New Milford Tournament Game 2

Game 1 is down and there are three people in the winners bracket.  In the middle of our turn two Evan from game 1 comes over and tells us that he won while playing up so this game is the championship.  I work the math real quick,  I am guaranteed 2nd or 1st.  It makes games much easier to play like that.

My Game 2 Opponent is Matt from Steam Powered over on the left.  I've never run in to Matt before even though we have both been playing tournaments in New England for ages.  He is new to CT.  Matt's a real clean player and has a great knowledge of the rules.  He was an awesome opponent and I can't wait to play him again!

I decided to take list 2.  I didn't want to be forced in to a certain list if I won and the other winner won.  I knew what list Matt was playing.  We discussed during half time that he was going to play his Balder tier list against me.  For more info on his list feel free to hit up his blog as he gives strategies and thoughts behind it!  My list was -

Barnabus
Wrastler
Spitter
Snapper
Max Posse
Max Posse
Thrullg

The scenario was Close Quarters.  I'm not a huge fan of this scenario as, I think, with these two lists, it's never going to come down to scenario until after turn 6ish.  My deployment was pretty standard.  I shifted my Wrastler over to the attack side, hoping to bait out a certain named construct.

Matt took advantage of his theme force and deployed everything WAY up field.  It's pretty silly.  I love Balders Tier.  He looked like -

My first turn I shuffled forward.  I tried to not give him too much to shoot at.  In retaliation he shuffles forward and shoots and gets a couple damage spread around.

My two, I upkeep Iron Flesh on the Wrastler and Warpath.  The left Posse charges in under the forest.  I needed to pray for Pathfinder here.  What I missed was the teleporting stone he had tucked in with his shooters.  I get some good damage on the Woldwyrd and spread a couple points around.  On the right I kill the Mannikans and spread a bit of damage around.  Snapper throws up Spiny Growth on the Wrastler.  I am thinking he is going to send Megalith up there on a trample if I can bait him in close enough.  My plan is to throw Megalith way out of the action if he does.  After my two it looks like this -

Matt laughs a bit when I finish my turn.  Uh oh.  At least, by this time, I know I am a minimum of second.  He kills one posse member and I replace the guy engaged with Megalith as the leader.  This is where the rules knowledge comes in.  I can't make a free strike with a replaced guy.  Apparently he is too busy admiring his new beads.  Matt then tramples out of combat with that guy without taking a free strike and proceeds to animus.  His animus catches the Wrastler.  He then teleports the Gaurdian to my left and sling shots him forward.  He is barely in melee range.  Man, if I had moved like one quarter inch less he wouldn't be here!  Matt shuffles Baldur forward and feats.  Mostly he wanted to be in range to force.  The guardian wipes out the Wrastler.  His big stone moves forward to contest the zone but can't claim yet.  He makes a Mannikan and puts it in the Spitters back arc.

Here is where things go pear shaped.  Matt gets slightly above average rolls to take out the wrastler and only takes 6 damage in the process from Spiny Growth.  I need to eliminate that guy!  The knockdown sucks.  Barney is short one fury so I don't cut.  I think I don't need to after math.  He had Stoneskin on the Guardian so I need to remove that first.  I charge thrullg in and do a couple points and remove Stoneskin.  Then I move the Snapper over and kill the Mannikan.  Seriously?  What did I think that thing was going to do.  Sigh.  The now freed up Spitter walks to engage and pounds all four fury in to the Guardian.  Barney then charges and ends his turn with 2 fury and a Guardian with 5 boxes left.  I did some other clean up but it didn't matter.

Remember when I was talking about bad dice the other day?  This was bad dice on my part.  I could have mitigated it.  I could have cut.  I could have put Spiny Growth on Barney, daring the Guardian to attack.  I could have done a million things like pressure Balder and not worry about the out of position Guardian.

He has too much fury so he leaves a bunch on Megalith.  Megalith uses his animus.  Big stone strips a fury off Barney.  On his last attack possible he takes out Barney.  If I had one more fury I was fine.  If I has Spiny Growth up I was fine.

It was a well played game by Matt.  He got me on my heels after the teleport I missed.  He was a great opponent and deserved first place.  I was ok with second.  Next time Matt!