Warmachine Battle Report: Vice Scrutator Vindictus vs The Witch Coven of Garlghast

Fresh on the heels of my first outing of Vice Scrutator Vindictus, I wanted another game before I committed to picking him up (proxied this time with Testament). My devious Cryx playing friend (from an earlier battle) squared off against my Vindictus list with his Witch Coven and their demon ball - now with significantly fewer proxies (yay Cryxmas). I didn't much mind going up against whatever was available on the day because I wanted to get a better feel for what had the potential to become my new caster.

The scenario was Fire Support (SR2013) with Lady Aiyana and Master Holt playing the role of flags. Cryx won initiative and elected to go first.

The Lists:

Vice Scrutator Vindictus

    - Sanctifier

Exemplar Bastion Seneschal

    - Repenter

    - Repenter

Reclaimer

Nicia, Tear of Vengeance

Allegiant of the Order of the Fist

Allegiant of the Order of the Fist

Wrack

Choir of Menoth (min)

Exemplar Bastions

Exemplar Bastions

Holy Zealots + UA (Monolith Bearer)

The Witch Coven of Garlghast

 - Egregore

 - Skarlock Thrall

 - Deathripper

 - Deathripper

 - Scavenger

 - Stalker

 - Stalker

Pistol Wraith

Pistol Wraith

Warwitch Siren

Warwitch Siren

Satyxis Blood Witches + UA (Blood Hag)

Satyxis Raiders + UA (Sea Witch)

The Withershadow Combine

Deployment:

The Raiders are on the left, the Stalkers are on the wings. The Coven is lined up facing the linear obstacle. The Bastions flank the Zealots and the Seneschal and his jacks hold the center. Nicia is hanging out in back with Vindictus but not for long as there is a kill box. The monks are on the wings and the Reclaimer and Sanctifier each have a side.

Turn 1 Cryx:

Everything runs forward and the Coven drops a cloud out in front of it.

TURN 1: Menoth

The Zealots run forward. Vindictus puts Defender’s Ward on Nicia, casts True Path, then moves forward and feats defensively. Bastions run like the wind. The monks shifting sands and move up. The Repenters move forward and the Seneschal camps right behind them at ARM 20.

TURN 2: Cryx (no picture)

The Witches advance out of the hill, a few of them move up to engage the Zealots and all go incorporeal. The Raiders sidle sideways down the flank and take shots at Nicia and a Monk. They both live, although the Monk is knocked down from a Tough Check. A Pistol Wraith advances but does not go base to base with the flag. The Coven advances and feats, catching most of the Menoth army (reducing their LOS to 5” and impacting their stats). They also drop a cloud out between the right Bastions and the Witches.

TURN 2: Menoth

With LOS at 5” for everything that matters, Menoth is forced to rely on advances instead of charges. Vindictus moves sideways and brings up True Path again. The Zealots minifeat and run. The Sanctifier slides forward which removes Incorporeal from the waiting Witches. It smashes one but misses the other. The Bastions advance and try to chop down some Witches and try to put a hit in on a Defiler (under feat this does not go well). The right side Monk advances under Shifting Sands and attempts to be an engaging nuisance. On the other side, the Bastions advance and one gets a shot on Egregore, transferring a little damage to the Coven. Nicia and the Monk chop up some Raiders. The Choir battles the Repenters. The Repenters advance and spray a Bastion in the back, catching Egregore and lighting both on fire.

TURN 3: Cryx

Egregore burns a bunch during Maintenance because Menoth rolls fire on fire dice. The Raiders murder Nicia and the Monk, the Scavenger advances and attempts to kill the Bastion, but there is enough damage to go around to allow him to live and deny the Sprint. A Pistol Wraith death chills a Bastion, and another one in that unit perishes (but his soul is STOLEN by Cryx). The Coven puts out a cloud, and Egregore backs up over the linear obstacle. The Witches attempt to kill some Bastions, but only take one off the table. The right side Monk is brutally murdered and the Defiler whiffs on the Bastions. (The pic was taken after Menoth started turn 3 which is why the Sanctifier is in a different position.

TURN 3: Menoth

The only Bastion with a shot at Egregore (the other was death chilled) *should* have advanced and hacked at a Coven, but in all the excitement of surviving through fire and corrosion, he advanced and took a swing at the Demon Ball - missing. Then the Zealots activated and prayed for damage. Four Zealots found range and LOS (and remained in command range of the Monolith Bearer). The first Zealot rolled fire and blew up a Coven. The second Zealot rolled fire and blew up a Coven, and the third Zealot rolled fire and blew up the Demon Ball and the third Coven.

Victory for Menoth!

Less direct involvement from Vindictus this time. He upkept Defender’s Ward until it was time to put it on himself. He dropped True Path through most of the battle. He used his feat early to keep the Satyxis from getting a charge turn. I kept him in close touch with some defensive Zealots. According to my opponent, if I had moved the Repenters any far forward, the Scavenger was going to make my day a sad one. It turns out that True Pathed Bastions jam pretty hard. If the Zealots hadn’t closed it out on the last activation, I would have Battled the Repenters and hosed everything down with fire. The Coven is strong when at full power, but once you start cracking it, they become significantly easier to keep cracking.

After I finished the match, I walked over to the Warmachine section of the shop and picked up Vindictus. I put him together while waiting for another match to complete. I painted and based him last night. I just need to add some shading and varnish. I am thoroughly enjoying his playstyle.

Thanks for reading.

Warmachine Battle Report: Harbinger vs Gaspy 2

I have a second Cryx playing friend who is just as sneaky as the other one. Why are all my Cryx friends sneaky? Maybe the real question is, why do all my sneaky friends play Cryx? Anyway, after a fast game where the moral of the story was "Don't ask 'Hey, what does your feat do again?' after you finish moving your caster forward, we settled in for a full-length match. (This time I knew what I was getting into).

The scenario was Incursion (SR2013) ... three flags ... random flag disappears and it is rarely the flag you planned/hoped on losing.


The Lists:
The Harbinger of Menoth
 - Hierophant
 - Devout
 - Reckoner
Exemplar Bastion Seneschal
Exemplar Bastions (max)
Exemplar Bastions (max)
Vassal of Menoth
Gorman di Wulfe
Anastasia di Bray
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt
Wrack

Lich Lord Asphyxious
 - Helldiver
 - Nightwretch
Bane Lord Tartarus
Darragh Wrathe
Saxon Orrik
Bane Knights (max)
Bane Thralls (max) + UA
Bile Thralls (max)
Satyxis Blood Witches + UA (the Sea Hag)
The Withershadow Combine

Harbinger won initiative again and elected to go first.

TURN 1, Menoth:

Lots of running, but a little bit more of conservative movement from Harbinger. Nicia comes from downtown and goes base to base with the left flag. The Paladin package aims for the central flag. The Reckoner steps next to the linear obstacle and decides to be cautious. The Bastions are a jumbled mess but will get sorted soon.

TURN 1, Cryx:

More dispersion and lots of running. Less chance for Cataclysms or other bad things. Gaspy puts out a corrosion cloud at the limit of his control range. Bane Lord T moves forward and Darragh Wrathe makes all the undead scoot forward an inch. The left-most flag disappears! Quelle Surprise!

TURN 2, Menoth:

Nicia dances straight through the Bane Knights and confirms a charge on BLT! Needs something like a 6 or 7 to hit, rolls a 3! Second attack! Rolls another 3! So long Nicia! The Paladins move B2B with the flag and Stone & Mortar to 21 ARM. Vilmon moves up and Stone & Mortars to 21 ARM. The Bastions run again. They are the absolute slowest things. The Reckoner moves beyond the linear obstacle and misses a gunshot. It is a slow approach on the other flag. Harbinger feats.

TURN 2, Cryx:

Cryx can shuffle around on the edges, but mostly had to not advance under Harbinger’s feat. Nicia dies hard. Several of the Bile Thralls spray corrosion around. A pile of corrosion goes up on the Paladins, but neither takes any damage. Cryx has someone within 4” of the center flag and therefore contests. However, no Menoth are within range to contest the right flag and Cryx scores a control point.

SCORE: Menoth 0, Cryx 1

TURN 3, Menoth:

The feat turn did what it was supposed to do: give Menoth one more turn to move up the field. The Bastions murder some Vengeful Bane Knights and a few other units make tough rolls. I think that is cool until I discover they can stand up for free. The other unit of Bastions murder some Satyxis Blood Witches and the Reckoner charges one and kills a second with a purchased attack. A&H stealth and shoot a Bile Thrall. Gorman throws an acid bomb. Harbinger moves up some but is very concerned about Gaspy’s feat. The Paladins sack both movement and attack to go full Stone & Mortar plus Impervious wall. Something Soldrath pointed out to me a while ago: the Paladin Package is baller at holding objectives. I finally got to see that in full effect. Menoth contests the right flag and scores a point on the center.

SCORE: Menoth 1, Cryx 1

TURN 3, Cryx:

It took a moment to figure out what happened on this turn based on the picture. The key is that the Bile Thralls explode for an auto-hitting 12 POW to everything within 6” of it. The left unit of Bastions are annihilated. The Paladins laugh it off. And the right Bastions force Harbinger to martyrdom a chunk. The Satyxis Blood Witches start spiking and thrashing Bastions. Defense 16 holds up well, they distribute some damage and Harbinger martyrs hard. The Withershadow Combine charges in and lands the perfectly worst possible hit. 12 points to the 4, which wiped the Reckoner’s cortex and eliminated a possible assassination run. The Reckoner couldn’t charge, but it could trample. Alas, all of that is out of the window. The threat of the Helldiver still exists, so the Reckoner enlivens around the Bastion and tries to jam up the zone. Cryx contests the center flag, Menoth contests the right flag.

SCORE: Menoth 1, Cryx 1

(pre-Enliven)

(post-Enliven)

TURN 4, Menoth:

Feeling real pressure on the right flank. The Paladins have the left on lock-down. They sac everything again and go Stone & Mortar and Impervious Wall. The right Bastions need to hold out a little longer, they put attacks in on the Withershadow Combine and some Satyxis Blood Witches trying to clear the contested flag. The have limited success, one kills a Withershadow, two miss Satyxis Blood Witches, and two kill Satyxis Blood Witches. The Seneschal murders a Withershadow and the Reckoner shoots a Satyxis Blood Witch. The Vassal arcane bolts a Satyxis Blood Witch. Harbinger cataclysms the rest of the Satyxis Blood Witches (except the damn sea-hag) and the last Withershadow. The Sea-Hag fails her command check due to the horror of seeing her unit cut down. As she should be. Sadly, the Nightwretch contests the flag and Menoth fails to score a point.

SCORE: Menoth 1, Cryx 1  

TURN 4, Cryx:

The Nightwretch is engaged and fails to land an attack on the Bastions. Cryx remembers that Darragh Wrath (which had been proxy-represented as a base) has just been hanging out and moves him into the party (and turns him into a visible model). The Banes move carefully around the vigilant Paladins. A Bane Knight is hit by Defensive Strike from the Seneschal, fortunately Vengeance is not triggered by actions during an advance. Saxxon Orik pops 4 points into the back of the Vassal. The Sea Hag rallies and Gaspy backs up. No points are scored.

SCORE: Menoth 1, Cryx 1

TURN 5, Menoth:

The Bastions charge the Nightwretch and put it into the dirt. The Vassal tries to block access to Harbinger by the Helldiver and the Devout gets enlivened. The Devout tries to jam the lanes and braces for the oncoming storm of Banes. The Seneschal slides around a Bane and attempts to kill BLT but fails. The Reckoner tries to jam another charge lane. The Paladins sack only one thing each and one turns around while the other attempts to dirt a Knight. It toughs. Vilmon tries the same and it double toughs. The Hierophant heals Harbinger for 1. And Harbinger moves B2B with the flag and dominates.

SCORE: Menoth 3, Cryx 1

TURN 5, Cryx:

Scenario pressure is in full force. Gaspy casts a death knell and clears one Paladin off the flag, but fails to kill the second. The helldiver appears and contests. Tartarus activates and curses the Bastions but forgets to murder the Seneschal. The Banes activate and charge the Seneschal and Cryx realizes that forgetting to use BLT to clear the lane is going to prevent the Banes from contesting. The only hope is Darragh Wrathe from downtown! Darragh Wrathe charges a Bastion and crushes it. But Harbinger martyrs from 5 down to 4. The mount crushes the Bastion again! Harbinger martyrs from 4 down to 1. Repeat: Harbinger has Martyred to 1 HP. Cryx passes the turn with the flags contested.

SCORE: Menoth 3, Cryx 1

TURN 6, Menoth:

There are two hard targets that have to go for Menoth to win. Harbinger can kill exactly one of them with the resources available. The Helldiver has 18 boxes and Darragh Wrathe has 10 boxes and then 5 boxes. Harbinger allocates two to the Devout. The Devout turns around and hits the Helldiver for 6. Buys an attack and hits it for 8. Buys a third attack and hits it for 4 which is just enough to put it in the dirt. Never commit your big show if you can whittle the enemy down. The Reckoner swings! and misses. The Bastions swing! and miss and miss. The Vassal ancillary attacks the Reckoner which swings! and misses. **** it. Harbinger walks around the flag, pulls one off the Wrack, is camping 9. Autohits at POW 12 and boosts, Buys an attack and Boosts, and Darragh falls off his mount. Buys a third attack and boosts, which ends Darragh’s unlife. The Paladin activates and ends his turn, Vilmon activates and ends his turn. Harbinger dominates the flag for the win.

SCORE: Menoth 5, Cryx 1

Victory for Menoth!!

This was a great game. It was tight. There were only a few mistakes on either side. Unfortunately, a couple of them were pretty costly. My love for my double Bastion / Paladin Harbinger list grows ever greater.

Thanks for reading.

Warmachine Battle Report - eFeora vs the Witch Coven of Garlghast

And now for something a little different ... one of my Cryx playing friends (and an especially devious one) went toe to toe in a series of three matches in mid November. We were practicing our death clock play, but we weren't ending the game if someone went over.

There are a number of proxies in this match on the Cryx side of things. Until writing the up, I didn't know what the Witch Coven looked like.

The scenario was Outflank and I have mentioned before that I am reasonably comfortable with this one (after having lost some of my earliest matches in spectacular fashion). Two zones, standard SR2013 zone scoring rules.

The Lists:

eFeora

  - Judicator (bonded)

  - Vanquisher

  - Castigator

  - Repenter

  - Repenter

Temple Flame Guard with UA

Vassal of Menoth

Choir (max, which is rare for me)

Vassal Mechanik

Witch Coven of Garlghast

  - Egregore

  - Skarlock Thrall

  - Defilers x3

  - Harrower

  - Seether

two Warwitch Sirens

a Pistol Wraith

a max unit of Satyxis Raiders with Sea Witch

and the Satyxis Raider Captain

I am incredibly concerned about feedback. Also, my opponent is a devil with arc nodes and is the Cryxiest Cryx player in my meta.

Menoth wins initiative and elects to go first. Cryx remains on the side with the big multi-elevation hill.

DEPLOYMENT

Menoth: 

The Judicator pre-deployed centrally. I have made mistakes on this scenario before and knew I wanted to try to march the Judicator straight up the pipe. The TFG are represented by the Errants.

Cryx: 

Cryx messed up their deployment, reversing where jacks needed to be. The harrower is up on the mountain when he should be over by the woods to take advantage of pathfinder and ghost shot. Instead, the seether is over by the woods. In the image Egregore is being represented by the unpainted Gerlak Slaughterbane and the witches are the figures surrounding him.

TURN 1

Apparently I forgot to take a picture for turn 1 and Feora forgot to allocate anything. Those were indicators that food was needed and I ordered us some pizza from the shop next door. Feora cast escort and put ignite up on the TFG. The Judicator advanced 6”, everything else moved forward … forgetting to use the extra two inches for escort. The TFG ran. Menoth definitely had serious concentration problems at the start of the game.

Cryx raced forward and engaged the left zone. The Raiders bounded ahead on the right and popped into the Menoth forest. The Coven advanced some. Spells went out. Being able to cycle +2 spd upkeep spell on 4 already fast jacks is pretty fantastic.

TURN 2 - MENOTH

Menoth upkeeps both spells and moves forward with the Judicator. Since the Satyxis are immune to blast damage, the Judicator attempts to lob deviations into the Coven. A Defiler gets a deviation and catches on fire. The heavy jack contesting the zone catches on fire from the Vanquisher. The Repenter advances and contests the left zone, the Castigator advances and contests the right zone. The TFG redeploy / run to the right to slow the approaching Raiders. The Right flank Repenter sprays a couple sacrificial Raiders.

TURN 2 - CRYX

The left zone heavy jack throws the Repenter into the Vanquisher, but it still has a toe in the zone. The right side jack advances into the zone. The Raiders charge in against the TFG, pass their command check against Terror, and kill several. Some of them do huge end runs to enable them to eat Menoth with free strikes if the TFG move or turn. The other Defilers advance. The Coven advances, hits the Castigator with a spell that crits and shadowbinds the Castigator so it can’t advance, and then drops a cloud between the Castigator and themselves and then feats reducing the LOS limit of all of the Menoth models in their control range to five inches. All zones contested, no points scored. If you look carefully at the picture below, you will see the Menoth army ringed by Raiders and arcnodes. As I said, my opponent is a Cryx devil.

TURN 3 - MENOTH

Feora allocates three to the Castigator and two to the Judicator. Some of the TFG attempt to charge and murder Satyxis to little effect. Then the show starts. Menoth looks up some rules to double check some things and Cryx looks up some rules to make sure everything is going to happen the way Menoth thinks. The Judicator activates and advances. It sacrifices its initial attacks and spends a focus to double-handed throw the Castigator. We decide from looking at the rules that you do not need a target to throw at (just a direction). All the Judicator needs to do is hit and beat the Castigator on a strength test. The Judicator boosts to hit to make sure, and throws the Castigator 8.5 inches on to the Coven. We actually forget to do the proper deviation, but when we looked back over our notes, there was only a very small chance it would have resulted in a different outcome  The Coven are all pushed aside via least disturbance … and take POW 17 Collateral Damage hits, snuffing them out. The Castigator didn’t even get to activate and use his powers!! (Which, upon reflection, would have been a challenging activation because it would start knocked down and is shadowbound. Hooray for Collateral Damage!)

Victory for Menoth via Assassination

This is the first time I had ever defeated my Cryx friend, and I felt like I did it in a super cool way (akin to how he often gets victories). I was really psyched. I had recently listened to the Chain Attack Dojo podcast about power attacks and knew I had double-handed throws in my tool kit for this list. The Castigator gets bad press because for the 8 points you could select a Reckoner or almost any other excellent Menoth Jack. In truth, it was the Judy that got the work done, and I am ok with that. Of course, if it didn’t work, Feora was gonna die the next turn. If you look at the last image you can see why, 3 arc nodes totally in range of Feora.