Iron Moot: Steamroller #3 (#263): Haley2 vs Issyria

:: Prologue ::

For my third game I got a classic matchup: Gard with Retribution! Gard brought Issyria (don't remember the second list) and as this was a player from my club I was fairly certain he'd drop Issyria as we have discussed this a lot. I dropped Haley2 and the game was on!

:: Lists ::

Cygnar:

(Haley 2) Major Victoria Haley [+25]
- Thorn [13]
- Stormwall [39]
- Squire [5]
- Ironclad [12]
Journeyman Warcaster [4]
- Minuteman [9]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [4]
Gobber Tinker [2]Storm Lances (min) [12]

Opponent:

Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn - WJ: +29
-    Aspis - PC: 6
-    Discordia - PC: 18
-    Hyperion - PC: 36 (Battlegroup Points Used: 29)
-    Imperatus - PC: 22
-    Sphinx - PC: 13
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Soulless Voidtracer - PC: 2
Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress - PC: 3

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

The scenario is Take and Hold and he got first turn. I try and mind-game him by playing Haley opposite his flag instead of behind my own.

:: Game ::

Mind game trick doesn't work, he rolls ahead towards his own flag. The entire BG is positioned as such that Vortex and Disco imprint affect everyone.

Yeah Haley has to make the sad decision to move towards my own flag, slowly but surely. I can still get there with tricks next turn but it'll be super expensive. Lances go wide left to try and force him out or to commit whereas the Stormwall ensures Hyperion is out of range.

My opponent has an opening onto Thorn with Imperatus: With the Sphinx extending Hunter's Mark by 3" he can charge the Stormwall and Side Step onto Thorn. A bit of an issue possibly. He decides instead to have said Imperatus (who had Admonition on him) kill a Storm Lance with shooting. Fort Issyria moves up.

As you may notice in the picture above, the Hyperion's angle is very bad. My opponent forgot to move it so that my Stormwall would be unable to cripple a side. He concedes the game there and then but we play on (with me thus getting an auto-win for the purposes of the tournament regardless of what happens) with Hyperion facing the Stormwall directly.

I find an angle where I can charge him, kill one Arcanist with a pod and catch the other in my feat. This way he can't provide the Hyperion with the +2S bonus. The lances ensure Imperatus can't admonition in range of the Stormwall and Thorn starts working on the Sphinx whereas the Ironclad positions itself for a grind.

Unfortunately the Stormwall doesn't even cripple one side.

Only one thing to do: Kill that 'wall! Issyria counter-feats but even with her added damage output it's just not enough with Concentrated Power being gone.

I kill Hyperion and the Sphinx, Thorn disrupts the rest.

The game is basically over at this point in time and my opponent makes one last ditch effort to kill the Stormwall. Even this small victory is denied him and he concedes.

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

Issyria is incredibly weak on scenario with this type of list and had I just played it as I normally do even Take and Hold would've been an issue for him. In any case this game also shows that even this massive brick of a list is susceptible to Haley's usual shenanigans, disruption and the feat being the two biggies. Granted, better play with the Arcanists would possibly have rendered my move impossible but then there's the scenario angle again.

A fairly quick and brutal game. Watching Thorn run wild against heavies is a sight to behold. That guy is so brokenly good against heavy warjacks.