Steamroller two weekends ago:
ListsFifty Shades of Naaresh v0
Master Ascetic Naaresh [+32]
- Aradus Soldier [16]
- Titan Gladiator [15]
- Titan Sentry [15]
- Titan Sentry [15]
- Titan Cannoneer [17]
- Bronzeback Titan [18]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Swamp Gobber Chef [1]
ADR
Agonizer [6]
Cyclops Brute [8]
Basilisk Krea [7]
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor [5]
Gremlin Swarm [3]
Extoller Soulward [3]
Void Spirit [4]
Void Spirit [4]
Cats and Birds ADR v0
Void Seer Mordikaar [+29]
- Titan Gladiator [15]
- Despoiler [19]
- Archidon [10]
- Archidon [10]
- Basilisk Krea [7]
- Cyclops Brute [8]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Void Spirit [4]
Void Spirit [4]
Wrong Eye [17]
- Snapjaw
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor [5]
ADR
Praetorian Ferox (max) [20]
Praetorian Ferox (max) [20]
The Naaresh list was "6 heavies including a gun" + all the sweet but situational Skorne support. I threw in two Voids and Gremlin in case my opponent were to drop something with no incorp. solutions. Mordikaar was built around me wanting to try the new Archidons and figuring that opponents would have trouble planning around a variable Ferox volume. At any rate, I liked the look of the pair. I haven't been playing much outside of tournaments so I figured ADR would give me a chance to react to our meta on the fly.
Beyond not having played either of these casters in MkIII, my biggest concern was that neither has a threat extender. I like me some speed buffs, but them's the breaks.
Onto the matches!
Round 1: Recon vs KhadorKommander Sorscha [+29]
- Behemoth [25]
- Juggernaut [12]
- Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator [4]
Winter Guard Rifle Corps (max) [13]
- Winter Guard Rocketeer (3) [6]
Winter Guard Mortar Crew [5]
Widowmaker Scouts [8]
Widowmaker Marksman [4]
Saxon Orrik [4]
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios [7]
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt [8]
- Koldun Kapitan Valachev [4]
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich [4]
vs
Master Ascetic Naaresh [+32]
- Aradus Soldier [16]
- Titan Sentry [15]
- Titan Sentry [15]
- Titan Gladiator [15]
- Titan Cannoneer [17]
- Basilisk Krea [7]
- Cyclops Brute [8]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Swamp Gobber Chef [1]
Gremlin Swarm [3]
Opponent had Irusk2 and Sorscha. I figured that while Irusk2 could probably crack Naaresh, Sorscha's feat would be horrible for the cats, so I could at least play the Naaresh/Irusk game. Slotting the Brute in (so Blur + Safeguard on Naaresh all game) made Sorscha very sad. I played aggressively, feating at the top of two and threatening the whole of the zone. My handlers were too far forward, though, and I lost all but two to Widowmakers and rifles. So that was bad, but two Sentries managed the Juggernaut (softened by cannoneer) and his objective on the top of turn three, and I went to three points. The cannoneer also picked off the mortar that turn, which was great. The Soldier guarded the Sentries. Sorscha feated and Behemoth killed a Sentry and crippled the other. Only Saxon, Joe, and Behemoth contest, so Naaresh Cycloned Saxon and charged Joe. This done, the Soldier slammed Behemoth out of the zone for a win.
Scenario Victory
Round 2: Entrenched vs ProtectorateThe High Reclaimer [+32]
- Reckoner [16]
- Reckoner [16]
- Hierophant [3]
Exemplar Vengers (max) [20]
Knights Exemplar [9]
- Knights Exemplar Officer [5]
Idrian Skirmishers (max) [15]
- Idrian Skirmisher Chieftain & Guide [5]
Wrack [1]
Flameguard Cleansers (min) [9]
- Flameguard Cleanser Officer [4]
The Covenant of Menoth [4]
vs
Master Ascetic Naaresh [+32]
- Titan Gladiator [15]
- Titan Sentry [15]
- Titan Cannoneer [17]
- Bronzeback Titan [18]
- Aradus Soldier [16]
- Basilisk Krea [7]
- Agonizer [6]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Extoller Soulward [3]
My opponent asked me a lot about what was knockdown immune, as Kreoss was his other list. With my Archidons, Ferox, Soldier, and Sentry, I knew HR was coming, and I felt okay with Naaresh into Kreoss anyway if I could hide him. Highlight was accidentally triggering Battle Driven on the Knights and then putting a Sentry in their charge range anyway--under Feat and an Agonizer, which was in turn Blurred and was supposed to be Krea'd. The Sentry survived five Exemplar charges at dice-13. I made lots of little errors, but I kept the Soldier alive which let me eat most of his infantry. Ultimately my opponent clocked with a few heavies + camped up Naaresh staring down the High Reclaimer, though the reclaimer had dudes after sad-feating back three Idrians.
Clock win
Round 3: Incursion vs MercenariesExulon Thexus [+29]
- Wrecker [14]
- Wrecker [14]
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges (max) [12]
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges (max) [12]
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges (min) [8]
Thorn Gun Mages [9]
- Cephalyx Dominator [1]
Thorn Gun Mages [9]
- Cephalyx Dominator [1]
Cephalyx Overlords [-]
Cephalyx Overlords [-]
Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges (min) [7]
Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges (min) [7]
Cephalyx Agitator [3]
Cephalyx Agitator [3]
Cephalyx Agitator [3]
vs
Void Seer Mordikaar [+29]
- Archidon [10]
- Archidon [10]
- Basilisk Krea [7]
- Despoiler [19]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Praetorian Ferox (max) [20]
Praetorian Ferox (max) [20]
Void Spirit [4]
Void Spirit [4]
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor [5]
His other list was Bart with a Galleon which I figured I could either jam or crack. I think he knew that, too, plus my opponent had been playing the heck out of Thexus. This was my first Mordikaar game in MkIII. I figured Void Spirits and Archidons would be good at killing Cephalyx, as would Essence Blast. I incorrectly thought Despoiler was still Inscrutable, so I didn't think I needed a Rampager-immune heavy. Thorn Gun Mages and Overlords are scary to Voids.
I got a lot of board position early, jammed with feat, and Essence Blasted a Mind Bender. My opponent me a side with a sweet sweet forest bunker for Mordikaar because he hadn't wanted to get his drudges gummed up in trees. This being the case, I could have been much more aggressive with Archidons. Things were looking okay for me until I got way too excited about a Void Spirit murdering 3 cephalyx including two Agitators. I overcommitted to spawning another Void Spirit to get two CPs.
EDIT: This put me in a position where my opponent could have used feat and some TKs to probably get an agitated Wrecker into Mordikaar's back, with Mordikaar on only two transfers. Ultimately, my opponent felt better about taking Despoiler (who was too far forward) and a few more Ferox, leading me to quickly run out of things that can actually kill Wreckers.
That being the case, everything gets destroyed and I clock out after failing a desperation assassination of drifting a Death Blast onto Thexus and hopefully following with an exploding Archidon.
Orin was a mensch, though, and killed two Overlords with Lightning through an Archidon.
MORE EDIT: Some other interesting notes--Hex Blast and Drudge-Based RFP were sad, because even though Revive is bad now, it might have been worth it in this match.
Clock/attrition loss
Round 4: Outlast vs RetributionMagister Helynna [+30]
- Discordia [18]
- Hypnos [18]
- Imperatus [22]
Houseguard Halberdiers (max) [13]
- Houseguard Halberdier Officer & Standard [4]
Dawnguard Sentinels (max) [18]
- Dawnguard Sentinel Officer & Standard [4]
Arcanist Mechanik [2]
Arcanist Mechanik [2]
Houseguard Thane [4]
vs
Void Seer Mordikaar [+29]
- Archidon [10]
- Archidon [10]
- Cyclops Brute [8]
- Despoiler [19]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]
Praetorian Ferox (max) [20]
Void Spirit [4]
Void Spirit [4]
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor [5]
Wrong Eye [17]
- Snapjaw
This time I figured I ought to have the gator. Orin to stop Hand of Destruction, Brute to mitigate knockdown spell. My opponent pushed up aggressively into both zones with jacks in the middle, so I feated bottom of 1 with a Void Spirit in each zone. He put Jacks down my throat (though behind and obstacle) and picked off one of the Voids, then backed his infantry out of all my threat and into the back of each zone. I ignored the bait and contested with Star-Crossed up. I also wrapped his jacks in Ferox and ran a Void Spirit to engage some halbs. In a gambit, I cast Host of Shadows and ran a far Archidon *behind* the Sentinels, contesting my opponent's back edge of the zone.
The Halbs charged and narrrowly failed to kill Snapjaw and an Archidon (Arch had one box). Helynna killed the Void Spirit. The jacks killed 4 Ferox--Star-Crossed really helped--and dinged up the brute. The Sentinels turned around and narrowly killed the Archidon, but were now way out of position. My opponent scored a point.
With 11 Fury, I figured I could do a spawned Void Spirit charge on Helynna followed by exploding the Ferox and Void Spirit on her. I mulched the Halbs unit and did the charge... and the damage was bad. So I bailed on that plan, bubble wrapped Discordia with Revived Ferox, cast Host of Shadows, and put the Brute in the other zone. Mordikaar ran away from Imperatus. Oh, and Orin killed two Arcanists, which was sweet.
My opponent killed the Brute and Wrong Eye, but Disco failed to kill any Ferox. Helynna killed the Void Spirit.
Assassination attempt two: Paingivers killed a lone Halb engaging the Archidon, then Enraged both the Archidon and Despoiler. Despoiler beat the hell out of Disco. The Archidon charged Discordia and killed her, then Sprinted into Essence Blast range of Helynna. Ferox waterfall-pounced on Helynna, so I was looking at a potentiall 3x Mat 8 boosted 14 and 1x boosted Fury 7 boosted pow 15. Two ferox connected and did the job before I had to detonate my bird.
Assassination win (my favorite kind, yay!)
---
Went 3-1 on the day, which I'm quite happy with, especially having not played either caster in MkIII. Fortunately my opponents knew even less about my pieces than I did.
Overall not sure I like the pair (I miss threat extension o_O) but ADR was a lot of fun, as were the casters. Both are weird old men, which was cool, and they both play as such.
