The Mission: Blood and Glory (The first player to break their opponent
gains 250 bonus points, not automatic win)
The List
Prince, General, Star Dragon, Enchanted Shield, Sword of Might,
Talisman of Preservation, Other Tricksters Shard
Noble, BSB, Dragon Armor, Shield, Barded Steed, Ogre Blade, Dragon Helm
Noble, Great Eagle, White Lion Cloak, Lance, Charmed Shield, Golden
Crown of Atrazzar
Mage, Level 2, Lore of High Magic, Elven Steed, Dispel Scroll, Opal
Amulet
10 Silver Helms, full command, shields
5 Ellyrian Reavers, Bows and Spears
5 Ellyrian Reavers, Bows and Spears
5 Ellyrian Reavers, Bows and Spears
5 Ellyrian Reavers, Bows and Spears
5 Ellyrian Reavers
7 Dragon Princes of Caledor, full command, banner of world dragon
Frost Phoenix
Frost Phoenix
This list looked really familiar… why? Because it’s basically the list I brought. Here is the problem. Frost Phoenix are better than Hydras. No much better I was wondering how I
was going to kill one. Also they
are fast enough that my hydras can’t run from them. The dragon princes being doubly immune to my metal magic
didn’t look that good for me. I
wasn’t that worried about the dragon.
This list is also similar to my High Elf list, though I think the
Reavers should have banners, but that could just be because I build for events
that have banner missions and objective missions. I think I like my list better, this one is too fighty for my
tastes, and with no ability that I see to take on slaves and other things that
are eventually going to get into a flank or something of the monsters when
steadfast holds them up.
Joe did a great job making the army. It was a dark elf themed high elf army. He called it a shadow warrior
army. I found that ironic because
he didn’t actually field any shadow warriors. He obviously had made his list after I made mine, since he
had taken advantage of the space wolf wolves, which hadn’t yet come out when I
made my army. He also had some
cool conversions for his dragon princes (lizardman centuars) and his great
eagle (flying carnisour). He also
used the superior black dragon (or is it a warpfire dragon?), which I would
have used except I didn’t feel it would hold the bell correctly.
I was actually going to make a post about this army anyways. This explains why some of the army
pictures have a different back ground – I had taken the pictures when they were
set up over lunch.
Magic
For magic, Joe rolled up Soul Quench and Arcane Unforging, so a magic
missile and the ability to destroy magic items.
I rolled Searing doom and gehenna’s golden hounds for metal magic and
spirit leech, soul blight, fate of bjuna and purple sun on my death
wizard. Normally I would have
defaulted purple sun against elves, but I had rolled the fear spell, and that
was even more worthless.
Deployment
For deployment, Joe put 2 units of dark riders on the left, a phoenix
center, with the two heavy cavalry units.
Then the other phoenix, the dragon and eagle and the last two units of
fast cavalry. A very nice
deployment.
Mine fairly mirrored his.
I did have less drops though, so his monster placement got to go after,
and across from mine.
I scouted my shades on the left flank, and unsurprisenly he moved his
two units away with vanguard. I
probably should have been closer to center, but I really didn’t want to be
charged first turn by a phoenix without having had the chance to bring out my
assassins for the stand and shoot.
I probably just should have put them in my deployment zone.
Also as a good play, Joe didn’t vanguard one of his units in response
to my vanguarding up – going for that first turn charge, a very me move. Joe indicated he had the same dark elf
list I was playing, which didn’t surprise me given this high elf list.
Vanguard:
Once again, I did not get the first turn.
Turn 1 – High Elves
Joe did start off with that charge, his spear only (wolf unit without
riders) reaver unit charging my dark riders. I stood and shot, failing to do anything. He then failed his charge. The forest he charged through does
claim 2 from the unit.
To spite the failed charge, the dragon flies over to give them his kiss
of death.
Joe rolled up an 8/4 magic phase and +1A for his phoenix (I didn’t ever
check his reading of the dice, but I did know that a 6 was ward save). He first rolled 6 dice to destroy my
dispel scroll. I decided to scroll
it to prevent the ward save. This
was the ONLY benefit of scrolling it.
In hindsight I should have let the spell go. She would only have taken a wound on a 6+, and then only
1. By using my scroll I made sure
it was used, but by letting the spell go off, it would have stayed on the roll
of a 1. I dispelled his other
spell.
The dragon breaths and kills 3 of the dark riders.
Turn 1 – Dark Elves
I spent the first few minutes debating if I should charge the
frostheart phoenix with my hydra.
I didn’t think it would go well for me, but I thought I might be able to
win the combat. In the end I
decided that since this was my first time playing the phoenix, I would take the
swing and see how it goes – as you know I don’t get practice games in and even
then I don’t think any of my friends actually play high elves. So this would be my practice game… and
then I failed the charge. I also
charged a dark rider unit into a reaver unit, he fled and I redirected into the
silverhelms because otherwise I would be stopped right in the middle of the
table and toast on the following turn anyways. The spears on 2+ Armor at least stood a chance, and if I
killed a few the 4 models in the forest would break his steadfast for me.
I also moved the half man dark rider unit between the dragon and
phoenix. I had failed my mark
test, so I could only hope that the phoenix would protect me from the charge
(very doubtful).
I rolled an 8/5 magic phase.
I then got +4 with power of darkness (12/4). Then with only 3 dice I irresistibly cast spirit leech on a
phoenix. I do 3 wounds and get
another power dice (13/4). The
miscast causes me a wound and 5 dice (8/4). I then throw 2 dice at a purple sun, which will cover the
other phoenix, the dragon and an eagle (and 1 dark rider). I again irresistibly cast my
spell. Everyone passes their
purple sun test, and the miscast doesn’t do anything. Killing something with that spell would have been so cool…
or even all of it. Oh well, it was
doubtful when I cast it.
All, and I mean ALL my shooting fails to even net me 1 wound. Not good.
The dark riders totally choke against the silver helms but hold.
Turn 2 – High Elves
Joe starts his turn by terror bombing a unit of harpies. He then redirects into a hydra. The dragon princes charge by BSB into
the flank. This was a total
bonehead on my part. I checked all
the angles, but for the unit behind the phoenix, I just totally spaced it. The other phoenix charges the other
hydra, which flees (now that the dragon princes and other phoenix have declared
their charge and can’t recharge).
It does get away, but everyone else (bsb and other hydra) get hit. Even with the phoenix’s failed charge,
it still moves far enough for the dark rider unit to get flanked by the
reavers.
Joe rolls a 12/7 magic phase, giving his phoenix +1 to their ward
save. I fail to dispel his item
destructor on my general, which kills the crossbow not wardsave. The other spell cannot be cast as it’s
a magic missile and he’s in combat with the BSB.
Bow fire takes down my level 4.
I rolled all 1s and 2s on my armor save, and all 6s on my ward
save. Switch the rolls and I
lived, but oh well. It did involve
near his entire army pulling back to shoot me.
The dark rider/silver helm slapfest yields little and holds. The flanked dark riders die off. The hydra takes a wound, and does 1
wound but still loses on the charge and runs off the table. The BSB takes a wound and does a wound
and holds and reforms.
Turn 2 – Dark Elves
For my turn 2, I put a unit of harpies into the rear of the dragon
princes to try to get some critical static combat (3), which based on the
previous combat results should be enough to get me the win. I also use my egg to buff my BSB and
add the extra breath weapon. My
level 2 caster also flanks the silverhelms to add the combat rez and strength
5. Harpies and Hydra both rally.
I roll a sad 4/3 magic phase, and am in combat. I fail to cast my first spell.
Shooting only kills 2 Reavers.
In combat the dark rider unit dies to the silver helms. My caster takes a wound. He saves all way too much. My caster holds. The BSB takes a wound and he fails to
wound the harpies. I win, but he
makes his save on BSB.
Turn 3 – High Elves
To start off the turn the Phoenix declares a rear charge on my
BSB. I saw this coming, and lamented
his BSB saving that unit, otherwise I would have scored some points and have
been able to flee with my BSB.
He doesn’t cast any magic, but still gets the +1 to his ward save.
3 Dark riders die to his shooting.
In combat, the BSB dies to the unit, not the Phoenix. The harpies lose 1 and flee. My caster dies to the silverhelms. And that ends all of my long shot
attempts at points.
Turn 3 – Dark Elves
Way down I decide it’s time to throw more points after bad points. I can’t lose worse, since battle points
are just for final tiebreakers, and it could always go my way… right?
I charge the shades into the flank of the dragon princes. 3 dark riders charge into 3 reavers,
who fail to do anything on the stand and shoot.
Nothing rallies.
Out of magic casters.
The entire 9 shades and assassin manage to do 6 wounds in shooting, but
only 1 goes through on silver helms.
The dark riders lose 1 and kill the three reavers. My shades lose 3 to the always strikes
first, and then together with the assassin manage to kill 2 models. I lose the combat (3 wounds and 2
banners versus 2 wounds, charge and flank), flee and get run down. Kind of sad that the Assassin in combat
smokes high T/high armor, but can’t get though elf armor since its strength
gets worse.
Turn 4 – High Elves
So after a not so good turn on my part, Joe goes it for not the kill
(he has that) but the slaughter.
The dragon princes charge the other units of shades. The silver helms charge the dark riders
and the dragon charges the last hydra, the 1 would phoenix having run off,
those combats don’t happen though.
Joe doesn’t cast anything magical, but does roll +1S for this phoenix.
In shooting, he blows 2 dark riders off of the right unit (that had
just killed reavers in combat), leaving just the champion.
The assassin challenges his BSB out, and nothing happens in the
combat. 3 shades get killed and
then the unit gets run down. The
hydra
Turn 4 – Dark Elves
On my turn 4 I rally the harpies and run around.
Turn 5 – High Elves
No charges this turn, the phoenixes get +1S and the dark rider champion
dies to shooting.
Turn 5 – Dark Elves
The harpies run to ensure I don’t get tabled. My hydra charges the dragon.
I take down the phoenix with shooting (1 wound left).
In combat the dragon does 1 wound to the hydra, the lord doesn’t do
anything. I then put 7 wounds on
the elf. He makes 1 armor save and
then 6 ward saves. I then breath
on the unit, making the elf make another save, which he makes. I then do 1 wound to the dragon. With a charge and wound to a wound,
they hydra wins combat and the dragon breaks… and gets run the F down! Moral victory.
Turn 6 – High Elves
To try to make up the moral win, Joe charges with some reavers into the
dark riders that just killed the phoenix.
I flee, and avoid secondary charges.
This turn the caster isn’t in combat or not facing someone, so the
wizard takes his 8/5 magic phase (+1S for last phoenix). He gets through large soul quench and
takes off the fleeing dark riders and panics the triumphant hydra.
Turn 6 – Dark Elves
Hydra rallies… leaving him and the harpies as my remaining army. Suffice it to say, I lose, and fairly
big (plus he got the 250 points for breaking me first – though I did break him
in the end.
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