New Blood Angels vs Imperial Guard

[Karhedron]

I had a chance to try out our new stuff from Blood of Baal yesterday against my mate Dan's Imperial Guard. We played 1500 points but I had not had a chance to modify the list to take into account the CA19 point adjustments. I would have roughly 80 points to spare in that case, enough for a small squad, some extra bodies on my Troops etc. Not sure how IG points changed.

My list was:

Battalion 1
HQ Captain Smash (Warlord) with TH, Storm Shield Death Visions and Artisan of War Angel's Wing jump pack
HQ Mephiston (Smite, Wings, Quickening, Unleash rage)
Troop 5 Intercessors
Troop 5 Tactical Marines with Missile Launcher
Troop 5 Tactical Marines with Heavy bolter
Fast 3 Inceptors with assault bolters
Heavy 7 devastators, 3 Lascannons, Plasma Cannon, Cherub

Battalion 2
HQ Lemartes (Exhortation of Rage, Canticle of Hate)
HQ Lieutenant with storm bolter and power sword. Warlord (Herioc Bearing) Veritas Vitae
Troop 5 Scouts
Troop 5 Scouts and Serg with Power fist
Troop 5 Intercessors
Elite 10 Death Company with Jump Packs, 2 PF, 3 PS

I spent CP on DVOS for the the Captain, and extra Relic (VV) and an extra WL trait (AoW for the Captain). I made the Leuitenant my Warlord as he is the 1 character who usually survives as his job is normally to buff my fire base. I gave him Herioc Bearing to ignore morale as I couldn't think of anything better.That left me with 10 CPs for the battle.

Dan was running the following IG list

Battalion 1 (Cadian)
HQ Pask
HQ Creed
Troop Infantry squad with Lascannon and grenade launcher
Troop Infantry squad with Missile Launcher and meltaa gun
Troop Infantry squad with Missile Launcher and grenade launcher
Troop Infantry squad with Missile Launcher and grenade launcher
Elite Veteran squad
Heavy Leman Russ
Heavy Leman Russ

Battalion 2
HQ Lord Commissar (Ciaphas Cain with S6 AP-4 D3 relic sword)
HQ Tempestor Prime
Troops Tempestus Scions with 2 melta guns
Troops Tempestus Scions with 2 melta guns
Troops Tempestus Scions with 2 melta guns

Our mission was "Vital Intelligence" from CA18 (4 equally spaced objectives and 1 in the centre). Dan got to pick deployment zone so I deployed and went first. I put my Intercessors, Devastators, Tactical squads and Lt positioned to hold my home objectives or get good lines of fire. My 2nd squad of Intercessors were deployed to advance on the centre and give cover the Mephiston, Lemartes and Smash. I put the DC and Inceptors in reserve. I put 1 scout squad in ruins near the centre objective and the other on my left flank, behind a missile silo 9" away from Dan's deployment zone and one of his objectives.

Dan deployed Creed and the Veterans centrally to advance on the centre objective. He split the tanks and infantry between his flanks to cover his home objectives and threaten my forward Scouts. The Scions and Prime went in Reserve. Dan failed to sieze so I took first turn.

Turn 1

Blood Angels

The Scouts on my left flank moved over missile silo to threaten the infantry and Russ holding the left objective. My Scouts in the centre moved to threaten the nearest infantry squad while the Intercessors Advanced behind them to try and claim the Objective but I rolled a 2 for their Advance move and they were left short. Lemartes and Mephiston moved up close behind them while Smash used UWOF to redeploy into in Dan's deployment zone. He had put his Veterans forward in the hope of contesting the centre objective but that left a gap in his screen near Pask and the other Russ.

In the Psychic Phase, Mephiston activted both Quickening and Wings of Sanguinius and leapt behind the Scouts.

In the shooting phase, the Devastators opened up on Pask and knocked off half his wounds (aided by the Devastator Doctrine). The Intercessors on my left flank fired at the infantry squad in the bunker opposite and killed 3. Both Scout squads fired their bolt pistols at the infantry squads in front of them killing a couple and softening them up for the charge.

In the combat phase, I charged the Scouts on my left flank into the infantry squad holding the objective, Smash into the Leman Russ and the other Scouts and Mephiston into the infantry squad screening Pask. I lost a couple of the Scouts to overwatch thanks to "Grenadiers" but nothing critical. Unfortunately the dice were not kind in the combat phase. Smash whiffed with half his attacks and then Dan rolled 2 6s meaning I only pushed through 4 points of damage on the Russ. The Scouts on the left flank only killed a couple of infantry. Mephiston and the other Scouts killed all but 2 of the infantry facing them (Mephiston killed 6 single-handedly) but Dan played "Insane Bravery" to deny me First Strike and keep the last 2 Guardsmen alive (including the melta gunner who would come back to haunt me).

Guard

Dan withdrew everything from combat and then proceeded to unleash a storm of Order-enhanced shooting. The Infantry squad and Russ on the left flank wiped out the Scouts while the Russ fired its battle cannon at the Intercessors in the centre but only managed to kill one thanks to a mix of poor hit rolls and good armour saves. Pask opened fire on Smash but only manged to push 2 wounds through his Transhuman Physiology. The infantry in the centre wiped out my other Scouts allowing the melta gunner to target Mephiston and a burn 2 wounds off the Lord of Death. In the combat phase, the Commissar, melta gunner and Pask all charged Mephiston. Caine managed to put another wound on Mephiston while Mephsiton whiffed his attacks on Pask with an appalling string of 2s to wound.

At the end of the turn, we both had 2 objectives but Dan had scored First Strike giving him a narrow lead.

Score

Blood Angels 2 : Guard 3

 

Turn 2

Blood Angels

I moved into the Tactical Doctrine and Lemartes failed to activate his Canticle of Hate. My Intercessors in centre moved to take the Objective but couldn't quite get out of LOS of the Russ that had targetted them before. I wasn't sure how long they would last so I sent both my Tactical squads to support them and claim the objective if they fell. I moved my Devastator squad out of the ruins they had been in to take the Objective vacated by the Tactical squad with Heavy Bolter and give them LOS to that Russ. I moved Lemartes forwards and dropped in the Death Company around him. I also brought in the Inceptors on my right flank with LOS to the infantry on that Objective.

Mephiston failed both his psychic tests.

In the shooting phase the Death company opened up with their bolters and wiped out all 10 of the infantry squad facing them. Who needs fancy melee weapons? The Inceptors wiped the other infantry squad off the Objective on my right flank. The Devastators fired at the Russ on the left flank but between movement and loss of the Devastator Doctrine, only managed to take off 2 wounds.

In the combat phase, Captain Smash re-charged the Russ that had escaped him before. Mephiston managed to slice Pask in half but foolishly turned his back on Caine who proceeded to slay the Lord of Death with this relic sword!

Guard

The remaining Guard units lined up for the best shots and the Tempestus Scions dropped into the centre of the board to confront the Intercessors on the objective. The Scions wiped out the Intercessors in the centre while the Leman Russ, heavily damaged the other squad of Intercessors in my depoyment zone, killing all but 2. The remaining infantry in the centre formed a firing squad and gunned down Smash. Creed used "Move, move, move!" to reposition the Veterans on the centre Objective, once again keeping the Guard in the lead.

Score

Blood Angels 5 : Guard 6


Turn 3

Blood Angels

After some deliberation, I decided to remain in the Tactical Doctrine as I still had plenty of bolters and the Inceptors in play while Dan was running out of hard targets where I would need extra AP in melee. Lemartes successfully chanted his Exhortation of Rage and he and the Death Company surged towards the centre objective while my remaining Troops took up firing positions.

In the firing phase, the Devastators managed to destroy the last Russ while the Inceptors killed the last infantry around the Objective on my right flank. My troops gunned down half the Scions in the centre of the board.

In the combat phase, the Death company multicharged the remaining Scions and Veterans and wiped them out while Lemartes charged Creed and cut him down. Dan was out of tanks and fast running out of infantry with the Blood Angels taking the centre of the board.

Guard

Dan position his surviving infantry to take as many Objectives as possible. In particular he used "Move, move, move!" again to reposition his last infantry squad from the left flank onto the centre Objective. As Troops, they scored the Objective from under the nose of the Elite Death Company although they must have known they would not be able to hold it for long.

Score

Blood Angels 9 : Guard 10


Conclusions

We called it at the end of Turn 3. Whilst Dan was technically ahead by 1VP, he had just a handful of models left on the table while I still had half my army.

All credit to Dan, he played a very clever game making maximum use of his orders. Going second turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it meant he was able to sneak me off Objectives on a couple of occasions. He also claimed the scalps of both Captain Smash and Mephiston. I am sure Commissar Caine will find a herioc way to slip into the shadows once more.

Blood Angels play a whole lot better with this new expansion, even though I was using an old list that hadn't really been optimised to make use of it. The Tactical Doctrine really boosts our Troops and I can see many cases where players will choose to stay in that doctrine against weaker foes as Savage Echoes may well be overkill against many opponents.

As usual I got a bit carried away with both Mephiston and Captain Smash. I should have used Forlorn Fury on Smash as it would have been 2 CPs cheaper than UWOF + DOA. I should have spotted the risk posed to Mephiston sooner and taken down the Commissar Lord. Even if Pask had withdrawn from combat, he wouldn't have been shooting in his next turn and I could have hunted him down at my leasure.

Overall it was a fun game. Blood of Baal has really turned Blood Angels up a notch and they should do even better with a little optimisation to experiment with our new stratagems and relics.

PS Transhuman Physiology is going to be seen a lot!

[Neuralshock]

Wait, if pask charged you, you should have been wounding on 2's anyways? you should have been able to flip that Russ like a pancake!

[Aothaine]

Thank you for the batrep! :D Seems even the little updates are all that is needed to push Space Marines dial up a few notches. I have high hopes for Space Wolves in a few months. Have my first purchase already decided. Just need to wait until after I move and get settled in before starting to horde up and build more miniatures. :D

[Karhedron]

Wait, if pask charged you, you should have been wounding on 2's anyways? you should have been able to flip that Russ like a pancake!

You're right! For some reason I was thinking S8. 

[Neuralshock]

Silly goose! It's okay, we have a lot to remember playing this game for sure.

[Indefragable]

 

Wait, if pask charged you, you should have been wounding on 2's anyways? you should have been able to flip that Russ like a pancake!

You're right! For some reason I was thinking S8.

I re-read this a few times, and if Meph was locked in combat with the melta gunner, then he would not have had Red Thirst against subsequent chargers, this making his S10 wound T8 Russes on 3’s.

 

If he was not locked in, then he would get the +1 meaning he would have sliced open the Russes on 2’s.

[Karhedron]

I may (or may not) have made a mistake with Mephy, it happens all the time in the heat of battle.

 

Regardless, my main take away was just how much the Tactical Doctrine boosts our basic line troops. Getting Ap-1 on all my Tactical and bolter Dev marines made them feel quite a bit more threatening while Intercessors and Inceptors do serious work with AP-2.

 

My Scouts did OK for the points but didn't last long as I tend to use them very aggressively. I am seriously tempted by some Incursors. Ap-1 and Ignore Cover whilst in the Tactical Doctrine looks quite nice while the combination of Savage Echoes, Ap-1 and paired combat blades looks enough to make them reasonably threatening in melee once the assault Doctrine activates. The ability to do reasonable work with both Doctrines looks promising.