My blog posts and articles typically focus on new builds that I've tested and new approaches to competing in an established metagame.
Today's post is different in that I'm posting a purely hypothetical army build that I've never tested and only put together last night. It's been demanding my attention since I came up with it, though, and that usually means that I'm onto something that's either incredibly brilliant or stunningly stupid. Let's hope it's the former.
The established Warhammer 40k tournament metagame can be boiled down to a very simplistic overview; if your army is good at putting out a high volume of middle-strength shots at decent range, you're probably going to do well. Imperial Guard, Dark Eldar and Space Wolves all fit this stereotype; they can each put out a high volume of fire at 36"-48" ranging from Str 6 to Str 8.
The reason that builds like these do so well is that they counter the traditional min/max builds focusing on a large number of lightly armored vehicles; your six Rhinos, for example, are no match for my 27 Dark Lance shots turn one.
This all begs the question: What would happen if someone were to eschew the traditional min/max build and instead do their damndest to put out as many heavily armored vehicles as possible? If I were able to spam vehicles ranging from rear AV12 to rear AV14, would I be able to circumvent the fundamental strength of those top armies and saunter into the finals of a Grand Tournament?
I don't know, but I'm certainly curious. Here's my 1850 Grey Knights army:
HQ
Inquisitor Coteaz
Troops
Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
3 Warrior Acolytes w/Meltaguns
Razorback w/Heavy Bolter, Psybolt Ammo
Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
3 Warrior Acolytes w/Meltaguns
Razorback w/Heavy Bolter, Psybolt Ammo
Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
3 Warrior Acolytes w/Meltaguns
Razorback w/Heavy Bolter, Psybolt Ammo
Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
3 Warrior Acolytes w/Meltaguns
Razorback w/Heavy Bolter, Psybolt Ammo
Fast Attack
Stormraven Gunship
Assault Cannon, Multi-Melta
Stormraven Gunship
Assault Cannon, Multi-Melta
Stormraven Gunship
Assault Cannon, Multi-Melta
Heavy Support
Land Raider
Land Raider
Land Raider
The goal here is, as I mentioned, to put as many heavily armored vehicles on the board as possible. In order to do so I've taken Coteaz as my HQ and unlocked 12pt scoring units; each has been upgraded to carry three meltaguns, giving them the potential to lay some hurt if the opportunity arises.
Each scoring unit has taken a Razorback with Str 6 Heavy Bolters, but it's important to note that the Henchmen won't be riding in their transports; instead I'll protect them by placing three in Land Raiders and one in a Stormraven, giving me durable and versatile scoring units. The Razorbacks are going to be irritating for my opponent, as their beefed up Heavy Bolters can put the hurt on light armor and their AV11 should provide an enticing target to opposing anti-tank weaponry, thereby improving the durability of my three Stormravens.
Once again I'll put this list to the question: Can this win? I think that it can, especially given the opportunity to playtest and adjust it. Dark Eldar may be the roughest matchup for me, but then again it may not; with four Razorbacks able to deal with light armor and six heavy tanks that can shoot twelve targets per turn, I may be able to put their entire mech lineup into the dirt before they get a shot off.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Get Your Guns into the Fight!
There's no disputing that newer 40k codices tend to lend themselves more toward a variety of effective lists than older codices. This theme is rarely as apparent as in the case of Dark Eldar; while there is a traditional min/max list floating around the Internet that invariably does well at large events, less traditional builds have performed well in large-scale events as well.
Regardless of the exact build, however, all battle-proven lists have a concept in common; use the Dark Eldar's firepower early and often to break tanks and the squads inside and follow up with close combat-oriented cleanup squads.
Here's my list for the Bay Area Open:
Vect
Haemonculus
8 Wyches (Hydra Gauntlets, Hekatrix/Agoniser)
Dais of Destruction
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
3 Ravagers (3 Flickerfields)
My goal with this build was twofold; first, to find an effective balance between splinter and darklight weaponry in order to remain competitive against a variety of lists over a two-day period; and second, to cripple as many individual units as possible as quickly as possible, then to use the Wyches and Vect to clean up the remainders.
This list is a hard alpha strike list; it's vital that it go first regardless of the game type or deployment method since it has only ten AV units and six of those are vulnerable to something as commonplace as bolter fire. If, for example, I were to go second and lose only a single Venom full of Trueborn, my opponent would have removed 12 BS 4 poisoned shots and 4 Blaster shots from the game. Multiply that by the average of five turns that it would have survived had I gone first and been in a position to protect it and I've lost a total of 20 Blaster shots and a whopping 60 splinter cannon shots before the game's even begun.
In order to protect my ability to alpha strike, I've included Vect. He's a 240pt single model with the ability to seize the initiative on a roll of 4+. His improved seize does two things in competitive play; it scares half of my opponents into allowing me the first turn rather than risking a 50% chance that I'll seize and catch them out of position; and it also gives me a 50% chance to seize and catch my opponents out of position. Over the course of seven rounds at the Bay Area Open I was able to secure the first turn six times; the seventh game I won the die roll and chose to take second against an entirely deep-striking Tyranids list.
Alpha striking with Dark Eldar can be extremely difficult to accomplish. While each of my vehicles boasts a 36" range on its weaponry, my 15 Blasters have a range of 18" and my splinter rifles are 24" rapid fire. The key to success here is in the deployment; regardless of the scenario or its particular rules it's vital that you set up the entirety of your force as centrally as possible. In a tournament setting you're unlikely to come across an opponent who's eager to reserve anything and play at a handicap until it arrives on the board; instead, most players will either deploy in a corner as far away from you as possible or will mimic you with a central deployment. What I've found in extensive playtesting is that very few armies can (or are willing to) deploy entirely in the center of the board; most will concentrate the majority of their forces there and trail the remainder off to one side.
Your turn one should see each of your vehicles take advantage of their free rotation to gain an additional inch or two of movement, then move a full 12" away from any trailed-out units on your opponent's side of the board. The goal here is to remove trailing units from the early turns of the game and to focus fire instead on centralized units. Disembarking Trueborn units from a Venom that's used its free rotate effectively will give them an actual range of 34" and will give you (in the list I shared above, at least) 12 additional Blaster shots on turn one.
If your opponen is entirely mechanized you'll be using your splinter cannons to wipe out squads that fall out of broken tanks. If not, you'll need to focus your fire on long-range threats; Lootas, Devastators, and Longfangs all come to mind as squishy targets that should be high-priority for you.
By utlizing the combined firepower of all of your darklight weapons turn one, you should be able to cripple nearly any army you're matched up against. My list above has a total of 27 strength 8 lance shots on turn one, each of which can result in an Explodes! or Wrecked result for anything in the game short of a Monolith.
Aside from the fact that it's always fun to blow up as many targets as possible, your goal here is to leave your opponent with so few units capable of downing your own AV targets that you can predict and, in fact, control what they'll be shooting at. The Dais of Destruction in my list is the only vehicle to move 6" turn one, since it can't move further than that and still shoot all three lances; between the relatively short movement, the fact that it doesn't have Flickerfields and the threat level of Vect and a squad of Wyches, it should almost always be my opponent's first target. Since it has AV 13 all around and a narrow profile that's great for generating cover saves, it should absorb more than a single lascannon shot before it goes down. The trick here is that I want it to go down; better a transport carrying a unit with Feel No Pain and that's relatively mobile than a squad of Trueborn who can be entirely lost to a Venom explosion.
The Ravagers in this list serve a similar function; they're AV 11, which requires more firepower to down than AV 10, and they house less firepower than a single Trueborn Venom. Better that my opponent focuses fire on the three of them than my six multi-tasking Venoms.
If you're able to effectively alpha strike, you're not likely to lose more than the Dais of Destruction and a single Ravager on your opponent's first turn. When you follow up with the majority of your firepower still intact turn two you'll have taken complete control of the game; that's the point at which you unleash Vect and his Wyches and make as many multiple assault moves as possible in order to quickly accumulate Pain Tokens (which will increase your squad's survivability) and to sweep whatever remaining resistance your opponent may have right off the board.
Regardless of the exact build, however, all battle-proven lists have a concept in common; use the Dark Eldar's firepower early and often to break tanks and the squads inside and follow up with close combat-oriented cleanup squads.
Here's my list for the Bay Area Open:
Vect
Haemonculus
8 Wyches (Hydra Gauntlets, Hekatrix/Agoniser)
Dais of Destruction
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
5 Kabalite Warriors (Blaster)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
4 Kabalite Trueborn (4 Blasters)
Venom (Splinter Cannons)
3 Ravagers (3 Flickerfields)
My goal with this build was twofold; first, to find an effective balance between splinter and darklight weaponry in order to remain competitive against a variety of lists over a two-day period; and second, to cripple as many individual units as possible as quickly as possible, then to use the Wyches and Vect to clean up the remainders.
This list is a hard alpha strike list; it's vital that it go first regardless of the game type or deployment method since it has only ten AV units and six of those are vulnerable to something as commonplace as bolter fire. If, for example, I were to go second and lose only a single Venom full of Trueborn, my opponent would have removed 12 BS 4 poisoned shots and 4 Blaster shots from the game. Multiply that by the average of five turns that it would have survived had I gone first and been in a position to protect it and I've lost a total of 20 Blaster shots and a whopping 60 splinter cannon shots before the game's even begun.
In order to protect my ability to alpha strike, I've included Vect. He's a 240pt single model with the ability to seize the initiative on a roll of 4+. His improved seize does two things in competitive play; it scares half of my opponents into allowing me the first turn rather than risking a 50% chance that I'll seize and catch them out of position; and it also gives me a 50% chance to seize and catch my opponents out of position. Over the course of seven rounds at the Bay Area Open I was able to secure the first turn six times; the seventh game I won the die roll and chose to take second against an entirely deep-striking Tyranids list.
Alpha striking with Dark Eldar can be extremely difficult to accomplish. While each of my vehicles boasts a 36" range on its weaponry, my 15 Blasters have a range of 18" and my splinter rifles are 24" rapid fire. The key to success here is in the deployment; regardless of the scenario or its particular rules it's vital that you set up the entirety of your force as centrally as possible. In a tournament setting you're unlikely to come across an opponent who's eager to reserve anything and play at a handicap until it arrives on the board; instead, most players will either deploy in a corner as far away from you as possible or will mimic you with a central deployment. What I've found in extensive playtesting is that very few armies can (or are willing to) deploy entirely in the center of the board; most will concentrate the majority of their forces there and trail the remainder off to one side.
Your turn one should see each of your vehicles take advantage of their free rotation to gain an additional inch or two of movement, then move a full 12" away from any trailed-out units on your opponent's side of the board. The goal here is to remove trailing units from the early turns of the game and to focus fire instead on centralized units. Disembarking Trueborn units from a Venom that's used its free rotate effectively will give them an actual range of 34" and will give you (in the list I shared above, at least) 12 additional Blaster shots on turn one.
If your opponen is entirely mechanized you'll be using your splinter cannons to wipe out squads that fall out of broken tanks. If not, you'll need to focus your fire on long-range threats; Lootas, Devastators, and Longfangs all come to mind as squishy targets that should be high-priority for you.
By utlizing the combined firepower of all of your darklight weapons turn one, you should be able to cripple nearly any army you're matched up against. My list above has a total of 27 strength 8 lance shots on turn one, each of which can result in an Explodes! or Wrecked result for anything in the game short of a Monolith.
Aside from the fact that it's always fun to blow up as many targets as possible, your goal here is to leave your opponent with so few units capable of downing your own AV targets that you can predict and, in fact, control what they'll be shooting at. The Dais of Destruction in my list is the only vehicle to move 6" turn one, since it can't move further than that and still shoot all three lances; between the relatively short movement, the fact that it doesn't have Flickerfields and the threat level of Vect and a squad of Wyches, it should almost always be my opponent's first target. Since it has AV 13 all around and a narrow profile that's great for generating cover saves, it should absorb more than a single lascannon shot before it goes down. The trick here is that I want it to go down; better a transport carrying a unit with Feel No Pain and that's relatively mobile than a squad of Trueborn who can be entirely lost to a Venom explosion.
The Ravagers in this list serve a similar function; they're AV 11, which requires more firepower to down than AV 10, and they house less firepower than a single Trueborn Venom. Better that my opponent focuses fire on the three of them than my six multi-tasking Venoms.
If you're able to effectively alpha strike, you're not likely to lose more than the Dais of Destruction and a single Ravager on your opponent's first turn. When you follow up with the majority of your firepower still intact turn two you'll have taken complete control of the game; that's the point at which you unleash Vect and his Wyches and make as many multiple assault moves as possible in order to quickly accumulate Pain Tokens (which will increase your squad's survivability) and to sweep whatever remaining resistance your opponent may have right off the board.
Monday, July 25, 2011
PTW Gaming vs. WAAC Gaming
I consider myself a competitive gamer and have for years. For me the process of analyzing a metagame, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of top builds and wildcards, and relentlessly playtesting is as important - and as enjoyable - as playing in a major tournament.
In short, I play to win. When I'm in the midst of a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament and my opponent Special Summons a Grandmaster of the Six when they have a Royal Oppression on the field, I'm going to stop them. When my opponent at a Warhammer 40k event embarks a transport and attempts to move flat out, again I'll dash their hopes. As a competitive gamer - a Play to Win, or PTW gamer - I know that Royal Oppression can shut down Grandmaster when my opponent controls it, and that you can't move a transport flat out the turn that you embark or disembark from it. I know the rules of my army and my deck, and in most cases I know the rules of whatever my opponent is playing as well.
There's another type of gamer out there, though, who embarrasses the PTW gamer by taking things to an extreme. This gamer - the Win at all Costs, or WAAC gamer - is someone who spoils to game for all of their opponents and, in a broader sense, for everyone who plays it. The WAAC costs gamer is referred to by Yu-Gi-Oh! players as a "soft cheater," an oxymoron that nevertheless aptly describes the strategy of WAAC. These players are predators who look to the grey areas of gaming to gain unfair advantages over the rest of us. They will move their models six and a half inches per turn or forget to subtract an attack from their Life Points; they will take advantage of every instance of player responsibility to nudge the game into their favor.
The PTW gamer's strategy is simple and rather elegant: If I know the rules of the game, I will enjoy a higher level of in-game integrity than average and my performance will be more representative of my playskill. Any time that I'm on the other side of the table from you, I want to know that the result of our game is being determined by a fair match between us and not a misinterpretation of the rules.
The WAAC gamer's strategy is similarly simple yet much more sinister: If I can take advantage of my opponent's misunderstanding or, even better, uncertainty of the rules, then I'll be more likely to win more games.
The execution of these two styles may appear similar on the surface; both the PTW and WAAC gamer will come to competition with a high level of game knowledge and, as a result, each will have a number of opportunities to correct their opponents' misconceptions during competition. If you're faced with an opponent like this, here's a quick litmus test to help you identify which type of gamer you're dealing with: throughout the course of the game, has your opponent corrected any of your mistakes to your benefit?
If the answer is yes, congratulations; you've drawn a PTW opponent who may beat your face into the ground, but will hopefully teach you something about how to improve your performance afterward.
If the answer is no, well, there's always next round.
In short, I play to win. When I'm in the midst of a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament and my opponent Special Summons a Grandmaster of the Six when they have a Royal Oppression on the field, I'm going to stop them. When my opponent at a Warhammer 40k event embarks a transport and attempts to move flat out, again I'll dash their hopes. As a competitive gamer - a Play to Win, or PTW gamer - I know that Royal Oppression can shut down Grandmaster when my opponent controls it, and that you can't move a transport flat out the turn that you embark or disembark from it. I know the rules of my army and my deck, and in most cases I know the rules of whatever my opponent is playing as well.
There's another type of gamer out there, though, who embarrasses the PTW gamer by taking things to an extreme. This gamer - the Win at all Costs, or WAAC gamer - is someone who spoils to game for all of their opponents and, in a broader sense, for everyone who plays it. The WAAC costs gamer is referred to by Yu-Gi-Oh! players as a "soft cheater," an oxymoron that nevertheless aptly describes the strategy of WAAC. These players are predators who look to the grey areas of gaming to gain unfair advantages over the rest of us. They will move their models six and a half inches per turn or forget to subtract an attack from their Life Points; they will take advantage of every instance of player responsibility to nudge the game into their favor.
The PTW gamer's strategy is simple and rather elegant: If I know the rules of the game, I will enjoy a higher level of in-game integrity than average and my performance will be more representative of my playskill. Any time that I'm on the other side of the table from you, I want to know that the result of our game is being determined by a fair match between us and not a misinterpretation of the rules.
The WAAC gamer's strategy is similarly simple yet much more sinister: If I can take advantage of my opponent's misunderstanding or, even better, uncertainty of the rules, then I'll be more likely to win more games.
The execution of these two styles may appear similar on the surface; both the PTW and WAAC gamer will come to competition with a high level of game knowledge and, as a result, each will have a number of opportunities to correct their opponents' misconceptions during competition. If you're faced with an opponent like this, here's a quick litmus test to help you identify which type of gamer you're dealing with: throughout the course of the game, has your opponent corrected any of your mistakes to your benefit?
If the answer is yes, congratulations; you've drawn a PTW opponent who may beat your face into the ground, but will hopefully teach you something about how to improve your performance afterward.
If the answer is no, well, there's always next round.
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