MATCHUP:

Faction: Blood Angels

Detachment: Liberator Assault Group

VS

Faction: Aeldari

Detachment: Aspect Host

MISSION:

Primary: Linchpin

Terrain: GW Terrain Layout 2

Twist: None

RESULT:

94 – 62 Win for Blood Angels

OVERALL TAKEAWAYS:

• Overall game
  • Don’t tell Steve (don’t worry, he doesn’t read these) but my practice game as T’au really helped me here.  It gave me a better feel for the kinds of tactics that Aeldari wouldn’t like and I think it decided the game for the Blood Angels. 
  • You want to know what Aeldari absolutely HATE?  When you pass up shooting at them so they can’t activate one of their Battle Focus tokens in your turn.
  • Blood Angels had the speed and unit count advantage, which is usually an Aeldari staple.  Instead of going uber aggressive and having an “all in” Go Turn, I instead played the Blood Angels more patiently and focused on setting up several turns of charges that built upon each other.  This effectively board controlled Aeldari out of all the movement that they wanted to do and forced them stand on objectives, which they REALLY did not want to do.
  • Instead of going right for the Aeldari damage dealing units, I instead focused the initial Blood Angel charges on the Wave Serpents and Avatar of Khaine.  Killing these, even if they were in “bad trades” meant that Aeldari effectively had nothing that it wanted to have hold primary left. 
  • The Liberator Assault Group detachment rule is especially good into armies like Aeldari as it really throws off the math on the trading game that they want to play.  A Death Company with Jump Packs squad is worth way more than its points because, if it charges, it gets 15 chainsword attacks that reroll the hits and wound on 2’s.  That dramatically increases the lethality of that unit into Aeldari T3, 1 Wound models.
• Blood Angels
  • Blood Angels deployed very conservatively, hiding all units from line of sight, and then went first.  The first turn was essentially a staging turn with the only real movement being the Scouts grabbing a side objective to help max out secondaries and force the Aeldari to come and dig them out.
  • Round 2, the focus was to take down Khaine and the Wave Serpents.  The Aeldari had pushed out aggressively with Khaine on the center objective and 1 Wave Serpent hovering nearby each side objective, waiting in ambush to drop out the Fire Dragons and Dire Avengers for a crack back.  
  • Instead of trying to kill the infantry on the objectives, Blood Angels instead ignored 1 board side.  They actually fell back to leave the Howling Banshees, who had setup a move block, stranded in No Man’s Land.  BA then “all in’d” the center and left flank objective by charging Khaine with 2 squads of Jump Pack Intercessors (JPI’s) and the Captain with Sternguard while Dante and the Sanguinary Guard charged and killed one of the Wave Serpents.
    • HINT: Aeldari also HATE it when you don’t do the optimal thing that they were hoping to counter.  In this case, Blood Angels passed on fishing for Devastating Wounds on an Oath of Moment’d Khaine in shooting with the Sternguard in favor of using the Sternguard to pepper the Howling Banshees.  The result was 3 dead Banshees and Khaine being unable to reactive move out of charge range.
  • Going into Round 3, the Blood Angels ate a crack back and lost a lot of units – 2 JPI units, both Vanguard Vets, and the Impulsor.  They then counter charged with 2 of the Death Company that had staged in Round 2.  This ended up sealing the game as they killed the last Wave Serpent and the Captain made an 11 inch charge through an Overwatch to take out Lhykhis and the Warp Spiders.  After that, it was all mop up and board control. 
  • Key Combos:
    • Captain + Rage Fueled Warrior Enhancement for 1 turn of Sustained Hits 3 + Finest Hour Ability for a once per battle 3 extra attacks in melee and Devastating Wounds + Liberator Assault Group Detachment rule of + 1 attack and +2 Strength to melee weapons on the charge + Oath of Moment for hit rerolls + Sternguard Veterans’ Sternguard Focus ability to reroll the wound roll and fish for Devastating Wounds. 
    • Rage Fueled Captain (see above) + Grenade Stratagem + 2 units of JPI’s making their charges and doing mortal wounds thanks to Hammer of Wrath ability = Dead Avatar of Khaine thanks to 8 mortal wounds + 6 more Devastating Wounds.
  • Key Stratagems
    • Grenades – Aeldari HATE it when you grenade them because an “average roll” of 3 mortal wounds can kill half a unit of their models.  Blood Angels Grenade’d every turn they could.
    • Rapid Ingress – used to setup an easy charge with the 3rd Death Company squad into the 2nd Wave Serpent.
• Aeldari
  • I want to like this detachment but I find that I enjoy War Host much more.  Aspect Host can be crazy lethal, and it was, but the combination of lack of reactive options and a list that over utilized characters resulted in Aeldari not having enough activations to kill enough of the Blood Angels units to avoid getting run over. 
  • This game was essentially tied until the end of Round 3.  That’s when Blood Angels finally cracked thru the Fire Dragons and Dire Avengers and sealed the game.
  • Key Combos:
    • Asurmen + Dire Avengers jumping out of a Wave Serpent to activate Sustained Hits in shooting and Hand of Asuryan ability for Anti-Infantry 5+, Damage 3, Devastating Wounds.  Ideally this would be followed by jumping back into a Wave Serpent, but those uppity Blood Angels had the nerve to kill the Wave Serpent out from under the Dire Avengers before they could pull off this cool trick. 
    • Fire Dragons + Fuegan rerolling hit, wound, and damage rolls into vehicles or monsters.  Ideally while receiving Sustained Hits thanks to Preternatural Precision stratagem on 5+’s thanks to Lhykhis.  Could have been cool, but seemed like insane overkill not a lowly Impulsor that was already on 2 wounds.
  • Key Stratagems
    • Preternatural Precision.  Great on Fire Dragons and Dark Reapers.  See above.

WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:

• Blood Angels
  • Not much.  The game wasn’t played optimally but it ended up working out cuz that messed up the Aeldari.
• Aeldari
  • Need to rethink the list to have less characters and Death Stars and more minimum sized units as I found the lack of units very limiting.

MVP of the GAME:Rage Fueled Captain for punching out Khaine, then making an 11 inch charge through an Overwatch to get Lhykhis, and then finishing the game with a Grenade into a Charge of the Dark Repears that took away the Aeldari home objective.

MAGNUS OF THE GAME: Commander Dante.  You would think that Heroically Intervening with him into the Asurmen and 1 Dire Avenger when they are charging nearby Intercessors would be a heady play.  You would be wrong because Asurmen was having none of it and promptly killed Dante in melee.

LISTS:

Space Marines

Blood Angels

Liberator Assault Group

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Astorath (95 Points)

  • 1x The Executioner’s Axe

Blood Angels Captain (115 Points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Inferno pistol

  • 1x Power fist

  • Enhancements: Rage-fuelled Warrior

Chaplain with Jump Pack (75 Points)

  • 1x Crozius arcanum

  • 1x Grav-pistol

Chief Librarian Mephiston (120 Points)

  • 1x Fury of the Ancients

  • 1x Plasma pistol

  • 1x Vitarus

Commander Dante (120 Points)

  • 1x Perdition Pistol

  • 1x The Axe Mortalis

Lemartes (100 Points)

  • 1x Absolvor bolt pistol

  • 1x The Blood Crozius

BATTLELINE

Intercessor Squad (80 Points)

  • 1x Intercessor Sergeant

     ◦ 1x Astartes grenade launcher

     ◦ 1x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Bolt rifle

     ◦ 1x Power fist

  • 4x Intercessor

     ◦ 4x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Bolt rifle

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Impulsor (80 Points)

  • 1x Armoured hull

  • 1x Ironhail heavy stubber

  • 1x Shield Dome

  • 2x Storm bolter

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 Points)

  • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 1x Power fist

  • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

     ◦ 4x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 Points)

  • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 1x Power fist

  • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

     ◦ 4x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (90 Points)

  • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 1x Power fist

  • 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

     ◦ 4x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 Points)

  • 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs

     ◦ 2x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 1x Eviscerator

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Inferno pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 2x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 Points)

  • 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs

     ◦ 2x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 1x Eviscerator

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Inferno pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 2x Power fist

Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 Points)

  • 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs

     ◦ 2x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 1x Eviscerator

     ◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Inferno pistol

     ◦ 1x Plasma pistol

     ◦ 2x Power fist

Infiltrator Squad (100 Points)

  • 1x Infiltrator Sergeant

     ◦ 1x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Marksman bolt carbine

  • 4x Infiltrator

     ◦ 4x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Helix Gauntlet

     ◦ 1x Infiltrator Comms Array

     ◦ 4x Marksman bolt carbine

Sanguinary Guard (125 Points)

  • 3x Sanguinary Guard

     ◦ 2x Angelus boltgun

     ◦ 3x Encarmine spear

     ◦ 1x Inferno pistol

     ◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner

Scout Squad (70 Points)

  • 1x Scout Sergeant

     ◦ 1x Astartes chainsword

     ◦ 1x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

  • 4x Scout

     ◦ 4x Bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Boltgun

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

Sternguard Veteran Squad (100 Points)

  • 1x Sternguard Veteran Sergeant

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Power fist

     ◦ 1x Sternguard bolt pistol

  • 4x Sternguard Veteran

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 4x Sternguard bolt pistol

     ◦ 4x Sternguard bolt rifle

Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (95 Points)

  • 1x Vanguard Veteran Sergeant with Jump Pack

     ◦ 1x Storm Shield

     ◦ 1x Vanguard Veteran weapon

  • 4x Vanguard Veteran with Jump Pack

     ◦ 4x Storm Shield

     ◦ 4x Vanguard Veteran weapon

Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (95 Points)

  • 1x Vanguard Veteran Sergeant with Jump Pack

     ◦ 1x Storm Shield

     ◦ 1x Vanguard Veteran weapon

  • 4x Vanguard Veteran with Jump Pack

     ◦ 4x Storm Shield

     ◦ 4x Vanguard Veteran weapon

Aeldari

Aspect Host

Strike Force (2,000 Points)

CHARACTERS

Asurmen (125 Points)

  • 1x Bloody Twins

  • 1x Sword of Asur

Autarch (85 Points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Reaper launcher

  • 1x Star glaive

Avatar of Khaine (280 Points)

  • 1x The Wailing Doom

Fuegan (120 Points)

  • 1x Fire Axe

  • 1x Searsong

Jain Zar (105 Points)

  • 1x Blade of Destruction

  • 1x Silent Death

Lhykhis (120 Points)

  • 1x Brood Twain

  • 1x Spider’s Fangs

  • 1x Weaverender

BATTLELINE

Storm Guardians (100 Points)

  • 10x Storm Guardian

     ◦ 8x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 2x Flamer

     ◦ 2x Fusion gun

     ◦ 2x Power sword

     ◦ 6x Shuriken pistol

  • 1x Serpent’s Scale Platform

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Serpent shield

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Wave Serpent (125 Points)

  • 1x Twin shuriken cannon

  • 1x Twin shuriken catapult

  • 1x Wraithbone hull

Wave Serpent (125 Points)

  • 1x Twin shuriken cannon

  • 1x Twin shuriken catapult

  • 1x Wraithbone hull

OTHER DATASHEETS

Dark Reapers (195 Points)

  • 2x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Dark Reaper Exarch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Reaper launcher

  • 9x Dark Reaper

     ◦ 9x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 9x Reaper launcher

Dire Avengers (75 Points)

  • 1x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Dire Avenger Exarch

     ◦ 2x Avenger shuriken catapult

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

  • 4x Dire Avenger

     ◦ 4x Avenger shuriken catapult

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

Fire Dragons (120 Points)

  • 1x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Fire Dragon Exarch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Exarch’s Dragon fusion gun

  • 4x Fire Dragon

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 4x Dragon fusion gun

Howling Banshees (95 Points)

  • 1x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Howling Banshee Exarch

     ◦ 1x Executioner

     ◦ 1x Shuriken pistol

  • 4x Howling Banshee

     ◦ 4x Banshee blade

     ◦ 4x Shuriken pistol

Rangers (55 Points)

  • 5x Ranger

     ◦ 5x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 5x Long rifle

     ◦ 5x Shuriken pistol

Striking Scorpions (85 Points)

  • 1x Striking Scorpion Exarch

     ◦ 1x Scorpion chainsword

     ◦ 1x Scorpion’s claw

     ◦ 1x Shuriken pistol

  • 4x Striking Scorpion

     ◦ 4x Scorpion chainsword

     ◦ 4x Shuriken pistol

Swooping Hawks (85 Points)

  • 1x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Swooping Hawk Exarch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Hawk’s talon

  • 4x Swooping Hawk

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 4x Lasblaster

Warp Spiders (95 Points)

  • 1x Aspect Shrine Token

  • 1x Warp Spider Exarch

     ◦ 1x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 1x Exarch’s death spinner

  • 4x Warp Spider

     ◦ 4x Close combat weapon

     ◦ 4x Death spinner