Hordes Battle Report - Circle vs. Legion - 35 pts
We're back after a short time off with another batrep, pitting Beau's Circle Orboros against Sameer's Legion of Everblight. Beau's List:
- Baldur2
- Megalith
- Ghetorix
- Druids
- Max. Skinwalkers
- Shifting Stones + UA
Reinforcements:
- Min. Bloodtrackers + UA
Sameer's List:
- Thagrosh2
- Scythean
- Carnivean
- Shredder x 4
- Max. Hex Hunters
- Spell Martyr x 2
Reinforcements:
- Nephalim Soldier
- Forsaken
Deployment: Beau won the roll off and opted to deploy/go first. From the top to the bottom of the shot, he deployed: Druids, Megalith, Baldur, Ghetorix and the Skinwalkers, with the Shifting Stones AD'd. From top to bottom Sameer deployed: Hex Hunters, Shredder, Shredder, Spell Martyr, Carnivean, Spell Martyr, Shredder, Scythean, Thagrosh and one more Shredder.
The terrain was kept simple and symmetrical and the scenario was Envelopment, in which a player must control the zone furthest from his deployment zone to score and the first to 3 control points wins. As shown in the lists above, Reinforcements are an artifice for this one and flank deployment is used. Beau declared the Bloodtrackers prey to be the Scythean.
Circle turn 1: As he does automatically on every one of his control phases, Baldur generated a wurm token. This grants him +1 STR, but also does 1 damage to him at the end of his activation for each point he has on him. The first to activate were the Skinwalkers who ran up to the edge of the zone, with Ghetorix warping +2 STR and running up behind them. Baldur then advanced, used the special action Ritual of Renewal (removes all wurm tokens from Baldur) and cast Rock Wall (place a wall somewhere completely within Baldur's CTRL area) in front of the Skinwalkers. The Shifting Stones shifted up and Megalith ran up, with both it and Baldur being within the Stones' triangle formation. Lastly, the Druids ran into the forest.
Legion turn 1: The Hex Hunters ran forward, partly into the zone. Thagrosh then advanced forward into the forest, casting Dragon's Blood (target friendly non-warlock faction model gets +2 ARM) on the Carnivean and the Carnivean's animus, Spiny Growth (+2 ARM and warjacks/warbeasts take D3 damage each time they hit the affected model), on himself and the Carnivean. The Carnivean then cast it on the Scythean and advanced and the Scythen also advanced, somewhat away from the area the Bloodtrackers would be arriving on. The Shredders moved up and the Spell Martyrs ran.
A Circle perspective.
A Legion perspective.
Circle turn 2: First off, Beau brought in his reinforcing minimum unit of Bloodtrackers with Nuala who were Preying the Scythean.
Baldur didn't upkeep Rock Wall and generated another wurm token. The Skinwalkers ran up into the zone, followed again by a STR warping Ghetorix. The Shifting Stones shifted up into the zone and Megalith ran up behind the skull pile. The Druids advanced towards Beau's zone, with the leader doing Counter Magic (friendly models within 9" can't be targeted by spells and enemies within 9" can't cast them) and the other 5 using Summon Vortex (center a 3" AOE cloud effect on each model using it; enemies in the AOE are -2 to attack rolls). Baldur then used Ritual of Renewal, cast Rockwall again infront of the Skinwalker and Ghetorix, used his feat (all friendly faction models in his CTRL area gain +3 ARM and can't move/be moved or knocked down for one round) and shed a fury. The Bloodtrackers then ran behind Beau's zone.
Legion turn 2: Thagrosh upkept Dragon's Blood on the Carnivean. Sameer decided that he couldn't do enough to Beau's army under Baldur's feat and Counter Magic, so he mainly repositioned. The Hex Hunters ran thought the zone, to the right and the Scythean ran up behind them, further evading those Preying on him. The Spell Martyrs ran, one being a charged target for Thagrosh, who cast Spiny Growth on him self and the Carnivean again and charged toward the Spell Martyr. The Carnivean then advanced, again gave the Scythean SG and sprayed, targeting the closest Skinwalker. The Skinwalker, Ghetorix and a Shifting Stone were all under the template, but it only hit the Stone, which he boosted the damage on, destroying it. One Shredder went Rabid (they can force to get +2 SPD, Pathfinder and boosted attack and damage rolls for a turn) and charged the lead Skinwalker, but due to the Skinwalkers' Unyielding (+2 ARM when they are engaging an enemy) it only did 1 damage. The other three just advanced generally to the right.
Circle turn 3: Baldur didn't upkeep anything and got a wurm token. The Skinwalkers got the charge order and with Relentless Advance (the unit gets +2 SPD for one round if damaged the previous turn) one charged a Shredder in the forest (killing it), one attacked the Shredder that had charged the previous turn (doing a few damage) and the others ran up, with one engaging the Carnivean and a Shredder. The Druids went next, with the leader and 4 others doing Counter Magic and Summon Vortex respectively. The last one advanced behind the skull pile and cast Force Bolt (range 10, POW 10 spell that has critical knock down and either pushes or pulls the enemy model hit D3" directly towards or away from the caster) at the Carnivean, not critting and opting to push it away 2", though it bumped into a nearby Shredder before making it the full 2". Megalith then advanced into stealth ignoring range (5") of the Hex Hunters and cast Crevasse (pow 12 spell where if you kill the target you can use it as a point of origin for a pow 12, 6" spray attack. Megalith boosted the hit, killed the target, got 3 others under the spray, boosted all of the attack rolls, but only killed 2 of them. Baldur then advanced, cast Rock Wall in front of Megalith, but was out of range to cast Roots of Earth (same as his feat; +3 ARM and can't move/be moved or knocked down) on it. He then cast Roots of Earth on himself and kept the wurm token, taking 1 damage at the end of the activation. The Shifting Stones used Healing Field (heals friendly faction models within 1" are healed D3) to heal Baldur and the UA advanced and used Stone Form (goes to DEF 5 and gains +4 ARM). Ghetorix warped +2 STR, walked up to the nearby Shredder, shredded it and used his animus to get Retaliatory Strike (after being hit by a melee attack, this model can make an attack back at the attacker. Lastly, the Bloodtrackers ran up towards the forest.
Legion turn 3: Thagrosh upkept Dragon's Blood. The Hex Hunters advanced and pelted Megalith with Hex Bolts (who was juuust out of Counter Magic range), rolling fairly well and doing about 12-13 damage. One also attempted to melee attack a Druid, but whiffed. Thagrosh moved back a bit, cast Manifest Destiny (models in his battle group roll an additional die on melee attack and damage rolls and drop the lowest) and sat on 2 fury. As if to demonstrate the power of Manifest Destiny, the Scythean advanced up next to Megalith and destroyed it using only it's two initial attacks, plus the additional one from Chain Attack: Bloodbath. The Shredders both went rabid and attacked their respective assailants. The Shredder by the zone killed his Skinwalker, but the Shredder by the forest failed to. The Carnivean advanced next to the Scythean, cast Spiny Growth on the Scythean and sprayed, covering two Skinwalkers. It hit both with unboosted attack rolls and killed both with boosted damage rolls. The Spell Martyrs then ran behind the Hex Hunters and heavies.
Circle turn 4: Baldur cut for 1 damage to fill up on fury, didn't upkeep Rock Wall and generated a wurm token. The remainging Skinwalkers charged the Shredders, the one by the zone missing and the one by the forest hitting for moderate damage. The Druids advanced, with two of them Force Bolting the Scythean 4" towards them, one Force Bolting the Carnivean 2" back and the rest casting Summon Vortex (the extra cloud in the shot below is not actually there). Ghetorix then warped STR, advanced up to the Scythean and, after spending all his fury for extra attacks, killed it with the final blow, taking 9 damage total from Spiny Growth. With the Scythean dead, the Bloodtrackers selected the forest adjacent Shredder as their new prey. As they were within 10" they got the +2" of movement, advanced and killed the Shredder with 2 melee attacks. The other Shredder was selected as the new prey and the Bloodtracker that killed the previous one used her Quick Work shot to throw a spear at the new prey, but missed it and then the Skinwalker engaging it. Nuala also threw at it and hit for 8 damage, then the unit used Reform to spread out. The Shifting Stones used Healing Field to heal Baldur and the Stone Keeper used Stone Form. Baldur went last, cast Roots of Earth on Ghetorix, cast Rock Wall in front of Ghetorix, moved back a bit, used Ritual of Renewal and cast Roots of Earth on himself.
Legion turn 4: Sameer finally remembered his Reinforcements and brought the Nephalim Soldier and the Forsaken on the board area nearest his zone. Thagrosh upkept Dragon's Blood. A Spell Martyr ran up to be across from Ghetorix and more than 2" away. Thagorsh then arcced Scourge (POW 13, AOE 3, enemy models hit are knocked down) through the Martyr at Ghetorix, boosted the attack roll and hit, but unfortunately for him Sameer forgot about the "can't be knocked down" aspect of Roots of Earth and Ghetorix stood strong. He didn't bother boosting the damage roll and did no damage. Thagrosh kept the 1 remaining fury and used his feat, allowing warbeasts in his battle group and in his CTRL can advance and make one normal melee attack after everything has been activated. The Carnivean then charged a Skinwalker, assaulting to cover both Skinwalkers and a Bloodtracker with the spray. It boosted the spray attack roll on the Bloodtracker and Skinwalker it hadn't charged and killed them both, then killed the last Skinwalker with it's melee attacks. Next the Hex Hunters charged (would've failed a Ghetorix induced Terror check, had Thagrosh not had a 10 CMD), killing a Druid, a Bloodtracker and, via Battle Wizard, killed the Stone Keeper with Hex Bolts. The Nephalim and the Forsaken ran into the nearby zone and the Shredder went rabid and attacked Nuala, but missed. Thagrosh's feat then triggered, allowing the Shredder to kill Nuala, the Carnivean to kill another Bloodtracker and the Nephalim to advance closer to the action.
Circle turn 5: Baldur didn't upkeep Rock Wall and generated a wurm token. The Bloodtrackers advanced a bit, the unit leader dying to a free Strike from the Carnivean. The other two that could attack this turn (not the newly appointed leader) killed the Shredder and selected the Carnivean as their new prey, one using a Quick Work attack at the Carnivean, but doing no damage. The Druids then advanced, one of whom moved just out of CMD range and thus couldn't attack. One of the others (the one nearest the Bloodtrackers) Force Bolted the Carnivean 1" closer and the Druid behind him attempted to do so as well, but was barely out of range. The other two Druids killed the Hex Hunters engaging them with Force Bolts. Ghetorix warped Snacking, advanced around the skull pile a bit and ate two Hex Hunters, healing 2 damage total via Snacking. He then regenerated, healing another 1. Baldur advanced, used Ritual of Renewal and cast the same spells as last turn: Rock Wall in front of Ghetorix and Roots of Earth on Ghetorix and himself. Lastly, the two remaining Shifting Stones teleported in front of Baldur.
Legion turn 5: Thagrosh upkept Dragon's Blood on the Carnivean. He went first, advancing up to do a fully boosted spray on Ghetorix, not getting a crit to freeze him, but set him on fire and did a decent chunk of damage. He then cast Manifest Destiny and camped 1 fury. The Nephalim Soldier then charged Ghetorix, boosted the hit and did another good chunk of damage. It bought another attack, but missed, despite MD. The Carnivean then advanced near Thragorsh and sprayed Ghetorix as well, doing some damage. The remaining Spell Martyr then ran up, past the wall and in between Ghetorix and the Nephalim, just to be in the way. The Forsaken advanced and took the 3 fury from the Nephalim. The Hex Hunters advanced, with one attempting to Hex Bolt Ghetorix over the wall and missing, one missing a Druid with a melee attack and one killing a Bloodtracker with a melee attack, but missing the Bloodtracker with the Battle Wizard induced Hex Bolt because she had concealment in the forest.
Circle turn 6: Fire didn't go out on Gheotrix and Sameer rolled a 9, doing 2 damage to the fairly beaten up Ghetorix. Rock Wall wasn't upkept and Baldur got his usual wurm token. The Bloodtrackers activated first, advancing and killing one of the Hex Hunters engaging the Druids and the other missing. The Druids advanced and tried to push the Nephalim away from Ghetorix, but yet again only rolled a 1 for distance, so he was still engaged. The Shifting Stones shifted out of the way. Baldur activated next and charged the Nephalim, but missed. He then cast Ground Zero (center a 5" AOE on the caster; all models in it take a POW 13 and enemy models in it are pushed D6" directly away), killing the Spell Martyr and a Druid, doing no damage to Ghetorix, but most importantly rolled a 6 for the distance and pushed the Nephalim 6" away, freeing up Ghetorix.
Baldur then used the last 3 fury to heal Ghetorix (who only had 4 boxes of one aspect left), as this was his last chance for victory. Ghetorix then warped STR and advanced up to Thagrosh, narrowly avoiding a free strike from the Hex Hunter. His first attack hit for a decent amount of damage and Thagorsh made a Shredder from it (the first time he suffers 5 or more damage from an enemy attack he can make a lesser warbeast within 3" of himself). The second and third attacks also hit, forcing Thagrosh to use his 1 fury to transfer the damage, but the fourth attack also hit and finished him off.
Aftermath: It wasn't looking good for Beau once Megalith was so handily taken out, but thanks to the Druids' Force Bolt, he was able to even the odds. Beau's placement of Baldur on turn 3 could've been a bit better, as Megalith's survival chance would have increased dramatically had Roots of Earth been cast on it. Beau was also a bit unlucky with his Force Bolt's only rolling 1 or 2" for push/pull and none critting to knock down their target. It didn't help Sameer that he forgot his reinforcements for two rounds, but other than that he played a solid game. His only real slip up was when he forgot the pseudo-Steady that RoE provides and tried to Scourge Ghetorix. On the other hand, Beau needed Ghetorix to roll 6 or more on two dice at least 4 out of 5 times, which, if you've read any of his other Circle battle reports on this blog, is harder than it seems. In short his dice usually betray him at the most essential moments, but they didn't this time. A thought Beau had was that he'd reconsider this list, as just bringing two beasts didn't feel very safe. Sameer's biggest thought during the course of the game was his revelation that Ghetorix behind a wall with RoE is tough as nails.