Hey guys so I'm back with another bat-rep. This time against a real cool new guy I met through my campaign. So it was Imperial Fists vs. Eldar. Lets get into it!
SETUP: So we played the Maelstrom Mission, Cloak and Shadows, where each player maintains 3 objectives you keep secret. I've never gotten much luck playing Maelstrom but I do enjoy it! We also played Hammer and Anvil, which is tough because it really bottles up my maneuverability and puts a lot of my units in melee range as I move up the field.
So with the setup out of the way lets get into the lists.
THE LISTS:
Eldar CraftworldsAutarch- Soulshrive, Banshee Mask, Jetbike
Windriders x3- Scatter Lasers x3
Windriders x3- Scatter Lasers x3
Windriders x3- Scatter Lasers x3
Hornets x3- Pulse Lasers x6
Warp Hunter
Skathatch Wraithknight- Inferno Lances
Voidshield Generator- 3x Shields
-Aspect Host-
Striking Scorpions x10- Exarch, Claw
Dire Avengers x9- Exarch
Warp Spiders x8- Exarch, Twin-linked Spinner
IMPERIAL FISTS GLADIUS STRIKE FORCEChaplain- Armor Indomintus
Techmarine
Thunderfire Cannon
Assault Squad- Sgt. Eviscerator, Stormshield, Meltabombs
-1st Company Task Force-
Sternguard x10- 3x Combi-Melta
Drop Pod
Sternguard x10 3x Combi-Melta
Drop Pod
Sternguard x5 3x Combi-Melta
Drop Pod
Tactical Squad x6- Melta, Combi Melta
Razorback- TL Heavy Bolters
Tactical Squad x6- Melta, Combi Melta
Razorback- TL Lascannons
Tactical Squad x6- Melta, Combi Melta
Razorback- TL Heavy Bolters
Devastators- 2x Missile Launchers, 2x Heavy Bolters
Pre-Game/Deployment: I won the roll off to go 1st or 2nd, so I deployed 1st and opted to go 2nd. I deployed only my VSG, my Scorpions, Warp Spiders, Wave Serpent with Avengers and prepared to take the Alpha Strike.
TURN 1Imperial Fists- So two pods full of Sternguard dropped in, popped their combi-weapons, blowing up the VSG immediatley, shooting the Wave Serpent but only stripping a hull point. Incidental fire came in and killed 2 Warp Spiders. The Thunderfire cannon unloaded on the Scorpions but only killed 2 after like 17 wounds. I rolled those 2+ cover saves like a boss! I bore that attack well but I knew I needed to do siginficant damage on my turn 1 or I'd be in trouble. On top of that my opponent scored 3 VP's from objectives he was sat on. I needed to start scoring quickly.
Eldar- So Dire Avengers deploy, Scorpions move out to assault and the Warp Spiders moved forward all in an effort to clear the Sternguard out of my DZ. The Avengers + a snap firing Wave Serpent managed to kill all but 2 of the nearest Sternguard. While the Warp Spiders killed all but one of the second squad of Sternguard. The Scorpions went in and eradicated the third Sternguard squad so I was off to a very nice start. However I had gone into the wrong Sternguard squad with the Scorpions as there was no Sgt. to challenge which was a Maelstrom point I was going for. Sadly even after that very good turn 1 I earned no points! However it set the stage to operate from a much stronger position going forward as my entire DZ was nearly cleared.
TURN 2Imperial Fists- So without much Sternguard about I took only a small amount of return fire. A lascannon stripped another HP off my Serpent. The Avengers lost a few guys from sporadic Sternguard fire and finally a Sternguard Sgt. with a powerfist busted the Wave Serpent wrecking it. Also his final pod dropped down, landing right on a much needed objective. Other than that there was no other notable offense. However despite the light retaliation, my opponent earned another 3 VP's from lucky Maelstrom draws. Dang it! I was down 6-0!
Eldar- As I'm sure you guys are used to reading, I needed my reserves to come in ASAP! So the Wraithknight, Warp Hunter, Hornets and 2x units of Jetbikes all showed up. I unloaded removing all the Sternguard, a Drop Pod, and a Razorback. I also managed to score 2 Maelstrom points to at least get me on the board. Not the most deadly turn but I killed about 14 Sternguard which was very good. I also began the long march up the field by my Scorpions and moved my Spiders to engage the mid-field. All in all a solid punch back but still not much to show for it in the Maelstrom.
TURN 3 Imperial Fists- The Imperial Fists were really just trying to hold the line against oncoming Eldar onslaught. Without their Sternguard they were hurting for solid firepower. A huge amount of melta and heavy bolter fire came in on the Hornets, but I didn't jink and only 1 went down and another took a hull point. Feel no pains negated incoming missile fire from the Devastators. And ridiculous armor saves by my Autarch and his jetbike buddies saw only a single bike go down to a full compliment of bullseye hits from the Thunderfire. He even pulled a cool trick where he made me flickerjump my Spiders... away from an objective he secretly needed to get me off of. Very clever! This had me laughing and loving it because it was such a clever maneuver. I love stuff like that! However nothing else happened but at this point he scored a TON of objectives! He was up 12-2! Dear lord... however this was that one good turn of dice rolls you need in a game, and I knew it. I still may need to table him for the win but my army was nearly at full strength and I had to capitalize.
Eldar- So I had to hit back hard on this turn and I knew it. So everything flew up (my final unit of bikes arriving) and I really knocked the Imperial Fists down this turn. Blew up the Lascannon Razorback, killed 2 units of Tacticals Marines, wiped out 2 Drop Pods to prevent further scoring and left the Chaplain standing alone. I managed to score a 4 VP's getting me within striking distance of winning the Maelstrom game (6 VP's total). I was still far behind but my opponent was reduced to a single unit of Tacticals, an Assault Squad, a Chaplain and Thunderfire and a unit of Devastators. I was firmly in the driver seat.
TURN 4
Imperial Fists- Desperation kicked in and the Assault Marines jumped out to finally pin-down the Warp Spiders who had been helping to carve units up all game. They made an excellent move through cover and were about 6 inches away. Everything else unloaded, the Wraithknight lost a wound, my Autarch and his bikers were wiped out by the Thunderfire Cannon and my Hornets were forced to jink. Those were some significant losses. If the Assault Marines made into combat with the Spiders I could be in trouble. So here came the all important charge roll and they FAILED! Intervening terrain added 2 inches to their charge distance and they failed. That was a big time dice roll and it played into my favor. I was very fortunate. My opponent also failed to score any VP's that turn further helping me. Lucky!
Eldar- So with that success I continued to be aggressive. The Spiders, Scorpions and Jetbikes all moved towards the Chaplain to try and grab Warlord. He activated his Armor Indomintus granting him a 2+ invuln save and saved against everything! Damn! I needed that kill for the Maelstrom. Other than that the jinking Hornets snap fired to no effect but the Wraithknight used his Scatter Laser to tag the Assault Marines killing 2, then targetting the Thunderfire/Techmarine but only causing a wound due to the fortified ruin. After that the Wraithknight charged the Assault Marines wiping them out but also taking a Melta-Bomb wound in exchange. Not the greatest turn, kind of stalled on that one but did get excellent board control. I got lucky again scoring 2 more Maelstrom points bringing me up to 8 points total. I could feel the noose tightening on my opponent.
Turn 5
Imperial Fists- The turn led off with the Chaplain with a Gets Hot! results on his plasma pistol as he fired on my Hornets. A bunch of fire came in on the Wraithknight but he shrugged everything off with armor saves and FNP. That was the final gasp of my opponent and nothing became of it. Time to drive the final nail in the coffin.
Eldar- The Warp Hunter let off with a salvo on the Devastators, killing 4 of them making them run. The Warp Spiders and a unit of Jetbikes unloaded into the Chaplain finally killing him, netting me Warlord and an additional Maelstrom point. Meanwhile the Wraithknight launched his full compliment of attacks on the Techmarine and his Thunderfire Cannon, killing the artillery piece while the Techmarine escaped! However he could not endure the Wraithknight on the charge and was squashed in combat. This left only one immobilized Rhino, a 6 man unit of Tacticals, and a Devastator squad which had fled from its perch. I actually scored a bunch more points bringing me to 11, just a point behind my opponent who had 12, but he could sense the tabling and just couldn't score anymore points. At this point my opponent conceded, concluding a very fun game.
Post-Game Notes- There was a TON of maneuvering that would just be impossible to convey well through text throughout this game. The Maelstrom makes for a very crazy game and I was moving back and forth popping on and off of objectives throughout the game, particularly with the Jetbikes and Avengers who had been hanging out on my back lines throughout the game.
Quick fun note for those keeping track. The Scorpions had a nice bounce back game. Killing a whole unit of Sternguard and bombing it 36"+ up the board in 5 turns, only 6 inches away from the Chaplain ready to charge him if my shooting failed. They endured a ton of fire and really helped out nicely as usual.
Also I was really not expecting this list. I thought it'd be grav-city with Sky Hammer and everything else. I heard from opponents friends he's a very competitive player, we're also friends on FB and I had seen him go to a number of tournaments, the last of which he earned 1st place in. So I do think my list was a bit overpowered but nothing like the horror I've seen on the ITC circuit with 12 units of 3 Jetbikes and double Aspect Hosts of 6x Spiders. Still it was a VERY strong list, really the best I can manage.
Still though my opponent was still ahead in points. I think if he had brought one of his own Knights (he has an army of them including a horrendous Vortex-Slinging Knight from FW) it would have been a different game. It was still very fun and my opponent said he had a great time so thats all that really matters.
Anyway it was great to have a good tight game, with a good opponent with a firm understanding of the rules, a good competitive army and a great attitude towards the game in general. So anyway guys thats it for now. I'll be back soon with some hobby updates this week. Until then take it easy and I'll talk to you all soon!