Standoff
Oh boy. Thank god this game wasn't recorded. Need to summon some excuses.
Errrr......It was the opening game of the second day, so we both had opening game jitters. I drank a loooooooot the night before. The world sure is a terrible place, it's almost suitable to keep Steven Seagal in it. I watched Disenchantment and still felt let down about it being super average. Boney M's Rasputin was playing super loud on my internal CIA scamming radio transmitter and I had to dance ala living in Little Russian every 1.23 minutes.
Alright, point being this was a game both my opponent and I played really badly. I'll point out every noteworthy error with a note reminiscent of THE CLAW.
Which, after a solid 8 minutes of google-fu, is no longer a reference that exists. Damnable niche hobbies.
Alright, lets have some red text to point out when something bad happened.
[color=#FF0000]Like Future World. Do not watch. Will never get that time back.[/color]
Anyway, its Primal Terrors, Kallus1 and some weird permutation with Thagrosh2. The previous three rounds had all been Kallus dropping, so it wasn't exactly a shock when captain Incubi popped down. Rask, you're up.
I win the roll, first or not is a bit more of a serious consideration when i play against Primal Terrors, as terrain usually has such a strong effect on Hellmouth placement.
The layout of the table made me opt for first, as they had strong placement options for either side, which is still a good thing as it becomes very predictable.
I get defensive rubble in my rectangle zone, water on my left and a wall to the right.
Both flanking zones have an average size obstruction, there's a slightly Legion side leaning central forest and theirs some backfield Legion terrain bits that don't matter.
Go in, early matchup plays is for me to neutralise the Hellmouths. Kallus will move up and feat, so the vague theory in my head was killing the front rank of Ogrun then using Skarath's additional to hit die spray to pop the spawned Incubi. Very important to keep Ammok 10 inches away from Dahlia so haunting Melody doesn't get popped off.
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Minion 1: Sure enough, one Hellmouth is behind the central forest and another goes out behind the right side building.
The central Hellmouth is Preyed, not expecting the Totem Hunter to do anything there so much as that Hellmouth is high on the kill priority list so Prey can shuffle about as needed.
Dahlia runs out left, planning to hide behind that building and Haunting melody up the opposing block of Ogrun. A Gobber Chef also goes as a backup contestor or potential Skarath Fury management.
Centrally two Boneswarms both get a pair of corpses from the Pots, one gets Admonition, another Fury, they move up within walking distance of the central Maw (Forest blocks Line of sight).
Nearly everything else fans out behind them.
Out right Rorsh and Brine go a hard flank, they should be easily able to pop that sides Maw given how the positioning has worked out.
[color=#FF0000]Heraderp 1: Just straight up didn't deploy Eilish. We have no need of Sherlock today thanks.[/color]
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Legion 1: Everything runs up, leaning to the left of the board. Kallus pops Ignite on Rotteneyes Ogrun unit. Strength Aura up.
Hellmouth tentacles fold up around the Maws to try to protect them, Chosen get up into the forest. One of them triggers Admonition, which is just a swarm repositioning slightly to ensire it can get upto the Maw.
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Minion 2: [color=#FF0000]We're okay at the moment. Ships still sailing. No StevenSeagall garbage in sight.[/color]
Allrighty, lets kill some Hellmouths.
Out left, Dahlia and Skarath chill in the left zone, Snek has Counterblast up and is positioned to be in Rasks control area. Dahlia has Haunting Melody up and is so far from Ammok it doesn't bear checking (He's lugging his rock on the other side of the forest/Blightbringer).
Centrally, Alten aims to put Grievous Wounds on the forward Chosen to free up the Maw kill. He misses the Chosen, thankfully his incompetence continues and he also misses the Bone Swarm on what could have been tragedy.
Instead one of the Bone Swarms swivels around and maxes Fury to kill the singel infantry model. Yay.
Totem Hunter charges in, kills a Tentacle and sprint back, this feeds a corpse to the left pot who Puppet Strings the other forward 'swarm and maxes its Corpses.
Said Boneswarm gets Raged and Furyed up as Rask feats, it walks up into the woods, pops a tentacle and easily kills the Maw.
Yet another Boneswarm sits in teh rubble with Admo, only thinking there being to move and block attempts on my objective.
Out right Rorsh and Brine easily kill the Hellmouth on that side and shelter behind the obstruction.
[color=#FF0000]The Swamp Gobbers, who in the matchup only really exist to contest and score zones, have run out to the left backfield where they literally have nothing to do, even as it's transparent that I can clear off the right zone with comparitive ease.[/color]
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Legion 2: Kallus feats and stuff runs up at me.
[color=#FF0000]Halfway through we find out that Kallus didn't leech and the Blightbringer frenzies, killing an Ogrun.[/color]
Kallus hits the forward Bone Swarm a few times, doesn't kill it. The back unit of Carrion flying dudes (Aka cheap Incubi carriers, a different form of the bird flu) try to go in, however they are further than 5" and Rasks feat kicks in.
Skarath gets engaged, does a spray with minimal effect. The Chosen smash apart on of the forward Bone Swarms. Stuff toes up in my rectangle, though nothing goes for the objective.
warchief moves up and contests the right zone.
Legion score their rectangle, 0-1.
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Minion 3: That....sure is stuff in my face. It was a great moment to realise the Skarath spray down plan was thoroughly inadequate, so i guess it's try to clear out my rectangle and right zone? Plus Rotteneye and stuff? Yeah.
[color=#FF0000]If you choose to forget Vengeance theres nothing wrong with pnking both Ogrun units! You go Grrrrll![/color]
Leftwise, Dahlia drops all her fury [color=#FF0000]because I've definitely thought of all the angles here.[/color] Skarath tries a spray, puts Rotteneye on one box and throws up Counterblast.
Swamp Gobber runs onto the Legion side of the board. For Science.
Totem Hunters run to my back left so that he doesn't randomly pop.
In my rectangle Boneswarms create some Incubi out of Ogrun, I have no discernible reason for this.
Rask falls back and puts up a Veil of Mists, super concerned about the flying unit of dudes just running up to him in a mob, from which I'm pretty boned. Need to play a caster that can take a punch again at some point.
Right zone has a Spell Martyr and Warchief contesting. I screw up my order of attacks with Ninja Pig, Alten and the Cauldron so an Incubi is left contesting.
[color=#FF0000]Given I failed to have a unit that could move in to score it I'm going to pretend this was okay, that screaming is perfectly normal as is the gentle whipping with perfumed shoe laces.[/color]
At least I did get a Bone Swarm to toe the Legion rectangle. Also got a punch on Ammok, sadly left the sodding shoulder boulderer on one box.
No scores this turn.
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Legion 3: [color=#FF0000]Vengeance moves get forgotten.[/color]
Corrosion fails to kill Rotteneye. Grumble.
Leftwise there's a Warchief, he runs to the legion side of the obstruction. This is to get Dahlia in blast range for a Blight Bringer shot, which goes off without much of a hitch. Needs a 9 to kill Dahlia, boosts the damage. Snake Eyes and a 2.
Haunting Melody sticking around means the ogrun have to walk up to Skarath, at some point he counterblasts to eat one of the Ogrun. He gets knocked down to about half health.
Three of the flying small based dudes come in to try to finish Snek off, leave it with a handful of boxes.
The Boneswarm up in the forest finally gets killed, Chosen and more flying bird things go into my rectangle where they bounce around and don't achieve much, leaving the Boneswarms damaged but surprisingly alive.
Ammok and a charging Incubi kill the Bone Swarm contesting the Legion rectangle. Not nice at all.
Legion score their rectangle, now 0-2.
[b]Minion 4:[/b] It's looking grim. Attrition is right out after Kallus' feat turn, 5 CP are also not happening. Only thing I've got going for me is a clock win, I've got 15 minutes left to.....24. Alright. Just got to stick it out, still got Dahlia much as the Snake is about to pop. Need to score some points on the right zone and somehow not get Rask killed.
[color=#FF0000]We screw up our Fury management, so the Wrastler frenzies and kills the right Spirit Cauldron.[/color]
On the glorious Zoya side, Dahlia runs into the centre of the zone The Swamp Gobber charges a Warchief in the back, cranks the damage and outright kills him. Noms.
Rask shuffles back with a Veil of Mists to keep safe. In my mind.
Okay, fine, [color=#FF0000]I see the Blightbringer is maxxed out on Fury and decide I can bin the time plan and just win on assassination, Kallus is just toeing the centre forest.[/color]
Rask moves up and pops a Veil of Miss down on some Ogrun. A Bone Swarm gets Raged/Fured/Boundless Charged/Ghostlied/Puppet Stringed.
Skarath Sprays to kill a flying dude so the 'swarm gets line of sight to Kallus.
Said 'swarm charges Kallus. Turns out....Blightbringers are Fury 5. Not 4. It's not maxxed out, even if it was its still a low odds play.
So the Boneswarm charges in and bounces hard, maxing Fury to achieve not much.
I clear out the sole contesting Incubi on the right and Overtake Brine to contest the Legion zone.
1-2 as i score the right the Cauldron Handler.
Rask is flapping out in the breeze on no camp. My initial plan was to run him away into the right zone, if only I had.
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Legion 4: Three Ogrun vengeance forward and can charge Rask if Dahlia dies.
Some bit activations first, Flying Carrios dudes are mostly out of command and can't do much. Chosen do some swinging, dinging up Bone Swarms and engaging Brine.
Blightbringer wants to shoot Dahlia down to allow the charge, shuffles a bit, goes within 8 inches of her and can't shoot, [color=#FF0000]so for something to do smacks the Boneswarm on Kallus. Kills it with ease. [b]Rask gains three transfers.[/b][/color]
Sounds about right for this non-Crucible Guard Thomas the Tank Engine dead in an abandoned theme park game.
Legion have burnt to much clock at this point as well, so Rotteneye pops No Quarter and they charge Rask anyway, net result being they nearly kill the Wrastler via transfers and I win on clock.
Honestly I kind've love this game, it was such a clusterfuck. Solid semi-final material. Ayep.
I was also wring prior, I thought every Rask game went to round 7. This one just felt like it at the time.
