Game 3 and a scenario awaited me which I had feared from the beginning: Miscast Madness! Basically we'd roll a dice and on 1-3 we'd play every miscast is automatically Dimensional Cascade, 4-6 something else. We rolled the 1-3... I was facing Empire with lots of 1+ and infantry, along with the trademarked Steam Tank. I had a clear plan of what to do, so game on!
.::. Battle Report - 2d6 Challenge #3 vs Empire (GF) .::.
Points Before the Game: 29/40
Lists:
Anointed of Asuryan on Flamespyre Phoenix: Giant Blade, Dawnstone, Enchanted Shield, Potion of Foolhardiness, 430 (1CP)
Noble on Ithilmar Barded Elven Steed: Battle Standard Bearer, Dragon Armour, Golden Crown of Atrazar, Star Lance, Shield, Dragonhelm, 172
High Mage: Level 2, Sceptre of Stability, Obsidian Amulet: 165
High Mage: Level 2, Dispel Scroll, Ring of Fury: 170 (1CP)
2x 10 Silver Helms: FCG, Shields, 2x 260
5 Ellyrian Reavers: 80
2x 9 Shadow Warriors: Shadow-walker 2x 136
15 Sisters of Avelorn: 210
Frostheart Phoenix: 240 (2CP)
2x 1 Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower: 2x 70 (1CP)
Army Total: 2399 - 5/5CP spent
Grandmaster: Runefang, Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Pot of Speed - 255
Wizard Lord (lvl 4), Light, Sceptre of Stability - 215
BSB: Warhorse, Barding, Full Plate, GW, Dragonhelm, Dawnstone, OTS - 163
Warrior Priest: GW, Armor of Met Iron - 120
Wizard, Light, Dispel scroll - 90 (1 cp)
Wizard, Light - 65 (1 cp)
50xHalberds: FC - 270
20xHalberds (det) - 120
5xArchers (det) - 35
5xKnights, Mus - 120
10xArchers - 70
4xDemi Griff, Mus, Banner - 310 (1 cp)
10xReiksguard, FC, Std of Disc - 315
Stank - 250 (2 cp)
Points are a bit off on his list
Pre-battle thoughts and deployment:
This was the same player I faced playing Empire during Invasion and one of my favourite opponents. He is a real sport and I was sure this game would be no different.
I basically resigned myself to the fact that I couldn't touch the STank nor 1+ spam save for opportunities that presented themselves, instead I'd have to go for the softer infantry which, ranked up, would make splendid targets for my Flamespyre + Frostheart + cavalry. The idea then was to lure him into a corner with the strong elements, too far away to protect his soft and easy points. I also got a house on my side of the table where I bunkered the Sisters. I was hoping the Shadow Warriors would allow my mages to run in a wide circle, trailing my cavalry on the flank.
I got first turn and started running in a big circle around to his weak flank. I placed the mages in the house with the Sisters because I figured he'd be unlikely to commit to a boosted Banishment to weaken them. Regardless, this was a mistake and besides I was proven wrong: My opponent received the first Cascade of the game as he landed just that and killed a LOT of Sisters. He survived, to my dismay. What was perhaps even worse was the the Steam Tank thought this was Need for Speed and rolled up a mighty 17", landing just in front of the house. This was disastrous for me as it created a huge threat arc and it would be nigh on impossible for me to move the mages around to his weaker elements. Way to punish my mistake for placing them in the house! A new plan emerged, but it was a risky one: I'd have to bait the big Demis to commit, becoming stuck in the corner while trickling down the STank and wiping his infantry with the Knights + birds...
Phoenixes go wide, burn hurts his main unit a lot. I exit the house. RBTs and Shadow Warriors target Steam Tank. In his turn, Demis charge Silver Helms and I flee. I was expecting to go off the table, but I am super lucky as I roll a '4' and barely stay on!! The STank tried charging my BSB but failed (he needed 13 or 14 I believe).
The Helms rally in my corner. The Demis try another charge, I hold, he fails. I am thus able to move past him. Mages make it into Shadow Warrior bunker. Flamespyre burns more Halberdiers and head for his main bunker. Frostheart engages the small unit. Knights are flank-charged by his "big" unit, now down to 12. Due to a lake, they receive no rank bonus and I hold. Shadow Warriors #2 then flank charge him and I break him, running him down. I am now in an absurd position where my Knights are threatened by his knights, the STank threatens my mage bunker, the other mage joined the Silver Helms which can be charged by IC Knights and the Demis are useless. What a wacky game!!
Grand Master solo charges my bus. I flee. Demis eat an RBT. STank eats Reavers (yes, he took the bait!!). The most shocking turn of events however is his IC Knights charging my Silver Helms, targeting the mage with maximum attacks (2 riders + 2 horses) and doing a total of... 0 wounds!! I have more static than him and he breaks. This leaves my Helms in a position where I can flank charge his Grand Master. Flamespyre keeps burning him and he now has next to no-where to hide.
I flank the Grand Master (in my opponent's words: "That was a flank charge I did not see coming before I broke from combat last turn"), rally Helms, ping the Stank a little more and burn the mages, but they are still alive. His small bunker rallied on snake eyes so the Frostheart has more work to do.
BSB is targeted by Banishment, the second cascade happens and this time the L4 dies. I survive as the unit tanks the worst of the hits. STank is severely wounded after repeated casts of Unforging + single bolts and fails to do anything. Grand Master kills a mage in a challenge.
BSB charges STank, Star Lance hoping to take off that one, final wound in my T6. Sisters move out of the house (I moved in again to protect them from demis) to render his Demis stranded. Anointed rear-charges the Grand Master with Potion of Fools and kill him. Frostheart tanks the Knight train.
In the last turn of the game my Frostheart breaks from combat but he fails to catch me. After a nerve-wrecking and intense game with lots of close calls and a stank looming over me 24x7, I can happily conclude that I'm healthily ahead: a
14-6 win to the High Elves!
Evaluation
The mages going into the house T1 cost me dearly. With 2 soul quenches, walk and unforging I really needed to have him in my front arc. With his STank moving up like that as well I was left stranded too far behind. While multiple casts of Arcane indeed did take down the STank eventually, the mages would've been a lot more dangerous if I'd been able to cast cheap spells like Soul Quench and Walk near his infantry.
I found myself in a dire position and had to risk a lot. It payed off, but I was so lucky with many things: The Silver Helms in the bottom right corner fleeing only 4", rallying and then being able to move past him after a failed charge in order to break and catch the IC Knights and finally lock down his Grand Master was just insane. Viewed as a whole, this unit's tail is the stuff of legends in this game.
After 3 good games on day 1, I was in 3rd position before day 2 with roughly 5 points up to the leader (no-one had taken a huge lead). It was really open and I was preparing myself for the capture the woods scenario as best as I could...
Opponent's Final Placing: 7/32
My Points: 43/60