Brave Humans with Sticks: 2025

Freitag, 3. Oktober 2025

Battlereports from Battle for Zeist Day 2 (Sorcerer Kings vs Spire & City States)

Overview
Day 1
Day 2

Hi everyone,

After we went out for dinner with some of the guys the night before, here’s a picture from the fun gathering. As you can see, the photo is of me and, like everything else, a bit blurry, and the people are only partially in the frame. That’s how you can tell it’s an original Hanna.

Gmae 3 – Melee with Guido and Spire

The second day of the tournament started late again after breakfast. I already knew from the day before that in Game 1 I would be playing against Quickitt, a.k.a. Guido. Normally, I never look forward to playing against Spire, but Guido had already come across as very likeable at dinner, and his army was fully painted. It’s just so much more fun to play against painted armies, and his was also quite nice to look at.

On top of that, I was facing him now and not in the fourth game. In the fourth game it would be Maelstrom, and against a well-played Directorate I see no chance of winning with a slow Mono Fire Sorcerer Kings list. In the Melee scenario, on the other hand, there was at least some hope.

Round one, and we both started with two Lights, which was fine by me – after all, I only wanted a maximum of six tokens anyway. I would have preferred more Ghols to play more aggressively, but the dice decided otherwise.

His FGD block moved toward the right flank, the Stryx stayed in the center. I set up the first Ghols with Maharajah against them, and on the far left the second Ghols with Raj.

The reinforcement rolls were encouraging: the Spire only got their Pteraphon, while I received the Ghols, Mahabharati, Sword Dancers with Raj, and two Flamecasters. Annoyingly, only one regiment could move directly into a zone, but I hadn’t really expected not to fall behind in round two anyway.

I built my deck rather conservatively: Flamecasters at the bottom, above them the Mahabharati, and at the very top the Ghols. If he attacked me, I’d be prepared. Guido’s Biomancer was hoping early on that the FGD could score, and eventually moved them into the right-hand zone. I positioned the Sword Dancers with Raj against them.

His Stryx shifted a bit to the side, and the big flyer moved into the small zone. I took the opportunity to reinforce my center with the Flamecasters and more Ghols. The Mahabharati, using Vanguard, advanced two wide into the left zone and took a slight lead, allowing me to place two rituals into my deck.

Except for one regiment of Sword Dancers, I had all my cards in round three, and the Spire were only missing one regiment of Centaurs. Since I had little interest in letting rampaging Stryx into my lines, I once again placed Ghols and Flamecasters at the bottom. As expected, there were some early character activations, and then we deployed regiments onto the board. On the left, he placed the Brute Drones, the Leonine near the small zone, and next to them the big flyer, a.k.a. the Pteraphon. His FGD pulled back a bit, fearing that I might jump into them with the Sword Dancers, and with the help of the Pteraphon the Centaurs with Prideborne went straight into the right-hand zone. That made me much less interested in attacking there.

Since the Stryx also weren’t keen on charging me, I still had a handful of activations left and made a big push forward in the center. Some Ghols moved into the forest in the middle, so they might be able to reach the Centaurs’ flank, and a water marker was placed near the Centaurs and the Force Grown Drones. That way, in the next round there would be a geyser, and maybe I could deal some damage to the Centaurs. In the end, we both collected seven points, and I added a few more rituals to my deck.

In round four, I wasn’t sure whether I should really commit to a flank charge against the Centaurs. I decided to first place a Raj for Molten Blades at the top and then plan a Fiery Dominion with Ghols and the geyser. If Guido did something annoying in between, I still had enough duplicate Ghols to react differently.

Guido noticed that the Ghols could charge into the Centaurs’ flank but ignored it—mainly because he assumed that Lights coming out of the forest wouldn’t get Inspire. He activated other units first, and I was actually able to get the Molten Blades Ghols into the flank. After some unlucky sixes on defense and repeated resolve rolls, only one Centaur with three wounds remained, and the geyser finished the rest. With that, I had caught up and placed an annoying Ghols problem right in front of Guido. His FGD failed in their attempt to kill the unit, and with his second-to-last activation the Pteraphon shot the Ghols so that the next Centaurs could move into the zone.

Earlier on, he had tried to get his Stryx in the center to charge four or five of my other Ghols. That failed, however, and they stayed more than ten inches away. Since I liked the position, I went in with a Move Charge against the Stryx. The situation was extremely uncomfortable for him, so the Leonine shifted their aggression toward the Ghols. But my expendable Ghols simply wouldn’t die. This allowed the rest of my army to push forward again, and a Burn to Cinder on the Stryx presented itself. Eight hits for me, six wounds on him, no Resolve, and the next regiment was eliminated. Guido cursed loudly and was forced to send the Brute Drones with a Move Charge into the Ghols to secure the remaining wounds with the impact hits. Once again, we each collected seven points, but at least I had caught up and eliminated one of his heavy units.

Still, I wasn’t happy with my positioning. Nearly all of my units were within supporting range of each other, but the Vanguard Centaurs forced me to station three units on the left flank—where nothing happened. Now that the Brute Drones had also been pulled away, it meant I had to make two regiments execute a long redeploy, which was blocked by the house. On top of that, I didn’t want to push too far forward, since being at a disadvantage on initiative made me reluctant to force an initiative roll.

In round five, I once again had a Deep in the deck to reposition the water marker, and the Brute Drones had taken six damage from the Flamecasters in the previous round. With Molten Blades, I was confident I could deal significant damage to them with the Ghols. So I placed Maharajah and the Ghols at the top, followed by the Flamecasters. The left flank remained largely inactive, while the rest came from the center, with the Deep at the bottom for the water marker. Guido won the starting roll, as almost always, due to the card disadvantage, and unexpectedly sent the Brute Drones into the Ghols, directly into the Hindering and Dangerous Water. Clash on a 1—his expectations were higher than the Drones’ performance. Despite rerolls and characters, the three stands only managed a handful of hits. I made two saves and my morale tests, taking only three damage afterward. A decent result for me and extremely annoying for Guido.

Then Maharajah called for Molten Blades, and the Ghols struck back. The damage was modest due to the water, but the Flamecasters behind them solved the problem nicely and put me in the lead. I had expected the Siegebreaker to jump early onto the Sword Dancers in the forest, but Guido hesitated. He realized that the Sword Dancers’ threat was mostly artificial. If they jumped out, they would deal some damage but kill nothing. I, on the other hand, would almost certainly lose them. If he went into the forest, Efreets on hard drugs would strike him from all sides. However, since he was running out of activations, he eventually sent the Pteraphon into the forest toward the Sword Dancers. It even killed one, which later returned with a Fiery Dominion. The Siegebreaker executed a Move Charge on the first Flamecasters, a Charge on the five, but the Pteraphon was now positioned to use two D6 for the Charge and still had rerolls. I then placed the water marker so that both his monsters and the Leonine ended up nicely in the water.

On the right flank, we glared at each other. His Desolation Drones were covering the Centaurs with their bodies, so I couldn’t execute a good Move Charge and had to step back. On the left flank, my long march toward the center began. In the end, we both scored seven points, while I added two geysers and a Fiery Dominion to my deck for the next round.

In round six, I liked the look of the board. Even if the Siegebreaker managed to break through, two Molten Blades Sword Dancers would be waiting for him. The Pteraphon was practically done, and I only needed to eliminate the Leonine to complete everything perfectly. They were within Maharajah’s range and in the water. I placed Maharajah at the top, followed by two geysers, and waited to see how things would unfold.

Guido went first and had the Leonine shoot a Flamecaster. After that, the pony girls fell to Maharajah and the geyser. His Pteraphon struck, but proved ineffective, while the Siegebreaker, uninspired but motivated enough by Burnout, managed to kill the Flamecasters. He moved into the zone toward the now-dead Leonine. That wasn’t far enough, and in the end, I sent in my Sword Dancers and Ghols, putting an end to his presence. That left only the right flank. It held on bravely for another round, but I could now simply throw units at it, and slowly the Centaurs and FGD were drowned by overwhelming force.

Victory for the friendly Efreets from next door, and in the final.

Game 4 – Maelstorm with Jorrit and City States

The last game saw me facing the new City States. Our City States players were already very excited when the new rules came out on Thursday before the tournament, and Nino had only told me positive things about his game against Jorrit and the City States the night before. With so much enthusiasm around, I naturally wanted to see for myself what was going on. But unknown things can always hurt you, and since Jorrit had beaten Nino in the first game, I was understandably cautious—or so I thought.

First, though, some very positive things: Fin and Alex agreed to take over the water table assigned to Jorrit and me, so I was able to play again on the desert board with the palms. In terms of terrain, it didn’t make a difference, but it set the stage for an epic duel between the City States and the Sorcerer Kings in the sand.

The list, roughly from memory:

The City States [1990/2000]

== Polemarch [90]:
* Phalangites (5) [255]: Lochagos, Sacred Band Veterans
* Hephaestian (1) [220]:
* Minotaur Thyreans (3) [190]:
* Thorakites (4) [185]: Lochagos, Minotaur Thyrean Auxiliary

== (Warlord) Polemarch [90]:
* Phalangites (5) [255]: Dorilates, Sacred Band Veterans

== Eidolon [110]:
* Inquisitors (3) [180]:
* Inquisitors (3) [180]:
* Hoplites (5) [235]: Lochagos, Minotaur Haspist Auxiliary

No chariots, no Aristarch, but three large infantry blocks and Inquisitors. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, and aside from a brief explanation of the new Supremacy rules from the Polemarch, I decided on learning through pain. The fact that he got to go first once didn’t bother me much, as I had only won a single initiative in the entire tournament so far due to the card advantage.

The scenario was Maelstrom. In my eyes, one of the worst scenarios, because it’s nearly impossible to catch up once the opponent takes the lead and simply denies the zones. That was exactly my plan: score in round two and, by round three, threaten everything so much that he would have to go in first due to my card advantage, hopefully dying or being forced not to score.

In the first round, he deployed the Thorakites, while I had three Ghol regiments with two characters again. Two Ghols went into the center, directly opposite the Thorakites, and the last Ghols I positioned on the left flank. Six tokens for Fiery Dominion were immediately collected, and round two began.

Our reinforcements went well for both of us in round two. I received the last Ghols, three Sword Dancers, and one Mahabharati. At the very top, I first placed a Raj, then more Sword Dancers and additional regiments, so I could also complete the water ritual. I didn’t expect the Thorakites to immediately jump into my lines, but if they did, I was prepared to react.

We both advanced slowly onto the board. He placed a Polemarch on the left flank, another in the center, and on the far right the Eidolon with the Hoplites. Opposite them, I positioned the Raj with the Sword Dancers, while two Sword Dancer regiments deployed in the center. The Ghols all took a step forward, and the Mahabharati took the left zone.

Round three: for me, only the last Sword Dancers hadn’t arrived, and for him, the Titan and some Inquisitors. I felt like I wanted everything at the bottom of the deck, so I tried to balance that with rituals and characters. Nothing happened for five or six activations, then the Ghols in the center, without a character but with Molten Blades, charged into the Thorakites and basically achieved nothing. A handful of hits, good armor rolls, and unexpected resilience with R5 and rerolls on sixes were not what I had expected. I could and should have checked, but instead I essentially gave away the Ghols for almost nothing.

On the right side, he didn’t dare advance too far because he didn’t want to risk a flank charge from the Sword Dancers next round, so I positioned the other Sword Dancer block with Raj on the zone.

On the left flank, his cows with two-handed weapons and the Inquisitors advanced. The Phalangites moved forward as far as possible, and I placed a water marker on them. At the end of the round, there was a charge from Raj with Ghols and Molten Blades, along with a few stands of Flamecasters shooting at the Phalangites. In the end, the Phalangites were left with only two to three wounds and half of their stands in the water. More points for me, and I added Intrusive Thoughts and a geyser to my deck.

In round four, the rest of his reinforcements arrived. He used Supremacy, which allowed him to go first as soon as a Polemarch card was on top, and chose the broken unit. First came a duel, which I bravely declined, and then as a follow-up activation, the Phalangites. Rallying wasn’t necessary, thanks to Always Inspire, and then they struck without killing the Ghols. The Ghols were broken and had only two wounds left, but they survived. So I cast an offensive spell on the Phalangites, who still ended up with one wound. In the follow-up activation, the uninspired Ghols attacked, dealt the last point of damage, and then rallied. At first, I considered falling back, but if anyone wanted to charge me, it would have to be into the water—and conveniently, the Mahabharati and Sword Dancers were perfectly positioned for a counterattack.

Nevertheless, the Inquisitors attacked and killed the Ghols. The second Inquisitors moved nearby as well, and the two-handed cows stayed more than eleven inches away from the Mahabharati, because he didn’t want to allow a charge while the Flamecasters could still fire. So I attacked the Inquisitors with the Sword Dancers and Molten Blades, removing them from the board.

In the center, his Thorakites killed another unit of Ghols much earlier than expected, while the Sword Dancers appeared on the flank. Afterwards, his Phalangites moved into the zone, losing a stand to shooting, and the Titan positioned itself alongside the Sword Dancers. Only the right zone remained, where I had expected him to pull back the Hoplites. Instead, he sent them with a Move Charge against my Sword Dancers. Unexpectedly, the Sword Dancers, using Molten Blades, struck back, eliminated the Hoplites, and dominated the large right zone for the rest of the game. The first three stands died in the Clash, the rest from Resolve 2, and the regiment was broken.

Overall, I was very satisfied. Although he also scored two points, no matter where he started, I could strike hard elsewhere. So I placed a Fiery Dominion with Sword Dancers on top, followed by Flamecasters, and of course the Deep to place the water marker effectively. We rolled for initiative, and to my surprise, I got to go first. Unexpected. I considered where he might start and quickly discarded the thought. I also wanted to ensure that the left zone was held permanently.

So I charged into the cows, sending two of them home obediently. But 21 wounds and T1 is just absurdly much, and the last cow still glared at me. Then the Titan in the center killed the Sword Dancers in front of it, and I managed to take out one or two stands of Phalangites. Much later, my Maharajah, with Ghols and Molten Blades, went after that unit and sent them home.

On the left flank, things had been interesting earlier when the Inquisitors killed the Sword Dancers and the cow got in the way. The Flamecasters grilled them, and the Inquisitors were taken out by the Mahabharati and a geyser. The following rounds were a formality, as Jorrit couldn’t possibly catch up with only one regiment remaining.

Jorrit was a really funny opponent, and especially on the board, the game was enjoyable to watch despite the rather pointless scenario. With four victories, I finished in first place, Guido took second, and Nino came in third. Our first excursion to the Netherlands since the Warmachine NL Masters 2015 was thus a complete success.

Final Thoughts on the Army List

Mono-Fire was incredibly fun to play. Even though I believe that King of Nothings, Banksters Matschtornado, or Mono-Wind might be stronger, Mono-Fire is by no means unplayable, as it is sometimes portrayed. There are clear weaknesses in scoring and threat ranges, and with my particular build, you’re often at a disadvantage on initiative. Still, the army just looks fantastic on the table.

With the Maharajah, it’s a bit annoying that rituals now have to be performed with alternating Courts, except for water. This can make your actions hard for your opponent to follow. My build allowed me up to three rituals per round, but with more monsters for greater range and flexibility, you could reduce it to two rituals per round and achieve a much more stable performance.

Raj remains a solid combat character and, in combination with Molten Blades, simply impressive. Losing Flank hurts, but I see no reason not to play him almost always in duplicate, regardless of Court.

Efreet Sword Dancers are still the best melee unit in the Sorcerer Kings and the workhorse that makes Mono-Fire genuinely interesting. Plus, I really like the models.

The Efreet Flamecasters now hit normally at only 14 inches. While Height 2 still makes them attractive, the reduced range and Volley 2 are almost a dealbreaker for me.

Ghols as a screen are, as Gregor has always preached, now almost indispensable. Putting characters in the Ghols only makes sense if I want to maximize rituals and still have enough other regiments for scoring, because Ghols with characters are reluctant to fight in the front line—especially if they are not in the Court of Fire.

Would I play this list again? Perhaps, but not happily if I also wanted to win the tournament. The list has too many drawbacks that really bother me.

Cheers,

Hanna

Spielberichte vom Battle for Zeist Tag 2 (Sorcerer Kings vs Spire & City States)

Übersicht:
Tag 1
Tag 2

Moin zusammen,

nachdem wir am Vorabend gemeinsam mit einigen der Jungs etwas essen waren, hier noch ein Bild von der lustigen Runde. Wie man sieht, ist das Bild von mir und wie alles andere verwackelt, und die Leute sind nur halb drauf. Daran erkennt man, dass es ein Hanna Original ist.

Spiel 3 – Melee gegen Guido mit Spire

Der zweite Turniertag begann wieder spät nach dem Frühstück. Ich wusste schon seit dem letzten Tag, dass ich in Spiel 1 gegen Quickitt alias Guido spielen würde. Normalerweise freue ich mich nie darauf, gegen Spire spielen zu müssen, aber Guido war schon beim Essen sympathisch, und seine Armee war vollständig bemalt. Es macht einfach mehr Spaß, gegen bemalte Armeen zu spielen, und seine war dazu noch recht hübsch anzusehen.

Dazu kam: Ich traf ihn jetzt und nicht im vierten Spiel. Im vierten Spiel würde Maelstorm anstehen, und gegen ein gut gespieltes Directorat sehe ich mit einer langsamen Mono Fire Sorcerer Kings Liste keine Chance auf einen Sieg. Im Szenario Melee hingegen, da gab es etwas Hoffnung.

The Spires [2000/2000]
The Directorate

== (Warlord) Biomancer [140]: Master of Flesh
* Force-Grown Drones (6) [180]: <-- Biomancer
* Desolation Drones (3) [150]:
* Siegebreaker Behemoth (1) [210]:

== Lineage Prideborne [150]: Neural Override, Attracting Pheromones
* Centaur Avatara (3) [190]: <-- Prideborne
* Centaur Avatara (3) [190]:
* Leonine Avatara (3) [180]:

== Pheromancer [100]: Avatar Projection
* Stryx (3) [120]:
* Brute Drones (4) [220]:
* Pteraphon Surveyor (1) [170]:

Das sah aus wie Nicks Liste, nur mit Centauren. Ich mochte die Änderung auf dem Papier und konnte nicht umhin, an Nicki und Rotbärtchen zu denken, die vor ein paar Wochen meinen Vorschlag, eine Prideborne mit Flank in Centaur zu stecken, verworfen hatten. Guido hatte damit bisher viel Erfolg. Er spielte normalerweise zwei MSU FGD statt eines großen Blocks, aber bei zwei Killpointmissionen wollte er lieber weniger Punkte abgeben, Außerdem waren die Leonine statt einer Abo als ein Experiment in der Liste, jetzt, wo vermeintlich weniger Tenacious-Regimenter auf der Platte sein würden.

Runde eins und wir begannen beide mit zwei Lights, was für mich soweit in Ordnung war – schließlich wollte ich sowieso maximal sechs Token. Mehr Ghols wären mir zwar lieber gewesen, um offensiv etwas zu spielen, aber die Würfel entschieden anders.

Sein Block FGD bewegte sich auf die rechte Flanke, die Stryx blieb mittig. Ich stellte dem die ersten Ghols mit Maharajah entgegen und ganz links die zweiten Ghols mit Raj.

Die Reinforcementswürfe waren erfreulich: Die Spire erhielten nur ihren Pteraphon, während ich die Ghols, Mahabharati, Sword Dancer mit Raj und zweimal Flamecaster bekam. Ärgerlicherweise konnte nur ein Regiment direkt in eine Zone gehen, aber ich rechnete ohnehin nicht damit, in Runde Zwei nicht in Rückstand zu geraten.

Mein Deck baute ich eher konservativ auf: Flamecaster ganz unten, darüber die Mahabharati, ganz oben die Ghols. Falls er mich angriff, wäre ich vorbereitet. Guidos Biomancer wünschte sich früh, dass die FGD punkten könnten, und bewegte sie schließlich in die rechte Zone. Dem stellte ich die Sword Dancer mit Raj entgegen.

Seine Stryx rutschten ein Stück zur Seite, der große Flattermann in die kleine Zone. Ich nutzte die Gelegenheit, mein Zentrum mit den Flamecastern und weiteren Ghols zu verstärken. Die Mahabharati liefen mit Vanguard zwei breit in die linke Zone und gingen leicht in Führung und ich durfte zwei Rituale in mein Deck legen.

Bis auf ein Regiment Sword Dancer hatte ich in Runde Drei alle Karten, und bei den Spire fehlte nur ein Regiment Centaur. Da ich wenig Interesse daran hatte, in meinen Reihen marodierende Stryx zu empfangen, legte ich erneut Ghols und Flamecaster nach unten. Wie erwartet kam es zuerst zu Aliaktivierungen und dann stellten wir Regimenter auf die Platte. Links platzierte er die Brute Drones, an die kleine Zone die Leonine und neben den großen Flattermann, alias Pteraphon. Seine FGD rückten ein Stück zurück, weil er befürchtete, dass ich mit den Sword Dancern hinein springen könnte, und durch den Pteraphon kamen die Centaur mit Prideborne direkt in die rechte Zone. Dadurch sank mein Interesse, dort anzugreifen erheblich.

Da die Stryx ebenfalls keine Lust hatten, in mich hineinzuspringen, hatte ich noch eine Handvoll Aktivierungen übrig und machte einen großen Satz nach vorne in der Mitte. Einige Ghols kamen im Zentrum in den Wald, sodass sie eventuell in die Flanke der Centaur gelangen konnten, und ein Wassermarker wurde bei den Centaur und Force Grown Drones platziert. Schließlich würde es in der nächsten Runde einen Geysir geben, und vielleicht könnte ich den Centaur etwas Schaden zufügen. Am Ende sammelten wir beide sieben Punkte, und ich holte mir ein paar Rituale ins Deck.

In Runde Vier war ich unschlüssig, ob ich wirklich einen Charge in die Flanke der Centaur bauen sollte. Ich entschied, zuerst einen Raj für Molten Blades nach oben zu legen und danach ein Fiery Dominion mit Ghols und dem Geysir zu planen. Sollte Guido dazwischen etwas Lästiges machen, hätte ich die Ghols oft genug doppelt, um noch anders reagieren zu können.

Guido sah, dass die Ghols in die Flanke der Centaur chargen konnten, ignorierte dies jedoch. Vor allem, weil er davon ausging, dass lights, die aus dem Wald kommen, kein Inspire bekommen würden. Er aktivierte zunächst andere Einheiten, und ich konnte tatsächlich mit den Molten Blades Ghols in die Flanke gelangen. Nach einigen unglücklichen Sechsen bei der Verteidigung und wiederholten Resolvewürfen blieb nur ein Centaur mit drei Leben stehen, und der Geysir erledigte den Rest. Damit hatte ich aufgeholt und platzierte vor Guidos Nase ein lästiges Ghols-Problem. Seine FGD versagten beim Versuch, die Einheiten zu töten, und mit der vorletzten Aktivierung erschoss der Pteraphon die Ghols, damit die nächsten Centaur in die Zone laufen konnten.

Weit davor versuchte er noch, mit seinen Stryx in der Mitte einen Charge auf vier oder fünf meiner anderen Ghols zu starten. Das scheiterte jedoch, und er blieb weiterhin mehr als zehn Zoll entfernt. Da ich die Position gut fand, ging ich mit Move Charge in die Stryx. Die Stellung war für ihn äußerst unangenehm und so fokusierte sich die Aggro der Leonine auf die Ghols. Aber meine entbehrlichen Ghols starben einfach nicht. Dadurch konnte meine restliche Armee einen weiteren Satz nach vorne machen, und es bot sich ein Burn to Cinder auf die Stryx an. Acht Treffer bei mir, sechs Wunden bei ihm, kein Resolve, und das nächste Regiment war ausgeschaltet. Guido fluchte lautstark und sah sich gezwungen, die Brute Drones mit Move Charge in die Ghols zu schicken, um die restlichen Lebenspunkte mit den Impacts zu sichern. Wir sammelten wieder jeweils sieben Punkte, aber ich hatte immerhin aufgeholt und eine seiner schweren Einheiten eliminiert.

Trotzdem war ich mit meinem Placing nicht zufrieden. Zwar standen nahezu alle Einehiten von mir in Kontorreichweite zueinander, aber die Vanguard Centaur zwangen mich dazu, auf der linken Flanke drei Einheiten abzustellen, aber dort passierte nichts. Dass nun auch die Brute Drones abgezogen wurden, bedeutete, dass ich zwei Regimenter dort einen langen Abzug durchführen lassen musste, der durch das Haus blockiert wurde. Außerdem wagte ich mich nicht stark nach vorne, da ich mit Nachteil auf die Initiative ungern einen Initiativewurf forcieren wollte.

In Runde Fünf hatte erneut ein Deep im Deck, um den Wassermarker zu verlegen, und die Brute Drones hatten in der vorherigen Runde noch sechs Schaden von den Flamecastern erhalten. Mit Molten Blades war ich zuversichtlich, ihnen erheblichen Schaden durch Gols zufügen zu können. Daher legte ich Maharajah und die Ghols nach oben, danach die Flamecaster. Die linke Flanke blieb weitgehend sinnfrei, während der Rest aus dem Zentrum und das Depp für den Wassermarker nach unten kamen. Guido gewann den Startwurf, wie fast immer, aufgrund des Kartennachteils, und schickte die Brute Drones unerwarteterweise in die Ghols, direkt ins Hindering und Dangerous Water. Clash auf die 1, seine Erwartungen waren höher als die Leistung der Brute Drones. Die drei Stands schafften trotz Rerolls und Charakter nur eine Handvoll Treffer. Ich schaffte zwei Schutzwürfe und meine Moraltests und erlitt danach nur drei Schaden. Ein akzeptables Ergebnis für mich und äußerst unangenehm für Guido.Dann wünschte der Maharajah sich Molten Blades und die Ghols schlugen zurück. Der Schaden war wegen des Wassers überschaubar, aber die Flamecaster dahinter lösten das Problem freundlich und brachten mich in Führung. Ich hatte eigentlich erwartet, dass der Siegebreaker früh in die Sword Dancer im Wald springen würde, doch Guido zögerte. Er erkannte dass die Bedrohung durch die Sword Dancer nur künstlich war. Würden die rausspringen, würden sie zwar Schaden verursachen und nichts töten. Ich hingegen würde die ganz sicher verlieren. Würde er in den Wald gehen, würde es von allen Seiten Efreets auf harten Drogen in seinem Gesicht geben. Da ihm aber Langsam drohten die Aktivierungen auszugehen, schickte er schließlich den Pteraphon in den Wald zu den Sword Dancern. Er tötete sogar einen, der später mit einem Fiery Dominion zurückkehrte. Der Siegebreaker führte einen Move Charge auf die ersten Flamecaster aus, ein Charge auf die fünf, aber der Pteraphon stand nun so, dass er zwei W6 für den Charge verwenden durfte und dazu noch Rerolls hatte. Ich legte daraufhin den Wassermarker so, dass seine beiden Monster und die Leonine schön im Wasser standen.

Auf der rechten Flanke blickten wir uns feindselig an. Seine Desolation Drones deckten die Centaur mit ihren Körpern, sodass ich keinen guten Move Charge ausführen konnte und einen Schritt zurückgehen musste. Auf der linken Flanke begann mein langer Marsch ins Zentrum. Am Ende sammelten wir beide sieben Punkte, während ich zwei Geysire und ein Fiery Dominion für die nächste Runde ins Deck legte.

In Runde Sechs gefiel mir das Bild auf dem Feld. Selbst wenn der Siegebreaker durchbrechen sollte, würden zwei Molten Blades Sword Dancer ihn in Empfang nehmen. Der Pteraphon war praktisch erledigt, und ich musste nur noch die Leonine auslöschen, um das Ganze perfekt abzuschließen. Sie standen in Reichweite von Maharajah und im Wasser. Ich legte Maharajah nach oben, gefolgt von zwei Geysiren, und wartete ab, wie sich die Dinge entwickeln würden.

Guido begann und erschoss mit den Leonine einen Flamecaster. Danach starben am Maharajah und dem Geysir die Ponymädchen. Sein Pteraphon schlug zu, wirkte jedoch wirkungslos, während der Siegebreaker uninspiriert, aber mit Burnout genug Motivation hatte, die Flamecaster zu töten. Er bewegte sich in die Zone zu den nun toten Leonine um. Das war nicht weit genug und Zum Schluss schickte ich meine Sword Dancer und Ghols nach, die seiner Existenz ein Ende setzten. Damit war die rechte Flanke nur die rechzte Flanke über. Die hielt sich noch eine Runde tapfer, aber ich konnte nun einfach stumpf Sachen in ihn werfen und langsam wurden die Centaur und FGD von der Übermacht ertränkt.

Sieg für die freundlichen Efreets von nebenan und im Finale.

Spiel 4 – Maelstorm gegen Jorrit mit City States

Das letzte Spiel führte mich gegen die neuen City States. Unsere City States Spieler waren schon sehr erfreut, als die neuen Regeln am Donnerstag vor dem Turnier erschienen, und Nino hatte mir am Abend zuvor auch nur Positives über sein Spiel gegen Jorrit und die City States erzählt. Bei so viel Euphorie wollte ich natürlich ebenfalls sehen, was da passierte. Aber unbekannte Dinge können einem immer sehr weh tun, und da Jorrit im ersten Spiel Nino geschlagen hatte, war ich entsprechend vorsichtig. Dachte ich jedenfalls.

Zuerst aber zu den sehr positiven Dingen: Fin und Alex erklärten sich bereit, den Jorrit und mir zugeteilten Wassertisch zu übernehmen, und so durfte ich wieder auf der Wüstenplatte mit den Palmen spielen. Vom Gelände her machte das keinen Unterschied, aber so gab es ein episches Duell zwischen den City States und den Sorcerer Kings im Sand.

Die Liste aus grob aus dem Kopf;

The City States [1990/2000]

== Polemarch [90]:
* Phalangites (5) [255]: Lochagos, Sacred Band Veterans
* Hephaestian (1) [220]:
* Minotaur Thyreans (3) [190]:
* Thorakites (4) [185]: Lochagos, Minotaur Thyrean Auxiliary

== (Warlord) Polemarch [90]:
* Phalangites (5) [255]: Dorilates, Sacred Band Veterans

== Eidolon [110]:
* Inquisitors (3) [180]:
* Inquisitors (3) [180]:
* Hoplites (5) [235]: Lochagos, Minotaur Haspist Auxiliary

Keine Streitwägen, kein Aristarch, dafür drei große Infanterieblöcke und dazu Inquisitoren. Ich hatte ehrlich gesagt keine Ahnung, was mich erwartete, und außer einer kurzen Erklärung zur neuen Supremacy vom Polemarch entschied ich mich für Lernen durch Schmerzen. Die Tatsache, dass er einmal einfach anfangen durfte, war mir ziemlich egal, da ich aufgrund des Kartenvorteils bisher sowieso nur eine einzige Initiative im ganzen Turnier gewonnen hatte.

Gespielt wurde das Szenario Maelstorm. In meinen Augen eines der schlechtesten Szenarien, da man kaum aufholen konnte, wenn der Gegner einmal in Führung ging und die Zonen einfach verweigerte. Genau das war daher auch mein Plan: In Runde zwei punkten und für Runde drei alles so bedrohen, dass er aufgrund meines Kartenvorteils zuerst hineingehen musste und hoffentlich starb oder aber gezwungen nicht zu punkten.

In der ersten Runde brachte er die Thorakites aufs Feld, während ich wieder drei Ghol-Regimenter mit zwei Charakteren hatte. Zwei Ghols gingen ins Zentrum, direkt gegenüber den Thorakites, und die letzten Ghols stellte ich auf die linke Flanke. Sechs Token für das Fiery Dominion waren sofort gesammelt und schon ging es in Runde zwei.

Unsere Reinforcements liefen für beide in Runde 2 gut. Ich bekam die letzten Ghols, dreimal Sword Dancer und einmal Mahabharati. Ganz oben kamen zuerst ein Raj, dann weitere Sword Dancer und weitere Regimenter, sodass ich das Wasserritual ebenfalls fertig machen konnte. Ich erwartete zwar nicht, dass die Thorakites sofort in meine Reihen springen würden, aber falls sie es doch täten, konnte ich reagieren.

Wir bewegten uns beide langsam auf die Platte. Er stellte einen Polemarchen auf die linke Flanke, einen weiteren in die Mitte und ganz rechts den Eidolon mit den Hopliten.Ihnen gegenüber positionierte ich den Raj mit Sword Dancer, während in der Mitte zwei Sword Dancer Regimenter aufmarschierten. Die Ghols machten alle einen Schritt nach vorne und die Mahabharati nahmen die linke Zone ein.

Runde 3, bei mir kamen nur die letzten Sword Dancer nicht und bei ihm der Titan und einmal Inquisitoren. Gefühlt wollte ich alles unten liegen haben, also versuchte ich das mit den Ritualen und Charakteren irgendwie abzufedern. Es passierte fünf bis sechs Aktivierungen lang nichts, dann gingen die Ghols im Zentrum ohne Charakter, aber mit Molten Blades, in die Thorakites und machten quasi nichts. Eine Handvoll Treffer, gute Rüstungswürfe und unerwartete Widerstandsfähigkeit mit R5 und Re-rolls auf die 6 waren nicht das, womit ich gerechnet hatte. Ich hätte nachfragen können und sollen, aber so gab ich die Ghols für fast nichts ab. Auf der rechten Seite traute er sich nicht allzu weit nach vorne, weil er in der nächsten Runde keinen Flankencharge von Sword Dancern riskieren wollte, und so stellte ich den anderen Sword-Dancer-Block mit Raj auf die Zone.

Auf der linken Flanke marschierten seine Kühe mit Zweihandwaffen und die Inquisitoren auf. Dann gingen die Phalangites maximal nach vorne und ich legte einen Wassermarker auf sie. Am Ende der Runde gab es einen Charge vom Raj mit Ghols und Molten Blades, dazu ein paar Stands Flamecaster, die ebenfalls auf die Phalangites schossen. Am Ende standen die Phalangites nur noch mit zwei bis drei Leben und der Hälfte ihrer Stands im Wasser. Wieder Punkte für mich und dazu Intrusive Thoughts und Geysir ins Deck.

In Runde vier kam der Rest seiner Verstärkungen. Er nutzte die Supremacy, mit der er anfangen durfte, sobald oben eine Polemarch-Karte lag, und wählte die gebrochene Einheit. Zuerst ein Duell, das ich tapfer ablehnte, und dann als Folgeaktivierung die Phalangites. Sammeln war unnötig, da Always Inspire, und dann schlugen sie zu, ohne die Ghols zu töten. Diese waren zwar gebrochen und hatten nur noch zwei Leben, aber sie lebten. Also setzte ich einen Angriffszauber auf die Phalangites, die dennoch mit einem Leben übrigblieben. In der Folgeaktivierung griffen die Ghols uninspiriert an, machten aber den letzten Punkt Schaden und sammelten sich anschließend. Erst wollte ich zurückgehen, aber falls mich jemand chargen sollte, dann bitte im Wasser, und zufällig standen Mahabharati und Sword Dancer perfekt für einen Gegenschlag bereit.

Trotzdem griffen die Inquisitoren an und erschlugen die Ghols. Die zweiten Inquisitoren kamen ebenfalls in die Nähe, und die Zweihandkühe stellten sich außerhalb von elf Zoll zu den Mahabharati, weil er mir keinen Charge auf sie erlauben wollte, solange auch die Flamecaster noch feuern konnten. Also griff ich mit den Sword Dancern samt Molten Blades die Inquisitoren an und nahm sie vom Feld.

In der Mitte töteten seine Thorakites viel früher eine weitere Einheit Ghols, während die Sword Dancer in der Flanke auftauchten. Danach gingen seine Phalangites in die Zone, verloren einen Stand durch Beschuss, und der Titan stellte sich an die Seite der Sword Dancer. Es blieb nur noch die rechte Zone, wo ich erwartet hatte, dass er die Hopliten zurückzieht. Stattdessen schickte er sie mit Move Charge gegen meine Sword Dancer. Unerwartet griffen die Sword Dancer mit Molten Blades zurück, beseitigten die Hopliten und dominierten für den Rest des Spiels die rechte, große Zone. Die ersten drei Stands starben am Clash, der Rest am Resolve 2, und das Regiment war gebrochen.

Insgesamt war ich sehr zufrieden. Zwar holte er auch zwei Punkte, aber egal, wo er anfing, ich konnte woanders hart zuschlagen. Daher kamen ein Fiery Dominion mit Sword Dancer nach oben, dann Flamecaster und natürlich das Deep, um den Wassermarker sinnvoll zu platzieren. Wir würfelten für die Initiative, und zu meiner Überraschung durfte ich anfangen. Unerwartet. Ich überlegte, wo er vermutlich beginnen würde, und verwarf den Gedanken wieder. Ich wollte außerdem sicherstellen, dass die linke Zone dauerhaft gehalten wurde. Daher chargte ich in die Kühe, wobei brav zwei von ihnen nach Hause geschickt wurden. Aber 21 Leben und T1 sind einfach absurd viel, und die letzte Kuh sah mich immer noch grimmig an. Dann erschlug der Titan in der Mitte die Sword Dancer vor ihm, und ich tötete noch ein bis zwei Stands Phalangiten. Sehr viel später ging mein Maharajah mit Ghols und Molten Blades auf diese Einheit und schickte sie nach Hause.

Auf der linken Flanke war es zuvor noch interessant, als die Inquisitoren die Sword Dancer töteten und die Kuh sich in den Weg stellte. Die Flamecaster grillten sie, und die Inquisitoren wurden von den Mahabharati und einem Geysir getötet. Die weiteren Runden schenkten wir uns, da Jorrit mit einem Regiment unmöglich aufholen konnte.

Jorrit war ein wirklich witziger Gegner, und gerade auf der Platte war das Spiel trotz des sinnfreien Szenarios schön anzusehen. Mit vier Siegen landete ich auf Platz 1, Guido auf Platz 2 und Nino holte Platz 3. Damit war unsere erste Exkursion in die Niederlande seit den Warmachine NL Masters 2015 erfolgreich verlaufen.

Schlussgedanken zur Armeeliste

Mono-Feuer war unglaublich witzig zu spielen. Auch wenn ich glaube, dass King of Nothings oder Banksters Matschtornado oder Mono-Wind stärker sein könnten, ist Mono-Feuer keineswegs unspielbar, wie es manchmal dargestellt wird. Es gibt klare Schwächen bei Scoring und Bedrohungsreichweiten, und besonders mit meinem Build ist man oft im Nachteil bei der Initiative. Trotzdem sieht die Armee einfach fantastisch auf dem Tisch aus.

Beim Maharajah stört es, dass man die Rituale nun mit abwechselnden Courts ausführen muss, außer bei Wasser. Das macht das Vorgehen für den Mitspieler manchmal schwer nachvollziehbar. Mein Build erlaubte mir bis zu drei Rituale pro Runde, aber mit mehr Monstern für größere Reichweite und Flexibilität könnte man auch auf zwei Rituale pro Runde reduzieren und fährt damit deutlich stabiler.

Raj bleibt ein grundsolider Kampfcharakter und in Kombination mit Molten Blades einfach überzeugend. Der Verlust von Flank ist schmerzhaft, aber ich sehe keinen Grund, ihn nicht fast immer doppelt unabhängig vom Court zu spielen.

Efreet Sword Dancers sind weiterhin die beste Nahkampfeinheit der Sorcerer Kings und das Arbeitstier, das Mono-Feuer überhaupt interessant macht. Außerdem mag ich die Modelle.

Die Efreet Flamecasters treffen nun normal auf nur 14 Zoll, was durch Höhe zwei zwar attraktiv bleibt, aber die Reichweite und Volley 2 sind fast ein Ausschlusskriterium für mich.

Ghols als Screen sind, wie Gregor schon immer predigt, mittlerweile fast unverzichtbar. Die Charaktere in den Ghols sind nur sinnvoll, wenn ich die Rituale maximieren möchte. Und noch genug andere Regimenter zum punkten habe, weil die Ghols mit Charakteren nur ungerne in der vordersten Reihe kämpfen. Schon gar nicht, wenn sie kein Court of Fire sind.

Würde ich die Liste noch mal spielen? Vielleicht, aber nicht gerne wenn ich das Turnier auch gewinnen möchte. Dafür hat die Liste einfach zu viele Nachteile die mich echt stören.

Grüße

Hanna

Donnerstag, 2. Oktober 2025

Battlereports from Battle for Zeist Day 1 (Sorcerer Kings vs OD & 100k)

Overview
Day 1
Day 2

Hi,

on the last weekend of September, Nino had planned to go to Zeist in the Netherlands, and I decided to join him on short notice. It was a good opportunity to play four games with the new update. With that, we continued our series and will likely play at nine tournaments over the next twelve weeks. Since we were at an event last weekend and the one before that as well, I’m a bit behind with my battle reports—but the ones from before the update are probably not as interesting anyway, compared to this one here from the quaint town of Zeist. So, four hours’ drive to Zeist, two nights of accommodation, and a look at what our neighbors are playing.

I myself was undecided for quite a while about what I wanted to play—mainly because my four big Windbirds are still unpainted. After going back and forth for some time, I finally decided to play Mono Fire Sorcerer Kings again. I love the look of the models, and the update was pretty much a death blow to my W’adrhun lists.

Glutherz [2040/2000]
Sorcerer Kings

== (Warlord) Maharajah [165]: Shu'laat, Court of Fire, Court of Water, Recorder of all Deeds
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire

== Raj [120]: Court of Fire
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
* Mahabharati Initiates (3) [160]:

== Raj [135]: Court of Fire, Bound to the Elements
* Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire

As you can see, there were only a few changes compared to the list before the update. I had tried Fire and Wind, but wasn’t happy with it and ended up going with this version on the spot. I was a bit worried in case the opponent brought a lot of shooting, or if they managed to hold most zones by round two. The first was covered by Fiery Dominion, the second by including Recorder of All Deeds and Mahabharati. I liked the models, and at worst they could just fail. And before anyone asks—yes, with that many cards I barely won any Supremacy throughout the entire tournament, and most of the time I only got to go first when my opponent kindly gave me the chance in the first two rounds… which, of course, was exactly when it was a disadvantage for me.

Game 1 – Head to Head with Sam and Old Dominion

In the first game I faced Sam, who had already come to Germany a few times to play. Up to now I had only played against his brother Fin. When I saw that we would be playing on a desert board with palm trees, I was doubly excited.

The Old Dominion [1995/2000]

== (Warlord) Mounted Strategos [185]: Aventine Armor, Skofnung, Eternal Discipline
* Kataphraktoi (4) [255]: Hetairos
* Kataphraktoi (5) [320]: Hetairos
* Centaur Prodromoi (3) [150]:
* Athanatoi (3) [170]:

== Xhiliarch [100]:
* Legionnaires (3) [100]:
* Varangian Guard (5) [310]:

== Hierodeacon [105]: Devoted to Hazlia
* Legionnaires (3) [100]:
* Legionnaires (3) [100]:
* Legionnaires (3) [100]:

That was a lot of cavalry, and the hindering terrain wasn’t where I would have liked it against such an army. Once again, all those test games against the “Pommesmann,” who regularly fielded large blocks of cavalry against me, paid off.

Round 1: Sam had no lights, and I deployed three groups of Ghols with a Maharajah and a Raj on the board. On top of that, I started a Fiery Dominion and placed six tokens on it.

In the second round, we both drew three medium cards. Sam chose all Legionaries, while I went for Mahabharati, Sword Dancer with Raj, and one Flamecaster. Deck-building was more or less irrelevant. I just needed to make sure my nine cards would give me 9 to 10 tokens.

Our troops advanced onto the battlefield. Sam’s three Legionaries formed a nice line from the center to the left flank. I decided to threaten the large zone on the right with Mahabharati and Sword Dancers, while holding the center with Ghols and Flamecasters. By the end of the round, I had a Fiery Dominion and a Call Forth the Deep in my deck, and a Fiery Dominion with a few tokens on the board.

It didn’t get much more exciting in Round 3 either. Our ranges were limited, and we were content just to get troops onto the battlefield. I drew everything except one Sword Dancer, Sam got everything except one Kataphraktos. He chose not to play them with his Warlord, planning to bring them in later via a flank. With five more cards than Sam, I could afford to tuck my right flank deep into the deck. Two Ghols and a Flamecaster instinctively went far back as well.

Fairly early on, a broad line of Kataphraktoi appeared in the center, with Athanatoi and Prodromoi alongside, and on the far left the Varangians, who clearly intended to attack my small zone. Since the path there was long, I decided to invest few resources on that side. If I could kill the horses in the center, I could swing over and slow—or perhaps even stop—the Varangians. I also didn’t want any Ponies or Athanatoi in my flank.

Most of the Legionaries advanced cautiously, and with his last regiment he leapt into the center with a Move Charge right in my face. I was surprised, but with the Ghols and Flamecaster not yet activated, two Stands went down.

On the right flank, the Legionaries stepped back again when I placed my Mahabharati into the zone, and the Sword Dancer and Flamecaster there just took positions for the next round.

In Round 4, the last cards went into the deck, and I mentally prepared for some real action. I decided to tuck my mages up into the deck, followed by the rituals. I wanted to wait as long as possible before taking any decisive action, which worked out well because Sam didn’t dare advance. With the Ghols, I killed the last Stand fairly early, while otherwise our armies mostly just glared at each other.

Once he was done and his Warlord unit appeared behind the Legionaries on the right, my Mahabharati moved into the activated Legionaries with a Move Charge. My Flamecaster dealt two to three damage to the Legionaries, and my Sword Dancers with Raj positioned themselves eleven inches from the currently blocked Kataphraktoi with Warlord. The plan for the next round was clear. To prevent a nuisance charge from the second Kataphraktoi next round, I also sent a Ghol unit with a Charge against a Legionary unit, and with Molten Blades they took down two Stands. This allowed me to score alone in the large zone again, still holding three rituals in my deck, and although I had an 8-point lead, I didn’t feel safe at all.

For the next round, my deck-building was greedily focused on the right flank, while Sam opted for the center. He started cleaning up the Ghols near his Legionaries and cleared some units in the middle. I could have intervened there, but I preferred to eliminate the Legionaries and the Warlord on the right side. I almost succeeded on the first attempt, and additionally moved my water marker onto the remnants of the Kataphraktoi with Warlord. With only Clash 1, they no longer posed a threat.

In the center, I fought my way free with shooting and melee, and after an uninspired Clash, I immediately sent a Sword Dancer unit into the back of the Athanatoi. Another Sword Dancer unit used Move Charge against the second Kataphraktoi, and my Flamecaster took out another Pony on the flank. Overall, things went well, and when Sam botched the Move Charge with the Varangians, the outcome was essentially decided. I stepped back a bit, ensuring that in the next round they couldn’t perform any Charge Clash on anything.

I held the right zone for the rest of the game, gradually sending troops against the Varangians until they finally fell after three rounds.

That gave me a strong start in the tournament. Next, I would face Jaime with his Hundred Kingdoms on Off Balance—not exactly my preferred matchup for this scenario, but anything is better than Spire.

Game 2 – Off Balance with Jaime and Hundred Kingdoms

This time, instead of the desert, we played on lush meadows with pretty forests and fields. Once again, there was nice 3D terrain, which I really appreciated. I couldn’t say the same about Jaime’s list, though.

A total of 15 cards, Order Imperial. Could almost be one of mine—if it weren’t for the five characters. Four would already give me a headache, but in principle, I find the list interesting. For reinforcements, he only rolls for the Lights; the rest arrive automatically. This means that by Round 2, he’s almost guaranteed to be in both zones, and he can likely hold them in Round 3 as well unless I make a big effort or get extremely lucky with my reinforcements. Very annoying.

The Hundred Kingdoms [2000/2000]

== Imperial Officer [90]:
* Steel Legion (3) [160]:
* Hunter Cadre (3) [160]:
* Militia Bowmen (3) [80]:
* Hunter Cadre (3) [160]:

== Imperial Officer [120]: Armor of Dominion
* Gilded Legion (5) [240]:
* Militia Bowmen (3) [80]:

== (Warlord) Priory Commander (Crimson Tower) [120]:
* Order of the Crimson Tower (3) [210]:
* Order of the Sealed Temple (3) [200]:

== Chapter Mage [80]: School of Water
* Mercenary Crossbowmen (3) [110]:

== Chapter Mage [80]: School of Fire
* Mercenary Crossbowmen (3) [110]:

In the first round, we both rolled for reinforcements; I missed one Ghols unit. Generously, he let me go first, even though he had won the initiative roll. I placed the first Ghols on the left in the forest. Then came his two characters, and I positioned the Maharajah Ghols behind the first unit, while placing the Ghols with Raj just out of double Move-Fire-Dart range. Maybe a bit paranoid, but I’ve already killed so many units with exactly that move that I preferred to play it safe. I was prepared to not really get actively involved until Round 4 or 5 anyway. For a ritual, I again started a Fiery Dominion and placed 5 tokens on it.

Round 2: the last Ghols arrived, along with Raj with Sword Dancer, a normal Sword Dancer unit, and a Flamecaster unit. One character came on top, followed by regiments so that the Water ritual could get its 6 tokens, and additional characters. I wanted to at least collect ritual tokens if I couldn’t really do anything else.

On his side, the Bowmen activated first, followed by the knights on the far right flank and the Hunting Cadre. None of these went into a zone. Later, Jaime mentioned he had been worried I might try to take out his units early. Would I have tried? Maybe if I could have reached them, but they were simply too far away.

I positioned my Sword Dancers with Raj far left, opposite a Hunter Cadre, and the Flamecaster behind the Ghols. I saw the left flank, with a healer and the Hunter Cadre, as my best chance to break through. I expected the Gilded Legion there, and I was confident that the Sword Dancer block could crack them with Intrusive Thoughts and Deadly despite their Pike Formation—or at least I hoped so if the Gilded Legion hadn’t activated yet. That wasn’t the case yet, and in the end, I was glad that neither of us scored in this round.

Slowly, Round 3 began. I drew everything except one Sword Dancer. I considered how to build my deck: rituals on top, then characters, and a few regiments to deploy onto the board. He continued to keep his distance, which suited me. If I had known that earlier, I would have played the Mahabharati in Round 2, but this worked out fine too.

On the right flank, his Bowmen and Crossbows advanced, with the Crimson Tower appearing behind them. I placed my Water marker right in the middle, mainly to slowly kill the Crossbows with the Geyser.

On the left flank, both of his Legions arrived, and eventually his Hunter Cadre pushed through. I decided to shove my Sword Dancers with Raj into the left zone. Then the Ghols with the Maharajah did a small reform, and the old man killed a Stand of Hunter Cadre with a nice Burn to Cinders. Jaime had nothing in the right zone, giving me a two-point lead. On top of that, three neat rituals went into my deck.

Round 4. The score stood at 17 to 15 cards, and I might soon draw a Hunter Cadre. I considered playing greedily but quickly dismissed the idea. Playing conservatively was better than relying on lucky initiative rolls. So I built my deck more for patience, while anticipating that he might push into me on the right flank. That’s why I placed a few Sword Dancers at the bottom of the deck to counter.

Besides the usual “alibi” activations, the Geyser dealt six damage to the Crossbows, and Burn to Cinders from the Maharajah killed the damaged Hunter Cadre. They had done a bit of damage to the objective beforehand, but that was fine.

Then something happened that I would later use as leverage. Jaime sent his Bowmen to the edge of the right zone, but positioned so that the regiment that would charge would be standing in the zone. This would become important later.

Before that, the left side was the focus. His Gilded Legion used Move Charge against the Ghols, and thus entered the left zone. I dealt some damage with strikes and the Flamecasters, but most of the models were healed back up.

In the picture, they appear further away, but that was just because the Stands and the Ghols didn’t fit well together, so we left a small gap. That gap became irrelevant when Raj with the Sword Dancer, as the last activation of the round, struck into the flank and bypassed the Pike Formation. A solid 20 hits later, Jaime was kind enough to roll enough sixes that the regiment was dead from Morale exactly.

But back to the right flank, where something important had happened a few activations earlier. Since he had hardly any cards left—essentially only the two knights were still relevant—I decided to take a small gamble. Thanks to the double Fiery Dominions, the Mahabharati had Juggernaut and could charge the Bowmen. His Crossbows had already activated, and in theory, only the Crimson Tower or the Sealed Temple could charge the Mahabharati. If that had happened, my Sword Dancers with Molten Blades could have intervened, and the Flamecasters would have finished off the rest.

Since he only had a few cards left and I was about to get two Sword Dancers, I hoped the Crimson Tower would be positioned ahead of the Sealed Temple. If that hadn’t been the case, it would have been an expensive trade, but I still had two Sword Dancers and a Ghols regiment with Raj, so I considered it acceptable. As it turned out, the Crimson Tower appeared and chose not to charge the Mahabharati in the zone, instead positioning themselves in front of the Crossbows. Perfect—this allowed my next Sword Dancers to perform a Move Charge exactly one activation before the Sealed Temple. The damage was modest, but I denied the zone, and the Sealed Temple stood helplessly by.

This basically secured my left flank. On the right, the Sealed Temple were blocked, and the worst that could happen next round would have been the Crimson Tower uninspiredly killing the Sword Dancers and then moving into the Mahabharati.

Round Six. I put Raj and a Sword Dancer on top, then planned to place a Water marker, followed immediately by the Mahabharati. The rest of my deck was again built for patience and counterattacks. Jaime went first, triggering his Commander’s Supremacy and opting for the uninspired Clash. A brief moment of tension, but the Sword Dancers survived with a few wounds or a single Stand. After that, I had no more hurry. I activated the Sword Dancers with Raj, took a Charge into the Crossbows with the Water Mage, killed them, and thus avoided the Charge from the Hunter Cadre.

After that, nothing much happened for a while. His Steel Legion got to hit the Ghouls and lost models, and the Flamecasters with the Ghouls wiped out the Steel Legion. The Crossbows behind the Crimson Tower went down in the second Geyser, and then I waited. Eventually, the lone Sword Dancer activated, was healed by the Fiery Dominion, and together with the Flamecasters nearly killed a knight. I placed a Water marker behind the knights to soften their attacks and moved the Ghouls in front of the Mahabharati.

On the right flank, the Sword Dancers took out the last Bowmen and prepared to Move Charge into the back of the Sealed Temple next round. I was scoring alone again.

The game was nearing its end, and I put a Fiery Dominion and a Sword Dancer on top of the deck. The chances of going first were slim, but I had other options. Jaime went first, and the Sealed Temple turned around and almost killed the Sword Dancers. So far, so bad—but I still had more. My Sword Dancers at the Crimson Tower were healed, and the two models dealt six damage, enough to break the regiment. Jaime rallied them, but they were subsequently killed despite Water and later by the glorious Charge of the Raj Ghouls.

On the other side, I lost my Raj with Sword Dancer to the Hunter Cadre, which was then devoured by the Ghouls. I held all the zones, and we called it a game, since Jaime had nothing left except the Sealed Temple.

That completed Day 1. Some of the other tournament participants joined us, and we went together to a Korean restaurant. There, we learned that the South African language is very similar to Dutch and ended the evening with beer and Conquest discussions. Second Battlereport Day 2