Nova Invitational game #4: Blackmoor vs. Timmah’s Space Wolves

Because Timmah asked for it...

So I am now 2-1 and working my way up and for my next game I ended up playing Timmah’s Space Wolves. Timmah had just beat Stelek and so he was very animated. In my game it was like playing someone who just chugged down 4 red bulls. 

For some additional reading, here is Timmah's battle report of our game. 

For my battle report, keep reading...

My List

1750 Points of Grey Knights

HQ

Draigo

Librarian w/Might of Titian, Sanctuary, The Shrouding, 2 Servo Skulls

Troops

10 Paladins w/4 Psycannons, 2 Hammers, 4 Halberds, 3 Swords, Brotherhood Banner

10 Grey Knight Strike Squad w/2 Psycannons, Psybolt Ammo

Heavy Support

Dreadnought w/2 Twin-Linked Autocannons, Psybolt Ammunition

Dreadnought w/2 Twin-Linked Autocannons, Psybolt Ammunition

Dreadnought w/2 Twin-Linked Autocannons, Psybolt Ammunition

So there it is…22 Models+ 3 Vehicles

Timmah’s Space Wolves

HQ

Rune Priest w/Jaws of the World Wolf, Living Lightning

Wolf Lord w/Runic Armor, Thunderwolf Mount, Storm Shield, Wolf Claw

Elite

4 Wolf Guard w/Combi-melta, Power Fist

5 Wolf Scouts w/Melta Gun

Troops

6 Grey Hunters w/Wolf Standard, Melta Gun

Rhino

7 Grey Hunters w/Wolf Standard, Melta Gun

Rhino

7 Grey Hunters w/Wolf Standard, Melta Gun

Rhino

7 Grey Hunters w/Wolf Standard, Melta Gun

Rhino

Heavy Support

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

Razorback w/:Lascannon, TL Plasma Gun

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

Razorback w/:Lascannon, TL Plasma Gun

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

Razorback w/:Lascannon, TL Plasma Gun

Mission:

Primary: Objectives

Secondary: Table Quarters 

Tertiary: Kill Points

This is the mission objectives line up that I am weakest with kill points last. 

Deployment: Pitched Battle

Setup

He wins the dice roll to go first and he sets up. 

I start with my army behind the hill so I do not eat a ton of missiles. I make my Dreadnaughts scoring (because day #1 I still have my wits about me) and I start my strike squad in reserve. Since I have a slow army one way I can get across the board faster and to get to the far right objective faster is to start in reserve and come on the long table edge.

Turn #1

Space Wolf Turn #1

He moves to the left and his shooting is inconsequential.

Grey Knight Turn #1

I begin my slow march forward

Turn #2

Space Wolf Turn #2

He keeps shifting right and trying to shoot me. He gets his Scouts on and rolls a "1" and they start on my right table edge. He walks them over to get close to the objective on the right on my side of the table. 

 

Grey Knight Turn #2

I get my strike squad on and  go after his Scout Squad. I shoot at them and only kill a couple. My plan is to have the librarian and his squad go after the center objective, and Draigo and his boys going after the objective on his side of the table, and my dreads hold the back left objective, and the Strikes the objective on my right. There are less rhinos than there were before.

Turn #3

Space Wolf Turn #3

His scouts shoot up my strike squad and kill a couple of guys through shooting, and then they assault them. That is right, 4 scouts assaulting a Grey Knight strike squad. Well I roll like I always do and only kill a couple, and his powerfist from his wolf guard kills several and I lose combat and my strike squad runs off of the board. This was an unpleasant turn of events. 

Grey Knight Turn #3

I keep advancing and shooting. 

Turn #4

Space Wolf Turn #4

He moves around to try to stop the inevitability of his loss. He tried to put himself into position to get the objectives, but he is afraid of my paladins, and keeps a healthy distance.

Grey Knight Turn #4

Turn #5 is coming up so I have to make sure that I am in range of the objectives so I move up to make sure I am in striking distance.See all of the dice in his side of the table? The represent exploded vehicles.

Turn #5

Space Wolf Turn #5

He tries to hold the objectives. He shoots the Librarian squad up and kills a couple of them. 

Grey Knight Turn #5

I move my dreadnaught back behind the building so it can't be shot (if I was winning the game against Tony K I would have done the same to my scoring units so he could not kill them, but I was losing so I left them out there). I engage the units that are trying to hold the objectives and power armored marines are no match for paladins.

Turn #6

The game goes on one more turn and he tried to shoot me off the objective but I still have a scoring unit on top of the hill.

At the end I have more objectives and I win the game.

The funny thing is that Stelek is saying on his blog that grey knights can't compete because they lack melta weaponry to deal with vehicles. He does not realize just how much strength 7 and 8 shooting that Grey Knights can throw down range. In our game I hid for all of it because I could not get half of my army on so I was never able to show him what it can do. I would have liked to see him play one of the 5 dreadnaught armies that were all over the 4-0 bracket on day #2 and see how he would have done, but he did not make it up there with all the hard armies. 

These are the armies he faced:

Game #1 Eldar

Game #2 Beat by Grey Knights

Game #3 Space Wolves

Game #4 Dark Eldar

Game #5 Deathwing

Game #6 Tyranids

Game #7 Space Wolves

Game 8 Grey Knights that he never played 

I on the other hand was at the top of the heap and I had to fight my way through 3 grey knight armies.

I find it odd that he says that they need melta to compete, but 4 out of the 16 armies that went 4-0 on day one were Grey Knights, and the one loss he took was to them :) It looks like the lack of melta did not hurt Grey Knight players much. 

So here is an example of what my army doing what his army with all of it's melta guns could not, and that is beat Timmah.