Blood Angels vs Necrons - 1500 points

[Karhedron]

This battle was against my regular opponent Dave's Necrons. We have both been easing into 9th edition following several long lockdowns. This was our first "big boy" battle with Strike Force sized lists. Mine was fairly conventional with a Battalion led by a Sanguinary Priest and Captain with 3 different Troop units. Dave by contrast ran an Patrol detachment focussing on a small number of big blobs of elite units to carry the damage.

Blood Angels: Battalion

HQ

Sanguinary Priest with Jump Pack, Chief Apothecary. Warlord (Selfless Healer), Teeth of Terra. Extra WLT Artisan of War > Artificer Armour.

Captain with Jump Pack, Inferno Pistol and Relic Blade. Rites of War, Master Crafted

Troops

5 Intercessors with Auto Bolt Rifles

5 Infiltrators with Helix Gauntlet

6 Tactical Marines with Grav Cannon and Power Fist

Elite

8 Sanguinary Guard with 4 Glaives, 4 Fists and 1 plasma pistol

Fast

3 Attack Bikes with Multi Melta

5 Inceptors with Plasma

Heavy

Whirlwind with Vengeance Missiles

None

Inquisitor with Bolt Pistol and Force Sword. WLT Esoteric Law. Psyker (Smite and Castigation)

Necrons: Patrol

HQ

Overlord with Techyon Arrow

Troops

10 Immortals with Gauss Blasters

Elite

C'tan Shard of the Deceiver

10 Deathmarks

10 Triarch Preatorians with Rod of Covenent

Fast

6 Lockhust Destroyers (5 regular, 1 Heavy)

8 Canoptek Scarab swarms

Looking at Dave's list I have just noticed it was technically illegal as a Patrol would have limited him to 2 Elites. I will mention this next time. Dave is a nice guy but like me, is still learning the ropes of 9th edition so I will just put these glitches down to the learning curve.

If anyone crunches the numbers you will notice I am still running the 2020 points values. This list will go up by around 65 points next time I play so the Inquisitor will possibly have to go.

The Mission generated was "Sweep and Clear" from the GT 2020 pack. This is a corner deployment mission with an Objective in each quarter and one in the centre. Once an army has secured an Objective, they remain secured by that army, even if there are not units nearby. To claim them, you have to go and take them back.

For my secondaries, I chose Oath of Moment (my old faithful), Deploy Scanners (handy if you have troops like Infiltrators) and Engage on All Fronts which is a good choice with 3 highly mobile units. Dave took Grind them Down, Cut off the Head (as my Warlord was looking a bit squishy) and Domination to double down on Objectives).

The table did not have as much terrain as I would like. Dave arrived half way through setting up and I forgot to include another piece of terrain in what would turn out to be my deployment zone, hence the "bald spot"). Dave played a strong refused flank while I deployed fairly centrally, hugging what terrain was available. I deployed my Inceptors and Captain in Reserve since I didn't fancy the idea of running them across no-mans-land to shoot. Inceptors are tough but Necrons have the firepower to bring them down so I opted to sacrifice 1 turn of shooting to ensure they could shoot safely from T2 onwards. My Infiltrators deployed on the adjacent table quarter behind the cover of a missile silo to control a second Objective.

Here is the view from my side.

and from Dave's

I won the roll off but opted to move second in the hope of luring Dave's units forwards towards the Objectives and then pouncing on them. Of course this meant I would have to weather a turn of his shooting first.

Before his first turn, Dave used his Deceiver's Grand Illusion ability to redeploy his Immortals and Lords to his centre where they had better fields of fire against my central units. With an awful lot of Gauss pointed towards me, we began the first turn!

Edited June 9, 2021 by Karhedron

[Karhedron]

Necrons Turn 1

With targets visible, Dave movement consisted mostly of lining up shots and moving towards the Objectives. His Triarch Praetorians bounded towards the Infiltrators and ended up just on the opposite side of the missile silo. His Scarabs and C'tan headed towards the central Objective while the Immortals, Deathmarks and Destroyers lined up on my Attack Bikes and other central units.

In the shooting phase, the Immortals gunned down one attack bike and damaged another. The Deathmarks zeroed in on the Sanguinary Priest and put 3 wounds on him which had me seriously sweating. The Destroyers fired on the Sanguinary Guard and killed 3 of them. The Praetorians were out of LOS of the Infiltrators and out of range of everything else so I was spared their shooting and they had Advanced so could not charge.

Overall, I got away quite lightly in this shooting phase. While most of my key units took damage, the central ruins blocked some LOS meaning Dave had to spread the damage out across units rather than being able to wipe out either the attack bikes or the Sanguinary Guard. I was lucky not to lose the Priest to the Deathmarks but since he had survived, he could now start patching up my damaged units.

One mistake I made was that I forgot to use "Skilled Riders" on the attack bikes. -1 to-Hit would have taken some of the sting out of the shooting.

Blood Angels Turn 1

I decided that I could not risk crossing the open ground in front of the Destroyers. The bulk of my forces moved around to the left of the central ruins, trying to put LOS blocking terrain between the Destroyers and my high value units. The Sanguinary Priest, healed himself and the damaged attack bike before reviving the other attack bike. He then used his Chalice to put the Sanguinary Guard into the Assault Doctrine. The Infiltrators stayed put and Deployed Scramblers. The Intercessors scrambled over the ruins and headed for the central Objective.

In the psychic phase, the Inquistor cast Smite on the Scarabs niflicting 2 wounds.

In the firing phase, the Intercessors and Tactical squad gunned down a lot of Scarabs but the swarm seemed scarcely diminshed. The Attack Bikes fired on the Praetorians and melted 2 of them. The Whirlwind fired at the Destroyers but only succeeded in causing 2 Wounds. I made a serious mistake in not firing at the C'tan shard as I assumed it benefitted from "Look Out Sir". It would have made my life easier if I could have started whittling wounds off on T1 but Dave did not realise why I was not shooting at the C'tan, he simply assumed I was prioritising my firepower elsewhere.

In the combat phase, my Sanguinary Guard charged the Praetorians. Dave elected to Overwatch but failed to get any 6s. My Priest tried to charge as well but was too far and failed even with a reroll. The Intercessors charged the Scarab swarm to try and clear them off the Objective. The Sanguinary Guard fought first and even with the Priest nearby to trigger Heirs of Azkellon, they managed to do enough damage to completely wipe out the enemy, preventing them from reanimating. The Intercessors did well and wiped out another base but one of their number was killed by a salf-destructing scarab and another was dragged down by horde of chittering constructs.

[Karhedron]

Necron Turn 2

With their initial targets having fled their wrath, the Destroyers moved out into the open in search of fresh prey. The C'tan moved up towards the central Objective. Most of the rest of Dave's army remained stationary.

The C'tan destroyed one attack Bike with an anti-matter meteor and killed a Sanguinary Guard with Cosmic Insanity.

In the shooting phase, the Destroyers opened fire on the Tactical squad guarding my home Obective and completely wiped them out, in spite of their cover. The Deathmark once again tried to take the Sanguinary Priest but failed to put enough wounds on him to kill him. The Immortals killed another Sanguinary Guard and the Overlord transfixed another with a Tachyon Arrow. I was rapidly running out of golden boys and my centre was looking shaky.

It was about to get a lot shakier as the C'tan hurtled into combat and crushed the remaining Intercessors with contemptuous ease.

Blood Angel Turn 2

Things were looking tight, Dave had a C'tan Shard tearing through the centre of my lines while his firebase was largely intact. Fortunately help was at hand. The Inceptors and Captain landed behind the Destroyers, ready to match the power of plasma against the xenos' eldritch contraptions. The Sanguinary Guard leaped forward to interpose themselves between the C'tan and the Priest, ready to sell their lives dearly to protect their liege. The attack bikes lined up behind them to try and gun down foe. The Infiltrators had finished deploying their scrambler so I decided to play Guerrilla Tactics to put them back into Reserve. This would allow me to go for a different Objective and part of the board in the next turn. The Sanguinary Priest healed himself and revived a fallen Sanguinary Guard.

In the psychic phase, all eyes turned to the Inquistor. If he could put 3 Mortal wounds on the Shard, I would stand a chance of killing it in one round. Sadly, even with a reroll, I only put a single MW on the stargod meaning that I would not be killing it without a sacrifice. Still, the Blood Angels are good at heroic sacrifices.

I played Descent of Angels on the Inceptors meaning that their plasma blasters were hitting on 2s and rerolling 1s. Also, since I was shooting at a squad of 6, they all got 6 shots each. Even without overcharging, I was able to wipe out the Destroyers completely. I now had a strong force in that table quarter to take the Objective, score EOAF and potentially, roll up Dave's backline if not dealt with. The attack bikes fired on the C'tan shard and managed to cause the maximum 3 wounds.

In the combat phase, the Sanguinary Guard charged the C'tan shard. I knew this was likely a suicide move but I needed to pile as much damage onto it as possible. Sure enough they landed the maxmimum 3 wounds but the enraged star god wasted no time in crushing all 3, in spite of the Priest's best efforts.

I finished the turn feeling more upbeat. I had lost my Sanguinary Guard but they had done telling damage. The C'tan shard was vulnerable to either the Priest's teeth of Terra or the remaining attack bikes while the Destroyers had been dealt with.

[Karhedron]

Necron Turn 3

Dave's Overlord decided that discretion was the better part of valour. The Immortals left the ruins and headed towards the central Objective while the Overlord and Deathmarks moved towards the home Objective. Both moves were calculated to try and keep them away from the Inceptors while maintaining their fields of fire. The handful of surviving Scarabs headed towards the Objective that had been held by my Infiltrators to attempt to flip it.

The C'tan once more unleashed an anti-matter meteor, this time on the Sanguinary Priest causing a catastrophic 5 Mortal Wounds which his Narthecium failed to negate. This was a disaster as I had hoped the Priest would at least hang on until the combat phase so that I could use "Only in Death" if necessary to take the C'tan down with me.

In the shooting phase the Deathmarks and Immortals fired at the Attack Bikes, softening them up for the C'tan's charge. In the combat phase, the C'tan charged the last surviving Attack Bike. I overwatched in the hope of getting a lucky 6 on the multimeltas but it was not to be. The C'tan landed 3 wounding hits on the attack bike when my luck turned. I rolled a pair of 6s leaving the attack bike barely alive on 1 wound. My only unit in the centre that could realistically take down the C'tan had just had a reprieve.

Blood Angels Turn 3

The Captain and Inceptors gave chase to the fleeing Immortals but I had to Advance to get them back in firing range which I knew would hurt my accuracy. I played "Hit and run warfare" on the attack bike allowing it withdraw from combat but still shoot. I moved it back to the Objective that the scarabs were heading for. The Infiltrators came back onto the table almost where they left so I could hang on to that Objective since the Scarabs outnumbered the Attack bike.

In the psychic phase, the Inquisitor cast Smite on the C'tan shard and knocked another wound off.

In the firing phase, the Inceptors opened fire on the Immortals but their speed hampered their accuracy and 1 Immortal survived which in turn allowed 2 more to reanimate. The Whirlwind fired on them killing the 2 that had reanimated and leaving just a lone survivor. The Infiltrators gunned down the last of the Scarabs. With baited breath, I rolled for the attack bike. Both multimelta shots hit the C'tan shard and Dave failed one Invulnerable save. With its necrodermis prison shattered, the shard fled the battlefield.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Karhedron

[Karhedron]

Necrons Turn 4

 

With the C'tan shard and the Scarabs gone, the last Immortal made a dash for the central Objective to try and hold on the VPs. The Overlord and Deathmarks turned to face the approaching Inceptors.

 

The Deathmarks killed one Inceptor and wounded another but their nerve held.

 

Blood Angels Turn 4

 

The Inceptors moved to target the Deathmarks while the Captain split off to face the Overlord. The Inquisitor decided it was safe to come out from behind the ruins and cast Smite, killing the last Immortal. The Inceptors fired at the Deathmarks, bringing them down to just 4 after their reanimation rolls. The Captain raised his Inferno Pistol and took a pot-shot at the Overlord. I was rather surprised when Dave failed his Invulnerable save and reroll. I then promptly rolled a 6 for the number of wounds and blew him off the battlefield.

 

With the fall of the Overlord, Dave conceded. The final score was Necrons 49, Blood Angels 57 although I would have extended this lead had we played T5.

[Karhedron]

On the whole, I was pretty happy with how my army worked. It was a pretty bloody battle and there was not a lot left standing but most of my units did their jobs. I made a few mistakes such as forgetting to fire the Whirlwind on T2 and not realising I could target the C'tan shard. Here is a break down.

Sanguinary Priest

My Warlord largely earned his place. He raised Attack Bikes and Sanguinary Guard while healing himself and the aforementioned bikes. He also put the Sanguinary Guard into the Assault Doctrine when needed allowing them to completely wipe the Praetorians. He felt a bit squishy though, even with Artificer Armour. Next time, I might be tempted to do with the Teeth of Terra and take the Armour Idomitus instead. The extra wound and one-off 3++ save could come in handy in a pinch. The downside is that with just a chainsword, he is pretty toothless in melee. To be fair, it would not have saved him from that anti-matter meteor. Dave never rolled less than a 5 for that power all game and it was pretty devastating.

Captain

Pretty solid and a good investment for buffing the Inceptors. He even managed to take out the Overlord without even having to swing his Relic Blade. I opted for Master Crafted on the Relic Blade but I am undecided about tis value. Something like the Relic Deathmask might be better.

Tactical Squad

The unglamourous little brothers of the Astartes line, they still pull their weight. They died quickly to the Destroyers but I don't think much would have withstood that volley.

Intercessors

I have to admit that these guys did not get a chance to show their worth as they were cut to pieces by the Deceiver. It is a testament to the increased lethality in 9th that a squad who were touted for their durability in 8th now feel a bit fragile. I suppose if they had not been there another squad would have taken the hits. They made a good start on cutting down the scarabs but ultimately they were a sacrificial lamb used to lure the Deceiver into combat range.

Infiltrators

I am really impressed by these guys. They are not a powerhouse unit but they have a lot of tricks up their sleaves. Deploying forward to snag Objectives early is really useful and their combination of Smoke Grenades and Helix Gauntlet makes them just a bit of a challenge for your opponent to remove. The Omniscramblers didn't come into play this game. Guerrilla Tactics is handy for redeploying. It may have seemed that I wasted that stratagem but Dave could have gone for a different Objective and I needed the flexibility. These guys are going to become a regular part of my army.

Sanguinary Guard

I have been playing Bladeguard Veterans a lot lately and Sanguinary Guard can dish out the pain just as well. Red thirst really makes even their Glaives very dangerous. Compared to Bladeguard they are a lot less durable and that really showed in this battle. Van Vets with Storm Shields may be more durable but the combination of Heirs of Azkellon and encarmine weaponry just allow them to pump out so much more damage. Pairing them with the Sanguinary Priest as Warlord seems to work really well.

Inceptors

My heroes who rushed to the rescue. Tricky though it was to put these guys in reserve, I think it was the right choice. It allowed them to come in at just the right time to wipe out the Destroyers and start rolling up Dave's flank. Using Descent of Angels to boost their shooting is great. I can see why they are going up in the new Munitorum Field Manual. :(

Attack Bikes

They did not get quite the chance to shine this game but they soaked up a lot of firepower and did finally manage to take down the Deceiver. Another unit that works almost obnoxiously well with the Sanguinary Priest.

Whirlwind

The Whirlwind didn't get to contribute very much this game but that was partly due to my poor target selection and forgetting to fire it on T2. Had I targetted the Deceiver from the start, it might have managed to take it down a turn sooner and spared my Priest.

Inquisitor

This guy did OK. His WLT only managed to regain 1 CP in the entire game despite me rolling multiple times. He broke even but didn't exactly set the world in fire. His Smite was handy as having a source of mortal wounds is definitely good when you have things like C'tan floating about. Sadly this list goes up by 65 points when the new MFM arrives so I think he will be going back in the box for the time being.

[dice4thedicegod]

That’s an unusual necron list - Looks very fragile for the points! (I guess I’m just used to seeing warriors blobs… but maybe the plasma inceptors scared them off!)

[Karhedron]

That’s an unusual necron list - Looks very fragile for the points!

That is pretty much how it turned out. Lots of glass cannon units. I got lucky to a certain extent by being able to hit his glass cannon units with mine.