Game 150: Kaelyssa vs Skarre1

Game 150 – Vs Simon Robinson – Cryx – 24/02/18

My list:

Kaelyssa, The Night’s Whisper (Legions of Dawn)

-Helios

Arcanist Mechanik

Arcanist Mechanik

Eiryss, Angel of Retribution

Dawnguard Sentinel Scyir

Max Dawnguard Sentinels

-Dawnguard Sentinel Officer and Standard Bearer

-Soulless Escort

Max Dawnguard Sentinels

-Dawnguard Sentinel Officer and Standard Bearer

-Soulless Escort

Min Dawnguard Destors

Min Dawnguard Destors

His List:

Pirate Queen Skarre (Dark Host)

-Skarlock Thrall

-Inflictor

-Stalker

-Stalker

Wraith Engine

Wraith Engine

Bane Lord Tartarus

Darragh Wrathe

Machine Wraith

Scrap Thralls

Max Bane Knights

Max Bane Warriors

-Officer & Standard Bearer

Round 3 and I am up against Simon’s Cryx, and in a really bad bout of “list chicken”. His pair is Skarre1 (which I could do with getting Vyros2 into) and Gaspy3 with a load of heavies (which I need Kaelyssa). I mentally flipped a coin and went with Kaelyssa and was disappointed to see Skarre1. To take the edge off the bad match up I win the first turn and we get moving.

I look at the table and feel sad. The only 2 magical weapons in my army are on Kaelyssa and Eiryss, so 2 Incoropreal Wraith Engines, plus any solos they spit out, are going to be a real problem. Kaelyssa casts Refuge on herself, and everything runs up, being careful to stay out of threat ranges of the Stalkers.

Simon runs the Cryx forces up, projecting the threat of the Battle Engines a long way into the table. The Banes advance up and toe the zones, with the Stalkers holding back ready to move in on a later turn. Skarre bags herself an extra 3 Focus for next turn (and, in a show of remarkable consistency, does so every turn).

A part of me loves games like this when you have so few good options, that all you can do is deal with what you can and hope things get better. Kaelyssa puts Phantom Hunter onto Helios, who pulls in the Stalker on the right. The Destors charge it, reducing it to just a couple of boxes and taking out a few Banes in the process. On the right I just move up, deny landing areas for the Engines, and Feat to keep him from doing too much damage.

Simon kills the Destors on the right, as well as the Soulless Escort for the blue Sentinel unit, triggering Vengeance on the unit. One of the Destors on the left is removed by Tartarus and in the centre the Banes push up. With the zones all heavily contested nobody scores.

I need to get a lot done on the right this turn to prepare for losing a lot next. Between Vengeance and regular attacks the Sentinels are able to kill all but 1 Bane Knight, and when joined by the last remaining Destor and Helios are able to finish off the Stalker, and remove a decent number of Banes including, vitally, the Officer. Kaelyssa gets out of 12” from the nearest Wraith Engine and puts some shots into the Stalker, killing it with help from Eiryss and some high dice. Again nobody scores.

Skarre’s feat turn, and a chance to get back into the attrition game. Both Wraith Engines are feated on and between them clear out the left zone, each creating another Machine Wraith. Banes charge into Helios and do an enormous amount of damage but it is still standing with systems intact. Skarre remains hiding at the back, still scared of Sentinels getting to her.

With the Engines corporeal but high armour I figure that I have to take my chance. Helios and 6 Sentinels charge in but some horrid dice mean I fail to destroy the Battle Engine. I do clear out most of the remaining Banes on the right though, so attrition on that side was still looking pretty good. Nobody scores so Simon remains 1-0 up.

The heavily wounded Wraith Engine clears all the Banes from the left zone again, whilst the other moves round to contest the central zone and threaten a more useful area. A Bane gets to my objective and takes a load of points of damage off it. Simon moves to 2-0.

I’m now feeling pretty good on attrition, and just need to start bringing back the scenario. Kaelyssa and a couple of Sentinels clear out the right zone, Helios finishes off the Wraith Engine and Darragh Wraithe is taken off his horse. I bring the scenario back to 2-1.

Simon is really running out of attacks now, so has to use both the Wraith Engine and Skarre herself to remove Helios. Dismounted Darragh and the Skarlock Thrall are his only other surviving models, and they are unable to contest the right zone, so I draw level at 2-2.

Corporeal Wraith Engines are actually quite easy to kill outside of Skarre’s Feat, so the remaining Sentinels swarm and destroy it, with a handful of others taking out Darragh and the objective. I score 3 points for a 5-2 lead.

Simon knows the game is up so just goes for points. Skarre charges and kills the Sentinel Scyir to score the left zone, and contests the centre with the Skarlock to move to 6-3.

All I have to do to win is kill the Skarlock and contest the left zone. I do both easily for an 8-3 scenario win.

VICTORY

Well this is an utterly horrible match-up. I can’t afford to ever lose list chicken like this again as with a few different decisions from Simon I would have had absolutely no change in this game. The mistake from him in my opinion came on the turn before his feat, where he just sat the Wraith Engines in the left zone. At that point they should have just run another 14” and sat either side of Kaelyssa, and given me nowhere to run, and I have honestly no idea what I could have done. Regardless, I am pleased with how the list performed in terms of how the game unfolded, and at 2-1 in the event I have a chance at finishing with a decent record.