Battle Report #158: Haley2 vs Mortenebra

:: Prologue ::

Game 2 and we simply re-racked. The first game didn't teach me a whole lot other than her angles, so my thoughts going into the second game were pretty much the same as in the first.

:: Lists ::

Cygnar:

Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +5
- Squire
- Stormwall - PC: 19
- Lightning Pod
- Thorn - PC: 8
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 3
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution - PC: 3
Gastone Crosse - PC: 3
Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator - PC: 1
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt - Lady Aiyana & Master Holt: 4
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team - Lynch, Ryan & Watts: 4
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Pistoleers - Leader & 5 Grunts: 6
- Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer - Officer 2

Opponent:

Master Necrotech Mortenebra - WJ: +4
- Deryliss
- Deathjack - PC: 12
- Stalker - PC: 4
- Scavenger - PC: 4
- Leviathan - PC: 9
- Helldiver - PC: 3
- Helldiver - PC: 3
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist - PC: 2
Warwitch Siren - PC: 2
Bane Knights - Leader & 9 Grunts: 10
The Withershadow Combine - Malevolus, Admonia, & Tremulus: 5

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

Apart from protecting Haley better I had no new thoughts. I contemplated deploying her differently, e.g. diagonally opposite the Scavenger, but went with the same pattern after all because I believe my fault was never here. At least I wanted to see how that would play out given that I now knew what Mortenebra can do.

:: Game ::

Cryx advances again and it's a lot like in game 1. Spectral Steel on DJ.

I end up going for Thorn close to Haley to physically block landing spots. Without Reach it's hard for the Cryx lights to even theoretically get to Haley. I shoot up a few Knights.

Void Gate by DJ is attempted on Stormwall but misses and scatters off, much to my relief. I'm not sure how I would've coped with that. Scavenger flanks -way- left. Knights engage ATGM.

It's go time! So the idea here is to engage DJ with Stormwall under Shift, keeping him beyond his melee range, and pummel him as much as I can. With Thorn next to Haley it's a little awkward because I can't land Deadeye on ATGM, which makes Thunderbolt a long shot. Regardless I am lucky and DJ is knocked down. That makes my world a whole lot easier and the Stormwall kills DJ + Gorman + 2 from Withershadow. Most of the Banes die as well. Eiryss moves up to deny the Stalker focus allocation.

My opponent manages to do nothing useful in his turn and concedes the game.

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

That's more like it. Physically blocking Haley in is very effective against the Overrun angle, assuming the Helldivers haven't gotten further up (which they rarely have by turn 2). However spending Thorn for that role is overkill, unless I can tighten up my entire battleline. I really need to be able to land Deadeye to support the Stormwall's ability to hit better. In this game I was lucky as both Aiyana hit her kiss (7+ as DJ was in a cloud from Gorman) and I got a KD from the Officer's Thunderbolt.

One thing I noted this game was that I think this is a matchup where biding your time - as the Haley player - is very hard because of how flexible the Helldivers, Scavenger and Stalker are. It can possibly be done, I did not however that Haley would probably be better off diagonally opposite the Stalker. The problem is terrain and lack of protection. Leviathan and ranged nukes alone can kill me.

Another fairly quick game and it was onto our third and last of the series. Best of 3!