So I finally get around to doing a batrep with my new full wraith list, but I find out I will be playing new chaos deamons with my local friend. He is not a super competitive player, but a good player none the less. I opt for a slightly less competitive list(see my previous posts on my 2k wraithseer list) for a more fluff, but still decent Iyanden list
*Disclaimer!* A lot of my pictures turned out strange, or did not turn out at all. I was using my phone(5 year old 1st
gen smartphone) so it is unreliable at best. The lighting was probably not great either. I had more pictures, and ones of better quality, but they got corrupted uploading to my computer, or something. I apologize in advance about the quality or lack of photographs!
The lists
Me
HQ Yriel
Farseer: Runes of Warding, runes of witnessing, Fortune
Elite
HarlequinsX10: 9 kisses, shadowseer, death jester
Fire DragonsX5: Wave serpent with
TL scatter laser, chin cannon
Troop
WraithguardX10: Spiritseer with conceal
GuardiansX10: Scatter laser, warlock w/ embolden
GuardiansX10: Scatter laser, warlock w/ embolden
Guardian JetbikesX3-66
Fast
HawksX5: Exarch with skyleap, sunrifle
Heavy
Wraithlord:
EML, bright lance, 2 flamers
Wraithlord:
EML, bright lance, 2 flamers
Wraithlord:
EML, bright lance, 2 flamers
Allies
Baron Sathonyx
WytchesX5: Haywire grenades. Venom with dual splinter cannons, night shields, chain snares
Kabalite warriorsX10: Splinter cannon
Talos:
TL liquefier gun
Pre-game thoughts: I wanted to make a thematic, but still somewhat competitive list. My chaos friend is not a super competitive player, although he does build decent lists and plays well. I went with the Iyanden theme of wraith heavy with harlequins and dark eldar support. Opting for Yriel over the Wraithseer was a thematic choice, as well as not taking Eldrad. The swooping hawks are there to yo-yo, and with Yriel I should get them every turn. Turn 5 I will try to score linebreaker and maybe clean some troops off an objective.
I don’t know much about the new chaos(this is my first matchup with the new dex) but my friend is Slaanesh heavy and likes soulgrinders. I expect a lot of T3 nasty assault units and walker support, unsure on how many
MC’s I will see. The random table worries me, an 11 could ruin my day taking out fortune/runes of warding (I know the new daemons are psyker heavy) so I took some extra warlocks to lessen the chances of that, plus keep the guardians around as I don’t have an avatar fearless bubble.
Not sure if the fire dragons are needed, considered an exarch with a flamer but did not have the points. Avoiding singing spears for lack of armor the daemons have (my lances, haywire grenades, dragons and wraithguard should be sufficient) and the need for attacks in
CC. The chain snares are point filler, and might get a kill or two.
My opponents list(as best as I can remember) Keeper of secrets with psychic powers and stuff( warlord, hatred trait)
4 heralds, one of each type. All loaded with psychic powers and gifts, etc. Each with the respective squad.
Big blob of blood letters, instrument and icon. Sarge upgrade with stuff.
Big blob of plague bearers, instrument and icon. Sarge upgrade with stuff. (maybe psychic?)
Big blob of daemonetts, instrument and icon. Sarge upgrade with stuff. (maybe psychic?)
Big blob of pink horrors, instrument and icon. Sarge upgrade with stuff. (maybe psychic?)
Full squad of nurglings.
Big squad of seekers
3 fiends of Slaanesh.
Soulgrinder with the S8 ap3 large blast
3 chariots of Slaanesh, one exalted.
So, that is a ton of models, and very psyker heavy. Somewhat what I was expecting, but the sheer numbers are an issue. Runes of warding will be very helpful. As my opponent rolled for each gift, I was worried about AP2 weapons left and right, instant death this, psychic death nova that, blade of blood death etc… Note, this rolling process is a very long process.
The mission:Big guns never tire. 5 objectives (represented by bottle caps) One on my side near the lava rocks, one on the left of my side in the rocks between the two ruins, one on my right in the rocks between the two hills. One in the middle left ruin, one in the far back right ruin(second floor)
Deployment:Hammer and anvil. We set up terrain via roll and set up per sector of the board. I win the roll off and choose to go first. Night fight is in effect.
My deployment.
Kabbies in the left ruin, the venom and serpent behind the ruin. Wraithguard with my 3
IC’s in front, harlequins behind, wraithlords behind them. Guardian squads in back center and on the back left hill. Jetbikes and hawks in reserve.
Enemy deployment Soulgrinder and pink horrors set up shop in the far left ruin.
The chariots were well placed out of sight behind the hill. Plaguebearers in the ruin behind them. Nurglings infiltriate to the building on my mid left(mostly out of sight). The keeper, seekers, bloodletters, fiends and deamonetts are all in reserve to deep strike in.
My pre game thoughts are that this is not all that different than old deamons, and I need to weather the early storm.
Battle from my point of view. I am unable to get any shots from the other side due to the wall being in the way. Hammer and anvil is an annoying deployment.
Soulgrinder/horrors in ruins.
Chariots behind the hill. Turn 1 Eldar I move the wraithguard forward, as well as the serpent and venom. Fortune the wraithguard.
Shooting is uneventful, I think I pluck some wounds off the nurglings. The armor moves flat out.
Daemons Most of his army stays put, maybe all of it. The soulgrinder take a shot at the wraithguard, but the darkness gives me a 2+ cover save and I pass. Warpstorm table is a 7(nothing)
Turn 2 Eldar Fortune again on the
WG, the bikes and hawks appear. Hawks drop their template and skyleap, killing a pink horror or something. The serpent and venom move up to shoot the horrors, killing a few. Wraithguard fall back realizing the soulgrinder can hurt them. Another couple of pot shots hurts a nurgling base or something. Nothing really eventful.
The wave serpent and venom advance up the left flank. Deamons He gets his seekers, fiends, greater deamon and bloodletters in. The bloodletters strike down right behind my corner guardians, and use their instrument to get the greater deamon there.
Chariots move up, as the seekers and fiends drop in. All of these units run and position to strike. Warpstorm table rolls an 8, and claims half of my harlequins in one blast!(too bad she who thirsts did not get any eldar souls!). The soulgrinder shoots at my serpent to no effect, and the horrors perils losing the sarge. The greater deamon gets off some nova power, but I pass all leadership checks required.
The greater daemon prepare for assault next turn. Turn 3 Eldar Jetbikes boost away from the mob of murder on the back right. The hawks fail to come in despite yriel’s boost to reserves. Fortune the wraithguard and move up. The venom shuffles toward the chariots and the wytches pile out. Serpent moves forward, clowns move back to intercept the bloodletters with the wraithlords. Talos flanks the fiends.
Shooting sees wraithcannons destroy 2 of the chariots, the greater deamon(first blood and warlord, taking the combined arms of the wraithlords, harlequins and guardians for the deathblow) The guardian squad close to the bloodletters manages one kill(I am not even made when they die next turn). The talos picks off a fiend. Wytches charge the chariot and nothing happens.
They may have suffered losses, but these units are about to smash my wraithguard hard. Thankful for defensive grenades right about now.
Deamons Deamonetts fail to arrive, bloodletters, seekers and fiends set up the charge, nurglings shift around in cover. Soulgrinder moves out toward the wave serpent, hoping to blow it up should the cannon shots fail.
Another 7 on the warpstorm table, and shooting sees the soulgrinder strip 2 hullpoints, but the serpent stands. The venom denies the witch against the horrors, the bloodletters, fiends and seekers prepare multi charges.
The bloodletters hit like a train, murdering both guardian squads with ease and wiping them due to the high I of the herald. Seekers and fiends charge the wraithguard, and pop some crazy power leaving me with no weapon skill and low initiative. A few wraithguard die, and I kill maybe one seeker on overwatch. Combat holds, and I fail to hit and run(2 sixes!) The wytches immobolize the chariot. The soulgrinder charges the serpent to attempt to blow it up and kill the dragons…it just wrecks and they pile out, unpinned!
Wytches dueling with the chariot.
The bloodletters made quick work of the eldar conscripts. One of the squads killed a greater daemon, but the other squad whiffed and deserved it.
The soulgrinder tried, but he knows the end is near...
Turn 4 Eldar Fortune again on the wraithguard, the hawks drop a grenade on the bloodletters and jump back into the sky. Wytches move toward the nurglings, fragons to the soulgrinder, harlequins back to the wraithguard and wraithlords to the rear. Kabbies in the building shuffle a bit. Talos prepares to engage the fiend unit.
Even through the invul save, the fragons roast the soulgrinder blowing it apart. The venom shoots a couple of horrors or something.The wraithlords start to rain fire templates on the bloodletters, reducing them by a large amount. The kabalite warriors run for my back center objective.
In assault, the talos joins the combat and with its help the fiends and most of the seekers fall. A couple of deamonetts remain, and kill a wraithguard or two. A wraithlord makes the combat and wipes the bloodletters. Wytches finish the chariot and wreck it.
The combat rages on
Deamons The deamonetts finally arrive behind the seekers, and spread out during the run. The pink horrors cast some fire insanity spell on the fire dragons and burn them to a crisp. Warpstorm is -1 to deamon invul saves. The nurglings fail to charge the wytches, and the wraithguard finish the seekers. My opponent concedes here, with no ability to even draw based on my control of the board. Next turn would see his deamonetts die, and with just nurglings and plaguebearers left, it is unlikely.
End of the battle, my perspective. Victory goes to eldar!(3 objectives, first blood, warlord, 2 heavy support choices)
Deamons(2 objectives)
Post game analysis -Runes of Warding was powerful to stop early game powers. I stopped scriers gaze, preventing his deamonetts from coming in. I did score a deny the witch on 3 of the powers that got through, or just ignored him.
-The warpstorm table was very random. I lost half a squad out of nowhere, but the –1 to saves really hurt.
-Horrors are still fantastic at shooting and can easily wipe squads given a chance. Re rolling 1’s on saves is great.
-The soulgrinder harvester cannon got better, even if it is still bs3. Picking a gun hurts though. I think my opponent made a mistake taking the grinder out of cover. It had nurgle, so the cover save was 2++.
-The keeper of secrets was underwhelming, as it could not take a punch, even with 6 wounds.
-The codex seemed like classic daemons. Fast, slanessh units hit harder than ever, but still cant take a punch. Bloodletters in big swarms is troublesome in the right spots. I like the changes to marks, instruments and heralds.
-This was one of the only games fortune did not matter. I either passed my first save, or the
WG died outright. Who knew!
Thanks for reading, and again I apologize for the poor quality of the photographs.