Shadow ambush... Eldar vs Blood angels 1500

Once again its Eldar vs Blood angels 1500 points in a pitched battle in a capture and control game. Like I said two weeks ago, I tried out my ‘strikefrom the shadows list’ just to see if it could possibly hold its own or show signs of potential if I tweaked it a little. Place your bets now to see if it stands a chance.

The battle field was pretty standard, a few ruins, a hill trees and a bunker, so plenty of places to hide and some good lanes of fire. So if I choose to infiltrate it’s not a terrible option. Anyway here is the blood angel list my opponent was using.

Blood Angels 1500

Reclusiarch – 130 w/ death company

10 Sternguard – 265

3x combimelta

Rhino – 60

Hunter killer missile

7 Scouts -132

Camo cloaks, 6 x snipers, heavy bolter

10 Assault marines – 225 (red thirst)

Power weapon, 2x melta

Rhino- 25

Hunter killer missile

8 Death company – 190

2 x power weapon

Rhino – 65

Hunter killer missile

Dreadnaught – 120

2x twin linked autocannon

Dreadnaught – 120

2x twin linked autocannon

Predator – 135

Lascannon sponsons

So it was what I feared would be the weakness of this army, a lot of tanks, there are also a lot of melta guns but thankfully that doesn’t really bother my list too much. I knew when building this list I would have difficulty taking out transports so I just hope my bright lances can do some damage and the spiders come in early.

We roll off for table edges and I win the roll picking the side with the ruined adaptus mechanicus building and forests. We place our objectives, mine on the building, and my opponent places his behind some sand bags.

Deployment, and I set up my vypers hidden behind forests and ruins so if he does steal the initiative I’m not stranded in the open, I then pass over to my opponent telling him I’m infiltrating 5 units and deep striking with my warp spiders... he was less than amused. The blood angels deployed all their tanks together, shielding the dreads from my bright lances and declares he’s infiltrating a unit of scouts as well. 

We roll off to see who deploys scouts first and I win, allowing me to set them up first (thank god, that could have really screwed me over). My rangers then deploy around the board, one unit on my objective, one hiding in some tank traps and the final one on the hill to my far right in his deployment zone. The scorpions ith Karandras hide in the ruins closest to the marines while the other unite hides behind some forests in the centre of the table.  He deploys his scouts behind the sand bags claiming his objective.

Onto the game, we roll for stealing the initiative and a 5 appears, again, thank god.

Eldar turn 1

The scorpion on their own move slightly to be hidden from the enemy by moving closer to the forest, the other unit with Karandras move deeper into the ruins so they are in striking distance next turn. The viper on its own moves out to target the rhino closest to Karandras while the unit of two move just enough out of the forest just enough to target a rhino and still have a cover save from any dreadnaught retaliation. All rangers hold their ground.

The shooting from the vypers all miss leaving cracking open the rhinos to the rangers, but all they can manage is to stun a rhino (which is damn unlikely so well done lads). A nice short turn for me.

Blood angels turn 1

The rhinos waste no time in closing the distance between the elder and themselves, they all move at cruising speed bar one who goes flat out towards the scorpions on the right. The predator and dreadnaughts move to target the group of vypers. The stern guard get out the stunned rhino and split up, one group going in the woods towards the rangers, the other towards the bunker.

In an impressive first shot of the turn, the assault marines rhino shoots its hunter killer at the lone viper managing to make it explode, gotta love av 10 open topped. The red dreadnaught targets the other vypers but thanks to my placing I get a cover save and save two penetrating hits. Unfortunately I don’t have as much look from the predator who shoots at the vypers and stuns them both (goes down to shaken, being in a squadron and all). With the vypers dealt with for a turn the final dreadnaught turns its attention on my rangers killing two on the hill. Bothe stern guard units run and get into cover. The scouts make a bolt move and target Karandras’ unit risking his wrath and deal no damage... never mind.

Eldar turn 2

As I hoped my spiders come in from reserve, this gives me a good opportunity to deal some back field damage to the tanks. I place the unit in the middle of the dreads and pred but scatter 7 inches towards the dread landing on top of him, MISHAP!!! I roll on the mishap table and they get delayed, thank god for small mercies. Never mind I’m expecting them next turn.

Movement and Karandras leads his unit out of the ruins behind the rhino in front of him, at this point in not sure if I should charge the rhino or pred, but I thought I would wait and decide. The other scorpions, faced with a rhino full of death company have nowhere to run so decide to try and charge the rhino.... maybe I can get lucky and kill some if I get an explosion result. The currently neutered vypers turbo boost away, gaining a cover save and attempting to live to fight again next turn.

Now in the shooting phase I felt lucky, so I decided I would try to use the rangers to target the rhino in front of Karandras so he could kill the marines inside, I know it’s a long shot but I risked it. Out of the 6 rangers 1 gets a rending hit, rolls a 5, so that’s 12 all together, a penetrating hit on the rhino. I’m stunned; I have the chance to actually get them out. I roll the die and pray... 6. The rhino explodes and furthermore, takes the two melta carrying marines out in the process. That made up for lasts turns failures. At this point my opponent raises a point, can the squad still combat squad at the time of the vehicle exploding... neither of us are 100% sure so we roll 1-3 yes, 4-6 no. Turns out they can, so he combat squads the unit having 4 guys in each as theoretically the other guys would have died the same time they got out of the rhino. The other rangers target what they can see and do nothing.

Combat and Karandras squad charges the assault squad right in front of him, the scorpion squad alone deal 12 wounds... but the marines only fail 1 save. In retaliation he kills one scorpion then 3 marines are crushed in karandras’s scorpion claw. With the squad dead they move onto the creator so they have cover saves from the volley of fire I’m expecting. The scorpions charge the rhino and do nothing.

Blood angels turn 2

The predator moves 6 again to target the vypers, the two dreads move towards the combat with Karandras while the death company jump out their rhino and move closer to the scorpions who scratched their tanks paint work. The rhino then moves off to target the vypers. The previously stunned rhino moves to target the vypers as well.

Both rhinos target their hunter killers missiles at the vypers but both miss. I don’t have the same luck with the predator as it blows one viper up and stripped the bright lance off the other one. The scouts snipe 3 of the scorpions even with their 3+ save thanks to a nice roll full of ones. The stern guard do the same with vengeance rounds killing 3 more (again my cover saves do nothing). Both dreads open up on the unit but the armour finally starts working making all the saves they needed. The assault marines in front of the scorpions then fire their pistols, dealing 3 wounds so I have to assign and the exarch gets a round straight to the face. The sternguard on the forest target the rangers on the hill killing one.

A very bloody combat phase as the death company charge the scorpion squad and massacre them, they didn’t even stand a chance. They massacre 4 inches forward. The assault marines charge the remnants of Karandras’s unit, with the sergeant targeting Karandras himself, dealing 1 wound to him with his power weapon. The scorpion does nothing but Karandras managed to kill 3 of the marines, leaving the sergeant. As the guys fearless he takes two no retreat wounds and saves them both.

Eldar turn 3

I roll a 1 for my reserves.... With only rangers, my viper stunned and scorpion in combat I have no movement.

My rangers target the death company but no nothing.

Combat and thanks to a lot of 1’s nothing happens. The combat is a draw. Well wasn’t that an interesting turn.

Blood angels turn 3

 The death company move towards the woods to get to the rangers on the floor as they are the closest unit, the predator moves towards the last viper. The sternguard in the bunker jump out and get into the rhino closest to them.

Opening a torrent of flak, the dread target the rangers on the objective but thanks to a 3+ cover save do nothing. The scouts then snipe one of them with his sniper rifle. The stern guard in the forest take down another 3 rangers, leaving one guy left, who runs. The predator finally gets his victory over the vypers making the last one explode.

Combat starts with the death company charging the rangers on the floor murdering them once again... poor guys. On the other side of the table Karandras rips apart the final marine taking no damage himself. They then get to massacre 1 whole inch.  

Eldar turn 4

Again the spiders roll a 1 for reserves so they were a waste of points it seems.

The striking scorpion separates from Karandras in an attempt to pull the death company away from rangers, right now they are my only hope of at least pulling a victory out of the game. Karandras then moves towards the enemy attempting to kill what he can.  

The single ranger unit left targets the death company but does no damage.

Karandras charges the rhino right in front of him as it gets him into the cover of the bunker, and even though he requires 6’s to hit manages to shake the tank.

Blood angels turn 4

Being forced by rage, the death company move towards the lone scorpion, as he is the closest enemy model while the sternguard in rhino, jump out, and move forward to shoot the phoenix lord. In an attempt to support their battle brethren, the over half of the squad move out of the forest to shoot him. Both dreadnaughts move back to get out of range of the charge distance of Karandras in case he survives. The predator spines round, able to target the phoenix lord as well.

The shooting phase is started off with the death company firing their pistols at the scorpion managing to take him down. The predator shoots its full arsenal of weapons at Karandras but thanks to the cover he only looses 1 wound. Both units of vets shoot at him un able to penetrate his armour, but the scouts manage to get a lucky sniper shot, taking off the phoenix lords final wound. The dreadnaughts now free to deal with the two remaining rangers let loose their twin linked auto cannons. I declare I’m going to ground but still manage to roll one 1, letting one poor guy die. He holds though... I have 1 model left on the table.

Eldar turn 5

The spiders finally arrive and as I have no choice but try to force the draw, I deep strike the warp spiders in front of the scouts hoping to take them down in a single shooting phase. With the whole unit shooting at the scouts I deal out 18 wounds, he goes to ground giving himself a 2+ cover save so I luckily kill 3 of the scouts. They hold though, leaving me out in the open. In another last ditch attempt to contest the objective I use the assault move to land on the objective.

Blood angels turn 5

The army aims at the warp spiders while the death company moves towards the rangers. The warp spiders are taken out by the sheer torrent of fire, with the autarch getting instant killed by an autocannon round. In combat the death company shredded the lone ranger... there was never any doubt.

Result: 1-0 to the blood angels (tabled me)

Well that went well; a standard blood angel army tabled my elder in 5 turns, that’s upsetting. I knew this army would have issues and take time to get used to. I now have to decide whether the army played badly because of me or if it’s a bad idea. Looking back, would I have had a chance if I did things differently:

·         Set up may have screwed me over, the way I deployed my army spread over the entire board may have been a bad idea. If I have stayed concentrated and taken out one unit at a time possibly I could have dealt more damage.

·         I got unlucky with my warp spiders, I needed them to blow something up earlier, but that’s what happens when you reserve vital units.

·         My anti-tank is sub-par, 3 vypers will never cut it, especially against 3 transports. If I drop a viper and an aspect warrior (or gear from the autarch) I could fit in two war walkers which might be able to help with taking out transports.

·         My combat ability is seriously reduced if I’m charged; I have to get the charge with the scorpions if they are to win.  

So looking over this, they might have a chance to win if I am skilled and set up in one part of the battle field. Well that’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed the read.