Tournament Report: 1850 Wolves at Practicon RTT

Howdy everyone, how's it going?  I have lots of tournaments coming up soon, and though I took pictures of this RTT I was in, I really don't know when I'll be getting up to doing it.  This weekend is Genghis (which is a local 40k GT + a Fantasy tournament on Sunday), so I'll be writing 8 (yes, 8) battle reports for that.  A couple weeks later, I'll have the Feast of Blades (heh, Fest of Blades is more like it).  So, lots of battle reports, and this one kind of fell by the wayside.


The problem is, I don't have time to do a blow-by-blow report of Practicon.  I want to, but I need to be spending time painting instead.  So, I'm going to try delivering the tourney report in a different way today.  Let me know how it goes :)

So, to set the stage, Gryphons (my LGS) always has a 'Practicon' tournament that we have a week or two before Tacticon/Genghis Con every year.  We use the same missions that will be used in the con, same points values, etc.  I decided to bring my 'variant' wolves, rather than my Wolfstar to this event.  Here's my list:

Rune Priest w/ Chooser, Living Lightning, Jaws
Rune Priest w/ Chooser, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane
Rune Priest w/ Chooser, Living Lightning, Tempest's Wrath
Wolf Priest w/ Saga of the Hunter, Combi-Melta

8x Grey Hunters w/ Wolf Standard, Melta, Rhino
8x Grey Hunters w/ Wolf Standard, Melta, Rhino
8x Grey Hunters w/ Wolf Standard, Melta, Rhino
5x Grey Hunters w/ Wolf Standard, Melta, Rhino

5x Wolf Scouts w/ Melta
5x Wolf Scouts w/ Melta
6x Wolf Guard w/ 5x Power Fists, 6x Combi-Melta

6x Longfangs w/ 5x Missile Launchers
5x Longfangs w/ 4x Missile Launchers
5x Longfangs w/ 4x Missile Launchers

It's sort of an interesting build to me- lots of range (Living Lightning on my Priests) and some reasonable fighty elements.  I had played a grand total of one game with this list before the tournament.  Probably not a good idea (foreshadowing?)

Still, I needed to see how the list would do in a tournament that didn't matter, so I did it.  There turned out to be like 10 or 12 people total there, so a reasonable turnout, though not a blowout by any means.

Game 1:  Runestar (me) vs. Blood Angels

Here's his list (from memory:

Sanguinor
Librarian w/ Fear of the Darkness, Sanguine Sword

10x Assault Marines w/ 2x Melta, Power Fist
10x Assault Marines w/ 2x Melta, Power Fist
5x Assault Marines w/ Melta, Power Fist, Razorback
5x Assault Marines w/ Melta, Power Fist, Razorback
5x Assault Marines w/ Melta, Power Fist, Razorback

3x Sanguinary Priests w/ 2x Jump Packs

5x Devastators w/ 4x Missile Launchers

2x Attack Bikes (one squad)

It's kind of a split list, which I've begun to learn not to be a huge fan of.  Still, lots of elements that are scary.

It's kill points w/ spearhead!  My Priest is in the rhino without a green thing on it.

 My first turn.  Think I killed a weapon on one of the razors.

He advances, popping smoke and such.  Keep in mind that his 2 big squads + Sanguinor are deepstriking.

My turn, I hunker back and shoot.  Scouts came in on the wrong board edge, lol.  Still another squad in reserve tho.  Shooting immobilizes one of his transports, and explodes another.  Go-go missiles, heh.  I also kill both Attack Bikes.

His assault squads come in up top.  His other guys in the rhinos advance as well they can.  A few of my Long Fangs die to Assault Squad shooting.  Sanguinor stays in reserve.

Jaws Priest is the closest rhino to the assault squads, and they get out, and successfully Jaws both Sang. Priests in the squads.  Grey Hunters + Scouts kill an entire assault squad, after lots of shooting. 

Um, skipped turn picture apparently.  He had charged my scouts, and made the one survivor flee.  Sang. came in.  In my turn, I killed his other assault squad, the Librarian squad, and Sanguinor.  His only models remaining are on the right.

Epic last combat.

So, full points to me.  He needed to keep his force together.  Wolves are simply too good at isolated combat between squads.  He'll retool and get it better tho :)

Game #2:  Runespam vs. Vulkan Marines!

Here's his list (from memory:

Vulkan

10x Tactical Marines w/ Missile Launcher, Power Weapon, Meltagun (?), Razorback w/ TLLC
10x Tactical Marines w/ Missile Launcher, Power Weapon, Meltagun (?), Razorback w/ TLLC

5x Assault Terminators w/ 4x TH/SS, 1x LC
5x Assault Terminators w/ 4x TH/SS, 1x LC
Ironclad Dreadnought w/ Drop Pod

Land Raider Redeemer w/ Extra Armor, Multi-melta
Land Raider Redeemer w/ Extra Armor, Multi-melta

So, not much shooting, just lots and lots of Terminators with powerful rides.

It's bases, so I give him first turn.  This both screwed and saved me.

His shooting killed two Rhinos and immobilized the one on the left.  Didn't see that coming.  Part (as in, most of) the folly of this list.

Well, gotta clear the stuff in my area.  I can't really advance much.  This is my turn 2 it looks like- my one mobile rhino drove over the other wreck and immobilized Vulkan's Ride.

He assaults me with his termies.  Small squad on the right get pulped by Vulkan + Termies.  Grey Hunters on the right w/ Priest hold their ground.  In the background, scouts begin avid butchery of combat squads.

Grey Hunters in immobilized rhino get out, and wreck his raider (the one you can see well)  Long Fangs kill a couple clumped-up termies with frags.  Scouts continue said butchery.

Vulkan's squad charges in to help, but only a few get their attacks.  Grey Hunters hold.

I charged everything in, including Longfangs.  Gotta win this combat or I'm screwed.  Vulkan, dies, most of the termies die too.

Terminators ran, and I kept them running.

More running for fun.  At this point, my grey hunters have my objective secured.

Scouts prepare to get shot, then charge his final combat squad.

I have my own objective.

Scouts are alone w/ weaponless razorback.  12 scouts vs. 20 tactical marines= 20 dead tactical marines :)

Another picture of my objective?  Lol, I got objective pictures happy sometimes.

I think I got most of the points for this game.  Jon forgot he had tactical marines in his razorback til one of the final turns when I reminded him.  The game might have gone very differently had he remembered.  Not for sure, but it might have.

Game 3:  Wolves vs. Kan Wall Orks

His list (from memory):

Ghaz
Mekk w/ KFF

20x Ork Boyz w/ Nob w/ PK, Bosspole
20x Ork Boyz w/ Nob w/ PK, Bosspole
11x Ork Boyz w/ Nob w/ PK, Trukk w/ Boarding Planks
11x Ork Boyz w/ Nob w/ PK, Trukk w/ Boarding Planks

3x Killa Kans
3x Killa Kans
3x Killa Kans

4x Mega-nobs w/ Battlewagon w/ Deff Rolla, Boarding Planks, etc.
15x Kommandos w/ Snikrot

I think that's it? 

It's victory points.  This is the game I failed utterly with my deployment.

I took first turn, but he seized, then rolled 6's for movement with everyone, then 5's or 6's on run for everyone.  12" I'll never get again.

My shooting sucks.  Seriously, it was really, really bad.  His KFF saves are pretty good.  I do manage to drag both trukks down though.

Ghaz + Kommandos don't come in.  He advances, getting all 6's again, with a few lower (like, 3's or 4's) runs.  He's right on top of me.

My grey hunters on the left get out, assault his 20 boyz squad, and mega-whiff.  Like, almost lose combat mega-whiff.  They lock into combat.  Shooting kills all the 'lead' kanz, and that's it.  No scouts, sadly.

Ghaz comes in with Kommandos.  Lots of assaults that make me sad.  Meganobz fail their charge, despite the Waaagh!!  Gotta love Slow and Purposeless.

Guess that's the end of the pictures?  We played a little bit more with lots of senseless killing, and had to stop because of time.  Victory points were measured, and it was a straight up draw.  Like, he got 950 from me, I got 952 from him.  Margin had to be over 250.  But, I ended up with the 'big' battle point for having more kill points.

As a sidenote, I'd like to add, we played the rest of the game out after the tournament, and Chad ended up winning.  He played it well, and my deployment really really should have disallowed Ghaz to come in and multi-assault everything.  I should have deployed on the board edge, since the Longfangs didn't care about giving cover saves to his Kan Wall.  My scouts would have spread out on the edges, and ensured that Ghaz and Co. only got to charge one squad, after which my retribution would have been much stronger.  Ah well, he won fair and square.

Anyways, since we drew and I had the advantage in Battle Points, I ended up winning the Tournament.  Chad (my final opponent) ended up with Best General.

It was a fun tournament, and gave me the realization that this list just isn't going to cut it in a bigger, more competitive event.  There's simply no way to stop (any) army from de-meching me first turn.  Which is why for Genghis, I'm going to play....

WOLFSTAR

Should be fun, anyways.  I'm using scouts this time :)

Thoughts, questions?  I'm happy to hear them :)