Upcoming GT, Need Help!

[Sun Reaver]

Brothers! After an 8 month hiatus, I am getting back into playing 40K. My local gaming buddies convinced me to sign up for a local GT as a way of getting back into things. I own a Blood Angels army but haven't played with the recent codex at all. I am turning to you all to help me understand the new army and come up with a strategy and list to do well in the tournament. Essentially, I am trying to play catch up as the tournament is on the 23rd of May. 

 

My local gaming group plays to win. So, as you can expect, they run all sorts of cheese here. Since this is a GT, I will be expecting players from other cities as well. 

 

These are the missions for the tournament - 

 

 

Here are the missions:

ClutchCity GT Missions
1. Variable game length and Mysterious Objectives are in play in every game.

2. Fortifications are deployed along with the players army. Fortifications may not be placed on a preexisting piece of terrain. Fortifications can be placed between pieces of terrain ignoring the minimum distance between pieces. A piece of terrain can be removed from a players deployment zone and the fortification can be placed in its space, if there is no way for the fortification to be otherwise deployed.

3 Modified Maelstrom missions are being used. When a player draws a maelstrom card that is not winnable, based on his opponent's original army list, the player may immediately discard that card and draw another card from the deck.

Scoring:
Each player will begin each game with 15 points. Victory points will accumulate based on the three mission types and in some cases based on unique abilities, such as warlord traits. At the end of the game, total up the total victory points earned by each player. The players with the highest number is the victor. Take the difference in victory points and add them to the winner's 15 points and then subtract them from the loser's 15 points. This will result in the final score. The highest point total possible is 30 points. The lowest point total possible is 0 points.

Example: Omar has scored 11 victory points in purge the alien, 3 victory points in maelstrom, and received 4 tertiary victory points. He also has killed his opponent's ethereal for 1 victory point. His total is 19 victory points.
His opponent, Xavier has scored 5 victory points in purge the alien, 7 victory points in maelstrom, and received 2 tertiary victory points. His total is 14 victory points.
Omar has won by 19-14 victory points. The differential is 5 victory points. Omar's final score 15 +5 =20 points. Xavier's final score 15 -5 = 10 points.

Massacre: When a massacre result has occurred, the player whose turn it is in, may finish their turn. After that players turn, total up the points on both sides. Add 10 victory points to the player's score, who achieved the massacre result. Now apply the differential as in a normal game.

Concession: When one player concedes the game, the winner will receive a score of 30 points and the loser will receive 0 points.

Game 1- Vanguard Strike Deployment (21.5 inches long edge and 14.5 inches short edge)

Alpha: Crusade 6 objective worth 2 victory points each.

Beta: Maelstrom- Tactical Escalation

Tertiary: Slay the warlord, Line Breaker, First Blood, Kill a fast attack unit. These four are worth 1 victory point each. Gain 1 victory point for every 3 hull points or 3 wounds taken off an enemy Lord of War.

Order of Operation:
1. Exchange lists and review terrain
2. Place Objectives: Each objective is both a crusade and maelstrom objective. Roll off to determine who places the first objective.
3. Roll for Sides and then determine Warlord Traits.
4. Roll for Psychic Powers
5. Determine Night fight . It is optional
6. Roll for deployment and game start. Player who deploys first may choose to first or second.

Game 2- Dawn of War Deployment

Alpha: Purge the Alien. Each Kill point is worth one victory point.

Beta: Maelstrom- Spoils of war

Tertiary: Slay the warlord, Line Breaker, First Blood, Control the most terrain pieces These four tertiary goals are worth 1 victory point each. Gain 1 victory point for every 3 hull points or 3 wounds taken off an enemy Lord of War.

Order of Operation:
1. Exchange lists and review terrain
2. Place Maelstrom objectives. Roll off to determine who places the first objective
3. Roll for Sides and then determine Warlord Traits.
4. Roll for Psychic Powers
5. Determine Night fight . It is optional
6. Roll for deployment and game start. Player who deploys first may choose to first or second.

Game 3- Hammer and Anvil Deployment

Alpha: Big Guns Never Tire (3 objectives worth 3 victory points each)

Beta: Maelstrom-Cleanse and Control

Tertiary: Slay the warlord, Line Breaker, First Blood, Last Laugh (All of these are worth 1 victory point each). Gain 1 victory point for every 3 hull points or 3 wounds taken off an enemy Lord of War.

Last Laugh: The player who kills the last unit in the game will receive a victory point.

Order of Operation:
1. Exchange lists and review terrain
2. Place Objectives: The objectives numbered 1-3 are both Big Guns and maelstrom objectives and should be placed first. Place objective #1 in the center of the board. Roll off to determine who places the remaining objectives. Each player will then place one Big Gun objective . The three remaining objectives (4-6), which are maelstrom only, are placed after the Big Guns objectives, with the winner of the roll off, able to place two of them.
3. Roll for Sides and then determine Warlord Traits.
4. Roll for Psychic Powers
5. Determine Night fight . It is optional
6. Roll for deployment and game start. Player who deploys first may choose to first or second.

Game 4- Vanguard Strike Deployment (21.5 inches long edge and 14.5 inches short edge)

Alpha: Emperors Will ( your home base is worth 3 victory points, your opponents home base is worth 7 victory points)

Beta: Maelstrom: Deadlock

Tertiary: Slay the warlord, Line Breaker, First Blood, Kill an elite unit. These four are worth 1 victory point each. Gain 1 victory point for every 3 hull points or 3 wounds taken off an enemy Lord of War.

Order of Operation:
1. Exchange lists and review terrain
2. Roll for sides
3. Place Objectives: The objectives numbered 1-2 are both Emperor's Will and maelstrom objectives and should be placed first. Roll off. The winner places his Emperor's Will objective in his deployment zone. The other player places his Emperor's Will objective in his deployment zone. The remaining four objectives (3-6) are for the maelstrom mission only. The roll off winner places first.
4. Determine Warlord Traits and then roll for Psychic Powers
6. Determine Night fight . It is optional
7. Roll for deployment and game start. Player who deploys first may choose to first or second.
Scoring Tracker

Game 5- Dawn of War Deployment

Alpha: Crusade (4 objectives worth 3 victory points each)

Beta: Maelstrom: Cloak and shadows

Tertiary: Slay the warlord, Line Breaker, First Blood. These three are worth 1 victory point each. Gain 1 victory point for every 3 hull points or 3 wounds taken off an enemy Lord of War. Board Quarters (See Below).

Board Quarters: At the end of the game. Total up the number of units in each quarter. Each unit is worth one point but an objective secured unit is worth 2 points. If a unit straddles the border of a quarter, randomize to determine which quarter it is in. The player with the most points in a quarter has control of that quarter. Each controlled quarter is worth 1 victory point.

Order of Operation:
1. Exchange lists and review terrain
2. Place Objectives: The objectives numbered 1-4 are both Crusade and maelstrom objectives and should be placed first. Objectives 5 and 6 are maelstrom only. Roll off to see who places the first objective.
3. Roll for sides. Determine Warlord Traits and then roll for Psychic Powers
4. Determine Night fight . It is optional
5. Roll for deployment and game start. Player who deploys first may choose to first or second.

 

 

 

After reading those missions, what strategies and units would work best? I am not opposed to allying as well as I have about 27 unbuilt space marine bikes.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and help me. I am hoping to do well and hopefully create some battle reports!

[TheSauce]

With a little over a week to go, you're cutting it a little close if you want to throw together too many new models (though the majority of my painting does happen on the eve of battle), so a lot is going to depend on what options you have.

 

That said, looking at the missions it seems like you'll benefit from some of the MSU and fast moving options that blood angels have - maelstrom missions can score you a lot of points if you can move around the board, and most BA units are nasty enough in CC to tie up/kill any non-dedicated CC enemy units that are trying to do the same.

 

I would build the list around a baal strike force with a couple of tactical squads in rhinos, a stormraven, and a DC or SG squad led by your HQ. I like having some long-range firepower, so I would throw in a fast predator (which is also great at grabbing backfield objectives).

 

If it's your style, drop pod assault marines for that T1 alpha strike against big baddies, or Dante and Jump pack guys if you like the 1d6 scatter and reroll reserves (on the stormraven).

 

In my experience most tourney games are won or lost by your generalship during the game, and this is especially true with blood angels, who hit very hard with melta shooting and CC, but if you're not careful you can get caught off guard and those strengths can be lost.

 

What style do you like to play? Is there any unit in particular you want to build your list around?