Mordikaar vs eVayl, Bethayne 3 games batreps

3 games in Arrows on this day.

My oponent was running...

vayl (proxy), 
angellius, 
ravagore, 
scythian, 
shredder, 
raek, 
2 sheperds 
deathstalkers

bethayne, 
scythian, 
angelius, 
min unit warspears+ua, 
max unit hex hunters, 
succubus, 
shredder 
sheperd

Strategy: 

With 2 units of hard to kill infantry that can ignore free strikes, I hoped to run forward, and either Jam him up or use the feat so he tries to jam me then work him down with attrition.

Scenario: Outflank. vs eVayl

He won the roll and went first so I set up with the forest and hill in my favor.
Titan Gladiator = Despoiler
Houseguard Halberdiers = Keltiarii
Nayl, Scyreth Issyen, House Shyeel Magister = Legends of Hallack
Aspis = Krea

We have the Scythean and Angelius advancing up on my left zone with the 2 Deathstalkers heading into the right zone. Vayl advanced on the left under Swamp Gobber smoke and the Ravagore went center.

Assessing the situation. The left zone looks much harder to clear than the right. At this point I start to see the difficulties of my list, with only really the despoiler left to do any heavy hitting or to assist the Legends in doing any heavy hitting it meant I could not project a hard attack force across a wide enough area.

Hard attack force (armor cracking)

Soft attack force (power 12s unboosted or less)

Skorne turn 1

1. Mordikaar puts banishing ward on the Nhilators and drops Hollow on the Keltiarii. Advances behind the rock and feats.
2. The Legends go base to base skirting the forest inside the feat.
3. The Keltiarii advance forward into a position to charge the next turn.
4. The Nihilators do the same
5. Feralgiest goes central.
6. Paingivers spread out
7. Extoller soulward lurks on the edge of a hill to collect Nihilator souls.

Having lost initiative and feeling somewhat overwhelmed due to my feat my opponent essentially fumbles his turn.

Legion Turn 2. What he did do.

• Ravagore shoots at, directly hits and kills all 3 Legends of hallack 10/10
• One Death Stalker kills a Keltiarii, advances into the zone shoots another and gets pushed out 7/10
• The other Death stalker misses and gets pushed out 5/10
• Raek runs in to engage my keltiarii 1/10
• Scythean tries to get a chain attack thresher off 2/10 forgets to use his animus 2/10 gets pushed back by Poltergiest. Kills one Nihilators giving the Extoller a soul
• Angelius does the same thing, charges in misses and gets pushed back 1/10
• cast Admonition on his Scythean.

What he could have done.

• Killed the Legends　still, there was nothing wrong with that, solid play.
• Advanced the Scythean into the zone so it could retreat from a charge with Admonition
• Cast purification
• Arc a spell off the Scythean on to the Nihilators
• Used the Angelius to shoot a dude and sit back with a Spiny Growth up, seriously a def 15 beast is super hard even for mat 7 infantry to kill.
• Advanced his Reak into the zone where it wont get charged. Or just near the zone.

Skorne turn 2

So he is basically a sitting duck. However the reality of how soft my army really is dawns on me. I wanted to use the Despoiler to kill the Raek and Feralgiest it. I couldn't catch the Ravagore unless I blocked it in with Nihilators but I wanted to commit most of them to killing the Angelius.

1. Hollow and Banishing Ward are upkept.
2. Extoller advances up and puts a shot on his Angelius. Boosting to hit.
3. Nihilators activate 7 Charge the Angelius and 2 charge the Scythean. The Angelius dies and the Scythean takes some good damage.
4. The Keltiarii charge out of combat with the Raek, put some damage on his Ravagore and on his Raek.
5. Paingivers enrage the Krea and the Despoiler.
6. Despoiler uses Arcane Supression and CHarges the Ravagore who uses Admonition to go to safety.
7. The Krea uses his Animus and Charges the Raek, boosts to hit and lands enough damage to kill it
8. The Feralgiest Spirit Binds the Raek.
9. Mordikaar runs into the zone to Dominate.

Skorne Scenario 2 points.

Legion turn 3.

He contemplates an assassination attempt. 

• Vayl feats, casts an Obliteration, after Purification, at the Nihilators and fails damage to kill 3 of them. One toughs. 4/10
• The Scythean came in, failed to kill the Despoiler 1/10
• He concedes. 10/10

What he could have done

• Feat, Purification and Obliteration as before. Obliterate again to clear off the Nihilators
• Icy Grip the Keltiarii or the Despoiler
• Refuge on the Scythean to reposition after killing the Despoiler
• Admonition on herself
• Got luckier.

Skorne Win.

Game 2 vs Bethayne

Legion turn 1

• Angelius advances to the left zone
• Hex Hunters position up in the right
• The Nihilators become the Ogruns Prey

Skorne turn 1

1. Mordikaar activates, casts Hollow on the Keltiarii and Banishing ward on the Nihilators. He advances behind the rock in the center.
2. Ketiarii head left to take the hill and pressure the zone
3. Nihilators advance up center
4. Krea comes up behind the Nihiators
5. Knowing the Krea is a prime target for Eruption of Spines I pack a few Paingivers in around it to soak it up.
6. Despoiler and Legends hold up outside the zone on the right.

Legion turn 2

• Angelius shoots a Nihilator and farts about in the left zone 9/10
• Hex hunters run forward to control the right zone 10/10
• Belphagor comes up and animuses in the zone to stop from being charged 10/10
• An Eruption comes out and kills a Keltiarii and a Nihilator toughs 5/10

Skorne turn 2

1. Hollow and Banishing ward are upkept
2. Unable to charge into Belphagors cloud the Keltiarii just fan out and contest the zone.
3. Paingivers enrage the Despoiler
4. Despoler casts its animus and charges a Hex Hunter, kills it and creates a Void Spirit
5. Hex Hunters fail a terror check
6. The Void Spirit charges into the Ogrun and puts on some hurt, tieing them up
7. With the Hex Hunters fleeing the Nihlators charge around killing a few
8. The Legends charge into a few more Terrified Hex Hunters killing them
9. The Krea casts its animus and toes the left zone
10. Mordikaar advances into the zone and feats.

Skorne score 2 Scenario Points

Legion turn 3

• The Hex Hunters fail to rally, this really, really hurts him. 1/10
• The Angelius charges the Despoiler, connects with the first attack but then misses and is pushed away by Poltergiest 1/10
• Bethayne feats and clears out some Nihilaors by targeting the Krea 7/10
• The Ogrun kill a few more Nihilators 5/10
• the Ravagore tramples forward and attacks the Despoiler but misses and is pushed back 1/10
• The Shepard advances into the zone to contest 10/10

What he could have done

• Not failed to rally the Hex Hunters, no really isnt there a solo that helps with this?
• Used Bethane to clear out some of the Nihilators and or put some damage on the Despoiler.
• Not trampled with the Scythean but rather set up behind his Hex Hunters who were blocking my Despoiler from charging
• Used Belphagor to help clear out the Ogrun from being engaged
• Moved some Ogrun  into the zone maybe
• Use the Nagelius to kill the Krea and sit in the zone.

Skorne turn 3

1. Mordikaar shoots the Shepard. Dominate to 4 points, Resurrects 3 Nihilators behind the Hex Hunters
2. Krea charges the Arch Angel
3. Krea kills the Arch Angel and the Feralgist Spirit Binds it
4. Keltiarii lurk around in the zone.
5. Legends of Hallack Clear out some Hex Hunters
6. Nihilators clear out the rest of the Hex Hunters and put some damage on the Scythean
7. Despoiler charges the Scythean and kills it turning it into a Void Spirit.

Scorne end of 4 scenario points.

Severely down on attrition Legion concedes again.

Game 3 vs Bethayne

Skorne and Legion turns 1

Skorne

• Sends the Keltiarii on the left zone hill again.
• Sends the Nihilators right planning to use Ghostly to get through the forest
• Despoiler goes center 

Legion

• Sends the Ogrun to the left zone again while Preying the Nihilators
• Moves the Hex Hunters into the zone right
• Sends his beasts into a good position middle

Legion turn 2

• Belphagore comes up
• Bethayne arcs a Gallows through Bethayne grabbing the Despoiler and pulling it forward 2 inches
• The Angelius puts some damage on it with a ranged attack
• Scythean charges over the fence and kills the despoiler
• Some Nihilators go down to an Eruption of Spines

This was a solid play that I didn't see coming because I completely forgot about Gallows. Even when I knew he was doing Gallows I didn't think 2 inches would be all he needed to bring the Despoiler into the Scytheans threat.

If I did know bout it I probably still would not have feated, but I would have put the Paingivers in front of the Despoiler or parked the despoiler behind the rock so he couldn't pull it out.

Skorne turn 2

1. The Keltiarii Charge the Scythean and his Ogrun, putting some damage on the Scythean but not really hurting his Ogrun, then Reform back.
2. Then the Legends charge the Scythean and finishes it off.
3. The Feralgiest Spirit binds the Scythean
4. The Nihilators attempt to clear the zone from the Hex Hunters
5. Mordikaar feats and then considering his vulnerability he casts Banishing Ward on himself.
6. 
   

Legion turn 3

• Belphagore comes up and does his cloud. 10/10
• Bethayne casts an Eruption of Spines but fails to kill 2 of the Legends and the Scythean, a couple of Keltiarii die 2/10
• The Angelius charges in and kills the Krea 8/10
• Hex Hunters do a good job of re contesting the zone 7/10

Skorne turn 3

1. Nihilators clear out the left zone
2. Keltiarii fail to kill any Ogrun but hold the right zone
3. The ravagore turns around and puts some considerable damage on the Angelius with its initials and chain attack
4. Looks like the Legends forget to activate?
5. Mordikaar runs for his life

Legion turn 4

• Ravagore turns around to finish off the Scythean because Belphagore couldn't 5/10
• Ogrun do a pretty good job of clearing out the rest of the left zone, but a few Keltiarii hang on 8/10
• Bethayne gets into the zone 9/10

Skorne turn 4

1. A Nihilator and the Paingivers kill the Angelius
2. The last Legend of Hallack charges Belphagore for some good damage
3. The Keltiarii abandon the zone to try and put some assassination pressure on his caster
4. Mordikaar casts a couple essence blasts on Bethayne from a pair of Nihilators trying to assassinate her.

Legion turn 5

• Belphagore tries to kill the Paingivers but fails 1/10
• Bethayne gets deeper in the zone killing the last Nihilator 9/10
• Ogrun turn around working on the Keltiarii which are now their prey targets but don't control the zone 3/10

Skorne turn 5

1. Paingivers fail to hit Belphagore
2. Keltiarii also fail to hit Bethayne
3. Mordikaar is left on 4 health so isnt cutting for fury

Legion Turn 6

• Belphagore gets healed enough to fix his 2 aspects 10/10
• Charges past the Paingivers to try and kill Mordikaar 1/10
• Paingivers get free strikes, they Anotomical Prescision Belphagores Mind off and put 2 points of Fury on Belphagore thanks to Barbed Whips meaning he could not buy or boost attacks on Mordikaar 12/10

Reduced to rolling one d6 on his last assassination attempt Bethayne concedes.

Win to Skorne

The first 2 games were basically given up to frustration and inevitability.

The last game however time was extremely pressed and its very likely my opponent could have turned the game around right at the end. The high risk play catching the Despoiler early really set me on my back foot and gave me some good points of consideration for tweaking the list.