the end of your turn, not at the end of your opponent's turn as well. I probably messed up the VP in that BatRep then.


I edited the scoring to reflect the proper accumulation.

 

ALRIGHT... all the battle reports are updated. If you're so inclined, feel free to read them. I have one 2K report that's already typed up, I just need to copy-paste it and add in pics, so I should be able to get that up later today. We're waiting to hear when the 2K tournament will be to finish up this league, but once it's played, I'll be sure to get that report out asap, so I don't end up with reports with so many missing details.

 

Escalation League
2000 MPP in Chamon, Game 1
Seraphon vs Tzeentch
GHB 2019​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Aqshy

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Ignax's Scales
- Spell: Meteoric Convocation
Skink Starpriest (80)
- Spell: Stellar Tempest
Saurus Astrolith Bearer (160)
Engine of the Gods (240)
- Artefact: Incandescent Rectrices

Battleline
10 x Skinks (70)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (70)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (70)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
3 x Ripperdactyl Riders (140)
3 x Salamanders (120)
3 x Skink Handlers (40)

Behemoths
Bastiladon (280)
Bastiladon (280) – Troglodon proxy

Battalions
Thunderquake Starhost (120)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Aethervoid Pendulum (50)

Total: 1980 / 2000
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 94

Spoiler: Disciples of Tzeentch

Allegiance: Tzeentch

Leaders
Gaunt Summoner (160)
- General
- Trait: Arcane Sacrifice
- Artefact: Mark of the Conjurer
- Lore of Fate: Bolt of Tzeentch
- Lore of Change: Bolt of Tzeentch
Lord of Change (380)
- Lore of Change: Tzeentch's Firestorm
The Blue Scribes (140)
Herald of Tzeentch on Disc (140)
- Staff of Change

Battleline
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)
- Lore of Change: Unchecked Mutation
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)
- Lore of Change: Fold Reality
10 x Pink Horrors of Tzeentch (180)
- Lore of Change: Tzeentch's Firestorm

Units
10 x Brimstone Horrors of Tzeentch (60)
10 x Brimstone Horrors of Tzeentch (60)
10 x Brimstone Horrors of Tzeentch (60)

Battalions
Changehost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Balewind Vortex (40)
Chronomantic Cogs (80)
Aethervoid Pendulum (50)
Purple Sun of Shyish (50)
Soulsnare Shackles (40)

Total: 1980 / 2000
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 89

We rolled for Scorched Earth, but opted for the GHB 2018 layout, as the LGS tables are set together end to end and would make the GHB 2019 layout a pain to play. With Changehost, he out drops me, but allows me to go first. I roll Hunter’s Steed for my constellation.


T1 Seraphon: Starpriest buffs the Sallies with Summon Starlight and Serpent Staff. The Slann trades spells for CCP. EotG rolls a 15 and 20 Skinks come to the battlefield. I then teleport them to take Tzeentch’s left objective and teleport the Rippers into his deployment zone near the same objective. The TQ castle moves up the field and the Skinks on my objectives move forward to better screen them. Only the summoned Skinks are in range to shoot and they take out 3 Brimstones. 4-0 Seraphon

T1 Tzeentch: He uses Changehost to move away from his left objective and then again to move a unit of Pinks towards my right objective. The GS casts Balewind (I could not Unbind a single spell the whole game). He gets most of his casts off and manages to wipeout half of the summoned 20 Skinks, 1 Ripper, and 2 Sallies. Only the Pinks near my right objective can shoot and fight, and they kill 7 of 10. I Wary Fighter away, but he’s gained the objective. 4-3 Seraphon


T2 Seraphon: The EotG again rolls a 15, so this time I summon 3 Rippers. I teleport the Skink Handlers and remaining Salamander into shooting range of the GS. I cast Meteoric Convocation on a unit of Pinks and kill 3. In movement, the 3 remaining Skinks near my right objective move to the edge of 6” and behind cover. The Skinks on the middle objective fan out to screen and the Skinks on his left objective shuffle back maintain control. The Rippers in his deployment move up and the TQ castle keeps moving up the board. The Salamander misses its shot, but one Basti kills the GS and the other wipes the unit of Pinks that lost 3 already. Rippers make their charge this time and wipe out a unit of Brimstones. 7-3 Seraphon


T2 Tzeentch: His spell casting is still on point and he destroys the remaining Rippers in the original unit. The Aethervoid Pendulum and Purple Sun arrive on the board, with the Pendulum hitting the summoned Rippers, killing one and the Purple Sun moving into my middle Skinks, killing 3. He moves the Pinks in my deployment around the terrain to finish off the Skinks there. The Herald on Disc runs toward his left objective and he summons in 10 Blue Horrors to attempt the contest. He also summons in 10 Pinks and 10 more Blues. He opts to burn my right objective and gets 3 VP. 7-8 Tzeentch


T3 Seraphon: Since I get priority, he opts to move the Purple Sun. It gets within range of a Basti and inflicts one wound. It also inflicts one more wound into the Skinks it’s been in contact with. I don’t move the Pendulum, but the roll for it is a 4 and kills the unit. I decide to LoSaT my Slann away from the TQ castle to near his right objective. TQ castle moves out of the way of the Pendulum and closer to his units. Skinks move back away from the Purple Sun but maintain control of the objectives. The Slann summons in two units of 3 Rippers. One Basti fails its wound rolls, but the other nukes the Herald on Disc. The Rippers both make their charges, and the first activation wipes away a unit of 10 Brimestones. The remaining Brimstones are unable to inflict any damage. The one Ripper in contact with those Brimstones kills 5. At the end of my turn, I burn his left and right objectives for 3 VP and I still control 2 of mine. 12-8 Seraphon


We talk out the game at this point. In T4, he’d likely keep control of his center objective since most of his army is around it, but his Pinks in my zone wouldn’t be able to capture my center objective. T4 would likely end 14-9 Seraphon. We wouldn’t have time for T5 and even if we did, the best he could hope for would be to gain control of and burn my center objective for 3 VP. Even if he maintained control of his center object through T5, he’d only get 4 VP max and I would have 1 VP, ending the game at 15-13 Seraphon.

Post Battle Analysis​

This was the very first time I have used Thunderquake. It’s an amazing battalion and IMO is superior to Shadowstrike, as it provides so much utility throughout the game. I forgot to even declare the start of charge option throughout the game. I’m not a huge fan of having to keep everything within 10 – 12” and could see how that could be exploited (especially by Warp Lightening Vortex) but the healing and additional dice roll for the EotG were great. See it’s potential in action definitely makes me want to get another Basti and two more Stegadon kits.

I’ve run the Astrolith Bearer now several times and there’s an MVP of a unit if I’ve ever seen one. I don’t want to run a list without it now! The hit re-rolls and +1 to cast have helped immensely and running it with TQ is an automatic in my mind.

Aside from forgetting the The Creator’s Will throughout the game, I’m not sure that I made any mistakes. It could be argued that I could have summoned 3 Rippers on T1, thus allowing me to have two Blot Toads, but my first Toad didn’t even get utilized and the second set of Rippers died before getting into combat. So, I think the 20 Skinks securing his left objective was the better option. I just know that I really want to play this battalion more.

 

Well, we have a tournament date: September 14th, so expect a report around that time. I'm looking forward to it!

In the meantime, I played a game against Gwendar's Skaventide army. We rolled for places of Arcane Power, but didn't use a Realmscape. He finished deployment first and took first turn. I forgot to use Stealthy Advance. I rolled Hunter's Steed for my Constellation.

Spoiler: Skaventide

Allegiance: Skaventide

Leaders
Arch-Warlock(160)
-General
-Trait: Deranged Inventor
-Artefact: Vigordust Injector
-Lore of Warpvolt Galvanism: More-more-more Warp Power!
Grey Seer(140)
-Lore of Ruin: Skitterleap
Verminlord Warpseer(300)

Battleline
40 x Clanrats(200)
-Rusty Blade
20 x Clanrats(120)
-Rusty Blade
20 x Clanrats(120)
-Rusty Blade

Units
9 x Stormfiends(780)
- Ratling Cannons
- Windlaunchers
- Shock Gauntlets

Endless Spells / Terrain
Warp Lightning Vortex(100)

Total:1970 / 2000
Extra Command Points:1
Allies:0 / 400
Wounds:157

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Aqshy

Leaders
Slann Starmaster(260)
-General
-Trait: Great Rememberer
-Artefact: Ignax's Scales
-Spell: Meteoric Convocation
Engine of the Gods(240)
-Artefact: Incandescent Rectrices
Skink Starpriest(80)
-Spell: Stellar Tempest
Saurus Astrolith Bearer(160)

Battleline
10 x Skinks(70)
-Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks(70)
-Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks(70)
-Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks(70)
-Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
3 x Razordons(120)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders(280)

Behemoths
Bastiladon(280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost(180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs(80)
Prismatic Palisade(30)

Total:1990 / 2000
Extra Command Points:1
Allies:0 / 400
Wounds:102

T1 Skaventide: The Arch-Warlock was able to cast Skitterleap and moved to the top right objective. He then was able to cast WLV on the right side of my army, killing 3 Skinks and inflicting one MW to the Basti. Also, the cast for More-more-more Warp-Power goes off and is applied to the Stormfiends. The unit of 9x Stormfiends then teleported through the Gnawhole to surround the Arch-Warlock. All the Clan Rats ran, creating a screen for the Warp Seer and Verminlord to move onto the middle objective.The Stormfiends are able to deal 4 wounds with their Windlaunchers to the Basti. 2-0 Skaventide


T1 Seraphon: Blot Toad goes right in the middle of the Stormfiends, also affecting the Arch-Warlock. I LoSaT the EotG and a unit of Skinks to the bottom right objective, but can't get the EotG within range of the objective as one Clan Rats forces me to be just outside. The EotG rolls a 10, but I don't get a 4+ for the MW roll. The Starpriest fails to cast Cogs and I bank 10 + 2 CCP. I move all the Skinks and the Basti away from the WLV, but one unit is still in range and losses a model. The Slann, Starpriest, AstroBear, and Razors all move to the right. I don't summon, but do bring down the Rippers into the Arch-Warlock and Stormfiends. They only manage 3 wounds on the hero, thanks to it's -1 to be hit and 3+ save. The rest of the Rippers kill one Stormfiend and deal 3 damage to another. In retaliation, the Stormfiends Clubbing Blows deal 14 damage. I pull the unit as that only leaves 4 wounds left and he still has Shock Gauntlets to roll. The Basti is able to inflict 3 wounds on the VL and the Skink unit on the right gets one shot through into the 20 Clan Rats. 2-0 Skaventide


T2 Seraphon: LoSaT teleports the Slann and AstroBear to the bottom left objective. The Starpriest fails the cast for Cogs again. The EotG rolls a 13 (discarded a 2) and gets the 4+ roll for the MW roll and kills 2 Clan Rats. Once again, I move the Basti, Starpriest, Razors, and 2 units of Skinks towards the left. The right most unit of Skinks moves up to charge the Stormfiends. On the left, the EotG and Skinks move towards the objective with the Skinks screening the EotG. The Basti gets 6 wounds into the VL this round, leaving it with 4 wounds left. The left Skinks manage 2 more wounds into the Clan Rats. The Skinks on the right charge the Stormfiends and then Wary Fighter to create a roadblock. 2-1 Skaventide


T2 Skaventide: He dispells WLV, hoping to Skitterleap and recast it on the left group, but fails the Skitterleap cast. He is able to cast MMMWP on the Stormfiends again, however. With the threat of the Rippers removed, the Stormfiends are able to move away from the objective. On the right, the Clan Rats move into charge range of the Skinks. The Stormfiends Rattling Cannons have 9 D6 attacks which were directed at the Skinks road blocking them. As you can imagine, they were obliterated. Their Windlaunchers were once again directed at the Basti and deal 7 damage to over-kill it. The Clan Rats charge the Skink screen on the left and deal 4 wounds. I retaliate with the EotG but only deal 4 damage and the Skinks whiff. 6-1 Skaventide

T3 Seraphon: I teleport the AstroBear and Razors to the middle of the board. The Starpriest casts Stellar Tempest on the unit of 40 Clan Rats and kills 14. The EotG rolls a 15 and I bring in 3 Rippers. I move the untouched unit of Skinks up to attempt a charge. I summon in a Basti next to the AstroBear and Razors. The Razordons fire into the Warp-seer and kill it, but the Basti doesn't do any damage to the VL. The Skinks unit near the Stormfiends make their long charge and I immediately Wary Fighter them to again create a bit of a roadblock. Thanks to terrible rolls, the Clan Rats on the left manage to remain with 4 models left. 6-3 Skaventide


T3 Skaventide: I let Gwendar know he would win regardless, but to play out the turn. He again only manages to cast MMMWP. We agreed to see the damage potential of the Rattling Cannons and after rolls and saves, they did 46 damage to the unit of 10 Skinks... he then directed their Windlaunchers at the Razordons and killed two models. We called it with a 12-3 Skaventide win.

Post-Battle Analysis
​

I made a few mistakes in this game, I think.

1. It may have been better to leave the Rippers in the sky longer so as to delay the Stormfiends moving off the objective, further reducing their effectiveness in the game. Bringing them down in my T1 proved rather pointless as the sheer amount of wounds a unit of 9 Stormfiends has (57!!) really prevents the unit from hoping to put much of dent in them.
2. I kept the Razordons out of shooting range for too long. I used them as a screen against a Skitterleap, but forgot that spell only works on heroes. They should have been moving toward the middle by T2 at the latest.
3. I'm not remembering our spells. The Slann could have dealt some damage to the VL in T1 with Meteoric Convocation.
4. I didn't use Palisades. This was not so much a mistake as it was the casting rolls screwing me. I couldn't cast Cogs in two turns, which I had planned to use the added spell cast for casting Palisades.

Ultimately, though my biggest issue was not being able to remove his heroes. I rolled decently against the Arch-Warlock, but it's a resilient little bastard. Not having more shooting for the middle heroes hurt me and pretty much ensured Gwendar's victory. Hopefully, I'll remember our casting potential in future games and be a bit less timid with my movement.

 

Meh, that almost sounded like you basicly played a game against a unit of stormfiends with the rest of his army barely mattering.

On that note, what actually is supposed to be the counter against a full unit of stormfiends like this? They're basicly an army on their own with their amazing statline, and that's without taking into account any possible external buffs they might have. Has the powercreep already become so bad that units like this can only be "countered" by just striking first with equally absurdly powerfull stuff?

 

Well, to be honest the Stormfiends really missed their potential in this battle. If Gwendar had deployed them in the middle of the board, it would have been much worse for me. As it was, I basically gave him the Rippers. I mean, they typically die after their first attack anyway, so I don't really count them. So, the most they really did was to kill the first Bastiladon and two units of Skinks, which were cannon fodder anyway. Now his list definitely placed everything in that unit, but that's not unheard of in other armies as well.

Realistically, the game was decided when I couldn't take out his middle heroes. The SFs were not a real threat and not what prevented me from winning. But in answer to your question, our army is just going to have to roadblock them as much as possible and use any area-denial/movement hindering spells available to us. There is literally nothing in our army that can stand up to 9x SFs.

Edit: additionally, SFs stat-line did not change in their update. Their weapon options, configuration changed a bit, but their wounds and save did not. Used to be you'd bring them in units of 3, but now bringing less than 6 doesn't work well for them, at all, as a result of said weapon changes. What makes them great is the addition of Warp Sparks and MMMWP.

 

Well, I think one of our only answers to a unit of 9 stormfiends, combat wise, is to dump a buttload of rippers on em. I mean, with 57 wounds, and a 4+ save means we need to inflict roughly 114 wounds to wipe out the squad. Now, a unit of 15 rippers in a shadowstrike batallion will do right around 115 wounds the turn they drop in. This unit of rippers will cost 700 points (+180 for the battalion) and you will need to get all 15 stuck in to combat, but in theory, you should be able to alpha strike the whole unit of storm fiends off the board.

Edit: Note, this may not be feasible or even advisable, but as far as I can tell this would do the trick...

 

You can't put 15 Rippers into single unit.Which means you'd need to bring two battalions of 6 and 9 Rippers each, at least. I really don't think this would be advisable as it's pretty much list tailoring and wouldn't be a great answer to many other armies you would phase. We deal with SFs the same way you deal with any high damage unit: roadblock and avoid.

 

Ah. Right. Max unit sizes. Well, you could send in 9 and on average kill 5 or 6 then I guess!

 

I meant more in general, not necesarly using our army.

They're too sturdy to reliably alpha strike without dedicating an absolute obscene amount of firepower
They're quite shooty, so you can't really try to outgun them.
They're quite fighty so engaging them in melee isn't exactly advisable either.

They're a bit weird with their mixed equipment allowing them to essentially fullfill every role at once when fielded in large groups.
​

How exactly do you want to roadblock artillery? They have devestating ranged weaponry, it's not like they need to get in melee range to do significant damage (just look at your bastiladon). I mean, it's better to keep em in one place, but it's hardly going to stop em from killing a bunch of your stuff unless you play on an absolutly massive battlefield or your opponent is so kind as to put em in a corner.