Mirage
Ye old weekend pickup Gamerooos!
Drought has actually caused a marked increase in giant jumping rats pondering onto roads hereabouts, the corpses are becoming more frequent than normal.
Took a few different lists along to mix it up for opponents. It's Locke in CoC, the best of form of the mechanical fastening person. Now mixing it up by dropping out the Axiom, not sure that's a decision I agree with, though I seem pretty bad at accurately measuring how much output it'll give out.
Rocking some Cyphonage, having dropped all the funky stuff to end up with double eliminators, min Drudge Bender unit, Machine Wraith, max Agitators. Numerous desperate attempts to get a 7th Monstrosity in just didn't work without losing to much other stuff.
Locke has a bunch of Vectors with questionable names that do stuff.
Mirage. Awkward for the Agitators, they don't really want to get up and score that much.
Central small forest, fog on the right, flanking trenches. I win the roll for first, giving Coc a wall near the left most flag. There's other terrain, it doesn't have an enormous effect.
The Reflex Servitors are proxies for Elimination ones.
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Round 1: Everything moves up, it's a front line of Monstrosities. Onslaught goes up in case the CoC Cipher lands some annoying rough terrain.
With Kayazy stabs a few focus ends up sitting on the right flank Heavies.
The Machine Wraith runs off to the right, feeling somewhat starved at the complete lack of cortexes (Basically a Vector for it is an empty pizza box to a hungover youth).
The horde of support/secondary models buzz around in my backfield.
Convergence run up, the two Conservators go up behind the central forest, awaiting being super mean with Road to War.
Assimilator and Donginator go out on the left, light vectors in the back centre and the Cipher/2d Donginator on the right. Servitors throughout.
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Ceph 2: The real issue with playing the Rask list at the moment is it has a load of Puppet Strong effects, creating an expectation that any roll of middling importance with have a mulligan.
In any event, the Corrolary has a clear drag line, so Cyphon shuffles around, pops a Drudge and...fails to land the 6 to hit. Oh well, Gallows is the height of hoping for perfectly average dice, so a fools errand.
The Monstrosities bundle up in front of Cyphon, CoC having done a good job of policing the threat ranges. Eliminators run around, one goes at the top of my zone as a blocker, other unit goes around the right flag.
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CoC 2: Assimilator Grounder Pounders away an Overlord to move forward a Conservator. Said Vector moves in, kills a Kayazy to move his bro in. Both Shield Guard Floaty Bots end up in my zone where they murder an innocent Subduer (Truth. Monstrosities are basically kidnapped dudes stuffed with more flesh and steroids than an 80's Wrestler. Another bizarro conversion idea I'm to lazy for, alas the team of Immortal Warrior, Rick Rude, Brutus Beefcake, British Bulldogs and the pre-governator/predator Jesse Ventura).
Locke feats defensively, chills up back with stuff in the way. Primary concern being that going for the Conservators will generate the Catalytic tokens.
CoC score the left and centre flags plus their own zone, so 0-3.
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Ceph 3: In which hitting things is difficult and Monstrosities have to become Proxy bases.
Plan is to remove four opposing heavies, which should set me up pretty well for the attrition win.
Cyphon is outside of Locke's control area, so gets to upkeep onslaught, allocate all his focus and back up while feating.
Left most Agitator shuffles a bit and Instigates. Right most fella moves up to the flag on that flank and does likewise.
The back Wrecker gets stabbed by different Cephalyx models to get fuelled up, charges the Assimilator on the left and kills it with its initials.
So far it's looking pretty good.
Central Wrecker can't get out of Locke's control, so has to give away toeksn as it bashes on the Conservators. It misses most of its attacks, handing out tokens and causing the turn from a pleasant muave to a horrible sticky Hexxus.
The Subduer charges the right Conservator in the back, misses his charges and does very little.Mmmm.
A Kayazy brutally murders an overlord to let the right Wrecker charge in, he at last manages to kill one Conservator and leave the other with just Movement left.
Only Monstrosity I've got left is the Warden, he charges the Cipher to toe the CoC zone. Only had one focus, so it's down to initials. Puts an alright whack of damage down, hindered somewhat by being unable to be in an Instigator aura.
Kayazy Eliminator on the left contests the left flag and kills a Servitor.
Machine Wraith runs to contest the CoC zone, sits on the hill.
I score just the right flag, 1-3. Pretty sure at this point it's curtain. Lacy, gently wafting curtains.
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CoC 3: The right Inverter has Redline, if the Warden is killed to allow a spot for the arcnode dude to run to then no camp Cyphon easily dies to a couple Jackhammers.
Fortunately the Warden is reasonably tough and the Cipher fails dismally to kill it. The right Inverter then comes in and gets the job done, however it means I am safe from the assassination run.
Locke casts Bombshell at the Machine Wraith. In a better world he misses and the innocent undead creep gets to chill out and contest, alas instead the ghosty fella explodes.
The Heavies on the left aren't able to get in on an induction chain, so the Conservator swings impotently and the left Inverter spends its time trying and failing to kill the contesting Kayazy.
At this point I've survived to get another turn as all flags are unexpectedly contested.
Convergence still get their zone, 1-4.
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Ceph 4: The feats are expended, I've got four Monstrosities still ticking albeit the healthiest is on about 2/3rds health. I drop Onslaught as it won't be needed for the forseeable future, I fuel up Monstrosities.
Unfortunately the left Agitator isn't in run range of the left flag, so I won't be scoring it. Instead he shuffles to do the run next turn, casts Instigate.
One Wrecker shuffles and Threshers, plus a couple bought attacks lets it kill a Servitor, the Conservator and the left Inverter. Other Wrecker in this vicinity can't really do much so just shuffles up to ensure the left flag is contested.
Eliminator in this vicinity kills a pair of Servitors, the Dominator runs up to be next to the wall.
Centrally the Agitator shuffles up and Instigates. I try to work out how the Wrecker and Subduer are going to kill the remaining Cipher/Donginator. I completely space on shield guards and waste the Subduer activation to drag a Servitor one inch. Strong stuff.
The Wrecker then easily kills the Cipher, the right side green Eliminators charge the Donginator to be in the way. They spike hard on their combo strikes and do a good chunk of damage.
Their Dominator just had one job, clear out the contesting Servitor for the right flag. Misses the back strike, after a short head scratch I find my only remaining option that doesn't involve potentially killing the Agitator with an Overlrod Spray. Cyphon shuffles across behind the wall and uses his spray, leaving the far left Monstrosities out of control. It is Cephalyx, can always hurt ma doodz to make them concentrate.
I score my zone and the right flag, 3-4.
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CoC 4: Inverter tramples over the Kayazy after bit attacks fail to remove them. With jackhammer manages to pop the central Subduer and Wrecker. Diffuser tries to pop the Eliminator on the left, lets the team down. Servitors run around to contest and score.
CoC score the central flag, 3-5.
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Ceph 5: Just have to pop the Inverter and we're good. Also ahead on clock, so things are sitting alright provided we don't slip up and lose on scenario/assassination.
Eliminators and Drudges charge the Inverter and manage to pop it.
Cyphon hovers across, sprays down the floaty orb on teh centre flag and rewards a Drudge by making him tough out.
One Wrecker shuffles across in my zone, pops the contesting Servitor.
Other Wrecker moves up and kills the Diffuser.
Agitators run to every flag.
I score the flags and my zone, 7-5.
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CoC 5: Locke does a couple bombshells and runs stuff around, ultimately nothing can really stop me winning out on scenario in my next turn.
Well, that was a thing. Better Cyphon list for sure. Locke still seems solidly overrated to me.
Had another game after this, using Rask into Locke Crucible Guard. Not much to write up, Vulcan came to far forward and died top of two to Brine while two jacks were left out of control, so not much to say on that one.
