And again, running with:
eCaine - 'Ol Rowdy, Squire, Rangers, Boomhowlers, Gun Mages + Dude, pAlexia + Risen, Aiyanna + Holt, TAC, Piper, Reinholdt, eEiryss, Journeyman Warcaster
Objective: Effigy
eStryker - Centurion, Squire, Sword Knights + UA, MORE SWORD KNIGHTS, Nyss + Murdoch, Runewood, Journeyman, Maxwell Finn, Lancer, Black 13th
Objective: Effigy
Round 2 is Destruction, first time playing Samanamanam with a severe case of Menitism.
It's Durst with Jacks or Harby troop nonsense. In hindsight the board layout with a kinda painful forest could have been a better call for Stryker, but I think that falls apart to Dursts armour skew.
I defaulted to Caine 2 due to natural Stryker reticence, double checking now I think that is still the right call. Really the issue I have at the moment is that the lists are derived independently without the intent being to cover each others bad matchups, at this point the only thing that would make me default to Stryker is if the table terrain consisted of the Haunted Forest with wounded unicorns.
Durst - 2x Reckoner, Vanquisher, TFG + UA, Knights Exemplar, Wracks, eEiryss, 2x Vassal, Reclaimer, Hierophant, Choir (Max)
Objective: Fuel
Menoth Deploy: I won the roll and picked second to threaten the opening score and to inflict the forest on the Menites.
Cygnar Deploy: Gun Mages went to the left side to hang out on the hill, primarily I'll want them to Thunderbolt jacks away and be the scenario reserve after Dursts feat lets him wreck all my other stuff. Rangers prepare for Mission: Hard Left.
Menoth 1: It all runs up, Durst casts Deflection. I realise Durst has Deflection and regret my list of ranged POW 10's.
Cygnar 1: I contemplated doing my Eiryss sacrifice right now, but Boundless charge and Samalon moveing his Reckoners up enough meant they'd be in range to walk to the zone. I decided to hold off on that and see how Menoth 2 went, he has the option of popping his feat to score first on 3, my plan if that is attempted is to see how the Boomies roll out the tough and toe the Centurion in.
Boomies get Heightened Reflexes, Caine gets Reloaded, True Shots himself, walks to teh wall on the right side of the board and kills the enemy Eiryss. The Rangers run way up the left side of the board, relying on the forest shield.
Menoth 2:The Jacks all head toward the zone, the Right Reckoner toes with the Vanquisher/Vassal base to base behind, the TFG loop around the right side of the zone with Shield Wall and Mini-feat up. Three of the Knights also toe the top left edge of the zone.
Cygnar 2: As the models moved up my concern was Durst feating. I could kill the Objective, but had no way to move the Jacks out after that. My long term game would have been better perhaps, but it would have stopped my early scenario push in its tracks. That wasn't the case though, so it was time to rush that scenario.
Rangers move up on the left, they kill a couple Choir and Knights Exemplars. Aiyanna Harms the Objective, Caine moves up. Caine has to pop a Vassal so that the Vanquisher/Reckoner can be pushed by the Gun Mages. It takes seven shots to kill the stupid solo. He pumps a couple into the Objective as well, which the TAC finish off.
Gun Mages finish off the Knights in the zone and Push the Jacks out.
Alexia, Eiryss and Boomhowlers jam into the zone. Durst is in Arcane Interference range, none of teh Jacks can allocate and Rage Howl reduces the Heavies Attack rolls.
Cygnar go to 3 CP, I was immensely happy with this situation. I was expecting a feat turn from Menoth, then I'll have to wait it out before going for the scenario or assassination win in turn 4.
Menoth 3: The Knight Exemplar Seneschal wonders into the forest to get to a Boomie, the TFG advance and Shield wall while freeing up one Reckoner/Vanquisher. The Vanquisher gets Vassalled to do a couple shots, Fails to kill Eiryss or Alexia but does set them on fire. It also hard scatter a lob shot onto Caine and the fear of Fire death begins. Durst keeps Wall of Steel going and feats.
Cygnar 3: I default to the fall back and wait it out plan, staring at it now I am irritated at my blindness, what with that insanely good odds assassination on the table.
Durst is in range for an aimed Eiryss shot, running Ranger for a RAT bonus and Caine walking up and putting in 10 feat attacks needing not snakes to hit.
Anyway, Eiryss/Alexia/Greygore continue their mess up the jacks activations, Risen jam, Rangers kill a couple Choir, Caine heals the fire damage he took and gets Arcane Shield off Junior. The TFG get harmed but take little damage.
Menoth 4: No Pic,trooper models die, Alexia gets missed by various attacks, TFG advance forward engaging the TAC/Caine/Holt.
Cygnar 4: No Pic, Eiryss finally burns to death while Caine takes eight points. Holt kills the TFG on Caine. My stuff all jams around, the Rangers keep killing Choir, some TFG finally die to TAC and shots. Caine heals and runs way to the right. I fail to clear out enough blocking models so the Menoth jacks don't get pushed out of the zone.
Menoth 5: No Pic, Alexia, most of the Risen and all the Boomies die as do some TAC. The Reckoner gets Enliven.
Cygnar 5: Centurion slams the Enliven Jack down but he stays in the zone, Gun MAges push everything out.
I clock out before I can put Caine in the zone.
Me on the left (Minute over because of the tournament cheat rules).
I was stoically accepting the clock out loss, until I wrote this and saw the missed opportunity for as close to a guaranteed assassination as Caine feat turns allow. Blergh. Hopefully this gets deeply embedded and I check this every turn.
