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This is part 2 of our 3 part series for the Tampa FL Goblin Shoppe RTT on 1/26

So after winning round #1, find out that I get matched up with Green Blow Fly. Now we have been to a lot of the same events across the country, but I did not meet him until a couple of months ago at an RTT in Orlando.

Green Blow Fly’s Blood Angeles (although they look like Flesh Tearers)
HQ
Mephiston, Lord of Death
Chaplain

8 Death Company

Troops
9 Space Marines w/Plasma Gun, Lascannon
Sergeant w/Powerfist
Rhino w/Extra Armor

9 Space Marines w/Plasma Gun, Lascannon
Sergeant w/Powerfist
Rhino w/Extra Armor

9 Space Marines w/Plasma Gun, Lascannon
Sergeant w/Powerfist
Rhino w/Extra Armor

9 Assault Marines
Sergeant w/Powerfist
Rhino w/Extra Armor

Fast Attack
Attack Bike w/Multi-Melta
Attack Bike w/Multi-Melta

Heavy Support
Baal Predator w/Heavy Bolter sponsons
Baal Predator w/Heavy Bolter sponsons

Land Raider Crusader

Mission: Strait up victory points with bonus points for killing HQ and table quarters
Deployment: 12”

Set up:
I started with my Falcons on the left side and he deployed his whole army in the back right corner. I countered with my infantry across from his, and then with Eldrad’s re-deploy I moved my Falcons closer.


The final set up

It looks like we are going to only use 1/3 of the table.


He circled the wagons like settlers in Indian Country.

I win the die roll to go first.

Turn #1 It is on like donkey kong!

Eldar top of turn #1
I move out my skimmers and unload on his rhinos. I kill two of them with penetrating “6”s and they are removed. Then my Dark Reapers unload on a squad that was standing behind the rhino’s killing 5 marines that were standing in the open behind it.

Some gaps in the wall.


Blood Angels bottom of turn #1
He mounts up, and moves out and pops smoke. The Death Company loads up into the LRC with Mephiston hiding behind it. His attack bike moves up and takes a shot at my Falcon but fails to hurt it. The 2 rhino-less squads shoot at my falcon with their lascannons stunning it. .


Turn #2

Eldar top of turn #2
No more Mr. Nice-Guy. I surround his rhino with skimmers, and then blow it up (I let him get the 5 guys on board out). The other rhino eats some fusion guns from the storm guardians and gets immobilized. My guardians on the right try a brightlance shot at his LRC and miss.


Blood Angels bottom of turn #2
His Baal Predators unload on my Avatar killing it. He Charges forward with his LRC and dumps his Chaplain and Death Company into my Dire Avengers killing them all and consolidating into my Guardians standing behind them. Mephiston finally fails his psychic test to fly do to Runes of Warding and gets hung out in the open. The Marines get out of his Rhino and hit my Storm Guardians and I lose the combat, but they stand. His attack bike charges my Guardian on the left and they both fail to wound.


This is after I remember to take a picture after I disembarked and moved my skimmers.

Turn #3

Eldar top of turn #3
I dump my cargo out of the Falcons and fly them forward. My one Falcon shakes a Baal Predator, and they other Falcon puts a wound on Mephiston. My Dire Avengers Blade Storm the 5 remaining Assault Marines killing them. Eldrad moves over to help the Guardians with the Attack Bike. The Striking Scorpions move to engage the Marines attacking the Storm Guardians and kills a few, and the marines kill a few Storm Guardians in return but I win combat. The Harlequins hit the Death Company and kill all of them in their kill zone.


Blood Angels bottom of turn #3
His back Marine squads take down my Vypers. The shaken Baal Predator moves out to tank shock my Dire Avengers, but they make their morale role, and then the LRC opens up on them and kills 5 of them. My Harlequins kill the last of the Death Company. After consolidation of the Guardian squad to surround the Chaplain, and the Harlequins wonder off. Mephiston tried some psychic power to give him some extra attacks and took a wound from Perils of the Warp. He then charged the Scorpions and kills a couple of them, but they fail to wound him back. The Chaplain kills some Guardians and the break.



Turn #4

Eldar top of turn #4
At this points I had to figure out what I am going to so with my Harlequins. Mephiston is a butt kicker, and hard as heck to take down with anything other than the Harlies. He will kill the last of my scorpions this turn, but if I kill him, then the LRC will blow my Harlequins away. So this might be my last chance to kill the LRC so I figured it will be the better target. I move up my Harlequins to shoot at it and I miss with my Fusion Pistol, but I am able to assault it and kill it. The bad part is that it is a penetrating ‘6’ and it kills 3 of my Harlequins. My Dark Reapers keep shooting at the Marine squads across the table, and they kill everything that ventures out behind cover. I also kill his Baal Predators with my Falcons. Oh, and Mephiston kills the last of the Scorpions.


Blood Angels bottom of turn #4
Not much left. He assaults my Harlequins with his Chaplain and Mephiston. They kill the Harlequins, but they kill Mephiston in return. His Marines in the back stun a Falcon with a Plasma Gun.


Turn #5

Eldar top of turn #5
He hides well, and I can’t get a shot at anything.



Blood Angels bottom of turn #5
He assaults my Dark Reapers with his Chaplain and kills them.


Turn #6
Eldar top of turn #6
I move my Falcon to shoot his Chaplain and take him down.


Blood Angels bottom of turn #6
All over but the shouting.




So at the end of the game he has a squad and a half of marines, and I have 2 Falcons an Eldrad and a couple of other units running around giving me the win.

As usual first turn with no real terrain to speak of hurts everybody. Maybe game 3 you lose first turn.

Only flaw I see was not tank shocking the Falcons around with the Preds and the LRC. Controlling the deployment of what's inside, esp when it's harlequins, can be more vital.

Did you try and supercharge your engines and tank shock the Eldar infantry off the board at all? I only see mention of 1 tank shock.

Nicely played Blackmoor.

Darrian

Stelek wrote:Did you try and supercharge your engines and tank shock the Eldar infantry off the board at all? I only see mention of 1 tank shock.

It looks to me like GBF did tank shock at his only real opportunity: his third turn. The Avatar was still around during the movement phase of his second turn, so the Eldar infantry were fearless, and by his fourth turn he had already lost most of his tanks. Although, I'm not sure what's up with the Baal predator in the middle of the board. Blackmoor says he destroyed the preds, but that one isn't flipped over like the others.

Nice report. I don't post much, but I always enjoy reading these.

Stelek wrote:As usual first turn with no real terrain to speak of hurts everybody. Maybe game 3 you lose first turn.

Only flaw I see was not tank shocking the Falcons around with the Preds and the LRC. Controlling the deployment of what's inside, esp when it's harlequins, can be more vital.

Did you try and supercharge your engines and tank shock the Eldar infantry off the board at all? I only see mention of 1 tank shock.

Well in game #3 I still won first turn, but if it makes you feel any better I gave it to my opponent.

And as said, his vehicles were in no position to tank shock anything.

But the question I have for you is did he need to advance, and can he out shoot my army?

Did you just ask if BA could outshoot you? Hmmm an assault army outshooting someone...

I think the only army they can outshoot are Black Templars. lol

so much death ...

I like .

Nice report. Looking forward to see round 3's report.

Capt K

Good job, look forward to round three as well.

I think this battle report demonstrates that Space Marines are catching up with eldar in the so called meta game and could well surpass them once the 5th edition ruleset is released.

Blackmoor was a great person to play and games like this one keep me interested in the hobby.

- G

Looks like Falcons secure a victory yet again. (and good play by Blackmoor) Nice bat rep btw. Green Blow Fly did you even attempt to shoot at his Falcons or like a veteren player did you mostly ignore them because of the shear futility of bringing them down. I am guessing so making the game close. People who spend the game shooting at Falcons usually get massacred.

Great Battle Report. Both armies are painted nicely and the terrain is a lot better than in the last report.
Congrats on the win Blackmoor.

If I have only a couple lascannon shots I would rather target a falcon than try to drop two guardians.

As has been noted I think lists like this one will suffer greatly when 5th edition rules are released. Falcons are nigh unkillable and the Avatar I just got lucky.

- G

Well, it think the secret to my army is that I have a lot of victory points left over at the end of the game.

It always looks like I have been chewed up, and a lot of units have been killed, but they are mostly cheap Guardians and Dire Avengers.

I normally have Eldrad, Dark Reapers and a Falcon or 2 still flying around at the end of turn #6. Those units are very hard to kill and that is 800+ VPs right there. It might look like I have nothing left, but what I have costs a lot.


Green Blow Fly did better than almost anyone I have played by not only killing my Avatar, but getting to my Dark Reapers as well, but I still had the Falcons and Eldrad for big VPs.


Also why does everyone say that my army will be getting a lot worse in 5th edition? Is it just because of the skimmer nerf? I just don't see it. The only change I see is that I have to be more careful when I move my Falcons, and I just can;t throw them out there. I think this army gets better in 5th edition because I have 6 troop choices with over 60 models.

I think for the next RTT I will chalenge myself my not using Eldrad or Falcons.

So are you guys from England?

rhino rush is as dead as JFK, why do people continue with it in 4th ed? Blood angels play best with as many jet packs as you can cram in and giving the min troop choices drop pods.

Maybe he still has rhinos from last edition and doesn't want to reward GW for ruining his list.
Actually I wasn't around last ed. was rhinorush better then?

No. They both reside in Florida...as do I.

Capt K

snorkle wrote:So are you guys from England?

Tacobake wrote:so much death ...

With Taco, great report, loads of carnage on all parts. RoW kicking Mephiston in the junks a bit was admitedly fun, as much as I like to see the Cheesemaster grind up pointy ears

Russell wrote:rhino rush is as dead as JFK, why do people continue with it in 4th ed? Blood angels play best with as many jet packs as you can cram in and giving the min troop choices drop pods.

Actually I really dig GBF's list and army, makes me happy to see those big beefy 10-man tacticals again. Never been a fan of assault marines, but mechanized blood angels is cool with me

Also, while OMG ALPHA RUSH FTW!!1 rhino rush is thankfully dead, rhinos clearly still have their uses, as seen in game after game after game ...

- Salvage

Stelek wrote:Did you just ask if BA could outshoot you? Hmmm an assault army outshooting someone...

I think the only army they can outshoot are Black Templars. lol

Actually, most of the competitive Black Templars lists I see have strong shooting elements... Blackmoor, good to see you doing well out there and reading your reports. You are certainly missed out here in LA.

Especially by me, since Darrian is in my division this season in the league ;-)

Keep up the great reports!

Patrick

neofright, question is--do you think this particular BT army has strong shooting elements? I don't see it?

Listen here Patrick. Don't make me run you out of LA like I did Blackmoor (joke).

It is good to see you on Dakka. Oh, and I am looking forward to our next league game.

Darrian

@stelek your comment was a more general one towards black templars. Nick's list was very interesting, I am considering taking something quick similar myself. It actually does have the potential to lay down some serious dakka, but it seems a bit schizophrenically short ranged...

A BT player in the league last season had a brutal 3 pred 3 dread list with lascannons and missile launchers that would just decimate in shooting and the basic templar with vow is more than a match for most units in combat. I think Darrian played against it and can vouch for it's shootiness.

Yeah, Darrian, I am too. I am actually glad that you are in my division - I am strong believer in the thought that you can only ever get as good as your opponents. I've been on Dakka for a couple of years, I just lurk a lot ;-)

Yeah basic templars are slow, but if you can't get away...because you are a dumb marine player too, it sucks with almost any vow they take. lol

Mech armies are still quite good, especially for BA with OCE. Of course using a mech list forces you to work on your tactics rather simply play for an easy win with drop pods.

I do think that the change to skimmers in 5th edition will affect all eldar players that rely upon their falcons/prisms to win. First they are a victory point denial mechanism with a large chunk of the army invested. Second you will no longer be able to stick them right in your opponent's face as they will no longer be invincible... you will have to play your tanks more in line with the rest of us.

- G

My point exactly in my earlier post. When you see 2-3 Falcons across the table you already know your playing up hill and have to scrap for every single VP possible all th while they can play the denial game with not only the Falcon but the units inside.

I'm so stupid. I sold my eldar just before the new codex came out. 2 Falcons. :(

Join the power armor craze and we will call you battle bro.



- G

I'm already there. I've got 3000p of Ultras and 1000p of Black Templars.
Edit: and I can't forget my 1500p of Black Legion. No daemons, just marines and rhinos

Lemartes I think that's true if that's how you are going to play.

I play differently. I need to kill his 'other' bits and mitigate what he's got elsehwere (the falcons and any 'killy' bits inside). Without losing so much I can't win.

In 5th, 'denying' VPs won't work because killing your Avatar will net me 3 points. If I kill him, then break Eldrads squad and force them off the board--that's 3+1.

I guess I can only say I look forward to vulnerable HQ's in 5th edition. These two are tops in my book. My Autarch and Farseer? "Safe" as I can make them. One is nearly invulnerable, the other sees a basic trooper and kills him then leaves combat. I am not looking forward to my Tyrants and Demon Princes getting shot up for easy points, but that's the way the double-edged sword cuts. lol