BatRep - Blood Angels Vs AdMech and IK - 1850pts

Hello All, I recently had the opportunity to battle a work colleague and friend with his finely painted Blood Angels. I chose my AdMech army as I have not used them since 7th and asked if he would like to face an Imperial Knight - I know they are not every ones cup of tea, but his Smash Captain was very keen to test his mettle... It was a maelstrom of War mission - Spoils of War, any Secure Objective X could be won by either player whilst the card was in hand, and any captured cards were added together at the end of the battle - the player with the most gains an additional VP. 

Blood Angels consisted of 3x5 Scouts, Aggressors, Baal Predator, DC Dread, Libby Dread, 12x Jump DC, Chaplain, Sanguinor, Smash Captain and Lieutenant accompanied with 2x Culexus and a Callidus Assassin.

AdMech comprised of  Dominus, 9x Fulgrite Electropriests, 10x Rangers, 2x3 Breachers, Onager Dunecrawler, 3x Castellan Robots and Datasmith, 2x Sydonian Dragoons, 5x Sicarian Ruststalkers and a Knight Errant.

We set up six objectives, rolled for sides, placed our armies, the AdMech gained a +1 to the roll but first turn went to the Blood Angels, and AdMech failed to seize.

BA Turn 1 - The Aggressors moved up to a crater for some cover, the Scouts on the right flank start to defend Objective 1. Behind them, the Scouts behind the promethium pipeline secure Objective 6. The DC Dreadnought, Chaplain Sylvanus and Smash Captain Fox move up to the central Mechanicus platform structure. The Libby Dreadnought also moved forwards behind the jump Characters. Shooting from inside some ruins the Baal Predator made short work of one Torsion Cannon wielding Breachers.

The Assassin Execution Force make their presence known, the Callidus appearing 4in behind the AdMech lines and charging the Rangers whose panicked volley managed to take a wound from the approaching shadow before dispatching two of the Rangers. The Culexus (Culexii?) appear on the central Mechanicus platform and in the building next to the Scouts holding Objective 1, but both fail their charges.

Blood Angels secure Objective 6 for 1VP and start to defend Objective 6 but two failed charges meant no First Strike earned. BA failed to complete No Prisoners. BA 1VP (1 card) : AdMech 0

AdMech Turn 1 - The Sydonian Dragoons speed forward lining up to charge the Scouts defending Objective 1, the Electro Priests move forward to charge the Culexus in the ruins opposite. The Breachers line up their Torsion Cannons for a gravity bending volley toward the DC Dreadnought in the centre taking a ht but his Black Rage meant he shrugged of 4 FNP wounds! The Ruststalkers move toward the centre Mechanicus platform and the Kastellan Robots change protocol to Protector and the Knight Errant completely fails to harm the Aggressors but struck them with his Heavy Stubber failing to get past the Gravis armour. The Datasmith seeing a disturbance in the noosphere targets the Culexus opposite him on the Mechanicus platform and stripped him of two wounds. The Onager Dunecrawler Neutron Laser found its mark and stripped 6 wounds from the Baal Predator, the Breachers failed their shots with the Torsion Cannons and left the Kastellan Robots to strip the Baal vehicle to 2 wounds. The remaining Kastellan who couldn't see the Baal Predator struck down 3 Scouts holding Objective 6.

In the fight phase, the Sydonian Dragoons stampede over the Scouts leaving one Scout and contest the defending. The Fulgrite Electropriests charge the Culexus and the Voltgeist Field slammed into the Assassin taking 3 mortal wounds before easily slaying him in combat boosting their Siphoned Vigour save to 3++ and securing First Strike for the AdMech.

The central platform saw the Sicarian Ruststalkers challenge and slay the second Culexus Assassin, normally a tar pit beast hitting only on sixes and invulnerable saves but Transonic Blades made short work of the warp anathema.

The Callidus Assassin fared better, two more Rangers fall. In the Morale phase the ATSKNF Scout facing down two Sydonian Dragoons might have felt fear - and made a tactical withdrawal off the battlefield.  The Sydonian Dragoons orders were to Secure Objective 1 and the Datasmith Secured Objective 5. BA 1VP (1 card) : AdMech 3VP (2 cards)

BA Turn 2 - The Aggressors fire the Boltstorm Gauntlets ripping into the Sydonian Dragoons obscured by their incense cloud killing one before charging the remaining vehicle destroying it and the AdMech machine deliberately Explodes to seek revenge hitting the Lieutenant and an Aggressor with 1 mortal wound each. The DC Dread mounted the centre platform charging the Sicarian Ruststalkers and killing them, the Librarian Dread used psychic Wings of Sanguinius to move to 7in of the Onager Dunecrawler but failed his charge. Smash Captain Fox and Chaplain Sylvanus made it into combat with the Onager Dunecrawler and the Kastellan Robots stripping the Onager to 1 wound only and taking one wound from a robot, shutting down overwatch with the Angels Wing Relic. The Sanguinor charged the Breachers sensing an easy win however his armour buckled and crushed as a lucky overwatch took 6 wounds killing the Primarch's representative outright! That charge was followed up by a wave of blood hungry DC jump troops wiping out the heavy battle Servitors.

The Callidus failed to kill any Rangers and in return they took a wound from her. The Baal Predator stayed in the ruins, the techmarine driver seeking the protection of the ruins for the rest of the battle in his wounded machine. The BA achieved D3 rolling 2VPs for Take No Prisoners killing Breachers, Sicarian Ruststalkers and Sydonian Dragoons. BA 3VP (1 card) : AdMech 3VP (2 cards)

AdMech Turn 2 - The Knight Errant did nothing again, targeting the Aggressors and fluffing his shooting, the Breachers aimed at the Librarian Dread taking two wounds off the Psyker but missing with two of the guns... everything else was pretty much in combat so had their shooting shutdown. The Electropriests and Knight Errant charged the Aggressors and Lieutenant, the Electropriests tore both units to pieces  leaching the life energy from the veterans and leaving the Errant to do nothing once more...

In the centre, the Dominus repaired the Onager 3 wounds and then he and the Datasmith foolishly charged the Smash Captain and Chaplain, triggering the Red Thirst once again, and the Captain Slayed the enemy Warlord. The Chaplain hit back at the Datasmith taking two wounds but the Datasmith Power Fist attacks were frustrated by the Rosarius.

The Rangers failed to harm the Callidus in combat and the Callidus danced around the robed warriors killing 3 more leaving just 3 Rangers in combat. The AdMech Secured Objective 1 again with the Techpriests and Knight. BA 4VP (1 card) : AdMech 4VP (3 cards)

BA Turn 3 - At the start of Turn 3 the DC jump troops repositioned using the On Wings of Fire stratagem moving across the battlefield to threaten the Electropriests. But, the fates turned against them and they failed their charge but small arms fire took out two Electropriests.

In the Psychic phase the Librarian Dreadnought used Smite to kill a Breacher and then in the shooting phase killed another leaving one Breacher. The DC Dreadnought charged the final Breacher and slew the heavy construct with ease - taking 9 wounds from the Servitor's 3 remaining...

The Captain and Chaplain battled the Kastellan Robots and Onager, the Captain smashing the Onager with ease, the Chaplain struggling with the high toughness of the Robots.

The Callidus slew another two Rangers leaving just the Ranger Alpha. The BA gained Big Game Hunter for the Onager Dunecrawler and the Captain also gained Behind Enemy Lines. BA 6VP (1 card) : AdMech 4VP (3 cards)

AdMech Turn 3 - After a brutal turn seeing half the force wiped out and the Dominus falling the AdMech felt the pressure and needed a break... The Priests stormed the DC Jump Troops, the Knight failed with his Thermal cannon for the third turn in a row so chose the easier cowardly path to charge two Scouts to try and gain Linebreaker tactical Objective and redeem some if little honour. The ElectroPriests killed 7 Death Company for two losses leaving 5 DC and 2 Electropriests. The Knight killed the two Scouts under his titanic feet. Elsewhere, the Callidus killed the Ranger Alpha and was free to move once more. The Kastellans fighting the Chaplain failed to harm the veteran and his Crozius smashed two wounds from one of the two robots remaining. BA 6VP (1 card) : AdMech 5VP (3 cards)

BA Turn 4 - Seeing only the Knight Errant and two Priests remained on the flank the Captain left the Chaplain and Callidus Assassin to deal with the wounded robots, using On Wings of Fire, backed up by the Librarian Dreadnought using Wings of Sanguinius both hammered into the unscathed Knight. The Death Company Dreadnought charged to assist the remaining DC Troops to squish one of the two remaining Electropriests. The Callidus took a wound from the robots.

The Libby Dreadnought and Smash Captain Fox smashed the Imperial Knight down to 9 wounds but the Knight struck back with Titanic Feet to wound the Captain twice. The Kastellan Robots hit back at the Chaplain taking him to one wound and the Electropriests dodged the Thunder Hammer of the Death Company. The Blood Angels scored Area Denial holding the centre and scored my Secure Objective 3 with the Baal Predator. BA 8VP (2 cards) : AdMech 5VP (3 cards)

AdMech Turn 4 - The Litany of the Electromancer was enacted striking down the Chaplain with a burst of electrical energy from the Kastellans and mortally wounding the DC Dreadnought once. There was no shooting so straight to the fight phase - the Knight finally began his redemption, his Thunderstike Gauntlet ripping the Librarian Dreadnought apart and the sarcophagus was hurled at the Smash Captain mortally wounding him twice, now down to 1 wound! That epic hulk smash secured Slay the Witch. The wounded Captain failed to take the Knight down only taking one more wound leaving the Knight on 8.

The DC Dreadnought failed to hit the Electropriest, in return the Priest empowered by the Litanies perhaps, struck down two more DC Thunder Hammers, leaving just one who in his Black Rage failed to damage the Electropriest!

Elsewhere, the Kastellan Robots slew the Chaplain and Assassin and consolidated towards the central Scouts lurking on the central platform and out of the path of the Baal Predator guns and out of my deployment zone scoring Advance. BA 8VP (2 cards) : AdMech 7VP (3 cards)

BA Turn 5 - With the AdMech clawing themselves back into the running, the ElectroPriest had to die! The Smash Captain failed to damage the Knight, the Electropriest failed to get past the DC Troop FNP, the DC Dreadnought finally smashes the Electropriest. The Knight Errant finally redeems himself, taking the Smash Captain down under his feet, giving AdMech Slay the Warlord. BA 8VP (2 cards) : AdMech 8VP (3 cards)

Ad Mech Turn 5 - Back on an even keel and with the Imperial Knight surviving the Smash Captain and Librarian Dreads attentions he was now free to set his sights on the remaining DC Dread. The Thermal Cannon for the first time hits its target taking 6 wounds off the DC Dreadnought, and the Kastellan Robots claimed Objective 4 in the centre wiping out the Scouts lurking there with volleys of Phospher Blaster rounds. The Knight Secured Objective 6 and scored Kingslayer in the preceding turn, so risked Objective 6 by charging into combat with the now wounded Dreadnought, staying within 3in of the Objective but needing to slay the Dreadnought to claim the Objective at the end of the turn - in familiar territory the Knight smashed the Dreadnought with its Thunderstrike Gauntlet once more hurling the carcass at the nearby DC Troop slaying him too! BA 8VP (2 cards) : AdMech 11VP (3 cards)

A bloody battle, swinging both ways and finally the Imperial Knight rose into ascendancy, all that was left on the battlefield was a wounded Baal Predator, AdMech had two Kastellan Robots and the wounded Knight Errant. The final score took into account the Objective Secured Cards - BA 8VP (2 cards) : AdMech 12VP (1 VP for 3 cards). An Adeptus Mechanicus Win.

The Smash Captain performed as expected, tearing down large multi-wound machines, but an unlucky missed round of strikes in Turn 5 meant the Knight could squish him and then tear into the DC Dread. The star of the show for AdMech was the Siphoned Vigorous Fulgrite Tehpriests - once they get the 3++ they stay around and the Voltgeist Field giving Mortal Wounds on the charge if 6+ is rolled is really handy and helped deal with the usual tar pit Assassin. Resisting a DC Dread and DC armed with Thunder Hammers for several turns whittling them down, killed a Lieutenant, Aggressors, Culexus, DC Troops.

What didn't perform well was the Torsion Cannon Breachers, one shot on BS4 is not good in 8th, multi shot Heavy Arc Rifles are probably more reliable. The Culexii placement was not great and they died but that was a symptom of them failing their charges, not knowing the Voltgeist Field mechanic and an unlucky Gamma Pistol shot followed by Transonic Blades making short work of them.

A great game and thanks to On_Wings_Of_Fire, check out his Blood Angels on Instagram.

Cheers, Siph.