Tournament Results

So went down on Saturday and got 3 games in with my "Shadow Raptors" Dark Eldar.

Bit of a strange system the scoring was via 6 objective cards that each person had available all game, plus a VP for each Objective at the end of the game.

Something Like:

Assassinate - 1 VP per independant character killed this turn

Take and Hold - 3 VP's if you control 3 objectives

Purge - 1 VP for manifesting a psychic power or denying the witch

No Prisoners - 1 VP per unit killed in Assault

Something? - 1 VP per unit killed by Shooting

Linebreaker - 1 VP if you have a unit within 12" of the opponents table edge

Was a bit strange as I'm used to scoring through the game with Maelstrom and I'm not a big fan of leaving the scoring to the last turn, however it is what it is.

Had one big win, one big loss, and one closer game so fairly balanced I guess, although it was a shame as none of the game's were particularly close.

First game (18-1 Win against Space Wolves)

Bad matchup for this guy and I did feel bad for him, He had roughly:

Njal Storm Caller in a unit of 9 Wulfen, 3 Claws, 3 Hammers, 3 

Arjac Rockfist in a unit of 6 Terminators inside a Landraider (2 Flamestorm Cannons)

Giant Flyer thing

2 units of 5 Grey Hunters

With him just really having 2 big dangerous units I was able to dance around and shoot  them to pieces, he had nothing left on the table by the time the Flyer finally arrived turn 4.

Wyches did OK I guess, moved out of their transport turn 2 and knocked two HP off the Landraider with a thrown and then placed Haywire Grenade, before being toasted by the flamestorm.

Game ended turn 5 with 4 units of kabalites chasing after the flyer snap shooting at it and finally bringing it down. Jumped onto the objectives at the end for an extra 6 points. (MISTAKE as it dictated my next matchup)

Second game (20-0 Loss against Eldar)

Brutal matchup and I was almost tabled turn 1 (Just de-meched Kabalites and half a unit of Wyches left with him destroying all 6 skimmers before I got a turn)

His list was pretty brutal for a "friendly" tournament:

Farseer on bike

4 Scat Bikes

4 Scat Bikes

10 Warp Spiders

5 D-Scythe Wraith Guard in Wave Serpent

3 Hornets with 2 Pulse Lasers

3 Hornets with 2 Pulse Lasers

Dark Reapers with Exarch manning an Icarus LasCannon emplacement

so the Scat Bikes took a skimmer out each (16 s6 shots per unit) then the Hornets took a skimmer each (12 s8 shots per unit) then the Warp Spiders accounted for 1, and the Icarus Lascannon plus Dark Reapers plus Serpent Shield and Lance from the Serpent finished off anything that was left.

Fun...

Wanted to call it before my First turn but opponent pointed out we needed to carry on for VP purposes. He finished what was left his turn 2 but my reserves came in afterwards. He then tabled what was left T3.

Funnily enough that list went on to win the tournament having won 19-1 // 20-0 // 20-2

My last match was against a friend of mine with his Tau, something like:

Riptide

Y'Vara (Spelling?)

Ghost Keel

Coldstar Commander

Regular Commander with 5 Marker Drones

1 Crisis Suit with Fusion Guns

3 Crisis suits with S7 / S5 stuff?

2 Broadsides

5-6 Sniper drone things

Pathfinders

Again pretty brutal with 3-4 Skimmers down first turn although I did manage to score a few points in this match at least, losing 12-7 in the end.

Anyway!

Long and short of it is I think if I ever go to anything semi competitive again I'll probably need to bring some Eldar support as it just didn't feel that I could compete with my opponents after the first game. 

Shadow Raptors Background

Going to a tournament on Saturday and part of the entry is that I need to write a piece of fluff for my army.

I always enjoy giving my army a background and doing the "factual bits" (A friend has just politely pointed out they're not real - spoilsport!), similar to what I did with my Craftworld Eldar a few weeks ago, and have done for my Wych Cult in the past. However I hate the process of weaving that into a story! I just can't seem to get it right and it just always seems to read like I'm a little kid again writing "let's pretend" stories.

I am also terrible at generating names for my characters so just nicked a few Dark Eldar sounding names from the "Path of the Renegade" book.

Anyway, it had to be done so I've spent a few days off and on thinking about it and eventually finished it up over breakfast this morning.

The initial task I set was to set the scene for why my kabal was playing these games, and to excuse the fact that I'm bringing a unit of Wyches along (the tournament doesn't "have" to be fully painted but I'd much prefer to play fully painted and there is a slight advantage in VP's if you bring a painted army so I figured what the heck, they've been on the shelf long enough)

This is what I came up with anyway, it's too late for change now but I'd appreciate any feedback you may have so that as and when I come to do it again I can improve upon this offering. (Army list is below for anyone interested)

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Duke Yllithian strode down the ranks of his arrayed kabalites,  daring one of them to blink out of turn. Not known for his patience at the best of times he was currently fuming inside, and looking for an excuse to release that rage on something or someone.

The arrangements for the raid had started well, he was soon to be launching a sustained campaign aimed at raising the stature of the Shadow Raptors kabal, and had begun pitting his warriors against each other to ensure only the very best were given the honour of joining the coming slave harvest.

All had been going well until the insolent Succubus Xelion had dropped from the sky unannounced in her Raider while final preparations were being made.

The wych cult of the Dancing Death was known to Yllithian, a once powerful gladiatorial cult that prided itself on the acrobatic skill of it's Wyches but that had fallen from grace recently as the powerful kabals it used to sell it's services to, found that they would rather fill their ranks with more of their own kabalites. (An arrangement also significantly less likely to end with a knife in the back)

Yllithian couldn't help but take the opportunity to point out the power he now held in comparison to the shreds of a reputation that the wych cult now clung on to and asked what Xelion thought of his assembled warriors.

The lithe Succubus had hesitated, stroking the blade of one of her knives down a thigh just enough to draw blood, before responding with a shrug and launching into wildly exaggerated tales of the feats her Wyches were capable of. Yllithian had cut her off at the point she began to compare his kabalites with the grace of a Squiggoth, a nod to his Sslyth bodyguard Morr the signal to throw Xelion overboard.

Xelion somersaulted out of reach and landed with one foot on the very tip of the Raider's aethersail. "A wager then!" The shout had come down, "one group of my Wyches, to outperform your entire raiding force!"

Yllithian had been left with no choice but to accept or lose face at that point and was raging at the fact that her been manipulated into taking along a group from the wych cult. A webway portal could only be held open for so long and the presence of the Wyches meant he would likely have to leave one of his favoured razorwing jet fighters in Commorragh.

With a mock bow the manipulative Succubus leapt back off the Aethersail and onto a swooping venom, leaving Yllithian to continue with his preparations...

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Shadow Raptors + Guests (1500 pts)

Duke Yllithian - Archon with Agoniser / Armour of Misery / Shadowfield / Webway Portal

Bodyguard - Court of the Archon, 3 Sslyth and 2 Medusa in a Raider with Nightshield

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in 2 Splinter Cannon Venom

5 Kabalites with Blaster and Sybarite with Haywire Grenade in Raider

8 Wyches with Hydra Gauntlet and Hekatrix with Agoniser and Haywire Grenades in a Raider with Nightshield

Razorwing Jetfighter with 2 Disintegrator Cannons and 4 Monoscythe Missiles

Razorwing Jetfighter with 2 Dark Lances and 4 Monoscythe Missiles

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It's not the most optimal of builds, but it's fully painted and the tournament was pitched as "fluffy" so I don't feel so bad including the Wyches and Razorwings over Ravagers and more Kabalites.

I'll let you know how I get on and hopefully add some pictures next week