Weekend Tournament Round-Up 20

It’s even more tournament time!

Once again I was lucky enough to spend another weekend with 2 tournaments. First of all I was heading down to Bedford Brawl by the Bedford Weird Boyz Wargaming Club for their first Underworlds event which I had given a little bit of help in terms of organisation. I like helping local tournament organisers when I can as it just helps give back to the scene. For the even I would be using Mollog’s Mob as I’m on my quest to win a Shadeglass Trophy with every warband and Mollog is part of my last 5. I’d also painted him up too!

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Saturday

Decklist

Now I know Mollog is getting a lot of hate online but I don’t think he’s that good. While strong, I’ve been playing aggro since the game came out back in September 2017 so I feel I have a good hand on judging the effectiveness of aggro warbands. Mollog can only do aggro, especially with Extreme Flank being banned (good). I won’t go in-depth for this but Mollog plays like my Spiteclaw’s Swarm only much worse.

So how did I go about the objective deck? Restricted cards are Superior Tactician, Escalation and Change of Tactics. All are solid and my personal favourites. Victorious Duel is a relatively easy card to score and Slayer is really nice for Mollog. Strong Start is an obvious choice and Giant Slayer is there for the Mollog mirror as well as 4 wound fighters who love putting Great Fortitude or Tome of Vitality on.

The rest of my objectives are all various ways to score glory outside of killing. Cover Ground is really easy to score from Bat Squig with Spectral Wings or Great Speed when inspired to any fighter with Faneway Crystal. Longstrider is obvious but pretty much everything relies on Mollog living.

Gambit Ploys are all about board control. The double push from Distraction and Predatory Growls is just amazing. Healing Potion to keep Mollog going. Spectral Wings and Hidden Paths as my extra mobility cards. Rebound is there to stop Twist the Knife and helps keep Mollog alive as he’ll be attacking a lot. Aggressive Defence and My Turn are staples for Mollog along with Ready for Action.

All of Mollog’s faction upgrades chosen are perfect for him. 3 +1 damage upgrades because I love it and then various aggro staple upgrades. Faneway Crystal is there for extra mobility and Cover Ground.

The deck was as balanced as I could make it but it struggled vs horde warbands. Although I was betting on no one running them out of Mollog fear. It still required Mollog doing everything from staying alive to hitting with all his attacks. To me Mollog’s Mob feels even harder to add flex elements than Magore’s Fiends.

Critical Combat Chart:

Round 1

Mollog-off! It was me vs my good friend Tom. I don’t know how us Londoners always get paired together at tournaments but at this point it’s just fate. We had been discussing the matchup on the way to the event so it would be interesting to see how the game would turn out. Losing boards, we both went with Soul Refractor set wide.

With mirrored setups, I lost priority and thus I was allowed to go first. Bat Squig went on guard. Tom then put Mollog on guard. Mollog charged into the Stalasquig and Bat Squig but the Bat Squig successfully rolled a block while the trusty Stalasquig rolled a crit. Now my Mollog could have attacked the enemy Mollog, I instead moved the Bat Squig back to being adjacent with enemy Mollog. Tom then drew a card while my Mollog charged into both the Batsquig and Spiteshroom, killing both with his Whirling Club to score Slayer. Tom drew again while Bat Squig just attacked. I ended action phase 1 by using Commanding Stride to put Mollog in range of the enemy Stalasquig and finished by scoring Keep Them Guessing and Master of War.

Losing priority, Tom killed Bat Squig and scored Strong Start. I attacked the Stalasquig but it rolled a crit. Tom then killed my Stalasquig to score Massive Assault. My Mollog finally killed the Stalasquig. Tom then charged my Spiteshroom but missed while I moved Mollog. He attacked and killed the Spiteshroom but took 1 damage in return. I then moved Mollog again to score Longstrider.

Action Phase 3 had me win priority so I let Tom go first who put Mollog on guard. I did the same. His Mollog charged mine but missed and I hit back with Aggressive Defence to do 3 damage while he scored Change of Tactics. I then charged back and missed but scored Change of Tactics. Tom equipped his Mollog with Blooming Spores and Great Strength, with a crit and a smash my Mollog was left on 1 wound. Betting my luck, I rolled a single smash while Tom rolled a dodge. Enemy Mollog died and I scored Giant Slayer. The game ended 9/8 to me, too close.

For game 2 I had won boards. Tom placed Soul Refractor while I placed the Shyishian Stardial in diagonal configuration. I was busting out all my anti-Mollog tech now.

Winning priority I let Tom go first who simply moved Mollog up. I then put my Mollog on guard. What happened next was the most bizarre sequence of events. Tom charged my Mollog so I reacted with Aggressive Defence. Tom rolled double fury so I attacked back and he reacted with Aggressive Defence. I rolled a smash doing 3 damage so then Tom reacted with My Turn but rolled a fury and support. He then attacked with Aggressive Defence and rolled 2 smashes. I then reacted with Rebound and rolled a crit (trademark) which killed the enemy Mollog and scored me Giant Slayer as well as Strong Start. I then used Spectral Wings and failed to kill anything else that phase.

Phases 2 and 3 simply involved Mollog chasing down the rest of the enemy beasties to farm glory and objectives. I had failed to kill Bat Squig by the end of phase 3 but had won the game 12/1.

After that abrupt round of randomness we played a 3rd game just for fun which was fairer on both sides. My Mollog proved triumphant again but it was a much closer score this time. Once again it was great games with Tom but in the aggro mirror it comes down to who gets the better dice once players are evenly matched.

Round 2

For the 2nd round I was facing off against Steven who I had played in the final round at Marquee Models recently. He was back with his Cursebreakers so it would he interesting to see how the matchup would go. Winning boards he went with Soul Refractor while I placed the Katophrane’s Reliquary in wide configuration.

I lost priority and was made to go first so I put Mollog on guard. Rastus then cast Empower. I moved Mollog up while Ammis failed to cast Empower. I then attacked with Mollog rolling a single smash that wounded Ammis. Ammis then successfully casted Empower. Finally I charged with Mollog to score Longstrider and killed Ammis with 2 smashes. I then gave Mollog Blooming Spores, reacting with Ready for Action and killing Rastus with a crit to score Slayer. I ended off the round scoring Keep Them Guessing.

Winning priority, I let Steven go first. Mollog successfully defended a Fulmination then went on guard. Stormsire shot again and inspired with 2 focuses. I gave Mollog Foul Temper and charged in. A crit and a smash beat Stormsire’s crit to score me Victorious Duel and Change of Tactics. The rest of the game was spent cycling cards and I won 16/5.

Game 2 kept the same setup and I started as I did in game 1. This time Rastus inspired early and spaced me out to then surprise charge with Spectral Wings and killed the Stalasquig scoring What Armour?, Measured Strike and Strong Start. He then used Distraction, Tome of Offerings and Ready for Action to kill the Spiteshroom.

Winning priority Rastus charged and killed the Bat Squig. Inspiration Strikes powered up Mollog and he smashed Rastus to bits but the damage was done. I went on to kill Ammis but couldn’t catch up, resulting in a 9/18 loss.

Game 3 had me lose boards so I placed the Arcane Nexus to which my opponent placed Soul Refractor with a slight diagonal configuration.

Losing priority Ammis failed cast Empower. I put Mollog on guard. Rastus casted Empower as well. While drawing cards, Rastus used Hidden Paths to move in range of the Spiteshroom and killed him to score Strong Start, Measured Strike and What Armour? I charged Ammis and rolled a smash while she defended with a block. I simply upgraded Mollog with Blooming Spores while Ammis was given Great Fortitude.

Losing priority, Ammis cast Empower. I put Mollog on guard. Then Rastus cast Empower. I moved Mollog in range of Ammis. She charged Mollog and I reacted with Aggressive Defence. Her 2 crits and a smash knocked Mollog by 3 wounds and thus inspired him. I rolled 2 smashes and whacked Ammis away for 5 damage scoring Strong Start and Giant Slayer for 4 glory. Next I simply drew a card and equipped Foul Temper. Rastus was given Lightning Whip and he charged Mollog which brought him down to 1 wound. Reacting with My Turn, I rolled another crit and scored Slayer. Mollog then charged Stormsire. My 2 smashes beat his single block and thus the enemy warband was dead which let me score Shining Example.

Now for phase 3 I was on 9 glory but my opponent was on 8 and I knew he had not scored Alone in the Darkness. After drawing cards I moved Mollog onto an edge hex next to the Bat Squig. Steven played Distraction on Mollog to separate the 2 fighters so I used Hidden Paths on the Stalasquig and put him adjacent to both fighters. Going into the end phase my objective hand had bricked so I scored nothing…but so had my opponent! After a tough set of 3 games I managed to win on 9/8

Round 3

Farstriders would be my final opponent, helmed by Sean. Losing boards he placed Soul Refractor while I placed the Katophrane’s Reliquary in wide configuration.

Letting him go first, the Farstriders cautiously advanced. I put Mollog on guard then moved him in range of 2 Farstriders. I attacked but missed while Eagle-Eye moved into my territory via a charge but failed to roll any fury symbols. Farstrider used Hidden Paths and shot the Spiteshroom but missed. He used Encroaching Shadow and I played Healing Potion on the Shroom. He then played Raptor Strike and shot again but missed. I finally charged but missed with Mollog as well, scoring Long Strider and Keep Them Guessing.

Phase 2 amounted to a bunch of nothing for both of us mostly. Farstrider finally killed the Spite Shroom to score Finish Them. However the rest of all our attacks missed. Phase 3 had me finally inspire Mollog with Inspiration Strikes and he eventually killed Farstrider to score Victorious Duel while the Farstriders failed to hit or were successfully defend. Game 1 ended with a 6/5 win to me, barely.

Game 2 had me lose boards so we both played Soul Refractor set to wide configuration.

It started tense again as I set up Mollog on the edge. I put Bat Squig on guard. Farstrider used Hidden Paths to appear on my edge so I used Hidden Paths to put Mollog next to Farstrider. He used Raptor Strike on the Spite Shroom so I used Healing Potion to heal him again. Farstrider shot Bat Squig but our successes were tied. Bat Squig charged and failed to hit but scored Change of Tactics. Mollog with Great Strength attacked but failed to hit.

In phase 2, Mollog failed to hit Farstrider again despite Foul Temper while he killed Bat Squig. I used Faneway Crystal and the Spiteshroom to score Cover Ground. Mollog and the Farstriders failed to hit each other for several attacks until Mollog finally killed Farstrider with a crit. Phase 3 had me eventually wipe out the Stormcast but my objective deck had bricked again. I thought I had won only for Sean to score Superior Tactician and win 10/13.

Losing boards again we both had Soul Refractor set to wide with a slight change.

Going first, I put Mollog on guard while Farstrider did the same. I then moved Mollog up while Swiftblade tried to skirt past. I played Inspiration Strikes on Mollog and charged into Farstrider scoring Longstrider. A crit meant Farstrider died, scoring me Change of Tactics and Victorious Duel. Eagle-Eye shot in retaliation with 2 fury rolled doing 1 damage. Reacted with My Turn but missed. Using Foul Temper, 2 smashes meant Eagle-Eye was dead scoring me Slayer. Phase 1 ended with me scoring Shining Example and Keep Them Guessing.

Winning priority, Mollog charged Swiftblade. I missed so the Stormcast retaliated, now inspired, scoring What Armour? but I had reacted with Aggressive Defence. A smash and a crit meant the last Farstrider died scoring me Strong Start. The rest of the game was spent scoring Cover Ground with the Spiteshroom and other passive objectives which resulted in a 15/2 win for me. The perfect hand and dice ensured I had achieved victory.

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After 3 tough sets I had emerged undefeated out of 8 other places. It was tough and by no means an easy tournament. My opponents were very skilled. Still I’m glad that I no longer need to play Mollog’s Mob anymore. It’s a strong warband but far too dice dependant and unpredictable. As a pure aggro warband, it’s not something I’d run at a Grand Clash for how inconsistent the warband is. It literally all depends on your dice.

Apart from that the event was a blast, especially considering it was their first event. If you’re in the area, definitely check out the Bedford Weird Boyz Wargaming Club for some great opponents and great games.

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Sunday

With my tournament juices still flowing I went down to Firestorm Cards again down in Basingstoke. It’s a great place and the tournament organisers were kind enough to agree to use Best Coast Pairings. With only 4 warbands left I decided to bust out Zarbag’s Gitz.

Decklist

It is a flex (aggro and hold objective) playstyle focusing on Snirk the Fanatic. It’s why I run 5 push cards dedicated for him. The deck doesn’t need Ready for Action but I do have 2 restricted upgrades with Shadeglass Dagger and Sudden Growth. The day was going to be interesting with 14 players and 5 Mollogs (beating out yesterday’s 3 Mollogs).

Round 1

Eyes of the Nine helmed by Andy would be my first opponent of the day. Winning boards, we both went with the Katophrane’s Reliquary.

The game went fairly evenly from the outset. Snirk eventually got some kills while the followers of Tzeentch. It was close up until the end where Tactical Supremacy 1-4 secured a 10/11 victory for the Eyes.

Game 2 had boards remain the same but this time I was able to take the lead early. Killing K’Charik gave me more freedom to move about the board and thus I secured a 13/11 victory.

Game 3 had me win boards again. This time Andy kept the Katophrane’s Reliquary while I went with the Mirror Well.

Getting the early lead via Obliterated, Mad Scurry and Keep Them Guessing gave me a massive start. From that the Eyes of the Nine couldn’t really recover. Phase 3 had Vortemis and the Blue Horror left but I had once again claimed victory with a score of 19/14.

Round 2

It was time for another Mollog battle, this time piloted by Joel. Losing boards I went with Penitent’s Throne while my opponent went with the Shattered Tower set diagonal.

Things didn’t go well when Joel opened with Strong Start then Inspiration Strikes and Tome of Offerings. I didn’t get wiped out and managed to kill the rest of the enemy warband but there’s not much you can do when your opponent succeeds with all their attacks over 3 action phases and only misses 1. It ended with a 10/31 loss for me.

Game 2 had me win boards so Joel placed the Mirror Well. I placed the Shyisian Stardial in long configuration.

Mollog went first and missed with his charge. I then simply moved around to score objectives while using Snirk to bring him down to 5 wounds and then Abasoth’s Withering to reduce him to 4. Mollog moved around but I moved away from him. He charged and missed so I used Counter Charge with Snirk. Snirk stuck close to Mollog and killed him netting 6 glory with Tome of Offerings, Giant Slayer and Obliterated for 6 glory. After that it was simple mop up to win 19/1.

Game 3 had me forget boards but I lost deployment. I moved around but Joel got an amazing first action phase again. In phase 2 I had a plan. Mollog had Great Strength so I struck with Mutating Maul from Drizgit to score What Armour? Mollog reacted with My Turn and 2 smashes. I failed my defence roll and played Rebound.

Mollog did exactly enough damage to kill him! I scored Giant Slayer too! My victory was short-lived however as I lost priority and Drizgit died. This allowed Joel to score 2 objectives and unlock Superior Tactician while my objective deck bricked. I had lost 12/17 but I had still learned a lot with Gitz from the games.

Round 3

Finally I would be playing Godsworn Hunt with Paul. I was out of the running for winning but I was still going to have fun and see how the matchup went. Winning boards, we both went with Mirror Well.

The Godsworn started early and took the lead. I was able to keep up but the aggro from the Chaos barbarians was able to edge ahead and secure Superior Tactician for a 16/19 win.

Losing boards again I placed Penitent’s Throne while Paul kept with Mirror Well.

This time I took an early lead with Keep Them Guessing, Mad Scurry and Supremacy. The Godsworn Hunt kept up their aggressive push but my start had given me too great a lead. I was able to get more kills with Snirk (Tome of Offerings) and secure a 22/14 victory.

For the 3rd and final game I won boards. Paul placed the Mirror Well while I placed the Cursed Oubliette in wide configuration.

The killing started early and I was able to keep up with Mad Scurry and Keep Them Guessing. The kills kept coming and Snirk was super useful netting 3 glory from Obliterated. In the final activation it came down to Zarbag with Tome of Offerings. He charged a Darkoath fighter rolling a single fury. She failed her dodge roll and Dark Destiny roll netting me 2 glory which allowed me to win 19/17. Super fun and tight games were Dark Destiny going off would have lost me the game!

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After the results were tallied up I had come 5th out 14. Not bad for my first outing with Zarbag’s Gitz. There was a lot to learn still but it was all very useful and fun! If you’re down in the area check out Firestorm Cards, you’ll have a great time with an awesome local player base. For those interested, here are what I have left to win with:

Only 4 more to go, I’m almost there. So until next time I hope you enjoyed this week’s events review. March is going to be pretty big for the website but until then keep your eyes peeled and the crits hot.