#133: Age of Sigmar Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game Five - Skaven Pestilens Vs. Maggotkin of Nurgle

After two big wins and two big losses, I found myself facing one of the five Maggotkin players!

Lord of Plagues (General)
Rotbringer Sorcerer
Gutrot Spume
Verminlord Corruptor
Plague Priest
Rotigus
20 Marauders of Nurgle
5 Putrid Blightkings (Battleline)
5 Putrid Blightkings (Battleline)
5 Putrid Blightkings (Battleline)
5 Putrid Blightkings (Battleline)
Blight Guard (Warscroll Battalion)

At first glance, I was pretty stoked. Thanks to the Nurgle keyword, I could make use of her Feculent Gnarlmaws to run and charge with my Monks, as well as benefit from certain results on the wheel. Then I looked a little closer and realised what a rough stretch of road this was going to be. The Blight Guard meant that I was at -1 to Hit against all of the Blight Kings, which completely blunted the Monks' melee triggers. The scenario was Scorched Earth, so I had the numbers advantage, but whether I could capitalise on that was yet to be seen.

I deployed pretty across a pretty wide frontage, being well aware of the threat posed by Gutrot and his goons. I left a Catapult in each corner to zone out my back field, made sure to park my Arch-Warlock next to Arcane Terrain. 

 My opponent built her offence using Rotigus as the anchor. The Sorcerer and Lord of Plagues protected him, along with five Kings. On the left, the Marauders were left relatively unprotected on the objective, while the right flank was held down by two units of Kings, the Corruptor and the Priest. Gutrot and a unit of Kings were waiting off the board.

My opponent gave me first turn, and I was determined to stop her from ruining my back field with Spume. Luckily for me, I had enough bodies in the list to do that effectively. 

My first turn was very conservative. I knew that, especially in Scorched Earth, if I gave Spume & Friends an opportunity, they'd run on, burn an objective and get ahead on the scoreboard. If that happened, I was going to be in serious strife. So, I chose to sit back and force Spume to commit, and then react from there. Usually, I hate playing a reactive play style, but in this situation, I felt I had to. The Warlock jumped up on his Balewind and started chipping wounds off characters that didn't have a built in ability to heal (like Rotigus) but it was to no avail, as in the following turn, the King's Discharge rolled perfectly and healed the nearby heroes back up to almost full wounds. The gutter runners popped up in the right-back corner, in hopes of running along the back board edge, and burning a cheeky objective. Only wounding Nurgle on 6's, my Plagueclaws were pretty much just paperweights this game.

Realising that there wasn't much point in waiting, my opponent made the choice to bring Spume & Friends on the right flank, to strengthen the weaker side. I was confident that the Bale-Chimes would protect me from a long-bomb charge. 

Fortunately for me, Mystical terrain was not kind to my opponent. A unit of Kings, the Plague Priest and the Marauders were all befuddled, but fortunately, they were on objectives and had no urgent need to move. 

Nurgle got the double turn, and wasted no time in hitting the gas. Spume and his friends had a tree pop up behind them, and got ready for a charge on the Priest and Monks, while on the other flank...

...a unit of Blight Kings butchered their way through twenty Monks to leave an objective dangerously exposed! Oh dear.

Spume and the Kings made it into combat, and began punching things to death. The Priest was no match for the grizzled sea-captain's onslaught, and the Monks and Catapult took a punishing amount of damage from the Kings. It was at this point that I realised how badly the game was going for me, primarily because of Blight Guard. -1 to hit on all the Blight Kings meant that all of my monks were hitting like wet noodles, as none of their triggers were able to go off. 

In my following turn, realising that I had nothing to lost, and everything to gain, my Corruptor sprinted forward, running and charging thanks to the nearby Gnarlmaw, and launched into the Marauders, hoping to slice and dice his way through the unit and maybe even get a sneaky burn!

On the other side of the board, I was celebrating the little wins. After my opponent's Corruptor got befuddled by the same Mystical Terrain that had basically derped out that whole flank, my monks made full use of the opportunity, running and charging to punch on with both the Corruptor and the Priest. Thankfully, they had no negative hit modifiers, so my attacks actually put a great deal of pain on them! 

Not content with murdering my Priest and Plagueclaw on my right-hand objective, the Blight Kings chose not to burn the objective, as there was no real threat to it, and instead, tag the tail end on ym unit of Monks, stringing them out and mitigating the volume of attacks.

The Blight Kings accompanying Gutrot were losing models one by one, but were able to kill plenty of rats in return. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to put Inspiring Presence on them, which meant that they weren't going to be going anywhere in a hurry. Through sheer numbers, they managed to hold that objective all game! 

The Corruptor had also charged in and done significantly less that I would have hoped! Instead of leaping into the horde and decimating them with his scythed blades, he killed three... three marauders. Cool. 

The right hand combat fortunately did not result in complete carnage, but it did end with both right hand objectives firmly in my opponent's control. Game ended with a decisive victory for my opponent. 

You may have noticed that my Arch-Warlock, Plague Furnace and Gutter Runners had very little to do with this game. This was thanks to Rotigus and some truly masterful Wheel manipulation! The sheer mortal wound output of this army at long range is terrifying. In the end, the game ended up going about as well as I expected. I knew that even with some luck, I was going to have to fight tooth and nail to gain the upper hand. As it turned out, my opponent outplayed me and managed to catch my army in an awkward spot and hold them there. 

\

This was probably my most relaxed game of the weekend, as both of us knew we were nowhere near the podium, and therefore weren't playing for sheep stations. 

The event as a whole was fantastic, and I actually managed to hit some (but definitely not all) of the goals that I had going into it. To claim the Best Pestilens badge on the Australian Matched Play rankings, I needed to finish 26th out of 48 players or better. 

I came 27th...

I missed it by one spot. Spewing. That said, I can't complain too much. I managed to place higher than a lot of scary lists. With two wins and three losses, what really boosted me up was the painting scores. I managed to score maximum painting points, which was a real bonus; the painting journey for this army has been a hard road, and it was paying off! This was a goal that I really wanted to nail for the event, and I did just that.

I also wanted to get a "Best Game" vote from one of my opponents, and while I didn't actually end up seeing if I got anyone else's, I did get one from my opponent in Game Three with his Greenskins. I also gave him my "Best Game" vote, and it was well earned. That was probably the funniest game of Age of Sigmar I have ever played. So.. many... things... died.   

The BrisVegas Open was run seamlessly by the Tournament Organisers, had a fantastic pool of players, and ended up being a really enjoyable weekend! I will definitely be going again next year, and if you have the opportunity to, by all means, buy a ticket and get along to it. 

Thanks for reading, 

Gabe :)

#132: Age of Sigmar Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game Four - Skaven Pestilens Vs. Swifthawk Agents

Heading into Day Two, I honestly had no idea who I'd be facing. There were a lot of diverse armies on the middle and bottom tables, so it could have been anyone!

As it were, I found myself facing down the solitary Swifthawk Agents player! And I'll be completely frank; I had no idea what his army did. I've never seen Swifthawk on the table before, let alone played against it.So, I was well and truly ready for some nasty surprises!

Skywarden (General)
High Warden
Archmage
Branchwych (Allies)
Treelord Ancient (Allies)
30 Spireguard (Battleline)
5 Reavers (Battleline)
5 Reavers (Battleline)
30 Swordmasters
Gryph-Hound (Allies)
Guardians of the Dawnspire (Warscroll Battalion)

While the Guardians of the Dawnspire has no points value, and is not usable in matched play, the TO made the decision to allow it. The Battalion allows the Archmage and Swordmasters to gain the SWIFTHAWK AGENTS keyword, meaning that they don't come out of the Allies pool, and allows the High Warden to order a unit to move or shoot in the Hero Phase.

Going into this game, I knew that i was going to be up against it when it came to movement. The army is incredibly fast, even without the Battalion, so I needed a plan. The Scenario was Total Conquest, where you gain more objective points if you seize an objective off your opponent.

 I deployed pretty conservatively, as I wasn't too concerned if my opponent took either of the two diagonal objectives. I was confident that I could smash units off the objectives with buffed up rats, and so had no huge need to be too far forward. If he gave me first turn, they were all within reach turn one, so I could comfortably react. My catapult and priest were content to park on my back objective, while the forty man units were supported by either the Verminlord or the Furnace, and were preparing to push straight up the middle if I need to.

I ended up being given first turn, as my opponent really wanted the double turn, so I wasted no time in pushing. The Arch-Warlock didn't wast any time popping his vortex, and giving the unit next to him a push. The Verminlord lurked behind some Arcane Terrain, and shielded himself, while the Warlock munched on a chunk of warpstone and decided to start zapping things! The characters were high-priority targets, but he didn't manage to kill any; just bruise them up a little.

On the right side of the board, my Monks and Furnace wasted no time pushing up and asserting what little authority they had on the objective in the shadow of the ruined tower, while their ninja rat mates showed up and peppered the Reavers with throwing knives, broken bottles and a brick. They inflicted no damage. All things considered, I was happy with turn one. I'd put my army into a good position, and had set myself up for what would hopefully be a successful assault on the aelves. 

My opponent's turn was pretty gentle for the most part. The Archmage threw up his aura of protection, while the other characters shuffled around in the backline. The Reavers both raced over toward the centre, and the Spireguard stepped forward to get in range of the Monks with their bows. Casualties were relatively minimal. 

Being spoilt for choice with charges, I wasted zero time in hammering home on multiple fronts. The Monks and Verminlord sliced and diced their way into the shieldwall of the Spireguard, causing their fair share of damage...

...while on the other flank, the Gutter Runners took up objective camping duty, while the Monks barrelled into both units of Reavers and started punching on. I managed to wipe out one unit of horsemen, while reducing the other down to a single model. I was really happy with how the battle was going, but I was painfully aware of the enemy heroes and Swordmasters who were yet to enter the fray. 

My opponent's retribution was swift and brutal. A sloppy pile in with my monks into the Spireguard had unintentionally dragged the Swordmasters into combat by the tiniest of margins. However, the pile in and slaughter that followed was something to behold! The Swordmasters butchered their way through the unit, leaving the survivors to be victims of battleshock. This was a huge blow, as it not only left my Verminlord relatively unsupported and with no unit to pass wounds off onto, but also meant that the Swordmasters weren't locked in combat, and could use the blinding speed of the formation to hit me at my weakest point.

And, as if to prove herself truly fickle, Lady Luck turned her back on me and left me at the mercy of a double turn. Vowing revenge for the lives of the Reavers, the Swordmasters turned about face, and charged down their line into the other large unit of Monks. The monks were butchered once more, but Rabid Fever took a horrific toll on the Swordmasters. Mystic Shield saved many of them, but I felt I was close to breaking the back of the unit. While I was suffering crippling blows left, right and centre, I was still holding three of the objectives, and if there's one lesson I've learnt well, it's to never lose sight of the scenario. Everything is expendable in order to secure the win. I was having to expend a serious chunk of my resources, but I was slowly getting away from my opponent on the scoreboard. 

The High Warden had held back until now, when he decided to go supersonic across the table in an attempt to steal my rear objective. All I had guarding it was a Plagueclaw and a Priest, but I was determined to make it as difficult as possible for him to claim it. In a stroke of sheer bad luck for my opponent, he failed to kill the Priest by a single wound, meaning that I still had more models on the objective. This cost him dearly, as he really needed to get some points on the scoreboard. By all odds, he should have slain the Priest, but some sneaky dodges and rather ridiculous save rolls, he survived! 

In probably the most tactically sound move I'd made all tournament, I retreated with both models, and positioned them so that they were both holding the objective, but were too far apart for the High Warden to kill both of them in a single turn. He was going to charge and kill one of them, but the other would live and contest the objective, delaying his scoring opportunity for yet another turn! 

Elsewhere on the board, I'd secured my left flank. The large unit of monks had suffered heavy losses to the constant shooting of the Spireguard, but the Corruptor had finally silenced their bows, slashing the last remnants of the unit to pieces. My Warlock continued his arcane barrage, which finally downed the enemy general atop his Skycutter Chariot, as well as mopping up the Branchwych lurking on the far left objective. The Plagueclaws both targetted the Swordmasters, and the Furnace smalled into them, hoping to finish them off... But, once again, I completely under-estimated them, even at less than half strength, and the reduced the Furnace to timber, scrap metal and wheezing smoke. 

Realising that he was on the back foot, and seeing an opportunity, he seized the chance to charge my general. The Gryph-Hound, who I had largely forgotten about until now, tried to jump my Priest, while the Treelord Ancient launched out of the woods to engage the Verminlord Corruptor!  

With a combination of shooting and magic, I'd manage to finish off the Swordmaster unit AND the High Warden on my back objective, while still holding the top right objective with the Gutter Runners. Despite getting absolutely trashed, I had a convincing lead on the board. 

In the last lights of the game, I carefully moved Monks forward to absorb damage for the Corruptor! The Verminlord managed to survive the onslaught from the Treelord, and wasn't killed before the end of the game. 

This was a bloody game, and I was stoked to come out of it with a major victory. I think the fact that I'd managed to beat my opponent onto all the objectives made it very hard to push me off. If my opponent had been more aggressive with the Swordmasters from the start, using the double move to get right up in my grill early, I firmly believe he could have swung the game heavily in his favour. They killed the Furnace and 60 Monks, and took an absolute beating; I'm sure they could have killed more. Re-rolling saves against shooting really saved their bacon against the Catapults. I feel like if they'd moved with purpose and sliced their way toward an objective, I wouldn't have had much to stop them. As it was, I was able to throw units at the Swordmasters and keep them occupied in the mid-field, well away from the objectives. All in all, a hard-fought and brutal win, but a win nonetheless.

This win left me on two Major Wins and two Major Losses. 

Finding myself back in the middle tables, I found myself staring down a Maggotkin army. This was going to be rough...

Thanks for reading,

Gabe

#131: Age of Sigmar Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game Three - Skaven Pestilens Vs. Greenskinz

Going into Game Three, I was optimistic. I'd beaten a Gnarlroot, and was now facing off against Greenskins, of all things. While I hadn't played against them before, I honestly hadn't considered them a particularly powerful army.

Says the guy playing Pestilens...

I'd met my opponent before, and we got along great, sharing a love for all things American Football, but we'd never actually played a game. I was happy with the draw of opponent at the end of day one, as I consider game three of a two day tournament to typically be the hardest. Not because of the game, but because its the third game that day, and being on your feet and thinking all day takes a surprising toll on your energy levels. It always helps getting through that game if you can have a bit of a laugh.

The scenario was Duality of Death, and here's what I was facing...

Orruk Warboss on Wyvern (General)

Orruk Warboss on Wyvern

Wurrgog Prophet (Allies)

40 Orruk Boyz (Battleline)

10 Orruk Boarboyz (Battleline)

2 Orruk Chariots (Batlleline)

Spear Chukka (Allies)

Spear Chukka (Allies)

Rogue Idol

(bonus points for his three terrain pieces, which are 1:1 scale cut outs of the Rogue Idol)

Now, looking at this list, my main concern was the Spear Chukkas. In Duality of Death, I knew that my Heroes weren't the toughest, and that if I wanted to win, I needed to take them down. I knew the Rogue Idol would take a beating, but other than that, I was overall pretty happy with my prospects of winning. 

Boy, was I in for a surprise!

My deployment centred around the two objectives in the middle of the board. I wanted to claim both on the first turn, and made sure that I put myself in the best possible position to do so! A Priest and the Corruptor took up their places on the left side of the board, while a catapult sat back, being in range of anything that set foot near the objective. I also wanted the option to hit the big unit of Orruks if need be, so it sat a smidge off the back line so that I could move and shoot. The Arch Warlock parked his butt next to Arcane terrain, and set himself up for a cheeky Balewind-push on the Furnace, forcing it to move out of the way of the vortex (and toward the middle of the table) before the movement phase to ensure it got into the zone and started ticking points over. 

My right flank was held down by a Priest, the other unit of forty Monks and my second catapult, who was similarly deployed to be able to threaten the Orruks and the objective.

My opponent deployed the bulk of his army in the centre of the table, with the Spear Chukkas taking up prime real estate to be able to draw lines on both objectives; no hero would be safe! On my right hand side, both Wyvern Warbosses set up, with the movement and aggression to cause me serious problems...

...while on the left side of the board, the Rogue Idol was supported (because it needs support?) by the two chariots. It was at this point that I realised that I was in for a rough ride. Greenskins are hardly top tier, but in this scenario, I realised I was going to have a real fight on my hands. Rogue Idols are no push overs, and two Wyverns were going for the throat on the other... Uh oh.

Having out-dropped my opponent by a single unit, and knowing that I would really struggle to shift the Idol off an objective, I took first turn; the single bloodiest turn of Age of Sigmar I have ever, ever played. Don't believe me? Just wait.

It all started so well. My Arch-Warlock popped up on a balewind, pushed the furnace forward, and unleashed spells with the best possible outcome. I managed to put a two wounds on the Rogue Idol, as well as wiping out both Spear Chukka crews. Not only did this nab me the secondary objective (kill two units in your first turn), but it shut down a huge threat! 

While the Furnace didn't reach the objective, the Priest on the right did reach the objective. Sixty monks flooded forward to support them too. On the left, the Corruptor Mystic Shielded himself and raced up onto the objective, followed by forty Monks and a Priest. To top the turn off, both catapults moved forward and fired upon the Orruks. They suffered horrific losses, dropping them well below half strength! Excellent start, am I right? Right, guys?

Then came the bloodshed. The boarboys and Wyverns slammed into my right flank, dragging every possible unit into combat...

...while on the left flank, the chariots and Idol slammed into my Monks and Corruptor. Then came a brutal cycle of death and carnage. Between exploding rats, Rabid Fever, Great Plague Censers and rock fists, a LOT of models died. And I mean a LOT!

The Rogue Idol turned the Corrupter to paste, and mashed a few Monks in the process. The Chariots also ran down their fair share of Monks, losing a chariot in return. With the Corruptor being turned into a mashed banana, the Idol took the objective. 

In the other swirling maelstrom of combat, things were no less horrific. The Priest on the objective met a horrible end by having the top half of him bitten off the bottom half of him by a Wyvern, while the Monks lost over thirty of their numbers and the Boarboys lost six from their unit. The Plague Furnace made its mark by dishing out mortal wounds, but things had taken a sharp turn toward Greenskinz. 

With both players having lost over half their army before the end of turn one, both my opponent and I just stood there staring at the table in disbelief. It had taken us a fair while to get through the turn, as every time a monk died, it piled in and attacked, then exploded before another Greenskin unit swung, killed and was killed in return. We had several players walk past, asking us how the game was going onto to be shocked by the fact that it was still in the opening moments of the game.

But not satisfied with the level of pure carnage already unleashed upon the table, we continued.

My opponent jagged a sneaky double turn, and, having everything in combat and both objectives firmly in his control, it was straight into the combat phase. Thanks to Mystic Shield, the Rogue Idol had shrugged off most damage from the turn before, and didn't hesitate to start his rampage, wiping out fifteen Monks without even trying! I knew Rogue Idols had some moves, but this was insane! The damage output on them is pretty wild. Luckily for me, Inspiring Presence from the bloody smear that used to be the Corruptor was still in effect until my next hero phase, but it was only delaying the inevitable. 

The two Wyverns set about consolidating their flank, by butchering the remaining Monks, and while they took some more mortal wounds from the Plague Furnace, they had overtaken me on the scoreboard, with no signs that I would be taking objectives back. I was running out of Heroes, and getting battered around the ears. Turns began blurring into each other, as the combat and sheer scale of death inflicted reached critical mass.

The only other significant move my opponent made (outside of the two main combats) was to send the survivors of the Plagueclaw barrage to distribute some retribution on the war machines. Not having a bar of that, my Plagueclaws kept showering them with sprays of acidic goo (and who knows what else). My Arch-Warlock didn't miss a spell all game, and consistently took wounds off whatever he could see.

After a decisively positive start to the game, things went dramatically down hill. My opponent ended up running away with the scoreboard, as I was only able to get two scenario points to his twenty. I ended up killing a huge percentage of his army, but the only two significant units left alive were the two holding the objectives. Regardless of the outcome, both of us had a fantastic game. We could hardly believe the sheer level of violence in this game, and were both just laughing. I ended up giving my best opponent vote to this player, and I earned his; a great reflection of how much we both enjoyed the game!

Having managed to grab my secondary before everything hit the fan, I was sitting on one major win, two major losses and two secondaries. I was sitting in the bottom half of the pool, but I was optimistic. Perhaps, sitting on the bottom tables would eventuate in a favourable matchup. But then, leading into this game, I considered Greenskinz a favourable match up.

And look how that ended.

Tune in next time to read about Game Four against Swifthawk Agents!

Thanks for reading,
Gabe 

#130: Age of Sigmar Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game Two - Skaven Pestilens Vs. Sylvaneth

After suffering a horrific loss in my first round, and failing to score my secondary, I started Round Two with zero battle points. Just how I like it...

I found myself lurking down on the bottom tables, and my opponent turned out to be a Sylvaneth Player running a Gnarlroot Wargrove. His list is as follows.

Treelord Ancient (General, Gnarled Warrior, Oaken Armour)
Branchwych (Acorn of Ages)
Drycha Hamadreth
30 Dryads (Battleline)
5 Tree-Revenants (Battleline)
5 Tree-Revenants (Battleline)
3 Kurnoth Hunters (Scythes)
3 Kurnoth Hunters (Bows)
3 Kurnoth Hunters (Bows)
Household (Warscroll Battalion)
Gnarlroot Wargrove (Warscroll Battalion)

The scenario was Battle for the Pass. This was probably the best possibly scenario, as it meant my wave of rats could box my opponent in his own half of the board, making it very hard for him to get behind me. I knew that the Tree Revenants would be in a position to assault my home objective, but I had every intention of zoning out as much of the board as I could to prevent the unwelcome spread of hostile forestry.

Now, I haven't played Sylvaneth a lot, but I knew they had some pretty wild moves, and I knew what to look out for. They're not an army that I face a lot, so I was acutely aware of my actions in the game. I knew that one mistake from me would leave my opponent with an opportunity to absolutely punish my force.

 The table was set. My opponent deployed the majority of his force in and around his three Wildwoods. He won the roll off to pick sides, and chose the end with two pieces of Mystical Terrain, hoping to gain those precious re-rolls but risking a horrible price. His objective was deep in his forest surrounded by thirty Dryads, and I knew that my chances of claiming it were pretty slim. My deployment was very much scenario based. Both Plagueclaws deployed behind my objective, close enough to lay claim later in the game, but as far back as possible. The Arch Warlock parked his mangy backside next to some arcane terrain to assist with Balewind casting, while the small unit of Monks lurked on my other back flank in preparation for zoning out my backfield objective once the main force had moved forward. Both big Monk units prepared to march upon each midfield objective, supported by my other four heroes. All I had to do was survive that first turn...

The trees weren't playing games! The Ancient successfully summoned some woods, which encircled the middle left objective, and was pounced upon by both units of Kurnoth Hunters with bows. They successfully teleported on, and had no need to make any further moves. He unleashed the full power of their longbows, but the Plague Furnace shrugged off almost all of the damage.

Knowing that I needed to take control of the midway line, the bulk of my army pushed hard onto the objectives. Thanks to a cheeky Balewind push and a lucky run roll, the right unit made it to the ruins to lay claim to that objective, making sure that they were close enough to the Verminlord to dive in front of any incoming damage. The Warlock popped up on his Vortex, chipped three wounds off the Treelord, two off a unit of Kurnoth Hunters and four off the Branchwych! Nearly got her before she could plant the Acorn! The left unit of monks were ready for battle. Popping the Contagion Banner, and gaining the bonuses for Rabid Fever and the command ability, they were almost at optimum damage output. I managed to avoid too many casualties from charging into the Wildwood, while the pile-in allowed me to get a huge number of Monks into the fray! Fighting the trees in the woods was not ideal, but if I wanted to gain the lead, I needed to get them off that objective and zone it out to prevent reinforcements teleporting in and causing mayhem. 

I also knew that Drycha was going to give me headaches if she got near my big units, so in a vain attempt to draw her (or anyone really...) away from the battle, and in turn, the objectives, the Gutter Runners popped up on the backfield and pelted her with gravel. 

The ensuing beat down in the forest was a sight to behold. The monks mashed their way through four Kurnoth Hunters, and actually managed to pull up relatively in one piece. That's not to say there weren't casualties (which I am all about, if Rabid Fever is active), but they were still on the board and above twenty models. Excellent. 

In a stroke of pure good luck, Drycha AND the Scythe Hunters wandered a little too close to Mystical Terrain, and found themselves dumbfounded by the wonders of stone architecture. This was a real blessing, as she was probably the one model I hadn't quite figured out a solution for yet...

Things really started to slide for my opponent, when the last two Bow Hunters fell to a flurry of poisoned blades. The objective was mine! To add insult to injury, the Treelord Ancient successfully called forth a woods, only to find that purely through accident, I had zoned out my back left field with a solitary Plague Priest! He had successfully closed out any space large enough for a woods to fit by less than half an inch! In response to this immense frustration, the Treelord charged up the purple hill, and reduced my damaged Plague Furnace to a smoking pile of splintered wood and twisted metal.

In retaliation, the Arch Warlock and both Plagueclaws unleashed their considerable arsenal into the Ancient, taking him below half wounds. Filled with blind, misguided optimism, the Verminlord Corruptor cast Mystic Shield upon himself and charged in, inflicting some actual wounds. The towering Treeman was down to four wounds, and I took the lead in scenario points. The Plague Priest who unintentionally saved the day moved to a more commanding position to zone out forests, while the Monks on the left objective spread out to stop any units from teleporting into the forest. They were taking damage left, right and centre from shooting and the woods, but they were stubbornly holding the objective. 

Having suffered my fair share of wounds on the Verminlord, I used the double turn to my full advantage, and sent a chain of Monks from my right objective to get within 3". This allowed me to make the most of Verminous Valour. Despite my best efforts, I simply could not put the Treelord Ancient down! 

Finally dropping the Acorn, the Branchwych opened a path for the Scythe Hunters to teleport and threaten my right flank. Luckily for me, their charge was far too short to reach me! They were swiftly (and surprisingly) dealt with by my Plagueclaws, of all things... On the other side of the board, Drycha teleported over to my Monks holding the objective in the wood. I wasn't worried, as she was only in range of six rats with her hectic shooting attack.

She rolled a six for her teleport. Moving to just outside of 3", she proceeded to melt the faces off almost every rat within range, obliterating the unit and wiping out the survivors with Battleshock. Well, then... That was probably fair, after she stood around in Mystical Terrain. But she had now cleared the objective, leaving it ripe for the picking by the recently arrived Tree-Revenants.

 Not content to stand by, and watch his brother-rats die for nought, the Plague Priest hobbled forward from where he was zoning out forests to lay claim to the objective once more. I was determined to throw everything that I had at that objective until the very last. For the scenario, every unit in my army is expendable; it's just the Skaven mindset to have.

Atop the hill, there was unfolding a true duel of the titans. Both the Treelord Ancient and Verminlord Corruptor stood bloodied but not beaten, each on a single wound. The fight had lasted several rounds by this point, with the Treelord healing and mystic shielding himself, while the damage inflicted upon the Verminlord were either passed off to nearby Monks or saved by some of the most ridiculous rolling I have ever seen!

Intent on cleansing their precious woods of the vermin that plagued them, the Spite Revenants charged in to claim the objective, and kill the Priest. He was in for a bad time... 

As if to spite me, Lady Luck once again smiled upon my opponent. Drycha, coming off the adrenalin rush of clearing one objective, decided to try her hand at the other flank, and teleported over. Now worries, she could only hit four rats this time...

And another six. She moved right up to the unit and nuked half of them off the board. Luckily for me, I'd planned for the worst and given them Inspiring Presence, so the impact was not quite ass horrific, despit losing sixteen monks to the onslaught. 

Filled with confidence, Drycha made a terrible mistake. She charged into the severely depleted Monk unit, who were, by this point, thoroughly upset. With other crucial combats elsewhere on the table, her attacks were left too late, and the deranged lunatics piled in and hacked her to pieces! The right flank was secure! At long last, the Treelord Ancient fell; his healing and natural armour not enough to save him from the slicing blades of the Corruptor! This was a huge deal, as killing my opponent's General was my secondary.

I was not to be so lucky on the left flank. Both units of Tree-Revs made their charges and cut down the solitary Priest, taking the woods and the objective back for Sylvaneth! 

The game came to an end there, with a satisfying win for Pestilens. While I managed to tear away on the scoreboard, it didn't accurately reflect the pace or fever pitch of the game. It was one of the most up and down games we'd both played, with dice favouring us against all possibility one minute, before indiscriminately punishing us for taking the most negligible of risks! It was an excellent game, and my opponent was a great fellow who I'd gladly play again in a heartbeat. I think the scenario didn't favour my opponent, as he struggled to place Wildwoods with any kind of serious impact upon the game. Sylvaneth needs room to stretch its legs and take control of the board, and having only a 48" frontage, he just didn't have the room to gain the flexibility it needs.  It was unfortunate that he wasn't able to plant woods over the top of my army and assault my poorly guarded rear objective, because ten Tree-Revs wouldn't have been able to do it unsupported. 

I was stoked to be at one win-one loss going into game three. I wasn't throwing punches with the big dogs on the top tables, but I was also off the very bottom of the ladder. My goal to hit the top half of the roster at the end of the event. 

Tune in next time for my third game against a Greenskin horde!

Thanks for reading,

Gabe