Shep and I got together today to play a quick 1500 point game at my place. I wanted a break from Orks as I have been playing the m almost exclusively for the last couple of months. Today I decided to go with Witch Hunters instead. Shep usually plays IG but he's been practicing extensively with Tyranids lately in an effort to prove they can work well in 5th edition. We still aren't convinced.
First we'll put down the lists.
Witch Hunters with Inducted Guard (1500)
HQ
Palatine (Book of St. Lucius)
and Celestian Retinue x 5 (Melta x2) and Immolator (Smoke, EA)
Elite
Celestian Squad x 5 (Melta x2) and Immolator (Smoke, EA)
Celestian Squad x 5 (Melta x2) and Immolator (Smoke, EA)
Troops
Infantry Platoon
Platoon Command Squad x 5 Chimera (Heavy Flamer)
Infantry Squad x 10 (Lascannon) Chimera (Heavy Flamer)
Infantry Squad x 10 (Lascannon) Chimera (Heavy Flamer)
Heavy Weapons Squad (Autocannon x3)
Heavy Weapons Squad (Autocannon x3)
Heavy Weapons Squad (Lascannon x2, Mortar)
Inquisitorial Stormtroopers x 5 (Plasma x2)
Inquisitorial Stormtroopers x 5 (Plasma x2)
Heavy
Exorcist
Exorcist
* The list I played with is not exactly the same as the list above. The list I played with was illegal. I used a couple of Lascannon Scout Sentinels. That isn't allowed because they require 2 IG platoons to unlock that allies option. I didn't realize this until the game was over. In the batrep pics you will see sentinels. They shouldn't be in the list. The legal way to create the list above is by replacing them with LC HWS instead. They aren't as good as sentinels because they lack mobility but they still grant the same LC shot with identical BS. Did this impact the outcome of this game? Probably not because I didn't scout or outflank with them and I wiffed with them for most of the game anyway. I probably would have gotten some LC shots off with the HWS as well. But I wanted to explain why there are sentinels in the pics but none in the list. Pretend those were a HWS instead. There you have it. Moving on.
Tyranids
HQ
Tyranid Prime (Boneswords x2, Adrenal Glands)
Troops
Tervigon
Tervigon
10 Termagaunts
16 Termagaunts
Elite
Venomthropes x3
Hive Guard x2
Hive Guard x2
Heavy
Tyranofex (Rupture Cannon)
Tyranofex (Rupture Cannon)
We end up with a sieze ground game with a dawn of war deployment. We place the objectives and I win the roll. I decide to go second.
Deployment:
The pic tells the story here. Shep lays down a bunch of gaunts and a tervigon. I put down a couple infantry platoons with the intention of bubble wrapping anything that shows up afterwards. Note my intention was to use the infantry squad chimeras for my inquisitorial stormtroopers. Thus, the infantry are on foot and in a great position to be devoured by tyranids.
Turn 1:The Tervigon hatches 12 gaunts but throws doubles so no more hatching for him. The gaunts all move forward threatening the infantry squads.
The rest of his army comes in from off the table and lines up across moving as far forward as possible. During shooting his gaunts are able to get around night fight and pick off a number of guardsmen from both squads
My army shows up. I keep most of the models behind the bubble wrap with the exception of a few vehicles.
During the shooting phase I struggle to get around night fight and most of my vehicles cannot see their intended targets. I am able to drop an immolator template and some hellgun and chimera heavy flamer fire onto his gaunt unit though
I also unload some lasguns, another immolator heavy flamer and a multilaser into the other gaunt unit
Turn 2:Shep moves forward with everything and starts taking long range shots with night fight now lifted. One of his tyranofexes blows up an exorcist missile launcher making it a very expensive camo cloak for the other one. He also manages to use his hive guard to stun and weapon destroy one of the stormtrooper chimeras and an immolator.
Witchhunters fire back. A platoon command squad wipes out the remaining gaunts sitting on an objective. The functional exorcist unloads 6 missiles into a Tyranofex and scores 4 wounds. I put a lascannon into a nearby tervigon and wound it. I put autocannons into the hive guard and kill one of them.
Turn 3:Nids continue to move forward. A Tyranofex shakes an exorcist. The Tyranid Prime joins the gaunts and the whole unit surges forward and assaults the infantry squad. Hive guard weapon destroy an immolator and blow up a chimera. The tervigon attacks the PCS chimera and kills it and a couple of the squad inside.
A celestian immolator moves forward 12" and torches a couple venomthropes. The other immolators move forward and immolate some hive guard. Auto cannon spam shoots into the remaining hive guard wiping them all out.
Shep puts a glass of cranberry juice on the table. I comment that it looks like a cup of blood. Real cranberry juice is more tart than grapefruit juice. It must be cut with about 75% water and a spoonful of sugar to be drinkable. Poor drinkability.
Turn 4:Tervigon in the back hatches more gaunts and they surge forward towards the autocannon teams. A celestian immolator is shaken. Another one is wrecked.
Witchunters debark all celestians and shoot at gaunts and do very little damage with bolters. Some lascannons and exorcist fire finish off the wounded tervigon and tyranofex. The venomthropes are also finished off by celestian bolters.
Turn 5:The Gaunts eat the rest of the autocannon teams and then conslidate back onto an objective. The tyranofex is out of synapse and lurks. Another gaunt team eats a bunch of celestians. A tervigon in the back assaults a couple celestians but faith keeps them alive with invulnerable saves.
Sisters shoot at gaunts and do little. Immolators contest objectives. PCS sits on an objective with another inquisitorial squad in a chimera and another infantry squad. Exorcist takes a shot at the tyranofex and misses.
We roll to see if the game ends. It does not.
Turn 6:Gaunts and Tyranid prime kills the rest of the celestians but cannot score the objective because an immolator is sitting on it. The other gaunts and tervigon wipe remaining celestians and camp another objective but again cannot score because an immolator is sitting on it.
The game finally ends with Witchhunters winning 1-0. Sisters are scoring one objective and contesting the other two with immolators.
Pretty rough for the nids. They did a lot more damage than the witchhunters did but couldn't wreck enough vehicles for it to matter. Witchhunters only lost 3 vehicles. Most of them didn't have weapons, but in an objective game that didn't seem to matter.
