Invitational round 3

Sorry for the late posts guys, school just started for me so my free time is going out the window. More to the point though my round 3 was against Mark Ferek, and no offense to my other opponents but this was the hardest game of the invitational for me. Mark was playing a descent of angels list. He really knew what he was doing, but 1 key mistake lost him the game in my opinion. Mark placed second at NOVA last year, losing to Tony in the final round, he's a great guy and really fun to play.

My list,

HQ
Coteaz 100

Elites
5 Purifiers- 2 psy cannons, demon hammer 145
Rhino- dozer blades 45
5 Purifiers- 2 psy cannons, demon hammer 145
Rhino 40
5 Purifiers- 2 psy cannons, demon hammer 145
Rhino 40

Troops
5 Strikes- psy cannon, demon hammer 120
razorback- psy bolts, dozer blades 55
5 Strikes- psy cannon, demon hammer 120
razorback- psy bolts 50
5 Strikes- psy cannon, demon hammer 120
razorback- psy bolts 50
5 Strikes- psy cannon, demon hammer 120
razorback- psy bolts 50

Heavy
Dreadnaught- 2 Twin linked auto cannnon, psy bolts 135
Dreadnaught- 2 Twin linked auto cannnon, psy bolts 135
Dreadnaught- 2 Twin linked auto cannnon, psy bolts 135

1750

Mark's list,

HQ
Librarian- shield, fear, jump pack

Elites
2 Priests- jump packs, power weapons

Troops
10 Assualt Marines- 2 meltas, power fist
10 Assualt Marines- 2 meltas, power fist
10 Assualt Marines- 2 meltas, power fist
10 Assualt Marines- 2 meltas, power fist
5 Assualt Marines- 1 meltas, power fist

*I think there were some power weapons in there but I'm npt sure, it's been 2 weeks now*

Heavy
5 Devestaters- 4 missiles
5 Devestaters- 4 missiles
5 Devestaters- 4 missiles

The mission was table quarters, kill points, objectives, spearhead.

Mark won the roll for first and took it. As standrad NOVA affair we had a large piece of LOS blocking terrain in the middle of the board. This was particularily bad for me as Mark could hide behind it, going unscathed from my shooting, and then jump over it and assualt. He deployed with 48 Jump packers in a nice tight brick behinr the hill in the middle, and the devestaters percehed themselves up on some nice elevated area terrain.

I deployed in my standard castled formation, with the dread out of LOS of the devs as much as possible. I knew they would be the key to victory since Mark can't reliably kill them.

Mark moved up and hid ebhind the rock, then blew up a rhino with the devs, pretty much as expected.

I started footslogging some infantry at max raange to try to avoid an assualt marine bum rush in an attempt to plink away devestaters. I then shifted all the rest of my forces left to try and lure him away from my foot sloggers with the bulk of my army. 1 Strike squad got brave and charged an assualt squad. I killed 5 and won combat but they stayed.

He then started taking out more of my vehicles with his devestaters, my right flank is looking weak with roughly 13 marines footslogging and no vehicle support. 1 of his assualt squads got brave and jumped into the heart of my army, they melta'd a rhino and exploded it. Then they rolled a 6 for difficult terrain, and wiped my squad before I could swing. Finally, they rolled a 5 for consolidation and moved back to relative safety. My 5 man strike squad was dealt with by his countercharge.

Mark did a good job using consolidations to limit m reactions. He had a 10 man squad in front, and a 5 man squad in front lined about as a screen. Then he had 25 assualt marines, 2 priests and the librarian ready to roll right behind.

I knew it was now or never. For what it's worth, Fearspect, our judge pretty much ruled me out of the game at this point. I shot the 5 man squad to hell and back, killing 3 or so since they had fnp. I also got 2 strike squads out and ready to charge along with all 3 dreadnaughts. Since I opened up the 5 man I could now get some multi assualts in. 1 dread hit his 5 man squad (now 2 man), 1 dread hit his 10 man screening squad, and 1 dread made it to a 10 man squad in back. Then I charged 10 strikes in and made everything oen big combat.

The reason I did that was evwn though my strikes will eventually die, he will have to consolidate towards the dreads. He's pretty much stuck in combat now allowing me to just keep sending units in there until he dies.

Now Mark makes a huge tactical blunder. He sent his 5 man squad in (the one that was always 5 man) and tried to kill a dread with a S9 fist. that's a decent move. But then he also threw his 10 man squad with a priest and librarian in there to kill all my strikes. They should have jumped forward and killed the 12 marines in my backfield. He could have really gotten rid of a lot of my punch with that move. Not only finishing up 2 squads, but also making me choose where I want to go with my counter charge units.

Anyway, he now has 35ish assualt marines fighting 3 dreads, and a couple grey knights. I threw coteaz, a purifier squad, and a strike squad in there and sstart killing everything in droves with all the hammerhands and cleansing flames. Here's where I got lucky, he threw I beleive 10 WS5 power weapon attacks at my lone sergant and failed to kill him. Then in all his glory, he killed the librarian!

The game continued on with heavy bolters, and the 12 marines killing the last of his devestaters, and coteaz 3 dreads a strike squad and a purifier squad walking through his remaining assualt marines.

It was a great game, and deffinitely mine to lose. I did end up winning though, with 3 out of 5 OBJ's 4 quarters and 1750 victory points.