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| Because, how hard is it to write a goddamn battle report? |
Game 1: Syntherion (Convergence) vs. pVlad (Khador)
Deployment favored me pretty well since I was able to hold my battlegroup together and my opponent deployed his Man-o-wars way out in right field. From there, things kept working out well for me. In the second turn the Monitor picked off a Manhunter solo thanks to true sight, and the Cipher made short work of the Widowmakers + UA with boosted mortar blasts (Hot Shot on the Cipher is probably my go-to infantry killing technique now). Eventually Vlad feated and got his battlegroup hauling ass. The resulting charge put a good dent in my heavies and crippled a few systems, but thanks to repairs and Syngery, they were able to make a devastating counterattack.
I started using my lights to build up stacks of Synergy and transfer focus to a heavy. This eventually allowed the heavies to stock up on three focus and swing at +3-4 to hit & damage. In short, they were able to drop both a Devastator and Beserker in one round of combat. After that, Vlad ran about for awhile and the Man-o-wars did make an appearance, but by then it was a done deal.
Result: Victory for Convergence!
Takeaway notes:
Synergy is no joke, and is Syntherion's strongest spell. Syntherion shouldn't ever be starved for focus, but if you have to choose something to upkeep let this be it. Also keep in mind that Syntherion also counts as part of the battlegroup, so he can contribute to Synergy as well. At around three stacks, his melee strikes are on par with a heavy, making him a fairly strong hitter if you willing to risk it.
Game 2: Syntherion vs. pStryker (Cygnar)
Cover was the name of the game here. During my first turn I cast all of the upkeep spells as usual, then I made a run for the forest. Eventually I was able to nestle all of my key pieces within the forest, then I just let Stryker come to me. The Cipher did its thing with Hot Shot and cleared Long Gunners pretty easily. I had good board position and was winning the attrition game. It wasn't all smooth sailing though. The forest is a double edged sword. While it allowed me to get into position, I still had to risk getting shot in order to do anything productive.
Then there was Cygnar. What shots they did take were well done, and I did end up losing a light or two to bad position. Also, Styrker's feat is no joke. Once he popped it, my advanced was stopped dead for a full round. On top of that, I developed a sense of respect for Disruption effects. Having the Monitor lose focus for a turn really slowed down the battle plan. Ultimately, however, the Mitigator was able to knock Stryker down, and the Monitor did it's work to assassinate the enemy leader.
Result: Victory for the Convergence!
Takeaway notes:
Like in all wargaming cover is you friend. It was amazing to see how much of Cygnar's firepower I was able to avoid while still playing aggressively.
Also, the Corollary is simply awesome. In the late game Syntherion was left somewhat vulnerable and needed to camp all of his focus. Luckily, the Corollary was still able to transfer and create(!) focus to allow my battle group to perform boosted actions. In a faction whose main mechanic is resources flexibility, the Corollary cranks it up to 11!
Game 3: Saeryn (Legion) vs. eMorvahna (circle)
In the only Legion game I played this weekend, both my opponent and I went for optimal cheesy effects. Both Saeryn and Morvahna have absurdly powerful attrition/denial feats and are considered some of the best their factions have to offer. However, it being my first game, I was terribly outmatched. Not only that, but I ran very beast heavy and my opponent went infantry heavy. This meant that I was vastly outnumbered and given Morvanha's feat I couldn't push through the sheer amount of bodies. Eventually Saeryn was knocked down and out of the fight.
Result: Defeat for the Legion!
Takeaway notes:
Blight Bringer is a really fun spell. Having a Shredder rocket up the field and be used to blow up a bunch of Blood Trackers is insanely fun even if it's not especially productive. I really liked how my Legion force played (especially the speed!), and with a few more models and some practice I could really come to enjoy playing this army.
Game 4: Syntherion vs. pXerxes (Skorne)
For this game I jumped back to the Convergence since I was more comfortable and I really enjoyed seeing my painted models on the table-top (I wish you could have seen it, I swear!). Things started out well enough, though Skorne was able to hustle a good deal more than I anticipated. Eventually, we met on my half of the field, with Syntherion riding the edge of the killbox. The Titans were on a hill in rough terrain, but between flares, Magnetic Hold, and All-Terrain buffs I was poised to have a very strong alpha strike.
Until the Agonizer shows up. For those that may not know, the Agonizer is pretty much a tortured titan calf whose sole purpose is to be flung into battle to demoralize the enemy. The Skorne rationale is that once the enemy sees what they do to their own they will think twice about starting a fight. I focus on this because it's one of the most warped pieces of fluff I've ever read, and it does its job damn well. The agonizer stocked up on 5 fury, created a 8" bubble in which I couldn't allocate focus, and then ran strait into my lines, which single handedly crippled my alpha strike. Granted, my feat turn was productive, but that one move really stalled my momentum and I could not regain it. Eventually, after almost all of my vectors were trashed, I threw in the towel.
Result: Defeat for the Convergence!
Takeaway notes:
In this game I learned that Galvanizers are perhaps the most solid lights that the Convergence has. The P+S for its Saw Blade is higher than any other light vector attack, and with a few stacks of Synergy it can even put a dent in fragile Heavies. While it doesn't benefit from the Weapons Platform granted by Syntherion's feat like the Mitigator or Diffuser, it can repair, making it a great second line unit.
Game 5: Syntherion vs. eKaya (Circle)
My final game was against Circle again, and I changed up my 25-point list to make it into a Tier 4 list (usually it was just Tier 2). This battle was unfortunately short and brutal. My battlegroup had nowhere to hide, and since the opponents had such a large threat range and Kaya's feat they couldn't retaliate when the inevitable charges came in. Within four turns most of my vectors were scrap, and I conceded.
Result: Defeat for the Convergence!
Takeaway notes:
I've alway had a bit of a problem with Circle's threat ranges, and the board didn't help me too much. I'll have to utilize cover and terrain more in future games. Also, squeezing a Tier 4 list into 25 points wasn't my best move. I had to drop my Arc Node and Mitigator, which would have went a long way in mitigating the high DEF of Circle Warbeasts. I think in part that is what led to failing to get a synergy chain off on the one chance I had to strike back at Kaya's hound and Warpwolf.
Well, there's the weekend's recap. A lot of other stuff happened that will be covered in future posts, so stay tuned!
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