Bat Rep: GK vs DE 1850

Last night I had the pleasure of getting in a pick up game at my FLGS.  I brought my WIP Grey Knights and when I got there it was completely packed.  There were about 10 guys all getting games in (apparently some guys from Ft. Collins came down to play), which is cool cause Wed is usually the "slow night," where only a few vets show up and bash each-other.  Anyhow, I got in a game against a decent DE player with piss poor luck...




Just as a note, I forgot to take pics (and Im too lazy to make a diagram),  So you will have to use your imagination on this one.

Mission: Kill Points
Deployment: Spearhead

My list: (I had to go down from 2k to 1850 so I dropped my grandmaster)
Libby: shrouding, sanctuary, warp rift, quicksilver
4 paladins: banner, mc sword, sword, hammer, (Libby joins here)
Landraider redeemer:  Psybolt ammo
strike squad x 2: 2 psycannon, hammer, halberd, Psyback
strike squad: 1 psycannon, hammer, halberd, psyback
psifelmen dread x2

His list:
Baron
Archon: Agonizer, Drugs, Shadowfield, web way portal, phantasam
5x incubi: raider, flickerfields, trophies (Archon Joins here)
8x hellions: Heliarch, Claw (Baron joins here)
3x beast masters: venom, 4x flocks, 5x Khymere
3x ravagers 3 flicker fields, 3 night shields, 2 w/ bright lances, 1 w/ disintegrators
20 Kalabite warriors: syberite, 2x cannon
10 Kabalite: syb, cannon, raider, flicker field, racks
10x wyches: heketrix, agonizer, hydra gauntlets, shardnet, raider w/ flickerfield

Pre game thoughts: I knew I had a lot of shooting, but he wasn't completely lacking in that field either...  I had to hide my raider in some cover and try to get as much cover as possible so I could cast shrouding on my vehicles in cover...  I knew with his web way portal and incubi/ archon he was going to be playing a FIRE strategy because his list pointed that way.  As such, I knew I had to play a WATER tactic which meant, deploying forward enough to make him feel aggressive, but to pull back each turn and have a fighting retreat line.

He won the dice roll to go first. I did not seize initiative.

His deployment: He deployed his raiders along the circle of his spearhead as far forward as possible.  His ravagers all hung back in a small piece of terrain.  Everything not in a vehicle (Beasts, bikes and hellions) were all held in reserve with the intent to come in from the Web Way Portal.

My Deployment: Knowing that I was going to play a fighting retreat I deployed fairly far forward but in cover.  My Raider wasn't able to get the cover I was hoping, but my razors, dreads, and combat squads had great cover... After making sure that everything was within 6" of the Landraider I let him start.

DE turn 1: He moves his Incubi Raider 12" forward and only drops out the Archon, who throws out her web way portal and tries to hide in some cover... His wych raider goes flat out behind some terrain, ready to pounce next turn. All of his other raiders and ravagers all target different targets, but after the barrage my Land Raider is stunned twice and I lost one marine to disintegrators... He was really disappointed by the lack of any serious results. Who wouldn't be!

GK turn 1:  I move everything back 6" I make a echelon right formation with my razors and the front razor pops smoke.  This way all my tanks have cover As my raider is behind the echelon.  I don't do any other moving and begin to open up my guns.  In true form both of my Psiflemen wipe out both his dark lance ravagers.  A pair of psycannons rips apart his Incubi's raider and it explodes in grand fashion. the resulting explosion wounds the Archon who promptly fails her 2++.  Seeing the opportunity I unleash one S6 heavy Bolter on his Archon who is turned to paste after being insta-killed by my razorback... After rolling their pin check the incubi fail and are pinned.

DE turn 2: After watching his Archon turn to goo, his incubi pinned and his ravagers slagged it seemed the fates had decided to curse him.  He then rolled for reserves and everything came on, which is not what he wanted. Nonetheless he comes at me.  The bikes move straight for the land raider hoping to melta it.  The baron and hellions go into cover and make all their dangerous terrain rolls. The beasts head straight for my echelon formation hoping to assault a squishy GK squad I disembarked out of the furthest razor.  Lastly his Wyches jumped out from behind the terrain and prepared to assault my Combat squad in cover.  In the shooting he melted the assault cannon on my Land Raider but other than that only killed a few GK here and there, thanks shrouding!  in assault I casted sanctuary, which made anything within 12" of my Land raider count as being assaulted in difficult and dangerous terrain (my whole army).  His beasts failed their charge (due to sanctuary) and even took two wounds from the dangerous terrain.  The wyches lost one but made their assault...which quickly wiped out my Combat squad.    At this point I looked really surrounded, my buddies were all patting me on the back saying "it looked good for a minute," but Failing that charge with the beasts really hurt him as we would later see.

GK turn 2:  I did the razorback shuffle again, attempting to get as much cover as possible while staying near the Land Raider.  The raider was the only thing to move forward and turned its flames against the beast squad...Killing half of them (who promptly failed their morale check and ran).  a psiflemen opened up on his bikes and killed them to a man. the rest of my army shot at the baron and hellions and only killed one or two...bummer.  My second dread decided he was lazy and shot a handful of wyches before assaulting them...effectively taking them out of the game.

DE turn 3: His 20 man warrior squad came in but he chose to hide them in the back corner, they would do nothing all game but hide. His other warriors did the same thing. His hellions remained in cover and don't do much from shooting. His beasts continued to run... His disintegrator ravager kills 2 GK in a combat squad and they fail their leadership check and run off the table...damn not being fearless!!! He also managed to get his wych raider behind a psiflemen dread and wrecked it... bummer.

GK turn 3: My shooting was quick and easy.  Raider moved forward and turned a flame storm on the hellions, killing all but two and the baron.  My other shooting served only to stun the wych raider and cause misc damage to other things like the baron who made all his saves. In assault my dread continued to punch single wyches, for fun.

DE turn 4: His beasts rallied and his incubi tried to close with the rest of my army. his disintegrators tried to wreck a razorback but did nothing. The Barron and his buddies assaulted a razorback and did nothing... the wyches lost another to the dread... one by one!

Gk turn 4: I moved the Raider forward and put two flame-storms on the incubi, taking them wholesale off the table (as expected). In an attempt to pull a little back with one razor so I didn't get assaulted by the beasts I immobilized myself on a hill, woot! I stunned his wych raider again, just couldn't do anything more to that damned thing! in assault I didn't kill anything with the dread (rolled a "1" to wound.)

DE turn 5: His beasts looked hungry and tried to assault my immobile razorback, due to sanctuary they failed and took another wound from dangerous terrain, go libby!  The baron was more successful and made his assault while not losing anything to dangerous terrain.  despite hitting automatically he only managed to rip off the heavy bolter :(

Gk turn 5: I turned my raider around and flamed baron and crew.  Killing all but the Baron. This was essentially the end of the game so I rolled to see if it went on and sure enough it ended on a roll of a "2"

End game result: (kill points)
GK:9
DE:4
VICTORY GREY KNIGHTS!

Post game: My strategy worked really well, using water against fire went very well... His bad luck seemed to be his undoing early in the game though... all in all it was a fun game with a good opponent.

Hope you all enjoyed this txt battle report.  Ill get back to doing videos once my GK are more fully painted.

Comments?

Duke