1850 Tournament- Wych Cult

Well, i took my untried Wych Cult list to a tournament...
the list and reasoning behind it are here: http://www.thedarkcity.net/t6474-1850-wych-list-for-a-tournament-tomorrow

But to sum up, i had:
Duke
Baron
10 Warriors/ splinter cannon
farseer
5 dire avengers
1 triple dissie ravager
2 voidravens w/ 2 shatterfields each
4 venoms w/ 5 wyches, hydra, venom, haywire
aegis w/ iccarus
14 khymarae w beastmasters

As I walked around before the game, i noticed quite a few chaos, demon and tau armies. There were also grey knights, IG, space marines, necron, and a few others, but the majority were chaos and tau.

Game 1:
Kill Points and Objectives (each mission had 2 primary objectives.)
Normal Deployment

Opponent:
Imperial Guard!

So great... kill points against guard right out of the box!
He had:
2 30 man blob squads kitted out.
a triple las cannon heavy weapon team
Leeman russ battle tank
Leeman Russ Demolisher
Basalisk
Vendetta with vetrans
Creed and CCS in chimera
And a flamer veteran squad in chimera (outflanking due to creed)

First Turn: Dark Eldar
Nightfight: No
Drugs: +1 Weapon Skill

We had both deployed across the entire board.

My first turn, I moved all the venom up 12", the baron and dogs up 12" then fleet, I shot the heavy weapon team off the board (first blood), and took 2 hull points off creeds chimera with my dissie ravager (side shots). A few models from each platoon died, as due to poor deployment, i could not concentrate fire.
He responded by glancing a venom to death (wyches not pinned) and killed 4 dire avengers. He also charged BOTH 30 man squads at the dogs.
Defensive grenades helped bunches here, and after combat, I WON by 2! He was fearless (and furious charge by creed giving orders) so I git and run out of combat deeper into his lines to threaten... well, everything!

My turn 2 came, and my voidravens both came on. The dogs spread out so i could charge pretty much everything on the board if needed.
Shooting popped creeds chimera, removed the gun from the basalisk, and softened his big squads down to low numbers. Charging saw the dogs eat creed and his CCS, and wyches take out via grenades the demolisher and battle tank.

His turn 2 and he was already deep in trouble. His vendetta did not come in, but his outflanking flamer vets did, and they went 6" and jumped out next to the duke. His remaining squads lined up shots on the ravager and dogs or wyches.

He chose the wyches and wiped the squad that killed the demolisher off the table. he other squad took a glance off the ravager.
Flamers from his outflankers saw 12 wounds, no cover or armor saves. Luckily the duke was closest, and he saved all 12! No look out sirs needed!
It was here his spirit was broken. We continued to play, but he knew it was lost. When his veterans deep striked from the vendetta, and scattered 12" onto my dogs, killing them all, he threw in the towel. (at this point, all he had left was an imobolised chimera, and a vendetta with 2 hull points gone.

Dark Eldar Crushing Victory- 18 out of 18 points. (15 for win, plus slay the warlord, linebreaker and first blood)

Stars of the match:
HAD to be the dogs. The hit and run sealed the game for me at the bottom of turn 1!


Game 2:
Craig's Chaos with IG allies

He had 3 defilers, 2 units of noise marines w/ 2 blastmaster each, a sorcerer lord (did not use out of fear from the runes of warding on the farseer), 2 vendettas, 2 battle tanks, CCS, 2 vet squads.

Ouch

Game: the relic and objectives
Diagonal deployment
No Night fight
Drugs: got to pick between +1 s, or +1 attack. I chose Strength.
First Turn: Dark Eldar

I began the game with prescience on the ravager, then moved all venoms up 12" at the defilers. Shooting saw venoms open on the noise marines, and then the ravager did, wiping a squad and earning FIRST BLOOD.
He retaliated by dropping a venom and killing a few warriors with blastmasters. No real damage to speak of. Good flickerfields for the win!
He attempted to charge the fallen wyches, but failed, even with fleet. (needed 9)
My turn 2, 1 bomber arrived, flew over the noise marines and killed 4. The wyches jumped out and all surrounded the defilers. The venoms and ravager went to town on the guard and noise marines, wiping the marines and sorcerer (SLAY THE WARLORD), wounding the ccs down to 2 models for the guard.
Combat saw 1 unit of wyches die to flamers on the overwatch when charging the defilers. the other 2 units lost 1 model each.
Close combat saw 1 defiler popped, 1 down to 2 hull points, but killed 2 wyches. Dogs charged the battle tanks, killing both.

Chaos turn 2 and he was in deep trouble also. My dogs were running around his backfield, 2 out of 3 defilers were tied up and in trouble, and he had nothing but 2 fliers comming in reserve. He used his unengaged defiler to attempt to get close to my aegis and charge my warlord, but failed the charge (we knew he wouldm 11" away but worth a try, right?). Next turn, he would be there.

So my next turn, i fed him venoms. I turboed it right in front of his defiler, and boxed him in. The wyches and dogs saw to the IG, and both other defilers were wiped by the haywire grenades.
His turn his flyers came in, but to no avail. It was already lost.

Crushing Victory Dark Eldar:
18 out of 18 points.

Stars of the match:
Haywire wyches baby! The dogs did great yet again, but they wyches won the game
He was stunned when my venoms moved right at his defilers.


Game 3- For first place!
Mission- Kill points and objectives.

I played Bill and his hand to hand chaos list.
He had a lord on bike, 7-8 nurgle bikers, a lord on juggernaught with 5-6 spawn, 2 rhinos w/ 10 plague marines each, 3 cultist units all kept in reserves, 2 big hand to hand maulerfiends and a helldrake.

Dark Eldar first turn
Drug: +1 str
No night fight.
Standard Deployment

I deployed across the board, he turtled up.
Turn 1 saw the dogs go 12 and fleet at his bikes and spawn. Shooting from the prescienced ravager saw 3 bikers die. 2 venoms were out of range of everything and flat outted at his objectives. 1 rhino lost a hull point to the icarus.

His turn saw the bikes and spawn go for the dogs, 1 fiend run back to deal with the venoms in his back lines, and the plagues putter up to the middle of the board.
No real shooting. Combat saw the fiend charge a venom, and whiff or see his attacks flickerfielded!
The bikes, spawn and 2 lords on the dogs were a little rougher. A challenge was issued and accepted, and the chaos lord looked at his black mace to long and smashed himself in the face! ha! The dogs went first, and concentrated on the spawn, doing 9 wounds! They also snuck a wound on 1 biker!

Attacks back saw the dogs and masters whittled down by 8. (2 masters, 6 dogs.) DE won combat! (thank you defensive grenades!)
So.. a quick hit and run later, and yet once again, my dogs are running rampant in the enemy deployment zone! I am begining to really really like this!

My turn 2 both bombers appear (warlord trait to reroll came in handy! go figure!). Wyches moved up and jumped out by the maulerfiends.
Shooting saw the spawn wiped (FIRST BLOOD), and the bikers wiped (SLAY THE WARLORD). His juggernaught lord had only 2 wounds left! Combat saw both fiends sown to 1 wound, and 1 wych died out of the 10 in combat. The dogs surrounded and charged the wounded rhino, killing it and 5 of the 10 marines inside that could not be placed.

His turn 2 and he was reeling. ALL his reserves came on, and immediately shot the dogs down to 3 models. His helldrake destroyed a venom with vector (after taking a wound from the iccarus from the intercept!) and flamered the dire avengers off the board! He charged the ravager with his lord (dead ravager) and the dog, beastmaster and baron with the nurgle marines. Challenge accepted, no wounds, dogs dead. I passed LD and hit and run outta dodge at the cultists. Wyches destroyed both maulerfiends.

My turn 3, and here is where I was stupid. I did not watch the clock.
I flew both flyers off, to get better angles on the enemy when they came back on, and ran some wyches on an objective. Shooting saw the lord down to 1 wound, the other rhino destroyed and the marines inside whittled to 4 models. One unit of cultists on a hill (where I was not charging) was taken to 5 models.
Combat saw wyches and baron charge cultists, with the cultists getting destroyed.

He started his turn, and the TO said "Last round!"
Crap.
Well, i still had kill points and objectives. Max win. Unless of course his 5 cultists could kill 4 wyches from shooting, even when they had a pain token.
They did.
But surely his helldrake cant vector and flame 10 warriors off the other objective?
Yup. Sure did!

Game ended. i controled no objectives, he controled no objectives.
I had him beat by 3 kill points though, so Still a crushing victory!
Oh, but wait. i flew off my flyers. and it seems heavys are worth 2 kill points each!
TIE GAME!
So we go to the scorecard- I had all 3- First Blood, Slay the Warlord and Linebreaker.
He had linebreaker.

Minor win for the dark Eldar. 15 out of 18 points.

Stars of the game:
Dogs. Again, the baron dog combo was stupid good. I am really really going to think about a full size beast unit led by the baron as a staple for every game.

My own poor time management turned the game from a crushing win to a minor win. I flew off both fliers. Gah! Well, that is a mistake that won't happen again, to be sure.

So... I waited to see where I placed (it was a packed tourney).
1st place tie between Dark Eldar (me) and Grey Knights! They went to "strength of schedule" and it seems the grey knight player had 2 games where the opponent combined won 1 out of 6 games! My opponents won 4 out of 6 (both only lost to me!)

FIRST PLACE DARK ELDAR.

Every time you win at the store, they engrave your name on a trophy. Ive been there twice, and my name is up there twice.
Never underestimate the Dark Eldar!

That sir... Is awesome!

You kicked some major butt even against some of the tougher armies. (Chaos and IG. Both of which seemed to be the only things you were fighting.)

The Duke saving 12 flamer wounds is just bonkers. My shadowfields never perform to that standard. Poor Archon has lost his on the first roll for many of the games he was in.

Did you find the voidravens useful? I've always just stuck to razors, which serve me well enough. I been meaning to try the bomber though, now that it is rumored to release sometime in the near future.

Those beasts were rad as well. For some reason I can never pull off those maneuvers you seem to do. Forgetting hit and run on the Baron is probably a huge factor in this.

Last question:

How did the Chaos marines not have room to be placed when you destroyed the Rhino. Did you have it fully surrounded? Did your opponent forget about emergency disembark or did he not want to risk its bad effects with all your dogs in his face?

Fantastic report and hope you keep em coming!

Great showing great report and I really like the core of your list although I gotta say the duke seems extraneous, did he turn out to be worthwhile?

Congrats on the win!

Do you think the games would have played differently if you had ended up going second, or had the initiative stolen on you?

Shrike423 wrote:

The Duke saving 12 flamer wounds is just bonkers. My shadowfields never perform to that standard. Poor Archon has lost his on the first roll for many of the games he was in.

I agree. I started taking them 1 at a time, and when his field popped, would then "look out sir" them. My opponent was a bit miffed to say the least when he saved each and every one!

Quote :

Did you find the voidravens useful? I've always just stuck to razors, which serve me well enough.

No. In fact, the first change I would make to this list is removing those and getting 2 triple dark lance ravagers (keeping the dissie one as is). Flyers are nice, the missles and bombs are nice but ravagers are just so much better for so much less! i would have close to an extra 130 points left over with just that one change!

Quote :

Those beasts were rad as well. For some reason I can never pull off those maneuvers you seem to do. Forgetting hit and run on the Baron is probably a huge factor in this

Without a doubt, the suprise of the tournament.
Defensive grenades, offensive grenades and hit and run... just wow. they outpreformed every other unit in almost every game... both mine and my opponents! the 4++ is great too. i would not be afraid to charge a defiler or dreadnaught with them just to use it as a catapault with a hit and run. In game 3, i set them up to be charged by 2 chaos lords with squads... just for the chance to hit and run with them. I urge everyone to give it a try and see how they do.

Quote :

Last question:

How did the Chaos marines not have room to be placed when you destroyed the Rhino. Did you have it fully surrounded? Did your opponent forget about emergency disembark or did he not want to risk its bad effects with all your dogs in his face?

The dogs were circling the rhino, with baron and masters behind them. These are the old models (warp beasts) so they have big bases!

Brom wrote:

I gotta say the duke seems extraneous, did he turn out to be worthwhile?

In this tournament, i would say he was so-so. I took him just for the "roll 2 dice" for drugs- hoping for a "6". That would give all units a pain token except the farseer and dire avengers. (duke deploys with the warriors)
My dice rolls were:
2-2 (+1 ws) vs. guard- so useless.
4-5, I chose +1 str due to facing a lot of T4 models. Better than the extra attack in almost all cases.
and 1-4. a no brainer.

His 12 SF saves, however amusing, really had no bearing on how that game went.

So... meh. I DO use him as a backup for the iccarus. Both the farseer (bs5) and the duke (bs6) are in base contact with it.. so if one of the two units go to ground the other can still fire at full BS. I also like his ability to have models deep strike. I have not had to use it yet, but it would be GREAT in hammer and anvil deployments against shooty armies. (lookin at you Tau!)

Mushkilla wrote:

Congrats on the win!

Do you think the games would have played differently if you had ended up going second, or had the initiative stolen on you?

Hmm. Game 1 a little, but I would have castled my deployment on the left, and taken half his army out of the fight off the get-go.
If he stole, it might have hurt more.

Game 2- not really. His big threat, the defilers, were coming after me anyway, which is what I wanted. I would have played the relic instead of objectives that game if he stole.

Game 3- Not a bit different except I would have charged him instead of him charging me. he had an all HTH army... almost no shooting at all.


That being said, I still hate having initiative stolen... I always hold my breath when i see that dice bouncing around on the table.

Skulnbonz wrote:

That being said, I still hate having initiative stolen... I always hold my breath when i see that dice bouncing around on the table.

No kidding. I've had a tau seize on me before... most terrifying first turn ever.
End result was I got trashed. A trend that seems to happen to my army when ever in gets on the opposite side of the board of one of the newer armies...

I will try that Khymere and Baron combo of yours though. that might even things out a lot.

Great series of victories & nice reports. 1st turn every time was very nice - El Barone must have helped with that!

That big dog unit must have been quite imposing on the table! It's unusual to see one without any razorwing flocks - have you considered them? They add a load of extra wounds and have better anti-tank anti-hvy infantry abilities? Would mean a smaller unit on the table though.

The hydra gauntlets on the wyches is a unique touch - did you get much use out of them? I suppose they were there in case you needed the wyches to tarpit infantry?

I agree with getting more ravagers...you hardly seemed troubled by your opponent's flyers, so may as well get some more shooty stuff on the table right from the start.

I would also vote to lose Sliscus....the combat drugs thing didn't really work for you, but you still did very well regardless.. and deepstriking all your vehicles seems very risky - that could easily go very wrong. If you need an extra character to man the icarus, I would go for a cheap archon or succubus - or you could buy an exarch for the dire avengers. Or course, the best unit we can currently get is dark reapers with an exarch, but that's a lot of points (and will be changing very soon, what with a new Eldar codex on the horizon).