Tournament Battlereport from Conquest im Sidequest #3 Game 2 Sorcerer Kings against City States

Overview
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3

Hi,

after fending off Stephan's City States with great effort, the next wave already appeared on the horizon. Here is my army list of the Sorcerer Kings once again:

 Sorcerer Kings [2000/2000]

- Raj [160]: Shu'laat, Bound to the Elements
  - Efreet Sword Dancers (5) [270]
  - Ghols (3) [110]
  - Steelheart Djinn (3) [190]
  - Steelheart Djinn (3) [190]

- (Warlord) Maharajah [120]: Court of Fire
  - Rajakur (3) [120]

- Sorcerer [130]: Eye of the Blazing Tempest, Court of Fire
  - Efreet Flamecasters (3) [160]
  - Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]
  - Rajakur (3) [120]
  - Rakshasa Bakasura (1) [260]

 City States Army list:

City States [2000/2000]

- (Warlord) Polemarch [140]: Aristia, Atalanta's Spear
 - Hoplites (7) [325]: Dorilates, Minotaur Haspist Auxiliary
 - Minotaur Haspists (3) [180]:
 - Minotaur Haspists (3) [180]:
 - Minotaur Thyreans (3) [190]:

- Polemarch [140]: Primodynamic Globe, Blades of Eakides
 - Hephaestian (1) [240]:
 - Agema (4) [220]:

- Aristarch [110]: Inscription of Impact Resistance
 - Phalangites (6) [275]: Dorilates

Benny (Discord Culexuss) had a rather classic City States list. Two large blocks, a Globe to ruin the day for mages, and many Minotaurs. The Phalangites were an interesting choice and might be criticized at this point if he hadn't defeated Pommesmann with his cavalry army in the first game. Unfortunately, we played a Killpoint scenario called "Head-to-Head," where we essentially fought over a zone, and the whole thing was turned into a wonderful choke point by a house and a forest. Do you know the movie 300? That's how I felt. At least one of my regular opponents always plays something very similar.

In round 1, the Ghols played alone and advanced on the left side. I wanted to try to score in round 2. I didn't have a plan yet; I wanted to base it on my reinforcements and where his troops were deployed.

In round 2, we both rolled for two additional regiments. I chose all three wizards with accompanying regiments, and Benny chose the two blocks and one Hastati. Since I wanted to start three rituals, I decided to position my regiments quite far forward and place the wizards afterward. Contrary to my usual preference of placing one of the characters in the small zone to collect ritual markers in head-to-head, I decided to place them all on the left flank. The Maharajah was placed more centrally so he could potentially give one or two Burn to Cinder to the flank or turn to threaten advancing units. As long as it wasn't the Titan, this should work. Benny simply positioned everything on the left flank, more or less opposite my troops. I managed to ignite the Ghols and thus scored. 3:0

In round 3, except for the Thyreans, Benny was allowed to put all cards back into his deck. Meanwhile, I still had to wait for the two Windmaidens and the Flamecaster. That made me flinch briefly, but perhaps the Ghols would hold as blockers for a round. Since I didn't really want to do anything, the Sorcerer and the Maharajah with the Bakasura came down. The rest didn't matter to me. We pushed regiments forward, I placed the second Sword Dancer all the way to the left, and his cows made a Move Charge into my Ghols. I liked that because it would block the large blocks. That would allow me to play without a ritual next round and to devour one of the blocks in round five. At least if everything went according to plan. Then his Agema marched up on the left, and the Bakasura positioned itself behind the Sorcerer's Rajakur. On the right, the Hastati advanced 18" toward my zone with Vanguard, and the Titan came back on the left. Naturally, the Hoplites also marched into the zone and equalized the score. 3:3

In round 4, we were both allowed to put the remaining cards into our decks. Since I only wanted to build rituals this round, deck construction was again quite simple. The Ghols would either die from the Hastati or from retreat. The Raj had to go to the position, and if I did everything right, the Hoplites wouldn't get me either. So, Sword Dancers all the way down, above them the Ghols, Windmaidens, etc. Benny started and with Inspire Clash he slew the Ghols, and I placed markers on my rituals, reduced the defense of the Hastati with Sandstorm, and did much nothing. Benny came much closer on the entire flank, and on the right, the Hastati ran towards the mission objective. With the Flamecaster's shooting and the impacts of the Sword Dancers, two Hastati died, and I didn't want to take any Clash action. He was standing quite well there. Retreat was an option, but he probably wouldn't get past the Hoplites. The Phalangites were only one problem, so the Bakasura moved behind the Sword Dancers to position. Since I had nothing on the right flank either, I placed both Windmaidens within 8" of the Hastati. Also on the right flank and fortunately still very far away, the cousins of the Hastati appeared. 3:8

In round 5, I had two Conflagrations in the deck. At the top were the Windmaidens, as I preferred to act later on the left flank, so the Sorcerer and the Rajakur were quite high up, then the Flamecaster, the Raj, a Conflagration with Sword Dancer, the Maharajah, the other Rajakur, and very low down my last ritual with the Bakasura and another Sword Dancer. I was allowed to start, and the first Windmaidens attacked the Hastati. 18 life points are damn a lot, and I hoped to at least slay two cows. After the six impacts had already felled one cow, the other two also fell through the Clash attacks. As a result, the second girls had nothing to do, but the girls wouldn't take any damage. For him, characters came, the Agema got the effect of the 5" auto-charge helm, and I reduced the defense of the Phalangites. Then unfortunately, my Sorcerer died to the Agema's attack, and shortly after, I also had to remove three Sword Dancers from the Raj's block. The Phalangites hurt me much more than expected. At least now the Phalangites were in close combat with the Sword Dancers, suffering from Sandstorm, and I had two rituals and a spell action for the Maharajah. But first, the Flamecaster got to shoot at the Agema. At least one stand fell. Then Conflagration, 8 autohits on the Phalangites, and the three left Sword Dancers slaughtered the Agema. With three actions, they got there easily. Although the Titan could then flank them, it had to turn first and then go through the forest. Then came the second Burn to Cinder, and the Rajakur turned around to clean up on the right flank. If I couldn't manage the left without them, it wouldn't matter. I urgently needed the other zone. Eventually, Benny ran out of cards, and my Bakasura slew the remnants of the Phalangites. The Sword Dancers the cow, and Benny scored the zone again. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the round. I had 3 rituals. 15:15

In round 6, two rituals made their way into my deck: Intrusive Thoughts, which hopefully I wouldn't need, and Conflagration. The plan was simple: first send the Raj with the Sword Dancers into the flank of the Hoplites, then let one be slain by the Polemarch. This would clear the way for the Bakasura to finish the job. The deck construction for this round was as follows: Raj, Sword Dancer, Sword Dancer, Flamecaster, Rajakur, Maharajah, Conflagration, Bakasura, Intrusive Thoughts, Windmaiden, Windmaiden. I began. The Molten Blades on the Sword Dancers and five stands died. Deadly can be really nasty sometimes. Through reform, the Hoplites turned and did no damage. That was okay. Further to the left, the other Sword Dancers took 13 damage, and my Flamecaster did two or three to the Hoplite block or its remnants. Then came the Bakasura and finished off the cow with the impacts. Thanks to the Polemarch, it wasn't my zone, but perhaps the block would die next round from Aura of Death. On the right flank, things went as planned. The cows couldn't leave the zone because there were girls and the Maharajah everywhere. After two Conflagrations, one cow was dead, and he backed up a bit. Not far enough, and a regiment of girls with Ritual came 15" with Ritual for the Charge Clash. 21:15

Round 7, and as soon as the Polemarch died, I had won. So, Raj with Sword Dancers up top, then the Flamecaster, the Bakasura, and the rest. Benny started, survived the Aura of Death, dealt eight damage to the Sword Dancers, and then died in the counterattack. The Titan wiped out the Sword Dancer in front of him and charged into the Flamecaster. I positioned myself a bit, and the Bakasura set off to duel the Titan in round 8. Impacts, Clash, and Aura of Death just managed to take him down in the flank. Okay, maybe one Sword Dancer had already dealt four damage beforehand, but the hefty Bakasura always needs every bit of help he can get for his 260 points.

Victory for the Sorcerer Kings and back to the finals. Uziel lost in the Nords Mirror against Lars, Jens Karacho prevailed against Old Dominion, and Nino triumphed against Nick's Spire. At least two out of three factions that didn't push D4 blocks into me, I thought, but little did I know Lars was also using something like that. Next Game 3