AoS Stürmer's Battle Reports

It's not like that hero/wizard is going to contest it for long (even if that is possible). So unless you have the freedom to keep on shoving heroes in there to contest it continuously she's still going to be banking a decent chunk of points.

Imho Morathi, like Nagash, just seems like an inherently impossible to balance model. Just like him she has a completly unique ability putting her leagues beyond everyone else. Noone else has quite as much survivability as she has. And on a battleplan like this survivability is king, especially when paired with a decent statprofile and spells like she is. To be honest it surprises me neither of them seem to be viewed as broken by the community at large given how wildly more powerfull their special abilities are than anything else in the game.

 

Escalation League
1250 MPP in Shyish, Game 5
Seraphon vs Flesh Eater Courts​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Doppelganger Cloak
Skink Starpriest (80)
- Artefact: Miasmatic Blade

Battleline
20 x Skinks (120)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
4 x Razordons (160)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs (60)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 1240 / 1250
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 200
Wounds: 71

Spoiler: Flesh Eater Courts

Allegiance: Flesh Eater Courts
- Grand Court: Court of Delusion - The Feast Day
Mortal Realm: Ghur

Leaders
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- General
- Trait: Dark Wizardy
- Lore of Madness: Spectral Host
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- Lore of Madness: Miasmal Shroud
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (400)
- Artefact: Gryph-feather Charm
- Lore of Madness: Blood Feast
- Mount Trait: Gruesome Bite

Battleline
30 x Crypt Ghouls (300)
10 x Crypt Ghouls (100)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chalice of Ushoran (40)

Total: 1240 / 1250
Extra Command Points: 0
Allies: 0 / 200
Wounds: 68

Battled Gwendar again and rolled for the Battleplan which was Played Three Places of Power. I had less drops and opted to go first. I rolled The Great Drake for my constellation. Stealthy Advance was used to get the Starpriest and unit of 20 Skinks into range of capturing the middle objective.


T1 Seraphon: I failed Cogs cast, but got the Balewind. I placed the Blot Toad at the middle objective. Serpent Staff on the Razordons and The Trap is Sprung on his General Abhorrant Archregent. I teleported the Razordons to attempt to kill the General and teleported my Slann General to the left objective and banked 10 CCP. I then moved the unit of 20 Skinks up to encircle the middle objective and ran the Starpriest to control the objective. I skipped summoning and shot 2 Razordons into each Abhorrant Archregent. I only inflicted 3 wounds on the General and got none on the 2nd. Skinks shots all failed. 2-0 Seraphon


T1 FEC: Gwendar got off the additional FNP save on the GKoTG and the Chalice. His General healed 3 wounds, negating the damage I had done. He moved his unit of 30 Ghouls slightly to allow for more movement within their screening. The unit of 10 ran to surround the right objective. He summoned in a Varghoulf on that objective and 2 units of 3x Crypt Flayers, 1 unit 9" away from the Razordons and the other 9" away from the Slann. His one shooting attack failed. He failed the charges on both Flayer units, but got an 11 for the GKoTG, bringing them into combat on the right side of the Starpriest and Skinks. Unfortunately, this put the GKoTG within 3" of the Starpriest and its 3" attack rolled 11 wound that I couldn't save against. The other attacks went into the Skinks, killing 6. Feeding Frenzy on the GKoTG back into the Skinks and reduced them to 3 models. Not surprisingly, they failed their melee and auto failed their battleshock test. 2-1 Seraphon



T2 Seraphon: I banked 13 CCP, for 23 total. Then I failed both LoSaT attempts on the Razordons. I ran the unit of 10 Skinks, but they wouldn't be doing anything this game. Rippers came down for the GKoTG. I summoned in 3 Skink Handlers, a Salamander, and 10 Skinks, but they couldn't screen the Slann as the Rippers were 9" away from him. The Slamander made it shooting attack and It Burns, killing one Flayer. The Razordons fired all shots into the Abhorrant Archregent General, but still only inflicted 3 wounds. The Rippers made their charge with a 6 and I opted to not charge the Razordons. The Rippers managed to get 9 wounds into the GKoTG, even with it's -1 from Gryph Feather, 4+ normal save, 6+ FNP, and additional 5+ FNP from Unholy Vitality. Even so, not enough. The GKoTG barely takes any bracketing hits and easily dispatched the Rippers with Feeding Frenzy. 4-1 Seraphon


T2 FEC: He extended his unit of 30 Ghouls around the middle objective and auto-ran the Archregent General to be within 3" of the middle objective. The Flayers moved up and made their charges into the Slann and Razordons. He killed one Razordon and all my return bite attacks failed. He put one Flayer into the Handlers, missing, and the other into the Slann, removing it's Doppelganger Cloak. I struck back with the Handlers, Salamander, and Slann and managed 3 wounds. 4-4 tie


At this point, I conceded. I knew the math was not on my side, as I would at best control the left objective for one more turn, getting my 7 VP by the end of my T3. On His T3, he'd be pushing the GKoTG and 30 Ghouls toward my Slann and he'd have 5 more VP for a total of 9 at the end of his T3.

Post Game Analysis
​

I think I made a good choice to take T1 and get on the objectives and be aggressive. You can't not be on this Battleplan. However, I should have focused fire from all 4 Razordons on the Archregent General. Even so, I rolled TERRIBLY with them this game. In my last several games, this unit has been the MVP. Rippers are amazing, but almost always die immediately. I have so far gotten at least two turns of good shooting out of the Razordons in several previous matches. Between that and failing both LoSaT attempts in T2, it really made it that much easier for FEC to win. Had the LoSaT gon off, I MIGHT have had enough damage from them and the Rippers to dispatch the GKoTG, giving me a much better chance for a potential victory. But, Dice are gonna be Dice. One other mistake was not summoning a Skink screen in my T1, which would have futher limited his deployment of the Flayers that attacked the Slann.

 

Something else I considered: I likely would have been better off putting the Rippers into the right objective after I failed the Razordon LoSaT attempts. Even without the Blot Toad, I could have killed the summoned hero there and potentially also the Ghouls, denying him the VP. He then would have had to choose to move the GKoTG to that objective, or take two turns getting an Archregent up there. Which means at the end of his T2 he would have had at best 2 VP.

Or he could just ignore it and fly his GKoTG into the Slann. He probably would have opted for that...

 

Escalation League
1250 MPP in Shyish, Game 6
Seraphon vs Dauhters of Khaine​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Miasmatic Blade
Skink Starpriest (80)
- Artefact: Spellmirror

Battleline
20 x Skinks (120)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers

Units
4 x Razordons (160)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chronomantic Cogs (60)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 1240 / 1250
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 200
Wounds: 71

Spoiler: Daughters of Khaine

Allegiance: Daughters of Khaine

Leaders
Morathi High Oracle of Khaine(480)
-General
-Lore of Shadows: Pit of Shades
Slaughter Queen on Cauldron of Blood(330)
-Prayer: Blessing of Khaine
Hag Queen(60)
-Prayer: Catechism of Murder

Battleline
20 x Witch Aelves(200)
-Pairs of Sacrificial Knives
10 x Witch Aelves(100)
-Pairs of Sacrificial Knives

Units
5 x Khinerai Heartrenders(80)

Total:1250 / 1250
Extra Command Points:0
Allies:0 / 200
Wounds:59

We rolled for Gift from the Heavens. Rather than measure out the landing, we placed 4 tokens (dropped two, because we're still playing on 4x4) in the location of where the objectives could show up, and would flip them over once the roll was determined in our T2 hero phases. We also rolled for a Realm Feature that on a 6, you could pick any enemy unit and inflict D3 mortal wounds to it. Not surprisingly, it never went off. I won the priority roll, opted for him to deploy first, but I took first turn (less drops). Constellation roll was The Great Drake.
DEPLOYMENT


STEALTHY ADVANCE


T1 Seraphon: Both wizards out outside unbind range and I get both Cogs and Balewind rolls. I bank the 13 CCP for the Slann. LoSaT goes off on a 5, and the Razordons teleport to outisde of 9" of the unit of 20 Witch Aelves on the left. The Blot Toad is placed between Morathi and the unit of 10 Witch Aelves on the right. At the end of movement, the Rippers descend and swoop into Morathi and her Witch Aelves escort. The Razordons come back into their glory and take out 11 Witch Aelves in shooting. I charge the Rippers and Razordons successfully. Rippers pile in to allow for 2 into Morathi and 4 into the 10 Witch Aelves. I activate the Rippers first, get the allowed 3 wounds into Morathi and wipe the Witch Aelves. The Razordons suffer 8 wounds and don't manage any melee attacks. Morathi does 2 wounds to the Rippers. The Witch Aelves lose 4 more from Battleshock.


T1 DoK: He uses a CP to allow the remaining Witch Aelves attack in the Hero Phase and they inflict 3 wounds. The Hag Queen fails a prayer on a 1 and takes a mortal wound. Morathi enlarges, but only has 6 wounds. The Cauldron moves up 11". Within shooting range of the unit of 20 Skinks. The Khinerai descended from the skies and threw their Javelins into the unit of 20 Skinks, killing 2. They then used their ability on a 4+ to make a 6" move. The Cauldron shot into the same unit and killed 6. The Khinerai attacked first killing 2 more Skinks. The Rippers attack Morathi, but the Blot Toad isn't in range of Morathi and they don't get Swooping Dive because they have been stuck in combat. Even so, the 3 Rippers in combat manage 2 wounds. Morathi attacks back, inflicting 7 wounds, which killed 3 models. I use Wary Fighter to move out of combat of the Khinerai, but within 6" of the right objective marker. The Witch Aelves pile in and kill the remaining Razordon.


T2 Seraphon: We both roll a 6, so I get the turn. I roll for the objective and it's my right side. I bank 16 CCP on the Slann and LoSaT the him to my zone's right corner. The second LoSaT is used to move the unit of 10 Skinks to be in shooting range of the Khinerai. The Slann summons in 2 Razordons. 18 Skinks and 2 Razordons fire everything into the Khinerai and wipe them out, removing the threat to the objective control. The only combat I have is the Rippers and they manage to get 3 wounds allotted into Morathi, bringing her down to 1 wound. Morathi fights back and inflicts 7 wounds, killing two more models. 2-0 Seraphon


T2 DoK: Rolling for DoK objective reveals to be on the same side of the battlefield as mine. Avatar of Khaine is once again active. The Hag Queen fails a prayer on a 1 and takes a mortal wound, again. The 5 remaining Witch Aelves and ran towards their objective. The Cauldron auto runs 12" but doesn't quite make it into shooting or charge range. Morathi gazes at the remaining Ripper and slays it. 2-2 tie

T3 DoK: Hero phase is failed cast from Morathi. The Cauldron moves up to shooting & charge range. Morathi moves closer to the objective and the Hag Queen runs to help secure it. The Cauldron shots into the 8 remaining Skinks and kills 6 more. Then it charges into the unit of 10 and kills 3 Skinks. In combat, the Cauldron finishes of the remaining 7. 2-5 DoK

T3 Seraphon: I cast the Realm Spell Word of Ending from the Starpriest on the Cauldron and inflict 3 mortal wounds. The Slann teleports behind Morathi and sets up for deep-strike. The Razordons move up to be just within 6" of the Cauldron and the two remaining Skinks run to block the gap the Cauldron could use to swing around the Razordons. Razordons shoot into the Cauldron and inflict 2 wounds. I FORGET TO FREAKING SUMMON... 5-5 tie


T4 Seraphon: Thank the Old Ones for the double turn! Starpriest cast Word of Ending again and gets off two more wounds. I then teleport the Starpriest behind the Razordons and give them Serpent Staff. I shuffled the 2 Skinks and 1 Razordon to better screen my objective. I remember the summon and bring in 3 Rippers and a Bastiladon. Razordons shave off 3 more wounds on the Cauldron, bring it down to 3. The Basti fires into the Witch Aelves and gets exactly 5 wounds, removing them from the board. The Rippers manage their charge, needing 2 CP re-rolls, but the Basti makes a long bomb charge into the Haq Queen on a roll of 12. The Rippers attack first and have no issue removing the one wound left on Morathi. The Hag strikes back and actually inflicts 1 wound on the Bastiladon. It then inflicts 1 wound on the Hag Queen. I score 8 VP here, as I control both objectives, bring the score to 13-5 Seraphon.



T4 DoK: This turn can be wrapped up with stating that the Cauldron charged into the two remaining Skinks, killing them and killed a Razordon in combat. The Bastiladon finished off the Hag Queen and we ended the game at 13-9 Seraphon.

Post Game Analysis
​

The only real mistake I think I made in this battle was forgetting to summon in my T3, but the double turn made up for it. The aggressive T1 I took paid off this time, as I was able to remove 20% of his army and severely diminish his ability to control both objectives. The Skinks served me well and the Razordons once again performed admirably. I remembered to get the initial 3 wounds into Morathi and tied her up for two full turns. This DoK player is no slouch. Be beat me in our last match up and I'll definitely try to play him again at higher point levels.

 

this is a good example what to do with morathi:

option 1) smash her in first form so she isnt unkillable in her monster form. after that you need 2 turn to finish the job
option 2) ignore her and feed her with skinks every round

 

2K Matched Play
Seraphon vs Blades of Khorne​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Miasmatic Blade
Skink Starpriest (80)
- Artefact: Spellmirror
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Carnosaur (240) (Proxied with Troglodon)
- War Spear
- Artefact: Sword of Judgement
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
- Artefact: Betrayer's Crown

Battleline
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances

Units
4 x Razordons (160)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Dracothion's Tail (80)
Firelance Starhost (150)
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Aethervoid Pendulum (40)
Balewind Vortex (40)

Total: 2000 / 2000
Extra Command Points: 3
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 110

Spoiler: Blades of Khorne

Allegiance: Khorne
- Slaughterhost: The Goretide
Mortal Realm: Aqshy

Leaders
Skullgrinder (80)
- General
- Trait: Hew the Foe
- Artefact: Mark of the Destroyer
Aspiring Deathbringer (80)
- Goreaxe and Skullhammer
- Artefact: The Skull-helm of Khorne
Bloodsecrator (140)
- Artefact: Thronebreaker's Torc
Slaughterpriest (100)
- Blood Blessing: Bronzed Flesh
Slaughterpriest (100)
- Blood Blessing: Killing Frenzy

Battleline
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
5 x Blood Warriors (100)
- Goreaxe & Gorefist
10 x Bloodreavers (70)
- Reaver Blades

Units
5 x Wrathmongers (140)
5 x Wrathmongers (140)
5 x Skullreapers (180)
- Goreslick Blades

Battalions
Bloodforged (120)
Bloodmad Warband (160)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Bleeding Icon (40)
Hexgorger Skulls (40)

Total: 1990 / 2000
Extra Command Points: 2
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 142

We decided to use the new Forbidden Power book and play the first Battleplan. At the beginning of each round, roll a D6 and on a 1-3 the two objectives on the horizontal are worth 2 points, on a 4-6 the objectives on the vertical are worth two points. I finished deployment first, putting the Scar-Vet on Carnosaur, Scar-Vet on Cold One, and one unit of Knights in the Heavens, and opted for Khorne to go first. Constellation roll was The Hunter’s Steed.


T1 Khorne: He gets of the Hexgorger Skulls, but they aren’t in range to be effective. The Bleeding Icon fails. He runs nearly everything, pushing the Bloodreavers , 4 units of Blood Warrriors, the Skullreapers, Bloodsecrator, and the Aspiring Deathbringer forward. One unit of Blood Reavers protect each of his two objectives. He rolls low on the Wrathmongers, who are escorting his Skullgrinder General, so they barely move. One Slaughterpriest ascends the Altar and another moves forward, staying within 8” of the Altar. Nothing is in range to charge, so his turn ends. 3-0 Khorne


T1 Seraphon: I decide to let him spread out his forces more to allow me a better opportunity to strike without immediate retaliation on my units with multiples of his. I put the Blot Toad near his highest concentration of units and his horizontal objective. I cast the Balewind and banked 10 CCP. Serpent Staff went on the left unit of Knights. Trap is Sprung was placed on the Bloodreavers. I did not bring any units down from the Heavens. I teleported the Starpriest out to attempt casting Aethervoid Pendulum but forgot about the 12” range of the Hexgorger Skulls and the -2 to cast cased my roll to fail. Fortunaely I was able to teleport the unit back. I moved the two units of Skinks back, maintaining objective control, but widening the gap he would need to cross. The two units of Knights moved out 14” to provide flanking cover. Razordons moved up behind the left unit of Skinks. I was able to take out one Bloodreaver with a Skink blowdart, but nothing else was in range. 3-3 tie


T2 Khorne: The 2-point objectives shifted to the verticle. We both rolled a 6, so priority went to Khorne. The Hexgorger Skulls dissipated, but he was able to get them and the Bleeding Icon on the field. The Icon was not in range to affect anything, but the Skulls moved up in range of the Starpriest. The army continued to advance and the Bloodreavers were able to charge my left unit of Knights. As this was the only combat to resolve, he managed two wounds and the Knights managed 3 wounds. His Battleshock roll was a 5, but the Knights Icon made it a 6, so 4 more ran. He wasn’t able to advance enough units to contest or capture my objectives. 6-3 Khorne


T2 Seraphon: The Slann teleported to the upper right corner of the battlefield. I call down the unit of Knights and Scar-Vet on Cold One from the Heavens. The Starpriest cast the Athervoid Pendulum again, rolling a 9, so passed the -2 to cast and didn’t get an 8 which would have been nasty. Unfortunately, it’s not in range to do any damage either. I shift the Skinks once again to provide a screen around my objectives. The Razordons move into range of the Bloodreavers and a unit of Blood Warriors. I do not summon any units and instead bank the 13 CCP. In the Shooting Phase I destroy his unit of Bloodreavers and take out two models from the unit of Blood Warriors. The summoned Knights make the charge into another unit of Blood Warriors and kill 2, taking two wounds in return. 6-6 tie


T3 Khorne: The 2-point objectives shifted to the horizontal. Priority roll for both of us is a 1, so it’s once again Khorne’s turn. As I am going second, I move the Pendulum forward so that the Aspiring Deathbringer is in range of its damage and suffers 3 Mortal Wounds. In his hero phase, he dispels the Pendulum. The Bleeding Icon crashes into the left unit of Skinks and does 3 Mortal Wounds. Then one of the Slaughterpriests manages a prayer that does 4 more Mortal Wounds. The 3 Blood Warriors near the depleted Skinks charges them, ending their charge within 3” of the Razordons. Instinctive Defense goes off and 5 wounds make it through, leaving one Blood Warrior with one wound. The Blood Warriors and Aspiring Deathbringer make their charges into the other unit of Skinks. He opts to activate them first and melts the unit, securing the objective. I use Wary Fighter on the three remaining Skinks and maintain objective control on my vertical objective. 11-6 Khorne

T3 Seraphon: I teleport my Slann and Starpriest to Khorne’s deployment zone. I cast the Pendulum again on an 11, but he auto unbinds it with the two Blood Titihe points accrued so far. I gather 13 more CCP, putting me at 36.I bring the Scar-Vet on Carnosaur down from the Heavens. The unit of 4 Knights move up for a charge and the Razordons move into range of another unit of Blood Warriors. The Scar-Vet on Cold One and last unit of Knights prepare for a charge to attempt retaking my horizontal objective. The Rippers now come down as well. The Slann summons in 2 Salamanders and a unit of Handlers. The Razordons shoot into a fresh unit of Blood Wariors and inflict 3 wounds. One Salamander manages 2 wounds on the Skullgrinder, but the other whiffs.

All charges go off… there are now 15 combat resolutions needing to take place! I opt for the Rippers to go first, putting 4 into one unit of Wrathmongers and 2 into the other. I destroy one unit and take the other down 2 models, plus 2 wounds. The Wrathmongers Bloodfury ability inflicted 6 Mortal Wounds in return. The Skullgrinder General attacks the Carnosaur next and deal 4 wounds. The Carnosaur strikes back into the Skullgrinder General, but isn’t able to kill him, dealing 4 of his 5 wounds. The Wrathmongers attack the Carnosaur next, dealing 6 more wounds. At the end of combat, the Skullgrinder’s ability that deals D3 Mortal Wounds kills the Carnosaur. The rest of combat I’m able to clear out the Blood Warriors and Aspiring Deathbringer around my horizontal objective, but I lose 3 Knights and take 3 wounds on the Scar-Vet on Cold One. The Knights and Blood Warriors in the back are both down to one model, still locked in combat. The Razordons chewed up the last Blood Warrior near my vertical objective. I am able to secure my two objectives, but he’s still got his two as well. 11-9 Khorne


T4 Seraphon: Both the Khorne Judgements remain on the board. The roll for the objectives leaves them unmoved.

Finally, a double turn. I bank 13 more CCP. I attempt to cast Athervoid Pendulum again but fail it. I teleport the Razordons near my Slann and Starpriest. Knights, Scar-Vet on Cold One, Salamanders and Skink Handlers all move up for charges. I summon in 10 Skinks and two units of Chameleon Skinks… completely forgetting I won’t be able to use them… Everything shots into the 5 Blood Warriors surrounding his horizontal objective and 3 die from the volleys. One Salamander makes the charge into the 2 remaining Blood Warriors as do the Skink Handlers. The 4 Knights charge one of the Slaughterpriests. The Scar-Vet on Cold One and one Knight charge the Bloodsecrator. I’m able to clear the last two Blood Warriors on his horizontal objective and the Rippers finish of the Skullgrinder General. 11-12 Seraphon


T4 Khorne: The Starpriest gets taken out by a prayer, as I’d moved it to close to the Slaughterpriest on the Altar. The Bleeding Icon moves up and deals 2 Mortal Wounds to the three Skinks left holding my vertical objective. The unit of Skullreapers move off his vertical objective to charge the Razordons. At the end of movement he summons a Bloodthirster. It Charges into the Rippers and the Skullreapers charge the Razordons. Instinctive Defense goes off, but I only get 3 wounds into the unit.The Bloodthirster attacks first, removing the remaining Rippers from the field. At this point, he stated it was unlikely he’d be able to take control of any of the objectives and we shook hands on a good game. 12-12 tie.

Post Game Analysis​

Two things stand out to me in this game. I should have gotten a unit of Knights on the right side of the board to my horizontal objective quicker. Had they been there I would likely have been able to hold the objective and keep Khorne from getting ahead in T3. Second, I absolutely should not have summoned Chameleon Skinks. In my enthusiasm to hopefully make use of them for the first time, I didn’t think ahead to the time limit which would restrict playing T5 and thus make them useless. Outside of those two mistakes, this was a really fun game, IMO. It was intimidating to play such a robust and brutal army. I honestly thought the Knights would just get wiped off the board in one combat phase, but they held out and managed to dish out some damage in return.

I really like this 2K list and until I get an EoTG and another Behemoth, it’s probably the best 2K list I can field. Great Rememberer is such a powerful ability and I can’t see ever using Vast Intellect, though I still really want to see how it could perform. Thanks for reading!

 

Great Bat Rep. I love the work you put into these. They are absolutely gorgeous. How are you liking the Saurus knights overall?

 

Does Khorne not have something more interesting to field? That's one of the most boring looking lists I've ever seen, just a butload of small units of medium-heavy infantry. I'm not even sure what's supposed to be the tactic behind it beyond just "throw models at enemy, hope I kill them first" which admittadly is very much in character for a khornate warlord. There's no clear big threat, nor are there any clear amazing synergies resulting in any deathstars or particularly murderous monsters, or even varied roles. Is there anything more to that list than just throwing it at the enemy and hoping you kill stuff before it kills you?

 

I have been pleasantly surprised with the Knights. They don't do great damage, but they don't die easily. They tie up enemy units for 2-4 turns, which is what I'm often looking for. I'll keep using them.

BTW, thanks for the compliment! Helps to keep me motivated to write up the reports.

 

Have you heard of Blood Tithe? It's not a super varied list, sure, but this was my opponents first time playing them (his main army is DoK) and he really wanted to use the Battalions in his list, which required lots of these infantry units. Additionally, while they only came in 5s, they aren't easy to remove and if you engage Blood Warriors in combat, each one that dies gets to attack before being removed. The Wrathmongers have 3 wounds and Skullreapers have 4. It's not an easy army to chew through and for each one you do, it benefits Khorne. He got 10 Blood Tithe points by his T4, which means he could have easily gotten 4-8 more by his T5. Deamons of Khorne have more "interesting" units, but arguably not as robust. Bloodletters die pretty damn easily. Bloodthirsters are relatively cheap for what they do and a lot of tournament lists have them, but again, he wanted to play this list for his first game.

 

Still, his units are very same-y. I'm sure it's effective (to some extend) thanks to their great stats. But it just looks so boring and straightforward a list.

 

Escalation League
1500 MPP in Ulgu, Game 1
Seraphon vs Flesh Eater Courts​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Doppelganger Cloak
Skink Starpriest (80)
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
- Artefact: Betrayer's Crown

Battleline
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances

Units
4 x Razordons (160)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Balewind Vortex (40)
Chronomantic Cogs (60)

Total: 1460 / 1500
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 88

Spoiler: Flesh Eater Courts

Allegiance: Flesh Eater Courts
- Grand Court: Court of Delusion - The Feast Day
Mortal Realm: Ghur

Leaders
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- General
- Trait: Dark Wizardy
- Lore of Madness: Spectral Host
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- Lore of Madness: Miasmal Shroud
Crypt Ghast Courtier (60)
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (400)
- Lore of Madness: Blood Feast
- Mount Trait: Gruesome Bite

Battleline
40 x Crypt Ghouls (360)
10 x Crypt Ghouls (100)
10 x Crypt Ghouls(100)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chalice of Ushoran (40)
Aethervoid Pendulum (40)

Total: 1500 / 1500
Extra Command Points: 0
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 92

We rolled for Three Places of Power. I won the priority roll, opted for him to deploy first and take first turn. Constellation roll was The Sage's Staff.


T1 FEC: He only managed one spell this turn, additional attack, which he then +3 attacks on the GKoTG. Gwendar moves everything forward, securing the middle objective with the GKoTG. He brought on 3 Crypt Horrors and a Varghulf Courtier near the right objective. 1-0 FEC


T1 Seraphon: I fail Balewind and Cogs. I teleported a unit of Knights and the Razordons out into shooting and charge range. The Blot Toad was placed next to his summoned units, but then I forgot to bring in the Rippers. Skinks on the right moved up as did the both units of Knights (rolled a 5 on their LoSaT). Shooting only brought down 2 Ghouls. The teleported Knights made the charge and did 1 wound and the Knights suffered 3 in return. 1-0 FEC


T2 FEC: He gets the Chalice this turn and also +1 attack on the GKoTG. He's able to bring back all the Ghouls I killed. He caps all three objectives in movement. The GKoTG charges the middle Knights and a unit of 10 Ghouls charge into the Razordons. The Ghouls attack first and inflict 4 wounds. I pile in with the Knights around the GKoTG and make some attacks, but manage 5 wounds. The other unit of 10 Ghouls attacks the wounded Knights and 4 more wounds have passed through. GKoTG attacks, killing 4 Knights and 2 more Razordons and then is able to pile-in on Feeding Frenzy to be close enough to the Starpriest to delete it. 4-0 FEC


T2 Seraphon: I played out my turn, but nothing remarkable happened. I know only have 2 Heros on the board and most of my punch is gone. I knew I wouldn't be able to get through his screens and get Heros on objectives long enough to turn the VP tide, especially since I only had 15 CCP by end of my T2 Hero Phase. Yep, failed BW cast again... 4-0 FEC

Post Game Analysis​

I deployed WAAAAAAY too far back. That was dumb on my part, BUT Hero\Wizard cap battleplans are tough on Seraphon as we don't have many Hero's that can stand up to combat. Not to mention this list isn't great for this objective against a combat heavy army, either. Even so, I should have deployed further up, so that I could have gotten the Scar-Vet into the big unit of Ghouls to use Betrayer's Crown and maybe capped an objective.

I've been maintaining one list for the Escalation League and while it's been decent against most other armies in the League (Tzeentch, Khorne, Nurgle, DoK, Fyreslayers) this list and even the previous doesn't seem to have much chance against FEC. More often than not, Shadowstrike isn't effective against FEC, as a decent screen keeps the GKoTG from getting nuked, so the Rippers sit in the sky, just hoping for a good target. The one "advantage" I have is that Gwendar doesn't use Gristlegore, so I don't have to worry about getting destroyed by a first attack, but he hasn't seemed to need it. I'm almost of the opinion I need to develop a completely different list to fight him, but that is list tailoring, which is crappy to do.

 

Escalation League
1500 MPP in Ulgu, Game 2
Seraphon vs Flesh Eater Courts​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Seraphon
Mortal Realm: Ulgu

Leaders
Slann Starmaster (260)
- General
- Trait: Great Rememberer
- Artefact: Doppelganger Cloak
Skink Starpriest (80)
Saurus Scar-Veteran on Cold One (100)
- Artefact: Betrayer's Crown

Battleline
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
10 x Skinks (60)
- Boltspitters & Star Bucklers
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances
5 x Saurus Knights (90)
- Lances

Units
4 x Razordons (160)
6 x Ripperdactyl Riders (280)

Battalions
Shadowstrike Starhost (180)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Balewind Vortex (40)
Chronomantic Cogs (60)

Total: 1460 / 1500
Extra Command Points: 1
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 88

Spoiler: Flesh Eater Courts

Allegiance: Flesh Eater Courts
- Grand Court: Court of Delusion - The Feast Day
Mortal Realm: Ghur

Leaders
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- General
- Trait: Dark Wizardy
- Lore of Madness: Spectral Host
Abhorrant Archregent (200)
- Lore of Madness: Miasmal Shroud
Crypt Ghast Courtier (60)
Abhorrant Ghoul King on Royal Terrorgheist (400)
- Lore of Madness: Blood Feast
- Mount Trait: Gruesome Bite

Battleline
40 x Crypt Ghouls (360)
10 x Crypt Ghouls (100)
10 x Crypt Ghouls(100)

Endless Spells / Terrain
Chalice of Ushoran (40)
Aethervoid Pendulum (40)

Total: 1500 / 1500
Extra Command Points: 0
Allies: 0 / 400
Wounds: 92

In this game, we rolled for the Relocation Orb (pre-2019). I finished deployment first and opted to go first again. I roll Great Drake for the Constellation.

T1 Seraphon: The Starpriest and Slann both get their casts for Cogs and Vortex. I am able to teleport the Scar-Vet on Cold One to attempt a charge into the larger group of Ghouls and I drop the Rippers down on the smaller group. My reasoning here is that I was sure that the Crypt Ghast Cortier was in this group. I quickly found out this was not the case, as I went to separate attacks and Gwendar pointed out the Hero was not there. The Scar-Vet used the Betrayer's Crown, but only managed managed 8 wounds. In combat, the Scar-Vet killed 8 more, but was handily defeated by the remaining Ghouls with Feeding Frenzy, The Rippers were able to eliminate the unit of 10 Ghouls, but that was pointless. I did move a unit of 10 Skinks to control the objective and my Knights, Razordons, and other Skinks were used to screen for the potential onslaught. 1-0 Seraphon



T1 FEC: He is able to return 4 slain Ghouls to the large unit. His spell casting isn't doing well, but (as usual) against me it doesn't matter much. He moves the GKoTG to charge the Rippers and the remaining Ghouls to charge my Skinks on the objective. He uses all his summons this turn and 3 Flayers, 3 Horrors and a Varghulf appear near my bottom screen of Knights. The GKoTG fails it's charge but the Ghouls do not and easily slay the 10 Skinks, giving him control. 1-3 FEC


T2 FEC: The objective moved towards his summoned in units and FEC wins priority. He's still not doing well on spell casting. The Ghouls move for a charge into my center Knights, while the Varghulf and Flayers move towards the objective and the Horrors move towards the bottom Knights. He doesn't fail any charges this time and the GKoTG wipes out the Rippers. The middle Knights did some damage to the to the Ghouls, but the bottom Knights managed no wounds into the Horrors. In return, his Ghouls destroyed that unit of Knights and the Horrors killed two from the bottom unit. 1-4 FEC


T2 Seraphon: The Slann teleports closer to screening units. I bank the Slann spells for CCP and proceed to movement, where I get the Razordon's to within 6" of the Ghouls. My second unit of Skinks is also moved around terrain to be within shooting range of the Ghouls. I summoned in 5 Knights and 3 Rippers. In Shooting, the Skinks missed and the Razordons were able to kill 10 more Ghouls. The summoned Knights fail their charge, but the Razordons make their charge, in hopes of at least tieing up the Ghouls, should he win T3 priority. In melee they only manage to kill 2 more Ghouls, while the Ghouls kill 2 Razordons in return. The Knights only manage a few wounds into the Horrors, not even killing 1 and the Horrors kill one more Knight. 1-4 FEC


T3 Seraphon: The objective moves towards my Knights. I win the priority roll. The remaining two Razordons are teleported behind his Varghulf and Flayers. I run the Starpriest to help secure the objective and then move the summoned Knights and Rippers into charge range of his summoned units and then summon in 10 more Skinks and 2 Razordons. The summoned Razordons put in a few wounds into the Horrors, but teleported Razordons are unable to inflict any damage. The Knights and Rippers charge in and I'm able to destroy the Horrors. His Flayers hit back and kill 2 of the 3 Rippers. I do gain control of the objective. 2-4 FEC

T3 FEC: On his turn the Ghast Courtier runs to be in range of the objective. He's also able to charge in the Ghouls to be in range, along with the Varghulf. With two Heros, 13 Ghouls, and three Flayers ALL in range he easily overwhelms the objective (56 models to my 28). The math is not on my side and we call it, as he would easily kill the Starpriest and likely the rest of the models I had in the vicinity, which would assure his control and severely weaken my ability to retaliate, especially with an unharmed GKoTG making its way to kill the Slann. 2-7 FEC

POST BATTLE ANALYSIS​

Playing FEC sucks... that said I could have done some things different here, maybe. I wasn't thinking about how this battleplan worked the whole time, with the player going second getting 3 points if the control the objective. Had I remembered that, I probably would have deployed further back, anticipating that he would move up his Ghouls to control the objective and then brought the Rippers down. Also, the error on my part about misreading where his 60 pt Hero was means I basically wasted my Rippers which set a bad tempo for the game from the onset. I know that for playing FEC we want to try and maintain board control, but the TGs and ZDs have such great range, as do the Flayers, that dropping Skinks on objectives seems almost moot. I continue to struggle to find an effective counter to their insane damage.

 

you're listing the wrong spells, says you have a pendulum instead of cogs.

Also, what's with the almost firelance? Is there nothing more usefull possible? It seems like a waste.

 

Thanks for the catch on the endless spells in my listing.

I kind of covered this in my analysis, but I've been trying to build to a 2K list since 1K. So at 1750, I will have Firelance and add Dracothion's Tail at 2k. There are better units to bring to combat FEC, but that would be list tailoring, as I hadn't planned to use a different list against other armies.

 

250 pts Skirmish
Seraphon vs Skaventide​

Spoiler: Seraphon

Allegiance: Order
Mortal Realm: Ghyran
Saurus Sunblood (120)
- General
- Trait: Ambitious Fighter
- Artefact: Ghyrstrike
1 x Saurus Warriors (10)
- Clubs
- 1 Champion or Upgrades
1 x Saurus Knights (18)
- Lances
- 1 Champion or Upgrades
1 x Ripperdactyl Riders (46)
- 1 Champion or Upgrades
1 x Razordons (40)

Total: 249 / 250
Wounds: 16

Spoiler: Skaventide

Allegiance: Chaos
Grey Seer (120)
- General
- Lore of Ruin: Skitterleap
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Blade
- 1 Champion or Upgrades
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Clanrats (6)
- Rusty Spear
1 x Warplock Jezzails (46)
1 x Wolf Rats (20)

Total: 245 / 250
Wounds: 18

Played my first game of Skirmish ever. As I had far fewer bodies, I was able to go first. We played the Battleplan: Hold the Centre. Sorry, I forgot to get pics of the battle.


T1 Seraphon: I teleported the Ripper 9" away from the Gray Seer (roll of 4) and moved all my other units up, capping the middle and right objectives. I roll a 10 on the Ripper Charge and landed 4 wounds after Save rolls. His retaliation managed to kill the Ripper. 3-0 Seraphon

T1 Skaventide: He casts Skitterleap and puts the Gray Seer 9" behind the Sunblood. He fails the cast on Wither. All the Clan Rats run and the Wolf Rat moves up to charge range of the Knight, Sunblood, and Razordon. The Jezzail fails it shooting. The Wolf Rat charges the Razordon and gets off one wound. Between the Knight and Razordon one wound is inflicted on the Wolf Rat in their retaliations. 3-0 Seraphon

T2 Seraphon: I teleport the Razordon behind the Jezzail, but again can't move. The Sunblood moves towards the Gray Seer. I move the Warrior so it keeps control of the right objective and provides an obstacle to the approaching Clan Rats. I only get 3 hit rolls for the Razordon and fail them all. The Sunblood charges into the Gray Seer, but I fail the charge on the Razordon. The Sunblood manages 8 wounds due to Ghyrstrike + Ferocious Rage, which is massive overkill. The Chaos battletrait in Skirmish is on a 6 being able to pile in and attack, but he fails the roll. In Battleshock one Clan Rat flees. 6-0 Seraphon

T2 Skaventide: There is no longer a Hero phase for Skaventide. Four Clan Rats move up to charge, the others run to get the left objective and forward. The Jezzail rolls a 6 and inflicts 2 Mortal Wounds on the Razordon, killing it. Two Clan Rats charge the Knight, one charges the Warrior, and the fourth failed. He attacks the Knight first with a Clan Rat, but fails. The Knight splits all its attacks between the two Clan Rats and Wolf Rat, killing the Wolf Rat but failing its other attacks. The Clan Rats fail their attacks into the Warrior, but manage a wound on the Knight. As he lost a unit, he has to take a battleshock and rolls a 6, losing another Clan Rat. He controls the left objective and middle objective. 6-3 Seraphon

T3 Skaventide: The Clan Rats continue moving up, with two now on the left objective. The Jezzail again fails to inflict damage. Two more Clan Rats charge the Knight, putting 4 in combat around it and another one charges the Warrior, now making 2 in combat with the Warrior. In Combat, the Knight was able to kill two Clan Rats and the Warrior kills one and they both manage to survive another turn. He still controls the middle and left objectives. 6-6 tie

T3 Seraphon: I attempt to teleport the Knight to charge the Jezzail, as I know it can't cap the objective, but LoSaT fails. The Sunblood moves into charge range of the two Clan Rats on the left objective. His charge goes off and his attacks kill both Clan Rats, securing the objective. All other combat either fails or is saved. 7-6 Seraphon

T4 Skaventide: The Jezzail manages two damage at -2 Rend into the Knight, finally killing it. The Clan Rat and Warrior at the right objective continue to face off, neither able to kill the other and both within range of the objective so that no one gets its VP. 7-8 Skaventide

T4 Seraphon: Sunblood put Scent of Weakness on one of the Clan Rats on the middle objective. Move and charge the Sunblood, placing him between 2 of the 3 Clan Rats. 5 attacks went into one Clan Rat and the 2 attack profile went into the Clan Rat with Scent of Weakness. Both were killed and the third Clan Rat was out of range of pile-in or objective control. Right objective remained contested. 9-8 Seraphon

T5 Skaventide: The Jezzail managed one wound on the Sunblood. The Warrior and one Clan Rat at the right objective continued their slap-fest. 9-8 Seraphon

T5 Seraphon: I offered to play out my turn, but pointed out that I would end up winning on VP regardless of the outcome. We shook hands and ended the game. 11-8 Seraphon

Post Battle Analysis
​

I was genuinely concerned that due to the sheer disparity in model counts favor for Skaventide that I would have a difficult time keeping objective control. As such, I moved everything in range of the middle and right objectives right off the bat. I again became concerned when the Ripper and Razordon were slain. The dice definitely seemed in my favor, though as the Clan Rats could not seem to Hit or Wound. Taking out his General early on definitely helped as well. Overall, I really enjoyed the game and format. I really like the short time the battle took, even with both of us never playing Skirmish before; it only took 90 minutes. I could absolutely see this format taking less than an hour as I get more comfortable with it.[/spoiler]

 

I think for skirmish we desperatly need cheaper heroes, less reliance on hordes, and less reliance on synergies. It's not impossible to win, but it seems like very little that makes our army good actually carries over to skirmishes.

 

@Killer Angel Your compliment is much appreciated!

@Canas I would say it would be nice to have a few more options for cheap heros in Skirmish, but the Sunblood and Scar-Vet on Cold one are pretty strong in that game type. Heck even the Oldblood on foot could probably do well in Skirmish. And while the Starpriest is less resilient, with the upcoming Spell Lore, he could definitely have a place in Skirmish as well. Rippers are powerful, but costly. Knights shine in Skirmish. I've seen this in Skirmish video battle reports and on this forum.

I plan to ask some questions regarding the game type in another thread, as the wording in the Jan edition of White Dwarf isn't very concise.

 

O we're not completly terrible, and since other factions can't field their most impressive threats either there is hope. But I feel that as an army that focusses on synergy thanks to heroes, hordes & behemoths we kind of have an issue in a skirmish game where none of those can really be fielded. Fortunatly other factions have their own issues. The only two armies that seem inherently fit for skirmish are SCE and the new fyreslayers with their models having fairly amazing statlines, multiple wounds, acces to a decent variaty of weapons (ranged, melee, stuff with rend, mortal wounds) and those troops usually being in the 20-30 point range which is acceptable for the main bulk of bodies the only Obvious weakness either of those has is their lack of speed.
It'd be interesting to see the kinda meta that'd evolve around it though. Haven't seen enough matches of it yet to truly make a call on it.