Game 46 - Durgen (Hammer Strike) vs Stryker2 (Flames in the Darkness) + Game 45 Stub
Game 45 was a rematch of Durgen vs Maddox, outside of a potential assassination opportunity for some Storm Lancers was very similar to the last time it was played, but with much better crit luck on the Crawlers. The end state was pretty brutal when the game was called.
Starting to ponder of the Gorten list is doing it for me, ala a suitably amusing Garden Gnome. I remade a list filled with Lesser Warlocks, though realistically that has mainly been done to make me paint M&M, the Gobber jack.
When we finally get to the table for a game, it's into the other half of the Maddox pairing, Stryker2 with a bunch of dudes, archons and jacks. Gorten played into it just fine, however it seemed worth seeing how Durgen would go and if that list just covered that matchup.
Durgen - 2x Driller, Avalancher, 2x Siege Crawler, Hammer Dwarves + Godor, 2x Mortars, 3x Steelhead Gunners, Ogrun Bokor, Thor
vs
Stryker2 - 2x Freebooter, Nomad, Legion of Lost Souls + Shield Guards, 2x Order of Vigilants + Shield Guards, Alexia 3, 2x Morrowan Archon, 2x Thamarite Archon, Gabriel Thorne
King of the Hill for scenario, which makes my poor long reaching contesting much less of an issue.
I lost the roll, got second. Picked the side with a less inconvenient forest and where the Obstruction wouldn't allow super easy contesting, albeit it would be a potential great spot for Swans to get some good cover which can't be helped.
Deploy wise, I did the typical lazy Crawlers on either side and everything else in the middle. The Mortars did end up leaning toward the left side as that was across from the opposing infantry blobs, which really just shows that I haven't internalised that Rhulic Mortars are really about single targets for Brutal damage rather than mob killing.
Brown/Green patches are forests, the green templates are long grass, water/wall/obstruction are presumably obvious? Where art thou graves of open-ness?
Round 1: Like dogs behind an unlocked gate
Swans run up, leaning heavily toward the left side of the board. Stryker casts Deceleration and cowers in the back. Thamarite Archons go up behind the obstruction of annoyance. Everything sticks back out of Siege Crawler range.
Given the only shot in active range is the Avalancher with a Redline, I wasn't willing to commit to feating and scatter praying (Lamenting once more not squeezing in Herne and Jonne). The Legion and Thamarchons also RFP, so the Hammer Dorfs won't all be coming back. Does mean in a future turn it'll probably be worth throwing Primed out.
One Crawler moves up to the right zone, where he'll be making his home. The other holds back on the left. The jacks move forward as the expendable front line, the Avalancher did attempt a shot at one of the Thamarites that scattered to no where usefull.
Some of the Hammer Dwarfs are in Lost Legion feat attack range, mostly hoping Stryker will feat to kill some of them and the Jacks, which will bunch them up and allow a good counter feat....
...or they could not take the bait at all. Top 2 Swans.
