GW Store Tourney Round 2: The Wrath of Ulthwe

The smoke has cleared and the Guns have fallen silent. Above the carnage on a hill overlooking the battlefield Eldrad Ulthran surveys the destruction his army has wrought upon the Mon-keigh and their so called Imperial Army. Victory tastes sweet.

Round 2 of the Games Workshop National Store tournament was this past weekend and yours truly played at the store at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills. I faced an Imperial Guard army that was actually all infantry. I came in expecting space marines or a chaos army or even a guard army that was a mechanized wall of death. I was a little surprised and feeling a little nostalgic when I faced a Cadian Guard army that was all infantry and only had 2 Leman Russ's and a Vendetta.

My list consisted of

HQ: Eldrad Ulthran with 8 warlocks. 2 destructor, 1 Enhance, 1 Embolden. All in a Wave Serpent armed with Eldar missile launchers, vectored engines and spirit stones

Troops: 1x 10 man squad of dire Avengers with Exarch armed with Dire Sword and Blade storm in a Wave Serpent armed with bright lances, vectored engines and spirit stones.

Troops: 1x 6 man squad of Guardian Jet bikes with Warlock w/Conceal and 2 shuriken cannons

Elites: 1x 6 man squad of Fire Dragons w/Exarch armed with Fire pike, tank hunters and crack shot

Fast: 1x 6 man squad of Swooping Hawks with Exarch armed with sun rifle and intercept

Heavy: 1x Falcon with scatter laser, holo fields and spirit stones

Heavy: 1x Wraithlord armed with bright lances and wraith sword

The guard player had his force divided in two parts which made my job kind of easy. He had a squadron of scout sentinels and a squadron of armored sentinels with 2 heavy weapons teams and his command HQ on one side of the board in the corner and the bulk of his force in the other corner. This did not make much sense to me since this was a pitched battle with the annihilation mission.

So after a redeployment, I got first turn, thanks to Eldrad I sent the Dire Avengers in their Wave Serpent and the Guardian Jet bike squad to deal with the Command HQ and the heavy weapons. I sent Eldrad and the Wraith lord against the right flank of the guard while the Fire Dragons hitched a ride in the Falcon to hit the left flank and the 2 tanks he had perched on a hill. Turn one saw the death of all the heavy weapon teams and one sentinel on the right side and the death of a few guardsmen and a Leman Russ being unable to move or shoot. I lost one Jet Bike and 2 Fire dragons and the falcon could not shoot in his return fire salvo. He ran 3 squads to cover and that was about it.

Turn two I advanced further with Eldrad and the Wraithlord. The fire dragons Got into lethal range and blew up the disabled Leman Russ taking several Guardsmen with it. The Bikes continued the assault on the sentinel destroying the armored squadron in close combat, thanks to 3 penetrating hits by a singing spear one in shooting and 2 in close combat, and the command HQ was obliterated say for the head dude and master of ordnance thanks to a Blade Storm. They were destroyed in the ensuing close combat by the Dire Avenger Exarchs Dire Sword. Eldrad and his coterie of Warlocks laid waste to 2 squads of Guardsmen and a Heavy Bolter squad with the Wraithlord. I lost a couple warlocks and several bikes in combat this turn as well as my Fire Dragon squad being cut down to the Exarch.

The Leman Russ left destroyed Eldrad's Wave serpent and began to move towards the Farseer. My Falcon was forced to retreat and turbo boosted from harm as the Vendetta came on the table and fired upon it.

Turn 3 I mopped up the sentinels and stared bringing the Warlock and last Guardian over to help the rest of the army. The Dire Avengers loaded up in their Wave Serpent and turbo boosted over to the other side as well. The Fire Dragon Exarch refused to run and got within bonus die range with his fire pike of the vendetta and shot it down in a fiery explosion which claimed 75% of the veteran squad within. Eldrad mopped up some remaining guard with in range and the wraithlord destroyed the 2^nd tank in close combat. The Swooping Hawks finally decided to come in and did it with a bang killing an entire squad with their grenade packs and heavy fire from las blasters and the Exarchs sun rifle. I Finally lost the Fire Dragon Exarch and another warlock. Turn 4 was quick I killed some guard and my opponent did not kill anything except 4 swooping hawks.

That's when time was called and I came out on top 11 kill points to his 2. I scored roughly 1350 victory points and he scored 740. The game was a massacre if it had gone to turn 5 I would have tabled him. I have no doubt on that fact. I was closing in and he had 2 squads of veterans left and an infantry squad. It was a good game and I am glad my list did so well. I think I may change it a bit for the last round as I am expecting to face space marines.

So a very decisive Victory for Ulthwe. Next time we will be covering or next Aspect warrior in the Aspects of Khaine series. Fire Dragons

Until then......................................

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!