My Space Wolf GT Autopsy

So here I am a week after the UK Independent Grand Tournament for 40k, and after 6 games with the same list, it's time to de-construct the list and rebuild it so it's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

So I'm going to list my army out and go though how each unit performed and then a nice big summary at the end along with a new list.

So without further ado......

HQ's:

Rune Priest, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane, Chooser of the Slain

Rune Priest, Living Lightning, Jaws of the World Wolf

Only ever 1 Rune Priest ever performed in each of my games. Powers wise I only ever used Living lightning and occasionally Jaws of the World Wolf, and that was only twice and the Priest died the following turn but it did always bag a big target (Old Zogwart and a Tervigon). I think I can just get away with the 1 Rune Priest as combat wise they where generally no better than a Grey Hunter with a power weapon. They performed best vs enemy psykers, minimising the impact of Alan's Blood Angels Libby, shutting out multiple Catalyst powers (grants Feel No Pain) vs Tim's Tyranids and making Thomas's Salamanders Terminator Libby useless. 

Elites

5 Wolf Scouts, Melta Gun

5 Wolf Scouts, Melta Gun 

With the one exception against Tim's Tyranids the Wolf Scouts always made for a royal pain in the arse against everyone, and where one unit failed the second picked up the slack. The made Gary's Sister's castle up around his Exorsists, they won me the game vs Thomas, got the Wolf Guard power fist into place to kill Ben's Warboss, saved my Long Fangs against Gareth's Orks.

3 Wolf Guard: 2 armed with a power fist and a combi melta each, 1 with a combi melta and a bolt pistol

I need more. I need more power fists/weapons etc. The flexibility of placing the Wolf Guard where I like was always handy.

Troops

10 Grey hunters, 2 Melta Guns, Wolf Banner, Mark of the Wulfen

Rhino 

10 Grey hunters, 2 Melta Guns, Wolf Banner, Mark of the Wulfen 

Rhino 

5 Grey Hunters, 1 Melta Gun

Rhino 

6 Grey Hunters, 1 Flamer

Rhino = 35

I need a dedicated scoring unit. Having so much potential killing power waiting to be unleashed in only 4 units meant that I struggled to contest and fight over multiple objectives. As for the 10 man squads it's nice to have the 2 melta guns, but generally they would fire and then either hit the target or the contents in assault so obsessing over 10 men and double melta over 9 + Wolf Guard isn't a biggy for me any more as I always need the that "hidden" power fist more. Having the power fist lets me take on more targets, deal with characters, and combined with the banner will be great.

Fast Attack

Land Speeder Tornado, Multi Melta, Heavy flamer 

Land Speeder Tornado, Multi Melta, Heavy flamer 

Land Speeder Tornado, Multi Melta, Heavy flamer
 

Nothing wrong with these guys - I just got to learn to use them better. I was debating on if I should drop the heavy flamers, but in hindsight having a second gun makes it more flexible and able to deal with anything that pops out of what it shot.

Heavy Support

5 Long Fangs, 4 Missile Launchers 

Razorback, Lascannon, Twin linked Plasma gun

5 Long Fangs, 4 Missile Launchers 

Razorback, Lascannon, Twin linked Plasma gun  

Right I'm going to be honest here and say....

The Las/plas-backs sucked. With only two they where shooting target 1 and 2. For 150 points I would rather have a 3rd unit of Long Fangs to pick up the slack should the other 2 fail (which they did in 2 games). In fact for 150 points I can get another 5 man, 4 missile unit and have change for more Grey Hunters and Wolf  Guard. The power of the Las/plas-back is in numbers, and 2 is no where big enough, in fact I reckon it's a all or nothing choice.

The 'power' of this army over the weekend was it's balance, and how every unit was a equal threat, and the Las/plas-backs stuck out as a easy armour 11 thumb to shoot at.

So to recap:

I can get away with 1 Rune Priest,

I need a dedicated scoring unit,

More Wolf Guard!

Las/plas-backs are good but only if that's all you're using

So what has my army list evolved into now?

HQ

Rune Priest (Powers yet to be decided) = 100

Elites

5 Wolf Scouts, melta gun = 85

5 Wolf Scouts, melta gun = 85

5 Wolf Guard, all with power fists and combi meltas = 215

Troops:

8 Grey Hunters, Wolf Banner, Wulfen, Melta Gun = 150 (Rune Priest rides with these guys)

Rhino = 35

9 Grey Hunters, Wolf Banner, Wulfen, Melta Gun = 165

Rhino = 35

9 Grey Hunters, Wolf Banner, Wulfen, Melta Gun = 165

Rhino = 35

5 Grey Hunters, Flamer = 75

Razorback, Twin-linked Heavy Bolters = 40

Fast Attack

Land Speeder, Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer = 70

Land Speeder, Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer = 70

Land Speeder, Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer = 70

Heavy Support:

5 Long fangs, 4 missile launchers = 115

5 Long fangs, 4 missile launchers = 115

5 Long fangs, 4 missile launchers = 115

This leaves me with 10 points left which I am unsure what to spend (or tweak with) on. I might just chuck a Wolf banner on the 5 man unit. Making the 5 man unit 6 strong seems like a good idea but 6 makes them seem almost like a front line unit, but more importantly robs them the chance of the Rune Priest or a Wolf Guard to ride along with them in objective based games as I have seen many LD8 Marines run off a objective in turn 7. I would really like to get the Scouts up to 6 man squads (7 with a Wolf Guard) as the extra body will make them a longer lasting threat with more attacks/grenades to mess things up, but that's a bit more of a wish at the moment.

I'm stuck with the original list for Open War 15 for next week, but I'm wiser for it.

Oh I've been to the Forge World Open Day today and the rules for Bran Redmaw.........

.......Psycotic Ware/wuflen-marine......

.............. Behind enemy lines Grey Hunters anyone???

UK Indy GT: Game 5: Blood Angels and Game 6: Orks

So games 5 and 6 today. Which will both see me make a fuck load of mistakes!

Game 5 was 5 objectives and Spearhead deployment.

There are no pics as my opponent Alan didn't want any, which I was glad for as my batteries where dying, and this was the most tactically taxing game of the entire tournament!

Alan's list was:
Librarian, Jump Pack, Infernus Pistol, Shield of Sanguinius, Unleash Rage
Honour Guard, Jump Packs, Power Weapon, Trainee Sanguinary Priest
Furioso Dreadnought, Frag Cannon, Blood Fist, melta gun
Stormraven Gunship, TL Assault Cannon, Typhoon Missile Launcher, Extra armour
10 Tactical Marines, Sarg with combi melta and power weapon, Multi melta, melta gun, in a Rhino
10 Tactical Marines, Sarg with combi Plasma and power weapon, plasma gun, missile launcher, in a Rhino
5 Assault Marines, Sergeant with a power weapon and infernus pistol, remove jump packs for a Land Raider Redeemer with a multi melta
2x Predators with Autocannons and Heavy Bolters


Mistake 1:
I won the roll for deploying the objectives first and in a bout of madness tried to group some of them up to negate the BA's innate mobility and I thought it was Dawn of War, not table quaters - Do'h!!!

So naturally I lost the roll to choose deployment zone and Alan took the top left one:

The red blog is a 5 man combat squad with a missile launcher

So we set up, Alan kept his Melta Tactical Squad in reserve and I kept a Single Land Speeder and my Scouts in reserve. The Libby, honour guard and the dread where all riding in the Stormraven.

I saw this game as - "If I kill the Land Raider and the Stromraven - I win" which is true, but hard to do.

The game started of well but I just could not kill the Land Raider despite all the melta fire I was pouring on to it. I manage to block it in the middle with a rhino but just could not bust it open. I manage to get my scouts in on turn 2. One in form the left to pop the rhino and criple the combat squad inside, and the other rear shotted the Stormraven.

The unit in the blocking Rhino and their Rune Priest failed to kill the 5 Assault Marines who came out of the Land Raider. 2 Assault Marines ran away but I only had the Rune Priest left in the unit :/

Meanwhile the Libby and the Honour guard jumped from scout squad to scout squad putting out fires and then into a massive combat by the middle 2 objectives. His tactical squad in reserve came in on to the far right objective and took out the Razorback over there but not before grouping up in sight of the Long Fangs and losing 8 Marines to 4 frag missiles! But the 2 remaining marines ran back into their Rhino and camped the objective.

In the end he had two tactical marines on the top left and top right objectives and all I had was the bottom left - until I went for a massive gamble on trying to get a draw, but it failed.

My mistake in putting down the objectives cost me, despite it being a tactically brilliant game to play in. It was proper cut and thrust, with move and counter move, good luck and bad in equal measures for both players. Best game of the weekend for me.



Anyway game 6 vs Orks in Dawn of War, Annihilation

Game 6 saw me on the same table as game 4, but this time against Gareth Donnelly's Orks.

Gareth's Orks where:
Big Mek with Kustom Force Field
3x 15 Lootas :o
3x 12 Slugga Boyz, with a Nob armed with a Klaw and a boss pole. In a Trukk with a red paint job, grot riggers and a reinforced ram.
18 Slugga Boyz with another klaw and boss pole nob in a.......
Battlewagon, Deff Rolla, Red paint job, armour plates and grott riggers
3 Deffkoptas, all with Buzzsaws.

So ouch 45 Lootas EEPP!

Now I will admit now I saw the Lootas and just panicked like a noob.

So here's how we both moved on at the end of turn 1:

I huddle up in the corner hoping for the old left hook again

I push my Speeders forward to distract the lootas if possible

I brought everything in - even my scouts. The plan being they hijack the Long Fang's Razorbacks

Turn 2 sees 2 land speeders crash and burn from the lootas while a push up the left pretty much unmolested. A unit of Long Fangs pull of a miracle shot on the Trukk next to the Battle Wagon and destroy it.

Turn 3 sees me push up some more and the Deff Koptas come in and mess up a unit of long fangs. I bring back a unit of scouts to deal with them, but it takes 2 rounds of combat to kill them - even though they should of made the scouts mince meat.

Meanwhile I push the last Land Speeder in front of the Lootas daring them to shoot it and not my Rhinos.

Ye olde left hook

Now at the start of turn 4 my batteries died so my last pic of the Battle Wagon breaking to the middle of the board in hoping for a multiple ram with it's deff rolla:

The Orks back off seeing what big claws the Wolves have..

The Battle Wagon does indeed ram one Rhino and destroy it and the unit inside try to death or glory with the Wolf guard with a combi melta but roll 11 for their leadership and run! The rest of the game turns into the Orks throwing chaff infront of the Wolves so they cannot close the kill point gap, granted this does net me the large mob of orks, the Battle Wagon and the Big Mek but it's all too late in the day.

The game ends at the end of turn 6 with the Kill points 11-9 to the Orks

To be honest between panic, a dodgy stomach, and the disappointment of losing the Blood Angel game to my own stupidity - I freaked out like a noob.

I would like to think I am man enough to admit to my own mistakes.

So what have I learned over the weekend about me and the list:

Aggression pays off.
I need to put the pressure on from the word go - surprisingly I won both the "roll dice and draw" games by being the more aggressive and tactical player. I lost both the kill point games by playing like a sissy. My own natural fear of Orks lost me game 6 - I should of deep striked the land speeders and outflanked the scouts as normal, but T4, 2 attack orks in a unit of 15 seemed too much for my scouts. I was so hung up on the Lootas I forgot about the soft targets, the easy kill points - the trukks.

Having no Death Star messes up my opponents.
In a game where everything is an equal threat what do you choose to kill first? If I had a unit of Thunderwolves it would be obvious they would be target one for my foe.

The list needs fine tuning.
I am close to a great list, with a few tweaks here and there it can really grow it's claws and teeth to be a truly fearsome beast.

So come the Weekend (Sunday hopfully) I will be doing a post on what did and didn't work in the tournament as well as in all the practise games I have had since January in the run up.

So come back Sunday where I will cut thought each unit piece by piece CSI style!