'Ard Boyz Test Game #4 vs. Blood Angels

Game 4 vs. Blood Angels 

My list underwent some changes after some conservation over at the Bolter & Chainsword (see here)

The new list has more Deathwing squads and has a little more armour and mobile firepower.  Also included is a drop pod tactical squad for late-game objective grabs or for supporting the Deathwing squads.  Being in the old style drop pod also keeps the squad off the table during KP missions and when they do show up hopefully they have a good target to saturate with bolter fire.

My new list

-HQ-

Belial – Claws

-Elite-

Dreadnought – Missile Launcher, Lascannon

-Troops-

Deathwing Squad 1 – Cyclone Missile Launcher, Chainfist, Apothecary

Deathwing Squad 2 – Assault Cannon, Chainfist, Thunder Hammer & SS

Deathwing Squad 3 – Heavy Flamer, Chainfist, Thunder Hammer & SS, Pair of Lightning Claws

Deathwing Squad 4 – Assault Cannon, Chainfist

Tactical Squad – Flamer, Missile Launcher, Powerfist, Drop Pod

-Fast Attack-
Land Speeder Typhoon – Multi-Melta
Land Speeder Typhoon – Multi-Melta

-Heavy Support-
Land Raider
Land Raider Crusader
Predator – Lascannon Sponsons, Pintle Storm Bolter

Enemy List
-HQ-
Commander Dante
Librarian – Jump Pack, Blood Lance, Unleash Rage

-Troops-
Tactical Squad – Plasma gun, Lascannon, Power Fist
 - Land Raider – Searchlight

3x Sanguinary Guard
 - Powerfist, Infernus Pistol

-Heavy Support-
2x Dreadnought – Lascannon, Missile Launcher

-Elite-
2x Furioso Librarian -Wings of Sanguinius, (the 5+ cover save one), Searchlight
Sanguinary Priest - Jump Pack, Lightning Claw

-Fast Attack-
2x Baal Predator - Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Storm Bolter, Searchlight

Mission was Dawn of War Capture and Control, no secondary mission.  The table was set up so that each player had a 3 story ruin in their left corner, then a smaller one story ruin about 6” away, then two patches of trees about 6” apart from each other.

My opponent won the roll off and opted to go first.  He placed his objective at the top of his ruin along with the Lascannon combat squad.  He placed his land raider with the powerfist/plasma squad in the centre of his table.  His Sanguinary guard were deep striking and his Baal’s were outflanking.  The dreads would come in turn 1.  Dante’s sanguinary squad succumbed to the rage and that was it.

I placed my objective between my two ruins on my left (kitty corner to his objective basically and really far away) I opted to deploy my Cyclone squad in my central patch of trees opposite his small ruin.  Deathwing Squad 2 and 3 were in the raiders (Belial hitching a ride with Squad 3 in the crusader), Deathwing Squad 4 and the drop pod tac squad would deep strike, the Ravenwing would outflank and everything would drive in on turn 1.  Plan was to overwhelm his objective with terminators and force him to respond to my attacks.  Depending on when the tac squad showed up they would help advance or drop mid field and hope to run to either objective.  The attack bike was going to go for a last turn objective grab as I envisioned most of the fighting would be done near his objective.  I think his plan was going to be the same.

I stole the initiative though which allowed me to put my plan into action first.  Turn 1 everything moved on except for the deep striking squads and the Ravenwing.  I get lucky and managed to spot the land raider with my dreadnought which promptly lights it up.  The explosion kills one of the tactical squad marines.  Nothing of his can see my guys so his dreads just run forward and the lead furiosos pop smoke while his forward tac squad ran into the ruins.

In Turn 2 I just get the Ravenwing squad and they both outflank on the left side.  The bikes go close to the combat squad in the ruins while the attack bike turbo boosts along my edge.  My speeders just zoom forwards trying to obscure everything behind them.  Shooting sees me immobilize one of his furiosos and kill one marine in the lascannon squad.
Everything of his comes on this turn.  Baals outflank on my left beside my bikes, and 2 sanguinary guard squads (dante and priest as well) drop in near the middle ruins.  His 3^rd sanguinary squad dropped in near my objective but scatter away back to his DZ.  One Baal guns down my bikes while the other tries to gun down my cyclone squad but does nothing.  My most forward land speeder gets brought down by the mobile furioso (flying dreads are nifty) and the sanguinary guard run to get some cover.

Turn 3 happens to be the turning point.  My tac squad and last deathwing squad show up.  I opt to drop my tac squad beside his objective and the terminators near Dante’s squad.  Shooting sees immense damage.  My attack bike wrecks one baal, a long range autocannon shot explodes the other.  The other furioso gets immobilized and a lascannon gets ripped off one of the shooty dreads.  My tac squad guns down the lascannon squad.  Assault sees Belial and his squad jump into the Sanguinary guard with the priest.  The guard kill 3 Deathwing while Belial and friends kill 4.  No one dies to No Retreat and they stay locked in.
On his turn he basically just moves everything into assault range and assaults.  Dante assaulted the tac squad that showed up (odd move, but I think he was banking on Dante winning combat and causing them to run) while the rage squad assaulted the Deathwing that teleported in.  His powerfist tac squad joined the assault against Belial.  His shooting immobilized both land raiders (one due to blood lance, the other due to the lascannon on the other shooty dread) and that’s it.  In assault the rage squad killed the Deathwing before they could strike back, Belial gets punched to death by the tac squad but his squad manages to kill everyone but the powerfist guy, and in the other combat Dante kills one lone tac marine (he hit a lot but only wounded once) and gets punched in the face by the powerfist sgt (didn’t place Dante far enough away).

At this point all he has left are 2 sanguinary guard squads, 2 immobilized furiosos and his two ML/LC dreads and I’ve got 3 squads of terminators (albeit one is only 2 big, but the other two are full strength), a near full strength tac squad, and two land raiders who are immobilized mid-field but their guns still within range of most things.  We continue on as he could pull a draw.  Alas it doesn’t happen that way.

Turns 4-6 are basically a mop up operation.  The land raider and Deathwing Squads 1 and 2 shoot up the sanguinary squad that chopped up Deathwing squad 3 to one model and then finish him off in close combat.  Then Deathwing Squad 2 takes a charge from the sanguinary squad near my objective but managed to crush them all.  Only 2 DW survive but enough to claim my objective.  My tac squad weathers some missile fire and manages to scramble up the ruin to claim his objective.

Conclusion:
Interesting list that had me scared at first.  Lots and lots of I4 power weapons does not make my terminators happy, but they dealt with it pretty decently.  Outflanking and fast predators are nice but still suffer from weak side armour and sometimes going fast to get close is a bad thing especially with melta weapons so dominant nowadays.

I think things might have gone differently if I didn’t seize the initiative and he went first.  It would have been easier for him to get the first charge in with his jump units as well as the first shots without nightfight.  Having his libby dreads immobilized so early also hurt but picking a different psychic power (probably more blood lances) might have been better as they could still shoot stuff more effectively than with a heavy bolter.  The jump libby probably should have been a second sanguinary priest for a little more FNP/FC redundancy as well.

The Blood Angel list doesn’t seem too over the top and nothing jumped out at me as completely broken yet.  The prices are fair and his army was just as small as mine.  The presence of The Red Thirst didn’t make a huge impact this game but I could definitely see its potential.