Armies:
Tyranids
Dark Eldar
Game: Retrieval
Map: Hammer and Anvil
First to Deploy: Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar Pre Game Comments:
I'm feeling fairly confident coming off of my game against the space wolves (
Batrep Here). This Nid list looks like it has way less shooting (unsurprisingly) and with Hammer and Anvil, I can probably just kite them. Not really sure what my opponent is trying to do with this list though.
Tyranid Pre Game Comments:
I've got tricks. I don't like Hammer and Anvil though and against the Tantalus, it'll be rough.
Deployment:
I'll just put the final map here. The Dark Eldar deployed predictably, whilst the nids secured some objectives out of range and
LoS. There are 3 units of Zoanthropes in Pods and 3 Genestealer Magi in reserve.
Nids Steal the Initiative!
Tyranid Turn 1
Movement
The Tyranid line pushes forwards, stealers creeping through the ruins after an objective whilst the big blob of stealers, the Dimachaeron and the command units push up the middle.
Psychic Phase
The Broodlord casts Catalyst on the Dimachaeron.
Dark Eldar Turn 1
Movement
The Taloi advance a little and the Farseer moves up behind them to just within 24 of the Dimachaeron.
Psychic Phase
The Farseer successfully casts Doom with a reroll, then casts Fortune on himself.
Shooting Phase
The first Tantalus fires dealing 22 wounds to the Dimachaeron, which saves 8 with Catalyst, dying in one volley.
The second Tantalus fires at the large stealer blob, but only kills 4!
Splinter fire from the Taloi kills only 1 more.
Tyranid Turn 2
Movement
The Stealer blob and accompanying Broodlord and Malanthrope advance up the middle some more, the small stealers still heading for the bottom right objective. All three pods drop, releasing Zoanthropes and the Magi come in from reserve using Cult Ambush. 2 Magi are placed near the zoanthropes, just in front of the stealers, whilst the third comes in on the bottom table edge, slinking into the ruin near the objective. The Tyranocytes form a wall between the Zoanthropes and the Taloi.
Psychic Phase
The first unit of Zoanthropes casts Catalyst on itself. It then casts Smite (using a Command Point) and doing 4 Mortal Wounds to the Taloi.
The second unit of Zoanthropes fails to cast Smite, then casts The Horror on the nearest Tantalus.
The third unit of Zoanthropes casts Smite, doing 4 Mortal Wounds to the Taloi.
The first Cult magus casts Smite on an 11! This does 4 Mortal wounds to the Taloi.
The Second Cult Magus casts Smite, doing 2 Mortal Wounds to the Taloi.
This leaves the last cult magus, who casts Mind Control on the Tantalus, beating its leadership and having it fire it's guns at the other Tantalus, doing a successful 10 wounds! He then casts Smite on the unwounded Tantalus, rolling an 11 and causing 6 wounds!
So the tally for the Psychic phase is 14 Wounds on the Taloi, 10 Wounds on one Tantalus and 6 wounds on the other. Not bad!
Shooting Phase
The Death Spitters from the Tyranocytes take 2 wounds off the remaining Talos.
Dark Eldar Turn 2
Movement
the badly wounded Tantalus full of Wracks moves forwards into Flamer range of the Zoanthropes. The other Tantalus stays stills o it can shoot at the Magus that Puppeted it last turn. Urien gets out and stands between the Tantalus.The Talos moves forward, into Flamer Range and ready to charge.
Psychic Phase
The Farseer casts DOOM on a unit of Zoanthropes, then casts Fortune on himself. the Tyranids fail to deny.
Shooting Phase
Shooting starts with The Wracks firing at the Doomed Zoanthropes. The first unit manages 2 wounds, the second 1 and the third another 1, killing one zoanthrope and wounding another.
The Talos then fires at the same unit, doing one more wound with its Liquefiers and nothing with its splinter cannon.
The damaged Tantalus then fires at the same unit, needing 5's to hit because of the Horror and bounces off the Zoanthropes shield.
The undamaged Tantalus fires at the Magi with one gun and the Zoanthrope unit with the other, ripping the magus apart and putting 2 more wounds on the Zoanthropes, reducing them to 2 models.
Assault Phase
The wounded Tantalus charges the nearest Tyranocyte and the Doomed Zoanthropes behind it, the overwatch from the Deathspitters manages another wound! The Scything Charge does 3 mortal wounds to the Tyranocyte, but the Tantalus fails to get into combat with the Zoanthropes.
The Taloi charges a Tyranocyte.
In combat, the Tantalus attacks, managing to deal a single wound to the Tyrancocyte, whilst the Talos manages to deliver 4.
In return the Tyranocytes achieve nothing.
Tyranid Turn 3
Movement
The Zoanthropes move up the map to try to get the Tantalus to be the closest model. The Tyranocyte falls back from the Tantalus and the Stealers advance on the Taloi.
In the meantime, the small unit of stealers keeps sneaking towards the objective.
Psychic Phase
The first Magus casts Mind Control on the badly wounded Tantalus and has it fire at the less wounded one, managing to push through 4 more wounds. Now the badly wounded Tantalus is on 6 wounds and the less badly wounded one is on only 8! The Magus then casts Smite, doing 1 wound to the Talos.
The first Zoanthrope unit casts Catalyst on the wounded unit of Zoanthropes but fails. It then casts Smite on the Talos, killing it.
The second Zoanthrope unit casts Smite on the badly wounded Tantalus, doing 4 wounds.
The third, small, unit of Zoanthropes casts Smite at the Tantalus doing 2 wounds and killing it! In the process, they heal all the wounds on themselves. The Tantalus doesn't explode, but 4 Wracks die in the destruction.
The Broodlord casts Smite on the Farseer, doing one wound that is saved by the Ghost Helm.
Shooting Phase
The death spitters shoot at the Farseer, killing him!
Assault Phase
Everything has been killed out of assault range
Morale Phase
The Wracks pass their Morale checks.
Dark Eldar Turn 3
Movement
The Wracks move up into flamer range of the Zoanthropes, whilst the Grotesques disembark and jog over towards the Genestealers. The remaining badly wounded Tantalus moves down to cover an objective and get
LoS on the squad of stealers sneaking towards it.
Shooting Phase
The wracks fire at the Zoanthropes. The first wrack unit fires at the Zoanthrope unit furthest away, doing no wounds. the second Wrack unit follows up also failing to penetrate the 3++ save. The last unit of wracks fires to the same result.
The Tantalus fires at the small unit of stealers, killing 4 of the 5.
Assault Phase
The Grotesques and Urien charge the Genestealers, whilst all 3 units of wracks and the Haemonculus charge all 3 units of Zoanthropes. The Tantalus charges the remaining Stealer, killing it with its Scything Charge rule. the Broodlord performs a Heroic Intervention into the Grotesques.
The Grotesques are chosen to fight first, attacking the Stealers. 5 Stealers die to the Monstrous Cleavers, then 12 are killed by Flesh Gauntlets, with another 4 mortal wounds piling in. Overall this wipes the unit of stealers out completely. They then consolidate into the Tyranocytes.
Next, the 2 man unit of Wracks fights against the small unit of Venomthropes. The Acothysts Electrocorrosive Whip deals 2 wounds, but the wrack fails to add anything.
The Haemonculus tries to finish the unit of Zoanthropes off, but only manage to kill one leaving the Neurothrope alive.
The squad of 4 wracks then attacks a separate unit of Zoanthropes, only managing a single wound.
The last Wrack unit then assaults the same Zoanthrope group, again doing nothing.
The Tyranocrytes attack against the Grotesques, dealing one wound in total and the only wound caused by the brood lord is shrugged off.
Meanwhile, the Zoanthropes kill a single Wrack.
Morale Phase
Everyone passes.
Tyranids Turn 4
Movement
Both Magi and one unit of Zoanthropes move back a little to make the Grotesques the closest unit. The Malanthrope moves up ready to charge.
Psychic Phase
The first Zoanthrope unit casts Catalyst on the Malanthrope, but fails. It then casts Smite on the Grotesques, for 3 Mortal Wounds.
The Magi both cast Smite at the Grotesques, doing 4 Mortal Wounds in total.
The Neurothrope in combat alone casts Smite at the Acothyst, needing a command point reroll to kill him.
The last unit of Thropes then casts Smite at the smaller unit of Wrack, killing 3 and leaving them with only the Acothyst.
Assault Pahse
The Malanthrope fails its charge.
The Broodlord charges the Grotesques that had been killed out of combat with it, doing 4 wounds, killing the wounded Grot and wounding another.
Urein Heroically Intervenes, attacking the Broodlord, dealing 2 wounds.
3 Grotesques attack the Broodlord, whilst the remaining one attacks a Tyranocyte. The Grotesques deal 9 wounds to the Broodlord, killing him and only 1 wound to the Tyranocyte. They then consolidate around the Tyranocyte towards the objective.
Morale Phase
No effect.
Dark Eldar Turn 4
Movement
The Grotesques and Urien Fall Back making a break for the bottom right objective, meanwhile the Tantalus Advances (moving 28") and preparing to clear out the small unit of Genestealers on the lower left objective.
Shooting Phase
The Tantalus fires all of its guns at the Rippers! to the surprise of many presents. Despite only hitting on 5's the Tantalus manages to eliminate one base and wound another.
Assault Phase
The Tantalus charges the Genestealers, making it in with a Command Point reroll. Its Scything Charge fails to wound this time.
In combat the Tantalus only kills 1 Genestealer!
The Haemonculus faces off against his Neurotherop nemesis to no effect.
The zoanthropes fail to hurt the wracks. In return, the Wracks succeed at dealing 2 wounds to the thropes.
The Stealers manage one more wound on the Tantalus.
Morale Phase
The Rippers die!
The Stealers are unaffected by their one casualty, everyone else is fine.
Tyranids Turn 5
Movement Phase
The Zoanthropes Fall Back and surround the objective whilst the Magi and Tyranocytes chase the Grotesques. The Mucolid drifts back towards the Tantalus.
Psychic Phase
The first (small) Zoanthrope unit casts Smite, killing 3 Wracks.
The next Zoanthrope unit kills the rest of the unit.
The last Zoanthrope unit kills the Haemonculus, leaving a single Acothyst standing against them.
The Magi do 3 wounds to the Grotesques, killing one more.
Shooting Phase
The Deathspitters do 2 more wounds to the Grotesques.
Assault Phase
The Malanthrope assaults the Grotesques, and the Mucolid gets in with the Tantalus.
The Mucolid explodes doing 4 Mortal Wounds, taking the Tantalus down to 3 wounds!
The Malanthrope fails to do any damage.
The Genestealers attack the Tantalus, and fail to defeat its mighty toughness!
One Grotesque attack the Malanthrope, the rest not piling in. It does 1 wound.
The Tantalus makes 3 attacks, either failing to Hit or to Wound.
Morale Phase
Nothing happens.
Dark Edlar Turn 5
Movement
The Grotesques fall back and surround the bottom right objective.
The Tantalus Advances onto the objective that used to have the rippers.
Shooting
Despite the heavy penalty to hit the Tantalus does brillaintly shooting the Stealers, getting 8 hits! It only does 4 wounds however and 2 of those are saved.
Morale Phase
The Stealers Save!
The Game Ends
2 Objectives Each.
Both have Warlord.
Both have Linebreaker.
Dark Eldar win... by FIRST BLOOD.
Damn close game.
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