Battlereport W'adrhŭn vs brave humans with Ponys

Marcus had the desire to prepare once again for the 2000-point tournament in Hamburg. At the same time, I diligently worked on the W'adrhŭn Guide, which motivated me to play W'adrhŭn. I have compiled a list that I have already explained in a similar way in the blog:

The W'adrhŭn  [2000/2000]

== (Warlord) Chieftain [135]: Death, Mantle of the Devoted, Rapid Displacement, Tontorr Rider
 * Blooded (3) [135]:
 * Tontorr (1) [310]:
 * Blooded (3) [135]:

== Scion of Conquest [120]: Famine, Sacred Censer, Wasteland Adder
 * Chosen of Conquest (3) [230]:
 * Chosen of Conquest (3) [230]:

== Predator [105]: Famine, Ceaseless Hunt, Marksmanship
 * Slingers (3) [175]: Flint Knapper
 * Hunting Pack (3) [125]:
 * Hunting Pack (3) [125]:
 * Slingers (3) [175]: Flint Knapper

The Predator warband creates tremendous pressure in the early turns, allowing effective field control. The plan is to let my Fanatic regiments operate over 18" and put pressure on the opponent. A Tontorr is ready as a potential threat to unexpectedly flank. The main issue with the list is vulnerability since the protection of the Chosen and Tontorr relies on their life points. Knights with impacts can execute many attacks, so I cannot allow them a Move Charge.

The Hundred Kingdoms [2000/2000]
Veterans

== (Warlord) Mounted Noble Lord [180]: Olefant's Roar, Weapon Master, Tip of the Lance
Mounted Squires (3) [155]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Count Palatine
Mounted Squires (3) [155]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Count Palatine
Household Knights (5) [310]: Veterans, +1 Clash, Standard Bearer, Tourney Champion
Household Knights (3) [140]: Standard Bearer

== (Warlord) Priory Commander (Crimson Tower) [120]: Disorienting Strikes
Order of the Crimson Tower (3) [215]: Standard Bearer
Order of the Crimson Tower (3) [215]: Standard Bearer
Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [255]: Standard Bearer
Order of the Ashen Dawn (3) [255]: Standard Bearer

Marcus spielt wieder tapfere Menschen auf Ponys. Seine Liste mit nur Ponys ist fast genauso schnell wie meine, erzeugt viel Druck mit Impacts und ist insgesamt eine harte Nuss.

Game Report

We played Off Balance again. A house on the far right divided the battlefield slightly. Otherwise, we both had a hill, a forest, a field, and water in the middle.

In the first round, all units came onto the battlefield. Since I had a card advantage, I let him deploy all his units before the Hunting Pack arrived. It positioned itself in the blind spots of the Squires, from where it could possibly perform a charge.

In the second round, both Household Knights came to Marcus, and both Chosen came to me. I planned my deck so that only one Hunting Pack was on top, and both Chosen regiments would receive 2 tokens, as I did not expect to get both Squires. However, instead of withdrawing with the Squires, Marcus decided to engage a regiment with a Move Charge, thus standing within half range of the Slingers. This allowed me to eliminate both Squires, and his Household Knights came on the left flank, which pleased me. I could split my Chosen and place one group in a field so that his large block could not make impacts against me. I knew that Marcus would definitely attempt a Move Charge if I positioned myself at 20", maybe even 21".

In round 3, the rest of my units came in, and Marcus got two Ashen Dawns. Having played the matchup from the other side many times, I could accurately assess how bad it would be if he held back and then hit me with everything in round 5. Therefore, I was in a dilemma and built my deck conservatively and more reactively since I had seven more cards available. This messed up my chants a bit, but it was unlikely that every regiment would want to chant. First, my nice Blooded came onto the board, my middle Hunting Pack retreated, and the left one was almost wiped out. Then both Ashen Dawns marched in, with one regiment behind a hill. So, the right Chosen moved to the edge of my zone and threatened the Ashen Dawns with Move, Charge, Clash, while they could only manage a Move Charge. Perhaps this would intimidate Marcus enough to trigger his Supremacy. On the other side, not much moved; my Tontorr marched in the middle, and I shot another Household Knight in the forest. Slingers are so surprisingly good; it's cheeky. 2:0

Marcus unfortunately did not trigger his Supremacy in round four since both Crimson Towers arrived, and he wanted to save it for the following rounds. During deck construction, he placed both Crimsons at the bottom and the Household Knights and Ashen Dawn at the top, which I saw as a mistake. Since I had more cards, my Chosen were naturally at the bottom to react because I didn't want to charge into his line if two units of Crimson Tower appeared behind me. That would be okay only if I started next round, but since I almost always plan as if I don't start, the thought was obsolete. His Ashen Dawns got to start, made a Move Charge into the Chosen, and I was happy since the Slingers came within 9", and the Predator alone shot one. Sometime later, the Chosen also attacked, which did nothing, but by that time, he had everything on the board and hadn't moved his big Household Knight block forward. In the zone, there were only two small knights, and with Conquest T1, I put my Blooded in to claim both zones this round. I kept the Tontorr in the middle because both Crimson Towers had come on the right and would eat up my Chosen if I didn't start. 7:0

In round 5, Marcus naturally used Supremacy, and I placed my Blooded at the top. One token was still in the pool due to the Fanatic regiments, but I didn't want to start playing because that would mean putting the Chosen at the top. If the right ones died before my turn because I didn't start, it would ruin my whole round. I naturally didn't start, my Chosen died, and I killed a few Household Knights with Death 1 Blooded. Then his Household Knights came, and he was in the situation I didn't want to be in because he had only one card left for the guys and had to activate the big block that did nothing. That was okay and went according to plan. I always felt one activation ahead of him, shot the last Ashen Dawn, moved back a bit, he had to activate the other Ashen Dawn and Blooded, got stones thrown at him by the Slingers, and went with the second Crimson Tower into the right Blooded. It wasn't enough because he used a Move Charge and didn't want to use Blessed, and both the Blooded and the Hunting Pack could hit him. So, first the Blooded with Death 1, and then the Hunting Pack in the flank, and it was just enough for two knights. I was satisfied and still had the Tontorr and the left Chosen. The Tontorr had to attack the unbound Crimson Tower, or else I could lose the flank, but with Blessed, they would probably stand, and I couldn't allow the Ashen Dawns with the big Household block to suddenly mix everything up from the left. So, with a heavy heart, I sacrificed my Chosen and brought them into the flank of the Ashen Dawns. They would definitely die there, but it was definitely the case that Marcus would choose the Household Knight block as the first activation in round 6, buying me time to win the game. The Tontorr went into the Crimson Tower, and thanks to Fanatic, he managed a Move Charge Clash plus Trample, and the Crimson Tower were stomped into the ground. A result I had hoped for but not expected. 14:0

In round 6, Marcus started, I lost my Chosen to the Household Knights, deleted an Ashen Dawn in shooting, and with the Die Fighting of the Scion, positioned the Slingers 12" from the last knight. If he wanted to regroup and leave the zone to charge the Slingers onto the 5, that would be fine. He didn't want that because Marcus wanted to score, and my army swung towards the left flank, casually killing or shooting the last Crimson Tower. 16:2

In round 7, the Household Knights went into my Slingers, the Tontorr into the back of the knights, and the Hunting Pack into the flank, leaving only one Ashen Dawn to contend with the Tontorr, and it bravely held the zone until round 10.

Conclusion: After a fun match between the W'adrhŭn and the brave riders of the Hundred Kingdoms, it can be said: The Slingers have once again proven themselves as the true heroes on the battlefield. These little slingers are so good that they are almost as audacious as a Tontorr on roller skates, uh, Fanatic. The fact that I could shoot almost every round at half range was devastating for Marcus, although the matchup gets better with more plays, as, in my opinion, with the knight list, you don't need to have much respect for the Chosen and should concentrate all forces on one side to advance from there.