Battle Report #541: Stryker1 vs Haley2

:: Prologue ::

At the time of our WTC practice weekend I had some experience with the Hurricane and it suddenly hit me while dojoing with Olov (fellow Cygnar player from Sweden) that I think it might just re-enable the Stryker1 double colossal build I tried to make work a little while back. It essentially opens up so many angles and I believe it to be possibly the best mirror drop we could ever have.

Naturally, I had to try it out! Olov and I decided to spend the rest of the last practice day playing various mirror matches with the Jaeger Team™ config!

:: Lists ::

:: Cygnar ::

"Jaeger Team"
Theme: Heavy Metal
4 / 4 Free Cards     75 / 75 Army
Commander Coleman Stryker - WJ: +30
-    Squire - PC: 0
-    Hurricane - PC: 39 (Battlegroup Points Used: 30)
-    Stormwall - PC: 39
-    Lightning Pod
Captain Arlan Strangewayes - PC: 0
Journeyman Warcaster - PC: 0
-    Charger - PC: 9
Lieutenant Allison Jakes - PC: 0
-    Charger - PC: 9
-    Charger - PC: 9

:: Opponent ::

Haley2 Heavy Metal
- Hurricane
- Thorn
- Charger
- Charger
Junior
- Charger
Jakes
- Charger
- Hammersmith

:: Pre-Battle Thoughts & Deployment ::

We avoided the Time Storm variant for Haley2 because we thought the Charger-spam would be more interesting to test out (the assumption being that Haley2 Time Storm rarely plays/wants to play mirror). The scenario was Spread the Net and Haley went first. My plan here was to take advantage of a nearby trench, create a fort there basically and work the pew pew game!

:: Game :: 

Haley runs stuff up.

By Sniping the Hurricane I can actually peg a Charger on the right flank. I do so and kill it dead, finishing my turn with Junior casting Shield to replace Snipe. In hindsight, I don't think I actually need to do this at all, I'm probably fine with just having it on ARM19 for a turn given the state of the game and upkeeping Snipe is a big deal. Anyway.

Haley tries to castle up with the central forest as a denier.

I contemplate slowing the game down but I fear that if I do so I will lose control of the table. I decide instead to push and feat: Podding on the left to Earthquake two Chargers and killing the Hammersmith on the right.

Haley counter-feats and despite my +5 ARM the clumsy position of my Chargers on the left lets the Hurricane have a field day here. They take a lot of damage. Thorn runs up on the right flank.

I have to contain Thorn. If I can do that the game is probably over. The idea is to get a Charger over there, Earthquake it and have my colossals kill Thorn with shooting. It all works out pretty well, unfortunately though the Stormwall rolls snake eyes for its big gun shot. Conveniently that leaves Thorn on ~6-8 boxes with systems AMC intact...

...which sadly means that he can run into the trench, TK Stryker out and let the Hurricane finish the job.

Sadly, a Loss for the Swans. 

:: Evaluation ::

This game feels like it's massively in Stryker's favour. Between the Storm Smitters and being able to arc Earthquake and cycle my upkeeps, the Hurricane provided exactly the flexibility I hoped it would. The list definitely did what I hoped it would in the mirror!

Thorn is a problem here, and if Haley can set up for him somehow to close in then Stryker really has to worry about angles. That being said, I could have done an even better job casting up around him I think. There's a lot of support to protect and Haley reaches far, but if Thorn dies it's usually game over because she cannot work her tricks in the back field.