Dark Artisan Open ITC Tournament: Game 5- Deathwatch vs Raven Guard

The final game of the Dark Artisan Open ITC tournament would see my Deathwatch take on Jordan's Raven Guard in a 40k maelstrom of war battle report. 

The mission for game 5 was Tactical Gambit. In this game, you must bet how many objective cards you think you will score in your turn (between 1 and 4). If you succeed, you score that number of bonus points, if you do not, then your opponent scores the bonus points. This allows you to wrack up a big score in your games if you bet wisely. 

My Deathwatch army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Captain- Castellan of the Black Vault (warlord trait), Jump Pack, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, the Tome of Ectoclades

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

Kill Team 1- 7 Veterans- Storm Bolters, Chainswords, 2 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

Kill Team 2- 7 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, Meltagun, Chainswords, 3 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Chainsword and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Storm Shield, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter, 2 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Outrider Detachment

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Sword, Bolt Pistol, Null Zone, Might of Heroes

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Teleport Homer

A fairly standard force for my Deathwatch. I decided to take two full Kill Teams, with a Terminator, Vanguard Veteran and Biker in each one to give me lots of options for falling back from combat and still staying active. I also added a couple of Veteran squads with Missile Launchers and Stalker Bolters for long range firepower, as well as a single Heavy Bolter to use the Hellfire Shells stratagem, and a Razorback for some anti-tank firepower. 

I took the Outrider for the extra CP. I decided to try the Librarian, as his powers would be of use to the Watch Captain. I took three units of Bikers. These should be useful for going after objectives and adding some strong firepower to the army. 

Jordan's Raven Guard army consisted of:
Brigade Detachment
Captain- Jump Pack, Teeth of Terra, Storm Shield, Storm of Fire (warlord trait), Chapter Master
Captain- Bike, Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield
Lieutenant- Jump Pack, two Lightning Claws
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Power Sword
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters, Power Sword
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters
5 Tactical Marines- Bolters
Apothecary- Bolt Pistol, Chainsword
Company Ancient- Bolt Pistol, Banner of the Emperor Ascendent
3 Company Veterans- Bikers, 3 Power Swords, 2 Storm Shields, Twin Bolters
3 Suppressors- Accelerator Autocannons
3 Suppressors- Accelerator Autocannons
3 Suppressors- Accelerator Autocannons
5 Devastators- 4 Missile Launchers, Armorium cherub
5 Hellblasters- Plasma Incinerators
5 Hellblasters- Plasma Incinerators

Quite a sizeable force, with a lot of decent firepower and some good mobility with the Bikers and Jump pack units.
Oddly enough, Deathwatch are pretty good at taking on other Marines. The extra AP on the Bolters really helps them out in a firefight. However, Jordan had a lot of units that could be useful for screening his units and blocking my reserves from coming in.

We deployed the objectives as shown below:

Jordan won the roll off for deployment zone and actually chose the side with fewer objectives in reach, which seemed odd to me.

I deployed my forces first. In the central ruins, I put both units of Veterans, the Razorback and two units of Bikers, along with the Librarian and Watch Captain. I put one unit of Intercessors on the right flank, and one unit on the left flank with the third unit of Bikers. I put the rest of my squads in reserve, using 3 CP on the Teleportarium stratagem.

Jordan then deployed his forces. He put four tactical squads on the right flank, behind cover. He put two squads of Tactical Marines, a unit of Hellblasters and Ancient in the centre. On the left flank went a unit of Hellblasters, the Devastators, Biker Veterans, Apothecary and Captain.

For the refined strategy, I got rid of Witch Hunter, Advance, Big Game Hunter, Psychological Warfare, Domination and Kingslayer. Jordan got rid of Advance, Scour the Skies, Domination, Priority Orders Received, Mission Critical Objective and Master the Warp.

Jordan failed to seize the initiative and I took the first turn.

TURN 1- DEATHWATCH
In my first turn, I bet one card. I then drew Secure Objective 1, Secure Objective 3, Secure Objective 3 and Priority Orders Received (Secure Objective 5). For my Mission Tactics, I chose troops.

On the left flank, the Bikers moved up towards the objective, while the Intercessors advanced to support them. The Watch Captain also advanced towards the left flank.

In the centre, the Bikers and Librarian moved up into the centre of the battlefield, the Razorback moving around onto the objective.

In the psychic phase, the Librarian cast Smite, doing two mortal wounds on the Tactical Squad. He then cast Might of Heroes on himself.

The Bikers fired at the wounded Tactical Squad, killing two of them. The second Bike squad fired at them, wiping them out. The Intercessors added their firepower, killing another Tactical Marine.

The third Biker squad on the left fired at another Tactical Squad with Bolter Discipline and killed three of the squad. The Razorback fired, but failed to hit.

One of the Veteran squads fired at the enemy Tactical Marines, but failed to score any hits thanks to the Raven Guard chapter tactics. The other Veteran squad managed a single hit, killing one Marine.

At the end of my turn, I scored First Strike and Secure Objective 3 twice, as well as my bonus point. I discarded Secure Objective 1.

TURN 1- RAVEN GUARD
In his first turn, Jordan bet one card. He drew For the Emperor, Hold the Line, Area Denial and Psychological Warfare. He spent 2CP to discard Psychological Warfare and drew Secure Objective 5. Not a great set of cards for him.

On the right flank, the Tactical Squads moved up on the objectives. One squad advanced only 1", using a CP re-roll and getting another 1. In the centre, the Tactical Squads moved up, and the Hellblasters moved up on the Bunker. On the left flank, the Devastators and Bikers moved around the ruins.

The Hellblasters fired on a squad of Deathwatch Bikers, doing 5 wounds with overcharging shots. I failed the first Storm Shield save and the squad was wiped out.

The Tactical Marines fired at the second unit of Bikers, doing two wounds, but failing to get past their armour.

The Devastators fired at the Razorback, getting two hits and two wounds with a CP re-roll. I failed one save and the vehicle took one damage. The Armorium cherub allowed one to fire again, hitting and wounding, but I made my save.

The Hellblasters fired at the Razorback, getting one hit and one wound.

At the end of his turn, Jordan scored First Strike and no cards. He discarded Secure Objective 5 and I got his bonus point.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 5
Raven Guard- 1

A great start for the Deathwatch, compounded by some poor cards for Jordan had seen the Deathwatch take an early lead.

TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
In my second turn, I bet two cards. I drew Supremacy and Overwhelming Firepower to go with Secure Objective 6 and Priority Orders Received (Secure Objective 5).

On the right, the Intercessors moved across to secure the objective. The Bikers and Librarian moved up on the central lines. On the right, the Intercessors moved up on the storage crates, while the Bikers and Captain moved up on the objective.

The Librarian cast Smite, killing two Tactical Marines. He then cast Might of Heroes on himself.

In the shooting phase, the Intercessors on the left fired at the Tactical Squad, killing them. The Veteran squad fired at the lone Tactical Marine, but failed to get any hits once more!

The other Missile Launcher Tactical Squad fired at the same Tactical Marine, killing him. On the right hand side, the Intercessors fired at the Company Veterans, killing one after a CP re-roll.

In the centre, the Bikers fired at the Hellblasters, doing 6 wounds and killing two of the squad. Both got to fire back thanks to the Ancient, killing the Sergeant in the squad.

In the charge phase, the Bikers assaulted the Tactical Squad in the centre, killing one of them. The Raven Guard struck back, but failed to do any damage.

At the end of my turn, I score Priority Orders for 4 points, Supremacy for 3 points, Overwhelming Firepower for 3 points, Secure Objective 6 and my two bonus points for 13 points in total. A great turn for me.

TURN 2- RAVEN GUARD
In his second turn, Jordan bet 3 cards to score. He drew No Mercy, No Respite (kill a unit), Hold the Line, For the Emperor and Area Denial.

The Company Veterans and Hellblasters moved up on the Librarian. The Tactical Squad fell back, while the other Tactical Squad moved up on them. On the left flank, the Hellblasters and Devastators moved up on the enemy squad.

At the end of the phase, the three units of Suppressors arrived, along with the Chapter Master and Lieutenant, landing in their deployment zone.

The Devastators opened fire on the Razorback, doing four wounds, three of which got through. The Missiles did 12 wounds, destroying the vehicle.

The Hellblasters fired at one of the Veteran squads, killing two of them. The Tactical Squad fired at the Librarian, doing one wound, but I passed my armour save. The Company Veterans and Ancient fired at the Librarian, wounding him once.

On the right flank, the Tactical Squad fired at the Deathwatch Bikers, wounding them three times, but they made all their armour saves. In the centre, the Hellblasters overcharged and fired at the Librarian, killing him in a hail of Plasma fire.

Two squads of Suppressors fired at the Veterans in the backfield, killing four of the squad. The third unit tried to finish off the last surviving member, wounding him four times but I made all my saves.

The Tactical Squad charged the Bikers, one dying in overwatch. They rolled a double 1 charge, but still made it in. The Hellblasters charged in to the Bike squad as well. The Raven Guard attacked the Deathwatch, killing one of the Bikers. The Deathwatch struck back, killing two of the Tactical Squad.

At the end of his turn, Jordan scored Hold the Line, For the Emperor, Area Denial and No Mercy, No Respite, as well as his three bonus points.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 18
Raven Guard- 8

TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
In my third turn, I bet two cards. I drew Secure Objective 4, Secure Objective 5, Secure Objective 65 and Defend Objective 2.

On the left flank, the Bikers moved to secure the objective, the Intercessors moving back to secure another objective. The Watch Captain moved up on the enemy lines. In the centre, the lone Veteran moved down into cover, away from the enemy guns.

At the end of the phase, the Deathwatch reserves arrived. The Meltagun Kill Team landed in the ruins in the centre, while the second Kill Team landed on the right flank, the Watch Master landing between them. The Vanguard Veterans landed on the left flank, out of line of sight of the enemy army.

The Storm Bolter Veterans opened fire on the Hellblasters on the right with their Kraken rounds, doing 17 wounds on the squad. They failed 7 of the saves and three of the squad perished. The nearby Intercessors added their firepower, killing one more, while the Watch Master finished off the last of the squad.

On the left flank, the Bikers fired on the other unit of Hellblasters, killing two of the squad. The Veterans fired at the Suppressors, killing one with a CP re-roll.

The Meltagun Kill Team fired at the Company Veterans with their Meltaguns, doing two wounds that bounced off the unit's Storm Shields. The Bolters fired at the Suppressors, killing one of the squad.

In the charge phase, the Watch Captain and Bikers assaulted the Tactical Squad and Hellblasters. The Meltagun Kill Team managed a charge on the Company Veterans.

The Watch Captain struck at the Tactical Squad, wiping them out. The Bikers then attacked the Hellblasters, doing one wound on them.

The Meltagun Kill Team attacked the Veterans, doing four wounds, but failing to get past their armour. The attacks back did no wounds on the squad.

The other Raven Guard struck back, but did no damage to the Deathwatch.

At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 4, Secure Objective 5, Secure Objective 6 and my two bonus points.

TURN 3- RAVEN GUARD
In his turn, Jordan bet two cards. He drew Big Game Hunter, Kingslayer, Secure Objective 4 and No Prisoners. He spent 2CP to discard Big Game Hunter and drew Defend Objective 6.

The Hellblaster fell back from combat, as the Captain and Lieutenant moved up towards the Watch Captain. The Biker Captain, Apothecary, Tactical Squad and Suppressors moved up on the Meltagun Kill Team.

In the shooting phase, the Suppressors fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team, slaying two of the squad. The lone Suppressor added his firepower, but did no damage. The third Suppressor squad fired at the Veterans, doing five wounds, but I only failed a single save.

On the left flank, the Tactical Squad and Devastators fired at the Storm Bolter Kill Team (using Frag rounds). The Terminator in the squad blocked all but one of the 7 wounds.

In the charge phase, the Captain and Lieutenant assaulted the Watch Captain and Bikers. The Biker Captain, Apothecary and Suppressor squads assaulted the Meltagun Kill Team.

The Warlord struck at the Watch Captain with the Teeth of Terra, doing 6 wounds on the Deathwatch warlord. I only failed one save with a CP re-roll, taking 2 damage on the Watch Captain. The Lieutenant managed three wounds on the Watch Captain, but I made all my saves once more.

The rest of the Raven Guard attacked the Deathwatch Kill Team, killing the Biker.

The Deathwatch struck back. The Watch Captain did two three wounds on the enemy Captain, he failed two saves with a CP re-roll and was slain. The Bikers did 5 wounds on the lone Tactical Marine, but he made all his armour saves. The Meltagun Kill Team attacked, killing one Tactical Marine and wounding one of the Bikers.

At the end of his turn, Jordan scored No Prisoners. I scored Defend Objective 2, Slay the Warlord and two bonus points.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 28
Raven Guard- 9

The Deathwatch were getting a great draw of cards, resulting in a big lead in the game.

TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I bet 2 cards to score. I then drew Secure Objective 1, Defend Objective 5, Blood and Guts and Assassinate.

The unit of three Bikers fell back towards the enemy Ancient, while the squad of two Bikers moved up to support the Watch Captain. The Meltagun Kill Team fell back from combat, while the Storm Bolter Kill Team and Watch Master moved up on the enemy units.

The Meltagun Kill Team fired at the Suppressors, killing one unit and wounding the other. The Watch Master fired at the Suppressors, killing two with his Guardian Spear. On the right hand side, the Intercessors fired at the Suppressors, killing one more.

The Bikers fired at the last Hellblaster, killing him. The Storm Bolter Kill Team split their fire between the Devastators and Apothecary. The squad managed to kill four Devastators and wound the Apothecary 8 times, but only one got through his armour.

In the charge phase, the Bikers assaulted the Lieutenant in combat with the Watch Captain, but the Captain struck down the enemy character before they could act.

At the end of my turn, I scored Secure Objective 1, Assassinate, Blood and Guts and two bonus points.

TURN 4- RAVEN GUARD
In his turn, Jordan bet two cards. He drew Kingslayer, Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 6 and the Emperor's Retribution.

The Suppressor, Ancient and Tactical Squad moved up on the Bikers holding the objective. The Company Veterans and Tactical Marine moved up to engage the Watch Captain and Bikers, while the Captain and Apothecary moved up on the Watch Master.

The Captain and Apothecary both threw Krak grenades at the Master, but did no damage.

The Suppressor fired at the Deathwatch Bikers, but failed to do any damage. The Tactical Squad fired at the squad, doing one wound. The Devastators fired at the Storm Bolter Kill Team, but did no damage.

In the charge phase, the Captain and Apothecary charged the Watch Master. The Company Veterans  and Tactical Marine charged the Bikers and Watch Captain. The Ancient, Tactical Squad and Suppressor assaulted the Deathwatch Bikers.

The Captain struck at the Watch Master, doing three wounds on him. One made it through his Iron Halo to do three damage on him. The Apothecary did one more wound on the Watch Master.

The Company Veterans attacked the Watch Captain, but failed to do any damage. The Tactical Marine did one wound, but failed to get past his armour. The Ancient and Suppressor attacked the Bikers, but failed to do any damage.

The Deathwatch struck back. The Watch Master killed the Apothecary, while the Watch Captain killed the Company Veterans.

At the end of his turn, Jordan scored no points. I scored Defend Objective 5 and his two bonus points.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 37
Raven Guard- 9

TURN 5- DEATHWATCH
In my fifth turn, I bet two cards. I drew Area Denial, Master the Warp, Defend Objective 1 and Defend Objective 4.

The Bikers fell back from combat, while the Meltagun Kill Team moved up on the Raven Guard squads. The Watch Master fell back from combat with the Captain, while the Storm Bolter Kill Team moved up on the enemy Captain.

The Meltagun Kill Team fired at the Tactical Squad and Ancient, killing both. The Intercessors and Storm Bolter Kill Team fired at the Captain on Bike, killing him.

In the charge phase, the Meltagun Kill Team assaulted the Suppressor. In the Fight phase, the Captain killed the last Tactical Marine, while the Kill Team slew the Suppressor.

At the end of the turn, I scored Area Denial for 3 points and discarded Master the Warp.

TURN 5- RAVEN GUARD
In his turn, Jordan bet one cards. He had Kingslayer, Secure Objective 4, Defend Objective 6 and the Emperor's Retribution.

The lone Devastator moved into the cover of the ruins to hide from the enemy firepower.

At the end of his turn, Jordan scored no points. I scored Defend Objective 1 and Defend Objective 4, as well as his bonus point and my two bonus points.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 47
Raven Guard- 9

We rolled to see if the game would continue and it did.

TURN 6- DEATHWATCH
In my turn, I bet four cards. I drew Behind Enemy Lines, Hold the Line, Secure Objective 2 and No Prisoners.

The Storm Bolter Kill Team moved up on the lone Devastator. The Meltagun Kill Team and two unit of Bikers moved into the enemy lines.

In the charge phase, the Kill Team assaulted the lone Devastator, killing him.

At the end of my turn, I scored all four cards and four bonus points.

TURN 6- RAVEN GUARD
Jordan bet one card in his turn.

With no units left on the board, the Raven Guard turn was over. We rolled to see if the game wound end and it did. I scored Linebreaker.

VICTORY POINTS:
Deathwatch- 59
Raven Guard- 9

A win for the Deathwatch.

AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
I always say that maelstrom games don't just come down to luck with the cards, they are how you play the cards you draw. But damn........

If there was ever a game where the cards went all one way for one player and the opposite for the other, this would be it. Jordan had some horrendous luck with his maelstrom cards during this game, while I was drawing some brilliant cards each and every turn. Over the course of the game, there was only one card that I could not score throughout the battle. In fact, I scored more victory points in this game, than in my other four games in the tournament combined.

Overall, my plan worked very well. I was able to go after the cards and focus on the enemy units and scoring each turn. I was able to keep my reserves off the table until turn 3, allowing me to counter the deployment of Jordan's Suppressors and go after his reserves with my own.

If I was in Jordan's shoes, there are a few things I may have done differently. On his second turn, I might have landed a couple of units of Suppressors in the enemy deployment zone. They could have dealt with the Intercessors on the left or right and threatened the Deathwatch Veterans as well. This would have forced me to send some of my reserves after the squad or have them rampaging through my back lines for the rest of the game.

It might have also been worthwhile sending the Chapter Master and Lieutenant in to the Meltagun Kill Team with the rest of the squads. This might have helped ensure that they were wiped out to shut down their firepower in the following turn. Going after my Watch Captain was always going to be risky, as you cannot rely on taking him out in a single round thanks to his Storm Shield.

Jordan also had terrible luck with his rolling in places. Over the course of the game, I think only a single CP re-roll was successful, as most of the times his re-rolls were failing in key places.

At the end of the tournament, I was on three wins, one draw and one loss. I came 7th out of around 35 players overall, which I thought was a great result for my Deathwatch after some very tough opponents.

I'll be doing a breakdown of the army in a future post, as well as a review of the tournament.