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Tuesday 23 May 2017

Game 29: Vyros1 vs Fiona

Game 29 – Vs Mark Ellis – Mercenaries – 17/05/17

My list:
Dawnlord Vyros (Shadows of the Retribution)
-Imperatus
-Griffon
-Griffon
-Aspis
-Manticore
Arcanist Mechanik
Arcanist Mechanik
Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios
Max Mage Hunter Strike Force
-Mage Hunter Strike Force Commander
Max Mage Hunter Strike Force
-Mage Hunter Strike Force Commander
-Soulless Escort

His List:
Fiona the Black
-Galleon
Gobber Tinker
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor
Ragman
Kell Bailoch
Anastaia di Bray
Master Gunner Dougal MacNaile
Max Cylene Raefyll & Nyss Hunters
Kayazy Eliminators
Kayazy Eliminators
The Commodore Cannon & Crew
Min Press Gangers

After playing Helynna and to a lesser extent Garryth to death in the 2 months leading up to the Welsh Masters I was understandably needing a change. Being motivated for the game I went down to the club the following Wednesday with a pairing of Vyros1 and Kaelyssa to try out. My first game was against Mark who was using his Fiona list that he had learnt a lot about at the Welsh, and was keen to keep playing. She wasn’t a caster that I knew anything about so dropped Vyros to see what would happen. His Anastacia and my theme benefit cancelled each other out but I won first turn on a reroll.

Turn 1 I put Inviolable Resolve onto the left Mage Hunters to try and protect them from blasts (probably a mistake, as Vyros seems too focus strapped to switch it to Imperatus or himself mid game), cast Mobility for extra speed and ran everything up. Between 16” running jacks and Advanced Deployed Mage Hunters, the list gets a very long way up the table.




Mark considers his options for his next turn and lands on a choice that I just didn’t see coming. He allocates to the Galleon, feats and charges up into the middle of the table, before the rest of his army advances up and shoots at Mage Hunters, killing 2 from the left unit and 4 from the right. His scatters didn’t particularly work in his favour but he was borrowing my dice so what did he expect…



I am set a tricky puzzle to unlock, which isn’t easy when you’re using a brand new caster. My options seem to be try and find an assassination, back off for a turn, or jam further up the board. I spotted an avenue that allowed Imperatus an amazing 5 man Flame Burst if I could hit 2 unboosted 7s; but it would involve committing him pretty deep, so I decided to commit and jam in deep. Vyros casts Mobility again and moves Inviolable Resolve onto Imperatus. Imperatus tries the Flame Burst play but misses the second 7 to hit and remains in a far from ideal spot. The rest of my army jams forward apart from the Mage Hunters on the right who kill off a couple of Press Gangers.



Mark spends some time trying to unjam himself and be able to get Fiona out of trouble. Unfortunately he can’t do so without “wasting” his Galleon killing a Griffon, and even then can only back so far off. The Nyss and infiltrators kill a load of Mage Hunters and the second Griffon, but Mark doesn’t concentrate hard enough on getting models in the gap between Imperatus and Fiona.

In my turn I am clearly playing for assassination. I have some clearing out to do but have a handful of Mage Hunters, Narn and the Manticore to do it. Vyros casts Mobility again for Pathfinder on Imperatus, advances to get his landing spot in his control, and Feats. Eiryss lands her shot on Fiona, stripping her 3 Focus, and my remaining models clear out Imperatus’ land to the caster, leaving him to take one free strike to move in. I hit the first attack and boost for 4 dice damage, killing Fiona in one shot.



VICTORY


Not too much to be said for the first run with a list but it felt good to play. I think that between the shooting options, the feat based damage output, and the potential to jam if all else fails, there are a lot of options in the list. I hadn’t appreciated just how focus starved Vyros would be though, turn 1 I was camping 1, and then turns 2 and 3 he was sitting naked. I certainly want to try this list again though and see what it can do.

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