#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