Prot Mini-Batrep: Grey Knights vs Astra 2K (pics)

[Prot]

So in the spirit of mini-smite I bring you another mini-batrep. My hope is I get more of my games shared with you guys if I just make these shorter.... however I've been away with work so it's been a challenge posting this, but this time I goofed up, and I apologize, but I only have 3 pictures.

This was a challenge because I'm playing Maelstrom against a well versed, long time IG player. And I'll be upfront about this, I took a Stormraven again even though I got bit pretty hard in my last attempt, having the flyer dumped in my zone, and a wicked loss as a result of having to footslog the majority of my force.

So here we go... Maelstom, 2K, and I'm not going first (I failed the roll to go first even with +1, and then used a CP to fail twice at stealing. I never do this, but it felt imperative to go first against Guard).

Astra List:

Honestly I can't remember everything but I do have a deploy shot.

Leman russ Executioner

2 flyers (one vendetta, one valk)

Loaded with vets

Lots of lascannons

Sentinels Hvy Flamers

Quite a few Flame tanks (he used to flank these but now he's playing Cadia)

Scions (special weapons, command squads, etc deep striking)

A couple of priests, and a couple of psykers.

My list was pretty vanilla:

Voldus

Draigo

GMNDK - H.Incin/H.Psycannon

4 Pals

1 Apoth

Twin Las Razorback

3 Strike teams

Doomglaive Dread

Stormraven Las/Hurricanes/MM

He wins the roll to go first and he does. He deploys on the back line and I feel a sense of doom...

+ As you can see the Astra back row is loaded as a gunline. I tried to deploy my Stormraven as late as possible to buy some space/time, but it didn't work that well.

- IG draw some cards they really will struggle with. We do have an inhouse rule of free discards on any card you could never have completed, but even so he's got some tough ones.

- I leave my Razorback poking out by half an inch without realizing it. So it's is annihilated in T1. (My understanding is there is no cover save unless you are IN the cover, not just obscured). So it was wasted pretty easily.

- On the plus side this perhaps was to my advantage? I'm not sure but he saw the Las Razorback as my only true threat to his armour. Well aside from my Stormraven and he wanted first blood, so this made sense. But as much as I tried to hide my Stormraven, it MIGHT have been utterly destroyed if the Razorback wasn't poking out.

- The Stormraven, even at -1 to hit is down to 8 wounds. My lucky saves combined with his tough shooting left me in the top tier for the flyer. I right away felt super lucky with this... and reminded my self of why I don't take big flyers anymore....

- I go for the Alpha and I can't believe how little damage I do. Seriously it's a shot off in the corner and I figure I got to get some points early, and then try not to get tabled....

- My alpha is mostly generated by some tiny smite action and Strikes coming in hot on my right flank, deep in his zone. Thank Titan for Draigo aura. The Stormbolters vape some cheap dudes, but it gets rid of the 'screen'. The Stormraven had zoomed up, but of course it can't hover so there are dudes inside. I try to take down a tank... twin las, flubs, multimelta has one hit and only does a bit of damage. Then to top it off the GMNDK fails his charge even with reroll, so my failure is now complete. It does not look good and I've only held back one Strike squad, and Voldus with the Pals and Doomglaive are still in the Stormraven.

- The Astra get pretty cocky and start spreading out everywhere making Deep strike extremely difficult in any sort of meaning full way. My Strike squads gets vaped in the ruins.

- Astra still have tough cards but do have defend on my left side and they advance the walkers to grab it. The fire base is now seeing the GMNDK as a big threat. They start to bob and weave tanks, and flamers, and heavy weapons.... but of course the first order of business is the Stormraven....sure enough it blows sky high... er to the ground I guess. Voldus tumbles out like a silver Santa Clause on fire. I lose a Paladin as a casualty.

- Sanctuary proves to be a... er, Sanctuary as the GMNDK was now under heavy fire since the Stormraven went down. His Alpha comes in and tries melta shots on the GMNDK, it's ugly for IG because I just keep making my 3++ somehow.

- End of turn the Astra go up a bit, and if I recall, my Doomglaive took a bit of a beating.

Grey Knight turn of Turns!

- Well not really, I just wanted to make it sound like I did something good... anyway I have very doable objectives this turn, and I get all 3 to tie the game. During this turn however Voldus would take on some serious competition punching through tanks with his hammer, and the GMNDK was finally in CC with a Hellhound. I continued to try to occupy as many tanks as possible.

- Also Voldus gave Hammerhand to the Doomglaive, so he would wound the Leman Russ on 2's instead of 3's which turned out to be massive. (I can't take that much plasma every round - I missed this in the previous turn report but he melted 2 more Pals with it).The Doomglaive does a great job, consolidates towards some scary looking stuff but he's in the open now.

MID/Late Game:

- Astra get tough cards, and actually go for the death kill on me... he gets the card where you have to own every objective. Believe it or not he can do it, but we both realize as he's about to collect the points, Voldus is sitting / contesting one objective! Oh great silver Santa Clause.... how I love you.

- So he gets nothing as a result of getting a pretty bad draw of cards and trying to get something out of that card.

- HUGE moment of the game though.. I'm trying to stop him from getting his HQ/Warlord to safety in a Vendetta Gunship. I positioned myself to shoot it down, and assault the contents, BUT it has all of its wounds. I have no chance of doing this if I lose much more dudes..... So the IG unload on the GMNDK who is near, and there is the Doomglaive. The Doomglaive is now right beside the flyer and is down to 1 WOUND.... he takes a lascannon shot at it, hits, wounds and I make the 6 up! Ridiculous, but it now sits waiting for next turn....

- I fire everything I can at the HQ Vendetta, I take it down on a failed save, but he command point -re rolls the save and makes it.... wow. It's literally at one wound and all I have is two stormbolters on the Paragon and the Apothecary... I fire the 4 shots, one wounds the flyer, he fails the save and it goes down!

- Voldus, and the Doomglaive team up and spank the HQ and his friends. This gave me a commanding lead.

+ Is this the end to the GMNDK? Why are these large smelly people with beatsticks singing songs with a Priest? This isn't my 40k!

- Last hail mary here and the IG throw this squad of bafoons at the GMNDK. They sing a stupid song with the priest and a psyker gives them +1 save... wow what a bash up. I'm surprised but their slabshields hold up with the sing along powers even against my hammer attacks. But I had Sanctuary up and was up to the task. I stood after taking a few wounds, but in return I could only kill one of them.

- Meanwhile Draigo in on the extreme left flank of the table trying to help strikes. I'm down to one squad of them, and they did a great job finishing some infantry. But this is just weird... Draigo did nothing this game, so I figure it's time to kill a tank... he goes after a flame tank that wounds on 2's and is -Ap3 I think... wow what a mistake. Draigo goes from unwounded, to on his last wound just by trying to charge the tank! That was insane. I think his robes are soaked in gas or something. (He failed the charge too)

- That's one thing I didn't point out but charging in this game was super punishing in this game. I don't think the average IG list has so many flamers in it but it wasn't uncommon for me to lose wounds on most of my charges. I lost a lot of Strikes on one charge because of super overwatch as well... can't wait for the Tau codex! This was bad enough. Between fire and super shooting overwatch it really did feel disheartening in the early rounds trying to reach CC with anything. (especially with flame tanks).

Turns out to be a MUCH closer game than the score shows. I had very little left, and so did he. I had a higher score but a few HQ's on low wounds (Draigo on 1) and maybe 3-4 scattered strikes and a half dead GMNDK who was my super wound sponge of the game. Definitely a brutal battle of high attrition on both sides.

[Zombs]

Even tho I don't think your list was optimized I have to say a really good job! And you got pretty unlucky with the iniciative aswell...

[Prot]

Even tho I don't think your list was optimized I have to say a really good job! And you got pretty unlucky with the iniciative aswell...

 

Thanks.

 

You're right it's not optimized, but either was his. But that being said it was really difficult assaulting an army with flamers mounted to flamers. :)

[Aothaine]

Great showing for the Grey Knights here. I am pretty sure that this represents them being a force for a more experienced player with good target priority knowledge and tactical prowess. 

 

Thank you for the bat rep!

[swordofmandulis]

 nice batrep, love that you ran Papa Draigo and Voldus and NDKGM. The NDKGM w Sanctuary can be a game changer, because opponents often become obsessed with taking it down, they can soak up so much punishment if you roll well on the 3++, sometimes I wonder if using Heed for the 2++ would be worth it, or take 2 and use heed on one and sanctuary on the other.

 

I've found Draigo to be the ultimate tank killer, the -4 and 3 damage is devastating as completely negates the 3+ save most tanks have.

 

the stormraven is a difficult one, if you are at risk of losing it turn one through the opponents sheer weight of fire then maybe leave it home like you suggested, but then it is one of the strongest units and can erase those annoying chaff squads that block your hard hitters in melee.

[Zombs]

I think that either you give the opponent multiple big targets to shoot first turn, or you don't use tanks at all. Playing only 1 storm means that all the AV weapons will go on it maybe destroying it first turn. While if you play 2 of them, or 1 of them and some razorbacks with laser, you are sure some of your heavy hitter will survive the first turn. And from that point on your opponent has to deal with the alpha strike too. Edited November 21, 2017 by Zombs

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Nice game man. Have you considered taking Venerables to help with the tank cracking? I've been finding mine really helpful in that regard, because yeah even with 'First Into the Fray', Turn 1 charges are not often for me.