Invasion
Round 2, into one of the two teams we perceived as the strongest in our pool (Tourney is divided into two pools, splitting the different metas/states that provided multiple teams, it's a Round Robin plus a game against a team from the opposing team, then it's cut to finals).
My matchups we're pretty bad, had one match I was 98% certain I'd win, a coin, two garbage and an unwinnable.
We ended up with table selection again, I ended up into one of my garbage matchups (Overall our team got one good, two coin flips and two trash matches, pretty good for a dismal grid where we only picked two of them).
It's into the majestic Wale, our pond skipping hero.
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We'd played once before (Game 348), wherein a very early screw up meant I was screwed. This match didn't have the same high value move points, so a similar mistake might be acceptable.
It's Skarre1 Banes or Skarre3 Troll Pirates, the former gets the drop. Mostly Bane Knights, one Warrior unit, a Kraken and Wraith Engine. Incorp is a bit of an issue, don't have the punching power on a single piece even if Aiyanna magics it up. Bashers not looking to great right now.
Again took a relatively open table with a more compactish scenario, this time it's Invasion (Centre Rectangle with Objectives, two Circle zones on the flanks). There's a central obstruction and water combo, other terrain on the board doesn't matter to much. Cryx theme also plonks down a pair of defensive clouds for them between the left and centre zone.
I won the roll and picked first
Round 1: Stuff runs up. Both sides have a left side lean where the central terrain will have an impact. Also avoids a large forest for me and corrosive water for Cryx.
Press Gangers head out on the left and central zones, support stuff following up behind. Gorten is going up the centre line, intending to hide behind the obstruction for the game.
Cryx intermix their Bane units and have the Wraith Engine head up the left side while the Kraken moves up the centre.
Merc 2: Not a lot to achieve, Cryx have hung back from the front lines threat range. The Press Gangers spread around, aiming to force contesting and making effort barriers to Huge base placement. Gorten moves up further, everything remains wary Wraith Engine/Kraken attack ranges.
Cryx 2: Wraith Engine runs into the left zone, Banes chop up some Press Gangers.
The Kraken charges forward aggressively, noms up some Press Ganger shaped corpse tokens. One unit of Bane Knights pops it's defensive strike mini-feat and runs in front of it, quite the nuisance.
Merc 3:Only one goal this turn: Kill the Kraken. Skarre hasn't feated yet, so either it dies this turn or just doesn't for the game. There's too many Banes in the centre zone, plus the objective, to make it worth feating anyhow.
Aiyanna, after a Basher moves out of the way, kisses the Colossal.
Bashers and Press Gangers go into the Bane Knights, alas the Waley is judicous with defensive strikes so not to allow a hole to be opened up for Acosta to charge in.
I end up using Holt, all the Gun Bunnies, Gorten with a double shot/Molten Metal (Probably the most misunderstood spell in the game from my experience, the damage is always misapplied or misinterpreted), Grogspar, Alexia Hellfiring, Eiryss plinking and probably the greatest heroes of all being a pair of Combo Striking Eliminators to just pip the thing.
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Other than that attacks to kill other things aren't super viable, the left zone ends up with a pair of Bashers (One with Strength of Granite, which should have been dropped in favour of casting a second Molten Metal) and the Red Pressganger unit that spread all throughout the zone, aiming to make it hard to land the Wraith Engine (They know they're going to die, alas sweet pirates).
Centre gets the other Basher who shields Gorten, blue Pressgangers are spread between the centre and right zone.
Cryx 3: Skarre is bored of being up the backline, she moves up to toe one of the Cryx clouds to nuke a Press Ganger in the left zone blocking the ideal Wraith Engine placement. She also feats on herself, the Wraith Engine and about five or so Bane Warriors.
She then gets a solid blob of Bane Knights around her.
Wraith Engine charges in on the left zone, rips out half of a Basher.
A Pressganger is killed by a Bane Knight, which generates a Machine Wraith from the Engine, who takes over the Strength of Granite Basher who hits it's twin for almost maximum damage. Ouch. most effective Basher so far.
A couple Warriors finishes one of the Bashers off, thankfully the zone is still cluttered with spread out Pressgangers. They'll all die for my self proclaimed worthy cause.
Centrally, three feated bane Warriors go in and kill the last Basher, the Knights cut down the Blue Pressgangers to a single dude and plonk five or so of them contesting in the right zone.
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Merc 4: Things are looking good. The centre obstruction and feat pop makes killing Skarre non-viable, not super concerned as its all about pushing the centre and right zones for scenario.
Aiyanna kisses the Bane Warrior unit, a necessity due to having three of them with Skarre's feat in teh centre.
Gorten trundles up, attempts some melee attacks of limited value, throws an Eruption at the objective for most of it's health then feat pushes all the central Banes towards the Cryx deployment edge.
Feat also taps the Wraith Engine, falls shy of getting Skarre.
Bunnies and Alexia clear out the centre zone, the remaining kayazy unit and the last Blue Pressganger do the same on the right.
I score the objective, centre and right zone, go up 3-0.
Cryx 4: It's a hard time for Cryx from here.
Banes struggle to get back to contetsing spots, with reposition they do get a trio of Knights into the right zone, plus the Wraith Engine kills a Pressganger to make a Machine Wraith who runs across the board.
Centre zone gets half a dozen Bane Knights.
Merc 5: Holt and a Gun Bunny kill the three Knights in the right zone, Aiyanna Harms the centre unit then the Spray Bunny and Acosta finish them off. I score the centre and right zone, get up 5-0.
Alas, my unexpected win doesn't let the team achieve its dreams, we go down 2-3. Thought of them as the strongest team in the bracket, they then went on to win the tourney, so very happy with how that went.
Note to self: Wraith Engine makes upkeeping Strength of Granite a bad idea.
