Game 3 was against Grant O'Dwyer and was filmed*, my Round 1 opponent from Leviathon. Re-match time! Mission was Spearhead with Table Quarters primary and Kill points secondary (so 3 KP Missions Day 1, I was worried about this heading in with an MSU army in being knocked out before the top 8). Grant was using a very Grey Hunter heavy list with four near full squads + character and Wolf Guard support. Add in some Thunderwolves for big hitting power and Scouts for utility and the only thing lacking from his list was firepower - he still had some Long Fangs and other ranged weapons (CML, plasma, Rune Priest, etc.) but it wasn't what we expect from SWolves. One too many characters IMO which could have bought another fire support unit.
*Unfortunately I cannot get the film to work currently without you sitting through the entire 2 hours or the video jumping - so you can't actually see anything happening. I'll work on this and try to get it to you ASAP.
Anyway! I won roll-off and gave him first turn, again. This allowed me more mobility options to capture table quarters as the game winds down and because he has limited fire support, hide from it as much as possible.
My list can be seen here, Grant's list below. The editted video feed (sped up with commentary) is also below for those who would like to just listen to that or use it in conjuction with the written report with static pictures (and since there was no sun this time, I reverted to making several super blurry just to be consistent... I swear I must have the shakes or something).
Grant's list:
Rune Priest w/Jaws, Lightning, Chooser
TWC Lord w/Forst Weapon, SS, Bear
Wolf Priest w/some goodies
5x Wolf Guard - combi-weapons + PFist, one CML Termi
2x8x Grey Hunters w/melta, power weapon, rhino (1 squad with flamer instead)
9x Grey Hunters w/melta, power weapon, banner, rhino
10x Grey Hunters w/2 plasma, power weapon
3x TWC w/PFist, SS
5x Fangs w/Missiles
Deployment
Grant chooses top left and deploys his Fangs way up high in a building - i.e. I can't hide from them. Rune Priest + full Grey Hunters in Rhinos deploy centrally with Wolf Priest + Grey Hunters in Rhino hiding behind the ruins the Long Fangs are in on the left flank. Grey Hunters on foot with CML Wolf Guard deploy centrally to the right where they can cover shooting with anything the Fangs can't see with the TWC behind the Rhinos ready to pounce.
I deploy around the 12" circle for Spearhead with only one RBack not getting cover from the Long Fangs - he covers everything else. The Attack Bikes hide behind the RBacks to pounce in whichever direction the vehicles go with both Preds on each flank, Dread in centre and back. Mephy chills amongst the RBacks and Scouts infiltrate into top right corner. I don't both seizing and Grant goes.
Space Wolves Turn 1
Rhinos move up with one popping smoke and the other letting Priest fire from top. Wolf Priest Rhino swings round on the left behind the ruins where it cannot be seen. The TWC advance behind the main Rhinos with the foot Grey Hunters moving laterally to the right. Shooting opens up and the exposed RBack dies and pins the guys inside. The lead RBack is also shaken. One AB dies on the left flank but remaining passes Ld.
Blood Angels Turn 1
RBacks move up around the central piece of terrain with one popping smoke to generate cover for all. Attack Bike and Pred on left swing left to get clear LoS whilst Pred on right buggers up his LoS by moving first (Rbacks move into his LoS). Attack Bikes on left speed across where RBacks used to be and Dread sidesteps left to bring his weapons to bear. Mephy follows RBack wall.
Shooting Immobilises lead Grey Hunter rhino and explodes rear one, killing four inside. A bunch of low AP shooting sees on TWC take a wound.
Space Wolves Turn 2
Grey Hunters jump out of lead Rhino which is immobilised and move towards lead RBack in ruins. TWC follow behind. Foot Grey Hunters move laterally right again. The Wolf Priest & co sit tight as there is no way I'm going to get to shoot them any time soon - this effectively gives Grant a quarter but means he's fighting 300 points down.
Shooting sees the lead RBack explode, putting the ASM dangerously close to the GH and TWC. The 2nd RBack is stunned and the lone Attack Bike bites the dust. The GH and TWC roll terrain...and both fail. GH needed 5" and got 4" and TWC rolled snake eyes... Enter random charging!
Blood Angels Turn 2
No TWC in my lines is very helpful as it gives me the chance to counter attack with my full force. I don't want to committ mephy yet as I want those TWC + Lord to split up before I do so - I could go for them now or even have Mephy drop the 10 foot Grey Hunters but he'd be more vulnerable to return smackage next turn. Also, since Grant hasn't committed his Priests + Grey Hunters, I'm under a lot less threats so don't need to go all out here. I therefore move things to setup the kill on the disembarked Grey Hunters with some short-ranged shooting and templates coming around. I move the Attack Bikes around to keep shooting at the remaining Rhino but get my positioning a bit wrong and leave potential multi-assaults open to TWC and don't get cover for all units there. Oh well.
I also position my Scouts + right Predator poorly - i.e. close together. If Wolf Scouts come in from that edge they'll get two KP and take out 235 points worth of TQ capturing - since I have bottled up the SW in their half of the board, having a cheap backfield was great which I could potentially lose.
Shooting sees the Grey Hunter squad reduced to two and the TWC all take a wound bar the Lord. The Rhino has its weapon ripped off and is stunned but otherwise alive. The Grey Hunters are charged but live with one guy and combat goes on. Woops >.<.
Space Wolves Turn 3
The SW army is being slowly bottled up - particularly with the failed charges last turn. However, Grant still doesn't bring the other Grey Hunters into the game leaving me free of that extra threat. The Wolf Scouts come in on the right though, typical :P. The TWC + Lord split up with the Lord looking to rescue the Grey Hunter in combat (and if he lives, he's still worth 100% VP). The TWC meanwhile move down towards my other ASM + Attack Bikes. The foot Grey Hunter squad keeps shuffling sideways to move into the top right corner and keep shooting with plasma + CML.
Shooting sees the Dreadnought lose an arm and lead Razorback get shaken. The TWC charge in combat and wipe out the ASM but due to positioning aren't able to get into combat with another ASM unit. The Lord doesn't kill the lone ASM who keeps them all locked in combat (fails to kill the GH, too!). The Wolf Scouts stun/immob the Predator and engage the Scouts in combat with the fight continuing.
Blood Angels Turn 3
The TWC and Lord are now separate so Mephiston can solo one of them. The TWC are pretty damaged so the ASM could potentially take them but if they don't, they could get ripped to shreds. Mephy opts to go for the TWC then as they have higher damage potential with the PFist and more attacks base - plus only one wound needs to get through on all of them. The two ASM squads there move to support him just in case. The other Grey Hunters aren't a threat but the 10-man with plasma + CML Termie is - I therefore throw two tanks at them in a tank shock - he passes both Ld's on a 9 and a plasma Hunter and CML termie die doing Death or Glory. I very stupidly sent one tank flat out - forgetting it had guys inside (I got them mixed up!). Either way, the offensive capacity of that unit has been diminished and they are pushed out of position where they cannot affect the bulk of my army next turn.
The Pred and Dread continue taking pot shots at the opposing Rhino but fail to damage it whilst Mephiston solos the TWC - everyone consolidates into a big groupie hug whilst the TWC Lord finishes off the lone ASM leaving the lone Grey Hunter alive. The Wolf Scouts drop the Predator and plink a few Scouts who plink a few Wolf Scouts in return.
Space Wolves Turn 4
The TWC Lord moves around looking to find a way into Mephiston but without tank shocks or good shooting, it's not going to happen unfortunately. The lone GH hides to try and stay alive whilst the foot GH squad in the top centre of the board looks to take down one of the Flamerbacks running through them. Everything else stays pat with most of the army shooting at the ASM around Mephy to try and clear a charge lane. I go to ground to keep three alive (including a Priest) so the TWC Lord goes around to assault the rear ASM and takes them down to one guy. The other GH do nothing to the RBack and the Wolf Scouts kill the Scouts.
Blood Angels Turn 4
I'm sitting in a pretty position currently despite my mistake with the Pred + Scouts and ASM positioning where the TWC Lord is since Grant hasn't committed those extra Grey Hunters. Mephiston moves up to smack the Lord around whilst the remaining ASM in Flamerbacks hop out. One in the centre to clean up the lone GH there with the Flamerback moving to protect them from Long Fang fire, the other from one of the Flamerbacks who have tank shocked through the foot GH. Both Flamerbacks tank shock again, though they pass easily this time but set up some nice clumping for templates. ACLC Pred keeps Rhino lined up whilst the Dread wanders over to shoot the depleted Wolf Scouts.
The foot Grey Hunters are significantly reduced by flamers whilst the Wolf Scouts are reduced to two. Both pass Ld and the Rhino still lives (WTB Hull Points :P). Mephiston finishes off the Lord in combat with both him and the other ASM consolidating towards the ruins to hide whilst the other ASM kill all but three of the remaining GH who stay locked.
Space Wolves Turn 5
Time was called this turn.
Not much Grant can do here - the Wolf Scouts hunker down and the Grey Hunters can't commit now - if they jump out or I drop the Rhino, Mephiston will eat them for breakfast pretty quickly and they are still making that TQ hard to capture. The Rune Priest + Grey Hunters attempt to move but are stymied by terrain and can only shuffle around. Shooting sees the lone ASM gone as well as all but the Sarge from the other ASM squad (I elected to let Priest die since the Sarge counted for 140 VP).
In combat the ASM see the Grey Hunters off and consolidate into top left corner.
Blood Angels Turn 5
At this point, I just capture table quarters. I hide Mephiston who's a mobile 250 move two RBacks into the top right, move the Dread + Pred into bottom right so Scouts don't own it and have all my ASM in top left (though I try to take down the Rhino with melta and keep failing!). Grant doesn't physically have the points left to take both left quarters from me though if the game had gone on it still would have favored me - Mephiston could have jumped into the Priest + Hunter squad and dropped them whilst the Fangs could only drop a max of two vehicles of mine - I still had four fast ones left along with three ASM squads hiding about.
Primary win for BA (3-1) table quarters, secondary win for SW (8-5) kill points.
Conclusion
Not bringing those extra Grey Hunters to play gave me a huge advantage. It was much easier to bottle up the Space Wolf army, particularly after the failed charges, and deal with threat one by one. If even one of the other Grey Hunter squads had been up there, more threats to deal with. Because of his decreased threat profile, Grant was forced to split the TWC + Lord combination up to deal more damage to more units, this allowed Mephiston to go to work. Once the charges failed Turn 2, bringing the Wolf Priest + Hunters around was really a necessary choice. Yes it got him a table quarter but because I outnumbered the rest of his army, I kept my mobility and scoring and got three table quarters. This would have forced me to use Mephiston earlier and potentially allowed him to be killed by the TWC or mass firepower.
Otherwise, was a good game. Closer than our last where his Sang Guard got shot off the table and Grant made sure to capitalise on my couple of movement mistakes - he just could have done more I feel! I kept a closer eye on the mission and ensured I was taking out whole scoring units whilst I had a few damaged ASM units running around for a while.
Again, well played and I look forward to future games in 6th!
