Practice game Paper Sorcerer Kings against Nords

Hi everyone,

today there's a game report from Thursday when Uziel and I treated ourselves to a match after work and just before dinner. Easter was around the corner, and thus, some family visits awaited us. My Sorcerer Kings haven't arrived at Sidequest Bremerhaven yet, but I wouldn't be able to pick them up anyway.

My list remains unchanged as I currently have no new ideas, and the items are already pre-ordered:

Feuer 🔥 [1990/2000]

== Raj [160]: Jadoo Kavach, Bound to the Elements
 * Efreet Flamecasters (3) [160]:
 * Efreet Sword Dancers (5) [270]:
 * Ghols (3) [110]: Born of Flame
 * Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:

== (Warlord) Sorcerer [120]: Parivartan, Court of Fire
 * Rajakur (3) [120]:
 * Ghols (3) [110]: Born of Flame
 * Rakshasa Bakasura (1) [260]:
 * Rakshasa Bakasura (1) [260]:

== Sorcerer [130]: Eye of the Blazing Tempest, Court of Air
 * Rajakur (3) [120]:

Currently, I'm more or less satisfied with it. If I wanted to optimize the whole thing, my list would, of course, look different, but I like the thematic focus, and I can almost get along with the Ghols. Right now, I'm considering building and buying a pure fire list. Although I also find the Wind Djinns very stylish, we already have well over 20,000 points of Conquest here, and I recently bought a few more units of the Hundred Kingdoms cheaply. Catch them all six times or how is the Pokemon saying?

Jarl 2k [2000/2000]

== (Warlord) Jarl [110]: Wolf, The Broken Blade
 * Raiders (5) [210]: Standard Bearer, Shield Biter <-Jarl
 * Sea Jotnar (1) [240]:
 * Huskarls (5) [260]: Thegn

== Blooded [135]: Wolf, The Horn of Hjoldgar
 * Stalkers (3) [160]: <- Blooded
 * Stalkers (3) [160]:
 * Ugr (3) [150]:

== Vargyr Lord [135]: Reyngeir, the God Spear
 * Werewargs (3) [160]: <- Lord
 * Fenr Beastpack (3) [140]:
 * Fenr Beastpack (3) [140]:

Uziel's current tournament list, which he already played in Münster, is also similar to Drizzt's. Due to the supremacy of the Jarl, this list scores a lot and very early on. Additionally, he hardly needs to roll for his reinforcements because most units have flanking, either inherently or through the characters. This enables solid strategies in most scenarios and very fast scoring. If you haven't played against this list yet or easily get flustered because the opponent already has a 30-40 point lead, then you'll lose against the list. Therefore, I mentally prepared myself for it and hoped for useful rolls for the reinforcements.

The scenario was Forlorn Hope, as it will be played next week in Hamburg.

In round 1, we were both allowed to put all light regiments into the deck. He naturally had three characters with him, so I first placed my two Ghols. In doing so, I immediately made the mistake of forgetting that the Stalkers also have Vanguard without a Shaman. As a result, the Ghols suffered two damage right at the beginning. Better said, only two damage.

In round two, we both received a bunch of medium regiments into the deck. Uziel got both Fenrs and the Huscarls, while I got both Rajakurs, the large Sword Dancer, and the Flamecaster. Uziel didn't like that at all, as it meant I could actively retaliate in round 3. Moreover, it was the first time I received more than two regiments in round 2 with the Sorcerer Kings. Usually, at this time, I only get one and then have to work hard to stay in the game. But things were going well now. So, I built my deck with Rajakur, Sorcerer, Rajakur, Sorcerer, Sword Dancer, Raj, Flamecaster, and then the two Ghols. Some were already waiting behind the forest to be shot, while the others aimed to attack the objective.

So the situation progressed. One group of Ghols was nearly shot down by the Stalkers and then engaged in close combat with Bloodlust and one life left. Uziel failed with the impacts against the objective marker in the center, causing only one damage. Since he had decided to shoot at the Ghols rather than secure the objective, the Raiders would now be blocked unless he helped with the Jotnar or the Stalkers in the next round. That gave me time, and that was something I really needed in this matchup. It may not seem like much to some, but that and the good reinforcement rolls were almost a pound of lead on my side of the scale. In other words, things were going well.

The second pair of Stalkers ran to the left onto a hill, while his werewolves charged directly into the large zone towards me. Then he pushed his Fenrs into the small zone on his side, and even a pack of Fenrs appeared on the far right to further annoy me. I positioned the Sword Dancers opposite the werewolves, as they should survive an attack from them. In the middle and to the right, I positioned a unit of Rajakurs each. One was turned into the zone with Air Step, but as I see in the picture, I made a mistake there. It should be turned a bit further and placed a bit further back. 2:9.

In round 3, three rituals had begun. Both Bakasuras went into my deck, and for Uziel, the Jotnar. I need to be careful in this round, as I could end up with four rituals in the deck, but it could also be that the Raj regiment was broken. Still, I first place the Raj, both Ghols, and the Flamecaster on top, and then later the two Sorcerers. The Sword Dancers are quite low in the deck because I want to heal them with a Sorcerer and don't want to attempt a charge on the 5+. Uziel is welcome to try on the 4+ without a reroll.

We begin, and my Raj grants me Wind Kissed Blades. The werewolves roll a six for Bloodlust and the charge, causing only 9 damage thanks to Parry. The impacts alone reduce Parry to 1. Additionally, one wolf dies in the counterattack due to Counter Attack. Then his Stalkers shoot at the Sword Dancers, and I suffer another three damage. Two Sword Dancers are dead, and one is injured. Without tricks, I can't place a new one this round. On the other side, the Stalkers first kill the Ghol and then, with Volley, deal two damage to the Rajakur. I can mostly heal them with two spells and then eliminate one of the right Stalkers with the Flamecasters, but I had overlooked that. As expected, the Jotnar appears there, and we both deal damage to the objective. On the left, his Huscarls and the hounds move into each zone, and on the right, the second pair of Fenrs march around the house and target the Flamecasters. Then, to compensate for my mistakes, a Bakasura appears on each flank. 6:18.

Round 4 begins, and I have four rituals. Uziel is already dreading it because he finds the option of three actions per round outrageously strong. That's also my opinion, but one must be able to use this ability constructively, and that's what makes the list good. Since I want to inflict maximum damage this round, I don't care about the scenario when planning. My deck build consists of Far Sight, Sword Dancer, and then some token activations in the form of the mages. The rituals were laid for the Flamecaster, the two Bakasuras, and one for the next round.

I begin, and my three Sword Dancers march onto the battlefield from the side and engage the Fenrs with Move, Charge, Clash. In this scenario, although there are limited opportunities to come from the side, they do exist. The impacts kill the first dog, and then the rest are taken down by the Clash. That was perfect for me, as I assumed that Uziel's Fenrs would be on top of his deck, so now he would have to use the others.

However, that wasn't the case, and the Stalkers on the right inflicted 8 damage on the Flamecasters. At least they had five lives per stand, and I got to heal my second Sword Dancers, and Uziel also had characters. Then I took a picture because I was happy to have four Sword Dancers again, and Uziel activated the second Stalkers and accurately shot one of my Sword Dancers... well, won and lost in a flash.

While his Fenrs considered charging my Sword Dancers, the timing was unfavorable. Firstly, my Rajakur with Air Step or a Bakasura could then kill them, and secondly, he couldn't see how far I would progress in this round. So, he decided instead to turn around and withdraw his unit. The Jotnar also had little desire to come forward because the two Bakasuras were ominously sharpening their swords. We both destroyed our objectives, and the Flamecasters moved forward and shot the Stalkers on the right side. Impressive, but I still don't like them. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with this outcome and decided to continue conservatively. The Sword Dancer block only used one action, as otherwise, I would have to roll for Bloodlust charge. With a free Air Step, they were then repositioned, turning to face the Huscarls. Then it was my turn, and both Bakasuras moved forward with rituals. The left one left the Stalkers with two life points, and the right one annihilated the Raiders with Jarl. First, one stand went down due to the impacts, and then the rest fell to his 15 attacks. In the end, we both had two zones captured, and I had slain another character. 15:25.

Round 5, my last card was a ritual, and I had two in the deck. Things were looking good for me, and there was so much I wanted to do, and especially, what I didn't want to do. So, I decided to put the Sword Dancers on top, then a Bakasura, the Raj, a Rajakur with Sorcerer, a ritual, Sword Dancer, and then the rest. At the very bottom, I placed a ritual and a Bakasura. Perhaps one of the Bakasuras would die from the Fenrs, but that wasn't certain. However, if he started and killed one Bakasura, that would be more than annoying for the second one. That was more or less my plan. It just depended on whether he had the Fenrs or the Huscarls at the top first, and I was speculating on the Fenrs. Unexpectedly, I started, and the Sword Dancers moved, charged, and clashed into the Huscarls. Then the Huscarls retaliated, and we both took some damage. If I hadn't started, that would have been a bad trade.

Now things were going excellently despite the mishaps, and I decided to use my Bakasura to eliminate the hounds. Then the Stalkers died due to the Aura of Death, and the second Bakasura ultimately attacked the Huscarls in the flank. Thanks to the Sorcerer, they had naturally received -1D before and then burst with D0. On the other side, the Sea Jotnar killed the Flamecasters, but the Sword Dancers positioned themselves with a ritual. Then the Rajakurs moved into a zone, and with Parivartan, I rotated the Sword Dancers from the Raj into the upper left. I had captured three zones, while Uziel only had one. Additionally, he still had two regiments, and I would now score on the left flank. On the right flank, he could hit the Rajakurs with the Jotnar and grab the two points for the Sorcerers, but then the second pair of Sword Dancers would get him and maybe even the Ghols. Moreover, I still had two Bakasuras, and one or both would run into the right rear zone with a ritual and try to contest it with the Ugr and/or kill them. I had five rounds left for that, and it was 24:27... Moreover, it was just before dinner when Uziel decided to give up.

Retroactive Analysis:

I won because my army arrived early and I knew what was happening on the other side. If only one Sorcerer with Rajakur had appeared in round two, I wouldn't have been able to consider a counterattack before round 5 began. Worse still, I probably would have been attacked by werewolves and other stuff as soon as I entered the board. So it went okay, but my list is definitely not good against this rush. In this matchup, I would prefer to have the Maharajah with the Rajakur Block Elemental Feedback.