As an exciting fellow, I'll be playing the same lists I've been using for months:
Gorten - Earthbreaker, Hawk, Madelyn, Anastasia, Rhupert, Gorman, Thor, Reinholdt, ATGM + UA, 2x Press Gangers, pAlexia + Risen
Objective: Effigy of Valor
Durgen - 2x Gunny Bunnies, Gastolleon, Boomhowlers, ATGM + Dude, Dougal, eEiryss, Rockbottom, Reinholdt, Aiyanna + Holt
Objective: Effigy of Valor
Fairly easy, use the Gorten crutch until Cryx, infantry spam or the need to unlist lock presents itself.
Round one, P-diddles bro, B-diddles. Or Ben if we're going to be boring, scenario is Desctruction.
pCaine and....someone. Definitely someone else. eStryker? whatever, B-diddy drops pCaine, I throw down Gorten. Had it not been destruction I would have been tempted by Durgen, but this scenario is the Pushy Dorfs favourite sandpit.
pCaine - Hunter, Journeyman, Stormlancers, Gun Mages + Dude, Silly Wyshlaylyranfssarar, eEiryss, TRAITOR GASTOLLEON!
Objective: Bunker
Cygnar Deploy: I lose the die roll and get given second, which is actually to my preference. That far right figure is Eiryss, that linear is placed inside the killbox. and I expect will be Caines dry dream (As the James Bond of the Iron Kingdoms, Caine doesn't have wet dreams, he has a wet life).
Merc Deploy: I picked this side as the Trench will shield my important models with greater efficacy, important as I'll need Alexia and co to pick up the slack after the Swannies do their thing of killing all my poor Press Gangers.
Cygnar 1: It all runs up mostly as expected, Blur goes on Caine and Snipe on the horses. The only thing I found surprising was the Eiryss placement, would have been better served in my view by being at the back of the forest outside of LoS.
Merc 1: Initiate plan standard-Gorten-Destruction. I flood the crap out of the zone, Alexia/Gorman/Gun Mages go into the trench. Hawk runs super spaz style out the front and screams for people to look at her. Gorten plonks a wall at the end of the zone. Anastasia engages Eiryss and the Earthbreaker runs forward.
I would have loved a better solution to Eiryss, Hawk on that flank likely would have done it but that induces Eiryss to just keep back and I get even less chance of dealing with her.
Cygnar 2: Blur sticks around, B-Diddles forgets to allocate to Galleon. Caine wanders up and feats on about twenty models. Low attack rolls and decent toughs means he only kills about ten before he ports back to safety. Gun Mages, Stormlancers and Galleon move around a little bit and wipe out the junk Caine failed to get, a pair of the Mages also get into the zone. Eiryss misses melee attacks on Anastasia, the Hunter cracks the Earthbreaker for about 12 damage.
Key here is he didn't run the Galleon in, if it toes the left hand side of the zone I'm in an awkward spot where I can't clear the zone and the low threat range means the Earthbeaker will get alphaed by the opposing Colossal. The joys of offering twenty models for death.
Merc 2: Alexia gets max Risen (I was overloaded by about five or so). Simple plan, lock out zone, kill Objective, get to 3 CP and live the dream.
Anastasia continues to hold Eiryss up, I keep all the upkeeps I've got around. Earthbreaker smashes the objective with ease after the Tinker repairs it a bit. Risen/Gun Mages kill three of the Storm Lancers, while Alexia's attack and a Madelyn Seduction clears out the two enemy Gun Mages in the zone. Zone gets a huge chunk of Risen with a Gorman cloud in it, Gorten is hiding behind the cloud/Earthrbeaker.
Mercs go to 3 CP.
I elected not to pop my feat, I think that's a legit choice at this point, keeping it leaves the assassination threat open but gives the option B-Diddles smartly goes for.
Cygnar 3: Caine, Gun Mages, Stormlancers clear Alexia and the blocking Risen on the left of the board. The Galleon tramples at a diagonal to get into the zone on the left side, buys attacks to kill the Objective. Eiryss gets missed by the Freestrike to Interference bomb the Eartrbreaker.
Cygnar goes to 1 CP.
In hindsight, I should have plonked two Risen on that side and run them out to surround Eiryss with Anastasia and not even give the Free Strike option.
Merc 3: Ideally I kill Gastonne to turn off the Galleon and ride an easy scenario win, if not I have to kill Caine. The Risen run out of the way, one runs to be engaging Caine. Gorman moves up, Blind Bombs the Risen to get Caine (Black Oiling, still a thing in spite of the market crash of Gormans stock price).
Gorten charges a Press Ganger, proves to sadly be out of Gastonne by about half an inch. I drag everything forward, Caine doesn't far but get's Silly Willy feated and next to him.
Earthbreaker gets boosted Attack Rolls, moves up, knock down torpedoes Silly to sit Caine down and shoots him away with ease.
I needed a boosted 9 to get Silly, best Practice would have been to do Gorten before Gorman so that I can Blind Silly and Caine and make it only a boosted 5.
Me on the right, didn't really hurry on those last turns, good opening game.
