Tournament/Competitive Warhammer 40k in 2021/2022

[Oracle]

Some games go like that, fun that it’s more swingy in wins though. If you cream him every time it’s not fun. 

[And]

Yeah and each loss is a learning experience. We’ve played like maybe 7 games so far since picking the game up again so it’s now like 4-3 maybe. 
 

Thinking about next game might be 1500 points so I can run a very bike heavy scars list or a double dread iron hands 

 

I’m coming round to the idea that core of a battalion for me at the mo is 2x infiltrators, 1 intercessors, 5 man squad of Bladeguard and 2 x eradicators. 
That’s 785 points of core. Then add in hq/bikes/ dreads/ other to complement chapter choice. 
 

I love the Bladeguard lieutenant at 90 points to get the BGV’s wounding more consistently. 
Then bike captain and chaplain are also brill

[Oracle]

One thing you open yourself uP to is only being able to kill necrons. You will need to broaden the armies you both face. 

[And]

I’m unlikely to play anyone else! 

[And]

One thing that did come up - is there a range on deny the witch? Or is it from anywhere in the board?

[Oracle]

24 inch afaik. What does he have that can deny? 
 

You should see if there is a local gaming club somewhere local. 

[And]

Gloom prisms. We couldn’t find anything in the book so settled on the range of my longest range spell. No ctan

this time so it was a bit of a waste and I failed one roll each turn every time. 
 

Popped into my brain last night that I could have solved my deployment issue that was my biggest cock up by remembering the infiltrators don’t need to be in my deployment area. So I could have screened properly and been in cover any way. Doh. 
 

wondering whether to try some plasma inceptors next time 

[Oracle]

Gloom prism wording:

 

Quote

In your opponent's Psychic phase, the bearer's unit can attempt to deny one psychic power as if it were a PSYKER.

 

Deny wording:

 

Quote

To manifest the psychic power, you must first pass a Psychic test. The opposing player can then select one of their PSYKER units that is within 24" of the PSYKER unit attempting to manifest the power and attempt to deny that power before its effects are resolved by passing a Deny the Witch test.

 

https://wahapedia.ru/wh40k9ed/the-rules/core-rules/#PSYCHIC-PHASE

 

So 24 inch range denial

[And]

Cool, I’ve found it now, it’s earlier in the section, not where they talk about how to deny. 

[Oracle]

1 hour ago, And said:

Cool, I’ve found it now, it’s earlier in the section, not where they talk about how to deny. 

 

No, it would make far too much sense to include it in the same section.

 

[And]

1 hour ago, Oracle said:

 

No, it would make far too much sense to include it in the same section.

 

yeah. There’s loads of bits like this in the book where they have a summary, that doesn’t actually summarise all you need to know. 
 

[Oracle]

I’m heading out to play with my orks. Going to be a slow game no doubt. 

[And]

Good luck. Pics of the stompa in action please!

[Oracle]

Utter blood bath. Turn four there were three units left on the table total. 
 

Went against Death Company Blood Angels with two dreads, jump pack melta pistols marines, las cannon devastators , tactical squad with meltas, a lord of war land raider with a bajillion las cannons, lemartes, a tech marine and something else I’ve forgotten. 
 

I chose the wrong end of the table to deploy meaning my stompa got stuck on terrain trapping him the deployment area so he never saw combat. 
 

My opponent used a pre game strat to burn all his remaining cp to pre game move his jump pack marines and buffing characters quite close to my nearest objectives. I shot and charged him and killed some, he wiped my deffkopters and squighog boyz/smasha squig. 
 

I did delete that land raider turn one though, but with the stompa trapped it was limited to to shooting. I did delete both dreads, one in combat by gaz. 
 

I couldn’t score most of my secondaries but it was a fun game nonetheless. Had I chosen the other end of the table I think it would have been a different game. 

[And]

Oof. Amazing how something so simple as putting one unit in the wrong place before you start can turn the game. 

[Oracle]

Yeah, titanic models should be able to walk over a 2inch crate.

[And]

Well yes that also would be sensible, crush it underfoot. 
 

I’ve been reading about ultramarines. There’s a relic you can put on a Bladeguard ancient that gives extra attacks to core units and auto pass morale

 

so a unit of 5 bgv’s, the ancient, a lieutenant and a chief apothecary - on the charge they’ll get 26 attacks, 5/-3/2 damage, +1 to hit, reroll wound rolls of 1. 
plus never run away,  fight again when dead, and then come back to life.  
They’ll have 2+/4++ save from shields and then 6+++ from the apoc. 
 

So the choice is - do I run regular apothecary that has to pay 1cp to resurrect a guy and 6 bgv. Or 5 and the chief who gets to resurrect for free? But costs a CP for that trait?

A Bgv model costs 35 points, so does the chapter command upgrade for the apothecary. I might need a spreadsheet. 

[Oracle]

bga, 5bg and and the apoc with the relic.

[And]

Crunching numbers,  you get 5 extra attacks with the extra body, and 3 more wounds to take damage, but can heal max 5xd3 wounds =10 per game and will cost max 5 cp to revive 1 per turn. Potential 1/3 chance to get that cp back if I take the right warlord trait. Start with 9 cp, spend 5, get back 2 max so cost of 3CP over the game. 

Vs healing max 2x3x5 turns =30 wounds, and there’s 2 characters in this blob to be healed also, and can bring back up to 5 guys for free plus 1CP for the trait. So that’s 1CP cost so there’s a 2 cp upside that can be spent on pointless re-rolls useful stratagems. That’s before considering I would always need to be saving the cp, vs just having the ability to do it for free. So I think you are right. 
 

Hide the lefty in the blob so he can go whack something with the imperiums sword and burning blade, he’ll hit like a truck on the charge - 6 attacks S8/-5/2

 

so the other part of the game will be a unit of 4 plasma inceptors running around with a chapter master on a bike, so they can fly up and blow the shit out of whatever with full rerolls, and then the captain hammers what remains. Statistically I think shooting plasma into a 20 man warrior blob will do max 24 shots killing 14 as they can’t save ap-3. Or overcharge and go hunting for tough stuff. 

 

[Oracle]

Yup, it will be an unit he will struggle to deal with - either he commits all of his army into it for a turn or so, or just leave it alone and focus on other items.

[And]

I like the idea of a tough to take down unit that hits hard, to trundle about whacking stuff, then a fast moving threat. We’re aiming for 1500 points so that gives me scope for 3 lots of more expensive troops and 2 lots of eradicators that should be able to handle keeping the back half of the board covered.

 

If he continues to lean into melee threats, then my biggest issue is skorpekh destroyers appearing out of nowhere with their -1 to wound strat and a 5++ save. The spiders and wraiths are bad news but they are still reasonably killable. 

[Oracle]

100% they look to be incredibly tough to kill, and whilst their threat range isn't huge using the neo volkite pistols + auspex scan can cause some hassle if your opponent tries to VoD into them.

[And]

Well there’s only one volkite per unit so I’m not sure it’s worth auspex scanning but I doubt he’d try to VoD and charge into them in case he fluffs it as they’ll die next go, he likes to take out an easy target with them. 

[Oracle]

Fair

[And]

I’ve got total analysis paralysis over what to run next. 
I can tweak that list into scars and basically run a bike captain who can effectively fly with plasma inceptors, so they’ll have huge mobility and range and still get reroll 1’s for overcharging plasma.

2 x 3 blade guards with master chaplain, master apothecary and a lieutenant, so they’ll be fast and choppy, adding 2 to charges and 1 to wound rolls  but can split off into 2 groups with character support as needed. Gives me some more flexibility. 

Then 3 troops and 2 eradicators for some shooty support. 

 

Or scrap everything and run iron hands with 3 dreads a librarian and a tech marine. 

 

[Oracle]

what is more fun for you to play? Iron hands dread list seems like a nice change.

[And]

Either would be fun. I’m spoilt for choice! 
I can run the same core with 3 dreads and 2 support characters which could be nasty. 

[Oracle]

Iron hands is better for a dread heavy list imo.

[And]

Oh yeah deffo. Would only run scars with the right units. 

Not going to get a game in for a couple of weeks due to hols etc now. 
 

1500 points of Iron hands would be 

Techmarine, master of the forge with a trait that buffs dreads and repairs 3w a turn. 

librarian to give 5++ and +1S/A

1 box dread with melta made into a character for shenanigans and gets look out sir

2 redemptors - one plasma, one horde muncher, don’t degrade until they’ve taken like 9 wounds. 

5x bladeguard

2x infiltrators

1x intercessors with fist

2x eradicators 

 

good mix of shooty and punchy, 6+++ across the board. Dreads can generate captain/lieutenant aura as needed
Found a good sounding strat for the Phobos guys that lets you put them in strat reserves for 1cp, so turn 2 onwards they can disappear and then reappear somewhere useful. So once they’re done screening out VoD they can go take the middle or an objective. 

[And]

I’m expecting 2 x 5 man units of skorpekh destroyers next game. Which might play to my advantage as he’ll only be able to give one lot the whirling blades stratagem per turn, so I might be able to hurt the other more if I can draw it out. I’ll have to assume he’ll have the chronomancer or whatever it is that gives 5++ to them with each blob, but that’s not as much as a hindrance as me having to add 1 to wound rolls.