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3/18/12
Necrons VS Grey Knights bat rep.

Warning. Text wall.

I’m gonna do my initial thoughts first so you can skip the bat rep if you want because its so freak’n long. Sorry for the lack of pics, working on being able to include them with future reps. The game results are at the bottom of the post. Enjoy.

Knight thoughts: This army was very fun to play. It offers both ranged and close combat as well as some end game maneuvering shenanigans.
The paladin block is retardedly resilient. Throughout the game it took huge amounts of damage from multiple sources and came through barely scratched. Of the 10 that started the game only 3 actually died, although everyone else in the unit was wounded to some degree. They are my new favorites hands down.
The Dreads are solid, and do awesome when they can see their targets, they’ll defiantly be staying.
The strike squad died with a whimper, but as the second mandatory troop they have to stay in 1 incarnation or another.
The interceptors where the only real “meh” in the list. They have the potential to be really good in certain situations, but are a pretty big point sink that I might be able to tweak a little or replace altogether.

Necron thoughts: This being the 3’rd time ninja has used the list its starting to take a definite shape. If I had to describe it in a word I’d call it “shifty” All of his units are fast in 1 form or another, able to shift position to gain cover/advance/retreat.
The warrior squads are able to deeps strike, but have weaponry that allows him to do it at safe ranges and still maintain effectiveness. Being able to ‘port’ anywhere any turn is a huge advantage.
The lords are weird, in that they are really his anti-tank, and ‘have’ to move forward to hit rear elements. With the current meta they are excellent in that their vehicles are super hard to stop ( the lord can take a wound to negate effects on the vehicle damage table) and fast enough to get to where they need to go.
The wraiths fit with the rest of the army and can pull either dedicated assault roles to dig out troops, or heavy tar-pit which I have seen in all my games against them.
The annihilation barges are the only “meh” unit in his list. Out of the 3 games in which we’ve seen them they have not done super well, but his comes down to what he was fighting (deathwing and draigo wing) and how their saves can take incoming fire. I think that they are still very viable and fit with the move/shoot feel of the force.
Last but not least, his army is built redundantly. There is no ‘one unit’ you can kill to neuter his forces effectiveness. It has no ‘head’ to cut off. Because of this, and the synergy with which he uses it it is hard to deal with…

Necrons:
Lord mind shackle scarabs, phase shifter, war scythe, weave, catacomb command barge.
Lord see above.
Cryptek squad *4. 2 destruction lances, 1 solar pulse, 2 veil of darkness, 1 nightmare shroud.
Cryptek squad *4 see above
Necron warriors *5 (2 crypteks go here)
Necron warriors *5 (2 crypteks go here)
Necron warriors *5 (2 crypteks go here)
Necron warriors *5 (2 crypteks go here)
Canoptek waiths *5 3 whip coils, 1 particle caster.
Canoptek waiths *5 see above
Canoptek wraiths *5 see above
Annihilation barge
Annihilation barge

As a side note it was brought to our attention that the wargear load outs on the cryptek courts was not exactly legal. The game (being played by two old friends) turned out to be pretty fun anyway. We'll work on list building in the future.

Knights:
Draigo
Librarian master crafted halberd, quick, might, sanctuary, shrouding, warp rift, summoning, servo skull
Pallies *10 psycannons *4, 5 mastercrafts for full unit complication.
Strike squad *5 1 psycannon, 1 master c’d hammer for the justicar.
Rifle dread auto/auto w/psybolt.
Rifle dread see above
Rifle dread see above
Interceptors *10 2 psycannons, psybolt ammo, 7 halberds, 1 master c’d hammer for the justicar.

The table was set up using a green flock mat with hills and a few bunkers, with a large’ish hill mid to block los to short units.
Mission had multiple scoring conditions. 5 objectives, 1 in the middle of each quarter and one center board, Kill points, and table quarters, with ties decided by VP’s.
Deployment was spear head. Opposite quarters, 12” away form the center, with all forces able to deploy turn 1.
Rolled for first turn/deployment, knights won and decided to go second, crons deployed.

Crons deploy the 3 wraith units up front (close to mid screening everything else) in their top left quarter. Lords in command barges and ‘A’ barges snuggle in right behind them, with a unit of warriors with their cryptek escorts backfield in a bunker near an objective. 3 warrior units stay off the board to deep strike with the veils.

Knights castle in the bottom right corner, with the pally/draigo/lib bomb up front to soak fire. Interceptors get in behind them, and the dreads hunker down behind a hill hoping for some obscured saves. The 5 man strike squad plops down right in front of them in a bunker near the quarters objective.

Knights attempt to seize and fail. Players shake hands and game begins.

Necron turn 1: The wraith wall advances into the center, careful to try to stay out of los behind the mid hill. ‘A’ barges shift toward the top of the board to get line on the pallys, and the command barges split, one turbo’s 24” toward the top of the board entering the top right quarter, setting up to hit the pallys turn 2, while the other shifts to the bottom left quarter.
Shooting: ‘A’ barges both light up the pally block getting some good tesla rolls and inflicting a crap ton of wounds. Draigo takes a wound.
Assault: no assaults.

Knights turn 1: Necrons activate solar pulse and “turn on night fighting”. Pally block advances into the top right quarter towards the command barge, and gain a few inches toward mid as well. The 10 man interceptor block mirrors the movement to maintain cover behind the pally wall. The dreads shuffle right a few steps for line of site.
Shooting: Dreads are too far back and see nothing. Pallys open up on the wraiths closest to the top of the board (of the 3 units) as well as the interceptors. 2 wraiths go down. Strike squad cant see anything.
Assault: no assaults.

Necron turn 2: Night fight ends. 2 of the 3 units of warriors arrive from deep strike, landing in the bottom left quarter, near the mid line. The warrior unit in the cron back field ‘ports’ to the same position. The entire necron force (wraiths, ‘A’ barges, and command barges) does a counter clockwise movement, rotating around the mid hill away from the pally block, into the bottom left quarter, with one command barge approaching setup range for a following turn assault on the dreads.
Shooting: ‘A’ barges again light up the pally block, 3 wounds to the unit, spread evenly throughout. The 3 deep strike units open up on the dread with lances, managing to stun 1.
Assault: No assaults.

Knights turn 2: Necrons activate night fight. 5 man strike squad attempt to activate warp quake, roll box cars and kill the justicar from perils… The interceptor unit tries the same and fails the test. The stunned dread passes fortitude and is able to move and shoot. The paladin block mirror the necron move and rotates counter clockwise toward the center of the board, with the interceptors in tow again. The 3 dreads move backwards and up towards the top of the board to avoid a next turn assault from the lower command barge, staying in cover and waiting for next turns shooting. The now 4 man strike squad does the same.
Shooting: Pallies and interceptors open up on an ‘a’ barge and pop it. Dreads are blind from the night fight, and the strike squad has no targets.
Assault: No assaults.

Necrons turn 3: Night fight ends. 2 of the 3 warrior squads ‘port’ back to their back field objectives in the top and bottom left quarters, landing spot on to hold them. The 3’d squad of them ‘ports’ to the bottom right corner, landing smack in between the 3 dreads and the 4 man strike squad. The rest of the necron force (wraiths and command barges) continue the counter clockwise rotation, advancing into the bottom right quarter closing on the knights. 1 command barge turbo’s into the bottom right corner (literally) prepping for a next turn assault on the dreads. The last ‘A’ barge shifts to gain cover from its partners wreck and remains in the top left quarter.
Shooting: ‘A’ barge hits the interceptors, wounds a few times but power armor saves them. The 1 warrior unit that ‘ported’ into the knights bottom right corner flames the strike squad and kills 3. Last knight (psycannon) fails leadership and falls toward the command barge/table edge.
Assaults: No assaults.

Knights turn 3: Lone psycannon falls to within 2” of board edge. Interceptors activate warp quake. Dreads move towards the top of the board, away form the command barge and the warrior squad, turning to face them for the shooting phase. Pally’s move toward center of the board prepping to open up on the bottom right quarter necron forces. Interceptors shift down and set up line of site to the warriors in the bottom right corner.
Shooting: Lone psycannon fires on the command barge near him and whiffs. Interceptors Open up on the bottom right warrior squad and kill everything but 1 cryptek. First dread opens up on the last cryptek and kills him. Second and third dread fire on the command barge in their corner and score an immobilized and ‘cant shoot’ on the table. The lord takes a wound and negates the immobilized.
Pallys open up on the second command barge in the bottom right quarter and score the same results. Again the the lord takes a wound and negates the immobilized.
Assault: No assaults.

Necron turn 4: The 4th unit of warriors arrives from deep strike, too near the interceptors warp quake, and suffers a mishap and is delayed. None of the warrior squad killed by the interceptors and the dread ‘come back’. The whole unit is removed (including crypteks). The bottom right command barge flys over the closest dread making the special flyby attack, immobilizing him. The second barge makes a similar move over the pally block, rolling two 6’s to hit, and killing 1 wounded psycannon pally and wounding another, landing within 4” of the unit. One 5 man unit of wraiths advances into the bottom right corner and babysits the psycannon marine who is still fleeing. The other 2 (5 man and 3 man) hug the hill mid and prep for next turns tar pit assault.
The ‘A’ barge backs further into the top left corner and gets line on the pallys.
Shooting: ‘A’ barge opens up on the pallys, scoring no wounds. Top left warrior unit takes a pot shot with their lance on the pallies, draigo deflects it.
Assault: No assaults.

Knights turn 4: Lone psycannon falls back off the board. Interceptors activate warp quake. The 2 mobile dreads continue to back away form the far right command barge. The pally block moves to wrap the close/mid command barge, cover 3 of the 4 sides. The interceptors move to the top of the top right quarter to gain distance form the right command barge and be ready to gun down the lord if the dreads pop the ride. Immobile dread is immobile…
Shooting: Immobile dread opens up on the bottom right 5 man wraith unit, killing 2. Other 2 dreads and interceptors open up on the right command barge and whiff. Pallys fire on the mid barge and break it open. Lord deploys in wreckage.
Assault: Lib activates hammer hand, draigo activates hammer hand. Pallys assault the lord in the wreck, no dangerous terrain deaths. Mind shackle scarabs randomly pick draigo, he passes ld on 3d6 like a baws. The pallys kill the lord and consolidate back toward center of board.

Necron turn 5: The 4th warrior unit arrives from deep strike and lands on the bottom right objective. The far right command barge moves 8” and sweep attacks the next closest dread blowing off both arms. The lord hops out and preps to assault the last functional dread. The bottom right wraith unit (3man) moves to assault the immobile dread. The 2 mid wraith units (5 man and 3 man) move to assault the pally block mid. The ‘A’ barge shifts to get los on the interceptors.
Shooting: The ‘A’ barge opens up on the interceptors with no kills. The bottom right warrior squad fires on the armless dread and whiffs.
Assault: The lord assaults the dread, scoring 1 weapon destroyed and 1 ‘cant shoot’, dread whiffs. The bottom right wraiths assault the immobile dread and kill him. The mid wraith units hit the pally block. Paladins win combat and are locked with the fearless wraiths.

Knights turn 5: The interceptors ‘shunt’ 30” into the top left quarter, landing right behind the ‘A’ barge. The armless dread moves towards the bottom right objective and the warrior squad.
Shooting: The interceptors destroy the ‘A’ barge with psycannon fire.
Assault: The pallys win combat and kill all but 2 of the wraiths, both wraiths take wounds from fearless saves but neither dies. Necron lord continues to fight the dread, stunning him twice.

Dice rolled, game continues.

Necron turn 6: Bottom right wraiths advance to assist the lord with the dread. Top left (backfield) unit of warriors use’s its veil of darkness to ‘port’ from the top left objective, to the top right quarter objective, effectively fleeing the incoming interceptors. The remaining command barge shifts toward the top of the board, over the wraith\pally combat) to block los to the ‘ported’ warrior squad.
Shooting: The bottom right warrior squad shoots the armless dread again and whiffs on the damage table.
Assault: The pally block kills the remaining mid wraith units and consolidates toward the mid objective and the top right objective. The remaining wrath unit assaults the dread fighting the necron lord. Again it is a tied combat.

Knights turn 6: The interceptors advance mid in between the top and bottom left objectives, prepping to fire on the bottom left warrior squad. The pallys conga line, spreading single file from the top right objective to the mid, contesting the top and claiming the mid. The armless dread advances to contest the bottom right objective.
Shooting: The interceptors fire on the bottem left warrior unit, dropping 2. The pallys open up on the bottom right warrior unit and kill all but 1 warrior and 1 cryptek. Both units pass morale.
Assault: Necron lord and wraiths finally kill the dread. Armless dread assaults last remaining warrior on bottom right objective and whiffs.

Dice is rolled, game continues to turn 7.

Necron turn 7: Neither of the bottom left cron warriors ‘come back’. All but 1 cryptek return in the bottom right unit. The last remaining right wraith unit moves to assault the armless dread. The necron lord moves to assault the pally block (effectively pulling them off of both objectives). The remaining command barge turbo’s to the top left quarter to harass the interceptors.
Shooting: The bottom left warrior unit fires on and kills 1 interceptor.
Assault: Lib activates hammer hand, draigo activates hammer hand. Necron lord assaults the pally block. Mind shackle scarabs affect one of the halberds and he kills 2 of his squad mates. The pallys strike back with everything and cause 1 wound… The lord saves and locks them in place. The wraiths assault the armless dread and kill him.

Knights turn 7: Interceptors advance into the bottom left quarter and prep to assault the warriors on the objective there.
Shooting: No shooting.
Assault: The interceptors activate hammer hand. The lib activates hammer hand, draigo activates hammer hand. The interceptors kill all of the warriors and crypteks on the bottom left objective. Mind shackle scarabs again target draigo… And he again passes his 3d6 ld like a baws. The pallys kill the necron lord and consolidate toward the mid and top right objective, missing the mid and contesting the top.

Game ends.
This game was very fun. Lots of “if it ends here” and “down to this 1 dice roll” moments. Looking forward to more in the future.

Seize Ground: Necrons 1 – 0
Kill points: Knights 8 – 4
Quarters: Necrons 1 – 0

Necron victory.

Nice report. Clear concise. Keep up the good work.. Now you just need to get some pics to make your BR's really stand out.
Good Job

That was an awesome batrep with some interesting results. Thanks for taking the time to write this report.

Ninja's list is illegal. you can only take 1 Veil per Court. you can have as many types of one harbinger in a court as is allowed, but it does say in the RC entry that each extra type of cryptek wargear can only be taken once per Court

EDIT: I know you did say that, but It does need to be mentioned

Nice win for the necrons. Draigowing is a bad matchup for necrons, though you can still win in objectives-based scenarios by taking advantage of their weakness - low mobility. In fact, without the ability to tankshock, that's about the only way for you to beat them.