Wednesday Battle Report: Zaadesh 2 vs. Ossrum - 75pts

Hey everyone!  I'm back, and I'll be going back to mostly-regular weekly battle reports after a somewhat hectic November.  This week, I decided to try Skorne's new toy: the all-grown-up-now Lord Tyrant Zaadesh.

Lord Tyrant Zaadesh (*28pt) - Proxied by Zaadesh 1
*Tiberion (22pts)
*Despoiler (18pts)
*Titan Sentry (15pts) - Proxied by a Bronzeback
*Titan Sentry (15pts)
*Agonizer (7pts)

Immortals (Leader and 9 Grunts) (15pts)
*Command Attachment (Extoller Advocate) (4pts)
Paingiver Beast Handlers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (5pts)
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew (2pts)



This is probably the brickiest brick I've ever tried to brick with, but 2aadesh definitely has the tools to run it.  The basic plan is to advance behind a Gobber cloud and a couple Burning Ashes, deny my opponent the alpha strike, then hit them with my Feat to do a lot of damage on both my turn and my their turn.  If it all works out, they won't be able to answer multiple Arm 21 heavies backed by an Agonizer.  The list is weak into spread out scenarios (especially with no solos to control/contest), and I'm also worried about the overall slow speed.  Without a Gladiator, the beasts threaten at most 9 inches, which is inside the walking threat of several fast armies.

My eternal foe, Caleb, was running a bunch of dwarfs and rabbits under one of the top Merc 'casters, General "Awesome" Ossrum.

General Ossrum (*28pts)
*Wroughthamer Rockram (14pts)
*Ghordson Driller (10pts)
*Grundback Gunner x4 (24pts) - 2 are proxied by Ogrun Assault Corps
*Grundback Blaster x2 (12pts)
*Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (4pts)

Ogrun Bokur (5pts)
Thor Steinhammer (4pts)

Horgenhold Forge Guard (Leader and 9 Grunts) (16pts)
Lady Aiyanna and Master Holt (8pts)
Horgenhold Artillery Corps (Leader and 2 Grunts) (6pts)

So gunbunnies (the Blasters and Gunners if you're not familiar with Warmachine slang) are a thing, especially with Ossrum.  That many fully boosted shots each turn is a real menace, and Ossrum has an amazingly good support kit for them between his Feat and Unstoppable Force.  Caleb decided not to go full bun, and backed the list up with a melee presence in the two heavy 'jacks and Forge Guard.  With Ossrum speeding everything up and making it tougher, this list seems strong at both scenario and attrition, and of course gunbunnies are very powerful assassins.  Overall, this is a really frightening list.  It will suffer a bit against anything that's very shooting resistant, and can shut down those 6 light 'jacks quickly.


Scenario and Deployment

We rolled up Close Quarters.  There are two flags set up across from each other diagonally in the center of the table.  Dominate the friendly flag or control the enemy flag for 1, or dominate the enemy flag for 2.  Kill box is in effect.

Caleb won the roll-off, and decided to go first.  I picked the table edge I was already on, which wasn't ideal.  On the positive side, I could chain the forest in my center-right into my cloud wall on the approach, and protect even more of my army.  On the negative side, that same forest was cutting me off from my flag.  I'd need to be careful I didn't get isolated from it and let Caleb score it with his bunny swarm.

Caleb deployed everything pretty centrally.  The heavy 'jacks went left-ish with Thor, and the Forgeguard went right-ish.  The Artillery Corps went on Caleb's right flank to take advantage of the hill.  Ossrum and his pit crew (the Bokur, A&H, and Sylys) went in the middle, and the gunbunnies spread out to cover the whole line of deployment.

I also deployed mostly centrally, as befits my bricky list, but I leaned left a little to get around the forest.  The Immortals went on my left, and the Gobbers prepared to extend the LoS blocking from the forest on my right.  The Titans went in the middle, with the Agonizer and Despoiler a bit behind with the Paingivers.

Neither of us had any AD, so we got right down to it.


Mercenaries Turn 1

Ossrum advanced, put Fire for Effect on the Artillery, and Snipe on the Rockram.  No Bullet Dodger just yet.  Everything else ran, the bunnies outpacing the slower heavies and infantry somewhat.  That was fine, as they'd want to shoot next turn, and the melee stuff would get back in front.

Caleb was in position, and looking pretty versatile.  He had a strong shooting list, and plenty of time to put his guns to good use.  I had no guns to answer his, but I had plenty of defense against them, so I was feeling pretty good.


Skorne Turn 1

The Gobbers walked forward, and popped their cloud touching the forest.  The Titans ran up (none of them entering the cloud).  Zaadesh put Inviolable Resolve on the Immortals, advanced, and put up 2 more clouds touching the big Gobber cloud in a chain that protected my list from everything on the right side of Caleb's battle line.

The Immortals ran up a little more exposed.  Due to my clouds, they were protected from Caleb's right-side shooting, but exposed from the left, which would expose them just enough that one or two might die, triggering Vengeance and putting souls on the Advocate.  The rest of the support ran up behind the Titans and Immortals.

I was feeling pretty good about this advance.  I wouldn't eat many shots this turn, and thanks to a lot of Shield Guards, I could decide where that damaged should go.  My plan was to ride out Caleb's shooting, and keep moving forward.


Mercenaries Turn 2

Caleb started shooting.  Ossrum and Sylys upkept Fire for Effect and Snipe.  The two heavies and Forgeguard ran upfield.  Ossrum also advanced, and cast Energizer to move his battlegroup 2" further up, getting the heavies near his flag.  He also put Bullet Dodger on himself, just in case.

The gunbunnies all advanced.  A couple took shots on the Immortals (killing 1 and forcing my Titans to Shield Guard 2) and the Gobbers (forcing a Shield Guard from the 3rd Titan).  The Artillery Corps moved up and shot the Gobbers as well, but missed and scattered away harmlessly.

The pit crew stuck with Ossrum.

Bwahahahaha!  Losing 1 Immortal was an ideal outcome for me, especially since a little quick measuring revealed that the rest of the Immortals would have melee range on Caleb's Driller and Forgeguard.  Time to see what Zaadesh is really made of!


Skorne Turn 2

The Immortals took their Vengeance moves, getting 3 inches closer to Caleb's lines.  Zaadesh upkept Inviolable Resolve.

The Gobbers advanced, and put up another cloud to screen my stuff that wouldn't be in melee.  The Titan Sentry on my right trampled out of Zaadesh's way (toward my flag), and used its Animus, Ornery, to gain Retalliatory Strike.  Zaadesh advanced, cast Battle Charged, put a cloud on top of the Forgeguard, and used his Feat.

The Immortals went next.  The Advocate spent the soul token from the one Caleb had destroyed to use Invigoration, giving the unit +2" of movement this turn.  Then they charged in, killed the Driller and 2 Forgeguard, and damaged one of the gunbunnies pretty badly.

The other Senty trampled forward, and used Ornery.  Tiberion ran, while Despoiler trampled and used Arcane Suppression to complicate Ossrum's turn a little.  The Agonizer ran up, and used Gnawing Pain.  The Paingivers walked up, and managed Fury.

I was really well set up here.  My Immortals are a mostly sacrificial unit, but in getting rid of them, Caleb would have to run a gauntlet of Defensive Strikes and Counter Charges, not to mention the occasional Retalliatory Strike from the Sentries if he attacked them.  I had a lot of Shield Guard available to counter his shooting, and I was feeling pretty confident about my high-Arm models living through Caleb's turn, and eliminating everything he had left that was capable of dealing with them on mine.


Mercenaries Turn 3

Ossrum dropped Snipe from the Rockram.  However, he upkept Fire for Effect and Bullet Dodger with a little help from Sylys (nalyrr of wyshes).  He also allocated 2 more Focus to the Rockram.

After a long time in deep thought, Caleb came up with a plan.  Sylys used Arcane Secrets on Ossrum.  Ossrum backed up, and popped his Feat.  Then he cast Stranglehold at Tiberion, successfully doing damage, and denying Tiberion either movement or action next turn.  He was camping 0, but pretty far away from anything that could hurt him, and benefiting from his Feat's armor bonus.

Aiyanna put Kiss of Lyliss on the Immortals, and Holt took a couple pot shots at the Agnizer, taking it down a bit.  The gunbunnies finished off the Agonizer, and killed most of the Immortals.  One of them also finally killed one of the Gobbers.  The Artillery Corps killed some more Immrtals, but there were a few left.  The Forgeguard went next.  Most charged into the Immortls, but three charged the Sentry near my flag.  A bunch died to Defensive Strikes, one to a counter-charge from Tiberion, and one to a Retalliatory Strike from the Sentry.  There were only 3 left at the end of their own activation, but they'd managed to finish off all but one Immortal and severely hurt my right Sentry.

The Rockram advanced on the left Sentry, suffered a bunch of damage to a Free Strike, a Defensive Strike, and a Retalliatory Strike, but got through with all systems intact thanks to Ossrum's Feat.  It did a bunch of damage to the Sentry, but didn't finish the job.  The Bokur advanced, killed the last Immortal and Ancestral Advocate, but triggered a Counter Charge from Despoiler.  Despoiler didn't have the angle to get into melee with the Bokur, but did get into a better position.

Caleb had certainly done some damage, but not nearly enough.  All my heavies were still up and kicking, and just about everything Caleb had capable of cracking them was vulnerable.  I'd need to finish off the Rockram and Forgeguard, but if I did, I'd have the attrition game well in hand.  As long as I could manage not to die (which shouldn't be too hard with Sac Pawn and clouds), I'd be good to press the attack and hopefully get Zaadesh onto my own objective on my 4th turn to put pressure on Ossrum's depleted forces.


Skorne Turn 3

Zaadesh upkept Battle Charged.

Tiberion forfeited his move, and killed the two Forgeguard he was still in melee with.  The Paingivers enraged Despoiler and the left Sentry, and Medicated the right Sentry.  The right Sentry Trampled the last Forgeguard to death, and engaged Caleb's right-flanking gunbunnies.

Despoiler finished off the Rockram, and the left Sentry charged into the cluster of bunnies who'd killed so many Immortals last turn.  It broke the Cortex on one, but couldn't do much else though Ossrum's Feat.

The remaining Gobber ran to engage the Artillery Corps, and Zaadesh advanced to within 3" of both Tiberion and the right Sentry.  He put Inviolable Resolve on Tiberion, put a Burning Ash touching Tiberion to block LoS from the right half of the table, and camped 2 Fury.

The big threats were down, the artillery and most of the buns were engaged, and Zaadesh was ready to take my flag next turn while sitting safely between 2 heavy sac pawn targets with limited LoS to him.  Needless to say, I was feeling good about my chances.


Mercenaries Turn 4

Caleb was not to be counted out, however.  He spent a couple minutes in the tank, and came up with a  plan to assassinate Zaadesh.

Ossrum upkept Fire for Effect.

Thor got started by repairing one of the damaged bunnies.  The Bokur engaged Despoiler and Tiberion to prevent Counter Charges (and took a hefty chunk out of Despoiler as well).  Ossrum then advanced, shot the Gobber with a boosted Hand Cannon blast, and cast Unstoppable Force.  The bunny on my right ran, performing an intricate zigzag maneuver that pushed the Sentry out of melee with it, then pushed Zaadesh out of Sac Pawn range of Tiberion, then, with its last smidge of movement, got behind Zaadesh, leaving him high and dry, out of Sac Pawn range, and unengaged.

Caleb proceeded to lob everything that could possibly get in range at Zaadesh, starting with Kiss of Lyliss (which missed), and moving on through Holt, 1 Gunner, 2 Blasters, and the Artillery Corps.  In the end, he came up short.  Since Tiberion was sitting right in front of Ossrum, Caleb conceded.

Victory to the Skorne!


Thoughts

Zaadesh is loads of fun!  I played a pretty good game right up until my third turn.  I didn't realize that Unstoppable Force would get around all my positioning so neatly, and Caleb would have finished me off if his luck hadn't turned cold that last turn.  I did have the tools to prevent it.  If I'd been thinking about Unstoppable Force, I could have put Inviolable Resolve on Zaadesh, making him tougher, and more importantly, immune to pushes.  Since neither Zaadesh nor Tiberion could be pushed, I'd have been safe.  I also should have used Zaadesh's cloud to protect the Agonizer on turn 2 instead of dropping it on the Forgeguard.  Keeping the Agonizer alive would have been great for maintaining my attrition advantage.  Finally, I think the Gobber would have been best used dropping a cloud to protect Zaadesh on turn 3.  I was feeling pretty cocky about him surviving though.

My list ran really well.  I didn't miss Rush much this game, partly because a unit of Immortals that only loses 1 threatens a massive 14 inches, which I put to good use against Caleb's list.  I was missing Pathfinder on the Titans, which pushed me away from my flag early on.  A different opponent could have taken advantage of that, but Caleb's list wasn't built for it.  I'm definitely going to be playing around with this list some more to see how much I can really afford to go without.  The list bricks super well, and 3 high-Arm Titans with a lot of counterattack tech is the most Skorne-feeling list I've played in a while.

Caleb made one significant mistake in targeting the Immortals.  If he'd left them alone, I would not have been able to pull off that decisive alpha strike with them.  I would have had to see how good my ranged defense really was for at least another turn, and possibly surrendered a nasty alpha to Caleb, who'd benefit from a super fast Ossrum list on the Feat.  Caleb also proved how good he is at setting up assassinations.  I really thought Zaadesh was safe.  He also did about as well as he could have against my Feat, although that would have taken up a lot of his clock if we'd been using them.

His list is solid. He mentioned after the game that he didn't think the Forgeguard have much of a place.  I think they made a decent enough melee force, but they suffered a lot against Zaadesh's Feat turn.  It's also hard not to see almost 3 more bunnies for the same cost with that unit.  Otherwise, every piece seems good.  Ossrum is one of the more terrifying 'casters out there right now, and with a list like this one, he can never be counted out.