Hi there,
As promised and this time actually a bit more on time, here is another short report from our adventures on the battlefield. Last week we set out on a nearly six-hour trip to Rodenbach to visit the guys who had already come up to see us in Bremerhaven last December.
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My current list is a slightly modified version of what the Sorcerer Kings are playing in Chios. It is not that I think Flamecasters are bad. Three are more than enough. After the update I doubt anyone will ever want to run five again. Since ranged regiments keep getting toned down, I added more Sword Dancers instead. You can never have too many elegant blade dancers, and to be honest I just like those models more than the Flamecasters.
Sorcerer Kings [2000/2000]
== (Warlord) Maharajah [120]: Court of Fire, Court of Air
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
== Sorcerer [120]: Prijm Khanjar, Court of Fire, Bound to the Elements
* Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
* Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
* Efreet Flamecasters (3) [170]:
== Raj [130]: Shu'laat, Court of Fire
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Ghols (3) [110]: Court of Fire
* Efreet Sword Dancers (3) [170]:
The Sorcerers as Bound to Element and the Raj are included because I have the Founders Exclusive and the Raj from the scenario box, and I just enjoy seeing the models on the table. The army is currently so strong that you can easily afford a few suboptimal choices without the game being thrown off balance.
How does it play out on the field? Most of the time I get my first Conflagration through in round one and from round four onwards I consistently have three rituals active. That means usually 17 cards in hand and free rein for my chaos magic. Honestly, at the moment it feels like magic on steroids and is simply brutal.
Game 1 was against Maphi, NTR 8 and currently the highest-ranked southern German player, with Wadrhun on Melee.
His list and archetype are very familiar to me. I enjoy playing them myself, so I have a pretty good idea of what will happen, when, and where.
The W'adrhŭn [2000/2000]
== (Warlord) Chieftain [130]: Conquest, Vision
* Veterans (3) [170]:
* Veterans (3) [170]:
* Slingers (3) [165]:
== Predator [100]: Death
* Braves (3) [125]:
* Braves (3) [125]:
* Apex Predator (1) [190]:
* Slingers (3) [165]:
== Matriarch Queen [110]: Death, Apex Master
* Warbred (3) [180]:
* Warbred (3) [180]:
* Apex Predator (1) [190]:
In round one I choose the Ghols with Maharajah. I get them along with the Raj through Flank and roll for one of the two remaining regiments. Maphi gets both Slinger units. I position all the Ghols in the center but do not advance them fully. He positions his Slinger units slightly to the right and also in the center. My mages succeed with their spells, giving me seven tokens in round one and a Conflagration for round two, either to score points or to punish Maphi if he moves too far forward.
Round two brings Maphi the Veterans with Chieftain, double Warbred, and one unit of Braves. I receive, alongside my last Ghols, the chosen Flamecasters with Sorcerer and two Sword Dancer units. The first activations are mostly formal. His Warbred move into one zone and his Slinger step slightly forward. He cannot reach anything, so I take a step back to ensure nothing changes next round either.
Since he unfortunately placed his Braves in the left large zone, I had to deny this zone with Conflagration and Wind Reform through Maharajah. In front of the other zone were Veterans, and my small unit was within range of the Slinger units. To ensure the Sword Dancers on the flank were not alone, I added another regiment. I positioned my Flamecasters on the far left so that anything moving into the large zone next round would be covered by fire. I only had one ritual, but I had hoped to have three by round four, assuming little would happen in the next round. The score at this point was 0:2 in favor of Wadrhun.
In round three I receive everything except one Flamecaster, while Maphi only has both Apex units.
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Game 2 was against H3M3 with Old Dominion, a Strategos archetype, and on top of that a rather tricky scenario in the form of Farsight.
My ranged weapons were quite intimidating for him, and apart from the Moroi, nothing really threatened me. On top of that, I had a card advantage and the absurd striking power of the Flamecasters.
In the first two rounds our reinforcements arrived without problems. We both set up rather conservatively so that neither of us could hit the other except during the last few activations. Unfortunately, we had roughly the same number of cards and of course still had that one regiment ready for the counterattack.
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We initially chose different zones, but in round three H3M3 randomly decided to pick the same zone as me, gaining a slight lead. I was able to take out his Warlord in return. So far so good, but we had only about 30 minutes of game time left, which meant we only managed to play round four. In the end, I won by a single point.
I was glad that my ritual concept in round one at least helped a little, but it is simply not my preferred list concept. I want to go back to radical long-range firepower to force the opponent to take action.
Game 3 was against Frank with Dweghom on Grind Them Down.
One of the final games was against Frank with Dweghom. For a game where you sometimes get the impression on Discord that nobody plays them anymore and that they are supposedly weak, Frank proves that completely wrong. The only thing missing are players who are willing to bring Dweghom to the table properly. With his really, really impressive models, I would even be happy just to have the chance to play them myself. Honestly, that alone made this my coolest matchup because it was one of the few painted armies at the tournament. Color is always better than the grey plague, and Frank’s army was far more than just colorful.
Now let us get to the game and his list. Based on Uziel’s recent tests with the Hold Raegh, I already had a good idea of what to expect.
Dweghom [2000/2000]
== (Warlord) Hold Raegh [125]: Bergont Raegh
* Initiates (3) [145]:
* Ironclad Drake (1) [220]:
== Ardent Kerawegh [90]:
* Flame Berserkers (4) [210]:
* Flame Berserkers (3) [160]:
* Wardens (3) [190]:
== Tempered Steelshaper [120]:
* Fireforged (3) [180]:
* Hold Ballistae (3) [140]:
* Steelforged (3) [210]:
* Steelforged (3) [210]:
The Hold Raegh Warlord makes all Command and Character Stands count as +2 scoring Stands. Otherwise, the only thing that confused me was the absence of the new Lost, which would have fit perfectly into the army concept. But the Steelforged alone were already tricky enough.
In round one our reinforcements arrived without problems. In round two both of us received two units. I took the Flamecasters with Sorcerer and the Sword Dancers and placed them into the zones. Some flanked using Wind Reform while the others prepared with Conflagration. Frank countered by placing his Lights with the Hold Raegh Warlord into the zone, supported by Fireforged and Steelforged.
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I was probably standing a bit too far forward at this point, but I wanted to apply pressure this time. After the last slow game, I felt the need to move faster.
Round three, and we both get almost all of our reinforcements. I am missing only one Flamecaster. I know that in the next round I will activate aggressively and build my deck to take out the right-side Berserkers with the Sorcerer and Flamecasters. This works, even though the Ballista reduces my Ghols to a single stand, which is annoying. Afterwards, I advance broadly while Frank makes a clever move on the left flank, doing a double move directly into my zone in front of the Sword Dancers. Command Stand and Character are there, along with the spell that prevents my Sword Dancers from scoring. His hope is that the Dancers will not deal enough damage, allowing him to score and break through next round.
The plan was strong but had two weaknesses. First, another regiment of Flamecasters was coming in from the side and could shoot the Berserkers. Second, I could still cast Molten Blades on the Sword Dancers. I intended to just break the regiment, but instead they exploded precisely on target thanks to Deadly Blades.
The result: I score only one zone while Frank scores three. I am behind, but I have 17 cards for the next round versus his 9. Having twice as many cards meant I could wait it out, and that was exactly the plan.
Round four, Frank shoots at the Flamecasters rather than the almost-dead Ghols. The Ghols repay him with a charge on the activated Fireforged, blocking the Ironclad behind them. I follow up with double Fiery Dominion and a few dummy activations, which also heal the Ghols. Once he is done and in the zones, I make a big push forward. The Flamecasters ignite the Wardens on the right, while the Sword Dancers almost single-handedly take out the Steelforged with Deadly Blades. Again, far more damage than expected from D4 R4. In the end, we both hold two zones, but I secure my desired zone and start to catch up.
At this point the game was basically over. Frank did manage to take two regiments with him to the grave, but my Sorcerer wanted the final word. With eight attacks she almost single-handedly crushed the mighty Drake. Of course, he only had two remaining health and it did not really matter in the end, but she took him down almost entirely on her own.
My SoS was solid because all of my opponents had two victories each. Nino had kindly sided with Maphi instead of unleashing the true power of the Titans. With the scenario points, this was enough for me to take first place.
What is happening with the Sorcerer Kings right now is honestly ridiculously strong. The third action simply needs to go, and the Flamecasters are dealing far too much damage at the moment. It is a shame that Para Bellum addressed the Chosen of Death in the mini-update for Chios but did not remove Infernal Branding entirely.
After the tournament, some of us went to an Italian restaurant and spent the evening relaxing. Pizza, pasta, and a lot of laughter made the perfect ending to a long day of games.
