North China Open - more BA batreps and analysis

[Shaezus]

Hey folks. After some inspiration from Morticon's thread and encouragement from Charlo, here is a summary of my own army's performance in the NCO last weekend.

 

Before diving straight into the list, a little background: I started playing 8th ed almost exactly a year ago, after a few years of 7th ed - inspired break from the game. I wanted first and foremost to build a BA list which was my own design, with the ability to compete in an unknown meta. It had to be BA enough to show their unique flavour, but obviously some thjngs had to come from else where. I was drawn to explore the Admech codex in search of dedicated fire support.

 

The list fulfills 3 basic requirements:

 

1) good board control & screening

2) powerful fire support to clear screens and light vehicles

3) at least 1 unit which can take the fight to the enemy in their own DZ

 

You'll be correct to point out that it lacks anti-tank. This truly has not been an issue; with effective chaff clearance, locking vehicles in combat is easy enough. The libby dread was added just before the tournament as I expected to encounter knights at some point.

 

It has been a very effective list so far. Kind of a symphony of independent elements which each do their own thing, but come together as a balanced whole.

 

My list was this:

 

Smash captain - shield, hammer, angels wing

Libby dread - ran with wings and quickening every game

 

3 x 5 man scouts. 2 sgts with powerful sword

 

10 x sanguinary guard. All with fists and angelus

Sanguinary ancient. Fist, angelus, standard of sacrifice

2 x relic sicarans. Heavy bolter sponsons, 1 with HK missile

 

Admech - stygies forgeworld

 

Dominus - volkite & macrostubber

Manipulus - transonic cannon

 

3 x 5 skitarii. Barebone

 

20 x corpuscarii electropriests

 

2 x kastelan robots. All phosphor

 

~

 

The corpuscarii can use the stygies stratagem, effectively a 9" Scout move. Combine with bolster weapons from the manipulus and they are capable of shooting up any infantry within 30" On turn 1. They and the robots also benefit from stygies -1 to hit over 12". Solid fire support and chaff clearance, allowing the sanguinary guard to strike where needed.

 

Thats my list in a very brief nutshell! Brief batrep summaries to follow, I'll be happy to go into more detail if people are interested. Please do leave feed back and comments!

[Shaezus]

Forgot to say, I used a sanguinary guard model as warlord. Rerolling all hits.

 

Game 1 Vs Ultramarines

 

This was a Gman list with redemptors, contemptors, intercessors and hellblasters. My opponent was very new to the game, a great guy who was happy just to be there and learn more about the game. Bearing in mind that the other players would be going all - out to get maximum points, I decided not to hold back.

 

Dawn of war deployment. I won first turn. Advanced the corpuscarii straight up the middle so they could reach both of his hellblaster and intercessor squads. Between them, the sicarans firing from the flanks and the robots, they killed all but a few of the marines. Meanwhile, captain smash and the libby waded into the dreadnoughts.

 

My opponent conceded at the end of turn 2. Only Gman and a handful of marines remained. 27 - 0 to BA.

 

Game 2 Vs tyranids

 

This was a good old bug - fest! A kraken list with about 150 models. 2 units of shooty gants, 2 of hormagaunts, 2 of 20 genestealers. 3 ravener squads. A host of zoanthropes and a malanthrope.

 

He seized, but this - believe it or not - worked in my favour. I had all my characters apart from the ancient all deployed behind a central unit of scouts, so when he charged the scouts on turn 1 they all did heroic intervention and made short work of the charging gaunts.

 

The real key to this battle was the corpuscarii; they held against the turn 1 charge, then I used the 3CP stratagem so they could fight again. This finished off the combat and they were then completely free to shoot up the gants and a unit of genestealers in the first turn. They then charged the malanthrope and a zoanthrope, putting mortal wounds on the malanthrope with their voltgheist fields then killing both units in the assault.

 

The sanguinary guard landed in his corner (deployment was the corner - to corner one) and shot up the remaining gants whilst claiming his backfield objective. Captain smash jumped forward to join them in smashing up the last zoanthrope.

 

The sicarans and robots made light work of the raveners. With the opponent tabled on turn 4, this was a 32 - 11 win for BA!

[Are Verlo]

A great read so far with an unusual combo of BA and Admech.

 

Edit:spelling

[Charlo]

Nice one mate, glad to see the reports so far. As an Ad Mech player in 8th with lots of BA resources to call upon its interesting.

 

Slight tangent, but how do you find Skitarii? I've tried all manner of squad sizes and special weapons but it always just feels like 5 man is by far the best way to go. One special or two if you're feeling fancy/ want the snipers.

[Majkhel]

Great list and congratulations on your performance! Do please drop a picture of your army if you have it :)

[Jolemai]

Looking forward to your other games!

[Tokugawa]

When watching your games, i thought the HQs on the Admech detachement may be...too expensive. If opponents pop the 2 baymaxes, then what the 2 hqs doing is just sitting on backyard obj and hiding from sniper fire(though opponent players forgot to shoot their Vindicares for more than once).

[Morticon]

(though opponent players forgot to shoot their Vindicares for more than once).

SHHHHH !!!!!!  

[Are Verlo]

When watching your games, i thought the HQs on the Admech detachement may be...too expensive. If opponents pop the 2 baymaxes, then what the 2 hqs doing is just sitting on backyard obj and hiding from sniper fire(though opponent players forgot to shoot their Vindicares for more than once).

 

Well, the manipulus can give extra range to the rest of the Admech units or empower warriors. The electropriest enjoy both both buffs. + to range or + to charge and move.

[Panzer]

When watching your games, i thought the HQs on the Admech detachement may be...too expensive. If opponents pop the 2 baymaxes, then what the 2 hqs doing is just sitting on backyard obj and hiding from sniper fire(though opponent players forgot to shoot their Vindicares for more than once).

 

If they really want to shoot snipers at the AdMech characters then I'd be perfectly fine with it considering they have a 2+ armour and can repair themselves they are probably one of the worst targets to shoot at anyway lol

If they don't have anything to do anymore because the robots got destroyed you could also just let them sit on objectives and be annoying as hell with how durable they are.

[Shaezus]

Nice one mate, glad to see the reports so far. As an Ad Mech player in 8th with lots of BA resources to call upon its interesting.

Slight tangent, but how do you find Skitarii? I've tried all manner of squad sizes and special weapons but it always just feels like 5 man is by far the best way to go. One special or two if you're feeling fancy/ want the snipers.

  

 

Thanks bud and yes the Admech options are great for BA. The Manipulus is ideal for an army which uses both plentiful shooting and fast movement. As for the Skitarii yeah I couldn't resist trying out the snipers, but the sniper role conflicts with the positioning and concealment needs of the screen & objective sitter role. They cant do both to full effect IMO.

 

 

Great list and congratulations on your performance! Do please drop a picture of your army if you have it :)

Thanks buddy and I want to get something up from photobucket as soon as possible, watch this space haha

 

  

When watching your games, i thought the HQs on the Admech detachement may be...too expensive. If opponents pop the 2 baymaxes, then what the 2 hqs doing is just sitting on backyard obj and hiding from sniper fire(though opponent players forgot to shoot their Vindicares for more than once).

Pretty much as SfPanzer says. Actually sitting on backyard objective is worth the points alone, if it makes the VP difference. The combined buffs of the dominus and Manipulus get maximum bang for buck from two already powerful units. Huge synergies here with stygies too. Then there is their resilience and punch in cc; the Admech hqs have been great against things like tau commanders.

[Shaezus]

Thanks for the responses folks, sorry for taking so long to update!

 

Game 3 vs BA / DW

 

This the third and final game of the day, against Strike Force Morticon!

 

Morticon himself has mentioned in his own comments about this game, the need to take care when deploying against a smash captain. I felt this too during the setup phase, but in the end Mort needn't have worried! I fluffed big time with my smash cap, simply forgetting to move him after using FF to get him into a great position. I could put it down to the tiredness of travel and a day of gaming, but either way I hope I have learned that lesson now!

 

Mort played solid throughout and barely missed a beat. The libby dreads died in a mutual exchange of dutiful deaths, with Mort's libby also killing a squad of Skitarii. My priests and scouts were wiped out by combined fire including scout bikes, intercessors and the thudd gun. I mean TFC hahaha oops. The arrival of the Sanguinary Guard in Mort's backfield turned the battle and certainly stabilised things for my army, whose hopes had been looking dire until turn 3.

 

In the end Morticon wiped out the Sanguinary Guard and with very few models left on either side, the game ended with a BA win

[Shaezus]

Game 4 vs Guard

 

This was the kind of list that BA players love and hate at the same time. Lots of cheap screens protecting a LOT of tanks, so an abundance of juicy targets for both the shooting and assault units in my army. The big con against the pros, is the insane amount of firepower those tanks put out; fail to clear the screens or fail a key charge, and you won't get a second chance. For me, this kind of list is the perfect challenge for BA.

 

He had:

 

8 x 10 guardsmen... Yep, 80 in total

About a squads worth of characters -

Company commanders x 2 or 3

Psyker x 2

Bombardment / gunnery officer

Vindicare assassin

2 x basilisk - vigilus detachment

2 x wyvern - vigilus detachment

2 x tank commanders russes

1 x pask

Mortar squad

2 x scout sentinel

 

Think thats about it...

 

We had the long end to end deployment. Mission was the one with 3 objective and each player chooses one as their primary. This can be moved 6" In deployment. Bonus point if you hold your opponents objective at the end of your player turn.

 

He chose his deployment zone, settling his vehicles against the backline, mortars deployed in LoS cover on the objective, behind a wooded hill on the centre - left of his DZ. The infantry were strung pretty much in a double line. Two squads occupied the wooded hill with the vindicare and a psyker, with another squad in some woods on his right flank.

 

The priests used the stygies strat and moved swiftly up the field to start clearing the screens. They wiped out most of 3 squads, with the scouts and Skitarii picking of survivors. The robots poured their full weight of double - fire into the squads on the wooded hill, the phosphor ensuring that no saves were taken. The sicarans added to the tally and with captain smash charging in on my centre - left, only 3 infantry squads remained at the end of the turn. One scout sentinel was also destroyed.

 

The IG response was devastating. Only a few priests survived and one of the sicarans was down to 1 wound. A squad of Skitarii was also lost and captain smash went down to a butt - stroke from a lasgun. Almost all of his vehicles could fire twice, with either full rerolls to hit and wound, and / or good BS too, and it was very enlightening to be on the receiving end

 

My opponent and I discussed how the game would pan out; he spoke my plans aloud and agreed that the outcome would be decided by where the Sanguinary Guard came in. I really didnt have much choice. Playing to the objectives, they ignored his tanks altogether and charged into the mortars, claiming his objective. This one turn of getting that bonus decided the game. End of turn 6, 23 - 22 to BA!

 

It turned out this game was Cody (IG player) 's only loss. This was a very close win. A great game.

[Morticon]

I stand to be corrected, but it may have been 3 battalions- and 90 infantry ><;  I played him a lot in the warm up games.  Heavy list. 

[Shaezus]

I stand to be corrected, but it may have been 3 battalions- and 90 infantry ><;  I played him a lot in the warm up games.  Heavy list.

 

You're right buddy, he had 90 guard. That explains it, I remembered Cody saying I killed 60 on turn 1.

 

He also had 2 enginseers and 3 armoured sentinels, not scout. Plasma iirc.

[Shaezus]

Game 5 vs chaos - Thousand Sons

 

This the final game against Jialan, my Ningbo gaming friend. Quite fitting that it should be against my very first Chinese opponent! The way the points stood, the winner of this game would win the tournament.

 

Cant recall his list perfectly but he did have:

 

 

DP of T

Some other big winged daemon

Sorcerers or 3

Havocs x2 squads

Possessed x 20

Nurglings 2 or 3 squads

3 obliterators

Rhino

Maybe some chaos marines

 

Mission was the one with 6 objectives and if you hold 3 objectives with 3 different characters at the end of your player turn, you get a bonus VP. Deployment was the one with a 9" Circle of no mans land and players deployed in opposite corners. This was a brilliant table to play this battle on, with two large rocky outcrops happening to perfectly fit on opposite sides of the 9" Circle, with an objective slap in the middle of them. I won the deployment roll and chose the corner with more cover. I deployed well but far from perfectly, and it turned out to be one of those games which are decided on turn 1.

 

For secondaries i went for butchers bill and marked for death on the havocs, obliterators and rhino. He took old school and butchers bill.

 

He went first and advanced onto the middle objective and the one near his long board edge. The reaper cannons got very lucky with LoS to the priests and took full advantage; only 4 survived. Then came the psychic phase...11 powers cast in total! An awesome amount of power and a few 'super smites' killed my smash cap, a squad of scouts and a sanguinary guard. The other scouts all took a casualty or two each.

 

BA turn 1 and the central objective became a bowl of carnage, with the sanguinary guard shooting and smashing up the possessed, some nurglings and something else whilst the priests took care of one of the sorcerers. The robots and sicarans wiped out the havocs. I fluffed over the objective on his long board side, I needed a 4 to advance and score the objective but chose to chance a charge instead, which didnt work out. This would have made a 2 VP difference, but enough hindsight for now.

 

Turn 2 and the central objective see - sawed between the control of both armies. He claimed with his DP of T, which took out some sanguinary guard. The obliterators came down and their rolling and firepower was immense. My robots continue their odd trend of blowing up almost all of the time, whilst one of the sicarans also went down.

 

The sanguinary guard killed the DP and re claimed the objective, but that was pretty much all my luck. The libby dread was ineffectual in trying to score that far objective and was killed in melee by a character.

 

We played through to turn 6 though I honestly can't remember too much of the other turns other than the sanguinary guard earning the VP in the centre and his obliterators picking off robots and sicarans but it ended 22 - 21 to chaos!

 

There was an issue around clocks and timings but thats for another thread perhaps. All ill say is that if you're going to a tourny where they use them, get some practice with them. Get used to the time limits.