4TK Ultimate Commander

[Nightrunner]

Well, at the weekend I took part in the 4TK gaming store's annual "Ultimate Commander" tournament.

The tournament was a 2-day, escalation tournament affair, with a knockout for the lowest-scorer in each of the four groups of five players, followed by a series of knockout games on the sunday.

The groupings would also decide seedings, with 3for a win/1-draw/0-loss. Tournament points for capturing objectives in Seize-ground/Capture & Control and (obviously) for kill points would be used to decide draws :) Bonus tournament points up for grabs for killing HQ choices.

So, I went with the following for the first day (at 1000pts):

Rune Priest with Chooser; Living Lightning and Murderous Hurricane.

5 Grey Hunter's with MG in Las-plas RB.

5 Grey Hunters's with PG in Las-plas RB.

Lone Wolf with CF/SS in TDA.

Lone Wolf with TH/SS in TDA.

2x Landspeeder Typhoon (separate squadrons)

Dakka Predator

6 Long fangs, 5ML

The aim of this list is maximum firepower at 1000pts; I have more than enough troop choices at this level, and the LW's for counter attack, landspeeders for speed and support fire. Everything is efficient at this level, as I've found over time that our 'Wolves just don't cut it against dedicated assault troops. So, my first try with this new approach.... here's how it began!!!!

GAME 1 - Seize Ground (5 Counters), Pitched Battle, Vs Chaos Marines.

My opponent was running:

DP with Mark of Slaanesh and Lash.

2 Obliterators.

10 Marines, 2PG, AC with PW.

10 Marines, 2MG, AC with PW, Rhino.

8 Bezerkers, AC with PF, Rhino with Combi-melta.

Yay....Lash!!!!

At 1000pts, all the games were on 4x4 tables. We got a snow board, with lots of area-terrain across the middle. I won the roll to go first, and chose the side with a big hill across the centre that gave 4+ cover to troops on top. My opponent got a side with another big hill, running diagonally to the right from the edge of his board to the table edge, with a large wood in his DZ.

One more thing for this tourney... to make it interesting, the rules for area terrain were changed slightly; ALL woodland was made into LOS-blocking terrain, unless you were in it, in which case you could see out of it and be shot in it. An interesting change to say the least...!

My LF's went on the hill, with the RP to stop any potential lashing; the pred went in front of the two RB's, with the LS's behind the hill. The LW's both went as far forwards as possible.

My opponent hid everything behind his hill. Objectives were in a pentagon shape across the open ground. He failed to seize; game on!!!!

TURN 1

The LF's and RP were out of LOS of anything, so just stayed still. However, a LS and the RB's and pred all shifted 6" to the right corner of my DZ, where with a little careful turning they could all see the front arc of a rhino that had deployed to far out from the massive hill....

Shooting saw said Rhino immobilised.

In my opponent's turn, he found to his horror that he had placed his two rhinos so that the now Immobilised tank (carrying bezerkers) was angled so that the other Rhino had to reverse around the hill to get out, having been wedged in by its twin, and wasting a turn of movement. Not amusing for 50% of the table!!!

The Bezerkers and foot squad all advanced on foot, staying out of LOS of my 'fangs.

The DP managed to sneekily lash my LF's back off the hill, out of LOS. The obliterators whiffed and did nothing.

TURN 2

The LW's now both run at the enemy; the CF one at the huddle of marines on foot. One of my GH squads (MG) dismounted and started the long run to an objective on the far side of the table.

Both LW's struggled with difficult terrain, and so there they stayed.

My shooting saw the DP take two wounds, and I managed to down an obliterator. The LF's got back up on the hill!!!

In his turn, my opponent killed the CF LW with plasma (boo) and the BZ's in combat, who then moved forwards towards my huddle of tanks. The Obliterators immobilised a RB. The DP moved back. The Rhino that had advanced around the hill moved forwards 12", popping smoke, heading towards my lines. Lash got nullified by the RP.

TURN 3

Firepower time, Nightrunner style ;)

Everything turned to shoot at the bezerkers and Obliterator, with the other GH squad also dismounting and heading for another objective (all the action was on my right, the objectives safely on the left....!). Shooting saw the last oblit die, and the BZ's taken down to just the Champion and two regular dudes. My surviving LW had been chasing the mobile Rhino around the board, and this turn, managed to reach it in CC!!!! However, he only stunned and immobilised it. Sigh.

In the Chaos turn, the DP popped out, attempting to lash the LF's and failing again. The PG marines moved up towards my huddle of tanks in the right corner, and the MG squad of marines all dismounted and headed to assault the RP and LF's.

Shooting saw the LW take no wounds to the plasma squad, whilst in assault, the Rp and LF's were taken down to just two ML's and the priest, losing combat by one but staying in there. The 3 BZ's killed the predator in CC.

TURN 4

The GH's that I had been running across the board turned and headed for the massive CC in my DZ, to save the RP and 'fangs.

Everything else pivoted to shoot the DP, which basically died. On my left the other GH's, who had spent all game running from terrain to terrain, who reached the objective they had been running for.

The 3 BZ's were also killed by rapid-firing RB's.

Combat saw my GH's succeed in saving the priest, beating and catching the broken Chaos marines and consolidating towards the closest objective.

In my opponent's turn, he moved his plasma squad up into some ruins, and killed a landspeeder that was out in the open.

TURN 5+

On the left, one squad of GH's moved and ran, covering two objectives (3TP's for each objective). The landspeeder and the LW all boosted to put themselves between the Chaos marines and their objective. Shooting did nothing!

My opponent attempted to kill the LW in between them and the objective and failed.

The last two turns saw me taking the last marines down to just two guys, and claiming another two objectives with my other GH squad.

I won, so 3pts to me, plus 14TP's for getting 4 objectives and 1 HQ.

Phew! Not bad for the first game. ;)

More later!

NR ;)

[saphius]

Nice win. - Rune priest as lone HQ was a good choice at this point level.

[TiguriusX]

nice batrep! haven't seen many dakka wolf lists in action but have heard much about razorwire lists

[Natanael]

Good job! I have been running dakka-lists myself and they work very well. Now I've got 6 TWs to build so no more dakka :whistling:

[Nightrunner]

Thanks for the comments, guys! Onto game 2 ;)

Capture and Control - Spearhead - Imperial Guard

My opponent was fielding:

Command squad with Master of Ordnance; Medic; Lascannon team; carapace.

Infantry platoon of Command with 2MG/2FL, Chimera with Stubber.

2x Squad with Flamer, Chimera with Stubber.

Bastonne and Vets with lascannnon.

Hydra

Leman Russ MBT (standard) with triple HB's.

I lost the first-turn roll-off, but my opponent gave me the choice. Okay then....

As you can see from the photo below, I put my LF's in a massive ruin in my DZ, with the PG squad of 'hunters and my objective. The other squad went in their RB alongside the empty one, a landspeeder and the two LW's. On the left side of my DZ, I put a speeder and the pred.

My opponent put Bastonne's squad and a 'Russ on his objective, with Chimeras by the woods there, and the hydra and another basic troop squad chimera alongside. His HQ went in a massive ruin just inside his own quarter.

Turn 1

My pred and two speeders both moved up to target the command squad and Hydra; everything else went at the Russ.

I did nothing!

In my opponent's turn, all his Chimeras moved up, and shooting from his entire army stunned the landspeeder on my left flank and immobilised the empty lazorback. A spectacular first turn all round...

Turn 2

My pred stayed still, the GH-bearing RB moved to get cover from some impassable terrain, whilst everything on my right flank moved forwards; in particular, the Lone Wolves, with two large chimera squads ahead of them.

Shooting was partially more effective; I managed to kill a single guy from the command squad with the pred, and a 'speeder killed the Hydra.

In his turn, most things stayed still bar a left-most chimera flanking around to my objective. My opponent fired most of his army at my 'fangs and the immobilised tank; the squad leader bit the bullet.

On the right, one of his Chimeras (bearing men with lasguns) got out of their 6" moving tank to rapid fire (with the extra shot order thingy) the CF Lone Wolf. No Wounds there!!!!

The photo shows the end of my 2 positioning.

Turn 3

The now un-stunned speeder moved, and I decided to shift my focus to my right flank. The CF Lone wolf decided to head into the tank rather than the squad against it, whilst the other one moved and ran to try and tempt the command squad out of the tank.

My shooting was mostly focussed on the command squad; I managed to take down all the basic guys, leaving the commander, MoTO, medic and lascannon team.

Combat saw me blow up the Chimera.

In his turn, my opponent fell for my bait and got everything out to shoot the two Lone Wolves. His Shooting was again unlucky, mostly scattering off the Long fangs with ordnance, whilst the immobilised razorback finally blew up.

Both Lone Wolves survived the blur of las-fire and melta shots. Yay, fun-time!!!!

Turn 4

With my opponent now kind-of exposed, the Lone Wolves went in for the kill. First, the Chain-fist guy chose to totally avoid the squad next to him with lasguns as they were not any real threat to him or the speeder nearby, and went for the command squad chimera. The thunder hammer guy went into the command squad itself. I instead fired at the squad in the woods, killing five or six.

Meanwhile, my razorback with hunters in moved 12" to start heading towards his objective.

The rest of my shooting was directed at the chimera heading my way, but did nothing!!!

Combat saw the command squad lose and run, and the other chimera wrecked.

In his turn, my opponent again tried to take out the 'fangs with ordnance, killing a missile launcher.

Turn 5

The Lone wolves moved up, where they would be in assault range of Bastonne's squad, holding the objective. My speeder on that flank fired and killed off the command squad to clear that assault-path. My shooting only shook the chimera still heading my way (grumble-grumble).

My Razorback moved up to contest his side, still out of range for this turn.

Assault saw Bastonne and friends beaten, and then they ran off the board.

In his turn, everything that could aimed at the LW's, but they survived again. The chimera again moved up, still out of range of my objective, but very close (like 6" close).

Turn 6

We got an extra turn! My contesting GH squad moved up to capture his objective, with the LW's hopefully there to take out the Russ which had only pivoted to shoot.

In my turn, my shooting saw the Chimera near my objective blown up, but it took 2 speeders, 3LF's, my pred and the GH's meltagun to do it! I then assaulted, as the disembarked squad was now within 3"!

Combat saw the Russ explode. In combat, I killed 5 of the 8guardsmen, who then rolled a double 1 for their morale test. B)?!?!

In his turn, his command squad took out the other RB, but the GH's simply got out to hold that objective. Combat saw the RP end things swiftly, wiping the remaining guardsmen out.

The game ended, I held both objectives, no bonus points for killing his HQ though :P

So, two games, two pretty solid victories; this game I lost two RB's and 3 LF's. Pretty good!!!!!!!!!!!!!