Cryx noob ep36 - Between a rock and a hard place...

Dojo was pumpin' this afternoon with all 3 tables in action and all three tables featuring our favourite good guys - Cryx! Yes sir - it's a good time to be dead! We had enough players for onlookers, spectators and wannabes (other Luke and some half-assed Warmachine hack called Chris...).

On the far right Damian's lads gave Luke Harvey's Trolls what for with a classic pDenny pop 'n drop (Scourge ftw). Nearby, Evil Dave's (as opposed to me - Good Dave) Terminus did what came naturally and converted Nick's eMadrak to kit-set form and many two-dimensional parts with his big sword.

And on my table, in our first ever game against each other, eSkarre took on Greg's Tier 4 pBaldur! His first game with pBaldur's tier, and both of us running 42pts for the first time (sort of threw this on Greg by surprise - sorry mate) so we elected to forgo the death clock this time. By popular request (and because I was told to do so), here are the lists:

eSkarre
- Deathjack
- Nightmare
- Skarlock
Raider Package (Max + UA)
Raider Captain
Necrotech
Necrosurgeon
Gorman di Wulfe
Machine Wraith
Pistol Wraith
Pistol Wraith

First game at 42pts and I could really feel the difference. Still can't imagine 50pts (cf. Rallypoint) but I know I need a LOT more practice at this level before Call to Arms! Pretty happy with the list though - DJ and Nightmare together are just horrendous, the Raiders never fail to amuse, and I experienced the joys of cutting for Feat/upkeep and healing back the damage (actually, we played Restoration so there was a lot of healing love to go around). Gorman always has an impact (as you'll see below, Greg is now a part of the "Gorman Haterz Club"). The Pistol Wraiths give me ranged Black Spot options and the Machine Wraith is good for lulz. It's a fun list and I think I'm actually getting the hang of it too, despite what Chris tells me.


pBaldur (tier 4)
- Megalith
- Stampy the Wold Guardian
- Wold Wyrd
Woldstalkers (little Shrimps with Zephyr)
Woldstalkers 
Shifting Stones
Shifting Stones
Super Annoying Sentry Stone + Twiggies
Druids
Gallows Grove

Suuuper fast list with AD on the Constructs, Advance Move from the little Shrimpies and a Sentry Stone deploying 20" onto the board!


I realised there would be shenanigans in this game during Greg's first turn because:

- Twiggies can explode themselves to create forests
- Megalith can create a forest (or some kind of dead zone?) with his Animus or Geomancy (Geomancy... wtf???!?!) or something
- pBaldur can teleport(ish) into forests
- pBaldur's Feat rorted my awesome Pathfinding Raiders (and pretty much everything else)


I lost a couple of Raiders first turn after I ran to engage the Twiggies and sucked down a surprise Baldur and friends to the face. Skarre counter-Feated, being careful to tag Baldur to stop cheeky arcing after I failed miserably to take out the Grove. In a move I was very pleased with, I removed enough crap to allow Nightmare to Imprint: Ghostly and charge Megalith (Preyed) but the dice were full of fail. Fortunately Nightmare was safe thanks to the Feat. Deathjack was having all sorts of issues with tank traps (more Shifting Stones getting in the way) which prevented him from wailing on Stampy.

Greg's forces were pretty much shut down by the Feat but were able to account for a few Raiders and the Captain which was annoying. Zephyr was also giving me a headache - cheeky Circle shenanigans I tells ya! A few more interesting things came to light (I've never played pBaldur before so this was all very new). Turns out Megalith heals D3 in the Maintenance Phase. Turns out Druids can't Medicate Constructs. Turns out Druid Clouds are SUPER FRUSTRATING. Turns out Counter-Magic is even MORE frustrating!

In my next turn Nightmare finally found his killing face, finishing off Megalith and opening up a passage for a Raider to wander forward and slay the highly irritating Counter-Magic Druid dude. DJ spent the turn playing with Shifting Stones - after his activation was over only one was left from both units. Pistol Wraiths (and the Sea Witch who was somehow still alive) chipped away at the Woldstalkers. The big play though that spelt the beginning of the end for Baldur was a Black Oil from Gorman which not only effectively shut down the Circle caster (twice after the Wold Wyrd failed to finish Gorman off - the second time Baldur was standing behind but practically on top of the Sentry Stone so it would have been rude not to oblige)) but had also saved Nightmare from a severe beating by scattering just so to Blind Megalith as well. A risky Trample from a Death Warded Deathjack saw the Wold Guardian engaged too. Skarre hid from the Wold Wyrd which was engaged by three models for free-strikes galore and with Stampy nearly maxed out and Baldur Blind (and now Preyed by Nightmare who was unegaged) we called the game.


Close to locking that list in now and am hunting around for a second caster. I'd fret and worry about giving away all my list secrets before Call to Arms but who am I trying to kid, right? Without Temporal Barrier to save me I'm as good as dead anyway :)

Or maybe this is all just a fantastic smokescreen and I have pHaley and a Stormwall all painted up and good to go...