Invasion
Alright, I'm 37 games in with Arkadius. Now seems a good time to work out what counters him to make an off list. I'm sure I've tried this before? Right? Please?
Anyway, one of the things I wasn't pro since Ding whacked me with a bell at OTC(Oz Version) was Primal Terrors. Maelok didn't feel like it was cutting it, the infantry feels to me like it goes hard in the direction of Posse while the Blightbringer and Hellmouths never die.
My initial thought process is what kills Hellmouths and either gets away or is expendable. I end up going with Bone Swarms with a full Corpse load. For about 24 hours I think Calaban is worth a go, making a list and putting the models in the travel case.
I promptly ditch him like a depression in the ground as Rask seems to do everything better (Fury is easier to apply, Boundless Charge gives distance, Veil of Mists allows shenanigans).
For once I use these reps for what they are meant for, reading back through the Rask reports tells me that I mostly produce absolutely nonsense.Also that Bone Swarms actually getting corpses will be nice.
Those previous games used a Blindwater Congregation list that didn't look good enough. I was opposed to running two Work for Food lists, however Dahlia seems vital for getting past the early stages of the game and having some form of contesting.
Ends up as Wrastler, Swamp Horror, 3x Boneswarms, a Pot, Ninja Pig, Dahlia and Skarath, various solos and support packages that got rapidly changed three times before I lined up a game.
The current local purveyor of the slightly wankier Dragon (Like, Toruk at least has the respect an fear of other Dragons. Everblight is the power mad maladjusted one who got power without first dealing with their inner trauma).
It's Kallus1 with Blightbringer, Harrier, double Chosen, double Rotwings, couple Spell Slaves, Ammok, War Chief.
The bane of my attempts to not whinge: Double Hellmouths.
Scenario is Invasion, central forest and water. I lost the roll and don't find my options to be to amazing. I get a hill on the left, a defensive wall and an obstruction to my right.
Legion ostensibly get an obstruction on the left, a trench in their advance deploy line and a forest on the right.
The centre forest has an impact, otherwise most of it doesn't come up.
There are legion proxies because playing with Rotwing models is an undertaking only the mad aspire to. It is yet another Full Nelson of minis placement.
Speaking of mini's placement, there was some glorious slop this game. Like Pigs in mud we were.
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Legion 1: Unfortunately learning has happened, so one Hellmouth is behind the central forest and the other is sheltering next to the obstruction on the Legion left. Curses. The Forest Sarlacc is preyed by the Totem Hunter with the optimistic take that it'll die and I can pick a target of opportunity.
Oh, there are no Raptors. They are just the other Chosen unit.
Everything runs up, including Kallus. Tentacles out front, Rot Wings behind, then Chosen/Blight Bringer.
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Minion 1: Legion is far up enough that it's time Rask to feat. I hate feating on the bottom of 1, it's a sad time.
Stuff mostly advances some short distances. I put Admonition on the Squid, Fury on a Bone Swarm and Boundless Charge another.
I mistakenly think the Squid has pathfinder. He doesn't. he charges a Tentacle, irrelevant in the end as he faiils to kill it.
The Bone Swarms all move up, the left most goes in and kills the Tentacle that Squidhead failed at. Other pair of Bone monuments buddy up, one is the Boundless Charge version so he goes up and eats a tentacle. The Fury'ed one runs up next to him to stop drag effects.
Alten and the Efaarit try to get a free Chosen, targetting the right most fella who is well outside the Blight Bringer aura. Alten does his bit, the Efaarit flubs it hard. They then reposition out of dodge.
The Swamp Gobbers run exxxxxxxtreme flanks each, going up the left and right board edge.
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Legion 2: Kallus stays were he is, behind the forest. He puts Ignite on the right Chosen unit and pops Dark Guidance, which I hear is a Welsh controlled Podcast.
Rot Wings run up into my Grill. It's a sad time. Skarath tries to spray a pair, flubbs it.
I admonition the Squid to move up a short distance. The thinking was that I might be able to engineer getting him onto the Blight Bringer somehow.
Chosen flood forward and get into my Bone Swarms pesonal space. Forgetting Dark Guidance means I only lose the Furyed fella. Rotwings giving -1 Def is weird and nonsensical (All that other magic and Dragon stuff is totally real and logical though, can't question it).
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Minion 2: By god. I'm so boned. This is way worse than I thought it would be. I teched for Thagrosh dammit!
A bunch of the Rotwings are out of Kallus' control, so I could spend my turn wiping them I guess. Or I could jsut try to kill Kallus.
It's all about Ninja Pig at this point. Edrea clears Rot Wings off, also nuking a Swamp Gobber.
Totem Hunter clears out a blocking Spell martyr and the Incubi that spawns afterward.
Right Boneswarm kills the Harrier.
Rask moves over, drains his Fury and ends up with Admonition on himself.
Cauldron goes, the Gator smacks Brine on the butt.
Rorsh pops smoke to get Brine up.
Brine is Furyed, Boundless Charged, Puppet Stringed, Pain Responsed. He Pig Farms and charges the back Chosen.
Hits, Chosen passes tough roll. Oh dear. Next initial kills the chosen, last Initial is boosted to hit and burns the Puppet Strings to kill the Incubi and let him Overtake to Kallus. He has to boost to hit his one bought attack, so this dream is looking dead. I knock him down, max Fury to leave Kallus on 5 boxes. Oh well, it was low odds by the end of it anyway.
Wrastler killed some Rot Wings. Swamp Horror and Bone Swarm contest the centre zone, they achieve little.
Leftwise Skarath kills three Rotwings, Dahlia runs into the left zone.
I ran out of attacks to kill the Chosen contesting the right zone, so don't even score. Quick games a good game?
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Legion 3: Alright, Rask is camping 0 and Admonition isn't that good a protection.
Things do not go as expected.
Blightbringer shoots the Swamp Horror and gets the strenth buff out.
Right hellmouth uses its spawned tentacle to drag Rorsh in and kill him. Alas poor Ninjas.
Remaining handful of Rotwings move up to Rask, who Admo's away.
The right Ignited Chosen struggle around, killing the blocking Mist Speaker and Boneswarm.
Objective survives longer than expected but ultimately does pop.
Left flank is somewhat stymied by Dahlia stopping charges, this sides Hellmouth does nothing of note, the Chosen pop the last Boneswarm and roll horribly on Skarath, doing a single damage point. The Swamp Horror gets messed up however it somehow survives, albeit it almost as messed up as a Tween getting really into Twilight.
The only score was the objective kill, so Legion go up 0-1.
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Minion 3: On the verge of a clock win, so it's just hold on time. Otherwise it's just make attack rolls and see what happens.
The only things that threaten Dahlia are the Bling Bringer and Kallus casting Eruption, so Skarath uses Gunfighter to spray down a Spell Slave, also killing the War Chief. Dahlia keeps fiddling the left zone (Create your own priest joke here as your taste level determines).
Swamp Horror still has Spirit, so boosts attacks to kill the Rotwing holding up the Wrastler.
I need to clear a Rotwing off Rask, so Edrea goes into melee and nukes it. Also does a damage point to herself, kills a Swamp Gobber Bellows fella and rolls Box Cars on Rask. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE DEATH INCARNATE.
Rask Rages the Wrastler, then shuffles across to Fury/Boundless Charge the Totem Hunter and to the right zone, paralyzes a Chosen. Said Chosen is then killed off by Alten and the cauldron shooting it.
Wrastler walks up to the centre zone, overtake, damage die spikes and garbage tough rolls lets him kill four Chosen. That Gator is so good I wouldn't even throw him at someone to stop them talking about Last Jedi Fan Reboots.
I fail at target selection, so the Efaarit moves up and shoots Ammok for three points while the Totem Hunter charges the Hellmouth for 6 damage.
The Gobber Chefs continue the long play, running around to the Legion side of the Circular zones.
I score the zone and this game of nonsense continues. 1 all.
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Legion 4: Clock win to me this turn, we play on as I'm curious as to what happens from here.
Blightbringer charges in and kills the Wrastler. That's the attrition possibilities lost, he probably could have used overtake moves to get out of threat. Whoops. Or Admonition, though I didn't have the Fury for everthing last turn.
Kallus continues his healing protocol from the objective and lame Hyper Regen, now has 9 boxes. Puts up Dark Guidance, moves forward somewhat and throws Ignite on the Chosen around Skarath.
Chosen around Skarath stab, now with the ability to actually hit him. He gets left on three odd boxes of Spirit.
Left side Hellmouth Tentacles just wiggle around and regret life.
Right Maw and Ammok try to kill the Totem Hunter, they roll poorly and only do a couple damage points.
Legion score the centre zone, now up 1-2.
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Minion 4: Only one thing left to us at this point. The Kallus must be jabbed with a pointy enough implement to crack it down to the sweet tender skin underneath.
The right Swamp Gobber Chef is rewarded for his efforts, charging in and killing Ammok. As...planned....
Rask tries to finish off the Hellmouth to cycle Totem Hunter Prey and let him charge, he cocks it up.
Efaarit moves up, manages to do 6 points. Good stuff.
Totem hunter walks over, jumps, Stabs Kallus and kills him.
Not how I thought things would go. I had no attacks I could do on Kallus after that, Skarath wouldn't survive the freestrikes to spray, Alten and Cauldron couldn't get line of sight.
Matchup Wise: Might be ok? It's no hard counter but bring enough tools and stuff happens.
Swamp Horror should have used Drag/Puppet Strings to drag Rotwings out of Kallus' feat, getting kills and denying Incubus spawing. Poor Admonition use, should have been on the Wrastler from the get go. Biggest screw up was throwing away Bone Swarms, who should have been further back out of Chosen advance and punch range. Ninja Pig probably should have been central to threaten Hellmouth Maws, though pathfinder being charge dependent is not ideal.
Cauldron is awesome.
Only thing currently in the air is the support package. Both a Witch Doctor and a Spell Slave Gator would be nice, however they only get in by cutting stuff. Still loving Lynus and Edrea because I have a disease. Deep in my membrane.
