Specialists - Pendrake, Bokur, Ragman, Alten, Tinker, Basher, pEiryss
Objective - Effigy of Valor
MacBain - Galleon, Sylyss, Buccaneer, Orin, Dougal, eEiryss, eAlexia, Grogspar, TAC, Aiyanna + Holt, 2x Press Gangers
Specialists - Tinker, Bokur, Rockbottom, Kayazy Assassins + UA, Devil's Shadow Mutineers
Objective - Effigy of Valor
Enter Round 3: Brought to you by Shia Labeouf (Damn him!)
The masters wasn't maxed out due to the usual last minute drop outs (Real life must have it's victims), so the cut to the top 4 would have someone that would go 3-1. Loud Chris would have a good strength of schedule in all likelihood, so if I could win the next two I might have a skerrick of a chance.
I really only wanted to avoid one matchup: Competent Circle.
Now the reason I have an issue with the bloke that likes to wear paper bags.
Mooquine went down because JUST DO IT, taking an assassination instead of a more likely scenario win (Presumably soon to be retold on OzMachine. Possibly on how to control your Labeoufing).
Whining aside, its eKrueger and eKromac.
Gorten is hampered by shifting stones, MacBain is countered by Gallows Groves. Both lists had double stones, Krueger only had one Grove, so Mustache man it is. I'd actually played James in a eKrueger vs Gorten match and gotten of a great feat because he didn't place his stones where he should, he wasn't going to do that in a tourney game.
Destruction is the scenario, as expected eKrueger drops.
eKrueger - Ghetorix, Stalker, Gorax, Una + Griffon, Wilder, Stones + UA, Stones, Groves, Druids + UA, some-unpainted-schlubs-that-won't-matter
Objective: Fuel
For ADR I swap out Aiyanna/Holt for the Bokur/Tinker, the problem is hitting Circle junk, not killing it once you do.
I know, Potato photos.
Merc Deploy: Won the die roll, went first because I have some common sense, if not a lot. Krueger is hard enough without him getting even more board position on you.
Circle Deploy: The evil hippy brigade. Note the Blood Weavers on the right flank. Una and the Rotterhorn are chilling on the left.
Merc 1: My opening quandary. If I don't run up as far as possible, I surrender the advantage I gained by going first and make it to easy for Krueger to bully the table. If I do, stuff of mine will die. This is a grit the teeth turn, though I think I did run the most forward line to far, though I would still have needed to spread because of the devouring the Druids will throw out.
It all moves up, the Buccaneer goes to the far right, eEiryss and Alexia go tot the left. Fortune pops on the Galleon, everything else moves up.
The intent for those flank pieces is to be out of Kruegers feat range to run into the zone if I lose too much in the centre, MacBain! has moved to shelter in a forest and be in range to walk back into the Kill box (Ever had to run to get out of a KillBox? It's super bad).
Circle 1: I love that the Circle photos are getting worse each shot.
The Druids Cloud wall, the heavies and stones place for teleports, the Blood Weavers skirmish out on the right.
Krueger flies up and Stormwalls.
Between an arced Lighting from the Gallows, a Devouring and Una being a psychotic bird mongering line of sight ignoring tree hugger of death half a dozen Press Gangers die.
Merc 2: Simple plan, feat, jam zone, use Galleon to kill the Grove and fuel Alexia so Thralls can crack zones.
The Press Gangers jam in, Galleon goes in and my plan falls apart. I'd calculated for STorm Wall reducing my range, but lapsed on it screwing with AoE directions, so ARtillerist was nullifed. The Grove was now beyond my means, as I needed to go for a model a few inches to the Groves right and strategically reroll for the right direction.
The Druids also prove to difficult, I only pop one to fuel Alexia.
I still feat, then MacBain hides and puts Failsafe on the Galleon. I run various solos around, hoping to stop more than one Heavy getting to said Colossal so that I can eek out a Heavy Trade attrition win.
Alexia pops a Thrall, who gets a tricky line to a Stealth Stone but leaves it on two boxes (-8 on four dice, I'd be very happy with two Thralls, but only one predictably doesn't do it).
Circle 2: Gallows Grove ports in to stop feat. Una and a sprinting Ghetorix clear the zone, with some clouds out as well. The Weavers move up on the right and kill most of the right unit of Press Gangers.
Stalker ports forward, kills the Objective and Sprints back. Krueger Storm Walls and feats on everything bar the Tinker, Bucaneer and Eiryss.
Circle goes to 2.
Moops could be on 3, but he kept Krueger back. If he doesn't and toes the zone I have a slight chance of MacBain doing a need-to-fluke-dice-rolls-like-a-god assassination (Energizer, charge, Grievous wounds on his melee). Given what the Blood Weavers end up doing, in hindsight I think he was right here, which lends my statement of him making a mistake rather painful to remember...
Merc 3: The plan is simple. I have a line on the Gorax, if I pop him and get the Galleon in the zone with Failsafe he only needs a box to survive in fully functioning format, then he can Heabutt one down, Buccaneer can Assault to knock down the other and I can Jack Hammer them dead, though needing higher than average rolls.
I put it into action, Galleon manages to shoot down the Gorax, my last few infantry putz around.
Circle 3: Did you know Blood Weavers can Dispel? I sure know now.
Blood Weavers charge Galleon, get rid of Failsafe and do about 10 damage themselves. Ghetorix, Una then Kruegers gun finish it off no worries. The Rotterhorn pops Alexia.
Druids punch out Grogspar to clear the zone.
Circle go to 3 CP.
Merc 4: I have no means to get to Krueger, so its time to try some funky stuff for giggles.
Tinekr runs to the end of the line of Weavers, Buccaneer Energizes back a bit from MacBain, then slams Tinker to kill all but one of the weavers.
I run some pieces into the zone.
Circle 4: Krueger man modes for the finish.
Me on the right.
I needed to do something about the Weavers in hindsight. Looking at it probably the best way would be to send Alexia in. Moops will put them under the Counter Magic bubble, but she can still nab souls and buy attacks, sadly Krueger stops the potential terror checks. Galleon should have run to toe the zone then had three layers of infantry in front with various feat models. Gallows will ensure the front rank dies off anyway, but if I scatter the tokens said Grove can't port to clear landing zones around the Galleon and Orin, played further up behind him, can Null Magic to make it tricker for the Druids to clear it.
Una is still horrible.
