Battle Report 26 July 2014 - Space Wolves vs Grey Knights

[Kasper_Hawser]

Battle Report 26 July 2014 - Space Wolves vs Grey Knights

 

Army lists (1000 points each)

Space Wolves

HQ                          - Bjorn the Fell Handed with Plasma Cannon, Warlord Trait Master of Offence (furious charge)

-          Rune Priest with Divination, rolled Forewarning (4+invuln) and Prescience Primaris.

 

Elites                      - Dreadnought with Plasma cannon, Missile launcher and Wolf Tooth necklace

 

Troops                   - 8 Grey Hunters with Wolf Standard, 1 Melta Gun, 1 Mark of the Wulfen in Rhino

                                - 7 Grey Hunters with Wolf Standard, 1 Plasma Gun, 1 Mark of the Wulfen in Rhino

Heavy Support    - 5 Long Fangs, 2 missile launchers and 2 lascannons

 

Grey Knights list

HQ                          - Coteaz with Terrify, Dominate and psychic shriek

 

Troops                   - 6 Terminator troops with 1 psycannon and 1 daemon hammer

                                - 5 Terminator troops with 1 psycannon and 1 daemon hammer

                                - 5 Terminator troops with 1 psycannon and 1 daemon hammer

Heavy Support    - Dreadknights with Incinerator and big freaking S10 sword

 

Mission type         - The Relic

Deployment type - Vanguard strike

 

Pre-game thoughts

After a string of defeats since I started painting Space Wolves early this year with only 1 win out of 7 games (2 of which were 7^th edition), I was actually feeling down and subsequently resolved not to play until the latest codex came out. Fortunately, the guys at my shop are awesomely cool and encouraged me to stop thinking of just winning and busting my brains out figuring a competitive list. One of them casually asked me to play a game with him, giving me the choice to face either his Grey Knights or his Imperial fists. I hadn’t played Grey knights before and at first, wanted to fight his Fists but even at 1000 points, I was estimating a lot of devastators or centurions facing me and wasn’t confident my Rhinos could survive. I only had 2 drop pods painted at the time, which in my mind, was not enough. On the other hand, with Grey Knights, I was facing a :cuss load of 2+ armour and the ugly but dreadfully effective Dreadknight. (bad pun I know).

 

In the end, I decided to man up and go for the Grey Knights challenge. Between shooty and assault army, I thought I rather lose to close combat rather than shot off the board.

 

First mistake I made, straightaway preparing myself for defeat. Not the same as preparing for every scenario.

 

Anyway, as I thought up my list above, I took my mates advice and threw the competitive mindset away. I have always loved the fluff behind Bjorn, and I had dedicated at least 4 straight days painting and converting him up. I had also made up another Dreadnought to eventually try out the time honoured technique of alpha striking Dreadnought in drop pod with Multi melt. Not that I would use it this game.

 

Deployment

 

                Sorry I didn’t take too many pictures, so bear with my description. As mentioned above, Vanguard Strike is diagonal, with the relic square in the middle, next to a small bunker which could be climbed over. I won the first movement, but allowed him to deploy first. There were plenty of LOS blocking stuff on the board, almost like urban combat, so he had no trouble deploying as close as he could while getting plenty of cover in case I get in range with my plasma cannon or Long Fangs. One group of Terminators however were in reserve. So on the board, he had 2 terminator squads with Coteaz and one Dreadknight.

 

                For my part, I initially deployed my Long Fangs out in the open in order to run to a building later. Rhinos would be deployed side by side, again as near to the Relic as much as possible. Bjorn and other dreadnought did the same.

 

                Tried to seize but failed

 

Turn 1 – Grey Knights

 

                Despite my opponent clearly describing his list and abilities from the start, I totally forgot about the Dreadknights once a game ability to teleport across the board (I forgot what the maximum range was, either 24” or 36”). Either way, he ended up right behind the building I had hoped to run my Long Fangs and rune priest up to. With a mighty burst of his flamer, he succeeded in nearly incinerating most of the Fangs despite their 3+ armour, losing me 2 missile launchers, a lascannon and the squad leader. Luckily he can’t assault straight away. Both squads of terminators lumbered forward towards the relic. No assault.

 

Psychic phase nothing much happened.

 

Turn 1 – Space Wolves

 

                Once again, I had failed to deploy my Fangs properly and result in most of them roasted before getting of a shot. Now I had a Dreadknight right in my deployment zone, ready to engage anything in my army. This time though, I forced myself to ignore the Dreadknight and focus on my goal, which was the Relic. So to that end, I did something another mate taught me the previous night: use Rhinos to troll. Yep, you heard it. You see, the Relic was near the bunker facing my side of the table whereas the Grey Knight Terminators had to go around it to finally touch it. Possibly, the termies could climb over the bunker and reach the Relic as a shortcut by turn two.

 

                So I denied them the ability to jump over the bunker. I moved my two rhinos 12”, then another 6” in the assault phase, to completely deny him the ability to jump over the bunker, and at the same time, force him to go around the other end in range of the normal dreadnought’s plasma cannon. I figured that if he tried to destroy the rhinos, the rhinos would still block the way to the relic anyway and would have the advantage of making my Grey Hunters disembark next turn, ready to seize the relic.

 

                Meanwhile, I moved Bjorn to help the Long Fangs and RP, who had moved backwards towards cover, but only managed to run 1 miserable inch which still put them out in the open. In the psychic phase, I stupidly decided to cast Prescience on Bjorn first, rather than forwarning on his own squad, and periled. I rolled a 2, which meant my Rune priest not only lost a wound, but also ended up completely forgetting how to cast Forewarning ever again. Not that it mattered. Bjron took a pot shot at the Dreadknight, but he ended up making his invuln save.

 

Turn 2 – Grey Knights

 

                In the immortal words of Homer Simpson…. DOH! I forgot about the terminators in reserve. Basically they appeared at the backside of my normal dreadnought and shoved 3 penetrating psycannon shots up its butt. Bye bye dreadnought.

 

                The Dreadknight, as expected, went for the remaining RP and Long Fangs. In retrospect, this was probably a bad move for him, as it distracted him from the true threat of my Grey Hunters in position to seize the relic next turn. He wiped them out then moved to the middle near the relic. Psychic phase he basically cast dominate on one of my Rhinos closest to the relic. Not that I was going anywhere anyway.

 

                One group of terminators climbed the bunker to get a bird’s eye view of the midfield. Psycannon took shots at Bjorn but the old one shrugged it off. Thank God for his armour 13 and Primarch blessing. The other squad with Coteaz lumbered forwards towards the relic.

 

Turn 2 – Space Wolves

 

                Needless to say, Bjorn was pissed at the fall of his fellow dreadnought as well as the Dreadknight killing his second in command Rune Priest. Nevertheless, after assessing the situation, he decided to trust in the abilities of his troops and moved to neutralize the treacherous terminators that had so unceremoniously sodomised my other dreadnought. With a mighty blast of his cannon, he caught all 5 in the blast, wounding all. In the end, 3 termies died but I was very pleased as I not only killed the psycannon wielder, but the daemon hammer wielder as well. Minimizing the threat there, Bjorn would later turn his attention to the midfield.

 

                Meanwhile, all Grey Hunters disembarked, with the melta gun squad closest to the relic and securing it. I think I disembarked, touch the relic and didn’t move anymore, because I knew I couldn’t run away from the Dreadknight in the middle so I decided to stand my ground and shoot it with everything I had. Shooting was good but failed to destroy the Dreadknight, down to one wound in the end. Storm bolters on Rhinos as usual, did nothing.

 

Turn 3 – Grey Knights

 

                Dreadknight had a great chance of catching almost all of my two Grey Hunter squads within his flamer torrent, but luckily, I saved most of my GH and passed my morale checks. He then assaulted the GH squad with the relic. Overwatch did nothing, Mark of the Wulfen rolled a measely one with a total of 3 counter attacks. He rolled a six, but the Dreadknight made his invuln save.

 

Darn it, first time I manage to rend with wulfen and the DK saves it. Rest of the squad did its best but nothing could punch through the 2+ armour, not to mention needing sixes to wound for the most part. Dreadknight kills half the squad, and the squad breaks! I pass my initiative test and the remaining 3 GH ran away with their figurative tails between their legs. This would turn out to be blessing in disguise later.

 

Forgot to mention, before the Dreadknight assaulted, the termies atop the bunker continued to take potshots at squad holding the relic, but mostly passed their armour saves. Coteaz’s group moved, now very close to the relic. He cast psychic shriek at the remaining 3 hunters running, but luckily I rolled just at my leadership with no casualties.

 

Turn 3 – Space Wolves

 

                Plasma GH Squad moves up to pick up relic. With a mighty cry of vengeance, the plasma gunner takes down the dreadknight.

 

                Bjorn moves towards Coteaz’s termie group.  He takes a potshot at Coteaz’s squad but scatters and kills only 1. In assault phase, he managed to charge into the squad. Luckily for me, he had only one daemon hammer and I had Initiative 3. When all was said and done, I had killed 3 termies including the psycannon as well as Coteaz. Thank God for 4 attacks +1 on the charge, not to mention WS6. To top it all off, I was locked in contact with the hammernator, which was fine with me as not only Bjon was safe from the last psycannon dude, but he was still blocking the other termies from climbing down the bunker towards the relic.

 

Turn 4 – Grey Knights

 

                By this time, he realized he was in danger of losing the game. He only had first blood from killing my Dreadnought while I had warlord and the relic. But my Rhino trolling technique worked, his terminators had nowhere to go but around the bunker and around the ongoing battle with Bjorn. So he stayed where he was to shoot down my plasma squad holding the relic. Thankfully only a few died as he only managed one rending wound, although the dead included the plasma gunner. Meanwhile, his backfield termies which I had left alone after killing off the psycannon started running to my backfield for linebreaker.

 

                In assault phase, Bjorn wiped out the hammernator and consolidated towards the middle and the relic.

 

Turn 4 – Space Wolves

 

                Now was the time to SCRAM WITH THE RELIC! Relic squad leaped into the rhino that was blocking the front of the bunker preventing the termies from jumping down the bunker. It then reversed as much backwards as I could towards my table edge, aiming to hide behind a ruin out of LOS. Bjron I moved to where the Rhino was so that it could continue to prevent the termies from jumping. Unfortunately, it meant that Bjorn couldn’t see atop the bunker, but it was a chance I was willing to make. Other Rhino stayed put to continue to block the other gap.

 

Turn 5 – Grey Knights

 

                Finally tired of my vehicle blocking trolling technique, the last terminator squad rolls well for his move through cover and manages to jump down the other side of the bunker, where one psycannon could see the retreating rhino. Crying for blood (and the relic), the psycannon managed to wreck it, resulting in the relic holding squad to disembark. The roll for pinning check. PINNED! DOH! For me, this meant no chance of them running for cover in my turn. Fortunately, the rhino wreck blocked them from the psycannon termies but in any case, Bjron was ready to take vengeance on them next round.

 

                There was still a chance for him to win though. He had two termies which had been running to my backlines for linebreaker. If he could kill of the relic holding GH, or force them to run, if the game ended on Turn 5, he would win with linebreaker and first blood. Sadly his storm bolters failed to penetrate my power armour saves, which were good.

 

Turn 5 – Space wolves

 

                Last rhino rushes towards the relic gang to pick them up, no longer needed to block the termies. Bjorn charges into terminators and promptly smashes most of them, staying locked in combat with a lone termie with a punie halberd. Relic holding GH stays put, since they were pinned last round.

 

                We ask another mate to roll if the game continues …… he rolls a 4! Game continues, along with a slim chance for my friend to kill the relic grabbing GH and win the game…..

 

Turn 6 – Grey Knights

 

                …… which sadly doesn’t happen. The last two termie in backfield moved towards the GH pack but were more than 12” away, preventing any charge from happening. With a last howl of frustration (ironically coming from the Grey Knights), they shoot their storm bolters at the Relic holders but the Iron Priests have done their job well as the power armour of the relic holding Grey Hunter shrugs off the shots.

 

                In the assault phase, Bjorn destroys the last termie then consolidate towards the last termies, daring the them to continue.

 

                And with that, my friend concedes.

 

Space Wolves – 3 for Relic, 1 for Slay the warlord.

Grey Knights – 1 for First blood (sodomised Dreadnought) and 1 for line breaker

 

VICTORY FOR VLKA FENRYKA!

 

Afterthoughts

 

                This time, I can safely say I deserve to win. Despite my initial poor deployment decisions which resulted in wasting my other Dreadnought to deepstriking termies and Long Fangs with Rune Priest, I minimized my losses and focused on the goal which was the relic. There was no other objectives, and this time I would take steps to make sure nobody else tries to sodomise Bjorn. And I learned that though Rhinos can’t do jack :cuss with weapons, they make extremely valuable cover and blocking obstacles. So did this and in turn, prevented him from charging with two terminator groups. He could only go around and engage one at a time, though his ranged firepower was mostly unaffected. Thankfully the power armour of the Space Wolves proved themselves, while my friend had little rending hits.

 

                Bjorn, oh my God, Bjorn! What a monster! Granted, he could have gone the way of my other dreadnought, but while he was alive, MY GOD! Plasma cannon with Balistic Skill 6 equals a dead termie at an absolute minimum! And with AV13, once he reached close combat, he was all but unstoppable except for the daemon hammers, which there were precious few in his army. His Primarch blessing also stopped at least one penetrating shot from a psycannon. In the end, he only suffered a single hull point the entire game! Booya! I still think he is overcosted, but damn did he do well. WS6 also meant he was actually hitting and wounding more of the Grey Knights. Even with Hammerhand they couldn’t touch him.

 

                The Grey Hunters didn’t do much, even with wolf standards held high they didn’t do much damage when assaulted by the Dreadknight. Actually I’m not sure what killed the Dreadknight, the plasma gun or Bjorn. Either way, they did more than well to survive and in the end, the lack of AP3 really hurt my friend’s army.

 

                I think I may have finally grasped the key in winning as Space Wolves – ALWAYS WORK IN PACKS AND FOCUS ON THE GOAL! Apart from the disastrous 1^st turn, my army subsequently worked together to cover each other’s tails and also focus on the primary goal, which was the relic.

 

                Again, sorry for lack of pictures, I do have some but on my IPAD, which I will try to upload to give you better picture of what happened. Until then, hope you enjoyed reading this and goodnight.

[librisrouge]

Congratulations on the win and doubly so on the sound tactics. It's always fun walking away from the table knowing that you not only won but deserved to.

[Rogue]

Nice report - thanks for sharing.

 

I look forward to seeing the photos.