The Mantishurian Candidate: Death Guard vs Mantis Warriors

To kick off the next 1,000 posts, here's a Maelstrom of War battle between Pootle's Death Guard warband, The Second Law, and...

Kraken's new army of Mantis Warriors! Yes, an army I have no experience of using against the unbeaten Second Law. A New Challenger Approaches!

Their Scars aren't quite White,

But it's All-Skype Fight Night!

The Mantis Warriors

So Pootle has a few more marines than I do, and whilst this isn't quite what the home list brings, it's got similarities. 

The biggest difference is the Land Raider Redeemer, which is going front and centre with the Veterans and Commanders in it! Alas, this means the tactical squads are half strength. But if (and let's be honest, when) it hits home, it ought to bring a solid amount of pain with it. 

The Veterans have a thunder hammer captain with them, plus a few storm shields of their own to shrug off damage. And the Librarian will hopefully be doing some Stormomancy to speed them further into combat. 

On the back line, a Land Speeder Typhoon and two small tac squads with a bit of ranged firepower, plus the Intercessors with Stalker Bolt Rifles. And a Lieutenant to babysit! Not remotely optimised to take advantage of the White Scars codex and its biker strats, but Pootle has no bikers and I don't like the current model much. So that's that!

Mantis Warriors - 1000 points, Battalion

HQ 

• Captain with Chogorian Storm trait, Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield
• Librarian with Force Axe, Storm Wreathed and Ride the Wind powers
• Lieutenant with Cyber-Eagle Helm relic

Troops 

• 5 Intercessors with Stalker Bolt Rifles
• 5 Tac Marines, one plasma gun
• 5 Tac Marines, one missile launcher

Elites 

• 5 Company Veterans - a total of three storm shields, one power axe, one power sword, a combi-flamer, a chainsword, a bolter and a thunderhammer split between them

Fast Attack

• 1 Land Speeder Typhoon

Heavy

• 1 Land Raider Redeemer plus a hunter-killer missile

Sorry, nothing here painted in well over 25 years, though I have been busy magnetising so the Captain, Veterans and Land Raider are nearly WYSIWYG - apart from the jump packs

Given that Kraken's actual Mantis Warrior army is mostly made up of old RTB01 marines, it's appropriate that I use some of my old drastic plastic marines to proxy for the game (we'll ignore the Ultramarine paint-job by a fourteen-year-old me for now).

The Second Law

Not on Kraken's scale of fielding an entirely new army, but I wanted to try out a couple of new things for the Death Guard. In addition to my regular Daemon Prince, I brought out Typhus, suggested by my eight-year-old son when reviewing an initial draft of the list to replace a Lord of Contagion and a Malignant Plaguecaster. 

Troops would be a close-combat oriented squad of marines with two Flails (in a Rhino, another unit I've not used before), a 5-man squad with a couple of Blight Launchers, and some Poxwalkers to sit on objectives.

I brought a Helbrute with twin lascannons (I very nearly didn't and wouldn't have had anything likely to scratch the Land Raider at range in the list) and a Power Scourge as I expected Kraken to get up close quickly. Conscious of the lack of long-range guns I stuck the Heavy Blight Launcher option onto a Bloat-drone (also partly to justify having magnetised it).

• HQ - Daemon Prince with Suppurating Plate, double Malefic Talons, Miasma of Pestilence and the Suppurating Plate; Warlord with Revoltingly Resilient trait
• HQ  - Typhus
• Troops - 6 x Plague Marines, 2 Flails of Corruption
• Troops - 5 x Plague Marines, 2 Blight Launchers
• Troops - 10 x Poxwalkers
• Elites - Helbrute with twin Lascannon and Power Scourge
• Fast Attack - Foetid Bloat-drone with Heavy Blight Launcher
• Dedicated Transport - 1 x Rhino

My initial goal is to protect the Helbrute from being shot up by missile launchers so that it can survive to start putting damage onto the Land Raider. To do this I would put the Bloat-drone in the centre and get shots onto the Land Speeder, which is particularly vulnerable to its Blight Launcher. If I could get the Blight Launchers from the Plague Marine squad to assist that should ensure the Helbrute's survival.

Mission and Terrain

We decided to play a simple Cleanse & Capture mission, with our usual adjustments (CA18 rules for deployment and first turn).

We also scrapped the strategems Priority Order Received and Domination because bluntly, they suck. 

Deployment

I won the roll-off and chose Dawn of War deployment, giving Kraken the abandoned industrial complex to the North and the choice of going first. 

My strike team and characters went in the bus, the Land speeder hovered nearby, ready to provide support (and snipe that Helbrute!) and the Tacs took my left flank, starting behind a hill with the Lieutenant there to help out. 

I hid as much as I could out of line of sight of the Land Speeder and the missile launcher, tucking the Rhino (containing the close combat Plague Marine squad) and Helbrute behind a cottage, and the Bloat-drone behind the central rock formation so that the Intercessors couldn't see it.

Typhus went into deep-strike as he really isn't the quickest on his feet.

However, faced with my cowardly hiding Kraken decided to give me the first turn. I hadn't thought of that...

Death Guard Turn 1

Objectives drawn: Defend 2, Big Game Hunter, Supremacy

I could have drawn worse objectives, but that's not too bad a start. The Bloat-drone skips to the left to grab objective 5 to give me Supremacy and draw a bead on the Land Speeder at the same time. The Plague Marines abandon the cover of the ruins to advance and give the two Blight Launchers a similar view of the dangerous-but-vulnerable-to-medium-strength-weaponry machine. My one regret was not being able to keep the Daemon Prince close enough to reroll ones, but hopefully it would be enough to take out the most dangerous long-range shooter.

I decided to leave the troops on the right where they were, particularly as the Helbrute could see the Land Raider already.

In the shooting phase I kicked things off by playing Fire Frenzy on the Helbrute to shoot twice at the nearest visible target (the Land Raider, whose tracks were about an inch closer than the Intercessors on the tower). One shot snuck through the armour, causing five wounds. A good start, but Big Game Hunter was still a long way off.

I then unloaded ten Blight Launcher shots at the Land Speeder from the drone and the marines, but only managed to take a solitary wound off.

I discarded Defend Objective 2 at the end of the turn.

Objectives scored: Supremacy (2)

Mantis Warriors Turn 1

Objectives drawn: Run Them Down, Psychological Warfare, No Prisoners

Nothing too exciting in my hand either, there - Run Them Down is a new White Scars special, to kill a model using a unit that has advanced. Interesting and probably fairly simple! Psych Warfare can get bent, that's hopeless against the Death Guard. 

A balsa-wood fence and a plastic tree really isn't going to slow a Land Raider down

Time to try out the new Strategems - Wind Swift on the Land Raider, letting it move twice in a row. This gets it a good way across the board, but not too much. I don't want to get close and risk getting charged before turn three, when my guys will hit their hardest in assault. 

The Land Speeder hops to the other side of the tower to try and take out the Helbrute, but the moving throws off the shooting, and what does hit bounces off anyway. Rats! Nobody else can see (or isn't allowed to fire after strats), so that's me done. The Mantis is a patient hunter, you see.


Objectives scored: Not yet, it isn't time

Death Guard Turn 2

Objectives drawn: No Prisoners, Death March

For Death March I would have to get three infantry units entirely into the Marine half of the board. Although I could drop Typhus in there and get the troops in the Rhino across next turn, it would also need a couple of turns to get the poxwalkers in.

I knew that to be passably safe from charges from the marines hiding in the Land Raider, I would have to be more than 20" away from it (because of advancing and charging, and a librarian power). I therefore fell the Bloat-drone and Plague Marines back towards the ruins

On the right I moved the Helbrute forwards to the corner of the cottage, lining up shots back at the Land Speeder, dropped the Poxwalkers in behind it, and advanced the Rhino round the corner, ready to take on the two tactical squads.

The Daemon Prince put Miasma of Pestilence on the Rhino (I think) for -2 to hit when it then popped smoke.

To kick off the shooting the Helbrute shot back at the Land Speeder, only rolling 1 wound initially, but using a CP to reroll to a 5, destroying it. The Bloat-drone also returned fire at the Intercessors on the tower, killing two.

Objectives scored: No Prisoners (1)

Mantis Warriors Turn 2

Objectives drawn: Big Game Hunter

Rhinos are big game, so fair enough!

My steady and ominous approach continues. The Death Guard are almost literally falling over themselves to get away from the Land Raider, but my left flank is looking a bit more confrontational. So the Tac Marines move forward to try and get some lines of sight - a stray missile bounces off the Drone, who is at least surprised. 

I hadn't even spotted I was in LoS. Luckily its daemonic save protected it.

The Land Raider is now out of cover again, so it pops smoke and uses another strat, Ride Hard Ride Fast, for another -1. Hit me now, Helbrute!

But that is once again all. What limited fire I managed dings off armour (or maybe tumour), and it's all about the long game.

Objectives scored: Patience, grasshopper

Death Guard Turn 3

Objectives drawn: Defend 1, Overwhelming Firepower

The Daemon Prince was sitting on top of objective 1, so defending it looked good.

I started by moving the Rhino around to the far side of the cottage at the foot of the small hill. The Helbrute moved towards the ruins to draw a bead on the Land Raider, and the Plague Marines and Bloat-drone formed a screen in front of the Daemon Prince as I knew that there wasn't much I could do to prevent a charge next turn, especially as the Assault Doctrine would be live. To complete the phase, Typhus teleported into the ruins as well.

In the psychic phase Typhus boosted the Plague Marines strength and (more importantly) toughness by one, which would make the expected incoming strength 6 weaponry on the Land Raider wound on 4s. He was unfortunately 18.5" away from the Land Raider (careless positioning really) so couldn't smite it and settled with putting Blades of Putrefaction on the Marines squad as well. The Daemon Prince boosted the squad still further with Miasma of Pestilence.

The Helbrute's lascannons failed to put any damage onto the Land Raider, and the Bloat-drone killed another two of the remaining Intercessors, leaving the sergeant alive to deny me Overwhelming Firepower. The Plague Marines in the ruins shot forlornly at the approaching smoke-wreathed Land Raider, with predictable lack of consequences, and the Rhino took a potshot at the Tactical Squad on the hill, also to no avail. Overall not a great shooting phase.

I was ready to end the turn when Kraken suggested I charge the Rhino up the hill into the tactical squad, which I did. This helpfully tied up the squad and got me very close for a charge from the marines inside next turn.

Objectives scored: none

Mantis Warriors Turn 3 

Objectives drawn: Nothing new, but the moment to strike has arrived!

Right - Assault Doctrine activated! Which means the Mantis Warriors now do an extra point of damage with all their close combat weapons. The Tac marines pull back from the Rhino, using a strat (Feinting Withdrawal) so they can still shoot. 

The Land Raider is still a bit distant, however, and the Death Guard are screening their juicy characters, who I really can't take on in counter-charge very confidently. So I double down on the protective qualities of the Redeemer, put the charge off one more time, put pedal to metal and double move it again. 

Now, full disclaimer here - I screwed all these rules up, partly through never having used them yet and partly through also fighting off what turned out later to be a fever (thanks, Nurgle). You're welcome. If you go Wind Swift, you can't fire, charge or be psychic later on. Plus I hadn't understood that Mantis Warriors (White Scars) can advance and charge quite happily - what I should have done was just that, slamming the Redeemer into combat. 

Instead, I advanced right up to Typhus and played Hunter's Fusillade (heavy and rapid fire weapons become assault), thinking about hosing him with fire, much to Pootle's horror. Then I unloaded various (illegal!) shots in all directions, but actually decided at the last minute to pour it on the Helbrute, on the grounds that anything else would probably have to charge me to hurt me, and that's not really something you want to do to the flame tank. 

Alas! Three wounds from the assault cannon, then nothing from a duff flamer roll. At least the Rhino ate a nice hunter-killer missile, for some nice VPs. 

This left the Tac Marines a weakened transport to take advantage of. It took both squads, but they blew it up, and the Plague Marines came tumbling down the hill. Where I charged into them - a long bomb through the woods, but both Lieutenant and Tacs crashed home!

This looked good on paper, but as ever, my dice turned sour. Not a single wound caused from anything I threw at them, then the horrifying tolls of their plague flails murdered everything I had with effortless abandon. 

Uh-oh.

Objectives scored:Big Game Hunter (1), No Prisoners (1), Run Them Down (1)
Objectives scored (Death Guard): Defend Objective 1 (2)

Death Guard Turn 4

Objectives drawn: Grandfather's Gift

For this objective I had to kill a unit with a plague weapon.

In the North East the Plague Marines moved up the hill towards the last Tactical Squad. Things were looking good there, but the battle would hinge on killing the Land Raider. Accordingly I surrounded it with all my remaining troops.

I prepared Typhus to try to chop the Raider in half by putting Putrescent Vitality on himself along with Blades of Putrefaction.

First though the Helbrute fired twice again using the Fire Frenzy stratagem. With some slightly lucky rolls the Raider was gone. I waited nervously to see if it blew up (which could have ripped the guts out of a lot of my troops, disgustingly resilient or not! Fortunately it didn't. The Bloat-drone killed the last Intercessor (achieving Grandfather's Gift).

Up on the hill the Plague Marines charged into the Tactical Squad, making short work of them. Hateful assault is a lovely thing.

That, I fear, is very much a question of perspective.

Typhus failed to charge the veterans, but the Daemon Prince ordered everyone else to stay back and beckoned the Marines in for next turn.

Objectives scored: Grandfather's Gift (1)

Mantis Warriors Turn 4

Objectives drawn: Kingslayer, Area Denial, Defend Objective 4

See, that is how 40k rewards splendid sportsmanship from Pootle. Having held from what would have almost certainly been a game-concluding round of charges last turn, I draw Kingslayer now that there's a clear path to the Warlord.

Well, we came all this way for a good punch up, so we'd better deliver! I do briefly contemplate sending someone off to camp on Objective 4, but I'm not going to hold it against the Pox Walkers (troops, which I now have none of) or the Plague Marines. So instead I do some very lightweight shooting, soup up the Veterans with both the psychic powers, shout something stirring and pile in.

Oh, it's an ugly, ugly fight. 

Souped up on assault juice, even a power sword becomes a really mean weapon. -4 AP thanks to Assault Doctrine, then D2 with Devastating Charge? Yes please. 

Typhus nearly dies to the Librarian, but his disgusting resilience just keeps him alive. He needed to roll at least two of six disgusting resilience rolls, which would be statistically average...and actually did so! We know that Kraken's dice would never have managed that. The Helbrute is also left on a single wound after some nifty cutting from the veterans. But in neither case can I quite finish them off. 

And then the Daemon Prince. 

I think he receives a total of nine thunder hammer attacks, six from the Chogorian Storm Captain and three from the sergeant. This causes a grand total of one wound. 

One! A single hit actually wounds the great rotter, but his extra disgusting resilience shrugs 75% of the wounds it does off.  That's stats teasing you again that is: because I "merely" rolled average for Typhus's DR saves, that clearly meant I could revert to type and go above average for the big one.

Well, I think we all know where this is going now. As the assorted Death Guard monsters make giblets out of half my remaining chaps, I at least score the mini-version of Area Denial, if only because the Death Guard never really bothered to try and take that area in the first place. 

Objectives scored: Area Denial (1)

Death Guard Turn 5

Objectives drawn: I don't actually remember as this was now looking like a formality

It wasn't looking good for the last few marines. Typhus smote the last wound off the Captain, and then the Daemon Prince killed all three veterans in the same way. I should have charged into combat, but it was getting late and Kraken wasn't feeling great so I wrapped it up quickly.

When shall we three meet again?

Objectives scored: Slay the Warlord (1)

Result: 8:4 to the Death Guard plus a Tabling!

Locker Room

My plan to deal with the Land Speeder before it killed the Helbrute worked well, leaving it alive to (slightly fortuitously) destroy the Land Raider. The clincher was being able to play Fire Frenzy twice - if you had been able to put another unit closer than the Raider, that would have left it alive and able to shoot me up more.

Well, that was always going to be the gamble against those two units! I should have hidden it better to start with, it was actually pretty lucky not to have died in round one. 

In the end the Raider only had one round of proper shooting, which meant that it really wasn't worth the 282 points it cost. I suspect that a better bet (costing the same) would have been a Redemptor dreadnought and an assault cannon-armed Razorback, which could have transported the Captain and Veterans, leaving the Librarian on the field to actually use his psychic powers. We saw in our last game what a Redemptor can do to a Daemon Prince...

My misuse of the stratagems was pretty key to this screw-up - the Land Raider could have been moving and shooting pretty much the whole way towards you. Or I should have gone in a beeline on my first turn, closed the gap too fast for you to elude me! Still, that's often the way it goes the first time you use new rules, and it certainly worked out as an entertaining battle!

I'm still thinking the Drop Pod is a better delivery vehicle for the Vets and characters. No way it can be shot at all until it arrives, plus that could be turn one if you needed it! What I will also look at is long range early firepower. Maybe a Whirlwind? Or a Thunderfire Cannon? Something to keep the enemy from sitting back and feeling safe.

My son is keen to get some bikes for "his" marine army, which I think would be a useful addition to the Mantis Warriors - certainly worth trying out.

Yeah, bikes would also be a great early pressure unit, I may yield to those in time. It's just the models look so chunky and clunky! The newer Dark Angels ones are much better, but I'd have to file off all the iconography. Anyone know any good alternatives?

I owe you a close game again please!

I owe you the ability to provide one!