Steamstorm Report - Day 1 - Thursday.

So there we are, Pat Dunford and I, sitting in Gamer's World, Dublin, waiting for other members of the WTC Ireland Team to show up for some practice games. Of course they don't, which means I get to be smacked around by Pat 3 times. Arseholes.

Funtimes!

Game 9/100
eAbyslonia Vs Siege
Opponent: Patrick Dunford
Scenario: Fire Support

This is Pat's second list in most 2-list format tournaments. He's been playing Siege for a number of years, and the list has gone through a few variations, but its current form is very strong! Harlan Versh punishes Legion especially, who rely on defensive Animi and Upkeeps to protect their beasts from heavy shooting threats.

Not a great matchup for Aby2, who really dislikes lists that can sit back and kill all her things without entering her predictable threat. I'll be able to trigger conferred rage off Pat's objective, but that means weathering a feat turn in the face.

Major Markus 'Siege' Brisbane (*5pts)
* Stormwall (19pts)
* Squire (2pts)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
* Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer (2pts)
* * Sentinel (4pts)
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team (4pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Rangers (5pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Harlan Versh (2pts)
Journeyman Warcaster (3pts)
Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator (1pts)

So many guns :(

Game:

I won first turn and came up aggressively. My plan was that if I'm going to have to eat a turn of shooting, I might as well put some scenario pressure on Pat if I can.

Pat advanced pretty cagily and didn't pull the trigger on his Feat, as it'd guarantee me Conferred Rage and likely only finish off a single beast. He denies me both Conferred Rage and any charges, which is one of Aby's major problems. If a canny opponent with both speed and ranged threat simple plays around her threat ranges, she loses a huge chunk of her power.

My only option here is to throw everything forward, jam as much as I can, and hope he can only kill a single heavy. I manage to catch Eyriss with a Ravagore blast... and she lives. This is huge, she knocks off Fortify and Spiny from my Carnivean, and Pat takes the Scythean and Carnivean with his Feat.

I'm super down on points now and Pat just finishes me off.

Assassination LOSS!

Game 10/100
Absylonia2 Vs eHaley
Opponent: Patrick Dunford
Scenario: Close Quarters

Pat wants to try a double Stormwall Haley build vs Aby, so I indulge his sadistic tendencies. I make a swap, dropping the Ravagore from my normal Aby2 list for a Naga and Protector.

Major Victoria Haley (*5pts)
* Stormwall (19pts)
* Stormwall (19pts)
* Squire (2pts)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
* Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer (2pts)
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team (4pts)
Journeyman Warcaster (3pts)

Game:

Of course, the big question is: Can I kill a Stormwall before losing too much?

The short answer was no. With no models that needed to be in Conferred Rage range to ever trigger it, the Stormwalls out-threat me. Pat studiously avoids putting down Stormpods so I can't trigger off them and there's no Objectives for me to cheekily kill. In combination with Feat, I lose two heavies before I'm able to affect the game in any way. My Feat is fine, I put one Stormwall on 10 or so, and the other below half, but by that point I've committed everything to a wild melee, and Stormwall just punches Aby to death.

Assassination LOSS!

 Game 11/100
Saeryn (Fallen Angels - Tier 4) Vs pStryker
Opponent: Patrick Dunford
Scenario: Incoming

Pat's been testing pStryker as a potential drop so we decided to have a "Control Feat vs Control Feat" game. I've found with Saeryn though that she's really suffered since the release of Colossals. Having a model on the table that can shoot an Angelius to death under Saeryn's Feat is really bad, and it's not just Cygnar that can manage it. The Earthbreaker is a particularly egregious model for this, as is Conquest in some circumstances (generally in combination with Ice Cage from some Greylords).


Take Stormwall's ability to shoot heavies under feat, add in Sniped Stormblades, the B13th and other generic shooting, and it's a big problem.

I also have to be wary of Stryker's assassination threat. The ability to simple Earthquake things and apply assaulting Stormblades has caught many players out - once you're knocked down and that Stormblade Gunner hits, it's goodnight for any caster in the game.

Commander Coleman Stryker (*6pts)
* Stormwall (19pts)
* Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (2pts)
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team (4pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Storm Lances (Leader and 4 Grunts) (11pts)
Stormblade Infantry (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Stormblade Infantry Officer & Standard (3pts)
* 3 Stormblade Infantry Storm Gunner (3pts)
Journeyman Warcaster (3pts)
Stormblade Captain (2pts)

Activate anti-Earthquake formation!

 Game:

Turn one I come up the table and Pat advances cautiously again. He's got enough threat that he only needs to advance a few inches, and it's a slow enough Scenario that he can sacrifice a few points to not let me double-alpha him.

Realising his plan, I deploy into an anti-earthquake brick, with Wind Ravager protecting from Assault, Two Angelii and Zuriel (Safeguarded) up front, then Saeryn (Safeguarded) and the protectors covering them with Shield Guards. I put my Harrier in the far, far corner of the Red zone, forcing him to commit something to deal with it and the only things over there are the Lances and Stormwall, which should protect me from them for another turn.  

Pat has to come forward next turn if he wants to stop me getting a free point, and that should let me hit him hard.

Saeryn is in there somewhere!

Pat does come forward and shoot but doesn't achieve a huge amount, then Feats, clears the Harrier with his Stormlances and charges Stryker into his Zone, netting the first point, and gets ready for my counter. I do so, manage to clear the zone with repulses and feat back. 

Eventually I kill his objective to go to 3 points, but then Stormwall finally makes it to the game and this list has trouble, real trouble, with an ARM 22 Colossal. Despite Armour Pierces and Zuriel I just can't get through it and run out of toys, eventually losing on Scenario after I can no longer clear the zone.

Scenario LOSS!

Yeah, Pat's a shark. He's rocking a 90% winrate over his last 150+ games. Let that settle in. He beat me up and made my toys sad. Meany.

Friday morning we fly out to Bratislava to be hosted by The Don at Steamstorm III! Pat is many people's favourite to win the event, but first there's some drinking to be done.

More soon! Thanks for reading!