Game 64: Issyria vs Vyros2

Game 64 – Vs Adam Bailey – Retribution of Scyrah – 22/07/17

My list:

Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn (Shadows of the Retribution)

-Hyperion

-Chimera

Arcanist Mechanik

Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios

Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios

Spears of Scyrah

-Soulless Escort

Max Mage Hunter Strike Force

-Commander

Max Mage Hunter Strike Force

-Commander

Min Mage Hunter Infiltrators

His List:

Vyros, Incissar of the Dawnguard (Forges of War)

-Sylys Wyshnaylrr, The Seeker

-Imperatus

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon

-Griffon (9, for those not counting)

Arcanist Mechanik

Arcanist Mechanik

House Shyeel Arcanists

-Soulless Escort

The final round of the Steamroller saw a final table as mirrory as they come. Vyros2/Issyria vs Vyros2/Issyria, both in Forges/Shadows respectively. In terms of the match up we knew the Issyria mirror would be pretty miserable, but I know that my Vyros list would lose to his due to the Manticores being pretty dead weight. So I had to drop Issyria and he chose Vyros. I won first turn after a reroll and we were off. Strap yourselves in…

I run up. The fact that there is a building not a forest in the middle of the table helps me, and gives me somewhere to place Issyria aggressively later on. For now Inviolable Resolve goes on Hyperion and everything runs into place, with the Mage Hunters focusing on the left side of the building.

Adam pulls his jacks in to create Fort Vyros. Vyros fires a speculative Twister into my lines, scattering onto Narn and killing him. The challenge is set.

Feat turn. Issyria advances and Velocities into the central zone behind the building and casts Crusader’s Call. On the right 2 Spears are able to charge a Griffon but bad dice mean I only really take out the Force Field. The blue Mage Hunters shoot into the Griffons, doing some decent damage through the many Shield Guards and setting up for the orange unit to charge in. Again the dice are cold and only one Griffon is destroyed, with a number of others badly damaged, but it doesn’t feel like enough. The Infiltrators spread out ensuring that there is no Side-Step path to get to Issyria.

Adam’s response hurts, but doesn’t feel like the game is over. The innate high Defence of the Mage Hunters mean he struggles to build the chain easily, and still needs 5s to hit once he is at the +3. As a result only one Griffon is able to break through the first line, killing 3 or so from the back lines. All the zones are contested and nobody scores. I feel like I am down in the game, but not completely out of it.

In goes the next wave. Hyperion and the Infiltrators charge in on the right, killing off 2 more Griffons. On the left the Mage Hunters charge where they can, and continue to grind away, killing another Groffon and leaving the rest looking pretty unhealthy. Issyria moves to the back of the right zone to score, taking a 1-0 lead.

Vyros’ forces go into Hyperion, leaving it on only 2 boxes, one in Movement and one in Cortex. More Mage Hunters die in the left zone but they are still hanging on pretty well. Nobody scores, I retain a 1-0 lead.

Despite having no arms Hyperion manages to connect with a Griffon on his second attack, taking out its movement and allowing me to finish it off with the remaining attacks. The Mage Hunters heroically finish off another Griffon and the Chimera gets involved to add some more damage. An Infiltrator charges the Mechanik he was using to contest my zone and I score again to lead 2-0.

A Griffon finished off Hyperion but Imperatus fails his attacks on the Infiltrator in my zone. More Mage Hunters die, but nobody scores. 2-0 (end of turn 4)

The 3 remaining Mage Hunters kill off the last Griffon on the left, and the Chimera starts killing off some Artificers. I score the left zone but Adam scores the middle, making the score 3-1.

Vyros finishes off the Mage Hunters and Imperatus finally kills the Infiltrator. The last Griffon scores the central zone. 3-2 to me. (end of turn 5)

The Chimera moves to contest both zones and kills off the Soulless. Nobody scores and it remains 3-2.

Imperatus shoots off the last Mechanik, and Vyros kills off the Chimera. The score moves to 3-5 on his turn. (end of turn 6)

And then with nothing to contest, Adam wins 8-3 at the top of turn 7.

DEFEAT

Wow. An amazingly fun final to finish a great day of games. I am surprised at how well the list hung in there after a really poor feat turn, but it really shows the staying power of that much Def14. Congratulations to Adam for winning the event.

All my opponents from the day won the rest of their games, so my Strength of Schedule was comfortably good enough for me to finish 2^nd and complete a Retribution 1^st and 2^nd at the event. I’m not completely happy with my Vyros list (the Mantocores don’t feel right), and have some things I want to try with Issyria, but can’t wait to play around and tweak these 2 lists.

We have another Steamroller in a month at the club, and the Nationals a few weeks after that so there is plenty of buzz about the place.