The Spawn Supremacy: Thousand Sons vs Blood Angels

It's another local match-up as the dusty take on the thirsty!

Thousand Sons vs Blood Angels!

My opponent is Rapid, who I previously fought with my Black Legion. This time, I'm hosting and the Thousand Sons are coming out to play.

Adeptus Astartes - Blood Angels

With Lemartes and the brand-new Mephiston, these Angels of Death are being led by the big boys. This will be using the Blood of Baal update, so the Blood Angels now have combat doctrines, and cool new units like Death Company Intercessors.

There's also a Land Raider as a backstop, which always causes problems for Thousand Sons, and plenty of of assault troops with limitless attacks to tear through my heretics. Close-combat promises to be a brutal affair.

• Chief Librarian Mephiston (HQ) (Warlord)
  Quickening, Wings of Sanguinus
  Warlord Trait: Speed of the Primarch
• Captain (HQ)
  Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer
  Hero of The Chapter: Artisan of War 
• Lemartes (HQ)
  Bolt pistol, The Blood Crozius
  Mantra of Strength, Canticle of Hate, Invocation of Destruction
• Chaplain (HQ)
  Jump Pack, Bolt pistol,
  Litany of Faith, Canticle of Hate, Invocation of Destruction
• 5 x Scout Squad (Troop)
  Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, 4 x Boltguns
• 5 x Scout Squad (Troop)
  Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, 4 x Boltguns
• 5 x Scout Squad (Troop)
  Sergeant: Bolt pistol, Chainsword, 4 x Combat knife
• 10 x Death Company (Elite)
  Bolt pistol, Chainsword, Jump pack
• 5 x Death Company Intercessor Squad (Elite)
  Stalker bolt rifle
• 5 x Death Company Intercessor Squad (Elite)
  Stalker bolt rifle
• 8 x Vanguard Veteran Squad (Elite)
  Jump Pack; Sergeant: Inferno pistol, Power sword; 4 x Chainsword & Storm shield; 2 x Storm shield & Thunder hammer, Hand flamer & Thunder hammer; 
• Vanguard Veteran Squad (Elite)
  5 x Jump Pack; Sergeant: Inferno pistol, Power sword; 4 x Chainsword & Storm shield; Inferno pistol & Thunder hammer; 2 x Storm shield & Thunder hammer
• Land Raider (Heavy)
  Hunter-killer missile, Twin heavy bolter, 2 x Twin lascannon

Points: 1500 | Battle-forged + Battalion + Vanguard - Hero of the Chapter: 8 CPs

Thousand Sons - The Court of Miracles

I'm trying something different for my Thousand Sons - no Tzaangor! I get a lot of mileage from my Tzaangor, Shamans and Enlightened, so this will be an adjustment. To compensate for the lack of melee potential, I decided to bring Spawn. A lot of Spawn.

Mutalith Vortex Beasts to compliment the Spawn, and a Heldrake, who had a decent run-out last time (I'm also expecting a number of flying foes, so he'll have something to sink his claws into).

Rubrics are the core of the list, with one full-strength squad and a couple of smaller ones (one with all-warpflamers, which should do some work if they live long enough to get close). Also Scarab Occult Terminators, who are generally good value.

Only two characters (and no Daemon Prince), but I'm using the High Magister warlord trait and Terminator Sorcerer's Familiar to increase my chances of spellcasting. I have a sneaky plan to bombard the Terminator Sorcerer with Boon of Mutation and see if I can catapult him into daemonhood.

• Arac Rapathwin - Exalted Sorcerer on Disc of Tzeentch (HQ) (Warlord)
  Force Stave, Plasma pistol, Frag & Krak Grenades,
  Prescience, Warptime
  Warlord Trait: High Magister
  Relic: Dark Matter Crystal
• Hemuset the Osirion - Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (HQ)
  Familiar, Force Stave, Inferno Combi-Bolter, Frag & Krak Grenades
  Boon of Mutation, Diabolic Strength
• 10 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
  Force Stave, Inferno bolt pistol, 8 x Inferno Boltgun, 1 x Warpflamers, 1 x Soulreaper Cannon
  Weaver of Fates
• 5 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
  Force Stave, Inferno bolt pistol, 4 x Inferno Boltgun
  Temporal Manipulation
• 5 x Rubric Marines (Troop)
  Force Stave, Warpflame pistol, 4 x Warpflamer
  Glamour of Tzeentch
• 5 x Scarab Occult Terminators (Elite)
  Force Stave, 5 x Inferno Combi-Bolter, 4 x Power Sword, 1 x Hellfyre Missile Rack
  Tzeentch's Firestorm
• 5 x Chaos Spawn (Fast)
  Hideous mutations
• 4 x Chaos Spawn (Fast)
  Hideous mutations
• 4 x Chaos Spawn (Fast)
  Hideous mutations
• Mutalith Vortex Beast (Heavy)
  Enormous Claws, Betentacled Maw
• Mutalith Vortex Beast (Heavy)
  Enormous Claws, Betentacled Maw
• Heldrake (Flyer)
  Baleflamer, Heldrake claws

Points: 1,500 | Battle-forged + Battalion: 8 CPs

Deployment

We're playing a new (or at least, a slightly-revised classic) from Chapter Approved 2019: Scorched Earth. This has six objectives: two in each of the respective deployment zones and the last two in no-man's land.

At the start of your turn, you gain 1 VP for each objective under your control. If you control one of the objectives in your opponent's zone, however, you have the option to burn it for 3VPs (but it's then removed).

We'd borrowed the Wall of Martyrs terrain, so with that bisecting the dry river bed, setting up in opposite quarters seemed the obvious choice.

The central objectives are placed on the strongpoints of the defensive line (left and centre), while my own objectives were on top of the cantina, and behind the other domed building. Rapid went for the 'eggs-in-on-basket' approach and placed his objectives at either end of the occulum ruins (in fairness, when you have a Land Raider parked there - it's a pretty strong basket!)

Along with the Land Raider went the Jump-Captain, one squad of Death Company Intercessors and one squad of Scouts. In the temple ruins just ahead of that were the second unit of scouts. In the sandbagged area went Mephiston himself, with the second squad of Death Company Intercessors and the last squad of Scouts. Everything else went into deepstrike (ulp!)

The Thousand Sons put the Scarab Occult Terminators on top of the cantina, to babysit one objective, and the warpflamer Rubrics hidden behind the other building to guard the second (with so few cheap troops, screening against deepstrike isn't really an option, so I'm going to have to rely on strong Overwatch).

The large unit of Rubrics occupied the shanty town at the back, and the other small squad went into Webway Infiltration. Everything else - Spawn, Vortex Beasts, Heldrake and Sorcerers - just crammed around the front line for an immediate push forward.

Thousand Sons - Turn 1

With little long-range firepower (and even my Smites are struggling to reach), I just run at the Blood Angels. One unit of Spawn veers off to the central-left objective, and another dashes to the middle one (we don't start scoring until Turn 2, so I need to be set up). The biggest unit of Spawn head towards Mephiston's bunker, backed up by the two Mutalith Vortex Beasts, while the Heldrake roars overhead.

My two objective-sitters stay put, and the Sorcerers keep themselves in the middle of things. I finish by using the Dark Matter Crystal to jump the largest Rubrics onto the top of the central tower. That should give them quite the firebase to harass the Blood Angels lines with relative impunity.

The Terminator Sorcerer kicks off the magic phase by casting Boon of Mutation upon himself, resulting in all attacks being -1 to hit (that's handy). I also manage to Warptime the Spawn even further forward, within touching distance of the Scouts (but unable to charge, since they advanced). After that, my psychic phase falls apart somewhat, and I struggle to even get off a few Smites on the sandbag Scouts.

My Mutalith Vortex Beasts pick up the slack in the Shooting Phase, taking off a few more Scouts with a Beam of Unreality. The only other units that can shoot are the Heldrake and the Rubrics in the tower. I split fire with the Rubrics, hoping to take out both the Scouts in the ruins and finish off the final one in the sandbags. I kill a couple in the ruins, but the last Scout in the sandbags makes all his armour saves, forcing me to douse him with Heldrake flames to guarantee me a First Strike VP.

"The Giant Fly Swatter Doctrine in effect."

The only charge is with the Heldrake into the Death Company Intercessors. I was mostly expecting to tie up their shooting (in the Devastator Doctrine, it's no joke), but thought I ought to kill a couple. Imagine my surprise, however, when I fail to even scratch the Intercessors, and they smash off five wounds from my deamon engine with nothing but rifle butts and death visions.

That's it for my turn - I've got my first point, and planted a good foothold across the field.

Victory Points Scored: First Strike (1)

Blood Angels - Turn 1

Very little movement for Sanguinius' lads - they're either where they want to be, or racing into deepstrike. The castle around the Land Raider holds firm and takes aim, while the Death Company Intercessors take a step back from the Heldrake. More ominously, Mephiston skirts around the big beast and eyes up an empty space in the tower with the Rubrics.

In the Psychic phase, Mephiston boosts himself with both Quickening and Wings of Sanguinus, flying up to the top of the tower, within easy charge of the big Rubric squad.

That same squad is softened up first with some small-arms fire from the Scouts down below which, despite having a 2+ save, I lose two Rubrics. Heavier gunfire from the Land Raider goes into the Mutalith, causing four wounds; and the second Death Company Intercessors first into the largest unit of Spawn, felling one of them.

Mephiston makes the only charge, losing a wound to overwatch and rolling 2" for his charge (luckily the Quickening adds 3" to this distance, to spare his blushes). He predictably purees the Rubric squad, although my invulnerable saves keep both the Soulreaper Cannon and the Aspiring Sorcerer in the fight.

During the moral phase, I spend 2CP to keep those two Rubrics from fleeing, which denies Rapid a VP for First Strike, and keeps one of my psykers on the board.

Victory Points Scored: none

Thousand Sons - Turn 2

I have one turn before the hammer falls, so I'd better make this count. I start by claiming 3 VP for objectives (two in my deployment zone, one in the centre) and Mephiston has now presented a very tempting target for my army. It was a calculated risk by Rapid, but I need to ensure he dies this turn.

The Heldrake regenerates a wound, which fortunately takes him back to his top bracket, with enough speed to fly directly behind the Land Raider. Two units of Spawn jump on the central objectives, the Rubricae stay put (except for the two fighting Mephiston, who immediately back away), and I keep the other squad in deepstrike.

"Quick - who brought the Holy Water?"

Dealing with Mephiston via Smites should have been straightforward, but with the Chief Librarian able to deny two powers, and my second rubbish psychic phase in a row, he's left standing. The one bright note is my Terminator Sorcerer puts Boon of Mutation upon himself, once again, this time getting +1 to his psychic tests (that's very handy - why have I not done this before?)

I start the Shooting phase by putting everything the Scarab Occult Terminators have into Mephiston, even using Veterans of the Long War to make absolutely, positively sure he's dead. And sure enough, the garlic-encrusted bolter shells bring down Mephiston, securing me Slay the Warlord too!

Very little shooting elsewhere, although my Heldrake redeems himself somewhat by flaming three Death Company Intercessors from the second squad (he clearly prefers attacking them from a distance).

Straight to the Assault Phase, my closest unit of Spawn leap enthusiastically into the Death Company Intercessors, while the Heldrake braves the Land Raider's overwatch to tie up its guns.

I start with the Spawn, playing the Fated Mutation stratagem that allows me to pick their ability and re-roll their random attack die. I choose +2 attacks, since you never know what the random attacks with be. And sure enough, I roll a 1 for their attacks - which I can re-roll, and get a 6!

With Shock Assault (for they get it too), each Spawn is now kicking out nine attacks (propitious number), at -2AP, 2D. Not even the Death Company are going to survive that, and the squad is torn to shreds.

"Om-nom-nom..."

As some revenge, the Heldrake whiffs its attacks yet again, and the Land Raider somehow manages to hit reverse gear and knock a wound off it.

I've built a 5VP lead by now, and neutralised most of the Blood Angels' army - but a hard rain is coming.

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (3) + Slay the Warlord (1)

Blood Angels - Turn 2

With the two backline objectives in hand, the Blood Angels finally get off the mark with victory points. Intending to keep them secure, the Land Raider stays in combat with the Heldrake (it's a bit too hemmed in to move) while the Jump-Captain leaps back to deal with it.

The remaining two Death Company Intercessors move ahead of the Land Raider with the Scouts to create a double-screen in front of the machine, while the final unit of Scouts move from the temple to reinforce the ruins.

And then the deepstrikes: Rapid decided to prioritise taking the central objectives rather than threatening my backline. The Jump-Chaplain and Veteran squad landed before the Spawn on the top-left objective, while Lemartes himself led the Death Company in on the Spawn on the central objective.

Shooting was fairly sporadic small-arms (as the Land Raider was still tied up), which took out another lead Spawn, and then it was onto charges: the Jump-Captain made it into the Heldrake (another reason for not moving the Heldrake was he couldn't use his baleflamer to overwatch).

Then, with a combination of the Descent of Angels stratagem, the Blood Angels new boost to movement, and some general good rolling, all the jump troops made their charges (including Lemartes - the other Chaplain was the only one to fail).

The tricky was picking who to go first: Rapid decided that he needed to kill the Heldrake before it had a chance to sink its claws into the Jump-Captain (assuming it didn't whiff for the third turn in a row, it did have enough damage output to kill him). So the thunder hammer did its work and the deamon engine fell from the sky.

Stop the pigeon!

But that meant I could interrupt combat elsewhere! So, spending my last 3 CPs on Counter-Offensive and Fated Mutation, I got the four Spawn to fight first against the Death Company. I picked the extra two attacks, and once again rolled 6 attacks! My attacks weren't quite so effective (they still hit on 4+, which it why I'd been trying and failing to get Prescience on them), but they still managed to kill seven Death Company marines.

What remained of the Death Company, and Lemartes fought back, killing three Spawn and leaving the last one on a single wound. That was enough to outnumber me on the objective, but that final Spawn could come back to haunt them.

Meanwhile the Veterans killed three of the Spawn from the other pack, but failed to kill the Mutalith, who had an unusually good round of combat and gobbled up a couple of marines, despite their storm shields.

In the Morale phase, the losses taken already, and the -1Ld effect from the last surviving Spawn, was enough to cause two more of the Death Company to flee (or at least decide to seek death elsewhere).

I'd been pushed off both objectives, but my lines had not yet broken.

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (2)

Thousand Sons - Turn 3

As a response, I needed to push back, but also keep up the forward pressure. Luckily, Tzeentch quite enjoys these tangles. I continued to send the lead pack of Spawn forward, and deepstrike the last squad of Rubrics close to the ruined temple for fire-support.

I decide to abandon one of my backline objectives (since there are no more Blood Angel deepstrikes to threaten it) and advance the warpflamer Rubrics towards the Veteran squad. My Terminator Sorcerer moves to charge Lemartes, and the single Spawns that were in combat break away to safety (only the one on the central objective remained close enough to contest it).

The Mutalith also breaks from combat, but that's so he can join his fellow in positioning exactly 9" between all the deepstriking loyalists (I've got something planned here).

In contrast to the previous two Psychic phases, everything goes off without a hitch (maybe I just needed to rid myself of Mephiston). The warflamer Rubrics are Warptimed into range of the Veterans, the Scarab Occult are given Prescience, and Lemartes suffers a number of mortal wounds The Terminator Sorcerer boosts himself with +1D on his melee weapon, and Diabolic Strength, so he's geared up for the fight.

Before that can happen, some shooting: the two Mutaliths both cast Warp Flare, which gives a mortal wound to any unit within 9" - that removes the last Death Company, takes out a few more Veterans and brings Lemartes down to his last wound.

The warpflamers of the Rubrics mop up the last of the Veterans, the newly-arrived Rubrics shoot one of the screening Scouts, and the Scarab Occult - who already have Mephiston under their belt - opt to deny the Terminator Sorcerer his moment of glory and gun down Lemartes.

The front unit of Spawn smash into both Scouts and Death Company Intercessors. No stratagems left, but I manage to kill the Scouts and take last Intercessor down to one wound - sadly that means I can't consolidate into the Land Raider behind (although I am now claiming the first of the Blood Angels' home objectives - Death Company Intercessors count as Elite, not Troops)

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (2)

Blood Angels - Turn 3

With only a single point scored from his back objective, the Blood Angels need something dramatic. With the stratagem Upon Wings of Fire, the Jump-Captain leaps all the way over the battlefield to threaten the objective guarded by the Scarab Occult Terminators.

The Jump-Chaplain moves just out of warpflame range to try his own charge against the Rubrics, and the last unit of Scouts move to push the Spawn off the objective (before they can burn it!)

The Land Raider is free to shoot again, and puts all its lascannons into the two surviving Rubrics in the tower, obliterating them.

In Assault, the Chaplain fails his charge, bu the Scouts make it in and so does the Jump-Captain! The Spawn only lose one of their number, and still manage to chew through the unit of Scouts (and still keep hold of the objective).

But the Jump-Captain really shines - taking out the entire squad of Scarab Occult Terminators in a single round. That was absolutely brutal, and he's now sitting on one of my objectives!

 Victory Points Scored: Objectives (1)

Thousand Sons - Turn 4

I claim only one points for the central objective, and move one of my Spawn back onto the top-left objective to claim it next time (but I'm still not on any of my backline ones)

Most of my psychic effort is spent Smiting the Jump-Captain down to his last wound, or getting rid of the final Death Company Intercessor (the way is now clear to the Land Raider), or boosting up the Terminator Sorcerer, who wants to kill something in melee.

In Shooting, I burn up the Jump-Chaplain with warpflamers, and then charge the Land Raider with the last two Spawn, stopping its guns one more time.

Then it's off to the main event - the Terminator Sorcerer charges in to take on the Jump-Captain. Despite all the buffs he spent the entire battle acquiring, the Sorcerer fails to inflict that last, crucial wound and gets a thunder hammer to the face for his efforts.

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (1)

Blood Angels - Turn 4

The Land Raider backs all the way up to the corner of the field, surrendering the last objective after scoring the point for it. 

More aggressively, the Jump-Captain burns the Thousand Sons' objective and flies directly at the Exalted Sorcerer, wiping out my warlord with the same ease.

The Blood Angels are now one victory point in the lead. They've lost most of their army, but if I don't deal with the Jump-Captain (and I'm now worryingly low on psychic muscle), he could easily burn my other objectives and take the win!

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (1) + Objectives burned (3) + Slay the Warlord (1)

Thousand Sons - Turn 5

I counter by burning one of the Blood Angels' objective, and I do claim two more this turn. The Spawn (and Rubrics, for good measure) charge into the Land Raider. There's nowhere for it to go, so they'll continue to push and - more importantly - the Rubrics automatically secure that last objective.

For dealing with the Jump-Captain, all I have left are the two Mutalith Vortex Beasts, who aim their Beam of Unreality at him. The first one misses, the second does just enough wounds to bring him down!

Victory Points Scored: Objectives (2) + Objectives burned (3) 

Blood Angels - Turn 5

There's nothing else for the Land Raider to do, but rev its engines futility. We call the game there, which also gives my Spawn linebreaker.

Victory Points Scored (Thousand Sons): Linebreaker (1)

Result: 13 : 8 - Victory to the Thousand Sons

Locker Room

Great fight - and a really interesting mission to play. The ability to burn enemy objectives can really turn the game around. I did make the decision to push forward at the start, and risk leaving my backfield exposed (although I expected Terminators to hold on for a bit longer!), just as Rapid centralised his objectives, risking losing them both if he got overrun.

The Blood Angels are more formidable than I remember, although the flipside of that is Rapid was having to deal with what was essentially a 'new' codex (the change in rules about litanies, for example, meant that Lemartes and the chaplain couldn't use their abilities on the turn they jumped in).

We spoke about where it had gone wrong for the Blood Angels - I think keeping too much in deepstrike was the issue. I had little to no long-range firepower, so starting them on the board and sweeping them forward may have been the better bet. Or else making an immediate play for my backline objectives. Certainly that Jump-Captain is too good to be sat at the back granting rerolls!

For myself - the Spawn outperformed themselves! I'm a big fan of the models anyway, and I know they can be incredibly swingy, but when they shine, they really shine. It's a similar story for the Mutaliths too - they either soak heavy fire or survive until the late game and get to be quite powerful. Didn't miss the Tzaangor this time, so it's good to know I have army list options.