Sorry, that's the only pic I got this time. The entire army deployed to get seized and obliterated by GKs. More about that later. I'm just gonna go through each game and add some overall thoughts at the end.
Each game played seize ground (worth 10 to the winner), bases (worth 10 to the winner) and victory points (worth 10 to the winner) at the same time. Deployment and objective placement varied.
The list (this tourney comped out any triple chloices in elites, fa and hs):
Baron Santhonyx @ 105pts.
4 Trueborn with 4 blasters @ 108pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
4 Trueborn with 4 blasters @ 108pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
3 Wracks @ 30pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons, grisly trophies @ 70pts.
5 Warriors with blaster @ 60pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
5 Warriors with blaster @ 60pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
5 Warriors with blaster @ 60pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
5 Warriors with blaster @ 60pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
5 Wyches with haywire grenades incl. hekatrix with venom blade @ 75pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
5 Wyches with haywire grenades incl. hekatrix with venom blade @ 75pts.
Venom with 2x splinter cannons @ 65pts.
3 Reaver Jetbikes with blaster @ 81pts.
3 Reaver Jetbikes with blaster @ 81pts.
Ravager @ 105pts.
Ravager @ 105pts.
Voidraven Bomber @ 145pts.
Total @ 1848pts.
First game was against Orks. The guy was very nice, but his list was weak. He had 3 shooty battlewagons (with 4 big shootas and a kannon), some big gunz, koptas and lootas. His troops were one 3-man slugga squad, a deff dread (that according to the TO was scoring) and a squad of grots. He had a biker boss and kff mek. I didn't realise the wagons had no rollas and wasn't expecting him to castle up in a corner and shoot me. He seized on me, but I won the game with full points (30-0).
The second game was against Tau. Dawn of war deployment and 3 seize markers. I elected to go first and placed my base on my left flank next to two of the three loot counters. He placed his base in the opposite back corner (right flank). I decided to threaten his base instead of driving onto my own, and brought all my tanks onto my right flank (close to my board edge to prevent the tau shooting much of my tanks down). The reavers zoomed up the left flank to deny any random tau units coming on unsupported meanwhile the rest castled on the other side.
The Tau came on the left flank leaving their base for me. Their shooting didn't kill all the reavers (I had rolled fnp) and the remaining reavers locked a crisis squad for a turn. I have pretty good board control, but am badly placed for a shooting battle. All my vehicles zoom towards the tau as fast as possible, the baron trying to be a bullet magnet. In the end, the tau had a couple of bad shooting phases and didn't wipe enough of me. I managed to kill of his scoring units with a combination of combat and shooting, and won bases and objectives. Tau won victory points clearly. 20-10 victory.
Third game was against mech ig. He had a pretty regular setup, with a griffon and couble manticores in HS. Spearhead deployment. I won the roll off and he reserved his vendettas. I turboboosted the wyches, wracks and a couple of warrior groups, disembarking the trueborns and remaining warriors after moving, to get blasters into the lead chimeras. IG shooting wasn't good enough in the first (and to a lesser extent, second) shooting phase and I managed to drive over his army. My reavers charged wittled down veterans and command squads, meanwhile wyches charged manticores, the griffon and some chimeras. The rest shooted chimeras and vendettas crippling my opponent. However, I lost almost all my scoring models and when my opponent wanted to stop on t3 and suggested 25-5, I was happy with the outcome. 25-5 victory to Dark Eldar.
After the first day, I was in third place. However, my luck changed and was up against GKs in my last two matches.
First game of the day was with pitched battle. My opponent is a friend and he knew to give me first turn, so that I wouldn't reserve. Probably should have still, but I deployed. He proceeded to seize with coteaz and blast me off the table. 0-30.
Last game was against Jabbdo with GKs. His list was a henchman list with 20 PA knights (purgation knights and purifiers)+2 dreads. This time I win the roll-off and pass it to him. Spearhead and I placed my base in my back corner, his was at the center of his board edge. He made the mistake of driving in a diagonal front (similar to how he deployed in spearhead). His right wing (that was next to my board edge) was vulnerable and I rolled well for my reserves. I come on and try to smash him. My blasters slightly fail, but I get some damage (including one purifier squad wiped off the table). The rest of the game my opponent retaliates and I try to wipe off his PA grey knights. The baron jumps off to tie up dreads and HnR out of the combats.
At the bottom of four it looks like I can win 25-5. Jabbdo can't do much to the baron who is in combat with a ven dread next to his base. I have another 3 venoms that can swoop to contest objectives if need be. My base is safe. VPs is really tight. On his 5th, Jabbdo destroys or imobilises all my venoms and kills the baron with 5 henchmen that charged out of a razorback. Disaster! Jabbdo has a 100 point VP lead (over the required 200 points to win) and I only manage to contest one objective with wracks. Luckily the game ends and I only lose 20-10. Dark Eldar are brittle and this is a reminder that major turning points towards the end of the game can turn the tide quick.
Overall, I didn't feel happy with the Baron. He was only really good in the last game against Jabbdo. The wyches were good, I liked the setup. Venom blades are often enough for the purpose that I'm using them. I also liked the reavers. I played them a little different in many of the matches. In the test games, I had used them similarly to tau crisis suits. However, I found myself zooming them straight into my opponent's face, or charging weak infantry squads. It's probably because I'm slowly starting to master the list and know my army's units better. I can be more aggressive with my small units, like the reavers, as I know my limits. They also fit in with the msu mindset. Alphastrike, target saturation, win. That's why I'm gonna try them with heatlances, something that I've seen pop up in DE lists lately (etc, german team tournament and other places).
Overall, I feel slightly let down by the second day. I play against those guys weekly, and it felt slightly useless going all the way (well maybe 150km) to play, and play the second day against people you know and a matchup you know is bad. The first day went very well, and I am very happy about beating mech ig. The tournament was certainly fun, but the second day was a slight letdown.
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