012 - Xerxis1 vs. Kromac2

New day, new games! First up Circle. This guy is representing Norway on WTC this year with a Wurmwood/Kromac2 pair. We have tried the Mak2-Wurmwood match a few times, and both know that it's pointless. And i know that Mak2 have game into Kromac2, but how does Paws of Halaak play into the fast moving monster mayhem that is Kromac2? Let's find out!

My list

Tyrant Xerxis WB+28

 - Tiberion - 22

 - Bronzeback Titan - 18

 - Titan Sentry - 15

Tyrant Zaadesh - 4 (Proxied with Hexeris1)

 - Titan Gladiator - 14

Mortitheurge Willbreaker - 4

Pangiver beasthandlers min - 5

Max Praetorian Ferox - 21

His List:
Kromac, Champion of the Wurm WB+28
 - Feral Warpwolf - 18
 - Ghetorix - 21
 - Warpwolf Stalker - 19
 - Warpwolf Stalker - 19
Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress - 3
Shifting Stones - 3
Tharn Bloodweavers - 8
Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew - 2
Sentry Stones & Mannikins - 5
Sentry Stones & Mannikins - 5

Pre Battle Thoughts and Deployment:

Scenario was Incursion and i got to go first! Kromac2 is an absolute beast! Even more so than his actual beasts at times. There's very little i can do to stop him from getting the alpha. Especially since he is another caster that can clear away jammers with Grievous Wounds. My beasts can handle some punch though, so if i can just manage to survive said Alpha, i have more than enough punch to grind him into the dust! Even with his FEAT up. But surviving a Kromac2 Alpha is no easy feat, so i knew i had to get a scenario angle to try and force his hand. Ferox would be important to stall him. and hopefully do some damage in the process.

I deployed fairly centrally with Ferox on one flank, Zaadesh and company on the other. He placed his beasts in the center, bloodweavers on his left, and Sentry Stones against the Ferox.

I moved a bit before i remembered to take a picture..

Stuff moves up. Defenders ward on Ferox, Tac Supremacy on Xerxis.

Circle moves. Bloodweavers spread out around the Right flag.

I shuffle slightly. Preparing to make a Scenariomove T3, and taking care to stay outside of his major threat ranges.

Circle shuffles as well, preparing for his Alpha, while protecting his important elements from my own.

But by doing this he opens up for my Scnario move! There's no one contesting the middle and left flags, and just a single Bloodweaverwithin 4" of the right one. He made sure that single one was outside of the Gladiator's 10" threat, but i can get within range for First Blood from Zaadesh and a Ferox if that fails. If i can get that one guy down, Glad can score on the Right, Sentry on the Left while Xerxis himself can stand safelly behind Tibbers and BB and score on the middle flag, moving me to 3-0. Ferox will jam him down so that he can only get a pillowfisted alpha at most, and i should be able to clear any contestors to move to 5 points next turn.

Unfortunatelly i fail to kill the Bloodweaver, and only get two points this turn. The Ferox kill a few Mannikins and jam to the best of their abilities. I also manage to get a few wounds on the Feral and Ghetorix.

I gambled on not needing Zaadesh my next turn and placed him very exposed to get the First Blood off. He capitalises on this as Bloodweavers kill the Ferox blocking the Rightmost Stalker, and said Stalker charge and kill the Junior. Kromac Feats and the remaining Ferox bites the dust. Kromac and the other Stalker charge Tibbers and BB, Tibbers bites the dust, but BB survives with a few boxes.

I forgot to take any more pictures, but what happens next is that i try to find something to do to win, but with all his Heavies left standingand two of mine out of the picture there's not much i can do. I could clear out all three flags in theory, but there's no way for me to score on the right flag if i do. Atrition is pretty much out of the picture as well. The gladiator is pretty much lost to me, and even if i manage to kill both the Stalker and Ghetorix, that would mean setting up both BB and the Sentry for death the following turn. So i forfeit.

Victory to Circle

Post battle thoughts:

In hindsight, i gambled too much on the Scenario opening. Granted, it was a good one, but by exposing myself i was extremely vulnerable if i failed, which i ended up doing as well. But for training purposes, i feel it was a good thing to do. 

So how does Paws do against Kromac? More testing is definatelly needed, but i believe there could be game here. Two of his heaviest hitters just barelly managed to kill Tibbers on Kromacs FEAT turn, so if i can just manage to force him to commit more, and survive, i should be good.