UK 40k GT game 6

Going into the last game I was 2-3, had I not been docked some painting points because I like to colour code my Grey Hunter packs (see my Gallery on Dakka: Rampage, Green squad, Yellow squad, Grey squad) I would be just about pushing for the top half, should I win my final game.

The mission was the Scouring with Dawn of War Deployment.


My final game of the weekend was against another player from the top 50 on Rankings HQ, Mr David W. Again, really nice guy, and he was running a Tau and Ork list. I can't remember everything that was in it, because I've played against Tau thrice in 10 years, but I'll give it a shot. 

Commander, 3 Crisis Suits, 3 Broadsides, 2 Tetras, 2 Sensory Towers or whatever they are, 2 Hammerheads with Forge World Plasma Cannons on, 2 squads of Fire Warriors, 2 squads of Kroot, Ghazghkull, 25 Shoota Boyz, 10 Lootas, 3 Lobbas.

This is actually a pretty bad match up for me, not only because I'm playing Tau, and I don't know what they do, but the list excells at killing Marines and big squads. My list is a big squad, with lots of Marines in and around it. Lovely. It's also Night Fight.

I have 2 things going for me though. 1. I have first turn. 2. I have the 4 point objective on my side of the field.

I swap out all of my psychic powers including the Jaws Priest to try and get a 4+ invulnerable save on the blob, I don't get it. I try with the Primaris Psyker for a bouncy 5+ one through Telekine Dome, nothing happening, although I do get Gate of Infinity.

I then commence my turn, things generally move about, nothing drastic, the Rhinos light up a couple of targets. I then drop the Grey Hunters down next to the Tetras, because I'm thinking that they're Forge World, quick and Dave was quite enthusaistic about them so they have to die. I end up getting 2 glancing hits and a Melta penetration. He then takes his 5+ saves and passes all of them.

Ok, no problem, I'll just fire other things. Manticore up. Fires at the Lootas before they shoot the blob. He goes to ground and passes all of his cover saves. Ok, well I still have Long Fangs, maybe they can kill something. Fire at a Hammerhead, take a Hull Point. Yes, finally some damage. The others fire at the Broadsides, hoping to kill 1 and force them to run off, as they're right at the back of the table. No wounds. Balls. 

He then moves his Orks forwards, and opens up. As I discovered, those Tetras passing their cover saves really hurt, they lit up my Manticore and through an excellent piece of positioning on David's part, he manages to just spot my Manticore, take my cover save away and kill it. He then fires at my blob with the Lobbas, kills like 5 of them, not too bad for me, because I spread out.

However, right as I'm about to start moving the blob up to rip apart Ghazzy's squad, as I got Prescience off, he remembers the Pinning check. I'm not going to be douchy so I take it. Double 6, and many expletives were uttered. I then shoot and cause 1 wound on Ghazghkull, that is it. And it's pretty much game now, he is guarenteed that centre objective as there is no way that the blob is going to survive a charge from Ghaz's lads never mind win and still have time to push forward to the objective and have the bodies to take a turn of sustained shooting.

Thanks to me hurling a Sergeant under the bus, Ghaz can only kill one guy when the charge comes, but the boyz kill 17, with the Guardsmen getting 1 kill in return. I fail my Leadership check and run away but only a few inches.

I then go for a bit of a ballsy move. There is another 3 point objective that is quite secluded, only his broadsides can see me and they'll only kill 3 Guardsmen a turn (although I have now been reminded that they actually had more weapons/upgrades, meaning 15 a turn, maybe not such a good idea, but kind of cool). I still have about 18 left. So I use Gate of Infinity to get over there, then scatter 8" into some impassible terrain, he places my blob, right infront of his anti-horde firepower and mows them down. Now I have an immobilised Rhino, 2 Grey Hunter Packs, and a Platoon Command squad left.

He charges my Grey Hunters, I challenge with the Wolf Guard, who dies nobly whilst my Grey Hunters beat down the Orks, however there are still 11 guys left in the squad when I'm done so their still Fearless. This then forces me to throw my Platoon command into the mix, and challenge with the Commander to save the Grey Hunters. I reduce the boyz to about 5 guys, but then Ghazghkull's free, and everyone dies bar a single guardsman, who runs away.

And then there were Grey Hunters, who get shot to crap at turn 5, leaving me tabled 18-0. Full marks to David though, he played it really well, and even though I got tabled, I still had a laugh.

To be fair though, if I'd been offered 2-4 before the tournament had started, then I'd probably have taken it. Everyone in the room has earnt their place. Look at the guys that I played. Game 1 I played the UK's number 1, game 2 I played against the player that finished 7th, game 3 I played against 28th in the UK, game 5 I played someone that finished 7th in his heat, and game 6 I played 47th in the UK and our best Tau player (all according to RankingsHQ).

This isn't me making excuses, this is just showing the level of competition that the GT final has, and you'd expect that, this is the most competitive singles tournament in the country, and to get 2 wins out of it, as well as playing some of our top players, I would deem a success. I'm really new on the tournament scene in the UK, and hopefully I can take what I've learnt on to the next event, and try and grab a top 50% finish. That's my next goal. I'm on the scene, now let's compete.