Round 3, Pat gets a chance to venge his bro.
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
Two fronts, so Killbox heavy tourney it is.
Some admirable purple CoC on display...
Axis and Iron Mother, I would normally go with Gorten, but really don't want to be list locked in the fourth and Axis seems like the better drop overall for him.
I flub this matchup so hard. It's Durgen into Iron Mother, who I didn't ask enough about or I wouldn't be running Gastolleon into a caster with auto-damage and backlash...
Iron Mother + Servitors (Tier 4: The Servitoring) - Prime Axiom, Mitigator, Diffuser, Assimilator, TEP, Repair dudes, Corollary, a load of Servitors
Objective: Bunker
CoC Deploy: I lost the roll, return of the Robertson picked first. The killbox is dead easy to eyeball off this scenario, so I knew the horizontal wall on one side wasn't actually a safe haven, I picked the side with an awkward forest but the Galleon would be an answer to that.
That long line of Servitors is divided by type, the three on the far left are the countercharge/dig in ones, the centre three do one repair or something and the six on the right are the auto point annihilators of my dreams.
Merc Deploy: Galleon went at that spot more for terrain issues than because of the TEP, being across from the Axiom at that spot might have made me reconsider, but alas there was no escaping the dream crushers.
CoC 1: The wall of pain does it's job, the Axiom can only advance up and pop more of the damn Sentinels. Everything moves up, Tactical Supremacy goes on the TEP but gets dropped shortly after this turn, pretty sure it never triggered. The Countercharge dohickeys Dig In.
Merc 1: I contemplate the assassination. Eyeballing off the zone and deployment length, slight variation to include the slight diagonal line, I conclude that Iron Mother is 22.5" away from the Galleon with maybe a half inch leeway either direction.
With Double Powder, Fire Group and a full advance the Galleon threats 23 with it's mini shots. Durgen can feat to give an additional die on the to hit rolls, Dougal can Artillerist to make the shots RAT 7. I didn't do the exact math at the time, Iron Mother was camping five, so was 15/21 with 18 boxes, which I concluded was a minisule chance assassination. I likely would have done that combo sans feat to drag in the Assimilator, but that threat is only 19" so was short by at least an inch.
onto stuff that did happen...
Primed Boomhowlers go forth, Durgen Inhospitable Grounds and walks up to the cover. The Galleon barely moves, hoping to get an effective next turn before the inevitable deactivation.
Eiryss runs for the extreme flank on the left side, hiding behind the convenient house. Gun Mages hang around the back, Aiyanna/Holt stealth it up.
Inhospitable Ground was only really there to slow the Assimilator down, it was an action with negligible worth. The real mistake was leaving the Gun Mage Officer, the Jack Marshall in the list, not within walking distance of the Galleon to reactivate it after Gastonne meets his end.
CoC 2: An Exponent Servitor runs up, Iron Mother arcs Backlash onto the Galleon then a Shredder Swarm to do the first two points to Gastonne. Servitors do their evil, one of the Countercharge exploding chaps goes to engage a Boomhowler in my zone. The Dreamcrushers ping the Galleon to kill Gastonne. Sodding Llaelite.
Assimilator Grounder Pounders and knocks down a Boomie. Diffuser kills the left most Boomie. Axiom walks up and pops down a Servitor of some description.
Looking at it now I'm not sure if the TEP even activates?
Gorten would also have stopped the Blast Servitors cold. moving on....
Merc 2: Durgen gives a focus to the bunnies, something that happens pretty much every turn after this. Primed sticks around. He then gets Artillerist and Reloaded.
The Gun Mages walk around the back field, the Officer starts his journey to the Galleon. They kill all the nearest Servitors.
Boomies charge and kill a few more Servitors, they end up doing work but aren't in the jamming spots they should be.
Aiyanna Harms the Axiom, Durgen/Bunnies ping it for a total of 13 damage, so that was disappointing but not unexpected. Holt dings the Diffuser on the left side of the Axiom for a few.
Eiryss runs around the bottom of the building to Arcane Interference the Axiom/Diffuser.
Durgen gets in my zone for a quick Dominate before the Axiom contests.
Mercs go to 1 CP.
I'd reasoned that without a full capacity Galleon I was going to have to chip at the Axiom, but I needed spikes to do meaningful damage. The end numbers are reasonable but still not an effective use of the turn. It did highlight to me the existence of the three mechanics behind the Axiom, so that was worthwhile.
Eiryss was wasted, Induction defeats Arcane Interference Bombing at a certain point (That point being when she is brutally killed earlier in the turn). I was going for long term plans anyway, she should have run way up the backfield then started Disrupting the Corollary to make the damn Clockwork Cultists play with focus like normal people.
CoC 3: Eiryss dies to a Ground Pounder shot. The mechanics repair seven points on the Axiom. TEP moves up and kill Greygore with a pair of sprays. The Axiom gets fed some Focus Milk via the Corollary teat, walks into the zone, pops a Servitor down and Powerstrikes it to kill Aiyanna. Holt sobs but keeps his cool. Another Boomhowler dies to some other attacks, Iron Mother tried arcing a Harm on them early on but stuffed it up.
Merc 3: Simple plan, jam to buy time for the Galleon to flip his switch back to "on", kill the support staff in the meantime. That Blue rock marks the Boomhowler leader.
Primed sticks around, Bunnies get focus. Gun Mages move over, the Officer kicks the Galleons foot while the others pop off a few more Sentinels. The Boomies try for a charge, most end up running into spots, they block the Axiom, kill a Sentinel and do six point to the TEP. Holt goes into the other side of the Axiom.
Durgen gets Reloaded and Artillerist. A Bunny moves up and pings the Diffuser, Durgen advances, he carpet bombs the mechanics to death. The other Bunny moves up to shield Durgen somewhat and finishes off the Diffuser.
I'd done Reinholdt/Dougal early on while I was contemplating an overall plan, halfway through the turn I realised had I popped Dougals mini-feat I could have killed the Corollary instead of the Diffuser, alas.
Coc 4: The Assimilator, Mitigator and Iron Mother kill three Boomhowlers to free up a lane for the TEP, who wonders forward, puts a boost to hit and two boosts to damage. The totally not a prop from the last Jenna Jameson scene sprays at Durgen and both Bunnies, the warcaster cops a couple points, both Bunnies take about four points and lose no systems.
Axiom shoots and kills Rockbottom plus a Gun Mage.
Reinholdt also dies to something, though I can't exactly remember what.
Average dice leaves both Bunnies on a third health, their box layout is pretty quality though. Regardless, I was lucky the TEP did so little.
I did make an error with my Boomies this turn, when the unit leader was upgraded I should have picked the Grunt in the right zone. The other two would have been out of command, but had Patromotom left Iron Mother in the right zone he could have leveled the points and started threatening the last few turn scores game.
Merc 4: IT'S ALIVE! They shall know it as the bastard born Galleon, he who desperately craves focus but can never have any. I want to kill the TEP and drag in the Mitigator before they pop off my bunnies and Gun Mages.
Bunnies fed, Primed sticks on.
Dougal Artillerists Galleon. Durgen walks backward a bit, feats and casts three Explosivos to tag the Bunnies and Colossal. He then Carpet bombs to kill the three TEP Servitors, I at least remember those damn things have Sac Pawn.
Galleon walks up as far as it can, the opening Harpoon easily drags in the Diffuser, but sadly misses the melee attack. The right Nip guns ping the TEP for a few more damage, the left side puts its one shot into the Diffuser for a few points.
The Bunnies walk back and puts down the TEP. The Gun Mages mostly aim, they push the Diffuser out a bitand leave it on two boxes.
The Boomhowler leader walks past the Axiom, he dies to the free strike, the boosted blast damage does a few points.
CoC 5: The Assimilator Ground Pounders the Boomhowler engaging the Axiom, who then walks forward and mucks up drag shots on the Bunnies (DEFENCE 12 CANNOT BE STOPPED!).
Merc 5: Under 15 minute rules kicks in, alas poor potato. The last Boomhowler (Theaters near you, Jul 2016) kills the Sentinel in the right zone. Gun Mages kick off, a pair move up to block off the Axiom while the rest push the Diffuser back and finish it off. The Galleon walks to the Objective, punches it to death.
The Bunnies blow off the legs and right arm of the Assimilator. Durgen walks back and kills the Mother Servitor in the right zone.
Mercs go to 3 CP
CoC 6: Assimilator blows up half the Gun Mages, Axiom drags in a Bunny but misses the melee attack. Iron Mother and an Exponent duck into the right zone and kill the last Boomhowler.
Merc 6: Galleon kills the contesting Exponent Servitor in the right zone, Durgen runs over there to Dominate for the win.
Mercs go to 5 CP.
Me on the right.
Surprised I pulled that one out, time was drawing to my side by the end but I think in a rematch I wouldn't have the same chances to claw back.
