Still this junk with the as yet unnoticed error of an extra Mind Bender Drudge Grunt played with in each unit.
Cyphon1 - 2x Wrecker, Warden, Subduer, 2x Agitator, 2x Mind Slavers (Max), 2x Mind Bender (Min), Dominator using a successfull Phishing scam on Alexia1 and Risen pets
Objective: Bunker
This time it's Able Abe Hards Abs with the Gearbutts:
Axis1 (Destruction Initiative) - Axiom, 2x Inverter, Diffuser, Corrolary, TEP, 6 Reflex Servitors, 3 Puncture bots, 3 Repair orbs, three man mechanic dudez
The Servitor numbers may not be quite accurate. I can't blame Convergence players for always being in Theme, they really need either a second one or some other compelling reason to take their infantry. Without the Axis returning though, that thing was Melanoma level lame, in that it was both displeasing mentally and could cause you to lose chunks of flesh.
It's Two Fronts, and apparently if I owned an iPhone7 I'd get over my hatred of selfie sticks and enjoy kissing in the rain while spinning like a pretentious douche bag.
I win the roll and pick first.
Terrain is more spread and symmetrical than I've gotten used to, with the opposing corners have hills (flat green) and forests (Brown/grass mix). My side has a wall in between said terrain features.
Amongst the flags there is a trench to one side (Irrelevant) and an Obstruction (Suuuuper relly).
CoC gets some weird red bumps it should get looked at, a wall near their flag ideal for contesting but not for scoring and a triple row of clouds, we ran it as my preferred custom ruleset (I assume out of pity? Pretty sure I look generally haggard most of the time) wherein for disappearing purposes they get one roll and if it is a 1 or 2 then one of them randomly goes away.
Matchup wise, Axis' feat is going to be a pain and the Drudges have no Prep for Surgery fuel. My thinking was I'd want to tank through the feat to get Monstrosities into the Huge bases. The Drudges are more doomed than even normal this match, TEP's going to destroy them.
I'm not quite sure about the side selection. In hindsight I see the attraction of the wall near the CoC flag, the clouds stop the Gallows pull though that isn't exactly a plan I'm super keen to enact.
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Merc 1: Symmetrical deploy with Drudges on either flank, cause the TEP's going to be somewhere on the board anyway.
I put up Onslaught to get Drudges charging through the forest and Blur the unit across from the TEP. Classic charity swindle, that could have been precious focus on the Monstrosities. The Warden Slams to get up the field.
The Drudges swarm up, no need to space them at this distance. Alexia is central for now, the Risen with her instead of stuck behind Drudges (slowly learning!).
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CoC 1: The centrally placed Axiom makes a beeline for my flag, Axis and the Corrolary go behind him to the left.
The left side is spread out Servitors, with a triangle of dug in Counter charges up front, the TEP in the middle of them.
The right has the other jacks making their way through the forest with the Diffuser and another Countercharge triangle over here.
Axis has Onsluaght up, I believe Iron Aggression is on the Axiom, though could be in error on that one.
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Merc 2: Things I'm not doing today: Getting the alpha. It's just a run up and get ready to absorb some pain.
The Axiom threats an irritatingly far distance with feat and flare, so Cyphon sacs a Drudge to Breath Stealer the Colossal. Somehow. Why did the fools give the thing giant Iron Lungs?
The Warden goes next to Cyphon, behind a stealthy Cephalyx to stop him being dragged. The Wreckers go behind the Obstruction, the nearest gets Perserverance to stop the drag should the Axiom somehow get a line. The Subduer goes near my flag, relatively exposed with only a few Drudges before him. This is done because he is easily the most expendable Monstrosity, so hopefully the Axiom and associated pieces will go to a lot effort to bin him. If he does come into melee, it'll actually be worth counterfeating, with Instigate they should kill him even with -2 Strength.
That's the extent of the convoluted thinking on the turn. The Drudges run forward, a few die to countercharging Servitors which is neutral to me. Their blast doesn't threat Drudges very well, it's basically worth triggering them to save Risen in future turns when the undead become my front line.
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CoC 2: Axis avoids popping feat. In the immediate aftermath I thought this was an error, in hindsight it is absolutely correct. Feating buys into my game plan perfectly, as I can safely wait it out this turn or kill the Axiom if it goes aggressive. Hindsight being a perfect thing, I think the ideal CoC plan is to contest their friendly flag with the TEP outside of Monstrosity threat range and just spray anything in the vicinity, just spamming rate of fire, while the battlegroup chisels at the Drudges on the right until Axis feat can deliver the Axiom with the Inverters eithers side to threaten the Countercharge knockdown once I've run out of infantry. Would be a long game needing precise positioning, I think it's the optimal move.
Anyway, the world would be radically different (50% chance of improvement, 15% chance of world ending disaster) if we could time travel back a few days to do things differently.
The TEP goes to the side, kills half a dozen drudges while a few others tough it out, as you do. Sweet juicy tough.
Servitors hang around it, a Razor Wall goes out in front of it.
Axis, Corrolary and Axiom mostly just Shuffle, shoot down a stack of the Drudges on the right.
The Inverters go behind one of the clouds.
That particular cloud goes away, which is highly relevant.
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Merc 3: So....I make several errors this turn. The biggest is adding a whole second segment to my turn plan that I just didn't need. I'd been planning my turn as Convergence stuff was happening, like you do. I had no intent of interacting with the Vectors in any way. The Cloud disappeared at the end of the Gearbutt turn, I short circuited and decided to do something about them.
Successful parts first, to be some textual meat in the disappointment sandwich when I read this turns text 6 months from now as I fondly remember when I could beat Abeden in Warmachine.
Cyphons Breathstealers the Axiom, because screw that guy. 2 inches matters. The defence drop on a colossal not so much. He then drops behind the wall in case there's a Countercharge threat increase I don't take into account.
I pop feat, this lets the Wrecker with Perseverance charge the TEP. He takes 7 self inflicted non-focus damage this turn, but kills the Battle Engine quite easily.
The Warden/Wrecker #2 then go behind the obstruction. Convergence are going to have to send in pieces that matter to contest shortly, so having models that can kill them safe from Axiom death will be handy, plus I'll have to weather the opposing feat this time.
So....my stupidity. Now feated on, the Subduer can advance and drag in one Inverter. I do so. He's range 6. Countercharge has a 6 inch trigger. I coast on an undeserved reputation for supposed competence and the mid turn charge knockdown, which utterly wastes one of my heavies for no gain for myself, doesn't happen. It's an undeserved break.
The Subduer drags the Inverter in, also being lucky enough to lack a nearby shield guard Servitor I didn't even look for, that's how little thought went into this exercise in throw snot at the wall hoping to build the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I roll beter than deserved, trash most of it.
In for a Penny, whilst lacking a ready supply of Slaver Drudges, the Bender unit advances and Adrenals itself, RFP half the unit to get three dudes into the Inverter (Only doable because of hte cheat additional grunt. Sigh.). POW 15, so dice minus 4. They all do 1 or 2 points of damage as the dice start to curve back to average overall, the Inverter lives without its best arm or Induction node, so it wasn't a worthless exercise.
In neutral stuff, Risen get between the wall and obstruction to be annoying. Various stealthy Cephalyx contest my flag at the four inch mark.
The last Slaver Drudge to survive the last turns pew pews charges into the Axiom and does a couple points.
I get a point.
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CoC 3: Axis hangs back, feats on all the Monstrosities and the infantry in between the battlegroups.
The Axiom moves across, contests the CoC flag, easily stays out of the Monstrosity threat range which I can't feat boost so is quite mediocre in my next turn. El Primo tries to shoot Risen, Axis proves his lack of ballistic flare as...one dies I think?
On the right, the Inverters kill the Subduer, the repair dudes wonder in and patch things up as the Diffuser finishes off the previously Adrenaled Drudges.
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Merc 4: The clock game is going well for me, playing it out anyway my issue is dealing with the Axiom, though this turn is just a reposition and wait out the feat anyway. Goals are to finish off the weakened heavy, set up to Gallows the other one if it contests and kill it with the Warden/Miscellaneous attacks.
The Perseverance Wreckers moves up and to the left, the Axiom would need to go to a spot relatively out of the game to deal with him. The Risen and remaing Green Slaver Drudge run around in the Axiom and in trample denying spots. I also spawn a Thrall Warrior that charges Axis and misses.
The other Wrecker and Warden hover around the side of the obstruction and wait. Always waiting.
Overlord sprays and the Bender Cephalyx manually casting Adrenal Drudge on his last unit member allows the murder of the heavily damaged Inverter, a Servitor and a repair dude.
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CoC 4: I win by clock early in this turn, we keep it going anyhow.
Everything basically pulls back and makes an effort toward the Ceph flag, clearing out the few remaining Drudges around their. The Inverter implodes the hell out of an Overlord.
Axiom drops back and does some pew pews, this time it manages to pop some Risen.
Axis dashes across, camps a few. Iss now in range to get to my flag next turn to start swinging some Dominates.
Merc 5: Axis has run to a spot where I can get a Wrecker on him, so I do that and he dies after some random sprays and a Thrall charge doing initial supplement damage.
Not a fan of Axioms with Axis. His RAT is so garbage the Tow cable might as well be made of tin foil. If your colossal has damaging guns and struggles to clear out some Risen, the mechanism has an issue. It also downcuts his field marshal, assuming you agree with the ANCAT (Angry Norway's Counter Charge and Associated Abilities Theorem), wherein the value of said abilities rises considerably the more it is available in the list (Reflex Servitors being one shots don't count as a full model in the theorem, probably closer to .3 each). Yeah.
Not sure how to feel about my list at the moment. This feels like a cheap win, won off the back of game experience versus a poor unfortunate having to face a somewhat convoluted blob of new weird stuff.
I was initially of the view it was time to bin it, I think I'll give it another couple goes. If Ashlynn gets 5 games, then Cyphon should probably get as much. The Drudge suicide mission while Monstrosities get fuelled is at least a little interesting to me, and Cyphon spellcasting is very MacBain esque (Manage your upkeeps, melt a Drudge for whatever long range spell is worth doing each turn). Except for Blur, should probably forget that it's on the card. Wait, belay that, Cyphon has Steady. Stupid misfiring round about brain....
