Battle Report #529: Haley2 vs Ossrum

:: Prologue ::

After game 1 we went over a couple of issues and re-racked, this time with Ossrum getting first turn.

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"TimeStorm"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
- Thorn - PC: 13
- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
Storm Strider - PC: 18
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Reliant - PC: 14
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0

:: Opponent ::

General Ossrum - WJ: +28
- Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator - PC: 4
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8 )
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios - PC: 7
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt - Lady Aiyana & Master Holt: 8
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

What we discussed in-between these games was that Ossrum probably needs to create a LoS-denial line of jacks or something and somehow get the Artillery to shoot for multiple turns. I believe this means that the jacks cannot try and rush Haley but instead have to find a position from where they can play a "long game". My plan then was to simply look for openings in the wall of rhulic jacks.

:: Game ::

Ossrum advances out on a flank, the speed of the heavies determining the pace.

With such a compact formation I feel like I have to respect the damage output. I make a cautious advance and spread out on the right flank. This has the added benefit of putting pressure on Aiyana and Holt.

Ossrum pushes up further.

I make a devastating feat alpha: The Hurricane slams 2 lights into 2 other lights and kills the Artillery piece which had Fire For Effect. Sure, Haley granted it Temporal Acceleration, but this is amazing output from a single model. I feated out of range of the bunnies taking Energizer into account and had a really strong position.

Aiyana was out of range. This game felt completely dead. Even with Haley's feat out it's unlikely that the heavies will get a lot of work done. We played it as though Aiyana could kiss the Hurricane. It didn't matter and my opponent conceded.

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

This game shows how powerful the Hurricane is. A Stormwall would never have been able to do remotely what I did in this game. That ranged presence, especially when I have a Storm Strider on the table as well, is insane. Very hard for a lot of armies to deal with.

In conclusion it seems incredibly hard for Ossrum to keep his shooting things safe in this matchup. If he's unable to do so it feels like it's Cygnar's game to lose. Applying Aiyana is also a nightmare: With Domination and slam guns it's so hard for her to find a place where she's safe. On top of that there's a ton of lightning generators here, some of which have a really long range, some of which are expendable.

Two quick but good games. I love this Haley2 list!

Battle Report #528: Haley2 vs Ossrum

:: Prologue ::

I got in a couple of quick games vs Mercenaries today. The hypothesis of this matchup is that TimeStorm is able to deal with Ossrum because of the list's inherent flexibility: It can choose to alpha with shooting instead of melee and as long as the Storm Strider's not exposed it's very hard for Mercs to make a decisive push for table space.

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"TimeStorm"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
- Thorn - PC: 13
- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
Storm Strider - PC: 18
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Reliant - PC: 14
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0

:: Opponent ::

General Ossrum - WJ: +28
- Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator - PC: 4
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8 )
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios - PC: 7
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt - Lady Aiyana & Master Holt: 8
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

We played Spread the Net and I went first. I deployed the Storm Strider out on a flank, the Hurricane centrally with the Reliant and spread out the lights.

:: Game ::

I run stuff up. A Firefly and Thorn head -way- up, the latter with evasive action from Arlan. The Storm Strider took care to be outside of artillery ranges.

Eiryss bolts over to the left flank, outside of 11" of Junior's Firefly. Ossrum feats and everything shoots the Hurricane for a little less than 1 side. Two heavies jam.

The idea is to hold my feat, repair Hurricane, back off and deal with the heavies + Eiryss. Haley TKs the Firefly which kills Eiryss, as well as one heavy which is moved closer to me, allowing the Hurricane to move back a little bit. The Reliant and Thorn spike on the secondary heavy jamming me so they are both essentially out of the game. The Storm Strider does some damage to a light, but head and cortex systems are intact.

Another round of pew pew on the Hurricane. It doesn't do as much as my Merc opponent had hoped. Dice off 10 is rough. Aiyana and Holt were in no position to land Kiss. The third heavy tries to deal with the Reliant but fails, because of Sidekick and dice being dice.

I don't even manage to finish my turn before my opponent concedes.

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

This game was pretty straight forward: TimeStorm's flexibility allows me to choose attrition plays based on the situation. Ossrum's forces have to commit unfavourably and that's all she wrote.

I'm considering whether or not the Hurricane needs to present itself at all if Haley goes first. I'm thinking that maybe it's better to quite simply be out of threat ranges of damn near everything. It didn't feel like what little space I got warranted him taking 20+ boxes. Those artillery pieces sure will keep pounding and that can be a dangerous thing.

Thoughts On The Current Meta

:: Introduction ::

It's been a while and I think it's time for another meta analysis piece. The last such piece I wrote was back in March and you can find it here. Note that this analysis is based on SR2017, more specifically the last version which was in CID.

Since last time there have been multiple releases and quite a few builds in the themes we've known for a while have stabilized somewhat. As always there's a lot ahead of us as well. In other words this piece is unlikely to be 100% relevant for very long. Furthermore I expect a lot of players out there to sit on answers which have yet to be publicly known.

:: Faction Ranking ::

S-tier: Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, Mercenaries
A-tier: Legion, Retribution, Convergence, Skorne
B-tier: Circle, Protectorate
C-tier: Minions, Trollbloods

Cygnar's really strong right now with multiple exciting and viable builds. Cryx has taken a big step up with Ghost Fleet claiming many events recently. To be fair I think a lot of this success comes from people not expecting those kinds of builds. As the meta adapt I believe Ghost Fleet will be less dominant. Khador feels very strong and flexible, in many ways like Cygnar. I also believe Mercs are still top-tier, they frequently place very well and have a range of viable approaches.

Legion's fallen down a notch because they struggle with Ghost Fleet and because Cygnar players have found pretty stable answers to them. Retribution got an expected boost from their Command book and jumps up a notch. This might be a little early yet, we'll see. Convergence is surprisingly strong now. They are quite rare but I won't take their success away because of that: I find them really hard to play with some amazing lists. Skorne is still in the A-tier but only barely, they have a distinct weakness against Ghost Fleet with their current popular lists for example.

Circle has fallen a bit, they seem to really struggle these days. It's not that they don't have answers but more that their answers are kind of specialized. Thus their pairings often have a lot of holes. Protectorate sits in the same bracket because they have yet to find a solid pair for Amon.

At the bottom sadly I believe we still have Minions and Trollbloods. I hope both of these factions receive some love ASAP.

And now, what you've all been waiting for: Sample lists!

:: Cygnar ::

(Haley2) Major Victoria Haley [+25]
- Charger [9]
- Hammersmith [12]
- Stormwall [39]
- Thorn [13]
- Squire [0]
Captain Arlan Strangewayes [0]
Journeyman Warcaster [0]
- Charger [9]
Lieutenant Allison Jakes [4]
- Stormclad [18]
Theme: Heavy Metal

(Sloan) Captain Kara Sloan - WJ: +28
- Squire - PC: 0
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Stormwall - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 28)
- Lightning Pod
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Charger - PC: 9
Alain Runewood - PC: 0
Theme: Heavy Metal

(Caine3) Caine's Hellslingers - WJ: +20
- Caine's Hellslingers (Cont.)
- Squire - PC: 0
- Ace - PC: 12
- Charger - PC: 9
- Charger - PC: 9
- Charger - PC: 9
- Charger - PC: 9

- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 20)
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Theme: Heavy Metal

I really had to make a choice here because there are so many choices! I'm obviously biased here but I truly think the above 3 are probably our strongest. In addition to these the Welsh Masters finals recently featured a Cygnar mirror where one player had Stryker1 in his pairing and the other had Haley3. In my opinion these 2 casters are still very strong and have multiple approaches. I also think Nemo3 is still worth considering, he is a very strong caster in many, many matchups.

:: Cryx ::

(Deneghra1) Warwitch Deneghra - WJ: +28 

- Deathripper - PC: 6 (Battlegroup Points Used: 6) 

- Deathripper - PC: 6 (Battlegroup Points Used: 6) 

- Stalker - PC: 8 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8) 

- Stalker - PC: 8 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8) 

Wraith Engine - PC: 15 

Captain Rengrave - PC: 0 

Hellslinger Phantom - PC: 0 

Pistol Wraith - PC: 0 

Blackbane's Ghost Raiders - Blackbane & 9 Grunts: 17 

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

THEME: The Ghost Fleet 

(Coven) The Witch Coven of Garlghast - WJ: +26 

- Egregore 

- Deathripper - PC: 6 (Battlegroup Points Used: 6) 

- Seether - PC: 13 (Battlegroup Points Used: 13) 

- Nightwretch - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 7) 

Wraith Engine - PC: 15 

Captain Rengrave - PC: 0 

Hellslinger Phantom - PC: 0 

Pistol Wraith - PC: 0 

Blackbane's Ghost Raiders - Blackbane & 9 Grunts: 17 

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

Revenant Crew of the Atramentous - Leader & 5 Grunts: 9 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

- Revenant Crew Rifleman - PC: 2 

THEME: The Ghost Fleet

I don't want to dwell on Cryx too much. Ghost Fleet pretty much sums up Cryx right now. However the Bane theme is just around the corner and I fully expect that to shake things up, including an Asphyxious2 revival (to the joy of all Mk. 2 Cryx players). The lists above are incredibly strong and they cover eachother's weaknesses quite well.

:: Khador ::

(Vlad1) Vladimir Tzepesci, The Dark Prince - WJ: +28
- Juggernaut - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 12)
- Juggernaut - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 12)
- Marauder - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 4)
- Marauder - PC: 10
- Marauder - PC: 10
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich - PC: 4
Battle Mechaniks - Leader & 3 Grunts: 3
Winter Guard Rifle Corps - Leader & 5 Grunts: 8
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
Winter Guard Rifle Corps - Leader & 5 Grunts: 8
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
Winter Guard Rifle Corps - Leader & 5 Grunts: 8
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
- Winter Guard Rocketeer - PC: 2
Winter Guard Mortar Crew - Gunner & Grunt: 0
Winter Guard Field Gun Crew - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 0
THEME: Winter Guard Kommand

Karchev the Terrible - WJ: +30
- Devastator - PC: 14 (Battlegroup Points Used: 14)
- Devastator - PC: 14 (Battlegroup Points Used: 14)
- Juggernaut - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 2)
- Juggernaut - PC: 12
- Marauder - PC: 10
- Marauder - PC: 10
- Marauder - PC: 10
- Marauder - PC: 10
- Marauder - PC: 10
Greylord Forge Seer - PC: 0
Greylord Forge Seer - PC: 0
Manhunter - PC: 0
Manhunter - PC: 0
Battle Mechaniks - Leader & 3 Grunts: 3
THEME: Jaws of the Wolf

Khador has a ton of strong builds these days, I think it's hard to choose just a couple. In the end I went with Vlad1 and Karchev because I see them a lot, they've been around for a while and they are pretty terrifying in the right matchups. The pair also has answers to most things in the meta. Apart from these I see Zerkova1 Steel Legion, variants of Butcher1 and Butcher3 in Winter Guard Kommand, Vlad2 Steel Legion, Sorscha1 Winter Guard Kommand and still the occasional Harkevich build. Khador's in an excellent spot!

:: Mercenaries ::

(Thexus) Exulon Thexus - WJ: +29
- Wrecker - PC: 14 (Battlegroup Points Used: 14)
- Wrecker - PC: 14 (Battlegroup Points Used: 14)
Cephalyx Agitator - PC: 3
Cephalyx Agitator - PC: 3
Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges - Mind Bender & 9 Drudge Grunts: 11
Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges - Mind Bender & 9 Drudge Grunts: 11
Cephalyx Mind Bender & Drudges - Mind Bender & 9 Drudge Grunts: 11
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges - Slaver & 9 Drudge Grunts: 12
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges - Slaver & 9 Drudge Grunts: 12
Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges - Slaver & 9 Drudge Grunts: 12
Cephalyx Overlords - Leader & 2 Grunts: 0
Cephalyx Overlords - Leader & 2 Grunts: 0
THEME: Operating Theater

(MacBain) Drake MacBain - WJ: +30
- Galleon - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 30)
Kell Bailoch - PC: 0
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor - PC: 0
Stannis Brocker - PC: 0
Dirty Meg - PC: 3
Greygore Boomhowler & Co. - Boomhowler & 5 Grunts: 11
Steelhead Heavy Cavalry - Leader & 4 Grunts: 18
Steelhead Heavy Cavalry - Leader & 2 Grunts: 11
Steelhead Halberdiers - Leader & 5 Grunts: 7
Trencher Infantry - Leader & 9 Grunts: 16
THEME: The Kingmaker's Army

(Ossrum) General Ossrum - WJ: +28
- Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator - PC: 4
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
- Ghordson Driller - PC: 10 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8) '
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Gunner - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
- Grundback Blaster - PC: 6
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios - PC: 7
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt - Lady Aiyana & Master Holt: 8
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6
Horgenhold Artillery Corps - Gunner & 2 Grunts: 6

Mercenary lists are so different, I had to include 3 to properly show the choices they have. The above lists are all really solid and scary to play against, and on top of that we also see variants such as Ossrum in theme and Damiano or Magnus2 running Kingmaker's instead of MacBain.

:: Legion :: 

(Fyanna2) Fyanna, Torment of Everblight - WB: +28
- Succubus - PC: 0
- Angelius - PC: 17 (Battlegroup Points Used: 17)
- Angelius - PC: 17 (Battlegroup Points Used: 11)
- Neraph - PC: 12
- Neraph - PC: 12
- Neraph - PC: 12
- Seraph - PC: 14
- Naga Nightlurker - PC: 8
- Raek - PC: 8
Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion - PC: 0
Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion - PC: 0
The Forsaken - PC: 0
Spell Martyr - PC: 1
Blighted Nyss Shepherd - PC: 1
Blighted Nyss Shepherd - PC: 1
THEME: Oracles of Annihilation

(Absylonia2) Absylonia, Daughter of Everblight - WB: +28
- Succubus - PC: 0
- Carnivean - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 19)
- Carnivean - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 9)
- Carnivean - PC: 19
- Seraph - PC: 14
- Proteus - PC: 19
- Naga Nightlurker - PC: 8
- Shredder - PC: 4
Blighted Nyss Shepherd - PC: 0
The Forsaken - PC: 0
The Forsaken - PC: 0
Spell Martyr - PC: 1
THEME: Oracles of Annihilation

(Lylyth3) Lylyth, Reckoning of Everblight - WB: +29
- Succubus - PC: 0
- Angelius - PC: 17 (Battlegroup Points Used: 17)
- Angelius - PC: 17 (Battlegroup Points Used: 12)
- Angelius - PC: 17
- Carnivean - PC: 19
- Naga Nightlurker - PC: 8
- Nephilim Bolt Thrower - PC: 11
- Seraph - PC: 14
Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion - PC: 0
Blighted Nyss Shepherd - PC: 1
The Forsaken - PC: 0
The Forsaken - PC: 0
THEME: Oracles of Annihilation

Fyanna2 seems to be the hotness in Legion still. Her feat is a big pain to play against so I can definitely see this. Absylonia2 still has beyond crazy damage output while Lylyth3 is a strong cookie-cutter with Oracles. In addition to these three I see some Vayl2 builds and variants of Thagrosh1 and Thagrosh2. Legion currently struggles with Cryx and Cygnar the most I believe so I'm interested to see what answers they'll find here.

::Retribution :: 

(Vyros2) Incissar of the Dawnguard - WJ: +27
- Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker - PC: 0
- Helios - PC: 34 (Battlegroup Points Used: 27)
- Griffon - PC: 8
- Griffon - PC: 8
- Griffon - PC: 8
- Griffon - PC: 8
- Griffon - PC: 8
- Imperatus - PC: 22
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
House Shyeel Artificer - PC: 0
House Shyeel Magister - PC: 0
THEME: Forges of War

(Ossyan) Lord Arcanist Ossyan - WJ: +28
- Banshee - PC: 18 (Battlegroup Points Used: 18)
- Hypnos - PC: 18 (Battlegroup Points Used: 10)
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Arcanist Mechanik - PC: 2
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios - PC: 0
Mage Hunter Assassin - PC: 0
Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios - PC: 0
Mage Hunter Infiltrators - Leader & 9 Grunts: 13
Mage Hunter Strike Force - Leader & 9 Grunts: 16
- Mage Hunter Strike Force Commander - PC: 4
Mage Hunter Strike Force - Leader & 9 Grunts: 16
- Mage Hunter Strike Force Commander - PC: 4
Spears of Scyrah - Leader & 2 Grunts: 9
- Soulless Escort - PC: 1
THEME: Shadows of the Retribution

The new Command book brought some much needed love back to this faction! I'm not yet sure where it all lands as it's early days yet. Vyros2 in Forges seems to be a solid start. With or without Helios depends on preference I believe. I'm personally not a fan but from what I've gathered it appears to be the more popular choice. Ossyan can build scary Shadows lists which seem quite well suited to take on Cryx for example and probably also Cygnar. Rahn and Helynna are still popular and I fully expect Retribution players to find interesting lists with Issyria and Kaelyssa as well. Their battle engine might also become a thing depending on where it ends up following CID.

:: Convergence ::

Iron Mother Directrix & Exponent Servitors - WJ: +27
- Iron Mother Directrix & Exponent Servitors Cont.
- Assimilator - PC: 16
- Assimilator - PC: 16
- Assimilator - PC: 16
- Corollary - PC: 6
- Diffuser - PC: 6
- Prime Axiom - PC: 38 (Battlegroup Points Used: 27)
Elimination Servitors - 3 Elimination Servitors: 0
Elimination Servitors - 3 Elimination Servitors: 0
Elimination Servitors - 3 Elimination Servitors: 0
Attunement Servitors - 3 Attunement Servitors: 0
Optifex Directive - Leader & 2 Grunts: 4
THEME: Destruction Initiative

Father Lucant, The Divinity Architect - WJ: +28
- Conservator - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 12)
- Conservator - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 12)
- Conservator - PC: 12 (Battlegroup Points Used: 4)
- Conservator - PC: 12
- Inverter - PC: 15
Transfinite Emergence Projector - PC: 19 - Permutation Servitors
Transfinite Emergence Projector - PC: 19 - Permutation Servitors
Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex - PC: 2
Reflex Servitors - 3 Reflex Servitors: 0
Reflex Servitors - 3 Reflex Servitors: 0
Attunement Servitors - 3 Attunement Servitors: 0
Elimination Servitors - 3 Elimination Servitors: 0
Reflex Servitors - 3 Reflex Servitors: 0
THEME: Destruction Initiative

I suppose Axis has strictly speaking been the more popular alternative than Father lately. My main reason for not including him is that I've just about only seen his lists with ADR, which this analysis doesn't take into account. Father and Mother make for a pretty solid pairing regardless, having game into the majority of other factions for sure.

:: Skorne ::

(Makeda2) Supreme Archdomina Makeda - WB: +27
- Despoiler - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 19)
- Molik Karn - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 8)
Mortitheurge Willbreaker - PC: 4
Mortitheurge Willbreaker - PC: 4
Tyrant Rhadeim - PC: 9
Praetorian Ferox - Leader & 4 Grunts: 20
Praetorian Ferox - Leader & 4 Grunts: 20
Paingiver Beast Handlers - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew - Leader & 1 Grunt: 2

(Makeda1) Archdomina Makeda - WB: +29
- Basilisk Krea - PC: 7
- Mammoth - PC: 38 (Battlegroup Points Used: 29)
- Molik Karn - PC: 19
- Titan Gladiator - PC: 15
Extoller Soulward - PC: 3
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor - PC: 5
Gremlin Swarm - PC: 3
Swamp Gobber Chef - PC: 1
Legends of Halaak - Valgesh, CIdaar & J'Deth: 8
Paingiver Beast Handlers - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5

These builds have been stable for some time and I have not seen Skorne come up with something else to rival these yet. That being said I fully believe that to be just around the corner now: I believe both these lists were comparatively stronger in SR2016 and Ghost Fleet steamrolls the both of them. If I were to guess the answer's in their shooty theme list somehow. I played against a variant of this with Xerxis2 a while back. He didn't seem like the right choice but Skorne have a lot of other interesting casters for this role.

:: Circle ::

(Baldur2) Baldur the Stonesoul - WB: +30
- Loki - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 19)
- Megalith - PC: 20 (Battlegroup Points Used: 11)
- Pureblood Warpwolf - PC: 17
- Ghetorix - PC: 21
- Woldwyrd - PC: 9
Gallows Grove - PC: 2
Swamp Gobber Chef - PC: 1
Sentry Stone & Mannikins - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Sentry Stone & Mannikins - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Shifting Stones - Leader & 2 Grunts: 3
Shifting Stones - Leader & 2 Grunts: 3

(Krueger2) Krueger the Stormlord - WB: +27
- Feral Warpwolf - PC: 18 (Battlegroup Points Used: 18)
- Loki - PC: 19 (Battlegroup Points Used: 9)
- Pureblood Warpwolf - PC: 17
- Megalith - PC: 20
- Woldwyrd - PC: 9
Blackclad Wayfarer - PC: 4
Gallows Grove - PC: 2
Sentry Stone & Mannikins - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Sentry Stone & Mannikins - Leader & 3 Grunts: 5
Shifting Stones - Leader & 2 Grunts: 3

Popular Circle builds these days seem to all be "Heroclix" variants: You load up on character beasts outside of theme and play with all the tricks and shenanigans in the world. The problem is that in a lot of matchups this simply isn't what you need. I believe Circle's answers probably exist in theme forces as well, e.g. Baldur2 with lots of stones and Krueger2 with lots of infantry. Other casters which I expect to see include Wurmwood, Una2, Morvahna2 and Kaya3. I hope for Circle that a strong pairing emerges soon. The Fulcrum's promising in CID so this might be an enabler as well.

:: Protectorate ::

(Amon) High Allegiant Amon Ad-Raza - WJ: +29
- Hierophant - PC: 0
- Dervish - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 7)
- Dervish - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 7)
- Dervish - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 7)
- Dervish - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 7)
- Dervish - PC: 7 (Battlegroup Points Used: 1)
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
- Dervish - PC: 7
The Covenant of Menoth - PC: 0
Wrack - PC: 1
Vassal of Menoth - PC: 0
Vassal Mechanik - PC: 1
Vassal Mechanik - PC: 1
Choir of Menoth - Leader & 5 Grunts: 6
Choir of Menoth - Leader & 3 Grunts: 4
THEME: The Creator's Might

Sadly, I have no idea what to pair with Amon. Part of the reason why I elected not to include a second list is that the Exemplar theme is right around the corner and -that- looks super promising! Once that's out I think we'll see some new and cool builds which will help out the Protectorate again. Interesting casters include Severius1, Severius2 and Harbinger for starters.

:: Minions ::

Rask - WB: +27
- Blackhide Wrastler - PC: 16 (Battlegroup Points Used: 16)
- Blackhide Wrastler - PC: 16 (Battlegroup Points Used: 11)
Wrong Eye - Wrong Eye & Snapjaw: 17
- Snapjaw
Bog Trog Mist Speaker - PC: 0
Bog Trog Mist Speaker - PC: 4
Feralgeist - PC: 2
Totem Hunter - PC: 0
Gatorman Posse (Blindwater) - Leader & 2 Grunts: 10
Gatorman Posse (Blindwater) - Leader & 2 Grunts: 10
Gatorman Posse (Blindwater) - Leader & 2 Grunts: 10
Gatorman Posse (Blindwater) - Leader & 4 Grunts: 17
THEME: The Blindwater Congregation

The crocodile spam with los-denial shenanigans and the usual Rask stuff seems to be about the only stable and sort-of-strong build Minions have these days. It might be the fact that Minions simply aren't that popular as well, I don't know. From my point of view they seem really, really weak.

:: Trollbloods ::

(Doomshaper3) Hoarluk Doomshaper, Dire Prophet & Scroll Bearers - WB: +26
- Hoarluk Doomshaper, Dire Prophet & Scroll Bearers (Cont.)
- Trollkin Runebearer - PC: 0
- Earthborn Dire Troll - PC: 15 (Battlegroup Points Used: 15)
- Dire Troll Mauler - PC: 15 (Battlegroup Points Used: 11)
- Dire Troll Mauler - PC: 15
- Mulg the Ancient - PC: 19
- Troll Axer - PC: 10
- Storm Troll - PC: 9
- Storm Troll - PC: 9
Northkin Shaman - PC: 0
Troll Whelps - 5 Whelps: 0
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes - Leader & 3 Grunts: 6
- Stone Scribe Elder - PC: 3
THEME: The Power of Dhunia

(Gunnbjorn) Captain Gunnbjorn - WB: +28
- Trollkin Runebearer - PC: 0
- Dire Troll Bomber - PC: 19
- Dozer & Smigg - PC: 18
- Mountain King - PC: 36 (Battlegroup Points Used: 28)
- Earthborn Dire Troll - PC: 15
Janissa Stonetide - PC: 0
Northkin Shaman - PC: 0
Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes - Leader & 3 Grunts: 6
- Stone Scribe Elder - PC: 3
Dhunian Knot - Leader & 2 Grunts: 6
THEME: The Power of Dhunia

Trollbloods still feel like they're at the bottom with Minions. They have so many bad matchups, a lot of them downright unplayable. Their biggest strength these days seems to be that people don't expect them and thus don't know the matchup. The Kriel theme is coming up and maybe their third gargantuan might help them out. I really think this faction needs a significant buff.

In the time to come I expect most factions to work on the matchups against the perceived top dogs. Many will disagree with what I've written here and some will disagree with nearly all of it. In any case we all have our problematic matchups which we're trying to solve. With tons of stuff in CID and more releases coming up I expect the summer to be highly dynamic meta-wise. I'm excited! 

Battle Report #527: Haley2 vs Iron Mother

:: Prologue ::

After game 1 we decided to tweak Mother to go with 1 TEP, which lets her take an Assimilator and a couple of Diffusers. Sadly, it was pointed out to me after the game, my opponent forgot about the Assimilator altogether (!).

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"TimeStorm"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
- Thorn - PC: 13
- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
Storm Strider - PC: 18
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Reliant - PC: 14
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0

:: Opponent ::

Iron Mother
- Prime Axiom
- Diffuser x3
- Assimilator
- Corollary
Meks
TEP
Free bots

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

Same map and scenario, Mother goes first. I play the Storm Strider diagonally opposite the TEP now. The idea is that the TEP will have to commit itself heavily and thus open up a big vacuum if it wants to provide +3 shield guards every turn on the left flank.

:: Game ::

Convergence stuff runs up.

I go for pot-shots on a Diffuser with the Storm Strider. The dice aren't great. I figure my opponent is unlikely to one-round it and commitment-wise I'm establishing myself on the right flank.

Of course I didn't factor in harm. That alters the equation significantly. Sadly for my opponent the Harm shot misses as he doesn't want to feat. Sadly for me that doesn't matter as the Storm Strider goes down anyway. Pretty bad start, eh?

I have a pretty decent play by TK-ing the TEP around and running up hard with feat. I do this and Junior's Firefly contests on the left by running to engage a Diffuser. 1-0.

Mother again doesn't want to feat and this ensures that my Firefly survives (!), thus contesting. TEP has to withdraw which means no contest for Convergence. 2-0.

I figure that by blocking out Prime and killing the TEP I'll have an amazing position. I don't dare to put Haley on the flag (quite frankly it's impossible since I need to activate her before the Hurricane), but this still means I'll go to 3-0.

My opponent clears his zone, but he misses Thorn with an attack which lets me dodge away. Between the Reliant's AOE3 on his objective, the Hurricane and Thorn blocking tons of angles, it's impossible for him to contest me. That means I keep the 3 point lead, which in turn means I can kill the objective, take the flag, zone and contest to go +6 and win on scenario. My opponent concedes.

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

The Storm Strider greed was terrible and set me up way, way behind. My opponent forgetting to put down the Assimilator though greatly affected the game as well.

Those things aside, I think this game highlights how crazy fast some scenarios can still be played -if- you get the necessary opening. Luring people out to commit too heavily can really be punished and that's exactly what happened here. As with the first game I struggled with taking out bots here as well, but I found plays which didn't mean that I had to.

I find this matchup to be exhausting to play. It requires experience and patience in great amounts. For Cygnar it's hard to protect against Domination/pull angles while removing bots. For Convergence it's hard to set up properly for feat, ensure scenario is held down and that you don't lose too many bots. Despite the mental load it's a lot of fun and I greatly enjoy these encounters!

Battle Report #526: Haley2 vs Iron Mother

:: Prologue ::

With the inclusion of the Storm Strider I believe Haley2 might yet again be an interesting drop against Iron Mother. My regular Convergence opponent had a couple of builds he wanted to try out as well. This

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"TimeStorm"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
- Thorn - PC: 13
- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
Storm Strider - PC: 18
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Reliant - PC: 14
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0

:: Opponent ::

Iron Mother
- Prime Axiom
- Diffuser
- Corollary
Meks
2x TEP
Free bots

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

I take first turn. My idea is to try and clear out bots and then start working on Prime with shooting, possibly a TEP if the chance presents itself. The right colossal proxies as a Storm Strider.

:: Game ::

Stuff runs. I take care to be out of Pull and Domination ranges.

CoC advance, mostly on the right flank. The left TEP receives tactical supremacy and repositions forward.

With the repos move I figure I can pull it down and possibly shoot it to death. My plan this turn is to TK the TEP closer, TK the Diffuser out of cover and blast them both to kingdom come. Junior's Firefly clears remaining Shield Guards for the TEP and the Hurricane blasts it apart. The Storm Strider finishes the Diffuser. Good position for me!

Mother gets very little work done. Prime moves up to tempt me...

...but I have played against Mother before and know that only backlash death awaits me if I engage. I cannot one-round Prime anyway, if I could it might be different. Anyway, I back off and blast Prime with everything I've got. This clears out a ton of bots and even puts some damage on it. On the left flank I have Fireflies lined up to score and threaten Ionization plays. I leave the Reliant on the right flank contesting and within melee range. I figure my opponent will have a couple of headaches to deal with: If he doesn't commit he risks actually being shot to death. I can also stall the game, keep scoring the left zone and win at the end of 7th: Prime is blocked in by the central impassable so realistically won't get anywhere anytime soon. Interesting position!

Mother does Mother things: Domination + Backlash on Haley's Firefly. I take ~7 damage I believe through Feedback.

Objective and focus heals me back up fully. With Prime electing to stay so close to me I can send in both the Reliant and the Hurricane. Since it took a few boxes last turn this should be well within one-rounding range (I later did the math in Odds Machine: 99%). However dice don't cooperate and it survives on 2 boxes.

Prime surviving is a disaster and Mother casts Backlash on Hurricane. With plenty of spikebots around Haley dies.

Sadly, a Loss for the Swans. 

:: Evaluation ::

Very interesting game! The Storm Strider was a welcome addition here. Between its guns and the Hurricane's firepower it's hard for Mother to keep a ton of bots alive. My opponent did manage to do so in this game and that was why I eventually lost. He did just barely kill Haley, had he had 1 less spike bot I would've survived.

The odds for one-rounding Prime were overwhelming. Had they not been I wonder if perhaps a wiser move would've been to keep drawing this game out: With the state of the table scoring was happening so easily for me whereas my opponent really strugged. I think I might've been able to simply go to the end of 7th by keeping the Mexican Standoff. Plays like this are still very new to me and I feel like mastering them will be key in SR2017.

Double TEP seems too much for Mother. I had a hunch prior to this game that it would be and this pretty much confirms it for me. I like one, I think, but 2 leaves her with too little flexibility.

Battle Report #525: Sloan vs Baldur2

:: Prologue ::

I'm a couple of reports behind now so it's time to get back up to date :) First up is an encounter between Sloan and Baldur2, the latter with CID Fulcrums!

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

Cygnar - Firing Solution v4
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Armory - Steamroller Objective
Captain Kara Sloan - WJ: +28
- Squire - PC: 0
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Hunter - PC: 11
- Stormwall - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 28)
- Lightning Pod
- Firefly - PC: 8
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Hunter - PC: 11
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Hammersmith - PC: 12

:: Opponent ::

Baldur2
- Woldwrath
- 3x Woldwyrd
2x Fulcrum
2x Stoneshaper
Blackclad Wayfarer
Shifting Stones

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

Baldur wins the roll-off and goes first. My plan is to feat early and establish control on the left flank.

:: Game ::

Stuff runs up. Baldur puts up Roots on all huge bases.

I feat to kill the left engine and start working on the 'wrath. Dice are poor though, much to my dismay.

Baldur's forces start shifting left. No Rock Wall is put up so my Stormwall can charge his 'wrath.

I pour all my shooting and the 'wall in melee into the Woldwrath. It survives on way too many boxes compared to what it should have had now. Hammersmith is put up nearby.

While my dice are bad, Circle dice are hot. The 'wall goes down and with that, the game is basically over. I don't have enough power to take it out and deal additional damage to the Circle forces, which I really needed. If my Stormwall had lived on a couple of boxes I would be good to go, but without it this game is dead.

Sadly, a Loss for the Swans. 

:: Evaluation ::

Baldur2 is in my opinion the hardest caster to face for Cygnar. I think I prefer Sloan against him, but as with so many other matchups this is incredibly dicey. You have to jump on the openings presented to you and hope for the best. In this game I had two iffy turns in a row while Circle healed insane amounts and got the damage rolls needed to cripple me in return. I think the Woldwrath letting the Stormwall charge him was uncalled for and Circle could possibly have found a better position by backing off a little bit and let the shooting do some work. The second turn could've sent the shrimps up in front behind a rock wall with feat for example.

The CID Fulcrum is interesting for Baldur2. Two of these provide less melee presence than a second Woldwrath, but the shooting game becomes so much stronger. Provided you can afford to keep Roots up on all huge bases, the durability is comparable as well.

Internal Affairs Mk. XI Game 4 (#524): Haley2 vs Thexus

:: Prologue ::

For the last game of the tournament I was paired up against Mercs. My opponent dropped Thexus and I went with Haley2. A very interesting matchup!

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"TimeStorm"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards 75 / 75 Army
Major Victoria Haley - WJ: +25
- Squire - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
- Thorn - PC: 13
- Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 25)
Storm Strider - PC: 18
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
- Firefly - PC: 8
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
- Reliant - PC: 14
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0

:: Opponent ::

Thexus, Operating Theatre
- 2x Wrecker
Agitator
Dominator
- Alexia1
3x Mind Slavers
3x Mind Benders
2x Overlords

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

The scenario was Standoff and Thexus chose to take first turn.

:: Game ::

Drudges swarm the table.

I have an interesting issue. The Ambushers coupled with Thexus' feat and Adrenal Flood threaten so far. I have to stay really tightly packed up and my two huge bases aren't doing me any favours. The Hurricane can probably tank the Ambushers but the Strider risks downright dying with a little support. The idea is to have the Reliant contest the right zone and the Hurricane the left zone. I fry a couple of dudes, pew pew style.

Thexus bides his time. Stuff keeps spreading out. One Wrecker toes his zone.

I have to keep attritioning and open up my lines a little. I decide to shift the huge bases left and feat. This gives me some space and lets me threat a lot more angles. My opponent also sadly forgets that I can shoot his objective so I take out a leader with Adrenal Flood in the center, leaving one on either side. Big win for me!

Thexus cannot do much under my feat.

I withdraw my forces, blow out the objective, keep killing drudges.

Ambushers come out on the right flank simply to force me to deal with more models. My opponent didn't know sidekick stops TK so his turn is kind of wasted as he learns that.

It's tight on CP but I have to play very precise. I kill the Wrecker with shooting and ensure that my lights get into stronger, central positions now that Thexus is almost out of Drudges.

The clock is becoming a thing so this is the last picture I take: My opponent tries to keep contesting with models spread out and waiting in reserve to run in.

I kill the second Wrecker with shooting, wipe out more models, ensure I contest better, get a Firefly in the zone. All in all I have to play the last 4 turns of the game in 16 minutes. I manage to do so barely and when my 7th turn is over I have 2 minutes left on the clock and a 2 CP lead!

Victory to the Swans!

:: Evaluation ::

Wow, what a tense end to a great weekend! This game was super clutch and really came down to it. Standoff is definitely one of the harder scenarios to face Thexus on. The terrain we had here was crazy tight (which often happens in a team tournament) so moving my huge bases around was... Interesting. In the end the Reliant stood watch on the right flank and that was key to my success.

I think Thexus might've taken this home if he had been able to deal with the reliant earlier. Best case: Hex Blast + feat + TK -> kill. The way this game evolved felt a lot like my last game vs Elara2: I cleared out the waves as they came too close for comfort and I never really had a lot of models making it into melee and actually hitting my stuff.

My team again won all of their games! After a miserable day 1 we went 10-0 individually in total on day 2. This gave us a 2-2 score with very strong tie breakers, and with the other WTC team making a clean 4-0 streak we got 2nd place! Certainly not bad considering where we started off. Every participating team won at least one of their games, which to me says a lot about how evenly matched players in our meta are overall.

A great weekend and a ton of good games. I really like SR2017 and the various things in CID we played and saw this weekend felt like steps in the right direction as well.