Game 83: Issyria vs Darius

Game 83 – Vs Glenn Wareing – Cygnar – 27/08/17

My list:

Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn (Shadows of the Retribution)

-Hemera

-Sphynx

-Chimera

Arcanist Mechanik

Mage Hunter Assassin

Mage Hunter Assassin

Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios

Spears of Scyrah

-Soulless Escort

Max Mage Hunter Strike Force

-Commander

Max Mage Hunter Strike Force

Max Mage Hunter Infiltrators

-Eiryss, Mage Hunter Commander

His List:

Captain E. Dominic Darius (Heavy Metal)

-Halfjacks

-Squire

-Hurricane

-Centurion

-Centurion

Captain Arlan Strangeways

Journeyman Warcaster

-Charger

-Charger

Max Sword Knights

I have a theory that my Issyria list has good game into Cygnar, but due to a lack of filthy Swans in my local meta this has been quite a difficult theory to test. My last game of an epic gaming weekend was against Glenn, who as using Darius. I won the first turn because Shadows and we got moving.

I ran everything up, spreading out as much as possible to protect against the Hurricane’s AOEs, but there is basically nowhere they could land that wouldn’t cause problems. As usual Inviolable Resolve is cast on Hemera and Admonition on Issyria herself.

The Hurricane shots are as deadly as I feared and I lose half a dozen or so Mage Hunters, but noting too important. The Centurions advance up the centre and put up Polarity Shield, whilst the Sword Knights run up the right to engage the Infiltrators.

Issyria’s feat turn and the number 1 objective is to remove Hurricane. The 2 Assassins charge in and destroy almost half of the Colossal, before the Strike Force open fire, killing it with only a couple to spare. On the right the Infiltrators make a start on the Sword Knights, killing 8 of the unit. Narn runs up to engage one of the Chargers and make a nuisance of himself.

A combination of attacks from Jack Hammer and one Centurion allows the other to charge through to Hemera and destroy it. The Sword Knights flail ineffectually at the Infiltrators, only killing one. The Journeyman and friends struggle to remove Narn, and it ends up taking all of their activations to do so. Nobody scores, leaving the score at 0-0.

Time to start scoring some points. On the right the Infiltrators finish off the Sword Knights, with two going on an assassination run on the Journeyman, but leaving it on 1 box. This leaves Arcane Shield up on the Centurion, and as a result the Sphinx and Spears are unable to destroy it. Issyria moves over into the now cleared right zone and the Mage Hunters and a Combo Strike from the Chimera combine to destroy the objective, allowing me to score the left zone. I move to a 3-0 lead.

Once again the Journeyman’s cohort struggle to deal with the Infiltrators on the right flank but manage to free up the Journeyman and get him to a position of relative safety. The left Centurion moves up to toe into the left zone, and the right one, after being healed by Darius’ Feat, kills off the Sphinx. Strangeways runs into the right zone to contest and keep the score at 3-0.

I am a long way down on attrition, but can still potentially grind out the game on scenario. I spread my models around the left zone to prevent Glenn counter-scoring there, clear out Strangeways and charge other Infiltrators into the Chargers, taking out the movement on both to prevent them from running into the zone. The rest of my models run to block routes for the Centurion to get into the zone. I move to a 4-0 lead but only have around 2 minutes left on the clock.

Glenn has so much time on his clock compared to me that he could go and have a cup of tea and come back. I have never been this far down on clock before which is an odd feeling. Through using Darius’ shot and freeing up a Charger he can clear a route for the right Centurion to run into the zone, preventing me from scoring. We stay at 4-0.

I have barely any time on my clock, but have a minute chance at victory. I have 6 Mage Hunter shots and 2 Spear charges into the left Centurion. I would need huge dice spikes to destroy it and don’t get it. I can’t get the last point I need and concede with seconds left.

DEFEAT

Something that we didn’t spot during the game is that Glenn would have scored the right zone on his last turn, making the score 4-1 and removing any chance of victory, so my last gasp attempt wouldn’t have actually won me the game. I was still fairly happy with the way the game played out, an 8 instead of a 7 for damage on the Journeyman would have comfortably won me the game and I definitely like how the AD Infiltrators play. A good rep with the list and useful to get some Cygnar practice in.