This game was church testing an Uthuk panic build vs my Latari in a block formation army.
Here's the lists
199/200
Deepwood Archers [30] 2x2
Dispatch Runner [7]
Wind Rune [6]
Rallying Starling [4]
Simultaneous Orders [2]
Total Unit Cost: 49
Leonx Riders [40] 2x3
Maegan Cyndewin [10]
Raven Tabards [2]
Triumphant Cry [3]
Moment of Inspiration [5]
Total Unit Cost: 60
Aliana of Summersong [33] 1x1
Reaping Blade [4]
Ambush Predator [3]
Total Unit Cost: 40
Aymhelin Scions [42] 2x2
Tempered Steel [3]
Fertile Soil [5]
Total Unit Cost: 50
Church can post his list later, primarily focused on fear based mechanics.
We played confluence of magic with unprepared, Church got the red side as I chose second player.
The runes rolled poorly in my favor, 1 stable, 1 natural, 4 unstable.
I need to stop playing near terrain with church's rippers, it screws me every time, but I did it again, thinking I could outsmart him.
Turn 1
I surprise church with a rapid advance of the scions, trying to move them into a good position to be supported by the deepwood battery. Meanwhile, the battery tried to hide behind the scions.
The cats and rippers begin a game of chicken, if they enter the terrain, they die, if my cats position wrong, they get flanked. At this points I realize I've screwed myself on this front.
Turn 2
I flank charge the threshers with my scions, and kill 1, allowing me to close in in the hopes of keeping Ravos of my back. He has other plans and uses the 4 red runes to charge into my archers before they fire a shot and slide away.
The derpwoods at least still manage to get a dispatch off to the scions, which does 1 measly damage, due to the scions losing the back rank from some crazy morale Uthuk shenanigans that church will have to explain.
I misread church's rippers, and line up two late charges from the cats and alliana. They both end up against or in the terrain.
Turn 3
Ravos obliterated my archers, while my last scion armors up to be a pesky blocker. The rippers hit alliana for 1 wound, and the threshers hit her for 1 more due to a really bad roll. She then shift out of the terrain and uses a second shift to collude with the flank of the rippers. The cats make a shift charge into the threshers but due to square up rules and terrain they go front to front, they drop 1 threshers and stay unengaged.
Turn 4
The cats destroy the last thresher, while alliana destroys the rippers. Church's zerkers turn to stare down the cats while the last threshers near them finally clears the scion.
Turn 5
I pull my cats backwards with a shift-shift, hoping to pull Ravos into an easy charge range. Alliana dances around with shifts, waiting for an opening. Church is unwilling to give me an easy charge on any of his units.
Turn 6
Our units continue to jockey for position, neither side can find a smooth opening without showing a weak side.
Turn 7
**** goes wrong for me here, I miss my charge on Ravos (had to go 3 at 4 or he does a 4 at 5). The zerkers slam into my side and deliver a triple panic, making me reform.
Turn 8
Tried to jank church with a cat bounce, avoided the zerkers attack, but still get torn up by Ravos. Ended 120ish to 78.
My thoughts: Meagan in cats is ok, but not great. She really wants a ranged attack and will be more well suited to the centaurs (excitement!).
Deepwood rally battery is great but needs to be kept safe at all costs, if allowed to do it's thing, it can add 4 attacks to another unit in a game.
Don't play terrain games with rippers, you won't win, just don't do it!
This game taught me to look more often at what a prolonged engagement can gain me, vs just running headlong at the enemy and hoping to break stuff.
Happy to see that even without Darnati, I'm starting to have games against Uthuk that aren't tabled at turn 5.
Thanks for reading.