- Ecclesiarch Deacis IX, Codex Imperialis
Last night I pitched the list I posted previously against one of the top armies currently on circuit.
I am informed that this list was created by the infamous Joshua Roberts® over at 40KUK© and was used at the recent Caledonian Uprising tournament - although it is very similar to what our very own Luke Nurser® was using towards the end of 5th and into 6th.
The game was Dawn of War (12 inch deployment), 5 objectives, Night Fight first turn.
Here's the list from memory.
1850 points
Necron Primary Detachment
Destroyer Lord - Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe
Destroyer Lord - Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe
6 Wraiths
6 Wraiths
5 Wraiths
10 Immortals - Gauss weapons
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Go with me for a few minutes here;There is a point at a tournament whereby you approach a table and generally there stands an opponent with little to no sign of any models. You greet your opponent, introduce yourself and at this point exchange army lists. This is what i like to call the Looks Good on Paper© stage of deployment.
Maybe this is just me or maybe we all do it, I'm not too sure - I want to share with you my initial thought processes as i read down this list. Here's the list again as I would read through...
1850 points
Necron Primary Detachment
Ok, interesting. Could be anything at this stage as Necrons are quite varied in builds.
Destroyer Lord - Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe, 2+ save
Destroyer Lord - Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe, 2+ save
Hmm already i can see where this is going. These guys are good, can each give a 2 units preferred enemy, toughness 6. They're fast. 2+ save is annoying but i have Exorcists to take care of that - no invun save is really stick out at this point. If they reach my sister squads the game is as good as done.
6 Wraiths
6 Wraiths
5 Wraiths
Ok yep i was right, I saw where this was going. A lot of wounds here and a lot of 3+ invuns. These guys are so fast and will be in combat turn 2. I need to start thinking about how i am going to split these units up and focus then down one at a time. Do i have enough shooting to take down all of the wraiths in a squad in 1 turn so that my exorcists can pick off the lord? Perhaps my Celestine and a Dreadknight can form a counter charge to take the MSS out of the game for 1 round of combat, i bet he's never had units charging him aggressively, that'll surprise him. I need to lock him in combat for his turn and I think I'm willing to lose the dreadknight in combat to do that. I'm sure hell take a few down before he dies in the opponents turn. I need to be realistic here as there is no way I'm not going to lose a unit or 2 to these guys. What if i was to bait him by spreading my Exorcists over my deployment, sacrificing one for the unit that is going to survive to turn 2 to charge and kill. An Exorcists, Dreadknight and Celestine down sounds like a good trade off for 17 wraiths and 2 lords.
10 Immortals - Gauss weapons
Solid back line unit can pour out some shots, these guys guns are str5? that is going to put a lot of wounds on my troops and could take down my tanks in a round if they get lucky, need to stay out of 30" where ever possible. If the Dreadknight survives this will be his next target.
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
5 Warriors
Nightscythe
Right, this is so annoying. These guys are pretty much guaranteed 3 objectives if they go second. The scythes can come on, shoot and drop the troops on an objective and they can rapid fire whatever might be contesting. I have to go second in this game. Hopefully my opponent will be eager to get stuck in so may want to go first, if hes savvy he will choose second if he wins the roll. I don't think Coteaz is going to have much luck against these guys but this will be a good opportunity to see how he does. Hopefully i can centralise his unit with the emplacement and try some skyfiring Multimeltas with prescience too. I'm pretty sure a sisters unit can take out these 5 guys in a turn with faith up so if i can get myself into a position whereby we are in mexican stand off I'll be feeling confident.
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
Now these guys can pump out a lot of shots. Right now my initial thought is to ignore these guys and just focus down the wraiths for the first 2/3 turns then concentrate on the rest of the troops so he cant score. With their short range I'm confident i can deploy up to my 12" with cover and he wont be getting first blood with his first turn. 2+ stealth saves all over the place. I'm hoping hell see the 20 Sister squad as a threat and shoot that. If hes clever he will go for the smaller squads as they will be a lot easier to pick off. I suspect these 3 on their own could take out 10 Sisters in a turn let alone with the Scythes guns too. Maybe as the game progresses i can get some Multimeltas in range.
I don't confess to be almighty when it comes to tournament gaming, but i am up there when it comes to rankings when i use an army I'm familiar with. I hope thise insight in to my thought process pre game indicates how realistic you need to be about the situations that may arise. The trade off of units is a big thing - I like to set myself goals - I'm going to kill this this and this and I'm only going to lose this. This is how I'm going to do it. Use maths to your advantage. How many wraiths will a Dreadknight kill on a charge turn ON AVERAGE. What is the liklihood of my Dreadknight failing his MSS test on the next turn ON AVERAGE. You've got to be a little Sherlock Holmes about the whole thing, plan the battle out before it actually happens. Catching my drift?
There are a lot of factors that come into play here. Your opponent being the biggest. They will have a plan of action too and will know your army inside out. But hold on, this is the Sisters of Battle, no one has a clue about these guys! This is why it makes it harder for your opponent to know what to expect and how to react to different situations. Keep them on the back foot. Charge their wraiths! See their reaction, FEAST ON THEIR TEARS.
Tune in next time to compare how the battle went to what i planned out in my head. Does the list fail at it's first hurdle or is there potential? Until then...
Steve
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