Nova Invitational Game #5: Blackmoor's Grey Knights vs. Tony Kopack's Space Wolves

So before the final match-up in game #8 of the Nova Open, Tony and I played each other a couple of days before in the Nova Invitational. We had both dropped a game so we were both entering it at 3-1, so when we played each other so our outcome was not that important since we were both out of the running at this point. One of the reasons why I came to the Nova was to play people that I normally do not get the chance to and Tony was one of those people. I have heard a lot about the boy wonder after he went undefeated at last year’s Nova Open and Adepticon. I wanted to get the measure of him and see just how good he was, and now I have my chance.

Unlike after 13 games of the Nova Open when I was dead tired, sick, and out of gas, on Friday during the Invitational I was fresh and ready to go (even after playing 4 games earlier). Normally I am wrecked when I travel from west to east because of the time difference, and jet lag, but this time I had a plan to combat it. For the Nova Open I was able to book a red eye flight on Wednesday night and so I arrived at the hotel at 9:45am Thursday. My plan was to stay awake all day and go to bed early and be so tired that I will fall asleep right away. Then I be could get up at 7:00am local time and be awake and able to play (even though the first game started at 5:00am my time). Well, my plan worked out great! I was the least tired I have ever been at an east coast tournament. 

So on to the game!

My Invitational List

1750 Points of Grey Knights

HQ

Draigo

Librarian w/ Might of Titian, Sanctuary, Shrouding

Troops

10 Paladins w/4 Psycannons (1 Master Crafted), 2 Hammers, 4 Halberds (1 Master Crafted), 3 Swords (1 Master Crafted), 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

Tony’s Space Wolf List (From memory)

HQ

Rune Priest w/JotWW, Living Lightning

Elite

Wolf Guard w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist

Wolf Guard w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist

Wolf Guard w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist

Wolf Guard w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist

Wolf Guard w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist

5 Wolf Scouts w/Melta Gun

Troops

8 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun ,Wolf Standard

Rhino

8 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun ,Wolf Standard

Rhino

8 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun ,Wolf Standard

Rhino

8 Grey Hunters w/Melta Gun ,Wolf Standard

Rhino

Heavy Support

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

Razorback w/Las Plas

5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers

Razorback w/Las Plas

Mission:

Primary: Table Quarters

Secondary: Objectives

Tertiary: Kill Points

It looks like whenever I play Tony I always get my least favorable alignment of missions (kill points last).

Deployment: Spearhead

Setup

He wins the dice roll to go first and deploys his army.

Turn #1

Space Wolf Turn #1

He rushed his army up and he takes out a Dreadnaught with his long fangs.

Grey Knight Turn #1

I move up and unload into his rhino that is carrying his Rune Priest. I hate those stupid things and I want to kill him if I am able to, but all I do is knock off his storm bolter and immobilize it. I also immobilize the rhino that is on the top of the board that is near his long fangs.  

Turn #2

Space Wolf Turn #2

He moves up again. He is being very aggressive, and keeps on advancing. My guess is that he has never fought paladins before and wants to try his luck in assault. Note: You should compare this to his behavior in our final game ;) If you have watched that final game, you would see that he is a lot more cautious. I wonder why? In the mean time he shoots his long fangs at my librarian’s combat squad and I roll 2 “1”s and lost 2 paladins.

Grey Knight Turn #2

Alright, time to get this party started!! I shoot at, and wreck the rhino that is in the top of the board, and he piles out. I explode the rhino that was closest, and Draigo and his boys launch an assault. This is where I make quick work out of 9 Grey Hunters! He ends up blocking my psychic powers, and then he counter-attacks and pops his wolf standard. I end up rolling really bad and killing 3 grey hunters total (Draigo should have killed that many by himself) and he ends up doing several wounds. He kills 2 paladins with his power fist who already had one wound on them and I lose combat by 3. I fail my morale roll (like my paladins always do) and they break but I get lucky here and he catches me and I take another wound from no retreat. Well, this battle went about as bad as it possibly can, short of getting escorted off of the board. That was very unexpected and unpleasant.            

Turn #3

Space Wolf Turn #3

He continues to advance. I guess he was encouraged by how poorly paladins do in assault. Draigo finally does what he should have done last turn, and he, and his squad take out the last of the Grey Hunters they were in combat with. His long fangs take out another of my dreadnaughts. He does manage to fix his rune priests rhino and it is no longer immobilized.  

Grey Knight Turn #3

Well, time to get going, I have him right where I want him!! Draigo moves right up to the Rune Priest’s rhino and I unload into it. I need to kill it so I can assault the contents, and after shooting my entire army at it, I can’t kill it. I then assault it and I still can’t kill it but I do manage to immobilize it again! My librarian’s squad assaults his other Grey Hunter squad but with the same result that I had last time. I was unable to get my Librarian into assault range, but the 3 remaining paladins ended up killing nothing, and he wiped my paladins out in return. The good news is that my librarian stays around! Is rolling average too much to ask?

Turn #4

Space Wolf Turn #4

Since I was unable to get Draigo's squad into assault, he was out in the open and the rune priest and his squad unload on them and then they assault. He loses 3 guys, and he kills the last of my paladins. On the other front, my Librarian kills 2 Grey Hunters, and my Librarian makes all of his saves, Tony fails his morale roll and breaks. Great...talking about to little to late...

Grey Knight Turn #4

Well, this is not how paladins should do in combat. The Librarian follows the Grey Hunters to keep them running. Draigo seems like he only gets going on the second round of combat and kills the Rune Priest and the Grey Hunters break. Well, at least my ICs can win a combat, I wish the Paladins could have done something earlier.
 

Turn #5

Space Wolf Turn #5

This is just about the end. A razorback takes out the Librarian and everything else shoots at Draigo and they take him down.

I am pretty much running on fumes at this point, and when he take out the last of my dreadnaughts, I can’t win because he has 2 table quarters to my 1, and we call the game.

This game seemed to have a big impact on Tony's play the second time we match up. He was not so aggressive, and stayed far away from me. He also had a lucky horseshoe up his rear because Paladins should butcher Grey Hunters, and I ended up whiffing in not just one combat, but 3!

I am prone to horrible bouts of bad luck, and this game was the last of it. That is why I did so well at the Nova Open because I did not have one of those games where I can't make a decent roll. Well, except maybe that last turn of the game when I played Tony in game #8 where I rolled terrible.