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| Ancient enemies. |
Lately most of my games have been Crusade matches, in which I am playing T'au. They've been smaller games, narrative games. Very fun. Different from my usual thing. But yesterday my Eldar friend and I spent six hours playing a good ol' 2000 point Matched Play game for big boys.
As anyone who has read my past battle reports knows, I have a really hard time against Eldar. They do so many things so efficiently and get around a lot of restrictions that other armies just have to deal with. I have played so many games against this particular Eldar army over the years, and I've lost the vast majority of games against them. But yesterday I was feeling confident. I told my friend to bring his most dick-stomping list possible, and told him that I was in it to win it.
We did everything by the book. First I taped off the borders of the battlefield to comply with the new 9th edition recommended board size (44"x60"). We made our lists in private, rolled up the mission, set up objectives and then terrain, and started deployment. Our game was The Four Pillars. We put plenty of ruins on the board with the Obscuring keyword to block off lanes of fire, scattered a few craters, and called it good.
Grey Knights List
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Grey Knights) [108 PL, 1,993pts, 11CP] ++
+ Stratagems +
Armoury of Titan [-1CP]: 1 Additional Relic
Agents of the Imperium +
Vindicare Assassin [5 PL, 100pts]
HQ +
Chaplain [6 PL, 113pts]: 4. Refrain of Convergence, 6. Invocation of Focus, Armoured Resilience, Storm bolter
Grand Master in Nemesis Dreadknight [11 PL, 225pts]: 4: First to the Fray, Augurium Scrolls, Dreadfist, Dreadknight teleporter, Heavy Psycannon, Nemesis Greatsword, Sanctuary, Warlord
Troops +
Terminator Squad [11 PL, 190pts]: Gate of Infinity
. Grey Knight Terminator Justicar: Storm bolter
. . Nemesis Force Sword
. 2x Terminator (Halberd): 2x Nemesis Force Halberd, 2x Storm Bolter
. 2x Terminator (Sword): 2x Nemesis Force Sword, 2x Storm Bolter
Terminator Squad [11 PL, 190pts]: Gate of Infinity
. Grey Knight Terminator Justicar: Storm bolter
. . Nemesis Force Halberd
. 4x Terminator (Halberd): 4x Nemesis Force Halberd, 4x Storm Bolter
Terminator Squad [11 PL, 210pts]: Hammerhand
. Grey Knight Terminator Justicar: Storm bolter
. . Nemesis Falchions: 2x Nemesis Falchion
. 4x Terminator (Falchions): 8x Nemesis Falchion, 4x Storm Bolter
+ Elites +
Apothecary [5 PL, 95pts]: Inner Fire, Sanctic Shard
. Nemesis Daemon Hammer: Nemesis Daemon Hammer
Paladin Squad [30 PL, 515pts]: Sanctuary
. 7x Paladin (Halberd): 7x Nemesis Force Halberd, 7x Storm Bolter
. 2x Paladin (Warding Stave): 2x Nemesis Warding Stave, 2x Storm Bolter
. Paragon: Storm Bolter
. . Nemesis Daemon Hammer: Nemesis Daemon Hammer
+ Heavy Support +
Nemesis Dreadknight [9 PL, 185pts]: Dreadfist, Dreadfist, Dreadknight teleporter, Gatling Psilencer, Heavy Incinerator, Vortex of Doom
Nemesis Dreadknight [9 PL, 170pts]: Dreadfist, Dreadknight teleporter, Gate of Infinity, Gatling Psilencer, Nemesis Greatsword
++ Total: [108 PL, 11CP, 1,993pts] ++
Secondaries: Slay the Warlord, Engage on All Fronts, Attrition
So I have a couple of oddball choices here, but they are all intentional. I brought along my usual battalion of Terminators, nothing weird there, and my indestructible unit of Paladins, of course. But for this game I also brought a Chaplain with Refrain of Convergence. The Eldar psychic power Doom always screws me over. Rerolling all wounds is too good against my very limited number of units. Refrain of Convergence would give my Chaplain +4 to denies, so hopefully I could routinely shut the Farseer down. I also brought my two regular Dreadknights, and shut up, I know you think they're bad but I insist that they are good. They each have a teleporter and I was planning on bringing them down with my GMNDK for a powerful midgame bomb. And speaking of my GMNDK, I spent a CP to give him Augurium Scrolls today. I've never tried out this relic before and I think it might be good alongside a squad or two of Terminators.
For a minute I struggled with the idea of adding the Vindicare to this list. It was either her or a Brotherhood Champion, but the BroChamp just still occupies such a weird niche and I don't know how to properly utilize him. He doesn't have an innate deep strike and I am hesitant to bring transports since they don't receive the benefits of Masters of the Warp. The Vindicare, on the other hand, could provide some essential psyker/Autarch removal when I needed it. But historically... the Vindicare rolls 1s. All the time. Ultimately I decided not to hold that against her and I gave her one more shot.
Craftworlds Eldar List
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Aeldari - Craftworlds) [78 PL, 9CP, 1,587pts] ++
+ HQ +
Autarch Skyrunner (Legends) [6 PL, 120pts]: 4: Fate's Messenger, Banshee Mask, Craftworlds Warlord, Fusion Gun, Laser Lance, Shuriken Pistol
. The Phoenix Gem
Farseer Skyrunner [7 PL, 135pts]: 2. Doom, 4. Executioner, 5. Focus Will, Shuriken Pistol, Witchblade
+ Troops +
Dire Avengers [3 PL, 70pts]
. 4x Dire Avenger: 4x Avenger Shuriken Catapult, 4x Plasma Grenades
. Dire Avenger Exarch: Two Avenger Shuriken Catapults
. . Exarch Power: Bladestorm
Rangers [3 PL, 75pts]
. 5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol
Storm Guardians [4 PL, 72pts]
. 8x Storm Guardian - Chainsword: 8x Chainsword, 8x Plasma Grenades, 8x Shuriken Pistol
+ Elites +
Howling Banshees [3 PL, -1CP, 80pts]
. 4x Howling Banshee: 4x Power Sword, 4x Shuriken Pistol
. Howling Banshee Exarch: Shuriken Pistol & Executioner
. . Exarch Power: Disarming Strike, Exemplar of the Banshee Shrine, War Shout
Striking Scorpions [3 PL, 75pts]
. 4x Striking Scorpion: 4x Plasma Grenades, 4x Scorpion Chainsword, 4x Shuriken Pistol
. Striking Scorpion Exarch: Scorpion Chainsword, Scorpion's Claw
. . Exarch Power: Scorpion's Sting
+ Fast Attack +
Hornets [6 PL, 120pts]
. Hornet: Crystal Targeting Matrix, 2x Hornet Pulse Laser
Hornets [6 PL, 115pts]
. Hornet: 2x Hornet Pulse Laser
Shining Spears [10 PL, 215pts]
. 5x Shining Spear: 5x Laser Lance, 5x Twin Shuriken Catapult
. Shining Spear Exarch: Star Lance
. . Exarch Power: Expert Hunter
Heavy Support +
Fire Prism [9 PL, 170pts]: Twin Shuriken Catapult
Fire Prism [9 PL, 170pts]: Twin Shuriken Catapult
Fire Prism [9 PL, 170pts]: Twin Shuriken Catapult
++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Aeldari - Craftworlds) [19 PL, -2CP, 410pts] ++
+ HQ +
Warlock Skyrunner [4 PL, 65pts]: 0. Smite, Shuriken Pistol, Witchblade
+ Troops +
Dire Avengers [3 PL, 70pts]
. 4x Dire Avenger: 4x Avenger Shuriken Catapult, 4x Plasma Grenades
. Dire Avenger Exarch: Two Avenger Shuriken Catapults
. . Exarch Power: Avenging Strikes
Rangers [3 PL, 75pts]
. 5x Ranger: 5x Ranger Long Rifle, 5x Shuriken Pistol
+ Fast Attack +
Warp Spiders [4 PL, 95pts]
. 4x Warp Spider: 4x Death Spinner
. Warp Spider Exarch: Two Death Spinners
. . Exarch Power: Iron Resolve
+ Heavy Support +
Dark Reapers [5 PL, 105pts]
. 2x Dark Reaper: 2x Reaper Launcher
. Dark Reaper Exarch: Reaper Launcher
. . Exarch Power: Rapid Shot
++ Total: [97 PL, -3CP, 1,997pts] ++
Secondaries: Slay the Warlord, First Strike, Engage on All Fronts
As expected, this was a list full of tanks and bikes and and Aspect Warriors. A ton of bodies to chew through. The Hornets were going to be a problem, same with the Dark Reapers and Fire Prisms. Ideally I'd keep my Dreadknights away until those threats could be neutralized. The Eldar had a ton of ObSec, and a ton of firepower. I had to play this smart and cagey.
I got to choose deployment and started deploying first. I threw my GMNDK, my two Dreadknights, a Terminator Squad, the Vindicare, and my kamehameha Apothecary into deep strike. I put everything into cover as much as I could, keeping everything out of line of site and denying him as many kills as possible.
The Eldar deployed forward, keeping his three Fire Prisms deep in the back since all my ranged weapons were max 24".
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| God, so much shooting. |
I spread some Terminators around to grab objectives and Engage on All Fronts, and then immediately yeeted my Paladins across the battlefield with Gate of Infinity (after buffing them with Sanctuary and Armoured Resilience, of course). They landed, chipped a few wounds off of a Fire Prism, and then made their charge.
This charge was absolutely essential. I popped Fury of the Proven in the fight phase. My Paladins obliterated one Fire Prism and then tagged another, forcing it to fall back on my opponent's turn in order for him to shoot at my Paladins with the rest of his army.
Redoubtable Defence on top of Armoured Resilience allowed my Paladins to tank an entire Eldar shooting phase and only kill four Grey Knights, even though the were Doomed. Making it so that only one Fire Prism was shooting at me (as opposed to three) kept me in his deployment zone far longer than I had any right to be.
My opponent charged in Achilraen (his bike Autarch), the Banshees, and the Shining Spears. He deliberated between focusing down the Paladins and obliterating them or just trying to avoid them for the rest of the game, since they only have a 5" move. But I had plenty of units with Gate of Infinity and my buddy knew that I could reposition my Paladins at will. He threw in all the melee units he could, and I popped Masters of Combat. He asked what that stratagem did, and I told him it let my Paladins fight on death. "Fuck that!" he said. "That sucks ass!"
We traded a few models, but mostly this turned into a big mosh pit that would last for a few battle rounds.
On my turn two I dropped in my Kamehameha Apothecary just behind Achilraen with Dynamic Insertion. I had wanted to throw him into the middle of my Paladins to both protect them and raise one from the dead, but there wasn't enough room. All the same, he could still do what he needed to from where he landed. I used Powerful Adept and Psychic Channeling when casting Inner Fire, but unfortunately still only got a 7 even with Sanctic Shard. I threw six mortal wounds at one of the Fire Prisms. I was afraid to blast Achilraen because she held the Phoenix Gem and I didn't want her to devour the souls of my Paladins.
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| Moving my Terminators out of cover to start grabbing objectives. |
My Dreadknights came in midfield. The bulk of my opponent's forces were in his deployment zone, but he had a few units grabbing the objectives and scoring Engage on All Fronts. I debated between bringing the hammer down on his tanks and bikes while they were occupied or picking off these flimsy units on the outskirts. I opted for the latter.
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| Storm bolters vs Dire Avengers |
To my supreme disappointment, my Vindicare Assassin came in and missed her first shot of the game against a Warlock. I CP rerolled it into another miss.
My GMNDK made his charge against one of the remote Hornets and obliterated it, claiming the objective for himself.
When my fight phase rolled around, his Shining Spears had an advantage over my Paladins since they were still under the effects of Doom and without any of the buffs I'd given them last turn. I was down to 3 CP at this point and didn't have enough to keep them alive. Their natural toughness kept a few models around, though.
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| This is just a cool shot that makes me appreciate Warhammer. What fun this game is. I love it so much. |
I used Gate of Infinity to yeet my Chaplain into the center of the battlefield. I knew he was exposed there, unable to benefit from Look Out, Sir! or the Tide of Shadows. But this was the best position for him to deny the Farseer from casting Doom once more, and the psychic phase would come before the shooting so he would survive to at least do his job. He ended up being successful in that my opponent moved his psykers deep into his own deployment zone in order to avoid my Chaplain's +4 denial, so they were out of range to Doom any of my units anyway. Success through aversion!
He put Protect on his Shining Spears and gave them a 2++ invuln against shooting, which feels like some bullshit.
Achilraen charged my Apothecary and took him out, and I made a mistake. I had a beautiful plan leading up to this. I was pretty certain that Achilraen was going to finish my Apothecary up in the fight phase, so I saved a CP to use Only in Death Does Duty End and fight back. Where we situated, there were no other units within 3" so Achilraen's Phoenix Gem would have had no life force to devour and she would have been slain permanently. But like a fool I spent my last CP on a reroll the phase before! So Achilraen slew my Apothecary without consequence. I almost had Slay the Warlord.
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| There were once many Eldar here. |
I used Gate of Infinity to sneak one of my Dreadknights into his backline. With a combination of Vortex of Doom and some fortunate shooting rolls, he annihilated the Farseer, the Warlock, and some Howling Banshees all before charging.
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| Striking Scorpions sneaking into my deployment zone. |
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| Get off your fucking phone. |
On her second shot, of the game (round three), my Vindicare missed again. She was really not pulling her weight.
After finally finishing off the Paladins, my buddy's Shining Spears moved around the battlefield picking off Terminator Squads. Their lances are designed like they had Terminators in mind.
On my fourth turn, I yeeted my GMNDK into his backline to try and finish off Achilraen and the Fire Prisms. At this point, all I had left were my three Dreadknights and my Vindicare.
My Vindicare actually hit something on my fourth turn, but the Dark Reaper in her sights made its save which was infuriating.
Fortunately my GMNDK was ready to pick up the slack and make his 9" charge out of Gate of Infinity. I put three attacks on Achilraen and three on the Fire Prism, expecting to kill both and succeeding in killing neither. I mean, technically, I did kill Achilraen. But the Phoenix Gem went off and she sucked a wound off of my Grand Master and returned to life.
At the end of my fourth turn, my four models got me Engage on All Fronts which was kind of funny.
My buddy made a nice play here on his fourth turn. He kept the Fire Prism engaged with my GMNDK and fell back with Achilraen, placing her on the other side of the ruins so that even if my GMNDK killed the Fire Prism he wouldn't be able to shoot or charge the Autarch. It was a smart move. Denying me Slay the Warlord was essential in what was such a close match at this point.
But behold, he moved into direct line of sight of my Vindicare. My assassin had been so ineffectual all game that my opponent had forgotten about her entirely. My Vindicare took the shot...
... and slew the warlord. Six points!
Satisfied with a job well done, my Vindicare went back to checking her Instagram while Shining Spears descended upon her in vengeance.
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| My final score was 63, not 6. |
The game ended 53-52 in favor of my Grey Knights. It was a close match, an awesome match.
Edit: Forgot my wrap up.
Some questionable elements to my list helped, and some didn't. The Dreadknights proved instrumental, being just tough enough to stay alive on objectives and in corners to gain me points from Engage on All Fronts. I stayed in Tide of Shadows the entire game and that basically allowed all of my Terminators (everything) to ignore AP-1 -- that extra bit of survivability helped tremendously. The Chaplain couldn't really find a purpose and he never denied a single spell, but the threat kept the Farseer from using Doom on my units for one round so that was helpful at least. I might take him with another Litany next time, maybe the one that extends weapon range. There were a couple of times where 30" storm bolters would've really helped. The Augurium Scrolls were very nice, for the single turn that I remembered that my GMNDK had them. I forgot that he had that relic when he was fighting Achilraen and the Fire Prism, and he didn't have anyone else around to benefit from the aura with him. Might need to keep him with his bodyguards if I want to use the Augurium Scrolls in the future. Last, my Vindicare. She was entirely useless until the moment she won me the game. I still don't know what to think of her. Worth the 100 points? Maybe. We'll see.
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