Tournament Report: 3/17/12

I went to a local tournament on Saturday. It was held at the Battle Bunker in Bowie, MD.
The tournament was a 3-round, 32 player, 1500 point, Battle Points tournament.

(Quick Note: I do not like Battle Point tournaments, as they reward "seal-clubbing". I will not elaborate on this point in this post.)

Each Mission had a Primary Objective (Worth 10 Battle Points[BPs]), a Secondary Objective (worth 6 BPs), and a Tertiary Objective (worth 4 BPs). It is possible to Draw on Objectives, in that case each player receives half points for each objective tied.

Anyways, as a departure from my regular 1500 point army (Imperial Guard) I took the Sisters of Battle. My list:

Saint Celestine, Hieromartyr of the Palatine Crusade 115
10 Battle Sisters w/Multi-Melta, Meltagun 145
Rhino w/Dozer Blade 40
10 Battle Sisters w/Multi-Melta, Meltagun 145
Rhino w/Dozer Blade 40
10 Battle Sisters w/Multi-Melta, Meltagun 145
Rhino w/Dozer Blade 40
10 Battle Sisters w/2 Flamers 135
5 Dominions w/2 Meltaguns 90
Immolator w/Twin-Linked Multi-Melta, Dozer Blade 85
5 Dominions w/2 Meltaguns 90
Immolator w/Twin-Linked Multi-Melta, Dozer Blade 85
5 Dominions w/2 Meltaguns 90
Immolator w/Twin-Linked Multi-Melta, Dozer Blade 85
5 Retributors w/4 Heavy Bolters 85
5 Retributors w/4 Heavy Bolters 85

4 Scoring Units
16 Kill Points


Round 1:
Opponent: Michael Pease, Necrons

Imotek, the Stormlord 225
Catacomb Command Barge 80
Harbinger of Despair w/Nightmare Shroud, Veil of Darkness 70
Necron Lord w/Mindshackle Scarabs, Resurrection Orb, Warscythe 60

Necron Overlord w/Mindshackle Scarabs, Phaeron, Resurrection Orb, Warscythe 165
Harbinger of the Storm w/Ether Crystal, Lightning Field
Necron Lord w/Mindshackle Scarabs, Resurrection Orb, Warscythe

5 Lychguard 200
5 Necron Immortals 85
10 Necron Warriors 130
5 Necron Warriors 65
5 Canoptek Scarabs 75
Doomsday Ark 175

The Mission: Hidden Treasure (Pitched Battle)
A Tournament Staffer placed 6 "face down" random objectives numbered (we assumed) 1-6.
Every time a scoring unit reached one, they could forgo shooting and assaulting to "claim it".
1-2 "Real" Objective*
3-4 Discarded
5-6 Booby Trap: Unit takes d6 Ap:- wounds, then discard.

*Scoring units take these with them, cannot embark in transports, and lose the objective if they fall back.

Primary: Control more "real" objectives than your opponent.
Secondary: Have more of your units within 6" of your opponents board edge than they have in yours.
Tertiary: More "real" objectives must in your deployment zone than the opponent has in theirs.

The Game: Mike won the roll-of and deployed first. He chose the edge he was on (giving him 1 objective in is deployment zone, 2 in mine, and 3 we would fight over.) he deployed basically across his board edge. I refused flank on my right side (away from the Scarabs).
I scouted my Dominions forward.

Imotek opened by Shaking a Rhino, Killing a Sister, removing the Gun off of an Immolator, and Immobilizing another. Ouch. He then claimed the only objective in his deployment zone, It was number 1, a "real" objective.

On my turn 1, I moved forward since it was Night Fight. I nuked some Lychguard. My sisters on foot claimed an objective (number 3, discard). On Mike's turn two, Night Fight ended. He shook some more vehicles and destroyed my third Immolator with Scarabs.
With Night Fight gone, I began shooting his units off of the board. I had more units than he did and was able to win a war of attrition. The game ended with Mike losing all units in Turn 7.
I got the Primary and Secondary, but since there was an unclaimed objective in Mike's deployment zone and I had to grab mine in midfield, he got Tertiary.
me: 16 Mike:4

Round 2:
Opponent: Aramis, Imperial Guard (I played Aramis in Round 1 at Blobs park 2011)

Company Command Squad w/3 Meltaguns, Astropath
Chimera w/Heavy Flamer
Guardsman Marbo
Platoon Command Squad w/4 Flamers
Chimera w/Heavy Flamer
Infantry Squad w/Plasma Gun, Commissar
Infantry squad w/Plasma Gun
Platoon Command Squad w/Al'rahem, 3 Meltaguns
Chimera w/Heavy Flamer
Infantry Squad w/Meltagun
Chimera w/Heavy Flamer
Infantry Squad w/Meltagun
Chimera w/Heavy Flamer
Vendetta
Vendetta
Manticore
Manticore

Mission: Return to the Eye (Dawn of War)
(We alternate placing 5 objective Markers, I try to place them midfield, but end up with 3 in my deployment zone)
Primary: Control More Objectives
Secondary: Kill Points
Tertiary: At least one HQ must survive the Battle

The Game: Aramis got deployment zone and first turn. He chose the side with 2 objectives, giving me 3. He reserved everything. The vendettas and Al'rahem would outflank. Marbo would "appear". The rest would come in starting turn 2.
I deployed a unit and Celestine on the board. I chose to outflank the Dominions.

On Aramis' turn 1, he does nothing. On Mine I move on my three Rhino Squads and Smoke them. I fly then run celestine deep into Aramis' deployment zone.
(I forgot to move on my Retributors, oops.)
On Aramis' turn everything but the Manticores arrive. All outflankers come in on my right. Al'Rahem near my board edge, Vendettas near his. Nothing dies to them.
The platoon uses "First Rank Fire...Second Rank Fire" and kills Celestine (by me failing 3 2+ armor saves.)
On my turn, all of my Dominions arrive.
The Dominions destroy a Vendetta, Al'Rahems Chimera (pinning them) and another Chimera in his Platoon (pinning them as well).
My Rhinos advance to midfield, giving my Multi-meltas full board control.

After this turn, the rout was on. The game went to turn 7, but Aramis had very little left.
Me: 20 Aramis: 0

Round 3:
Opponent: Grant Modderman, Orks
Mad Dok Grotsnik
Big Mek w/Custom Force Field, Bosspole, Cybork Body
15 Kommandos w/Snikrot
5 Kommandos w/2 Rokkit Launchas, Nob, Power Klaw
10 Ork Boyz w/Rokkit Launcha
Trukk w/Rokkit Launcha
10 Ork Boyz w/Rokkit Launcha
Trukk w/Rokkit Launcha
10 Ork Boyz w/Rokkit Launcha
Trukk w/Rokkit Launcha
10 Ork Boyz w/Rokkit Launcha
Trukk w/Rokkit Launcha
Deff Kopta w/Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha
Deff Kopta w/Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha
Looted Wagon w/Boom Gun, Ard Case
Looted Wagon w/Boom Gun, Ard Case
Looted Wagon w/Boom Gun, Ard Case

Mission: Onward to Victory! (Spearhead)
Primary: Victory Points
Secondary: Have more units in your opponents deployment zone than they have in yours.
Tertiary: Keep track of the number of times each player forces the other to make a Morale test from shooting. The player that causes the most wins (Obliterated units do not take these tests.)

I won the roll to go first and deployed in a wedge around the center of the board. I kept my foot unit in reserves. Grant deployed his trukk wall in the same manner, Trukks in front, Looted wagons right behind, Mek trukk in back. (Everything faced sideways to give cover to all vehicles). Grant would outflank both Kommando Squads, and both Deff Koptas.

I scouted forward and began killing vehicles. I only killed one on turn 1 as Grant made a good amount of saves. Grant disembarked a squad and started shooting my units. (although he did not assault) I got in his deployment zone and started applying melta hits to tanks. Once the Meks trukk went down, there were two vehicles left. The Deff Koptas came on, but then died, doing little. The Kommandos came on, missed with shooting, then died to Heavy Bolter fire.

At the end of the game, there were 5 kommandos and Mad Dok Grotsnik left. (they themselves scored about 400 of Grants 600 VP's)
I won Primary and Secondary, but we tied on Tertiary (as I was obliterating units, and not breaking them, mostly.)
Me: 18 Grant: 2

At the end I won "Best General". I got a pretty big prize package (GW product)
Not a bad tournament. (I thought I would go 0-3 and stated as much many times.)

Celestine died 4 times, but finished every game alive. She killed a TON of Infantry. (40+ models)

I was extremely pleased with the Dominions. The Battle Sister squads did not do much. But they really weren't supposed to. Despite this, I still do not believe that the sisters are a good codex.

-Mike