Game 27: Helynna vs Vlad1

Game 27 – Vs Richard Beech – Khador – 14/05/17

My list:

Helynna (Forges of War)

-Sylys

-Helios

-Helios

-Hyperion

Arcanist

Arcanist

Artificer

His List:

Vladimir Tzepesci, The Dark Prince (Winterguard Kommand)

-Juggernaut

-Juggernaut

-Marauder

-Marauder

-Marauder

Kovnik Joe

Min Winterguard Rifle Corps

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

Min Winterguard Rifle Corps

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

Min Winterguard Infantry

-UA

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

-Rocketeer

Mortar Crew

Field Gun

The last thing you expect when sitting in the middle of the field is to be facing the reigning Welsh Masters champion, but that was what I had to deal with when being drawn against clubmate Richard Beech in round 6. We had played this game before (LINK) and it had been a close and tight game, and we were both expecting the same here. I won first turn (I seemed to do that a lot this event) and we got going.

With significant amounts of shooting opposite me I cast Deceleration and run up. Richard spends a long time making sure he doesn’t give me an angle to remove a jack, eventually using the central forest to protect his forces under Windwall.

Not being able to scalpel out anything to get a lead I reach for plan B and try to take Richard by surprise. I feat, cleaning off the damage he shooting had don, and run all 3 colossals into his face, with Distortion Field on both Helios. I hit the clock and leave it to Rich to work out.

Richard’s next turn takes, understandably, quite some time. Vlad fuels up the jacks, feats, and casts Signs and Potents, before moving back out of range of any of my colossals getting to him. The Rockets shoot into the colossals before the heavies go in, and by the end of the turn Hyperion is destroyed and the left Helios has taken significant damage. It would have been much worse but a fully loaded Marauder missed his charge attack and was pushed back out of melee. In trying to keep Vlad safe Richard Kill Boxes himself, giving me a 2-0 lead.

I consider a lot of different options in this turn, from backing up to my flag and trying to jam him out, to charging a Marauder and attempting a spell assassination on the naked Vlad. In the end neither of these feel like great options so I opt to play for attrition. Both Helios kill a Marauder and the jacks on the left are both moves out of Vlad’s control area. Helios is on Vlad’s flag with nobody within 4”, so I go to a 3-0 lead.

Vlad’s shooting and remaining jacks kill both colossals under Signs and Portents, and Winterguard move up to contest the flag.

I try in vain to find a way to dominate the left flag but there is no way to do so. I settle for dominating my own flag to go to 4-0 and face whatever may come my way.

Vlad’s Sign’s and Portents powered Winterguard are able to shoot Helynna off the table.

DEFEAT

Another amazingly good fun game against Richard and it amazes me how different 2 games of the exact same lists and players could be. The terrain was a huge part of this game, making Rich’s life much easier in the first turn and forcing me to play my hand early. 3-3 going into the last game felt ok, though I was a broken man after the intensity of this game, and was ready to go home as much as anything.