And were back with another edition of Tuesday Night Fights! My club is headed to the Unplugged GT in Hartford, CT next weekend with lists due this Friday, so this was very much a list testing affair. Also minor celebration for reaching 2000 painted points! Not bad for just about 3 months work from start to finish.
BLOODFIRE GAME 5: VARANGUR + HERD
Salamanders 2000
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Fire Elemental Horde
Ember Sprites Regiment
Ember Sprites Regiment
Ember Sprites Regiment
Greater Fire Elemental
Greater Fire Elemental
Herald on Raptor – Diadem of Dragonkind
Herald on Raptor – Healing Charm
Mage-Priest – Surge, Heal, Shroud of the Saint (+2 Heal)
Clan Lord on Fire Drake – Banner of the Griffin
Dropped the fourth Sprites to afford some items on the heroes, particularly the Heralds, who didnt seem to do much beyond stand near things, fail to disorder shooters, and valiantly delay terrible things.
Varangur + Herd 2000
Bloodsworn Regiment – Gift(Brutal), Healing Brew
Sons of Korgaan Regiment – Gift(Brutal), Blood of the Old King
Cave Troll Regiment
The Fallen Horde – Brew of Strength
Mounted Sons of Korgaan Regiment – Gift(Brutal), Brew of Haste
Horse Raider Troop – bows
Skald – Banner of the Griffin
Herja of the Fallen
+
Spirit Walker Regiment
Stampede Horde
Tribal Totem Bearer on Mount
#BRUTAL (he had wanted to bring Herd to Unplugged but wasnt going to be able to get everything repainted in time, so took the best the Herd had to offer and combined with alot of nasty from the Varangrr side of the chaos coin)
We played Push, a scenario Ive read about often in batreps but never played myself. Rolled up 3 tokens, which went on both GFE and rightmost FE for me, and Spirit Walkers, Bloodsworn and foot Sons for him (i.e. the already slow things).
BATTLE
Battlelines! He won and took first, making this match extra rough for my slow, red butt.
New Mage-Priest to finish the first 2k off ❤
Chaos dudes shove forward, with very fast right flank being particularly intimidating. The Horse Raiders on the left land a wound on the left Sprites and get a lucky early waver. Redementals respond by bowing their line out around the tower, being extremely cautious on the right.
Chaos inches their grindy center forward, idles the fast flanks, and lands a few wounds on the central Sprites (who are unphased). In return the red tide shuffles its breath weapons / fireballs into range, roasting the Spirit Walkers to death and lightly singing the Trolls.
Fwooosh!
As anticipated, Chaos brings it, especially on the left. Ember Sprites cop charges from the Raiders, Bloodsword and Trolls, as the Stampede bears down on the left GFE.
Its a bounce across the line, as Sprites take wounds and either waver or dont care (take that Trolls!), and the GFE absorbs 11 wounds but holds firm.
The GFE counter-charges the Stampede (for 3 wounds, managing to disorder it) on the left, while the right wing gently shuffles and hits the Trolls with 22 breath attaks, for no appreciable impact (these Trolls regenerated like bosses throughout the game). Although the Diadem gator fluffed against the Horse Raiders, the Mage-Priest put the Shroud to work and healed 4 wounds off of the GFE struggling against a horde of angry pigs.
Chaos finishes what it started on the left, routing both Sprites and the GFE, and leaving that flank feeling pretty dire.
Meanwhile the right flank finally starts cooking, with Herja and her Fallen slamming into the waiting FE horde, as Trolls head back into their Sprites.
Though the Sprites are wavered, the FE hold the line with 10 wounds.
After a heavy think, the Redementals see what they can salvage: FE counter-charge the Fallen with a second FE horde surged into Herja, with half a hope of pulping her and flanking in to support; as the left FE trundle into the Bloodsworn and their Diadem Herald diverts the impending Stampede. The Trolls receive another 22 breath attaks, finally wavering. It should be noted at this point that the Rally(1) Skald has been hiding behind the tower, buffing up the Bloodsworn and Trolls the whole game, and will continue to do so.
All of those combats bounce, although the Fallen are wavered.
The Stampede plows into the Diadem Herald, the Bloodsworn counter-charge their FE horde, and Herja charges the wounded right FE horde, who are no longer benefitting from that little smidge of woods they were keeping between them and Varangur death. The rest of the Chaos dudes smash forward, making sure theyre on the red side of the board. Also the foot Sons pick up the central Push marker.
Its super effective! Herald dies, Bloodsworn bop some bloodfire dudes, and Herja dissolves some other bloodfire dudes.
Sallies continue the late game panic with more desperation plays: left FE horde corkscrews into the Stampede (calculating that a flank from the Bloodsworn is only about 6 wounds), the Push FE charge Herja, and more FE flank the Fallen. The CLOFD and the Mage-Priest hit the Bloodsworn with 26 elite or vicious shots but cant waver them (though they get close).
Herja is a rock, Stampede are wavered (and *just* fall short of routing), and the Fallen are obliterated.
Turn 6! The Bloodsworn flank the left Fire horde, the Horse Raiders crash through a hedge and charge the Mage-Priest, the Trolls head back into the Sprite roadblock, the Mounted Sons slam the Fallen-killing Fire horde, and Herja jumps into their flank as well. The Mage-Priest takes a single wound, disordering her (all according to plan), and everybody else dies. It helped that the flanking Bloodsworn rolled hot on wounding and routing.
Redementals dont have a lot going for them right now, but theres always vengeance, and Turn 7! The CLOFD dances through the gap between Bloodsworn and Raiders and punches the Stampede, ending its reign of terror. Herja is similarly finally put down by angry bloodfire things, although the pesky Trolls are left alone, to continue clogging the center in case it matters.
Spoiler: it doesnt. The game ends here, Varangur come away with 6 points to Bloodfires 3.
BLOODFIRE LOSS
BLOODFIRE 