The Battle for Salvation Grand Tournament, My list, Rounds 1+2

Warning pic heavy and wordy post to follow.

So this weekend I attended the Battle for Salvation GT and had a blast. I unfortunately was unable to make the doubles event due to a car accident but once the rental was delivered I made a point of being able to make the rest of the weekend. Let me first say that the BFS guys put on a really great event. I was very happy with the entire weekend overall(baring making use a GW cube of dice While I understand the desire to ensure that there is no way for anyone to call foul when we are all using the same brand new dice and tape measures, I just wish it had been anything else but GW dice. There are very few superstitions I believe in. But just like white lighters this is one of them. As we all know GW are cursed with terrible rolls and once again I had occasion to see this first hand this weekend.)

Here is my final list that I brought.

HQ - 345
Asdrubael Vect

Baron Sathonyx

Elite - 265
Bloodbrides x 9
Shardnets x 3
Haywire Grenades
Syren
Agoinser
Raider
Flickerfield

Troops - 1045
Hellions x 10
Helliarch
Agoinser
185

Wychs x 10
Haywire Grenades
Hekatrix
Agoinser
Raider
Flickerfield
220

Warriors x 5
Blaster
Venom
2nd Cannon
125


Warriors x 5
Blaster
Venom
2nd Cannon
125

Warriors x 10
Blaster
Splinter Cannon
Sybarite
Raider
Flickerfield
195

Warriors x 10
Blaster
Splinter Cannon
Sybarite
Raider
Flickerfield
195

Heavy - 345
Ravager
Flickerfield
115

Ravager
Flickerfield
115

Ravager
Flickerfield
115

Since this was a NOVA format event I knew that going troop heavy would be necessary in order to capture all goals in each round. And with an almost guarantee of being able to go first if I wanted to I was happy spending the points on Vect and the Baron. After them and the three Ravagers that no good Archon leaves Commorragh without I was pretty set as to what I could afford to fill in the rest of the list.

Vect is a one man Deathstar and I need a support element that would keep him alive as long as possible. Thinking that the meta would be Grey Knight heavy I also needed to fit in a good tarpit.

After that it was fit as much AT and AI shooting in as I could. And as my buddy Matt found out in round 4, venoms bring the pain.

So there is my reasoning for my choices. And with the exception of some terrible rolling every time it came to my Hellions I was quite happy with how the army performed over all.
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Round 1 vs Ned Merrick and his Blood Angels
Mission was Annihilation, Table Quarters, Seize Ground - Dawn of War


His list
HQ
Mephiston

Elite
3 x Furioso Dred w/ Talons in Drop Pod

Troops
4 x Assault Squad (6) - Meltagun LasPlasBack
1 x Assault Squad (6) - Meltagun BolterBack

Heavy
3 x AutoLas Preds

Coming in at 18 Kill Points I was a little worried about this mission, but then he weighed in at 20 and I was "ok lets do this."

We rolled for deployment and I won the option. Knowing that this was going to a hard matchup I opted for that all important clean up turn so I deferred to him.

He deployed a LasPlasBack and Mephi. I setup my Hellions w/ Baron to camp on the one objective in my deployment zone that was in cover and to bait his units to one side so I could employ a denied flank approach to the match. Unfortunately two things happened. One was I forgot about the pods and he dropped two on my head and flamed the hell out of the Hellions. Leaving just the Baron alive. The 2nd was he didnt take the bait and deployed in a gun line. Wedged up so to ensure maximum cover to his Backs with the Preds leading.

Not wanting to disturb the flow of the game I choose not to take pics past initial setups for any match on the wknd.

My turn 1 I I engaged both dreads and a pod with my Wychs hoping to haywire them down as well as tie them up for a couple turns. The rest of my army went more towards the left flank. I blew up the pod, shook up the dreads and sat in combat for 3 turns. Then things get fuzzy because after a few days its so damn hard remember much more than the highlights. A few items of note where Vect once again taking down Mephi in single combat before Mephi could even swing. He then proceeded to beat down an Assault Squad and was on his way to another when the game ended. Baron failed his Shadow save to a headbutting Dread that had lost both its Talons to Haywire Grenades. I had taken some hits but I could have come back but the game ended on 5 and he was ahead on points.

0-1

Not a great start to the wknd but not unrecoverable either.
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Round 2 vs Ross from The Adventures Guild in Harrisburg PA with Salamaders
Mission was Table Quarters, Seize Ground, Annihilation - Spearhead


I dont have a copy of his full list but from memory and pictures he had something along the lines of
HQ
Lysander

Librarian w/ Jump Pack

Elites

Termies (5) w/ TH/SS in a Land Raider Redeemer

Troops
3 x Tactial (???) Squads w/ at 1 Plasma Cannon and 1 Plasmagun, 2 x Rhino 1 x AssBack

Fast
Assault Squad (10)

Heavy
Whirlwind

Vindicator

Since he had no display table I was not able to get a good shot of the army before the round began.

I again won the deployment roll and deferred to him

He castled up around a terrain piece that had been reinforced by Lysander and kept his jumpers in reserve. I castled around my own building and decided that with this mission hitting fast and hard would win it for me so attempted to seize the initiative. Thanks to Vect and his special rules I was easily able to do so and went hunting.

I didnt get a shot before I made 1st turn movements but you can pretty much figure out what I did.

My first proprieties were the Land Raider, Vindi, and AssBack as I knew those were going to do the most damage to me. The whirlwind was a concern but with it being in that back corner I knew I wasnt getting to it for awhile. I moved out of my corner boosting Vect and the Brides behind some trees to take that quarter. Unseen in the photo above is a couple Raiders that swung out to the left to take that quarter and get LOS to the Vindi. I proceeded to Immobilize the Land Raider with my Ravagers and blow the Demolisher off the Vindi with my hidden Raiders. I could not focus on my continued spread of wanton destruction. And thats exactly what I did. He disembarked the termis and Lysander, moved what was still able to do so forward and it was my turn again. Vect and his Brides went right for the termies and over the next few comabts (with the jump troops joining in) I was able to whittle it down to just Lysander and the Libby alive. (yep Vect went down to a thunderhammer :( ) But now they were in the open for my Venom Squads :) I feel a little bad for the guy because he rolls where crap all game long. By turn 5 he had only the troops in the building alive and everything was dead or a wreck.

1-1 still not the best bracket to be in but progress is progress and I was feeling a little better about my day.
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Rounds 3-5 and random pics of pretty armies will be forth coming. But I have to work 7 out of the next 8 days (6 of them in a row, 10 hrs/day) so the next update might be a little while to come out. If need be I'll post up the random army pics later this week and come back to the batreps next week. Hope your enjoying the show so far.