The last Hurrah

My first post for some time and I thought I'd sum up my Smogcon experience.

For the past few months I have felt a bit bored by my beloved Legion. It's not that I don't love them anymore I really do but bearing in mind I have played them since they came into existence and now our local meta has seen an influx of Legionnaires of late I thought its time for a break.

I decided Smogcon was going to be my last hurrah with them for a year and stopped buying anything new (including the awesome Blight Bringer) at the end of 2015. I didn't enter any events at Smogcon as free time is limited at the moment and I have very little time for practice games so decided to just rock out the Iron arena all weekend . I packed almost all the Legion I own with the exception of the huge based stuff and some bits that were unbuilt/ partially built into my trusty Kaiser 3 bag and off I went.

Arriving later than planned Friday thanks to the British public forgetting how to use roundabouts my lift share buddy Phil and I decided to play each other 1st game. Phil is a fairly new player and he was using PKreos, I asked him who would he like to face and his Reply was Lylyth2 my list was.

Lylyth Shadow of everblight
succubus
Ravagore
Ravagore
Ravagore
Naga
Shredder
Strider Deathstalker
Strider Deathstalker
Strider Rangers +UA
Shepherd
Forsaken.

Now I have not played Lylyth 2 for 2 or 3 years and the game went how you would expect and I shot him off the board by the end of turn 2. The game reminded me why I don't play her too much any more it was very linear but it was an experience for phil.

The rest of the Friday I decided to play 2 lists Abby2 and Vayl2.
The Abby2 list was:
Absylonia Daughter of Everblight
Nephilim Bloodseer
Scythean
Scythean
Raek
Raek
Seraph
Zuriel
Shredder
Forsaken
Forsaken

I really like The Bloodseer in this list it allows me to really abuse slipstream whilst Zuriel is there for some serious infantry clearing .

The Vayl2 list was a fairly Vanilla Tier 4 Machinations of Shadow
Vayl Consul of Everblight
Angelius
Angelius
Angelius
Ravagore
Ravagore
Blighted Nyss Legionnaires
Spawning vessel
Shephers
Shepherd
Spell Martyr
Spell Martyr
Spell Martyr

I played these 2 lists into a variey of opponents including Kruger2 twice,  H-Bombs Sorcha 2 tier list, Madrak 2 and Ravyn (these are the memorable games) I didn't lose a game all day. I battered my good friend Dave Munro (who had travelled from Sweden where he is based now for the event) who had underestimated the threat range of Abby 2 and felt safe with Madrak in a trench on 3 transfers not expecting a slipstreamed flying leaping Raek to get in it with him and headbutting him before having 2 flying Scytheans applied to his face.

Saturday Bought 2 new lists Vayl1 and Kallus. Kallus is one of my favourite warlocks to play and my twist on him is to take a fair bit of high def infantry mixed with Legos with Farilor to jam zones (defensive line + iron zeal + unconquerable is a thing) whilst any casualties feed the pot just behind before feating.
My lists were:
Kallus Wrath of Everblight
Nephilim Protector
Nephilim Bolt thrower
Max Hex hunters
Max Legionnaires +  Farilor and standard
Max Gatorman posse
Max spawning vessel
Strider Rangers + UA
Deathstalker
Deathstalker
Spell Martyr
Spell Martyr

Vayl list was
Vayl Disciple of Everblight
Scythean
Scythean
Typhon
Ravagore
Raek
Raek
Forsaken
Forsaken
Shepherd
Sherpherd
Spawning vessel.

I only lost 2 games with these 2 lists both with Pvayl one in a mirror match and 1 into Runes of war. I had the most fun playing Kallus one game of note was vs fellow blogger Matt Best who was using EMorvanna. It was a game of real attrition where I felt I only won due to Matts inexperience with EMorv.


Sunday soon came round and I was feeling the burn by now I decided to play eThags and the twins then call it a day mid afternoon.

I've not played either of these 2 a great deal but felt most at home playing eThagrosh so played most of my games with him. I got lucky into beating a Cygnar player with Kraye (I cast manifest destiny and forgot to use it twice), Smashing poor Daves Trolls again this time with pGrimm. Only playing the twins once into a Fellew bunker member Luke's Bloody Barnabus list.

 My 2 lists were:
Thagrosh the Messsiah
Typhon
Scythean
Scythean
Seraph
Legionnaires + Farilor and standard
Spawning vessel
Forsaken
Shapherd

Saeryn and Rhyas Talons of Everblight
Zuriel
Scythean
Seraph
max Hex Hunters
max Raptors
Deathstalker
Deathstalker
Min Spawning vessel.



All in all it was a great weekend but that's it. The Legion are packed away in my man cave not to be opened until March 2017.

 For the next year I am going to be on a Khador adventure starting with playing Harkevich in the Bunkers escalation league.

How I lost the faith and found that ‘blight makes right.

So after a brief hiatus from war-gaming, due to work commitments, I am back baby!

This has meant three things for me. Firstly, I’ve decided to make the switch to Legion of Everblight, secondly I’ve decided to put some real effort into playing painted models only and most importantly I have a chance to spend more time with all the great guys in my local gaming groups.

The second of these tasks has really only meant an increase in time at my paint station (which has been awesome).

The first however has been a complete revelation.

Now, Legion of Everblight have been considered top tier as far as factions go for quite some time. So I knew there would be a lot of people moaning about ‘power gaming’, but I had no idea just how much fun it was shooting the living smile off your opponents face while they bemoan all the rules you ‘ignore’.

Having started out playing Khador a few years back before finding the faith and taking a big jump into the Menoth Faction, I’ve always loved the ‘axe to face’ style of play. Ramming a few units of insane weapon master Doom Reavers or a brick of Bastions down your opponents gullet is all sorts of fun, there is no denying it.

I feel that while my skill level was the main factor truly holding me back from being more successful with Menoth, I have always had a niggling feeling that I just couldn’t compete with the top players in my local meta. I always found the high armour skew lists a problem, as well as a few specific lists.

Now I realise that toys don’t substitute skills, but I felt a fresh start and new approach may give me the push to play more and increase that dwindling skill level.

Having had a look about at the factions, and deciding that in order to start a new faction I wanted to minimise my outlay, and hopefully the amount of models I would be having to put together and paint (I am hoping to only be playing painted from now on). Legion looked on paper like the obvious choice. To be honest, the idea of being able to fit two 50 point lists into one KR case is always going to appeal to me.

The real fun began when I first put the two lists I had chosen on the table. I had opted for both prime and epic Vayl. It didn’t take long for the mechanics of playing Hordes rather than Warmachine to prove to be a big stumbling block. It hasn’t taken many games to get my head around it, and I would advise anyone who has only played a Warmachine faction to give a Hordes faction a try and vice versa.

Overwhelmingly the best thing about coming back to Warmachine/Hordes is the community. It has been amazing to spend more time playing games with friends old and new.

I’m already working on another blog about ‘My Two Vayls’ so watch this space for some more Legion fun and games. Feel free to make requests about subjects you would want us to cover. I will be posting pictures of my lists and talking about why I chose certain models.

As a final thought, the first time you pull off the double obliteration assassination or dark sentinel kicks in and you one shot the spirit of the beast charging you, you know that it’s true what they say…

…’Blight Makes Right’

Have you had a moment with your faction like this? If so, jump on the comments below and let us know.

Tom

Everyone has that special someone...

As the title says, every Warmachine player has that one Warcaster or Warlock that they just click with... they suit their play style to a tee, they enable you to get the most out of your army and are a really cool model to boot!


Mine is this chap:

Lord Carver Esq III, Bringer of Most Massive Destruction

 

 

Lord Carver is the warnoun I have used in more games than all the others combined, from every faction I have played by a long shot. He is the real deal Evander Holyfield style, Mohamed i'm hard Bruce Lee to the face... He takes the Thornfall Alliance by the short n curlys and drags them up to a playable state all on his own.

Carvers combination of raw stats, abilities and spells turns your sorry bunch of chumps into a mean baconating fighting machine:

• He makes your stuff more accurate with Quagmire and CRA on the Brigands
• He makes your stuff hit harder with the feat
• He makes your boys not scared of the monsters with Inspiration
• He makes your beasts faster with Mobility
• He makes your beasts tougher with Batten down the Hatches
• He hits hard enough to take out the enemy caster and heavies by himself
• He is Genghis Khan Piggy, only Rorsh is cooler!

You get the idea from this epitaph that he's pretty good, some including myself believe that if he were in a proper faction he would break the game because he is so good... Imagine what your real army beasts could do with those spells haha.



Carver I have played for years and his dominance as my favorite 'lock has never been threatened until now... 5 games with this lady has brought some contest for my heart:

Vayl, Disciple of Everblight

 

What I have found is that Vayl plays quite similar to lord Carver, just she has a much much better army available to make use of her abilities!

• She makes your stuff more accurate with Chiller, Incite and Rampager (Turn around)
• She makes your stuff hit harder with Incite
• She protects her army with the feat, distance is a form of armour too!
• She makes your beasts faster with Leash
• She is an evil ice witch with a magic ball of justice

She cant take down casters reliably, Malice and Hoarfrost are ok spells but she wont be mixing it up in melee. Legion has a far better selection of beasts and Animi to draw from and they quite frankly put the pigs in the shade; the Scythean is a new level of badass with Incite, Chiller, Leash and Slipstream, and the Seraph is possibly the finest utility beast in the game (Gorax and Bull Snapper coming close)

I have had great fun so far using her T4 Winter Storm force, I will be main listing it at the Tier Tourney tomorrow at 4TKgaming and probably for the immediate future as well, its a enabled me to compete on an even keel with some of the other great Warmachine players that contribute to this blog.

      



First Legion List!

Now that I have all the minis for my first Legion list done I can get down to some serious practice for upcoming events:

 

 

 

So there we have pVayl Winter Storm Tier 4 which points up like this:

pVayl +6
- Ravagore 10
- Ravagore 10
- Scythean 9
- Seraph 8
- Shredder 2
- Succubus 2

Min Hex Hunters 5
Min Hex Hunters 5
-Bayal 0
Max Spawning Vessel 3

2 Shepherds 2


So far I have played one game with the list against Sherwin's experimental Morghoul2 Hit Squad list, it was a bit of a learning curve for both of us but was enjoyable in that I could get a feel for what Legion beasts could do (Scythean without incite killed a Rhinodon and a Archidon and nearly another Archidon in one activation!), and also trying out some theorymachine tricks I had thought of.

Im certainly impressed thus far with how Vayl plays, turbo charging beasties is certainly my favourite aspect of the game and Vayl could rival Lord Carver as my favourite warlock in the game in that respect... Legion beasts are certainly better than Pigs so there is no need to turd polish haha.

I am looking forward to trying it out against a force that the T4 benefit will hamper more than Hit Squad, they lacked the shooting or massed AD for me to hamper or shoot with my leased/Slipstreamed Ravagores so that is still ahead of me.

I plan to main list this force and have an eVayl Machinations of Shadow Tier 4 list as the back up to cover any weak match ups. This force is nearly finished too, just an Angelius to complete then im tourney bound!