King in the North 3: Tyranids vs Necrons

 

Pootle here with a write-up of my third game at King in the North against more Necrons.

Full details of the list I took up to Element is on my earlier post (along with the write up of my first game), but here's a summary:

Invasion Fleet Detachment

• Hive Tyrant: Heavy Venom Cannon, Monstrous Bonesword & Lash Whip. Warlord with Adaptive Biology enhancement
• Old One Eye 
• Broodlord: Alien Cunning enhancement
• 10 Termagants: Devourers
• 10 Termagants: Spine Fists
• 10 Genestealers
• 3 Tyranid Warriors with Ranged Bioweapons: Venom Cannon, 2x Deathspitters
• Carnifex: Bio-plasma, Spine Banks, Carnifex Scything Talons, Carnifex Extra Scything Talons
• Tyrannofex: Acid Spray

1,250 points

My third and last game was against 40kchookity and his Necrons:

• Overlord (with Phasal Subjugator) leading 20 Necron Warriors
• Royal Warden (with Veil of Darkness) leading 5 Immortals
• Skorpekh Lord leading 6 Skorpekh Destroyers
• Technomancer
• Triarch Stalker
• 6 Canoptek Scarab swarms
• Canoptek Spyder
• Canoptek Doomstalker

Mission and Deployment

This mission was very straightforward (recognising that it was the third game of the day): VPs will be awarded at the end of the game for each 100 points (or part thereof) of units killed and each 100 points of units that survived.

My deployment was accordingly very simple: the Stealer blob were front and centre to race forwards and engage with what they could and everyone else tried to fit in as close as possible to focus my malice as effectively as possible into one scalpel to cut through the metal lines.

The Necrons hid the Skorpekh Destroyers inside the ruined building as a counter-punch whilst the Warriors shielded the Spyder and Doomstalker and were in turn shielded by the Scarabs.

I win the roll-off for first turn and can't wait to apply my tin openers to those immortal bodies.

Turn 1: Tyranids

The Stealers make their pre-game Scout move and then hurl themselves straight for the Necrons. Everyone within 6" of the Hive Tyrant can advance and shoot so I look to gain as much ground as I can and then pour fire into the Scarabs to try to remove the roadblock.

In my test game against Kraken a few weeks ago, I'd conspicously failed to cut through the Scarab screen he'd deployed, but my luck has changed since then. The Tyranid Warriors and Termagants chip away a few bases, but when I roll maximum shots for the T-Fex's Acid Spray the swarm dissolves into so much sparkly goo. 

This does lengthen the Genestealers' charge considerably but I also manage to pull out a successful long-bomb result there and go on to kill the Necron Warrior unit to the last model (though don't have enough left over to scratch the accompanying Overlord). Given my experiences of Necrons (leaving one alive in a big blob twice against Kraken) I'm extremely glad that this means that the Overlord won't get to use his reanimation orb now.

Turn 1: Necrons

Chookity takes a deep breath. He knows he's properly on the back foot already. We have a bit of a chat about what his best move is. Clearly he's got to take care of the Stealers in his lines, but he's confident that the Skorpekh Destroyers can do that. However he would like to soften them up with the Triarch Stalker and to do that the Canoptek Doomstalker has to fall back, meaning I have successfully silenced that big gun by consolidating the Stealers into it last turn.

The Immortals kill one of the Tyranid Warriors befoie the Triarch Stalker does drop a few Stealers, and then, not unexpectedly, the Destroyers live up to their name and tear the Broodlord and its bodyguard apart.

Turn 2: Tyranids

This does mean that my second wave is mostly untouched. The two units of Gants scamper forwards to try to get their guns in range of something dangerous. I have the high-quality problem of finding that Chookity already appears to be running short of bodies so apart from causing a few wounds to the Triarch Stalker (not marked on the map) they don't achieve much.

The Carnifexes surge forwards and to aid them in melee later in the turn, everyone who can pours fire into the Skorpekh Destroyers.

The Carnifexes charge in and finish off the Destroyers, although their Lord is left unharmed.

Although he's not a huge threat now he's not leading a unit, I can't resist charging my Hive Tyrant into the Overlord, if only to get a nice warlord-on-warlord picture for this batrep. I expect to carve the enemy in two with ease, but he's even more resistant that I'd expected and survives on a single wound.

Turn 2: Necrons

The Royal Warden activates his Veil of Darkness and relocates himself and the Immortals beyhind the Tyranid Warriors. When they open fire they manage to kill another warrior but, frustratingly, there's still one left. With a Venom Cannon.

The Overlord decides he's unlikely to survive another round of combat with the Hive Tyrant so falls back and ushers the Canoptek Spyder in to take his place. Can it whittle enough wounds off the Tyrant to make a difference? No, and this time the Tyrant doesn't make any mistakes and tears the construct apart.

Meanwhile the Doomstalker opens up on the T-Fex, but only a couple of shots get through, dropping it to 10 wounds left.

Heroically the Skorpekh Lord and even the Technomancer charge into the Carnifexes and do manage to kill Old One Eye's companion (which does remove his reroll hits ability at least). Old One Eye fluffs his return strokes and both assailants survive...for now.

Turn 3: Tyranids

I'm feeling well on top now, but best to make sure. The Spinefist-armed Gants turn to help the surviving Tyranid Warrior deal with the Immortals. 

Old One Eye stomps all over the Technomancer and Skorpekh Lord.

I think that the T-Fex sprayed acid onto the Triarch Stalker, dropping further wounds off (I can't remember how much), and the Hive Tyrant charged the annoying Overlord once more. This time the enemy warlord falls! 

...but then stands up again using the strat Protocols of the Eternal Revenent to stand back up again at the end of the phase on a brace of wounds. Not likely to be game-effecting, but funny and very cinematic.

Turn 3: Necrons

The Doomstalker opens up on the T-Fex again, this time managing to take the weapon beast down to a solitary wound. The Triarch Stalker isn't available to help with the last wound as it has shot Old One Eye, causing three wounds there.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that around this time the Tyranid Warrior managed to deal with the Royal Warden in melee.

Turn 4: Tyranids

Some of the crowd are on the pitch, but there is one last moment of drama. The Hive Tyrant charges the Triarch Stalker and kills it, only for it to explode. The explosion causes the T-Fex to lose its last wound and I cheer when I roll a six to mean it goes on to cause D6 mortal wounds on each of the Hive Tyrant and the Gants. Much carnage and amusement (everyone loves a chain reaction explosion).

The game comes to an end when Old One Eye smooshes the Overlord in melee.

Result: 24-9 victory to the Tyranids

Locker Room

The unfortunate result of the successful alpha strike by the Genestealers that fully removed the Necron Warrior unit was that it meant that Chookity had a real uphill struggle to get back into the game. If the mission had had objectives to hold or some other victory conditions there might have been an easier (if not straightforward) way back into the game, but this particular kill-mission really played into my hands.

I did particularly enjoy the chain reaction explosion at the end of the game and the way the Overlord kept cinematically reassembling itself and avoiding the clutches of my Tyrant. Thank you Chookity for being a great sport - I find that tenth does often end up with these one-sided games and they simply aren't as fun a close games, but the most important factor is your opponent and (I hope) we both still enjoyed the game.