Well, the weekend just gone saw me play my last games of 7th edition 40k. With Games Workshop teasing us with the new edition any day now, my interest in playing the current edition had hit an all-time low. Why go to an event then you might ask? It was a great chance to run a list I would not normally run and to go and simply play some games and have some fun. As it turns out, this event was a hugely enjoyable day out! A huge thanks to Gavin and the team at KRAGS for such a great way to wrap up an edition of 40k!
Let’s start with my list – 1750points of Ynnari
Scorpions, Scorpions and more Scorpions!
Detachment: Reborn Warhost
HQ: Karandras the Shadow Hunter
HQ: Illic Nightspear
Troop1: 5 Rangers
Troop2: 5 Rangers
Lord of War: Wraithknight, Scatter laser, Star Cannon, Ghost Glaive & Scatter Shield
Formation: Aspect Host (+1WS)
Elite1: 5 Striking Scorpions, 1 Extra Scorpion, Exarch Upgrade, Biting Blade
Elite2: 5 Striking Scorpions, 5 Extra Scorpions, Exarch Upgrade, Scorpions Claw
Elite3: 5 Striking Scorpions, 5 Extra Scorpions, Exarch Upgrade, Scorpions Claw
Formation: Ynnead’s Net
HQ: Warlock Conclave – 1 Warlock, Skyrunner Jet Bike, Singing Spear (WARLORD)
Troop: 3 Windrider Jet Bikes, 3 Scatter Lasers
Fast Attack1: 2 Harlequin Skyweaver Jet Bikes, 2 Zephyr Glaives, 2 Haywire Cannons
Fast Attack2: 3 Reaver Jet Bikes, 3 Extra Reavers, Arena Champion, 2 Blasters, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Total: 1749
I used this event to try out a very left field list for the Ynnari – plenty of units which would not normally see table time. The army itself is comprised of models from every edition of the game and from every Eldar army I have ever painted! In fact, in total I have used models from 8 different armies. I even got to use my first ever painted aspect warriors from 1990 along with the original Eldar Wraith Knight – known as the towering destroyer knight – from the same period!
As you can see – it’s an eclectic mix for sure!
I have some thoughts on the units I used – though I doubt these will be much use with the new edition around the corner!
Game 1 – The Relic, Dawn of War
Marc was a great opponent for game 1, running a mostly Ravenwing Army allied with a handful of Ravenguard including a Relic Scorpus Whirlwing. Interrogator Bike Chaplain with a Black Knight Command Squad, Black Knights, 3 units of Ravenwing Bikers, a trio of Land Speeder Typhoons with a Darkshroud as well as Celestine, 5 Ravenguard Tacticals and the aforementioned whirlwind.
I went first and had a pretty solid first turn – while I think I managed a single kill, I did grab the relic and saw my Wraithknight endure the entire enemy armies worth of firepower for the loss of only 3 wounds. Turn 2 I lined up charges and things started to go bad… I did get a unit of 10 scorpions into combat and wiped a unit of bikers for no loss but that was the only bright spot. I lost Karandras to overwatch when he charged 4 black knights solo and the wraith knight took 2 as well on overwatch before he charged and killed another unit of bikers. He went down in my opponents T2 when the black knights who killed Karandras used their Corvus Hammers to sort out the big guy. Celestine and the command squad had by this stage killed the 6 strong scorpions with the relic as well and while the bikes had arrived and started making some impact, it was not enough. T3 was the nail in the coffin however, with the 2 squads of 10 scorpions charged the command squad, only managed 3 unsaved wounds and lost 7 in response. Both failed their LD tests and got run down! The bikes had killed a good chunk of the supporting elements of the enemy but turn 5 saw the ravenwing in control of the relic and combined with the kill points (in every mission) I suffered a loss to start the day – 16/4
Game 2 – Crusade, Dawn of War
One of the local Hooligans – Matt – was my next opponent. Matt and I have never played at an event despite the years in the same community, he was on the Drunk Hammer pod cast recently as well! Matt is an awesome dude and his list was a tough one. A pair of Stormsurges, Barracuda, Ethereal, 9 Sniper Drones, 2×5 Fire Warriors, Drone network of 4×4 Marker Drones, a single Missile Broadside with 2 missile drones and all on top of a Tidewall!
Matt went first and the firepower began in earnest. I lost models hand over first in Matts first 2 turns and my Jetbikes didn’t show up until T4! I did get Karandras and a handful of scorpions into combat on 1 flank with the Stormsurges T2 though – and what a fight we got! The first round of combat saw Karandras deal most of the wounds and the Exarch he was with finish one of the giants and the stomps were saved. T3 saw the combat continue and the second Surge was left with 2 wounds. The Eldar T3 saw the surge go down to Karandras. The remains of the scorpions even managed another charge (thanks to soulburst) and ate both fire warrior units and a unit of marker drones before the sniper drones put them down along with Karandras. At this stage, the bikes had started killing things and the tau were left with the barracuda and a handful of marker drones at the bottom of T5. With the objectives I was scoring and kill points I managed a win! – 15/5
Game 3 – Spoils of War, Hammer and Anvil
Clynton was running a Thousand Sons list with a model I had been dreading to face – Magnus the Red! Alongside Magnus was a Baleflamer Helldrake, a pair of level 3 sorcerers (one on disc, the other with the jump infantry book), 5 Rubric Marines with a Rhino and 5 Rubric Terminators. A small list but a potent one – 14 Powerdice to start things and he had summoning on one of the sorcerers as well so adding horrors should be easy.
I went first and put the pressure on early. My Rangers dropped a wound on magnus while the scorpions advanced and the wraithknight moved to the middle of the table in a direct manner. I lost 3 wounds on him from Magnus and a D Beam turn 1 in response but otherwise was left in place for my charges as Karandras tanked every AP3 shot the Rubrics dished out. The Bikes arrived T2 and things got messy! I killed the rhino with the Harlequins (and the starcannon on the knight), and the Rubric Marines got smashed by Karandras in his challenge with the sorcerer. The Terminators got hit with Blasters, Poison and Scatter lasers and then charged by the wraith knight, being reduced to just the Exalted sorcerer who then put a wound on the knight in response! I reduced the disc sorcerer to a single wound as well but the one who survived the wraithknight cost me domination sadly! The hell drake arrived in T2 and magnus landed in readiness to fight next turn. Magnus was in a threatening spot for my warlock and the disc sorcerer join in the bully tactic. The disc rider decided to summon before his lord flickering fired my warlock, promptly rolled a perils and died! This triggered soul burst and let my warlock escape with a well-timed turbo boost! The 10 pink horrors arrived and the phase was done. The Drake killed 5 of the 6 reavers with its flamer but otherwise that was that. T3 saw a unit of scorpions charge the horrors and kill the whole unit spawning a huge unit of blues! Karandras and his buddies piled in to the combat with the wraith knight to free him up and it was the last attack that finally brought the sorcerer low. Magnus took fire like a boss and was reduced to 3 wounds. In his T3, Magnus moved up to charge the scorpions and Karandras while the blues stared down the scorpions who had just spawned them! The Hell drake burned a unit of rangers to death and combat was joined. Magnus killed 5 scorpions but lost a wound to the mandiblasters of karandras while the blues killed 1 scorpion, lost 12 in reply and promptly all died, leaving 4 brimstones an inch away (the blues died at a different initiative step due to the exarch and the mandiblasters. Magnus passed it will not die and was back to 4 wounds. T4 the hell drake was shot with every weapon spare and saw it reduced 1 hull point and weapon destroyed. The unit of scorpions who had killed 10 pink and 20 blue now charged the 4 brimstones and won it with just the mandiblasters and exarchs claw. I threw the remains of the 3rd unit of scorpions into the combat with Karandras and his scorpions as well as the wriahtknight and the last reaver (with caltrops). This forced my opponent to fight (and kill) the wraithknight rather than risk the destroyer attacks it had. He did kill it and lost a wound in return from the scorpions. His T4 was a vector strike on illic who lived (he rolled a 1 to wound!) and the combat with magnus who wiped out a unit of scorpions but lost another wound in reply. We ran out of time here but with Magnus all alone and my cards being gained each turn, a win was had! 16/4
Game 4 – Deadlock, Vanguard Strike
A long running opponent at events, Tristan had decided to bring Guilliman to the event this time! Guilliman was joined by Tigerius, 3 Grav Centurions (who with tigerius jumped in a pod), 5 tacticals in a pod, 5 sniper scouts all in a CAD as well as a skyhammer formation with 4 grav cannons, 4 multi meltas in 2 units of 10 devestators and 2 units of 5 assault marines.
This game was a great way to send off 7th edition for me – it was a genuinely fun game. Guilliman was interesting to face, with him charging the wraithknight and then failing to kill it (it only had 3 wounds!) and then being stomped! He got back up, managed a charge on Karandras but thanks to being on 1 wound, died to Karadras Mandiblasters! He got up again! In the end, all that Tristan had was Guilliman on 1 wound (taking fire from every angle) and Tigerius with a single centurion (in combat with karandras at the bottom of 5). I had been scoring points every turn and again, managed a win! 15/5
So 3 wins and a loss from an army that was decidedly soft for Ynnari. I finished 7th or 8th of the 28 (I think?) players so was pretty chuffed with that!
Karandras performed as expected and chewed things up who faced him but died almost immediately when something survived. The scorpions were ok and held their own in most fights, against chaff like Tau or Horrors though they shined way more than any other AP driven eldar assault unit. The rangers were ok, killing a model or 2 each turn and being hard to move with their solid cover save. The combat Wraith Knight was pretty good but in Ynnari, I had the wrong army to support him. He did soak fire and this took pressure off my army in the early turns as they readied to charge. Ynneads Net is a great formation – I really love it and would have loved to run 2 of them and really go to town with the flexibility in the way they deploy. The disappointment of the day goes to Illic Nightspear. For his points he is woeful. I don’t think he managed a single kill all day! He hit every shot he took – so some 20ish shots across the day, but between cover, rerolls and the appalling 4+ sniper wound rule, he basically stood around looking threatening! Such a shame, especially when compared to the vindicare assassin who is around the same points and so much better!
So that’s it! Another edition of 40k heads off into the sunset and I look forward to what the new edition brings. Assuming I can, I am going to run this army again so I have a direct comparison between editions with the most recent games I have played.
See you all in 8th edition!