Thexus1 vs Damiano1 - Epic Recon
Ah, the drinking bracket. Beers are head. Everyone is a scrub. Only easy games await. We play Ship Captain Crew and postulate theories on just how Taylor Swift will reveal her Super Villain powers and destroy civilization as we know it.
By which I mean there's a sodding Dam next to us and Canada Beaver is here to wreck it and drown us.
Grid, I'm mostly happy here, the only list I don't really want to see is the Thagrosh double Throne by dint of inexperience, otherwise the Khadors are fine and the Swan is maneagable. None of those were to be, as instead Asian Jesus (Calm down, that's his self proclaimed title) descended like the wroth of Merc sensibility, pointed at my Gorten list and with a raised eyebrow asked "You played him yet?"
Oh, fine, the desending and stuff didn't happen, the Black Eyed Peas did weird things to my Cerebrum.
It's Charles Soong, which is a problem. The worst problem for Thexis playing against people that know how all his crap works.
Also, Canada had best Jerseys. There. I said and sit by it (Standing is lame).
It's Thexus once more (Gorten is a tailored matchup dammit! I swear there was a point to my pairing!), this time into Damiano. So. Many. Dudes. Kingmaker with trip Nomad, Trenchers, Croes and Steelheads into horde of Drudge.
Recon. Bleurgh. This crap again. I go second, predictably taking the side with a forest for Thexus to cower behind. Other important terrain this game is a defensive hill for damiano, a central fog blob and some burning earth on the right.
The matchup is problematic for me a number of ways, Damiano has a highly applicable feat and I have to live in fear of Road to War (Thexus is the spaghetti noodle against the Panzer divisions in that melee).
Note: Dropped my Subduer and snapped him off his base just prior to the game start. Sadness.
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Damiano 1: The forces of evil approach. Trenchers central, Kell pops into the cloud from where he can be a massive headache. Croes go up on the right half. Damiano chills the hell back.
Trenchers have Surefoot, Croes get Death March.
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Thexus1: Such quality photos. Many wow.
I run my brave legions forward, keeping Monstrosities central so they can body block for Thexus in future turns. Per the usual the Overlords flank it up. Decel goes up.
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Damiano 2: Spells upkept. Damiano continues to kill up the back, Deadeyes go out.
Mild advance, the Trenchers fan out and dig in the cloud. Croes advance, shoot and repo back. When the smoke blows over I've lost about ten Drudges.
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Thexus 2: Drat, someone that knows to position for Ambush. How uncivilized ('Tis cowardly to use rocks to hide from our machine guns! Damn these Boers!).
I get two thoughts lodged in my head, both concerning this being the turn to feat. Sigh.
The first involved popping some of those damn Trenchers. Start by putting down a Risen engaging a free Trencher, removing Dig In. Feat push him across, Hex Blast him in the open needing a boosted 7 to strip Sure Foot, then Risen with the help of a Subduer Shot get some Corpses (Subduer probably misses, not a huge deal, just convenient if he hits).
The second involved pushing Croes into the fire.
Those....aren't terrible plans I think? Except the Risen when placed couldn't actually get in melee with the Trencher, so he would stay Dug In. That was a classic "STOP YOU FOOL DO SOMETHING ELSE!", sadly I ignored the internal voices (Which, long term, is a better way to go probably).
Thexus goes into the woods and does feat pushes. Four Croes get set on fire, the Trenchers get bunched up. Decel is popped. I miss the Hex Blast on the Trenchers.
Oh dear. Monstrosities sit around Thexy, Risen engage the Trenchers. Alexia stays in the forest, tries a boosted Handcannon shot on Kell that misses (I think I lost shot her Handcannon....200 games ago? Possibly Mark 2?)
Drudges run forward, the right Overlords (minus a casualty to the Croes) run to the back, as I'll need their sprays later it seemed.
The Ambush Drudges popped up around the Damiano flag, they get Adrenalin and eat some Steelhead Halberdiers.
I get a Control Point with the Agitator on my flag, so 1-0.
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Damiano 3: Moana is a super good movie. Just sayin.
Damiano moves forward a short way, feats, throws out Dead Eye.
Around his flag the Halberdiers and Stannis clear out some of the ambushers, I end up keeping one contestant as he is the unit leader away from the remaining five Drudges.
Centrally, Trenchers keep doing their evil work, killing a bunch of Drudges and the engaging Risen, plus popping my Objective. Kell aims, shoots Alexia down to a box.
On the right, the Croes shoot and move around. Jerks. The Agitator dies.
Jacks advance in the back field,one killing a Warden I think?
Now 1 all for CP's.
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Thexus 3: Well, it's Damiano feat turn. You know that spiel you're meant to get about you can do anything you want? Yeah, not this turn. Dream small is the go.
Overlords move up on the left, spray down a halberdier or two and more importantly kill my Drudge Ambush Leader, so promotion allows the rest of the unit to go. Those Drudges then charge into Stannis and promptly do no damage. Bugger.
The last Pink Drudge gets Adrenalled, charges a Nomad and bounces off.
Risen swarm into the Trenches once more.
Around my flag, the Warden and sprays clear out my flag, allowing a new Thrall Warrior to go to my flag.
I go up 2v1, however I've killed very little comparatively. It's not looking to good.
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Damiano 4: The opposing flag gets cleared out by Stannis and Steelheads, Orin gets to the flag.
Rangers the left Nomad clear out that sides zone.
Centrally, the Trenchers must be growing weary as they yet more Risen. Kell and a Nomad pop into the cloud, the former killing the Thrall Warrior on my flag.
On the right the Nomad and Steelheads chill out at the top of the zone.
Damiano scores the left zone and flag, pendulum swings back to 2v3.
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Thexus 4: It's struggle town at this point.
Around the Damiano flag I have some luck, as the remaining Overlord lines up a spray that kills Orin. It's something.
Risen, to the shock of all, flood around the Trenchers.
On the right I spray inefficiently and fail to clear enough infantry to get the right zone, so I send a Warden up to slam the right most Nomad into the backfield. Alas, Rommels free strike book was read, so no free focus generation for me.
Once more I score my flag, scores level at 3 all.
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Round 5: My contesting models are cleared out and the Nomads kill the forward Warden, Stannis ducks back to Damiano's flag. Alexia finally dies. Scores go to 3-6.
No chance of a clock out, so it's run the Subduer, arc Hex Blasts and hope the 2% assassination works. It's a no go (Damn these perfectly reasonable dice!) and out I go on scenario.
I want to watch Whats82 vs Bobliness, that'd be the friendliest competitive match in the world.
Alas, this is probably the game I'm most disappointed with personally. Can't afford to waste the feat against those that know what to do and how to threat. Right side Overlords would have been better served centrally placed, plus more aggressive Monstrosity use (As always, if you had TK and used it once, you probably didn't do it right).
