Topic: Windblade 2000 (Competition List)

[haunt]

Windblade 2000pts

CAD
HQ
Farseer [115] Stone of (w)
Karandras

Troops
Rangers x6 [72]
Rangers x6 [72]

Vaul’s Wrath
Falcons x3 [570] BL, GM, Stone, Holo, CTM
Aspect Host
Fire Dragons x6 [142] Exarch
Fire Dragons x6 [142] Exarch
Howling Banshee x6 [98] Exarch, Executioner
Aspect Host
Dark Reapers x7 [246] Exarch, Starshots
Striking Scorpions x10 [210] Exarch, Claw
Warp Spiders x5 [130] Exarch, TL-DS, P-Blades

Tips:
-   Farseer joins the Reapers. Uses blessings as much as possible.
-   Karandras joins the Scorpions and Reserves out to go behind enemy line.
-   Dragons and Banshees embark in the Falcons Cloudstrike Deep Strike.
-   Warp Spiders deep strikes.
-   Rangers infiltrates and take objectives or covers as much as possible.

Any suggestions or fixes?

[Partninja]

A competition list, at 2k points, really needs some dedicated AA.

[dog_of_war]

Agree with partninja. EML on reaper exarch would help. Especially with skyfire,  reaper rangefinder and fast shot.

I would also trade the farseer for autarch. Only having him to buff the reapers for I'm assuming with guide and maybe fortune if you get it, seems a point sink. With so much coming from reserves, having them come in at the right time seems extremely beneficial.

I'd also take warp spiders, banshees, and scorpions in one aspect for the ws bonus and then dragons and reapers in the other for bs bonus.

[haunt]

Thank you, to both of your suggestion, hence I am able to come up with this list:


Phoenix Blade 2000pts

CAD
HQ
Maugan Ra
Karandras

Troops
Windriders x4 [108]
Windriders x4 [108]

Elite
Striking Scorpions x6 [142] Exarch, Claw
Aspect Host
Dark Reapers x7 [291] Exarch, Starshots, EML
Dark Reapers x6 [258] Exarch, Starshots, EML
Dark Reapers x6 [258] Exarch, Starshots, EML

Crimson Death
Crimson Hunters x3 [440] Exarch

Total = 2000
Tips:
-   Maugan Ra joins the Reapers. And do damage as much as possible.
-   Karandras joins the Scorpions and Reserves out.
-   The Crimson Death kills high priority targets.
-   Windriders will corral enemy units or do clean up

[dog_of_war]

I actually really liked the first one better, though I'm not normally a power gamer. The second feels like there's too much unit spam.

I really liked the concept of your fire Dragon and banshee deepstrike and there was lots of versatility with your scorpions and spiders.

I found maugen ra a much better fit joining a non-reaper unit, in my experience. They usually have different targets in mind, especially if you're taking starshots on the reapers with an eml on the exarch.

You went from one extreme of little anti air to lots of anti air. If your opponent takes no flyers or very few, the emls and three flyers you're taking may be considered overkill,where you could have spent your points better elsewhere, although you'll definitely rule the skies with the current list. It all boils down to your meta. If you're not sure what's going to show up at the tournament, a more balanced approach may be a better approach.

[haunt]

I see what you mean there. I guess I went over critical on it and went extreme.

Windblade 2.0

CAD
HQ
WJG Autarch [118] Banshee Mask, Firesabre(w)
Karandras

Troops
Rangers x6 [72]
Rangers x6 [72]

Vaul’s Wrath
Falcons x3 [600] EML, GM, Stone, Holo, CTM

Aspect Host
Dark Reapers x5 [192] Starshots, Exarch, EML
Fire Dragons x6 [142] Exarch
Fire Dragons x6 [142] Exarch

Aspect Host
Howling Banshee x6 [98] Exarch, Executioner
Striking Scorpions x10 [210] Exarch, Claw
Warp Spiders x6 [149] Exarch, TL-DS, P-Blades

Tips:
-   Autarch joins the Warp Spiders and deep strikes.
-   Karandras joins the Scorpions and Reserves out to go behind enemy line.
-   Dragons and Banshees embark in the Falcons Cloudstrike Deep Strike.
-   Rangers infiltrates and take objectives or covers as much as possible.

Suggestions or comments are welcome, my game is on Thursday. My opponents are the following:

SM, Blood Angels, DA: Ravenwing, CSM, Nids, Necrons and IG (Yes, I still refer to them as such.)

[dog_of_war]

I like it. Don't be afraid to start the falcons on the board if you feel that the board is overly heavy on terrain or if you're facing a horde army with tons of models. Fitting three falcons in a deepstrike formation may be difficult, but fortunately you don't have to worry about the scatter. Yes you lose the element of surprise, but its better than not having them drop anywhere close to where you need them because of board space. I think you can go a little lighter on the upgrades for the falcons. They are essentially your drop pods that already come with a great pulse laser for free. you're spending 75 points per falcon on upgrades. I appreciate that you want to keep them alive, but its going to hurt that much more when you lose one. You are most likely going to lose one the first turn after dropping, especially since you're dropping close to the enemy to get the fire dragons and banshees in range. I'd go basic and maybe upgrade the shuriken cannon, which will give you a ton of points to spend on other anti-air options. Since you are deep-striking most of your army, maybe add some hawks. They are good at armour and help with flyers. Enough of them do a good job on horde armies as well. You could actually fit a vanilla squad of hawks, and still afford a crimson hunter with dropping the upgrades on the falcons. Just a thought. Its a really good list you put together there. Makes me want to go out and grab some more falcons.

[haunt]

Round 1 Khorne Cult

Objective: King of the Hill 6 inch radius (Number of units in the middle of battlefield)

Enemy force list:

Lord on Juggernaut
Cultist x10
Cultist x10
Berzerkers x10 w/ Rhino
Berzerkers x10 w/ Rhino
Havocs – ML (Flakk) x2, AC x2
Heldrake w/ Baleflamer
Helcult
Helbrute TLLC, HF
Cultist x10
Cultist x10
Helfist Murderpack
Helbrute x5

Deployments:

Warlord Trait: Fate’s Messenger.

I deploy 5 inches away from the main battle line to give my Reapers some breathing room by delaying a close combat attack in a ruin. Rangers will be nearby hoping to pick off some stragglers. Deep Strikes for the Warp Spiders and the Autarch, while Reserving the rest.

Enemy Deployment:

He deploys at his battleline hoping to get his CC as quickly as possible. Murderpack + Chaoslord up front and center while a Rhino with a cultist unit running along on each side. Havocs are settled in a ruin to support fire the line with a Helbrute nearby. Heldrake waiting to come in.

Opponent seizes the first turn. No NF.

Turn 1

CSM

Movement

As expected he rushes with the vehicles and moved-run the Helbrutes. The Cultist on foot are shy footing towards the center, which is understandable as he hides them in covers.

Shooting

Helbrutes runs closing at my line. Havocs open fires at my Reapers using frags for the MLs and landing 1 as a direct hit. Autocannons fires resulting in armor saves for 3. 6 saves no casualties due to armor saves. The stationary Helbrute open fires with its TLLC hitting and a rock got in the way. Rhinos kept moving through the rhino on the right brokedown and had to repair.

Assaults

None. (So far.)

Eldar

Movement

Reapers move back 3 more inches, everything else remains stationary.

Shooting

Reapers targets the Berzerker Rhino next to the Helbrutes on the left using Starshots. A handful of missiles it blows up killing 3 Berzerkers with it in the flames of its wreakage. Rangers starts picking off the leftover zerkers in the wreakage putting 4 more kills against it.

Assaults

None.

Turn 2 No NF

Heldrake arrives.

Movement

The pack races towards their intended target the reapers. The zerkers pick themselves up and moves alongside the brutes. One dislodges its passengers a bunch of berzerkers and moves them towards the center, while the rear cultists follows.

Shooting

Havocs shoots with the Autocannons and this time krak missiles managing a kill with the missile. The Helbrute sears more of the ruin the Reapers are dugged in. The Heldrake has no possible targets. The immobilized rhino fires at the closest target the rangers. Only to hit foliage. The pack fires its combi-bolters at the reapers…no effect They simultaneously fire their multimeltas, and the reapers survives suffering a casualty leaving them with the exarch plus 2. The berserkers from the broken rhino runs towards the rangers in the ruin.

Stoically, they stand to reap more a toll of death to the emissaries of chaos.

Assaults

The Murder Pack charges and the reapers retaliates with starshots managing 2 penetrating hits destroying the first, while the another receives a destroyed fist and running short towards the reapers (Whew.) The trio of berzerkers attempts to charge and runs short luckily the reapers were busy.

Eldar

Karandras and crew automatically joins the field from the enemy board edge. The Cloudstrike Formation comes from reserve; while the Autarch and the warp spiders are delayed in deep strike.

Movement

Falcons makes their full move from reserve and Fire Dragons disembarks within range of their weapons against the Murderpack. (Yes, my opponent felt the pain I am fixing to inflict.) Blocking the rhino along with the second berserker unit and cultists that were closing in on the Dark Reapers.

Howling Banshees stays in their transport. Karandras and crew approaches the Havocs and the Helbrute hiding in the ruins making sure they’re not in the line of sight of either, so no shooting later.
Rangers and Reapers stays ready and steady.

Shooting

Dark Reapers fires at the Heldrake; unfortunately the Exarch manages a glance. Two of the regular reapers manages to hit the mechanical beast destroying its flamer and immobilizing it in the air. (No idea how that happened, so it crashes.)

Fire Dragons unslings their weapons and targets the Helbrute pack after 12 shots from fusion guns - the threat of the Helfist Murderpack is no more, as they turn into molten slags. The Chaoslord saves himself from the Fire Dragons’ wrath.

The Falcons starts targeting the lonely Chaoslord on his Juggernaut. The first Pulse laser fires and the EML launches a Starshot causing a wound. The second set fires doing 2 more wounds. The third and last cleanses the Chaoslord off the battlefield making this fight easier.

The Rangers found their quarry the partially exposed cultist and fires at them Shot after shots they placed at the effect resulting with just a kill, just enough to pin them down and delaying them.
Scorpions uses their ability with Karandras hiding in the shadows of the ruin.

Assaults
No need to assault.

Turn 3 Night Fight occurs.

[My opponent is broken and sighs in dismay knowing that his gamble failed to pay off by trying to quickly eliminating my scant forces on the board. Yet, we continued to see the full result]

In the end I had Total Victory by Massacre, with having everyone eventually in the middle of the board, since I wiped the opposition by mass firepower.

- Let me know, if you want the rest of this BatRep.
- 3 more BatRep underway.