142 Thexus1 OT vs Kreoss2 EI
07.11.2021, 2d6 Showdown 19-21, Game 1
It is finally time for the anticipated Steamroller. I have locked in the list pair with Thexus and Ossrum gun bunny spam. My meta predictions for teching against Ret and CG get completely blown out when one player from each of the two factions have to drop. Furthermore one of the anticipated Ret players ended up playing Protectorate instead and I get paired against him in the first round. My opponent is playing a Kreoss2/Malekus pair. The Malekus list has double Judicator. It is pretty obvious that I need to drop Thexus since Ossrum has only shooting and next to no magical attacks.
I am never confident playing into PoM, but at least I am well prepared because I have watched two Malekus games on the Warfaire weekend stream over the weekend, and I did spectate a Kreoss2 game on Friday night. My opponent does indeed drop Kreoss2 which I thought was a bit odd considering the Thexus matchup, but we are playing Spread the Net which could be a bit difficult for a double colossal list.
Mercenaries
[Theme] Operating Theater
[Thexus 1] Exulon Thexus [+29]
– Doctor Stygius [0(4)]
– Warden [10]
– Warden [10]
– Warden [10]
– Warden [10]
– Warden [10]
Cephalyx Agitator [0(2)]
Cephalyx Agitator [0(2)]
Pistol Wraith [0(4)]
Void Archon [9]
Asphyxious the Sanctified [14]
– Stalker [8]
Cephalyx Overlords [6]
Cephalyx Overlords [6]
Croe’s Cutthroats (min) [10]
– Cephalyx Dominator [1]
vs
https://conflictchamber.com/?c2201b_-1r0AlVl-m03t3t2_lZlS2jfV2jfV2jfV2jfV
Protectorate
[Theme] Exemplar Interdiction
[Kreoss 2] Grand Exemplar Kreoss [+28]
– Judicator [35]
Exemplar Bastion Seneschal [0(5)]
High Exemplar Gravus [7]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Vassal Mechanik [1]
Choir of Menoth (min) [4]
Exemplar Cinerators (max) [13]
– Exemplar Cinerator Officer [0(5)]
Knights Exemplar [7]
– Knights Exemplar Officer [0(3)]
Knights Exemplar [7]
– Knights Exemplar Officer [3]
Knights Exemplar [7]
– Knights Exemplar Officer [3]
Knights Exemplar [7]
– Knights Exemplar Officer [3]
(Opponent was missing a requisition point)
Deployment
I win the roll off and take first turn. My opponent gives me the parking lot. The Croe’s pray Gravus. If I can pick him off early it would shrink my opponent’s threat ranges down to 9”.
Turn 1A
My opponent is low on anti-stealth/cloud tech so I take a risk and put the Stalker forward. I put up some Gaspy clouds around the existing cloud, but don’t really get much out of them. Had it not been for Gaspy needing to execute (everybody else failed) the Dominator, he would have ran up to threaten more of the board. I do put up Decel just to protect against AoE blasts.
Turn 1B
The Judicator gets Hymn of Battle and gets a good scatter on the Stalker taking out its cortex. Cinerators get IR and Shield Wall up into the central zone. The Knights all fan out. Kreoss puts up Sacrosanct and stands in the trench together with Gravus and the Bastion Seneschal.
Turn 2A
My opponent has left me room to go for the TK play I was hoping for on Gravus. However, I am worried that he will be difficult to completely remove since he can turn back around and possibly stay in the trench once he is off the horse. Thanks to the power of hindsight I am able to crunch the numbers: Assuming I need two Croe’s to take Gravus off the horse and that he ends up inside the trench then Buy or Boost puts it at a 49.6% chance which makes me happy that I didn’t go for it since it would have cost me a Wrecker if I did.
Instead I settle for setting up in the zones behind clouds and just outside of melee and mostly outside of flamethrower ranges.
Turn 2B
Knights fan out and the Judicator fires some rockets, but no major damage is done. Opponent scores his flag and rectangle zone.
Score 0-2
Turn 3A
I have a great opportunity to feat and deal a lot of damage plus score five scenario points. I go through my turn and it is all going great. I have killed about half of the KEs and most of the Cinerators, and I have cleared all the zones even scoring my opponent’s rectangle. But I am starting to get worried that I am spending too much time. Near the end of my turn I am approaching the 10 min mark and I start activating quickly. Unfortunately I end up on my very last activation to put a Wrecker 3.5” away from Thexus which means that he is standing there without any Sac pawn targets.
Score 5-2
Turn 3B
Kreoss feats and my opponent clears out some stuff here and there in hopes of scoring some scenario points, but the gameplan is quite simple: Run up a cinerator as homing beacon and spray down Thexus with the Judicator. With nothing to Sac pawn to it is an easy assassination.
Score 5-3
Sadly a loss for the Mercenaries
:: Evaluation ::
I am of course quite disappointed with myself for managing to lose the game on a simple technical mistake like this. I was in a very strong position both attrition wise and scenario wise, though I was running a bit low on time available to play out the potential four turns remaining. That being said my opponent’s clock was also starting to run low so we would both need to rush through if the game dragged on.
Improvements wise I should have left some more room around Thexus to activate first. I make this mistake all the time. This game I still got a good feat off, but had there been more room behind me I could have feated first and then backed out. I also played Gaspy4 too passively this game. The first turn placement I blame on the Dominator not dying, but from Turn 2 on I could have been up by the Monstrosities and projected threat if the Judicator stepped into the central zone.