DaweX goes to Prague Open!

DaweX goes to Prague open

After the 3 months without hammer (some reasons I will mention later), I decided that I will look what happens to world meta and made a course to Prague, hoping, that I will meet some friends.
From Czech come fewer people than expected, but they are known for a big mouth and then nothing. (and more salt)
When I arrived, I found out that I had one of eight strongest lists. Well maybe the list is strong but it has weaknesses. And I play it badly mostly because I was wrong at the composition start.

First, I want to play Mechanicus – 2 ways of play Forge World Stygies or Mars. I went for Mars to take 6 Castelan robots, Belisarius and 2 Onagers. Now what is the problem with this setup? When anything touches robots, I am done. So 3×5 rangers. Good start. Next some antimagic. Culexus, 2 primaris psykers to deny and smite. Rangers will be Graia to deny. And the last thing when something comes I need close combat  support, so 3 jetbike captains. Calidus because of increased cp consumption for the enemy and shorter deploy, that can catch some opponents without pants.
Strong and straightforward Imperial soup fireline. Just 6 cp, because special rule for hq detachment.

First game

Eldar Allaitoc (dammit), 3 flyers (more dammit), some Reapers (no Ynnari, thank u God Emperor for your mercy) and no flocks 🙂 (i played only one game against Eldar in Spain)

Here I made the first mistake, that I focussed more on reapers, because I feared them. (forgetting that there is not a deathstar 10 man squad of ynnari madness)
So it went like planned… well not like planned, captain run forward on maximum speed charging some infantry and securing objectives, but not protected from fire. Culexus was sacrificed forward (no idea why?), but with all those flamers and 3+ rockets he would probably die anyway. I lost both priests to planes (they held the back line) and antitank Onager. Charge phase and here come the strongest thing from custodes captains and it is Heroic Intervention. (more about it later) and one captain secure his point dealing with some plebs infantry.
Second turn I held the field and more field more cards and pushed forward
Calidus arrived and died, warlord captain survived and locked some reapers in cc (after killing others). All 3 captains pushed into enemy zone. The second mistake – I tried to shoot planes down with evilbots, they are not so evil against -2 to hit toughness 7 target. Second voley to the tank with just -1 so I managed to do some damage.
I crippled one plane with Belisarius and Onager but not enough to worse ballistic of flamer.
Second enemy turn
Smite, flamers and rockets and I had less toys to play with. But I was still holding the field meaning more cards.

Repeat until
.
.
Fifth turn
I had only warlord captain and full hand. So he charges serpent, playing „Priority orders received: Destroy vehicle“, took something down, killed something that fly and he kept enemy more than 3 inches away.
Such a glory and death because he died afterward, so I got wiped. If the game would end, it would be a draw or little win for me. But we rolled turn 6 and 7 so it ended 15:5

Second turn

Orks orks orks orks

OK, something like 120 orks, 3 weird boys, artillery (quite a lot) and some truck with rocketeers.
Enemy stole the initiative. Good, it will not be a slaughterhouse. Well, it was. By mistake, we didn´t care about the mission and played our own. Kill points and holding objectives. (opponents told me so and I didn´t read the rules and don´t own a book.) Long story short – Custodes captains counter charged first wave to hold it off and then disengage so robots clear the mob. In third turn, there was no boy on a field. Just hunting objectives and characters, some custodes died.

Third turn

Tau 4 vehicle and commanders
Mistakes were made again and they were beyond repair.
I destroyed one transport and things inside and also all kroots. I should probably kill instead Skyray or two using Wrath of Mars. Because of so many missiles and then commanders and everything. I lost 4 robots and captain in opening volley. Hups they hit hard. I struggle to survive. Game was decided. Luckily I played some cards in the begging of the game and take some bonus points in the gamble. But I survived. Well Culexus survived. And I rolled that we end early. So I got one point.
Funny moment from game Priority order=> custodes card: play another tactical objective. So hard to understand. I rather throw it away at the end of turn.

Fourth turn

Meshuge with Celestine and Blood Angels
The worst enemy on bad mission and I was without the luck

I started pushed middle and left flank. Again custodes forward captain in deepstrike failed 9 inch with reroll, if he made it I could make a draw maybe.
Enemy counterattacked on right flank to my base and protected left one. Killing warlord with marine captain. Well from 6 3++ i made one. I didn’t even rerrol or fnp, I just moved the mantle.
My left was decimated. I also made a mistake, that i moved away from one of my objectives, which enemy used to his advantage and jump there with celestine and destroyed it. (well he could destroy even if I hold it because of 3 his models and just one of mine)
Shooting time with Wrath of Mars, death company and celestine decimated. Some killing in enemy deploy zone.
Third turn happened what must come –  robothugging

His Warlord used 1 cp to re-deepstrike and then 9 inch charge on 3 dices. Well played.
Once again struggle to survive. Robots holding their own. Probably 2 turns then help for captain arrives and they got smashed. I managed to kill his warlord with big multimelta. (you got solaratomised!) and destroy one enemy point. Didn’t want to continue, so we just estimated what would follow. (Sorry it was little rude from me, I forgot about linebreaker, when making that decision, otherwise there were nowhere to score points, respektive enemy scores, but we didn’t need to play it.) Ended something like 16:4 should be 20 to 0 , f he managed to lock both with Celestine.
Glory moment 4 turn duel captain vs celestine when she finally got captain down to one hitpoint he got angry and decapitated her. (for second time, first time killed by bots.)

Fifth game against Mars Mechanicus

Enemy had fluffy army from every piece of the collection. But there were only 2 things working –  robots and some Stygia things.
I made a mistake that costed me one of mine captains, you don’t want to charge Electropriests, so I got ten mortals back. They get 3++ so I smited them.
Long story short – I created 36 inches deathzone with robots and he harassed me from behind it with Onagers. It ended like 16:4 without cards it was no fun. (well it would not  even if we had cards.)

Now I will get to recapitulation and some important things to me about the game and stuff.

Everything was superfine, except there was no sleeping under table. :/unhappy dawex

Changes to the game are great. The smite and characters stars nerf is amazing. Almost no shitlist like 400 conscripts. Or 300 demons. Or 5 planes and that’s all. (Or 7 Dark Talons. Or poxfarms. Wait! / Katcher)
I would like a little less variability in list building like maximally 2 same thing or “CAD” only, but that’s my preference. Rules were set, I adapted.
Now to the list – 4th and 5th game reminded me why I don’t want to play it.

In 4th I found no way to protect my robots from close combat and I don’t mean on the table, but even with preparation. But maybe I was wrong at the right beginning. And it is when you can’t avoid something, it is not game´s mistake, but your bad setup, that you depend on something with that weakness. Second thing is that in the most games the robots didn’t do their work (annihilating small infantry). Yeah, I got lost in pre-codex armies with lot cheap bodies. So now to the changes in list: I will probably stay with some robots, but 4 will be enough. Then I will need one more Onager. And because it will solve more of antitank and play it under Stygies with infiltrating robots.So 450 points that will be sacrificed to make one round of shooting if I start (putting them into 12 inches so no penalty.) If I don’t start, they will be put defensively somewhere in zone.
And more Custodes. Captains are awesome, „Shoulder the mantle“ is amazing stratagem, that allows you to play aggressively with warlord. And heroic intervention is like tailored thing to them.

They just stand on objective and enemy tries to steal it. And he must steal it with troop. Whch is mostly 5 guys idontknowordoanything. Its like package for them. And now no charges I hold this… sorry to interrupt (intervene you) but it’s mine and you are dead. And that will be all. For now, maybe we will meet on another tourney.