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2012/02/20 01:01:36
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
Yesterday I attended a 1500 point tournament at Titan’s Entertainment Cafe in Battle Creek, MI. I’d never been before, but it was a nice venue and a well-run tournament. There were about 30 players altogether, the tables all had great terrain, the mood was convivial, and I met nothing but good people. I brought my Necrons intending to crush as many of those good people as possible:
Cryptek closeup - Note: the Cryptek on the right, holding the purple ball/wearing a gold loincloth, has a Solar Pulse
Triarch Stalker (my only unpainted piece as I made it the day before the tourney)
Overlords, their CCBs, and Ever-Living tokens. Hard to get this shot focused, sorry
Finally, a shot of the entire army. Also hard to get focused. I'm working on it!
Basic strategy is to hide in the dark, shoot things up with concentrated Stalker/Lance/Tesla Destructor firepower, and rush or counter-charge any threats with 2 CCBs and a full squad of Wraiths. Wraiths and the Stalker can also tarpit if anything nasty gets too close.
Now for the individual reports. I brought a proper camera, forgot my memory card at home, and was reduced to using my phone. So, sorry for some of the photo quality. I was only able to salvage a few photos from each game, but I think they should still be useful. Next time around I’ll try and get more...I was worried about slowing down the pace of the matches, so I didn’t take many to begin with.
Mission 1
Spoiler:
Scenario: Annihilation with a twist. Full points only awarded if a player is winning by 3 KP. Extra points awarded for units able to 'escape' off the enemy's board edge.
Deployment: Pitched Battle
Opponent: Farsight Bomb Tau
List (from memory...):
Commander Farsight
7 Crisis Suits w/ Plasma, Missile Pods + (I think 9?) Shield Drones
6 Fire Warriors
6 Fire Warriors
1 Crisis Suit with Melta
3 Broadside Suits + 3 Shield Drones
Sorry I can't be more specific. I'm sure I'm getting at least the details of Farsight's unit wrong somehow. I haven't faced Tau on the table since 3rd Edition, so I am very unfamiliar with their current codex. This was not a very serious list from what I can tell though.
Tau win first turn and deploy the Broadsides and a unit of Fire Warriors in a back-corner ruin. The rest is in reserve. I deploy my Stalker and 8 Lances in ruins directly across the table. My CCB's and Annihilation Barges sit off slightly to the side. Wraiths are placed centrally.
Turn 1:
(Tau) I use a Solar Pulse. My army is mostly 36" away and the Broadsides and Fire Warriors are unable to see through the dark.
(Necrons) Wraiths and CCBs take over the center of the board. My Stalker moves up and is just in range of the Broadsides. He hits them and kills a shield drone. 8 twin-linked Lances now open up on the Broadsides, cover and shield drones permit one to survive.
Turn 2:
(Tau) No reserves arrive. I don't bother with a Pulse since my opponent has only one Broadside/6 FWs to shoot with. I figure there might be more shooting in later turns. Good call, the Broadside misses.
(Necrons) I kill the last Broadside with the Stalker and a couple Lances. My Annihilation Barges can only spot Fire Warriors, they kill a few and the unit flees off the board edge. My opponent has no units on the board.
Turn 3:
(Tau) The Farsight Bomb arrives to save the day. So do Fire Warriors and the solo Crisis Suit. Farsight and his Suit-bodyguard attempt to deep strike near my Warriors, but scatter 9" away (and directly toward the Wraiths). Both Fire Warriors and the Suits unload on the Wraiths, bringing the unit down from 6 to 2. The solo-Suit deep strikes behind an Annihilation Barge, pens rear armor and destroys the Tesla Destructor.
(Necrons) My Stalker, 4 Lances, and Annihilation Barges open up on the Farsight and the Battlesuits. A couple Shield Drones die, but nothing else. Shield Drones are damn annoying. I wasted the other 4 Lances trying to Instant Death the solo-Suit, but miss or fail to wound on every shot. I realize shooting is not going to get rid of the Farsight bomb, so I assault and try to tarpit it with my Stalker. Farsight is a pretty wimpy MC, but he manages to Pen my Stalker twice. It still lives, so I'm happy.
The Solo-Suit arriving to melta my Annihilation Barge. Hey! Get away from there!
My Triarch Stalker after assaulting Farsight. Note the Barge Overlords looking on, deciding whether this particular cluster is worth diving into.
Turn 4:
(Tau) The solo-suit attacks my Destructor-less Annihilation Barge a second time (everything else out of range I believe), but fails to do anything. In assault, Farsight finishes my Stalker off.
(Necrons) My CCB Overlords Sweep Attack the Battlesuit blob and are able to allocate 2 wounds to a Suit with attached Drones (so a few Drones die as well..neat!). Both Overlords disembark next to Farsight and Friends. My shooting is a little more effective, with Lances and the Annihilation Barge killing a couple more drones and suits. The weapon-destroyed Annihilation Barge kills the solo-Suit with two clean shots from his underslung Gauss Cannon. The Tesla Destructor is avenged! My Overlords assault the Suits, kill a few, take only one wound from Farsight and win combat. Farsight and the last surviving suit fall back.
Turn 5:
(Tau) Farsight continues to fall back.
(Necrons) I shoot Farsight in the back. The Tau are tabled.
Thoughts: I would have preferred a more challenging game. My opponent's list was pretty gimmicky and played as well as such lists typically do (I doubt a Necron list based around a tricked-out 800-point Royal Court would do much better). My opponent was aware that his list was goofy and seemed to be playing just for the fun of it. He was a good guy, we had some laughs, and it was an enjoyable game overall. Can't say I was disappointed with my list, but again, this was no stress test. I scored 10/10 points, claiming all secondary objectives with, I believe, only two other players doing the same.
Mission 2
Spoiler:
Scenario: Seize Ground with a twist. Objective markers scatter onto the board (4D6 from center) one at a time at the ends of turns 1, 2, and 3.
Deployment: Pitched Battle
Opponent: Tau...again
But thankfully with a much more serious list this time around. My opponent was one of the few other players to score full points and is known as a strong player.
List:
Commander Shas'el + 2 Shield Drone
2 Crisis Battlesuit
2 Crisis Battlesuit
2 Crisis Battlesuit
6 Fire Warrior
6 Fire Warrior
12 Kroot + 4 Kroot Hounds
6 Pathfinders + Devilfish
6 Pathfinders + Devilfish
2 Broadside Battlesuits + 2 Shield Drones
Hammerhead
Tau win first turn and deploy like a gunline will. Pathfinders and most Battlesuits hide in cover, Devilfish (and soon-to-embark Fire Warriors) deploy centrally. The Hammerhead sits in a corner near Pathfinders, Shas'el, and a couple Battlesuits. The Broadsides cover the opposite flank.
I deploy my Warriors in various bits of cover across the board. The pairs of Crypteks look at their pairs of Eldritch Lances, then over at the pairs of Battlesuits across the way. It’s like they’re made for each other. The Stalker stands in the Warriors’ midst ready to assist. My CCB-Overlords and Wraiths both deploy directly across from the Pathfinders, Shas'el, Battlesuits, and Hammerhead. Do not suffer S10 AP1 to live.
The Kroot infiltrate into a forest near my front lines, far from my Wraiths. Oh right. Forgot about them.
Turn 1:
(Tau) I use a Solar Pulse. Whoosh! Darkness! Right? Hell no, say Acute Senses, Marker Lights, and Darksun Filters. Not realizing how adept Tau can be at ignoring Night Fight, I am a sitting duck. 3 Markerlights hit my Stalker, followed shortly by the Broadsides' Railguns. The Stalker explodes taking a Warrior with it. More Markerlights hit one of my CCBs and the Hammerhead's Railgun immobilizes it. Goodbye Quantum Shielding, but it's a lucky break for me: I didn't explode horribly and Symbiotic Repair can symbiotically repair the damage. A Devilfish immobilizes itself moving through cover.
(Necrons) Sad to have lost the Stalker so early, but it's not too devastating. Two units of Warriors move back and away from the Kroot. Seems like a good idea to ignore them until they're forced to leave 3+ cover. I'd much rather dedicate my shooting to things that actually shoot back. All Lances fire on the Broadsides, killing 2 Drones and 1 Suit. My Annihilation Barges fire on Devilfish and one is stunned. My CCBs and Wraiths steam toward the Pathfinders/Suits/Hammerhead. My units will be within "hurt something" range next turn.
My CCBs and Wraiths approach the enemy line (the right CCB without its QS). Warriors and Annihilation Barges move up and away from the Kroot.
The first objective arrives and scatters 16" toward my enemy's Devilfish.
Turn 2:
(Tau) I use a Solar Pulse. Again, it has little effect. Luckily the Tau shooting is ineffective this turn despite ignoring Night Fight. Most firepower once again was directed at the unshielded CCB, but the only result of note was Weapon Destroyed. A few Crisis Suits even tried punching it, but nada. Also, I believe Battlesuits shot up a few Warriors, and a few Warriors stood back up. Surprisingly ineffective shooting from Tau, but then ..the assault phase! I had not known Kroot move freely through forests, and with cover being no obstacle, they moved to multi-assault two units of my Warriors. I lose combat by a wide margin and both units are swept. 4 Lances gone, ouch.
(Necrons) The Kroot hurt, but they're a long way from the rest of my army now. Back to the strategy of ignoring them. I know it's going to work this time! My CCB's both Sweep flat-out over the Hammerhead. It is immobilized only. My Wraiths move toward the Pathfinders and Shas'el. Shooting, my Lances immobilize the second Devilfish. The Wraiths, are able to multi-assault Shas'el, 2 Battlesuits and the Pathfinders. No contest, the Wraiths wipe both without blinking.
My CCBs have swept the Hammerhead and the Wraiths lurk in the woods ready to cause trouble. On the left, you can see where the Kroot have begun to encroach on my Warriors.
The second objective arrives and scatters toward my opponents' two Devilfish. Just like the last. Maybe closer. I'm winning the fight, but beginning to see that these objectives are going to be a problem.
Turn 3:
(Tau) The Kroot move toward my army but are still far from any action. Tau shooting once again does very little. My unshielded CCB takes most the fire again, but flat-out saves, Living Metal, and a second Symbiotic Repair keep the gravy train moving. I'm pretty surprised that I'm getting away with this...I assumed Tau shooting would easily dispatch of an AV11 open-topped vehicle, but I guess all it takes is a little luck.
(Necron) One CCB Flat-Out sweeps the Hammerhead: Railgun Destroyed. But the Overlords' work is never done. The unshielded CCB moves 12" over the still-mobile Devilfish and immobilizes it and the Overlord disembarks. The Wraiths look at the sitting duck Devilfish hungrily. My two remaining Warrior squads move toward the objectives while taking out a pair of Crisis Suits. They're pretty far out though. It would take a good three turns to get onto an objective. In assault, the Overlord charges the Devilfish previously immobilized in cover. He fails to do anything but Stunned/Weapon Destroyed. The Wraiths assault the Devilfish the Overlord's Sweep Attack had just immobilized, hitting automatically, and wreck it.
The third objective arrives and scatters...toward the Devilfish...again. At this point I assume the objectives are all care packages from concerned Fire Warrior mothers. No matter. Their home baked brownies are mine for the taking: the latest objective, while decidedly on the Tau side, is a good 6" closer to my Warriors than the previous two.
Turn 4:
(Tau) With the help of the remaining Pathfinders, the Broadside gets a penetrating hit on my shielded CCB. Boom. The Overlord falls out in an undignified manner. The unshielded CCB looks on and shakes its head in dismay. The Overlord that was already on foot, assaulting a Devilfish, is assaulted himself by the Devilfish’s gun drone. My Overlord ignores its buzzing in his ear and continues to chop at the Devilfish. It is wrecked and delicious Fire Warriors spill out.
(Necrons) My Annihilation Barges and two Warrior squads now have clear LOS on the Kroot approaching from behind. The Kroot die. The Overlord that opened up the Devilfish kills the gun drone. Pesk. The Overlord whose Barge just got shot out from under him is able to charge Pathfinders (just out range to assault the Broadside instead), does, and sweeps them. The Wraiths mop up one unit of Fire Warriors and the other Fire Warriors (my opponent’s last scoring unt) won't be able to avoid them next turn.
Turn 5:
(Tau) The Broadside shoots my Overlord in the face. The Fire Warriors rapid fire on the Overlord with 1 wound (from 2 Symbiotic Repairs) and kill him as well.
(Necrons) The Fire Warriored Overlord reanimates, the Broadsided Overlord doesn't. Seems about right. My Warriors move onto the nearest objective, Lances take care of the lone Broadside (how did this survive so long), Wraiths wipe the FWs, and we call the game. All my opponent has remaining is an immobilized, Railgun-less Hammerhead. I win the main objective and 2/3 secondary conditions.
Thoughts: Well this Tau list had a lot more tricks up its sleeve than the last. The Kroot were a big surprise, but if I hadn’t underestimated their distance from my Warriors (and their ability to move freely through forest), I think I could have easily dealt with them. The Markerlights, Darksun Filters, and Railguns also hurt quite a bit. Not much I could do to avoid the Hammerhead's range with filters on, but I will have to remember to keep my distance from scouting Pathfinders next time. Letting them tag the Stalker for the Broadsides early on was an avoidable mistake. Even with these little mistakes, I’m happy with how my list performed. My opponent was able to counter some threats, but with so much shooting being wasted on the CCB’s, I was able to tear through his lines with most of my army fully intact for the last few turns. Although my list performed just as I'd like, I think a lot of this is the Tau’s codex showing its age. If they could fit more Railguns in (or just some other shooting that can actually hurt AV13), it would be scary matchup indeed. Overall my opponent played well but bad rolls and a lack of counters for my CCB/Wraith-bomb gave me the game. I won full points on the main objective and 2/3 of the side objectives for 9/10 points.
Mission 3
Spoiler:
Scenario: Capture and Hold with a twist. Objectives were "held" by having the most victory points within 6" of the objective.
Deployment: Dawn of War
Opponent: Imperial Guard
Well..I wanted a challenge, but I was not ready for this matchup at all. Guard is yet another army I haven't faced in ages. Can't find many people that play them locally, so I have 0 experience against modern Vendetta/Manticore-heavy Guard (though I have read the codex). But, I came to this tournament to get this kind of experience, so I'm not complaining. I did make a few rookie mistakes in the following game, however. I apologize in advance for my stupidity.
List:
Company Command Squad (3x Plasma) - Chimera
Psyker Battle Squad (10 Psykers) - Chimera
10 Vets (3 Melta)
10 Vets (3 Melta)
10 Vets (3 Melta)
Vendetta
Vendetta
Vendetta
Manticore
Manticore
IG wins the roll for first turn. I would like to win one of those rolls some day. They deploy their Command Chimera behind their objective and nothing else.
Here's where my mistakes begin. I deploy a CCB Overlord. I'm thinking he'll need the extra 12" in order to get to the Manticores when they arrive. If I brought both Overlords in on the board edge, they would reach the Manticores the same turn they run out of rockets (which is to say, too late). I also deploy a squad of Warriors with Solar Pulse. I want to be able to turn Night Fight off on my first turn so I can hopefully shoot up a few Vendettas. We'll see how that goes...
Turn 1:
(IG) I fail to Seize. Everything in the Guard list comes in on the board edge. Manticores deploy behind a hill blocking my side's LOS to them. The PBS Chimera parks next to them. Three Vendettas come in on the opposite flank. The Command Chimera moves though cover and immobilizes itself right next to the IG objective. They roll to spotlight my CCB and get 6, 5: 33" of range. Damn. The Vendettas open on the CCB with 9 Lascannons and it is wrecked. At least my Warriors are safe...right? Oh, Manticores can still fire when moving on from the board edge..? They fire indirectly, ignoring Night Fight? These are things I should've known, but didn't. My Warriors are killed to the man. Luckily, Ever-Living brings the Solar Pulse Cryptek back to life.
(Necrons) Well..that..was bad. I thought I would be safe in the dark, but lesson learned. Losing the CCB really, really hurts, but at least I didn't lose my Solar Pulse. I use it at the start of this turn so I can hopefully get my opponent back before it's too late. The rest of my army comes in on the board edge. I no longer think I'll be able to take out the Manticores in time, so I prepare to just take it for the next few turns. Ugh. My Warriors spread out far and wide, most directly across from the Vendettas. Same with the Stalker. The Annihilation Barges come in near my objective, across from the PBS. The Wraiths and second CCB come in fast heading straight toward the Command Chimera (and my opponent's objective). I figure he'll be wrecking everything on my end of the board, so I should throw a few hard targets at his end of the table to relieve the pressure. My Stalker is out of range of the Vendetta, but 7 Lances are not. I shoot, shoot, and shoot some more but only score a single Weapon Destroyed on a single Vendetta. Ack. My Annihilation Barges, however, are able to Wreck the PBS's Chimera. A couple die in the explosion.
Turn 2:
(IG) The PBS Weaken Resolve on the nearest unit of Warriors. The Warriors are then hit by Manticores and run off the board. The other Manticore tries to hit an Annihilation Barge, but scatters into some Warriors instead, killing a handful. They are not pinned thankfully. The Vendettas open up on the Wraiths and do some major damage. Lascannons instant kill 4, Heavy Bolters take out out 1. I am left with a single Wraith. Ouch. But they did indeed take the pressure off my Warriors, Stalkers, and Annihilation Barges. Mission...accomplished?
(Necrons) My CCB is in range of the damaged Vendetta, and clips it while flying near to the Command Chimera. The Vendetta is wrecked. Meltavets fall out, a few die, they fail morale and fall back 9". This puts them about 1/4" from the board edge. Lucky SOBs. My Stalker is finally in range of another Vendetta, he hits but fails to do anything. The Lances open twin-linked fire but still only manage a Stun. My Annihilation Barges fire at Vendettas as well but fail to do anything. I'm pretty sure this will be my last turn of fully-effective shooting, so this is hugely disappointing. My solo Wraith makes a desperate assault on the immobilized Command Chimera and wrecks it. Revenge! Sort of. Not really.
Turn 3:
(IG) My Overlord was close enough to scare the Meltavets off the board, but the CCS orders them back into the fight. Forgot they could do that. Uh oh. The Meltavets open fire on the CCB and wreck it. Then the command squad show their Plasma Guns to the Wraith. He bites it. The PBS Weaken Resolve on another unit of Warriors. I am again hit by Manticore fire. It scores only one hit on the unit, killing 4 Warriors and 1 Cryptek. Incredibly, at LD2 (Weaken Resolve) I pass my pinning check on 1,1. My opponent and I joke about how I'll now make my fall-back check (which would likely force them off the board)...and I do indeed make it: 1,1 again. Worse than one in a thousand odds, but my squad lives. A few reanimate but the Cryptek stays down. I caught a break, but not a very big one really. One Vendetta moves up to my objective, full of Meltavets. The other Vendetta wrecks an Annihilation Barge with its Lascannons. Lastly, the second Manticore kills another few Warriors from another squad.
(Necrons) Things are looking pretty grim. Both of my Overlords are on foot. My Wraiths are gone. I still have my Annihilation Barge, my Stalker, and I think 4 Lances (and a few straggling Warriors) surviving. I move the Barge for a good shot at the PBS and the Barge immobilizes itself in terrain. My Overlord who just got his CCB meltaed is equal distances from the CCS and the Meltavets, but he has to move out of cover. I only move 3", which puts him in assault range of neither. He's a write-off at this point. My Stalker moves into Melta range of the Vendetta that just moved flatout into my objective. I hit it, pen twice, but both are ignored by cover saves. My remaining Lances then open up and score an immob, upgraded to a wreck. Wish I hadn't moved that Annihilation Barge now. It has no LOS to the Meltavets so fires on the PBS as planned. 3 more die, bringing them down to 5 members.
My Stalker stands triumphantly over the Vendetta the he kinda-sorta helped bring down. The last Vendetta looms large in the background. Note the PBS and Manticores at the top left. The heart-shaped sucker is simply a ridiculous objective marker.
Turn 4:
(IG) The Meltavets sitting in my deployment zone shoot up the Annihilation Barge next to them. Ba-boom. It kills a few Vets in the explosion, so that's something. The last Vendetta targets and kills my Stalker. The Manticores fire their last rockets at Warriors but fail to do much damage. The Command squad and Meltavets on my opponent's end hold his objective (as "holding" is based on VPs).
(Necrons) My Overlord who was shot down on turn one comes out of hiding. Waiting in a ruin near my objective by himself (rather than joining a squad that would've got Manticore/Weaken Resolved off the board), he pops out and prepares to assault the Meltavets. I need them off my objective so I can at least tie. The remaining Lances take pot-shots at the last Vendetta but do nothing. The Overlord assaults and sweeps the Meltavets. Three times this tourney I've swept someone with a I2 Necron. It feels good.
Turn 5:
(IG) The Manticores, Command Squad, and stranded Meltavets move to their objective, putting as many victory points on it as possible. He moves up his last Vendetta to the same place the last one was: right over my objective. You mean I have to kill these guys again?!?
(Necrons) My Lances fire ineffectually at the Vendetta. It hovers over my objective taunting me with its victory points. We roll to continue and the game ends. My opponent holds his objective without question. I have my Overlord and the remnants of my Warriors on mine. They're worth less VPs than the Vendetta and Meltavets, so he holds my objective as well. I score 2/10 points for a minor objective.
Thoughts: I made a lot of dumb mistakes. Deploying anything turn one in DoW against Guard should have got my 40k License revoked. Same for thinking Night Fight would effect Manticore fire. Same for thinking I could spook the Meltavets off the board. Same for wasting shots on the PBS that should've been going to Vendettas and Vets. Knowing what I do now, I would feel a lot better about this match-up. The PBS+Manticore combo hurts my Warriors a lot, and I'm still not sure what I would do about it. If I could do it over, I'd probably resign to just.."take it" for 3 turns while focusing everything on the Vendettas and Vets. Letting myself come on in piecemeal was probably my biggest mistake, but I really was flailing throughout the entire game. I didn't know what to focus on and wound up wasting most of my Annihilation Barge's shooting on the PBS. I will likely wake up late at night screaming, "THEY COULD HAVE BEEN STUNNING VENDETTAAAAS" for awhile. But the takeaway is, I would feel pretty confident about winning in a rematch. Before this game, I was pretty worried by the idea of mech Guard. After losing to them on the board, I see there's actually not that much to be scared of. Even with my terrible, horrible mistakes (especially losing my CCB and Lances/Warriors turn 1...), I almost played to a draw. If I'd had a plan (reserve everything, shoot everything at Vendettas, CCBs/Wraiths clean up)...if I'd not sent my CCB and Lances out to die on the first turn..I think things would have gone much differently.
Unit Analysis & Final Results
Spoiler:
- CCB-Overlords performed wonderfully. Sweep Attacks were as useful as ever, but the Overlords did surprisingly well on foot too. It's great being able to Sweep, disembark, shoot with the CCB, and assault with the Overlord all in one turn. The damage output can be absurd. Even if they're disembarked from the CCB by force, they're a CC threat that has to be dealt with. That was clear even while I was flailing against Guard. At higher point levels, I'll definitely be taking them with Weaves and Mindshackles. They've earned it.
- The Warrior/Cryptek squads were great. Manticore/PBS spell their doom, but they can reserve/spread out to lessen that effect. Anyway, I was pleased with the amount of S8/AP2 shots they could put out each turn, and they were always in range of something worth shooting. I'll probably take another 5 Warriors/2 Crypteks for anything over 1500 pts. I keep getting the suggestion to upgrade the Warriors to Immortals, but I don't think there's much to it. The 3+ save would be nice (and help a lot against Manticores..), but 1) I don't want to be within Immortals' 24" range, B) I don't want to split my AT and anti-infantry shooting, and %) while 4pts a model seems cheap, the points upgrading from Warriors to Immortals adds up. I'd probably drop an Annihilation Barge to fit them in, but it doesn't seem like a fair trade.
- Wraiths performed as expected. I kind of threw them away in the last game, but I don't know what else I could've done. The problem there was I had no second CCB, so they were an open target. Against the second Tau they were a riot though. I see their main role in my list as counter assault, but that came up very little in my matchups. I wound up using them more aggressively in tandem with the CCBs and liked how that worked a lot.
- The Annihilation Barges put out a huge amount of S7 shots which can occasionally do spectacular things. I could have definitely put them to better use, especially against the Vendettas. Who knows what I was thinking. Annihilation Barges are top of the line fire-suppression. Shoot things with them and you will shake them. Like 20 times. Maybe a few stuns. That's all you'll do. Shakes and Stuns from hell to breakfast.
- The Triarch Stalker is relatively new to my list (replacing a squad of Wraiths) but I am loving this guy. I wasn't satisfied with the amount of shooting I could do at 1500 points and he makes all the difference. Two more S8 shots that twin-link the other S8 shots. Brilliant. That said, I didn't like having to work with the 24" range. In the future, I will dropping a Wraith and upgrading from Heat Ray to a Heavy Gauss Cannon. This puts the Stalker at my preferred 36" range, keeps him from blocking my LOS, getting spotlighted early on, or getting into an unwanted assault. Oh and I get some S9! I will probably take a second Stalker at higher point levels--maybe one with Heavy Gauss, one with Heat Ray (I do love some Melta), but I'll have to play around with different configurations.
- The double Solar Pulses were not as useful as I was expecting. I know these matchups didn't help and I've seen myself that they can be invaluable against other lists. I still believe they're worth the points, but they did very little to help me outside of 1-2 rounds of shooting across these 3 games. I just need to not depend on them or get a false sense of security (which I definitely did in games 2 and 3), but that's really not a problem for a total 40 points of Wargear.
Overall, I am really satisfied with how this list performs and I think I'll be sticking with it for awhile. In the end, my Guard opponent was the tournament winner and I placed second overall. That was pretty surprising, but my first two games did go really well. The IG gave me my first loss with this flavor of Necrons (in a game in which I made massive mistakes and several rules were played incorrectly), and I still finished 2nd in my first tournament (since 3rd Ed) playing against 3 totally unfamiliar armies. So I think I'm doing something right. Definitely looking forward to the next tournament at this venue, as I have now caught "the fever".
This message was edited 24 times. Last update was at 2012/02/20 21:56:33
2012/02/20 13:29:01
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Completed)
Good to hear how well this build worked out. Sounds like it'd be fun to play.
As for the changes you want to make, it's almost too hard to decide what to drop, but they sound like they might compliment things well (actually, it'd probably just be easier to upgrade this list to 2000 points!)
2012/02/20 15:34:06
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Completed)
Ask and you shall receive! See the updated OP for a groupshot and few closeups.
Good to hear how well this build worked out. Sounds like it'd be fun to play.
As for the changes you want to make, it's almost too hard to decide what to drop, but they sound like they might compliment things well (actually, it'd probably just be easier to upgrade this list to 2000 points!)
It was a lot of fun to play. Really happy to be playing Necrons again. Because I can't help myself, my list at 2000 looks like this:
2x Overlord (Warscythe, Weave, MSS) + CCB (Gauss)
2x 5 Cryptek (1x Pulse, 4x Lance)
2x Triarch Stalker (TL Hvy Gauss)
5x 5 Warrior
6 Wraith (3 Whip Coil, 1 P. Caster)
3x Annihilation Barge (2x Gauss, 1x Tesla)
Ideally I want the amount of shooting and CC-threats to raise proportionally from 1500 to 2000. I think I've done that here.
The Grog wrote:Shooting at things they can't see makes barrage weapons scatter full 2d6 distance. But that is it.
Another thing that would have been good to know. They still hit on a hit, though, right? My opponent kept removing 4" off his scatter, I corrected him to 3", but I guess it would've been 0". Probably wouldn't have mattered too much, but I will not forget this in the future! Thanks for letting me know.
2012/02/20 17:45:50
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Completed)
Man those warrior squads make for such a juicy target, but I am really loving this list at 1500. Not exactly a well rounded test but it's really cool to see what this list can do. Totally agree about the stalker and I'm not sure I've seen a better use of it.
It's really too bad necron lascannon shots are so gosh darned expensive.
It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax...
2012/02/20 19:10:04
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Completed)
Most people who saw my list said the same thing about the Warriors. They were indeed a soft target for the Manticores and Kroot (both things that I could've done better avoiding). Otherwise they seem pretty hard to get at. Fighting at a 36" distance (in cover, with RP) make them difficult to take out with shooting. Not to mention that that shooting that would generally prefer to go on Wraiths or CCBs. And if the Warriors' lack of combat prowess brings assault troops toward them (I'm counting on it) my Overlords, Wraiths, and Stalkers can step in to give them a hand. I could go for bigger Warrior squads, Immortals, Ghost Arks, Orb-Lords, etc., to make them harder targets, but the points add up so quickly. I'm more interested in maximizing my firepower than my survivability (best defense=good offense and all that), so that's where the points go.
I agree these three games don't make for a very balanced test, but unfortunately that couldn't be helped. I would've really liked to get a game against SW, BA, or DE...I've got another tourney coming in three weeks, so fingers crossed.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/20 19:15:56
2012/02/20 19:24:13
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
Yes, I'm all in agreement there. I am very happy with how well the stalker tarpits in close combat. Av 13 is really resilient and the moving through cover helps way more than I thought. I'm not convinced on using the barge lords as sufficient deterrent. I guess your experiences may be proving me wrong, and maybe I should invest in them beyond the 180 point minimum, but they really seem more like reusable silver bullets to me than multipurpose units to lean on.
It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax... It's just a show, I should really just relax...
2012/02/20 19:33:43
Subject: Re:1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
Great finish at the tournament. 2nd is awesome, considering you've never really played against Tau and IG before (or for a long time, at least).
I recently went to a local smallish 1K tournament. I also played Tau there twice. Tau just doesn't match up well against necrons, especially fast necrons. I ended up tabling both of my tau opponents.
I noticed a few mistakes in the games that I'd just like to point out.
1. In game #3, you can't deploy your Overlord on CCB. Even though they are only 1 HQFOC selection, they actually counts as 2 units deployed insofar as DoW deployment is concerned.
2. Your IG opponent cannot fire his manticores on the turn they come in (at least not indirectly). The tank has to be stationary in order to fire an Ordnance Barrage.
3. Your IG opponent should not have run out of Manticore missiles on Turn 4. Since they have 4 missiles each, they will run out on Turn 5.
4. This is not really a mistake but more of a tip. I can't really tell if you did this, but when assaulted (i.e. by kroots in game #2), kill off your crypteks first. Then when you lose battle and your unit gets swept, at least the crypteks will be able to get back up thanks to Ever-living.
jy2 wrote:4. This is not really a mistake but more of a tip. I can't really tell if you did this, but when assaulted (i.e. by kroots in game #2), kill off your crypteks first. Then when you lose battle and your unit gets swept, at least the crypteks will be able to get back up thanks to Ever-living.
Check with the TO first - I'm not here to debate this, but just pointing out that there is disagreement on that.
My beautiful wife wrote:Trucks = Carnifex snack, Tanks = meals.
2012/02/20 20:08:54
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
Unless the TO is very familiar with the new necrons, I doubt he'll know. I don't really see the controversy in this. Then again, I don't really follow YMDC. If my opponent disagrees, then I'll make my case. If he still disagrees, then we'll just roll off.
jy2 wrote:I noticed a few mistakes in the games that I'd just like to point out.
1. In game #3, you can't deploy your Overlord on CCB. Even though they are only 1 HQFOC selection, they actually counts as 2 units deployed insofar as DoW deployment is concerned.
This is what I thought as well. But when my opponent deployed his CCS+Chimera, I figured I was good to go on the Overlord+CCB. Even then, I shouldn't have done it. If we'd played this right (with both CCBs coming in flat-out from the table edge, with no CCS spotlighting me turn 1) it would've been a much, much different game.
2. Your IG opponent cannot fire his manticores on the turn they come in (at least not indirectly). The tank has to be stationary in order to fire an Ordnance Barrage.
ARRRGH! As if I'm not already suffering enough pangs of regret! If he'd been measuring for Night Fight (or scattering properly), there's no way I would've lost that squad. They were easily further than 36" from the Manticores.
3. Your IG opponent should not have run out of Manticore missiles on Turn 4. Since they have 4 missiles each, they will run out on Turn 5.
I re-read my report and this was most likely an error on my part. I think what actually happened was the Manticores only got 2-3 shots total on turn 4, scattered badly, and only killed a Warrior or two. All I remember for certain was that their shooting was not very effective that turn (corrected my report to reflect this).
4. This is not really a mistake but more of a tip. I can't really tell if you did this, but when assaulted (i.e. by kroots in game #2), kill off your crypteks first. Then when you lose battle and your unit gets swept, at least the crypteks will be able to get back up thanks to Ever-living.
I did attempt to do this (only 1 Warrior survived and he was swept), but my opponent balked. The Lances didn't really matter to me at that point (and he could've likely covered the area with Kroot consolidation to prevent my EL), so I didn't fight it. I figured it was better not to get bogged down in a rules dispute when A) there wasn't much on the line and B) I needed every available turn to get my other units on the objectives.
Thanks very much for pointing all of this out. I probably trusted a little too much in my IG opponent's interpretation of the rules, and at this point I'm fairly certain I would've won that game with the DoW, Night Fight, and Manticore rules played correctly. Live and learn, I suppose. I didn't expect to win anyway, so I can't be too upset. I now feel very confident going into my next tournament (which, thank God, has a painting requirement), and that's all I was honestly hoping for from this event.
And a sincere thanks to all of you that took the time to read this. Any recommendations on how I can improve future reports? I know I'll be taking care to get my opponents' lists and many, many more photos at my next event (especially since it'll be against painted armies!), but I would love to know how my big wall-o-text read to you guys (too verbose? too general? too specific?). I know it makes sense to me, but I also know how hard it can be to relate the events of a game mostly through text.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2012/02/20 20:54:37
2012/02/20 21:24:43
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
The stalkers performance was interesting. I don't know if I would sacrifice a Wraith for the HGC though. I feel like you loose a lot more punch with 1 less wraith, than you gain from the HGC.
I find the best way to learn lessons from stuff like the IG game, is to make mistake, than never forget it. I remember thinking I knew all of the Space wolves tricks, in a game one time. Forgot about how Wolf Scouts can come on from the Rear. I Never forgot again after that game!
Nothing to say about the battlereps, but that's a heck of a nice looking Triarch Stalker.
"'players must agree how they are going to select their armies, and if any restrictions apply to the number and type of models they can use."
This is an actual rule in the actual rulebook. Quit whining about how you can imagine someone's army touching you in a bad place and play by the actual rules.
Freelance Ontologist
When people ask, "What's the point in understanding everything?" they've just disqualified themselves from using questions and should disappear in a puff of paradox. But they don't understand and just continue existing, which are also their only two strategies for life.
2012/02/20 22:17:28
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
jy2 wrote:Unless the TO is very familiar with the new necrons, I doubt he'll know. I don't really see the controversy in this. Then again, I don't really follow YMDC. If my opponent disagrees, then I'll make my case. If he still disagrees, then we'll just roll off.
Fair enough, and like I said - I'll leave the controversy to YMDC.
Nice batreps though... I'm learning what to fear from my brother's Necrons (since we play so infrequently I can't just learn from him)
My beautiful wife wrote:Trucks = Carnifex snack, Tanks = meals.
2012/02/20 23:55:42
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
Sasori wrote:The stalkers performance was interesting. I don't know if I would sacrifice a Wraith for the HGC though. I feel like you loose a lot more punch with 1 less wraith, than you gain from the HGC.
Good advice, I'm thinking you're probably right...I would like to stay at 6 Wraiths. I still really want that 36" range from the TL Hvy Gauss though, so I think I'll keep the Wraith and take out a single Cryptek instead. A single Lance doesn't feel nearly as big a loss as a single Wraith. Plus, I won't feel so bad about reserving the 1-Lance squad whenever that might be necessary.
Thanks Darkness. There will most likely be shots of the Stalker painted next time I post a batrep. And then GW will release a better model...and mine will get replaced.
2012/02/21 04:27:43
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
I don't think your IG opponent could have used "get back in the fight" on the meltavets if I understand your description - it takes place in the shooting phase and they would already have fallen back off the board?
2012/02/21 08:37:06
Subject: 1500 pt Tournament - Necrons vs. The World (Now with more pictures!)
kestral wrote:I don't think your IG opponent could have used "get back in the fight" on the meltavets if I understand your description - it takes place in the shooting phase and they would already have fallen back off the board?
Hrmm...You're right. Another ..interesting misinterpretation of the rules. Thanks for pointing this out.
I wonder if I see this guy again, do I say something? Like I said, it's not in my nature to be confrontational over rules, and it's definitely my own fault taking it all on faith, but this all seems pretty egregious added together.
Edit: To answer my own question. Nah, not worth it. I will be asking for a rematch though, and promise we'll get the rules right the second time around.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2012/02/21 12:56:28
is worth diving into.
.....Bay Area Open GT 2013 - Best Tyranids 
.....LVO GT 2014 Team Tournament - Best Generals
Thousand Sons 4000+
