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Hello everybody, it is time for another one of my Tournament batreps. This past weekend I played in Battlefoam’s Wild West Shootout! It was held in Mesa Arizona at Empire Games. It was a tad bit warm this weekend at 100 degrees outside, but they cranked up the AC and it was pretty comfortable inside.

It was interesting to play in a large tournament and stay at home at night. I have never played in a 5 game tournament and slept in my own bed before.

It was a 5 game tournament at 1750 points. They had a good turnout with about 60+ players. Lots of Marines, Chaos, Orks, and Tyranids. They had 1 Tau, 1 Necron player, 2 Eldar players, and 3 IG.

So on with the batreps!

Game # 1

My list:

HQ
Eldrad

Avatar

Elite
5 Fire Dragons
Exarch w/Dragon’s breath flamer

6Harlequins w/5 Kisses, 2 Fusion Pistols
Shadow Seer w/Kiss
Troupe Master w/Power Weapon

Troops
10 Guardians w/Brightlance
10 Guardians w/Brightlance
10 Guardians w/Missile Launcher

3 Eldar Jetbikes w/Shuriken Cannon
Warlock w/Singing Spear, Destructor

Heavy Support
3 War Walkers w/Scatter Lasers
3 War Walkers w/Scatter Lasers

Falcon w/Missile Launcher, Shuriken Cannon, Holo-Field, Spirit Stone, Star Engines, Vectored Engines


This is the list I have been using with a lot of wins for the last few months with a couple of modifications. I had been using a Farseer instead of Eldrad the last few outings because I did not really need him since all I do is fortune the Avatar and a guide or doom here and there. But for a big tournament I added him back in for the extra power. I was also struggling against Mech armies so I took out the 2 Vypers w/Brightlances, and a War Walker Squad and added a Falcon and Fire Dragons.


Space Wolves

HQ
Wolf Priest w/Melta-bombs, Saga of the Wolfborn

Rune Priest w/Terminator armor w/Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Fury of the Wolf Spirits

Elite
Dreadnought w/Assault Cannon, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor
Drop Pod

Dreadnought w/Assault Cannon, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor
Drop Pod

Troops
9 Grey Hunters W/Flamer, Power Weapon
Wolf Guard w/Bolter-Melta, Power Fist
Drop Pod

9 Grey Hunters W/ Melta Gun, Power Fist
Wolf Guard w/Wolf Claw (2), Melta Bomb
Drop Pod

9 Blood Claws w/Power Fist
Wolf Guard w/Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield
Drop Pod

9 Blood Claws w/Power Fist
Drop Pod
(Wolf Priest gets added later)

Heavy Support
4 Long Fangs w/2 Plasma Cannons, 2 Heavy Bolters
Pack Leader w/Plasma Gun
Wolf Guard w/Terminator Armor, Power Fist, Storm Bolter
Drop pod
(Rune Priest gets added later)

To sum it up, a drop podding Space Wolf army. I am eager to play against the new codex and see what it will do.


Mission: Modified Annihilation
Troops=2 Kill Points
Dedicated Transports=1 Kill Point
Elite/Fast Attack/Heavy Support=2 Kill Points
HQ=2 Kill Points
So you can think of it as regular annihilation but dedicated Transports are worth half a point.

Deployment: Pitched Battle

Special Rules:
Deep Strike
Outflank
Reserves


My strategy for the game:
There are 2 ways to beat Deep Strike armies:
#1. Turtle up in a corner
#2. If you can move and shoot you can start your whole army in reserve. Since Drop Pods in some of the marine codexes have to drop half of their army in turn one, you can react to where their pods land when you come on in turn #2. If you go second, they have half of their pods, and on average 50% of their remaining pods on the table and you know where most of them are going to be and marines on foot are slow.



Game #1
I win the dice roll to go first!!! I defer to my opponent to go first and I select option #2 and start with my whole army in reserve.

Set up:
We both start our armies in reserve.

It is a lonely table.

Turn #1

Space Wolf top of turn #1
He gets 4 Drop pods down. Long Fangs+Rune Priest on the left, 2 Dreads in the middle, and Blood Claws on the right.


Eldar turn #1
*crickets*

Turn #2

Space Wolf top of turn #2
His last three drop pods come on from reserve and his whole army is on the table. Blood Claws on the left, Grey Hunters to the right of them, and a Grey Hunter squad to the far right.



A little closer view.

Eldar turn #2
Let’s get it on! I did not get much of my reserves on, but I got enough. I got Eldrad, Harlequins, a Guardian squad, Jetbikes and my Falcon. He was massed to my right, so if I take out the Blood Claws on the left, he has a long walk to get into assault with me. My bikes and the Harlies go after the Blood Claws and wipe them out.


Turn #3

Space Wolf top of turn #3
He moves closer. His Long Fangs unload on my Guardians and I put a wound on Eldrad and he fails his save. Grrr. Some pistol shots drop a couple of Harlequins.


Eldar turn #3
My Avatar and my War Walkers show up. The Avatar and the Harlies go after the Grey Hunter squad and take them out. My War Walkers Shoot the Long Fangs and he makes a million saves and only loses the pack leader.


Turn #4

Space Wolf top of turn #4
He shoots up my Avatar with his dreads and does a couple of wounds to it. His Long Fangs shoot up my Guardians and kills them.
No picture this turn, the the picture above was taken just after he killed the Guardians.

Eldar turn #4
I get everything on the table but a War Walker squad. I take out a Dread with shooting, and my Harlies go after his Long Fangs.


Close Up!

Turn #5

Space Wolf top of turn #5
His Dread shoots my Walkers and does not do much. The last few of my Harlequins try to hit-and-run but fail to disengage.
(No Pic)

Eldar turn #5
I get everything on the board and start to mop up what he has left. He is making a lot of armor saves so the war walkers are not killing him as fast as they should.



Close up

Turn #6

Space Wolf top of turn #6
He does not have much left.
(No pic)

Eldar turn #6
I try to mop up what is left.





I win the game and take 1635 VPs to about 600.

He had a great looking army, and I had fun. I have never lost to a Drop Pod army though ever with my Eldar.

Great start! I'm bummmed I had to miss this tourney. I had learned about it back in April while out in Tuscon. Cool to see a Guardian backed army still being used. Looking forward to the rest of the reports.

Well done! I suppose the space wolf player should have castled up with his pods in the corner. You really rolled up his flank.

I'd have dropped more in the middle if I were him.. That way you can usually meet reseves where ever they come in.

Also in that scenario he could have just opted to deepstrike for deployment right outside of Blackmoor's deployment zone rather than pod in with his reserve units.. Turn 1 pod wave arrives to reinforce, combined with a turn or two of movement, and he could have been in assault range right off the bat for whatever Eldar walked on, anywhere they were.

Spreading around the center, just outside of the deployment zone with drop pods is key when your opponent goes all reserves. They either have to commit to extreme flanks (which later pods can go after) or risk meeting you head on. You can't let someone have any room to breathe as Blackmoor's game shows.

I LOVE THIS.
This exemplifies force concentration.

Good going, good choices made.

Adding this report the list of batreps showing pod wolves given first and then having their flank rolled. Well played. Great report too, love all those pics

- Salvage

For a second, I thought this was game 4 - where the heck is the terrain?

I am surprised he didn't make a full-out retreat behind his drop pods and hide for the rest of the game.
I'm no super-tuned tournament player, but it seems like he was clearly outgunned.

Did he think he would be able to get close enough to your units to assault with most of his units?

- Blackbone

Well, the player did win the award for being in last place.

I played against Mundar playing his Salamanders in an RTT about a month or so ago and it was a comand and control mission. Instead of trying to go for my objective, he just fortified up on his objective knowing that I would shoot the crap out of him trying to cross the board.

It takes a real good player to know when they have no chance of winning and play for the tie.

Hey, sometimes with a tie everyone goes home happy =)

Well done Blackmoor! That is a great looking SW pod army.

Interesting. A case of sup-par army beating the snot out of a higher par one.

Very nice job!

Blackmoor wrote:

Oh Jesus...

I mean, there are tables with no terrain, and then there's just fething blank tables with no fething terrain. This is awful.

Bad tables. Bad missions.

Good reports! Thanks Blackmoor!

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Blackmoor wrote:

Oh Jesus...

I mean, there are tables with no terrain, and then there's just fething blank tables with no fething terrain. This is awful.

Have to agree here.

The lack of terrain in this tournament (from what we've heard so far) is very disturbing indeed.

Was this typical of the entire tournament?

I'd be more than a little miffed showing up for a tournament with terrain setups like this!

Still, I'm glad you had a good time, and always appreciate a battle report writeup!

Well, one of the deals with that is that the players would alternate placing it, so many people cleared the center by placing stuff on the sides. I would rather it be set up by someone impartial.

Alpharius wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Blackmoor wrote:

Oh Jesus...

I mean, there are tables with no terrain, and then there's just fething blank tables with no fething terrain. This is awful.

Have to agree here.

The lack of terrain in this tournament (from what we've heard so far) is very disturbing indeed.

Was this typical of the entire tournament?

I'd be more than a little miffed showing up for a tournament with terrain setups like this!

Still, I'm glad you had a good time, and always appreciate a battle report writeup!

there was a good amount of terrain. As was stated, some players would place everything off to the sides.. On the upper tables there were usually 5 or 6 good sized pieces.

Somnicide wrote:Well, one of the deals with that is that the players would alternate placing it, so many people cleared the center by placing stuff on the sides. I would rather it be set up by someone impartial.

I prefer impartial (Usually the tournament organizers or judges) placement of terrain myself. When the players place terrain themselves (especially if you alternate placing terrain), they can manipulate it too much. I have seen games where they place it all in a strait line across the board, and all hugging the edges so the center of the table is clear.

What I would do is place the largest pieces in the corners, and that meant that the table was mostly open.

It should be impartially placed.

G

You could make alternating placement work better with some additional rules. Something like- not within 8” of a table edge, and not within 6” of another terrain piece.

That said, having a judge place it is always best, so you can get a table that’s as fair as possible and ideally also attractive.

I would also like to say that terrain does not impact my army too much. I do not have much in the way of AP 3+ weaponry.

I played a lot of armies what had 3+ save and having no terrain might have some impact for LOS, but not cover saves. The LOS save can be mitigated my armies ability to move and shoot.

I won the Slaughter in Space tournament with this army and there was a ton of terrain there. (See the game vs. Hulksmash above).

YOU ARE MAD
G E N I U S !!!

Blackmoor wrote:I won the Slaughter in Space tournament with this army and there was a ton of terrain there. (See the game vs. Hulksmash above).

Am I missing something....I could not find this battle report....maybe I am tired.

Blackmoor you said this was a 1750 point tourny? Cause adding up the points your list came out to 1820, maybe i missing something

Mundar wrote:Hey, sometimes with a tie everyone goes home happy =)

Yeah, sometimes your sister is a really good kisser!

Lordhat wrote:

Mundar wrote:Hey, sometimes with a tie everyone goes home happy =)

Yeah, sometimes your sister is a really good kisser!

Odd, I figured my brother was more your type.

Mundar wrote:

Lordhat wrote:

Mundar wrote:Hey, sometimes with a tie everyone goes home happy =)

Yeah, sometimes your sister is a really good kisser!

Odd, I figured my brother was more your type.

LOL In sports a tie is often referred to as "kissing your Sister" because of it's bittersweetness. "On the one hand, you're getting a kiss. On the other, it's your sister."

DaOrkz1977 wrote:Blackmoor you said this was a 1750 point tourny? Cause adding up the points your list came out to 1820, maybe i missing something

I got 1750...

Damn, that was an expensive Falcon.

Honestly... you must be a pretty good player, because this list is horrible.

I double checked too, and I came up with 1750.

I did not want to hassle posting it though because it is a lot of work to prove some random person on the internet wrong.