Hello there!

I got a two games in at Critical Hit Games in St. Pete, FL. We went back to the standard 2000 points, and I was able to put Empire of Dust on the table for the first time! This is the list I decided to bring:

  • Revenants Horde
  • Mummies Regiment (x2)
  • Enslaved Guardian Archers Horde - Elite
  • Swarm Regiment
  • Scavengers Regiment
  • Monolith
  • Bone Giant (x2)
  • Ahmunite Pharaoh - Wings 
  • Cursed High Priest on Mount - Heal4 + Rallying(1)
  • Mortibris the Necromancer
Really low on drops compared to my usual Ratkin/Goblin lists, but it looks like fun with the built in army synergies (i.e. the Monolith + Surge shenanigans). It's pretty much the definition of "I'm gonna take a charge and hit back as hard as possible." I was hoping for the bone giants to get as many flanks as possible with their small footprint and high nerve. Anywho, let's get to the games!

Game 1 - Jacob Datta - Forces of Nature, Invade

  • Salamanders Horde - Crystal Pendant of Retribution
  • Earth Elementals Horde - Brew of Strength
  • Earth Elementals Horde - Healing Brew
  • Druid on Mount - Surge7 + Bloodboil + Soul Drain + Myrddin's Amulet
  • Winged Unicorn - LB5 + Scarletmaw's Fenulian Amulet
  • Winged Unicorn - LB5 + Shroud of the Saint
  • Beast of Nature - LB6 + Fly + Vicious/7 attacks (x2)
  • Greater Earth Elemental
    • Boulderguard Formation

 Game One Table + Deployment

I didn't have much hope seeing how I'm going up against an insanely tough list with an army I've never put on the table, but I wasn't gonna go down without a fight. I don't think my deployment was perfect, but I felt pretty good about my position on the table. I managed to grab first turn and move up (grabbing cover wherever I could). My shooting was pretty much null, as his healing was incredibly effective.

While the Empire of Dust put up a good fight, however, the Forces of Nature managed to grab a 4:3 victory on turn 7 after an incredibly pivotal snake eyes roll. I'd like to think I played the list fairly well minus some iffy deployments, but Jacob's dice were also pretty much on fire the entire game (apparently the Forces of Nature don't like the desert very much). The most pivotal moments were (1) his Salamanders + one Beast of Nature charging my undamaged Mummies in the front and doing about 17 points of damage (when, on average, he's supposed to do 6-7 with the Salamanders and 3-4 with the Beast of Nature), (2) the one time I move inspiring away from my Enslaved Guardian Archers with 2 points of damage on them, he adds on 3 more with one LB6 and then doubles 6s them for the rout, and then me failing to rout his last Winged Unicorn on Turn 7 with snake eyes. Other than that, he got the nerve checks he needed, and I'm just glad I was able to put up a fight regardless! 

Honestly, it was really nice to go up against, what is considered, a more competitive list. It gives me an idea of the strengths and weaknesses against those kinds of lists, and Jacob managed to sneak in some practice with a list he normally doesn't play.

Referring to the iffy deployment, I really wish I put one of the Bone Giants on the left flank. The extra support would've been amazing, and one cheeky flank surge probably would've led to the Salamander's defeat. The pharaoh probably could have done a lot more too, as he pretty much just went 1v1 against one beast of nature the entire game (Regen and Lifeleech vs. Heal).

Game 2 - Robert Green - Herd, Loot
  • Tribal Warriors Horde
  • Spirit Walkers Regiment (x2)
  • Lycans Horde (x2)
  • Stampede Horde - Brew of Sharpness
  • Stampede Horde - Blood of the Old King
  • Shaman - Heal5 (x2)
  • Lycan Alpha - Blade of Slashing


Game Two Table + Deployment

Another insanely tough list; one that I can't exactly take charges from without being obliterated outright (and in a scenario where grabbing tokens meant no surge shenanigans). Although, after my first game on a table with this list, I felt a bit more comfortable with the army. I managed to grab first turn again, where I got to do a neat little trick with Surge. 

Basically, my pharaoh moved onto the hill in front of the Enslaved Guardian Archers. The Guardian Archers halted in the movement phase so they could be Surged onto the hill and still shoot in the Shooting phase (the pharaoh was there to prevent an over-surge). Alas, my Guardian Archers aren't too happy going against armies with good access to Heal, as any shooting is pretty much null.

After being a lot more comfortable with the capabilities of the army and surging, the Empire of Dust managed to secure a 2:1 victory. The bone giant on the right flank proved to be the MVP of the game, as my opponent was unfortunate enough to succumb to a 7" move + 18 surge dice into a Lycan flank, where he was able to overrun out of sight from everything. From that point on, he constantly got surged flank and rear charges. His list of casualties include both hordes of Lycans, the Lycan Alpha, and the right-most Stampede.

Post-game(s) Synopsis/Thoughts
  • It seems that a good anvil battlegroup consists of, at miminum, one regiment of Mummies, one Bone Giant, and the mounted Cursed High Priest with Rallying(1). In both games, neither battlegroup really faltered to its opposition and managed to keep me in the game. I'll definitely remember this for future games.
  • The Monolith is a super iffy include in the army at the moment. Its inclusion didn't really change much in either game, but for an 80 point model, I shouldn't expect it to do much other than be a stationary ASB. The bonuses were welcomed but not necessary, and continued testing is definitely in order.
  • It feels like the Revenants need an item such as the Brew of Strength or the Brew of Sharpness if they're to win grind battles. However, the inclusion of small-foot print monsters should make up for this deficit in theory, as surging into flanks gives that "punch." I think in the hands of a more experienced Undead/Empire of Dust player, the execution of this scenario will better handled.
  • Obvious "Important chaff placement is important" reminder. While the Scavengers are a bit  more flexible with their positioning, the Swarm Regiment probably could have gotten better use with better positioning (and remembering they have Vanguard could also be pretty influential haha).

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the read, and I hope to talk to all of you very soon!

-Christopher


Comments

Popular Posts