Weekend Tournament Round-Up 7

What is burn out?

So after about 2 weeks of no play, I was at risk of becoming a dull boy. My deck was ready, my crits itchy and there were 2 nearby events.

Saturday

I was back at Marquee Models. Last time I came here in March, I placed 2nd. Today I was set on taking first place. I would be sticking with my trusty Skaven, with a few changes made since the last Grand Clash at the UK Games Expo.

Round 1

Firstly I was paired up with Alec, running Garek’s Reavers. We had last played at the London GT Grand Clash final where I lost 2-0. This time I was ready to win.

Game 1 started with me winning boards and going first. With effect starvation and taking an early lead by killing 3 Reavers before losing any rats, I was able to maintain the momentum and win 13/7.

Game 2 was where I lost deployment. I played more reserved again but managed to get the early lead. The Reavers were able to keep up however and in the final phase I had 3 rats left vs 2 Reavers. I managed to kill 1 but Arnulf was just too stubborn to die. Unable to get the kill, I lost 10/11.

Game 3 was where I decided to go into overdrive. Chaining kills early on in the phase, I managed to shoot ahead. By phase 2 almost all the Reavers were dead and by the start of phase 3, they had been wiped out. It ended with a 17/3 win for me.

I was particularly proud of this result. Reavers have always been a tough match-up for me and I think I’ve finally overcome the issues I’ve had against them.

Round 2

In the next round I was up against Phil who was using Steelheart’s champions.

At the start of Game 1, I once again won deployment. Now I had the conundrum of figuring out if he was playing offensively or defensively. Taking the gamble, I placed neutrally square-on which allowed me to adapt as necessary. My opponent quickly charged forwards, to which I Quick Thinker’d away. No one died on either side in phase 1 but we scored 3 glory each due to our neutrals. Phase 2 was bloodier and by the end of it only Sevrin, Skritch and 3 other rats were left. In the end I managed to edge it out and win 9/6.

Game 2 started off similarly again. No one died in phase 1 but in phase 2 I went in for the push. Skritch took out 2 Stormcast and then died to a vengeful Obryn. Sadly, being outnumbered 3 to 1 was not good for him and in Phase 3 he was promptly stabbed in the knees with a crit-heavy Shadeglass dagger which resulted in a 9-3 win for me.

Round 3

Round 3 was up against another regular opponent of mine, David, who came 2nd at the UK Games Expo Grand Clash. He was running his Orruks again but with a slight defensive twist.

Game 1 started off with me losing deployment and facing a long board, which was fine for me. I spent phase 1 moving up and scoring my neutrals, giving me 3 glory. Phase 2 I moved up and attacked but whiffed, still scoring 2 more glory. In phase 3 I tried more attacks but failed to kill any Orruks. However I manged to score 1 glory but my opponent got 6 glory for having no fighters out of action, meaning we drew 6/6.

Game 2 had me winning deployment. I pushed forwards and tried for a cheeky supremacy again. I was pushed off but so was he. Phase 2 was tight but I gambled for a cheeky double attack with Skritch. I charged into Gurzag and knocked him down to 3 wounds and pushed him into Hungering. I then played Time Trap and attack again, killing Gurzag with a single hammer and scoring Victorious Duel. It gave me the glory boost needed to jump ahead in glory. In phase 3 I had all the tools to win and promptly did so 13/8.

Game 3 was me winning deployment again. With time running short I decided to be more aggressively. Once again I was able to kill Gurzag early and jump in glory to get the ball rolling. By the end of phase 3, there were no Green Skins left and I had won 17/3.

With 3 wins I had won the tournament. It was great to win another trophy after such a long time, especially when playing against such tough opponents. Also I had corrected my previous error of coming 2nd back here in March.

Sunday

Another day meant another chance for a trophy. This time it was back at Wargames Workshop Milton Keynes. It’s a store I’ve been to regularly just because how great everyone is there. Last time I went here I had won their trophy. This time I wasn’t sure if there was a trophy but I was just happy to play there again. Sadly British trains had let me down so I was late but the store was happy to wait a bit for me to come. Thankfully I made it only being 20 minutes late.

PS: As a side note, all my score notes got deleted so I’ll only post scores I remember. Names I may have gotten wrong…

Round 1

Darren/Daniel (please forgive me 😅😭) would be my first opponent and it would be rat-on-rat action!

Game 1 started with me winning deployment. I placed aggressively and went in. I lost Lurking Skaven in phase 1 but managed to take out the enemy Krrk and another rat, preventing Supremacy. My opponent then played Earthquake to knock me off and him onto the objectives. I then played Great Concussion to push myself back on and him off. I got a 7 glory to 2 lead with Supremacy and cheeky kills. I was able to keep up with the kills and by the end of 3, all the enemy rats were dead.

Game 2 started the same way again. I pushed up but didn’t score as high, although I lost no rats. In phase 2 I got more kills but my opponent was able to get Supremacy. The gap was close but in phase 3 I was able to move up and get the needed kills while ignoring the enemy Skritch. Thanks to my instants and Alone in the Darkness, I pulled out another win. It was a tough set of games and interesting to play against a Hold Objective Skaven player that used offensive tactics really well, including the use of Expendable.

Round 2

Andrew would be my next opponent with his beautifully painted Chosen Axes. Game 1 started off with me winning deployment. I baited out a charge and pulled a Dwarf out of position who was quickly pulled down by Rats. Phase 2 saw the death of Grimnir and phase 3 ended with Mad Maelgrim being stabbed in the knees. It ended with a 19/0 win to me.

Game 2 started off with a more aggressive play from the Fyre Slayers. They moved up but were once again unable to get any kills. However I was able to corner Grimnir and kill him by the end of Phase 1 with Skritch. By the end of phase 2, I had wiped out the Fyre Slayers to win 10/0.

Now while it did seem a little one-sided, it was more so because I was able to get the board control early in both games. I talked it through with my opponent and suggested how he could have played things a little differently as well as helping him make the changes to his deck to strengthen how he plays. After that, he felt better as he had learned a lot from his 2 losses which is something always good to see.

Round 3

Liam would be my final opponent. By this time I had technically already won. I was on 2 wins with zero losses and 2 of the other 3 players were on 1 win and 1 loss with a round loss (0-2, 2-1). Still I planned and going for the 3rd win. I had played Liam before so it was going to be a fun game. Especially considering he had a 70 card power deck.

Losing deployment, I hung back. Baiting in the Reavers, I dispatched Karsus and Garek in phase 1. By phase 2, I had killed Saek and Arnulf. I had lost Krrk along the way and was unable to kill Targor but I still pulled out a big win.

Game 2 started the same. This time I Quick Thinker’d out of Garek’s charge. The rest of the Reavers spent phase 1 moving up while I failed to kill anyone. In phase 2, I got priority and killed Karsus. Garek whiffed and I avoided a Rebound to get Victorious Duel. Phase 3 saw Arnulf and Saek die but Targor once again survived. Still, I was able to get a very strong win and secured a 3-0 streak.

All in all it was a fun set of tense games. Reavers are always tough and it could have gone either way at certain points. We played another game for fun but I was still able to win. Still, a great game was had by all.

Both Marquee Models and Wargames Workshop Milton Keynes are amazing stores with great staff and atmosphere. If you’re ever free or nearby, I totally recommend popping down to each one either when in the area or free for an event. You won’t regret it 😉

Also I had finally got my 7th Shadeglass trophy 😎

People may remember me saying I need 7 trophies to complete my plan. What to do now I have the 7 I need? Who knows… but it won’t stop me from turning up to events still. As long as I’m free, no event in England is safe from me. I’m rested and full of crits to spare.