Khador - Butcher 3 (35 Points)
Warcaster: Butcher 3 (-4)Warcaster Unit: War Argus
Warcaster Unit: War Argus
Warcaster Attachment: War Dog (+1)
Warjack: Ruin (+10)
Warjack: Juggernaut (+7)
Unit: Kayazy Assassins (+8)
Unit: Kayazy Underboss (+2)
Unit: Widowmakers (+4)
Solo: Widowmaker Marksman (+2)
Solo: Saxon Orrik (+2)
Solo: Ogrun Bokur - Client Butcher 3 (+3)
Butcher 3 is hands down the deadliest model in the entire game. He's a MAT 9 Weapon Master with a POW 16 Magical Weapon with Reach that can Flashing Blade and hit everything within 2" of his front arc. Not only that, he's got Impending Doom which pulls everything within 5" all the way towards him, Vengeance with his War Arguses which allows him 3" of movement and a free melee attack, and Energizer to get him that extra 3" advance. If you do the math his threat range is:
+5" for Speed
+3" for Charge
+2" for Reach
+3" for Vengeance (if your opponent happens to kill your War Argus)
+3" if you can trigger Madelyn Corbeau's Intrigue.
+5" Impending Doom
+ Pathfinder when he charges
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Total: 21" Threat Range
He can easily suck everyone in with Impending Doom and wipe out 3 of your opponent's best heavies. Not to mention his feat which allows him to utilize 12 focus that turn.
The goal of this list is to find a way to deliver Butcher safe and sound within a reliable distance so he can start his murderous rampage. The trick is to get him into a place where he's close enough to the enemy Warcaster or anchor pieces and set him up so he doesn't have to feat defensively.
To do this you can use his War Arguses to screen him while Juggernaut and Ruin either clear him a murderous path or take the brunt of the first wave onslaught. The Ogrun Bokur is perfect to save you from one large ranged shot the opponent might get on Butcher. Once you're close, the +2 Defense from the War Dog will most likely force your opponent to boost to hit him in melee, if they ever get the chance.
The Kayazy Assassins and Saxon Orrik are used as the jamming unit because they can get up field quickly, ignore terrain, and stay relatively protected with their high defense and stealth. Once they're close enough you can pop their mini feat which allows them to move through other models and take no free strikes and use them to either scalpel out troublesome solos with their Gang MAT 9 POW 12s or just cause general disruption.
The Widowmakers and Widowmaker Marksman usually can soften up most single wound infantry units and snipe out The Covenant of Menoth and Orin Midwinter, both which shut down Butcher 3 with their anti spell tactics.
Ruin can charge for free with Pathfinder, wipe out entire units with his Soul Taker ability, and can kill heavies with his POW 18 Magical weapon with Reach. He also has Dispel on his main which can remove Defenders Ward, Iron Flesh, and Arcane Shield.
Juggernaut is just a cost effective beat stick that can absorb damage.
It's a fun list to play and gives you plenty of options.
To counter this list I wanted to see how pKreoss' anti-magic tactics + Pop & Drop would stand up against Butcher 3.
Menoth - pKroess (35 Points)
Warcaster: High Exemplar Kreoss (-5)Warjack: Reckoner (+8)
Warjack: Redeemer (+6)
Unit: Exemplar Errants (+8)
Unit: Exemplar Errant Officer & Standard (+2)
Solo: Exemplar Errant Seneschal (+2)
Solo: The Covenant of Menoth (+2)
Solo: High Paladin Dartan Vilmon (+3)
Solo: Vassal of Menoth (+2)
Solo: Vassal of Menoth (+2)
Solo: Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (+3)
This list focuses heavily on the Pop & Drop feat of pKreoss where he knocks down everyone in his control area and brings down the wrath of Menoth on his targets. To do this you need to have sufficient firepower and range to make the best use of his feat.
With the Choir's battle buff the Reckoner can launch a boosted POW 15 shot and one umboosted ancillary POW 15 shot. The Redeemer can shoot 2 Boosted POW 14 shots and one unboosted ancillary shot. If you're close enough with Kreoss you can also shoot an unboosted Cleansing Fire for a POW 14. Don't forget about the Errants and Errant Seneschal. That's 12 unbosted POW 10s. To top it off you've got Eiryss who will do 1 Snipe damage and remove all upkeeps and focus on your target.
So if you do the math:
POW 15 Boosted
POW 15 Unboosted
POW 14 Boosted
POW 14 Boosted
POW 14 Unboosted
POW 14 Unboosted
POW 10 Unboosted (12 times)
Snipe 1 Damage
All this on a knocked down target that's most likely going to be stripped of buffs and focus.
The trick is protecting pKreoss till he can get within 14" of the enemy Warcaster while also making sure nothing AOE's Eiryss. The Covenant of Menoth and Lamentation will help control any fancy tricks your opponent might have in his spell book.
Game Result
- Menoth Turn 1 - Menoth goes first and runs up to position well for pKreoss' feat. The Exemplar Errant's Hunter ability helps the Errants move and see through the dense forest on their side of the map. pKreoss casts Lamentation and gives Defender's Ward to the Reckoner.
- Khador Turn 1 - Khador moves up and uses Juggernaut and Ruin to shield Butcher. Butcher uses a patch of forest to block LOS so he can safely use Energizer and move his battlegroup up 3".Kayazy Assassins run up the Flank while the Widowmakers are able to take out 3 Errants but are just outside of 5" to do anything to Eiryss.
- Menoth Turn 2 - Lamentation and Defenders Ward are upkept. The forest blocks the Pop & Drop so the Reckoner and Redeemer move up and take out 6 Kayazy with their AOEs which pass their command check. The Errants are able to kill all 4 of the Widowmakers leaving only the Widowmaker Marksman. The Covenant of Menoth casts Lawgivers Creed and blocks spell casting within 10" of it.
- Khador Turn 2 - Khador moves up in position and sets up their next turn to charge into Menoth's Warjacks. In a crucial turn, the Widowmaker Marksman is able to move in and roll a hard 8 killing Eiryss. Butcher senses that the Pop & Drop is coming and camps 5. The remaining Kayazy charge and kill Vilmon and jam up the Redeemer.
- Menoth Turn 3 - Here it is. The Pop & Drop. pKreoss activates and pops his feat knocking everyone except the Widowmaker Marksman and 2 Kayazy down. The Choir sings Battle and the shots begin to rain down on an ARM 23 Butcher 3 with 20 boxes. With average rolls, the entire army is only able to do 15 damage to the Butcher leaving him on 5 boxes.
- Khador Turn 3 - Butcher has survived but is still hampered by The Covenant of Menoth + Lamentation so he decides to allocate 3 to each Warjack and feat defensively. The remaining Kayazy finish off the Covenant of Menoth and move in to get back strikes to the Menoth army on the next turn. Ruin takes out both of the Reckoner's arms and has the Redeemer in melee. The Juggernaut reduces the Errants to 2 models, and the Ogrun Bokur kills the Errant Seneshal that was working to flank Butcher.
- Menoth Turn 4 - With the army suffering severe casualties, Kreoss decides to make a last ditch effort to kill Ruin with 7 focus. Unfortunately he barely scratches him with his POW 14 Reach weapon and is left out in the open like a sitting duck.
- Khador Turn 4 - Butcher smells blood and charges into pKreoss and destroys him with 2 shots.
Khador wins by Assassination Turn 4
Butcher 3 Murdering pKreoss who failed a pop and drop against him
Analysis
It was a huge mistake for Menoth to put Eiryss out so far. She got greedy and wanted to kill the Widowmaker Marksman and it backfired and cost her army the game. If she had stayed back behind the Errants she would have been able to snipe Butcher removing his focus and allow the Menoth Warjacks to assassinate him. Other than terrain, there would be nothing to stop the Pop & Drop assassination.
I definitely have to try this match up again because I think if Eiryss can stay safe till the Pop & Drop, there's nothing Butcher can do to stop it other than keep the Ogrun Bokur 14" away from pKreoss but 2" away from Butcher.
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