The last game from yesterday: Wurmwood! Thus far Nemo3 is the most comfortable caster I've ever played against the tree and I'm not sold on Wurmwood being "out" just yet. As such I need to know whether Stryker1 or Haley2 is my drop into Circle. My opponent's list was fairly vanilla, a perfect test for Stryker boy!
:: Lists ::
Cygnar:
[Theme] Heavy Metal
(Stryker 1) Commander Coleman Stryker [+30]
- Firefly[8]
- Stormwall [39]
- Stormwall [39]
- Squire [0]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Charger [9]
Lieutenant Allison Jakes [0]
- Charger [9]
Opponent:
:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::
Take and Hold and I move first. Hardly an optimal map for putting pressure on Wurmwood and killbox ensures that I have to move up ahead. I get first turn so the push is on!
:: Game ::
Blur on Stryker, Sidekick on a Charger. Junior's on the left flank. Firefly centrally.
Wurmwood pushes out. LoS-denial in the center with Cassius killing bog trog things.
Crucially the sentry stones are both within my Chargers' threat ranges (!). I decide to make a big play by going for both Sentries and feating. I allocate to each 'wall, the idea is that they'll trample and boost pods if either Sentry Stone survives. The right one does but the boosted pod damage roll is low. Oh well, at least I've forced the issue!
The thing about facing 2x ARM27 colossals is that you're facing 2x ARM27 colossals! Wraithbane and Curse of Shadow greatly help mitigate this but the damage output isn't nearly there still. Wurmwood's afraid to back off to the top left corner because basically everything I have is pointing in that direction. Instead he makes a play towards the top right corner and a Pureblood with Primal is sent to deal with the Charger on the right. Feat goes up.
I want to kill the Shamblers, leave the Pureblood to frenzy on a Mannikin and carve out a little place for myself on the left side, having a 'wall take his flag for a CP. This all works out wonderfully.
The Feral on the left flank receives Wraithbane. He warps Strength, is pulled in by Hellmouth and charges the closest 'wall (which was cursed). Dice damage is a good start, but so is 56 boxes and I survive with cortex intact.
Stryker1 tricks! A huge base is less than a 5" aoe. The right-most wall moves up to shoot the Pureblood which frenzied last turn, placing itself B2B with the Feral. Shots do horrible damage because that's what shooting does against Circle heavies. Stryker then Earthquakes this 'wall and this knocks down the Feral. The second 'wall kills off the Feral. The Firefly and Jakes finish off the Pureblood in the center.
The grind is lost, assassination is entirely off the table and there's no scenario play. Wurmwood concedes.
:: Evaluation ::
Wurmwood's LoS-denial is a problem for sure. I also think Wurmwood gets to buy a lot of space if he goes first. He will likely get the alpha and more careful play allows the Sentries to survive, which can set up for the Mannikins to harass the light jacks all day long. I'm not sure I really like this matchup. Storm Division Stryker1 is probably better, but then again that's worse against Krueger2 so there's that.
I think that with a pairing of Haley2 Storm Division and Stryker1 Heavy Metal the former is my preferred drop into Wurmwood. Haley still has tons of angles and the Lances are problematic for Circle to deal with. That being said this definitely feels playable as well and Stryker's feat is just such a nightmare for Wurmwood.
A great set of games, I learned a ton and got even more to contemplate. I love this game!
(Wurmwood 1) Wurmwood, Tree of Fate [+27]
- Cassius the Oathkeeper
- Pureblood Warpwolf [17]
- Pureblood Warpwolf [17]
- Feral Warpwolf [18]
- Loki [19]
Sentry Stone & Mannikins [5]
Sentry Stone & Mannikins [5]
Shifting Stones [3]
Wolves of Orboros (min) [7]
Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers [11]
Take and Hold and I move first. Hardly an optimal map for putting pressure on Wurmwood and killbox ensures that I have to move up ahead. I get first turn so the push is on!
:: Game ::
Blur on Stryker, Sidekick on a Charger. Junior's on the left flank. Firefly centrally.
Wurmwood pushes out. LoS-denial in the center with Cassius killing bog trog things.
Crucially the sentry stones are both within my Chargers' threat ranges (!). I decide to make a big play by going for both Sentries and feating. I allocate to each 'wall, the idea is that they'll trample and boost pods if either Sentry Stone survives. The right one does but the boosted pod damage roll is low. Oh well, at least I've forced the issue!
The thing about facing 2x ARM27 colossals is that you're facing 2x ARM27 colossals! Wraithbane and Curse of Shadow greatly help mitigate this but the damage output isn't nearly there still. Wurmwood's afraid to back off to the top left corner because basically everything I have is pointing in that direction. Instead he makes a play towards the top right corner and a Pureblood with Primal is sent to deal with the Charger on the right. Feat goes up.
I want to kill the Shamblers, leave the Pureblood to frenzy on a Mannikin and carve out a little place for myself on the left side, having a 'wall take his flag for a CP. This all works out wonderfully.
The Feral on the left flank receives Wraithbane. He warps Strength, is pulled in by Hellmouth and charges the closest 'wall (which was cursed). Dice damage is a good start, but so is 56 boxes and I survive with cortex intact.
Stryker1 tricks! A huge base is less than a 5" aoe. The right-most wall moves up to shoot the Pureblood which frenzied last turn, placing itself B2B with the Feral. Shots do horrible damage because that's what shooting does against Circle heavies. Stryker then Earthquakes this 'wall and this knocks down the Feral. The second 'wall kills off the Feral. The Firefly and Jakes finish off the Pureblood in the center.
The grind is lost, assassination is entirely off the table and there's no scenario play. Wurmwood concedes.
Victory to the Swans!
:: Evaluation ::
Wurmwood's LoS-denial is a problem for sure. I also think Wurmwood gets to buy a lot of space if he goes first. He will likely get the alpha and more careful play allows the Sentries to survive, which can set up for the Mannikins to harass the light jacks all day long. I'm not sure I really like this matchup. Storm Division Stryker1 is probably better, but then again that's worse against Krueger2 so there's that.
I think that with a pairing of Haley2 Storm Division and Stryker1 Heavy Metal the former is my preferred drop into Wurmwood. Haley still has tons of angles and the Lances are problematic for Circle to deal with. That being said this definitely feels playable as well and Stryker's feat is just such a nightmare for Wurmwood.
A great set of games, I learned a ton and got even more to contemplate. I love this game!
How do you think the matchup changes if Wurmwood has two Wold Wyrds to go along with Curse & Wraithbane? Does this tilt the matchup strongly in his favor assuming he drops a heavy like one of the purebloods?
SvarSlettIf Wurmwood has that build I very much doubt he pairs with Krueger2 so I will take that and play from there :) against shrimps the key is to not have upkeeps on your 'walls.
SvarSlett"Pureblood with Primal is sent to deal with the Charger on the right." - How sad is this?
SvarSlettCould you talk more about why someone wouldn't pair Krueger 2 with a Wurmwood+2x Woldwyrd build? Do you think the Woldwyrds aren't great against enough casters to be in every Circle list?
SvarSlettI think Woldwyrds make arm-skew matchups (e.g. Harkevich) incredibly hard. I don't see how a pairing with Krueger2 and Wurmwood, both with double shrimps, can deal with arm-skew lists.
Slett