Second batrep, this one got crazy.

I ran a list that @Vergilius had some good success with, so I figured I'd put it up against Church.

My list:

'Invincible Scions'

Ventala Skirmishers [30] 2x2
Tempered Steel [3]
Hedge Shroud [2]
Total Unit Cost: 35

Deepwood Archers [30] 2x2
Tempered Steel [3]
Greenwatch Herald [3]
Rallying Starling [4]
Hunters Guile [4]
Total Unit Cost: 44

Prince Faolan [36] 1x1
Malcornes Bequest [6]
Etharyon of Ailatar [5]
Total Unit Cost: 47

Aymhelin Scions [42] 2x2
Pathwalkers Amulet [3]
Fertile Soil [5]
Total Unit Cost: 50

Leonx Riders [18] 2x1
Rank Discipline [4]
Total Unit Cost: 22

This is a cool build which works towards pushing runes to stable and natural, making the scions stronger and more regenerative.

Church's list:

'Kethra Command'

Viper Legion Archers [46] 3x2
Kethra Alaak (I) [12]
Fire Rune [7]
Simultaneous Orders [2]
Total Unit Cost: 67

Flesh Rippers [63] 3x2
Beastmaster ThuUk Tar (C) [14]
Dead Sprint [4]
Total Unit Cost: 81

Spined Threshers [18] 1x1
Total Unit Cost: 18

Obscenes [27] 2x1
Dispatch Runner [7]
Total Unit Cost: 34

I believe Church ran this mostly to test kethras ability.

Setup:

Vanguard clash is a fun, basic feeling deployment with a bubble. Up in flames is a nasty environment objective.

I stacked up in a corner, not the best choice, but it's what happened as units went down.

Church aims his rippers for a shortcut through the burning forest.

Turn 1:

I push aggressively with the scions, trying to get into shooting range of the vipers at the same time as the ventala.

Church makes a slow advance, while taking a wound on a ripper for a nice springboard next turn.

I find my leonx in a terrible position, matched up against a far superior unit.

Turn 2:

The rippers shred the cats, they pose a serious threat to my flank.

Faolan rallies and reforms the deepwoods, who then shoot the rippers for a moderate 4 damage.

The ventala shift and shoot, taking 4 vipers down and seriously diminish their damage reliability.

The scions dial a shot, but church waits to move until after i6.

The vipers move forward and shoot a fire rune, it misses.

The rippers take 4 damage from the spreading flames.

Turn 3:

The ventala charge and flank the obscenes, but only land 1 wound. The obscenes reform.

The thresher makes a long march, coming up millimeters short of the scions.

The vipers shoot at the scions. The scions block with pathwalker and heal the other wound at the end of the round. Vipers use kethras skill, and blank.

Faolan pulls an impressive maneuver, he breaks his 3 march into a 1 straight, 1 wheel, 1 charge and hits the thresher for 4 wounds.

The scions take another tray of vipers, while the rippers knock 3 trays of deepwoods off.

Turn 4:

Faolan finishes the thresher, and the rippers eat the deepwoods. Vipers shoot at faolan and again don't score damage, but kethras ability wounds him this time, along with the scions, who simply regenerate it with fertile soil.

There is an error in this picture, one of the obscenes was removed by the ventala, but we forgot his armor up, so he returns in the next turn.

The scions put 2 damage on the vipers and reform to meet the rippers.

Turn 5:

Faolan tries to get out of the vipers line of sight with an i4 2 speed wheel, does not quite make it and takes 2 wounds (the vipers finally did it!)

The obscenes tummy-bounce the ventala before they can melee (always better to shift and shoot, no hit mod and take a panic, but guaranteed attack).

3 green runes means the scions outcharge the rippers, what?!? They roll poorly...

Kethras skill blanks again.

Turn 6:

Picture is missing.

Faolan moves into safety just off the flank of the rippers. The ventala charge and flatten an obscene. The vipers take a tray of ventala.

The rippers scrabble to do damage to the scions, while the scions swing decently and heal a wound.

Turn 7:

Faolan flanks the vipers and knocks them down to 2 trays. I forgot about the fire, and it killed him at the end of the turn.

The ventala shift and shoot, putting a wound on the obscene.

The rippers hit the scions hard on a low stable turn, the scions lose 1 tray, and get a flee in terror, ouch.

Rippers burn in the fire. The scions lose a tree to the fire.

Turn 8:

The rippers hit the scions again, although I forgot to immobilize them. The scion hits back, both units are still standing but decimated.

The vipers and the obscene take more ventala.

Game ends at a 7/4 or 8/3 Uthuk, if I had been mindful of the fire by faolan I could have swung it my way.

Afterthoughts:

Kethras ability is not as bad as it seems, but not remotely as good as it looks.

Faolan is the latari MVP.

Malcornes bequest is great for controlling up in flames.

Actually saw some use out of fertile soil, I think it triggered 3 times total. That's 1 whole scion for 5 points.

Obscenes are very much a nuisance unit, annoying, tough, but just kind of standing in the way all the time. Low damage output though.

Vergilius' list is a pretty interesting build, I kind of goofed the deployment and suffered for it, but the list has a lot of potential.

Watching the vipers blank multiple times made me realize just how good deepwoods are with built in precise.

If anyone would like to see a list run by us, please feel free to PM one of us about it (waiqar, uthuk, or latari, neither of us own daqan).

Thanks for reading!

Glad to hear you're trying it out!

16 minutes ago, Vergilius said:

Glad to hear you're trying it out!

I will definately revisit this list. Denying uthuk red runes and playing beefcake scions was enjoyable. I think if I'd switched the archers and scions positions on the board, they would have performed much better. I always forget that rippers love infantry and hate armor.

Deployment:

I'm generally doing: Loenx, Faolan/Archers, Scions/Ventala. It does require a formation with Faolan center-ish to trigger his abilities. The Leonx can go down first as a throw-away deployment. They can operate independently well enough.

The Ventala go down after the Archers, and you have leave space to help with the Hedge Shroud Triggers. You also want to pick the right match-ups for the Ventala and Scions. So Scions would be great against the Rippers, while the Ventala have to match-up Death Knights.

I'm finding a lot of different formations work depending upon terrain, but supposing the opponent and I were both trying to play on the same very open side of the map, I'd think a wide Leonx, with Faolan/Archers in the middle, and Scions/Ventala on the flanks might work best, with the idea that the Scions/Ventala can step into the middle and block if needed.

I need to get back to this list. I played Gorgemaw and a 3x3 Rippers last week at game night.

A thought Jukey and I had is that we are willing to take list ideas and play them for the battle reports. It gives us ideas to play with that we would not think to try ourselves, gives more people vested interest in reading these, gives us a more focused way to comment on these matches.

The suggestions could be entire lists or just a “hey, can you try X card on Y unit.” Possibly just a “find a use for this size of a unit.”

I'm interested to see 6 tray Scion unit in a list. One of my Latari friends who isn't on this forum has often wanted to try it, have not really gotten a list in mind but just would like to have an army based around the big Scion unit.

4 hours ago, Zaaik said:

I'm interested to see 6 tray Scion unit in a list. One of my Latari friends who isn't on this forum has often wanted to try it, have not really gotten a list in mind but just would like to have an army based around the big Scion unit.

This should be possible. Jukey’s been looking at the 4 tray a bit more so going to the 6 shouldn’t be. A big deal. Though that one is his choice. I can only help with Waiqar and Uthuk

2 hours ago, Church14 said:

I can only help with Waiqar and Uthuk

Can you help make Ardus great again? (if he ever was to begin with). Or basically any list involving either Ardus or Maro... Or has the arrival of Lord V sidelined them for good?

2 hours ago, Zaaik said:

Can you help make Ardus great again? (if he ever was to begin with). Or basically any list involving either Ardus or Maro... Or has the arrival of Lord V sidelined them for good?

They are not sidelined for good. Ankaur has been able to bring 3x1 crossbows to great a rather scary archer battery.

Ardus still has a home home now with Dimodian Blades. I ran that recently and he killed a Rune Golem, 2 trays archers, and nearly BaronZ. The key is you have to get mileage out of his army buff. Getting equipment on 2 tray archers is a good spot to start. I’ll get an Ardus list going.

3 hours ago, Zaaik said:

Can you help make Ardus great again? (if he ever was to begin with). Or basically any list involving either Ardus or Maro... Or has the arrival of Lord V sidelined them for good?

If you haven't already tried it, the 3x1 of Wraiths with trumpets and raven tabards only exists with Ardus and is amazing at juking enemy units. The ability to go through things while performing a distance 2 sharp turn at initiative 3 with a free reform at the end of the movement makes them almost impossible to pin down in the open. I rarely have a game with them where I'm not getting off multiple flanks.

First thoughts for the Ardus request. I’m debating about Tatters or Metered:

I might make this it’s own thread if this takes off

11 hours ago, Zaaik said:

I'm interested to see 6 tray Scion unit in a list. One of my Latari friends who isn't on this forum has often wanted to try it, have not really gotten a list in mind but just would like to have an army based around the big Scion unit.

You just might be in luck... 😉