Longtime Dakkanaut
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The Decepticrons returned for the Invitational tournament on Sunday.
Every player I face in this tournament was knowledgeable about the rules, played optimally, brought a competitive list and was polite and pleasant. This was the best tournament I've ever been to. I didn't have a single bad experience at Adepticon, but these 3 were each actively enjoyable games.
Decepticrons 1850
Deceiver
10 warriors
10 warriors
6 Immortals
6 Immortals
7 Immortals
3 Destroyers
3 Destroyers
3 Destroyers
1 Heavy Destroyer
1 Heavy Destroyer
1 Heavy Destroyer
No need to repeat my comments, save to note that Decepticrons (and Necrons in general) prefer higher point values. The lower it gets the weaker we get. My list is notably weaker at 1850 than it is at 2k. Still, I'm confident that I can do fine against Mech Eldar and Nidzilla, which is what I'm expecting in this tournament.
The field:
The tournament is at least a third Mech Eldar. There are some Nidzillas, some Space Marines, and 2 Okrs which are both footslogging green Horde types. Nobody jumps out as someone who will slaughter my list, looks like the metagame has kept the twin-lash Chaos and drop podders out, as neither does incredibly well vs. Mech Eldar.
Round 1: Mech Eldar
Farseer ( Doom)
Autarch on jetbike
Falcon
6 Harlequins
Falcon
6 Harlequins
Falcon
6 Harlequins
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
3 Guardian Jetbikes w/shuriken cannon
Yo, Mech Eldar, how goes? This player has answered the perpetual question in that list (what do I put in once I've got my tri-falcon harlies) with a zillion tiny scoring units that aren't going to do anything to my guys. They might beat me on table quarters/objectives though.
This player is also one of the guys who knocked me out of the team tournament, so I'm looking for some revenge.
The mission:
Primary: VP's. (Thank the Chaos Gods! Objectives as the primary vs. Mech Eldar is always like pulling teeth)
Secondary: quarters
Tertiary: Get an HQ unit to a spot
The game:
I get lucky and drop a falcon while it's still grounded with a lucky Heavy D shot, get the second one on round 3 through volume of glances and the third on round 4, again honestly. The 2 Harlequin units that get up close wipe out a Necron unit each, but my troops know not to hold and we gun down the space clowns in retribution. He brings up the last harlequins and his jetbike troops in a last ditch effort, but our statline advantage is insurmountable. I get max points for this game.
Game 2:
Non-Mech Eldar!
Avatar
Farseer w/ Fortune
10 Dire Avengers in Wave Serpent
5 Dire Avengers
3 Jetbikes
4 Wraithguard w/lock in Wave Serpent
4 Wraithguard w/lock in Wave Serpent
5 Fire Dragons in Wave Serpent
Wraithlord w/starcannon, 2 flamers
Wraithlord w/starcannon, 2 flamers
Fire Prism
Well...this is different. Just one holo-tank? Eldar-zilla? It's an odd list, and I'm not quite sure how to proceed. There doesn't look to be anything that can hurt my Immortals all that much though, so I guess the little skimmers will eventually go down. Big D can manhandle his Wraithlords + Avatar, and that ought to be that.
Primary: Linear table quarters (12" deep, 48" wide.), with the far away ones being worth more than the close ones.
Secondary: Vp's
Tertiary: Kill Points (as per 5th ed rumors)
The game:
He gets first turn, goes first and blasts down some Destroyers. They get back up and I return fire, knocking down...ALL 4 Waveserpents. So basically the game is over in the bottom of the first. He's game though, footslogging his guys up the field, but ultimate his Farseer Perils himself to death, and the Deceiver murders his Avatar and starts mulching Wraithguard and he calls it. I lose a point in this game because I can't get at his Fire Prism, and one of the objectives calls for him to have no scoring units left, or contest no quarters or some such.
Game 3:
Orks:
30 boys w/shootas, 3 big shootas, nob w/PK
30 boys w/shootas, 3 big shootas, nob w/PK
30 boys w/shootas, 3 big shootas, nob w/PK
30 boys w/shootas, 3 big shootas, nob w/PK
15 Lootas
15 Lootas
Snikrot and da kommandos, w/burnas
1 Grot Kannon
1 Grot Kannon
3 Grot Kannons
Wow, this is a beastly list. To beat this I need to pass 4 gates. 1, he needs to not grok my list and try and rush the open field, permitting my Immortals to fire every round vs. no cover save. 2. His Lootas need to be unlucky. 3. I need to win first turn. 4. Snikrot needs to stay out till the third turn (4th would be even better) We talk a bit before the game, and he doesn't seem to understand exactly how shooty my list is, so I'm hopeful, but its still such a nightmare game.
The mission:
Primary: Take 3 objectives in the midfield (Dangit! This is my karmic payback for getting Vp's on that first Mech Eldar list)
Secondary: Have more units in the enemy deployment zone (Nuh-uh, as I need first turn to win the midfield battle, and that won't let me boost destroyers into his zone on the last turn)
Tertiary: Win by 925 VP's... the only way anyone is getting this is if he phases me out.
We set up, he's right up on the line for a blitz (Gate 1). I stand so that if the Immortals walk forward we can fire, but even if he walks forward he can't shoot his shootas. I win first turn! (Gate 3!). My army opens fire and we kill roughly 50 orks, obliterating and pretty much clearing our kill zone. He fires with his lootas...at the Deceiver! He still thinks he's going to cross this field! (Gate 2 passed!). The Deceiver takes 4 wounds, and 4 Immortals go down to shoota and cannon fire, but 3 get up. I can see that the one immortal and wounded boss vs. 50 dead boys is demoralizing him. I step my army to the 24" and I've got a choice. If I bring my Destroyers forward, over the Immortal line, they are safe from Snikrot, but the Orks might reach them with a good Waaargh, and the Deceiver's explosion might get a few. I choose (fatefully) to stick with the plan and keep them back. My shooting is a bit worse this round, we finish off unit 2 and break unit 3 at below half, but unit 4 is essentially entirely intact. His round 2 begins...and the game hangs in the balance. Snikrot comes in! Kannon fire finishes off the Deceiver and the Lootas each gun down a destroyer squad. Snikrot and his mob krump the last squad, which finishes off my most effective shooting. The fourth Boys unit abandons the Picketts Charge that has consumed the rest of his army and flees for the furthest objective. On my next turn I countercharge in with my warriors and kill off Snikrot and his Kommandos, but the damage is done. The rest of the game is me trying to make the last boy unit non-scoring, and trying to avoid phaseout due to Loota fire.
He wins primary, we tie secondary and tertiary. That's enough points for him to be overall winner of the invitational tournament. I'm down somewhere in the rankings, below the other guy (Shades) who knocked us out in the Team Tournament.
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