Council of War june 14: Game 1 Eldar vs Ultramarines 1500

My first game of the Event and my Eldar face off against Ultramarines in a game of Emperors will with dawn of war deployment. While his list doesn’t look too intimidating it does include 2 fliers which could be a massive problem for me.

The Armies

This is the Eldar force that I took to the even for the single games:

Eldar 1498

Spiritseer – 70 w/ Dire Avengers (Warlord: conqueror of cities)

[protect, conceal, embolden]

Warlock – 35 w/ Guardians

[conceal, quickening]

10 Dire Avengers – 130

Wave Serpent – 135

Holo field, twin-linked scatter laser

10 Guardians – 110

Scatter laser

Wave Serpent – 135

Holo field, twin-linked scatter laser

5 Fire Dragons - 110

Wave Serpent – 135

Holo field, twin-linked scatter laser

7 Warp spiders – 133

Fire Prism – 125

WraithKnight – 240

Heavy wraith cannons

2 War Walkers – 140

4x Bright lance

Ultramarines 1500

Captain (warlord: +1 to reserve rolls)

Artificer armour, relic blade

10 Tactical marines

Lascannon, melta gun

Razorback

Twin-linked assault cannon

10 Tactical marines

Multimelta, melta gun

Rhino

Dreadnaught

Multimelta, heavy flamer

Drop pod

Storm Talon

Assault cannon, missiles

Storm eagle

2 Attack bikes

Multi-melta

Predator

Triple lascannons

Hyperios air defence

This marine list is very different to any I have faced before, it has 2 forgeworld units (the storm eagle and hyperios) and the bikes could be a problem for my wave serpents.

The Mission

For the event everyone plays the same mission and set up and its rolled by the hosts before every game. This one ended up being emperors will with dawn of war deployment. Nice and simple, and if I can just kill his troops I should be in a better situation to hold by objective while taking his. We both place out objectives, mine is the in the ruin in the middle of my deployment zone and he places his in a ruin in the middle of his.

Rolling for who deploys first the marines win and select to go first. Both marine squads combat squad, the tacticals stay together in the rhino, while the other squad has the heavy weapon half in the ruin next to his objective while the other half gets joined by the Captain in the razorback. Both transports hide behind a large ruin. The hypirios air defence goes into the ruin next to the ruin. On the left the predator gets ready with good lines of sight, and the attack bikes join them. In reserve are the dread in pod, storm talon and storm eagle.

In response I deploy the fire prism on the right surrounded by the wave serpent containing the dire avengers and fire dragons. I place the other wave serpent (containing the guardians) to the left a little.. The wraithknight goes in the centre ready to smash into the marines. To its left I place the warp spiders as a little buffer from the dreadnought. Finally the war walkers go between the knight and spiders.

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Ultramarines turn 1

Screaming in from the sky the dreadnoughts drop pod aims to come in next to my objective but scatters off and lands 4 inches away from it (no objective for the pod), the dread naught comes out and gets into a position to flame the spiders. The bikes move up the left while the two transports get behind cover.

 

A dreadnought surprise

Both the rhino and razorback use their smoke launchers to gain a cover save. Boosting the bikes make up a little more ground, getting closer to my tanks. A single lascannon shot from the tactical marines wounds the wraithknight, the predator goes to do the same but can’t see it and isn’t in range of anything else so moves instead. The dreadnought fires both its flamer and multi-melta at the warp spiders but fails to do any damage.

  

Eldar turn 1

Not wanting the dreadnought to do any damage the warp spiders jump behind it and get a nice view of its rear armour. The wraithknight takes point and move forward while the wave serpents move to see the transports.

First the spiders shoot at the walker and get enough hits to wreck it, with the danger gone they then run back to (almost) their original position. The serpent in the middle shoots at the rhino with both its scatter laser and serpent shield wrecking it while the others do the same to the razorback, all bodies on the ground, ready to die. Able to see 1 biker, the war walkers shoot at him and kill a single attack bike, the remaining biker fails its moral test and falls back 11 inches. Shooting from the wraithknight fails to do anything to the tactical marines.

Assault and the knight fails its charge and the spiders jump.

Ultramarines turn 2

From reserve in comes the storm eagle and it heads straight towards the wraithknight (I feel he doesn’t want it to live). Regrouping, the lone attack bike moves towards the wraithknight. Now in the open the Captain and tactical marines move into the ruin closer to my lines. The other marines move towards my objective.

 

Storm eagle strafing run

Aiming all its lascannons at the wraithknight the predator manages to strip a single wound from the monsters creature. Again the lascannon from the tactical marines wounds the construct leaving it on 3 wounds. Mulit-melta fire from the attack bike deals 1 more but the creature is downed by the fire from the storm eagle (it does have a lot). Running for the objective the tactical marines in the open make it to cover.

Eldar turn 2

With their objective under threat the spiders warp jump onto the objective ready to repel the enemy. The wave serpent holding the dire avengers drops them off next to the Captain in the ruins then moves towards the flier. As it is such a large threat the other wave serpents move to target the flier as well.

Psychic phase and the spirit seer casts jinx on the tactical marines but perils in the process taking a wound for his trouble.

Shooting from the warp spiders attempts to kill the unwelcome marines and they murder the first combat squad. The fire prism uses its large blast on the other half of the tactical squad locking on, but only manages to kill 3 of them, adding their fire power the war walkers finish off the squad. On the right the dire avengers target the Captain and his bodyguard, managing to kill 3 of the marines (the difference between 3+ and 4+ is massive). All of the wave serpents target the flier but not a single shot lands a blow.

Ultramariens turn 3        

Both the storm eagle and bike move towards the eldar lines ready to attempt to destroy some of the wave serpents. Again the predator moves forwards as it doesn’t have the best line of sight, and on the right the Captain moves back heroically pushing his brother in front of him.

Pushing its engine to the max the predator goes flat out. The lascannon marksman again hits his mark glancing a war walker. The attack bike shoots at the war walkers as well penetrating its armour, but its force field takes the hit saving it. Firing its twin-linked lascannons and rockets at the dire avengers wave serpent (it elects to jink) it gets 2 penetrating hits and 1 gets though exploding the tank. Using power of the machine spirit the storm eagle targets another wave serpent shaking it.

Eldar turn 3

Again with the flier in my face the remaining serpents move to shoot at the storm eagle. Moving just a little the warp spiders move to be able to target the storm eagle as well.

Psychic phase and the spiritseer casts conceal on the dire avengers and protects them.  

With their pray back the war walkers finish off the last bike who attempts to jink out the way but the eldar are too precise. Shooting from both the shaken wave serpent and warp spiders targets the storm eagle but again I fail to do anything (I got a few hits, but not even a glancing hit). I change my mind with the other wave serpent and target the tactical marine with the lascannon (as he’s the only model I can see) and kill him. Again on the right the dire avengers shoot and kill off the remaining tactical marines and deal a single wound to the Captain.

Ultramarines turn 4

In from reserve comes the storm talon and it goes straight towards the front wave serpent. The eagle moves towards the fire prism and with no one left, the Captain jumps out from cover straight towards the Dire avengers.

Firing all of its shots at the fire prism, the storm eagle gets into its attacking run but the skimmer jinks and manages to evade 6 (yes 6!) penetrating hits. The predator targets a wave serpent who jinks and also evades 2 penetrating hits. Making its presence felt, the storm talon wrecks the undamaged war walker.  A lucky shot from the Hyperios hits the war walkers (it needs a 6 as it has skyfire) but the force field prevents damage.

Assault phase and the Captain charges into the dire avengers but makes it though the blade storm unscathed, and manages to kill a single dire avenger. The Eldar fail to do any damage in return and attempt to run for it but get cut down. His consolidation move gets him back into cover.

Eldar turn 4

The spiritseer must be avenged, the fire dragons jump out of their wave serpent and move towards the marine Captain. Warp jumping the warp spiders get to the top of the ruins ready to shoot at the storm talon. Hoping to take out the predator the war walker moves up.

The spiders prepare their ambush

In a rather nice turn of events the wave serpent targets the storm talon and manages to wreck it, even though it has been failing against the eagle all game. Even though it has to snap shot the fire prism attempts to target the predator but misses. The war walker also misses the tank with its lances. With the Captain trapped in the ruins the fire dragons unleash their wrath and kill the marine Captain with melta fire, avenging the spirit seer.

Ultramarines turn 5

As the storm eagle is too close to the edge it goes into hovor mode and circles the fire prism wanting to destroy it this turn.

Unloading everything again, the storm eagle shoots at the fire prism. Knowing it has no chance to survive the pilot attempts to jink but it still gets penetrated twice getting immobilised and shaken, but just about still in the fight. The Predator shoots at the guardians wave serpent but fails to do anything even though it jinked. Again with a lucky shot the Hyperios hits and wrecks the war walker.

Eldar turn 5

With the game possibly ending soon the guardians wave serpent moves up 6 and then drops off the guardians who go towards the objective. The Fire dragons move towards the hovering storm eagle while the warp spiders jump to the bottom of the ruin.

Psychic phase and the warlock rolls off the dice to cast quicken on the guardians (6 dice) and perils but gets the power off.

Beware the guardians!!!

With the warlock’s sacrifice the guardians are able to run 8 inches towards the objective and make it into range disrupting it. They then shoot the marines and kill 2, leaving 2 left. The pod hasn’t done anything all game but all the same the warp spiders wreck it for being there. The wave serpents target the hyprios weapons platform and kill it. Before I see what the fire dragons do, I see if the fire prism can hit the storm eagle and I roll a 6 for the snap shot, it then penetrates and explodes the flier! Revenge for the fire prism.

Rolling to see if it goes to turn 6…

Ultramarines turn 6

The tactical marines get back into range of contesting his own objective and the predator moves towards my deployment zone.

Shooting and the predator goes for line breaker by going flat out and the tactical marines manage to kill 2 guardians.

Eldar turn 6

The guardians and wave serpent move close to the objective while the rest of my force just holds their ground.

A blade storm later and the tactical marines are dead.

We roll to see if the game carries on…

Ultramarines turn 7

The predator attempts to shoot at wave serpent but it jinks out the way.

Eldar turn 7

I just end it as I have won.

Eldar: 9 (2 objectives, first blood, line breaker, slay the warlord) – Ultramarines: 2 (slay the warlord, line breaker).

Post-Battle

That was a great opening game for the tournament for me but I got lucky in a lot of places, namely the fire prism exploding the storm eagle, the number of jink saves I made and that the storm talon didn’t come in till turn 4. It was a shame that I lost the wraithknight so early but it was better that he died than I lost a wave serpent.

My deployment definitely helped me, as by countering his long range and anti-tank by deploying on the right so I could attack his troops without the worry of support it helped me dominate the early game. Staying on the offensive as well instead of hanging back like I normally do was an important point.

Anyway that was my first game, hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think.