Oblivion Game 44 - Durgen (Hammer Strike) vs Sloan1 (Hearts of Darkness)
Once more we meet with Automated Hydrangeas and their Infernal ways. Now rocking a SLoan list with some proxies, I dropped Durgen as the preferential match for me. Gorten has a load of bit pieces he doesn't like being scalpelled, and he usually has very compelling reasons to spend Focus that leads to being assassinated. Tourney pairing wise it's actually quite awkward, as Sloan pairs with Zaateroth here. I want Gorten into Zaat and Durgen into Sloan. Euch. Traditional thought is to drop the less bad version, not 1000% sure but right now I'm thinking Durgen into Zaateroth is the worst of it with teh feat trades.
Only now have I realised that one of the Crawlers should be made in the image of the Mobile Oppression Palace. Future me, look into that and see if Futurama miniatures are around the place.
List wise:
Durgen - 2x Driller, Avalancher, 2x Siege Crawler, Hammer Dwarves + Godor, 2x Mortars, 3x Steelhead Gunners, Ogrun Bokor, Thor
vs
Sloan1 - 2x Minuteman, 2x Charger, 4x Hunter, Rangers, Express Team + UA, floaty orb unit whose name I refuse to learn, Eilish2, Trencher Patrol Doge
Roll up Bunker, given the centralised/slow nature of the Durgen advance a defensive rectangle feels like it should be very playable.
I won the roll and picked first, I have water in my zone. Left flag has an obstruction beside it, then a central forest. Swans have some rough terrain and a defensive wall. There's Rubble and a trench on the board that don't have a massive effect.
Round 1: There will be runs. With legs and stuff. White infantry are rangers, Menoth/Black jacks are Hunters. Gold are Chargers, Purple are the Minuteman.
Most of my stuff moves up timidly, as if we go past the objective Hunters come down on us and giving a round of chipping on stuff we can about is a bad go. Ergo the stuff we don't care about, the Drillers and the front row of Hammer Dorfs, move up into range. Fear being the Infernal Swans just back up and we don't get enough stuff to make it worth feating next turn.
Infernal Swans put Minutemen on the flanks, run the Puppy up behind the left obstruction. Rangers fan out the front. Eyeless orbs run around to give the Soulless Accumulator. The Hunters ping the rightside Driller, leaving it with 6 boxes and just Movement.
Top 2 Merc: Feat now or forever hold your Alpha
Pretty simple, feat, camp, pew pew.
Redline is upkept as the Avalancher needs the additional movement to get into position.
The Drillers move up and repo to just engage stuff, continuing to enjoy their position as nought but a distraction. Hammer Dorfs also end up moving forward after all the gun shots are resolved, Godor hiding up the back next to the forest out of sheer, indomitable bravery.
Leftwise, the Crawler smacks the opposing Minuteman down to 4 boxes with just movement left. The Mortar pop shots the left most Hunter, sadly gets saved by one of the two Umbral Guardians who gets left on one box. Nuts.
Avalancher, Durgen, and right Crawler all pot shot into the Infernal Swan rectangle with mixed results. The second Umbral pops outs for the Avalancher shot, takes embarrassingly little damage but is at least knocked down and on fire. Durgen tried his rolling multiple AoE's, killed some Rangers, the middle lot of the Soulless Eye Orbs and mixed damage on teh jacks (One Hunter ends up with two boxes. One Cortex, One Gun Arm. Bleh.).
It was looking a little grim, thankfully the right Crawler hit both charges with Crits, so they were Staggered, so that cuts down on the incoming fire a fair bit.
There's no Infernal solos on the right side, so I don't feel much need to contest on that side. A Steelhead Gunner is out of shot on the right, ready to run and score the flag next round.
Bottom 2 Infernal Swan: We will convince them of our peaceful ways, by force if necessary!
Five camp, two Shield Guards, what could possibly go wrong?
The Crawlers/Hammer Dwarf recycle is a harder bet, has a lot of sense given there aren't any Infernal Swan heavies, so in for the kill they go.
The Chargers, lacking much to do, shuffle up and axe away a couple Hammer Dwarfs to let a Ranger get up within Mark Target range. Sloan feats and pops her other buff spell, shuffles around and the anti-Durgen shooting starts. She's joined by the Express team and the four Hunters, The Ogrun Bokor lives on 2 boxes, the Avalancher is knocked down with a single health remaining.
Durgen lives on 6 boxes, camp expended.
The Right Driller died to that flanks Minutemen, the left had his grabber arm lopped off by the Umbral solo chargingm but eh, they don't matter.
We both score our rectangles, 1-1.
Top 3 Merc: Just breathe Durgen. Breathe. Through all those new chest holes you have.
Things are looking pretty good, if I can keep Durgen alive.
In my rectangle, Ze Dwarf of le Boom Booms heals himself for three, waddles over and camps. He does try a feeble pot shot that sets some Hammer Dwarfs on fire, so well done that fella. He ends up behind the Avalancher and Bokor.
The Avalancher lost Redline as Durgen needs all his focus and d3 damage on a handful of boxes is bad. Thor tots over, does a max repair, so the Avalancher gets to stand up and shoot the enemy objective, Umbral shield guards causing it's own demise and setting the Express team on fire. hammer Dwarfs surged up the centre, a reinforcement fella toeing the enemy zone. They kill one of the Chargers,and badly cripple the other.
Leftwise, the surviving Driller was out of power up range because Durgen hates it. Misses attacks on the super damaged Minuteman. Crawler charges into the Umbral, also bulldozing him back. Kills it and the objective. This sides mortar pops a shot and misses a Hunter.
Rightside a Gunner runs to the flag, this sides Crawler bulldozes the Minuteman out of contesting Range, sadly it whiffs it's attacks. This sides Mortar though pops a shot and obliterates a back damaged hunter.
I score my rectangle and right flag, 3-1. Super regretting not running Durgen behind two layers of Hammer Dwarves, had no business taking a pointless Incendiary pot shot.
Bottom 3 Infernal Swan: 60% of the time it works on the second go
The attrition isn't looking any better, Sloan wants to try again. The Charger kills a Hammer Dwarf to free up a Ranger moving up and applying Mark Target.
Sloan puts out her attack buff, pops shots into the Avalancher to try to kill it but alas, the damage is poor and it is only scratched.
Trencher Express team kill the Bokor, freeing up the right Minuteman and Hunter for shots. Minuteman bounds in, first hit is copped by the Avalancher. Second shot strips a focus for a few damage points.
Hunter lines up the shot, fangs it in, rolls the damage, it's looking grim.
Durgen lives on 1 box. Never in doubt!
No other attacks can get in and I auto win as the right flag isn't contested, little Maddles pulls it out.
Definitely should have shielded the Durgs better. Genuinely weighing up dropping the Drillers for a second Avalancher and Herne/Jonne, though that feels like it relies on the Hammer Dwarfs a lot for any melee ability. Also the prospect of owning a second Avalancher makes me feel queasy.
