Lesions of Chaos: Glottkin vs Kairos

After a successful game against Kraken, and fueled by sheer laziness on my part (and not having a wife or child to disrupt) I left the battle-board on the kitchen table and arranged for another game on Sunday. Full endtimes rules again and "fun" lists. This time I would be building both sides and Reinbowarrior would be back to choose one.

The Armies

I built 4 lists, and Reinbow chose Glottkin and so for the second time in two days I was going to be facing the blessed son of Nurgle.

Given we were playing full dirty magic there is no way I was not going to give a Kairos a go... A level 4 caster who knows 72 spells! Eat that Loremaster of Hoeth and your 56 spells!

The Glottkin list had two beasts for re-directors, Glottkin as a distraction, and a deathstar of a warrior horde including a shadow sorcerer, Festus and a wargor. The warriors all had halberds, and the beast banner on the gor BSB buffed their strength. 35 ws5, i5, s6 attacks (plus additional from heroes) can not be sniffed at.

Kairos on the other hand, was far more spread out. 2 minimum size unit of forsaken, 2 units of fast cavalry marauder horseman, 2 skull cannons, a chimera, Kairos and a Tzeentchian combat Lord on a disk.

The Setup

Field was same as Kraken and my game.

Setup has the warriors facing the open clearing, with each flank protected by a beast, and the Glottkin hiding behind the woods.

Kairos puts both her skullcannons near each ranged ridge, with the forsaken and marauders to harass in the centre and the flyers grouped on one flank opposite Glottkin.

The Game:

Turn 1: Kairos

The flying daemonic spellsurge flew off to harass the flanks of the army, taking her lord bodyguard with her. (off shot in image)

One set of horseman nip round the woods into range of one beast, the others set themselves up on the edge of the woods. The forsaken leave themselves as a target just out of range; similarly the chimera holds back.

I deliberately don't pull out the purple sun on first casting (it would seem a little harsh). Interesting it is not until the end of the game that I realise Kairos is just a susceptible to this spell! So I opt for a couple of flame based spells and fail to do much.

A cannon fails to reach Glottkin; and another takes out two warriors from the horde. One unit of marauders is in range of a beast, but it is hard to hit and even harder to hurt, but a lucky javelin finds its mark.

Turn 1: Glottkin

Both beasts charge both units of horsemen; and then the Glottkin comes in for overkill. The unsupported beast kills a few, but they hold their nerve. Once mr Glott's flying scythe and massive tentacle hit there is nothing of the marauder horsemen left. Glottkin tramples through the woods and out the other side.

In the magic phase Nurgle's servant targets the chimera, with several spells and the putrid conversion nature of papa nurgle distort the chaotic bird and its three heads turn on each other before collapsing in a necrotic mess.

Turn 2: Kairos

The chariot in the glottkins arc lurches sideways to safety. The flying wizard and bodyguard encircle the Glottkin and prepare to fire.

This time the purple sun is cast and tears through the Glottkin and a Beast. The beast dies but Glottkin survives (I might be kind and I don't recast the spell) instead favouring for some attempts at gleaning magic (failed) some fireballs and doom and darkness.

More wounds are taken off by the cannon, and the the other (who can't target Glottkin for the building) take out two more warriors from the horde.

The marauder horsemen struggle with the beast and as they try to break are lept on and torn apart.

Turn 2: Glottkin

The horde charge into a unit of forsaken, and the glottkin rounds to face his flying foe; he knows that they will zip away again before he can charge, but they can't outrun spells.

Kairos is the target of the spells but shrugs off attempts to hurt her with either dispelling or magical wards.

The forsaken are forsaken; however before they are turn to pieces by magically imbued halberds they have already impaled Festus the leechlord leaving the horde a little less protected.

Turn 3: Kairos

One of the skullcannons readies another cannonball; the other backs away safely out of charge arc of glottkin and away from the horde. The flyers fly and land safely behind their threat.

The purple sun is targeted at Glottkin, but failing to cast means that the beast survives; resorting to other spells, a few more wounds are chipped away and it is left to the cannon to fire the fatal flaming cannonball to the chest. The Goliath of Nurgle is no more.

Turn 3: Glottkin

The remaining beast heads to harass the closest cannon seeing hoping to seek revenge for their master.

The horde charge and destroy the second set of forsaken effortlessly, and then ponder if to face the flyers or the cannon; they elect to reduce their flank and to face the cannon.

Turn 4: Kairos

By the river, the skullcannon charges and effortlessly runs over the beast and crashes through the waters ready to target the horde any second.

Kairos keeps pace to the horde and turns a good portion to gold.

Turn 4: Glottkin

The depleted warriors reform and reface the combat chaos lord hoping to bait a fight, whilst the sorceror makes a break for it, hurling shadow magic as he goes.

A wound is caused to Kairos as she trips on a shadow magic tendrils, but no more threat is posed.

Turn 5: Kairos

With the shadow sorcerer cowering the cannons fire on the depleted horde; although one too eager is left coughing on daemonic sputum - it won't shoot again this battle. But another warriors drop to the cannon.

Kairos concentrates her magic on the BSB and final the wargor falls in battle.

Turn 5: Glottkin

The warriors bravely turn to their fate, and the closest cannon, but blow their horn hard, they can't muster the strength of will to move onward.

The sorcerer tries the shadow pendulum again, this time casting it with such force that he dies in the effort. Kairos is not hurt.

Turn 6: Kairos

Kairos' final turn, and she does not fancy charging in. A decision, cannons or magic or a bit of a scrap. The combat lord is angry that he never fought and yells a cowardly call to the skullcannon enticing him to charge.

Kairos, never one to believe is a fair fight, boosts the skullcannon with multiple light magic spells and a combination of impact hits and bloodletters moving at the speed of light is enough to leave only one solitary warrior there, ready to be mow down when he fails to the hurt the daemon engine.

Result

830 vs 2224
19:1

Thoughts

72 spells! Yikes! I wish I knew them better.

It is fair to say in a competitive game I would have cast purple sun on turn one, and even if not recasting (ET rule as long as don't FAIL to cast) could have switched to shadow and pendulum or pit of shades. But getting the first turn and killing Glottkin on turn 1 felt harsh, so waited till he had had his fun. (And then had to wait another turn as I failed to do it straight away!)

Realising that Shadow and Death both have killer spells to deal with him, and the prevalence of both of these I would not consider him a viable lot of points unless you knew you could not face these. I'd love to see him against Dwarves/lizards/Ogres/etc...; but don't think I will bother playing against or with him if death/shadow is on the cards.

Now interestingly, I realise that Kairos has the exact same weakness (although this may be what you keep her one free reroll for, as it at least gives you a slightly better chance of surviving).

As an ET list, this felt quite good to play with. I was conscious how long I could spend looking at spells, and so resorted to old favourites and tried to be quick (and a little kind). The horsemen died quicker than expected; but the forsaken did their job in that they took out Festus. Admittedly though there were a costly ¬600 distraction. The chimera never got a chance; but I am glad that it died over anything else; and so as a distraction I am happy.

As both running LoC lists we had the reign of chaos every turn; but thankfully nothing was drastically tipped by these scales.

Interesting game. Over half Kairos' army was spent in three flying models that were going to harass. I would be interested to try again against another all-comer list (ie not one designed to beat it).