This week’s Grown Men Playing With Toys’ Battle Report features the Salamanders Forgefather’s Seekers and Librarius Conclave against the Necrons Cursed Legion and Skyshroud Spearhead. As backdrop for the game….
The Salamanders do not fight for glory. They do not fight for the thrill or for conquest or because they were pointed at something and told to go. They fight because somewhere behind them there are people who cannot fight for themselves and that is a reason that has never once in thousands of years felt insufficient. Vulkan’s sons carry that weight into every battle. Slow to anger, methodical in destruction, and utterly unwilling to stop until the job is done. They bring fire not as a weapon of terror, but as a tool of purpose, and they have been doing it long enough that the distinction has stopped mattering to the things on the other end of it.
The Necrons do not notice. The soulless Necrons were old before humanity learned to walk upright and they have watched empires built on fire and purpose crumble into dust and drift away on the solar wind. They do not fear the flame as metal does not burn. They do not fear methodical destruction. The Necrons have been taking methodical destruction for millions of years and they are still here, which is something they intend to demonstrate at length.
Two forces defined by patience and endurance are about to find out which kind of patience actually wins, the kind that burns slowly and refuses to quit or the kind that has simply been waiting long enough that quitting is no longer a concept it recognizes.
They said we’re too old, but we said “hold our dice”…..as we find out whether Vulkan’s sons can put down what cannot be killed or whether the Necrons prove once again that some things were never really alive to begin with….
JUMP TO:
Salamanders Specific Strategies
RULES / POINTS VERSION:
11th Edition, 2026-2027 Chapter Approved
July 2026 MFM and Balance Update
MATCHUP:
| Faction: | Detachment: | Force Disposition: |
| Necrons | Cursed Legion and Skyshroud Spearhead | Purge the Foe |
| VS | ||
| Faction: | Detachment: | Force Disposition: |
| Salamanders | Forgefather’s Seekers and Librarius Conclave | Priority Assets |
MISSION:
| Category | Description |
| Salamanders Primary | Vital Link |
| Necrons Primary | Destroyer’s Wrath |
| Terrain Layout | B |
| Deployed First | Salamanders |
| First Turn | Necrons |
| Salamanders Secondaries | Tactical |
| Necrons Secondaries | Tactical |
LISTS:
Necrons:
List
Necrons
Cursed Legion and Skyshroud Spearhead (3 Detachment Points)
Purge the Foe
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
ATTACHED UNITS
Attached unit 1
Technomancer (95 Points)
• Attached as: Support (Character)
• 1x Staff of light
• Enhancements: Murdermind
Canoptek Wraiths (220 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 6x Canoptek Wraith
◦ 6x Particle caster
◦ 6x Vicious claws
Attached unit 2
Lokhust Lord (90 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Lord’s blade
• 1x Resurrection Orb
• Enhancements: Deepening Madness (Upgrade)
Lokhust Destroyers (170 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 6x Lokhust Destroyer
◦ 6x Close combat weapon
◦ 6x Gauss cannon
Attached unit 3
Skorpekh Lord (90 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Enmitic annihilator
• 1x Flensing claw
• 1x Hyperphase harvester
Skorpekh Destroyers (85 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 3x Skorpekh Destroyer
◦ 1x Plasmacyte
◦ 3x Skorpekh hyperphase weapons
Attached unit 4
Skorpekh Lord (90 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Enmitic annihilator
• 1x Flensing claw
• 1x Hyperphase harvester
Skorpekh Destroyers (85 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 3x Skorpekh Destroyer
◦ 1x Plasmacyte
◦ 3x Skorpekh hyperphase weapons
CHARACTERS
C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon (345 Points)
• 1x Canoptek tail blades
• 1x Spear of the Void Dragon
• 1x Voltaic storm
Hexmark Destroyer (75 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols
Hexmark Destroyer (75 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Enmitic disintegrator pistols
Nekrosor Ammentar (185 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Blade tail and whip coils
• 1x Enmitic disintegrators
• 1x Nullstone Field Generator (Aura)
• 1x Unmaker Gauntlet
OTHER DATASHEETS
Flayed Ones (55 Points)
• 5x Flayed One
◦ 5x Flayer claws
Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (180 Points)
• Enhancements: Deepening Madness (Upgrade)
• 3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer
◦ 3x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Enmitic exterminator
Ophydian Destroyers (80 Points)
• 3x Ophydian Destroyer
◦ 3x Ophydian hyperphase weapons
◦ 1x Plasmacyte
Ophydian Destroyers (80 Points)
• 3x Ophydian Destroyer
◦ 3x Ophydian hyperphase weapons
◦ 1x Plasmacyte
Salamanders:
List
Space Marines
Salamanders
Forgefather’s Seekers and Librarius Conclave (3 Detachment Points)
Priority Assets
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
ATTACHED UNITS
Attached unit 1
Vulkan He’stan (85 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• Warlord
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Gauntlet of the Forge
• 1x Spear of Vulkan
Company Heroes (105 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 1x Ancient
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Bolt rifle
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 1x Company Champion
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Master-crafted power weapon
• 2x Company Veteran
◦ 2x Bolt pistol
◦ 2x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Master-crafted bolt rifle
◦ 1x Master-crafted heavy bolter
Attached unit 2
Captain in Gravis Armour (105 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Boltstorm gauntlet
• 1x Power fist
• 1x Relic fist
• Enhancements: War-tempered Artifice
Aggressor Squad (165 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 1x Aggressor Sergeant
◦ 1x Flamestorm gauntlets
◦ 1x Twin power fists
• 5x Aggressor
◦ 5x Flamestorm gauntlets
◦ 5x Twin power fists
Attached unit 3
Captain (90 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Plasma pistol
• 1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Immolator
Infernus Squad (180 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 1x Infernus Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Pyreblaster
• 9x Infernus Marine
◦ 9x Bolt pistol
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 9x Pyreblaster
Attached unit 4
Librarian (95 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Bolt pistol
• 1x Force weapon
• 1x Smite
• Enhancements: Temporal Corridor
Infernus Squad (180 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 1x Infernus Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Pyreblaster
• 9x Infernus Marine
◦ 9x Bolt pistol
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 9x Pyreblaster
Attached unit 5
Librarian (70 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Bolt pistol
• 1x Force weapon
• 1x Smite
Infernus Squad (180 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard ()
• 1x Infernus Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Pyreblaster
• 9x Infernus Marine
◦ 9x Bolt pistol
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 9x Pyreblaster
OTHER DATASHEETS
Eradicator Squad (90 Points)
• 1x Eradicator Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Melta rifle
• 2x Eradicator
◦ 2x Bolt pistol
◦ 2x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Melta rifle
◦ 1x Multi-melta
Eradicator Squad (90 Points)
• 1x Eradicator Sergeant
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Melta rifle
• 2x Eradicator
◦ 2x Bolt pistol
◦ 2x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Melta rifle
◦ 1x Multi-melta
Land Raider Redeemer (250 Points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
• 2x Flamestorm cannon
• 1x Hunter-killer missile
• 1x Multi-melta
• 1x Storm bolter
• 1x Twin assault cannon
Repulsor (170 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Hunter-slayer missile
• 1x Las-talon
• 1x Repulsor defensive array
• 1x Twin lascannon
Scout Squad (65 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
Scout Squad (65 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
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Necrons:
4th time is the charm? This detachment has a history of being cursed (see what I did there?) for me as I have yet to win. Best I can tell, it is more of a play style problem than a list problem and I am looking forward to continuing to work on it now that we have Force Dispositions and an added 1 DP detachment to add to it.
From a macro strategy perspective, this is a mixed arms list that wants to shoot lock down one side of the board and then apply maximum pressure and damage to the other side of the board. It is designed to be very dangerous with ready access to Sustained and Lethal Hits, some re-rolls, and a good mix of melee and ranged damage dealers. I also included just enough scoring units to allow me to play the secondary game as the goal is for this list to have a very high points floor.
From a micro-strategy perspective, the list features units that fall into the following roles:
-Objective Holders / Board Control Pieces: Technomancer + 6 Wraiths (cuz I’m a super innovative Necron player….sarcasm)
-Anti-Tank / Distractions: C’Tan Shard of the Void Dragon, Lokhust Heavy Destroyers
-Buff Pieces: Nekrosor
-Damage Dealers to attack the Opponent’s scoring potential: Skorpekhs, Lokhust Destroyers, and Nekrosor (ideally later in the game)
-Scoring Pieces: Ophydians, Hexmark’s, Flayed Ones
The idea is to lock down either the Central or Expansion Objective with the Wraiths and then to use the C’Tan, Lokhust Destroyers, and Skorpekhs to apply pressure to the opponent. That pressure can be in the form of taking down their damage dealers or by attacking their Expansion Objective and/or Deployment Zone. The Hexmarks are then there to Deep Strike in to do actions or sit on Objectives with Lone Op, while the Ophydians “uppy downy” as needed to score points.
This strategy should align with the chosen Force Disposition of Purge the Foe, as it rewards the list’s fundamental aggression and kill-focused game plan that features just enough secondary scoring.
Win Condition: Generically, the win condition for this list is to hold one Objective with the Wraiths, do actions with the Hexmarks/Ophydians, and then use the remaining 60% of its army to kill the opponent. It’s not a complicated plan, which is why I aligned it to Purge the Foe, and should be better in 11th than 10th because you don’t need to spend as much time fighting over Objectives.
For this specific matchup and Primary Mission, there is the added complexity of scoring points for “holding more” objectives than your opponent and for “killing more” units than your opponent did last turn. On paper, both of these are pretty good for the Necrons. If they can protect their Home and Expansion Objectives, this should really narrow down their scope to be about also controlling the Central Objectives. The downside of this is that it means that the Salamanders will have a very good idea of where the Necrons are trying to go on the board, which will allow them to setup their Overwatches. Additionally, the Salamanders bring a lot of difficult to kill units without a whole lot of chafe. This will make it difficult for the Necrons to cover their “hold more” potential issues by “killing more”.
I don’t love this matchup or Mission for the Necrons and will have to be very strategic with how they are moved around the board in order. They also will need to focus on playing the Primary Mission well in order to win this one as I expect that to be the main challenge for them.
What I Want to Work On This Game: How I play the Nekrosor. Failure to properly utilize him seems to be at the root of many of my struggles with this list and I want to fix that. Specifically, I want to work on the timing on when I flip from him being a ranged shooting buff piece to becoming a melee threat in his own right.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Technomancer with Canoptek Wraiths |
| Lokhust Lord with Lokhust Destroyers | |
| Skorpekh Lord with Skorpekh Destroyers 1 | |
| Skorpekh Lord with Skorpekh Destroyers 2 | |
| Strategic Reserves: | Hexmark Destroyer 1 |
| Hexmark Destroyer 2 | |
| Key Stratagems: | Swift as Death [1CP] Opponent’s Movement phase – WHEN: Your opponent’s Movement phase, when an enemy unit ends a move within 8″ of a friendly unengaged NECRONS MOUNTED unit. TARGET: That NECRONS MOUNTED unit. EFFECT: Your unit can make a normal move of up to D3+3″. |
| Omnilocked Strafing [1CP] Movement phase – WHEN: Your Movement phase, when a friendly NECRONS MOUNTED unit is selected to make a fall-back move. TARGET: That NECRONS MOUNTED unit. EFFECT: That move does not prevent your unit from being eligible to shoot. | |
| Driven to Butchery [1CP] Shooting or Charge phase – WHEN: Your Shooting phase or your Charge phase. TARGET: One DESTROYER CULT unit from your army. EFFECT: Until the end of the turn, your unit is eligible to shoot and declare a charge in a turn in which it Advanced. | |
| Methodical Murder [1CP] Shooting or Fight phase – WHEN: Your Shooting phase or the Fight phase. TARGET: One NECRONS unit (excluding MONSTERS and VEHICLES) from your army that has not been selected to shoot or fight this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, weapons equipped by models in your unit have the [SUSTAINED HITS 1] ability. | |
| Key Combos: | Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers + Nekrosor Ammentar + Cold Fervour detachment rule + Deepening Madness (Upgrade) enhancement + Hard-wired for Destruction ability + Destroyer Cult ability + Driven by Hatred ability This is the main combo in this detachment. It gives you 6 Lokhust Destroyers that get +2 Strength, Critical Hits on 5+’s, and Sustained + Lethal Hits as long as the Nekrosor is nearby. Add in Assault and re-roll to Hits against the closest enemy if they are on an Objective and this gets nasty. |
| Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 + United In Destruction ability + Plasmacyte ability + Methodical Murder stratagem + Driven to Butchery stratagem Another somewhat niche combo that requires some setup, but this one gives you a unit of Advance and Charge Skorpekhs that get Sustained, Lethal, and Devastating Wounds (once per game) alongside Hit re-rolls if you Charged. |
Salamanders:
Towards the end of 10th edition, playing Salamanders in Forgefather’s Seekers became one of my favorite ways to play Space Marines. It allows me to play a pseudo narrative list that is full of flamers and meltas that also moves fast and plays to my inherently aggressive/flexible play style. Better still, it appears to have gotten even better in 11th Edition thanks to being able to combine it with Librarius Conclave.
From a macro-strategy perspective, this list is designed to be an “all rounder” that is capable of playing the mission and killing the opponent equally well. I leaned in hard into the speed and mobility that both detachments can provide. Ideally, the list wants to stage up for a turn, punish the opponent with a brutal Overwatch for a Round or two and then flip the switch and have a “Go Turn” like I do with my melee armies. That said, the list is designed to be flexible enough to play a trading game, if needed, and to not just be reliant on an aggressive “stage and push” game. Most importantly, I am hoping it is capable of scoring points regardless of which tempo that game is played at.
From a micro-strategy perspective, the list features units that fall into the following roles:
-Objective Holders / Board Control Pieces: Vulkan He’staan + Company Heroes
-Anti-Tank / Distractions: Repulsor, Eradicators, Infernus Squad + Volkan’s buff
-Buff Pieces: Vulkan He’staan
-Damage Dealers to attack the Opponent’s scoring potential: Infernus Squad, Aggressors, Land Raider Redeemer
-Scoring Pieces: Scouts, Infernus Squad
The idea is to lock down the Expansion Objective with the Company Heroes + Vulkan, which will become a very tough unit to budge thanks to Vulkan’s abilities. Vulkan can then point at one enemy unit that is within 24 of inches of him and give out buffs to the rest of the army when they attack it. The rest of the list revolves around interacting with the threat of that combination and the damage that it can do, whether its with one of the 3 Infernus units, the Aggressors, or the Land Raider Redeemer. The goal is to use one of those “hammer units”, ideally the Infernus Squad + Librarian in the Repulsor to threaten the middle and then to throw everything else at the other side of the board, thereby pressuring the opponent into making bad decisions or bad trades. All the while, the Scouts will be doing actions and scoring points.
This strategy should align with the chosen Force Disposition of Priority Assets, as it rewards the list’s flexibility and ability to “flip the switch” into an aggressive game plan.
Win Condition: Generically, the win condition for this list is to hold one Objective with the Vulkan, do actions with the Scouts and Infernus Squad, and then use the remaining portions of its army to stage up and then push into the opponent. It’s designed to do damage in both players’ turns and to kill the opponent aggressively when the “go turn” comes. It’s eerily similar to a lot of the melee armies that I play and I am really looking forward to playing it.
Specific to this matchup and Primary Mission, the win condition and macro strategy for the army changes slightly from its default to focus on controlling 1 or 2 Central Objectives instead of the Expansion Objective. The win condition is to control the center of the board for the entire game and then to push up one flank and into the Necrons Deployment Zone. If the Salamanders can control the middle and apply a ton of pressure up one flank, they will be in a good position in what looks like a decent matchup for them.
What I Want to Work On This Game: 2 things. 1. Getting the most out of Temporal Corridor. The ability to redeploy an Infernus Squad via a Librarian’s psychic ability is potentially the highest-skill decision point in the list and should give me the ability to channel aspects of my experience as a Grey Knights and Raven Guard player. It creates a threat the Necrons cannot plan around and I want to focus on identifying the right moment and the right target for that unit to reposition. 2. The Land Raider Redeemer delivery timing. Over the past several games, I have bounced back and forth between being too aggressive or too passive when it comes to delivery of my biggest units. The Redeemer is the most expensive and most impactful single unit in the list and deciding when to push it forward, when to disembark the Aggressors, and how to sequence the Redeemer’s own ranged shooting with the Aggressors’ output is the a core part of what I want to work on.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Vulkan He’stan with Company Heroes |
| Captain in Gravis Armour with Aggressor Squad | |
| Captain with Infernus Squad | |
| Librarian with Infernus Squad 1 | |
| Librarian with Infernus Squad 2 | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad in Land Raider Redeemer |
| Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 in Repulsor | |
| Strategic Reserves: | Captain + Infernus Squad |
| Key Stratagems: | Immolation Protocols [2CP] Shooting phase – WHEN: Your Shooting phase. TARGET: One ADEPTUS ASTARTES unit from your army that has not been selected to shoot this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, Torrent weapons equipped by models in your unit have the [DEVASTATING WOUNDS] ability. |
| Wrathful Inferno [1CP] Movement phase – WHEN: Your Movement phase, just after an ADEPTUS ASTARTES INFANTRY unit from your army Falls Back. TARGET: That unit. EFFECT: Until the end of the turn, your unit is eligible to shoot in a turn in which it Fell Back. | |
| Burning Vengeance [1CP] Opponent’s Shooting phase – WHEN: Your opponent’s Shooting phase, just after an enemy unit has shot. TARGET: One ADEPTUS ASTARTES TRANSPORT unit from your army that was selected as the target of one or more of the attacking unit’s attacks. EFFECT: One unit embarked within that TRANSPORT can disembark as if it were your Movement phase, and can then shoot as if it were your Shooting phase, but must target only that enemy unit when doing so, and can only do so if that enemy unit is an eligible target. | |
| Blazing Earth [1CP] Opponent’s Charge phase – WHEN: Start of your opponent’s Charge phase. TARGET: One ADEPTUS ASTARTES unit from your army equipped with one or more Torrent weapons. EFFECT: Select one enemy unit (excluding MONSTERS and VEHICLES and units with the FLY keyword) within 12″ of and visible to your unit. Until the end of the phase, each time that enemy unit declares a charge, subtract 2 from the Charge roll (this is not cumulative with any other negative modifiers to that Charge roll). | |
| Crucible of Battle [1CP] Shooting phase or Fight phase – WHEN: Your Shooting phase or the Fight phase. TARGET: One ADEPTUS ASTARTES INFANTRY unit from your army that has not been selected to shoot or fight this phase. EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, each time a model in your unit makes an attack that targets the closest eligible target within 6″, add 1 to the Wound roll. | |
| Fire Overwatch [1CP] Opponent’s Movement phase – WHEN: End of your opponent’s Movement phase. TARGET: One friendly unengaged unit (excluding TITANIC units). EFFECT: Your unit shoots using snap shooting: you can only target one visible enemy unit within 24″ of your unit (and only if it is an eligible target); each attack only hits on an unmodified hit roll of 6 (irrespective of BS or modifiers); you cannot re-roll hit rolls. After shooting, until the end of the phase, your unit is not eligible to start an action. | |
| Rapid Ingress [1CP] Opponent’s Movement phase – WHEN: End of your opponent’s Movement phase. TARGET: One friendly unit that is in strategic reserves (excluding AIRCRAFT). EFFECT: Your unit makes an ingress move. | |
| Key Combos: | Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 + Repulsor + Emergency Combat Embarkation ability + Burning Vengeance stratagem This is used to punish an opponent who tries to shoot your Repulsor. It is range limited to 12 inches thanks to the Infernus Squads’ weapons, but allows you to disembark out of the Repulsor after it was shot and to shoot back at whatever shot it. Then, the Infernus can jump right back into the Repulsor if they get Charged. Its a bit of a gotcha and requires some setup but is a strong deterrent against armies that want to engage in close quarters shooting. |
| Vulkan He’stan + Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 + Forgefather ability + Immolation Protocols stratagem This combo supercharges your Infernus Marines to the point of potentially being able to kill most things in the game. It gives you 10 D6 attacks that auto hit, have Strength 6 if within 12 inches, re-rolls to the Wound roll as long as Vulkan can see them, and Devastating Wounds for 2CP. This is one of the combos the list is built around. | |
| Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad + Close-quarters Firepower ability + Rites of Battle ability + Immolation Protocols stratagem Similar to the Infernus Marines combo, this one gives you 6 D6+1 flamers at Strength 5, with built in wound re-rolls thanks to Twin Linked, +1 AP if you target the closest enemy unit, and access to Devastating Wounds for 1 CP. | |
| Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 + Temporal Corridor enhancement This is a new one enabled by the 11th Edition Detachment combination rules. It gives you an Infernus Squad “bomb” that can “uppy downy” to move around the board and then flame anything that it drops in next to. Its going to be used to go hunting action monkey units for the Necrons. | |
| Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 + Oath of Moment army rule + Vulkan’s Quest detachment rule + Psychic Disciplines detachment rule This is another combo that is now possible by combining 2 detachments. The result is 2 Infernus Squad units that have access to either +2 to Move via Biomancy or +1 AP via Pyromancy. Both stack very, very well with the already existing Assault and +1 to Strength within 12 inches detachment rules. |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
The Necrons win the roll off an elect to have the Salamanders deploy first. The Salamanders deploy somewhat predictably given the board layout and their mission with the two vehicles hiding behind terrain, Vulkan + Company Heroes within an easy Advance of a Central Objective, and the rest of their army castled up behind the vehicles. The only potential wrinkle is deploying one Scouts Squad towards their Expansion Objective in order to force the Necrons to pay at least a little attention to it in order to avoid an easy 3 VP per turn for the Salamanders.
On the other side of the table, the Necrons all deploy in line with their win condition. The Wraiths are positioned behind terrain but ready to Advance onto any of Objectives 4 to 6, the C’Tan mirrored the Salamander vehicles, and then pretty much all of the Necron guns were trained on the center of the board, with the exception of the Flayed Ones, who were positioned to threaten Objective 3 in order to block the Salamanders from getting free VP there.
Board state after Deployment is shown below.
Post Deployment
Necrons in the roll off and will go first. Neither side has Scout moves to make.
Board state at the start of the battle is shown below.
Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Necrons |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan and Company Heroes use Seeker of the Unfound, selecting Objective 5 [Salamanders] Declares Divination for Librarius Conclave [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Assassination, A Tempting Target [Salamanders] Selects Objective 3 as the target for A Tempting Target |
| Movement | [Necrons] Technomancer and Canoptek Wraiths move onto Objective 6 [Necrons] C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon moves towards Objective 4 [Necrons] Flayed Ones move onto Objective 3 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 move towards Objective 4 to stage [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 move towards Objective 3 to stage |
| Shooting | [Necrons] None |
| Charge | [Necrons] None |
| Fight | [Necrons] None |
| End of Turn | [Necrons] Scores A Tempting Target (5 VP) |
| Score at End | 15 |
| CP at End | 2 |
Quiet first turn for the Necrons as they focus mostly on positioning and staging for the next turn. They know that the Salamanders are going to have to come out to the Central Objectives and so the plan for the turn was to simply position their units to punish the Salamanders when they do come out to the middle, while also putting in the minimum expenditure possible to control or threaten the two Expansion Objectives.
Board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Salamanders |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Draws secondary objectives: Cleanse, Bring it Down [Salamanders] Declares Oath of Moment on Flayed Ones |
| Movement | [Salamanders] Repulsor Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 6 to Shoot [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Disembarks from Repulsor to Shoot [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 to Perform an Action [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 1 Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 5 to Stage [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 2 Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 4 to Stage [Salamanders] Scout Squad 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 3 to Shoot |
| Shooting | [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths and Kills 2 Models [Salamanders] Repulsor Split Fires and Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths to Deal 0 Damage and Shoots C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon to Deal 1 Damage [Salamanders] Scout Squad 2 Shoots Flayed Ones and Kills 3 Models [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Performs Vital Link on Objective 5 |
| Charge | [Salamanders] None |
| Fight | [Salamanders] None |
| End of Turn | [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 3 VP |
| Score at End | 13 |
| CP at End | 2 |
The Salamanders also have a quiet first turn. Going into the turn, the plan was to get Vulkan He’staan onto Objective 5 so that he got access to his Feel No Pain and 10 OC and to have his unit perform Vital Link on it as early into the game as possible. Then, the Salamanders were simply going to probe and poke at the Necrons’ flanks while saving up most of the strengths for when the Necrons need to push into the middle. They’re playing a patient game now as they know the Necrons need to come to them.
One minor note, I really don’t like that Librarius Conclave has to declare its Psychic Discipline at the start of the Round. It feels like you are giving away your plan based on what you choose if you go second. It’s a “first world problem”, but still a complaint.
Board state at the end of Round 1 is shown below.
End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Necrons |
| Score at Start | 15 |
| CP at Start | 2 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Declares Divination for Librarius Conclave [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Engage On All Fronts, Display of Might [Necrons] Flayed Ones Passes Battle Shock [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 4 VP [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 1 Wound [Necrons] Flayed Ones uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 1 Wound [Necrons] C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 1 Wound |
| Movement | [Necrons] C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 4 [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Advances towards Objective 4 to Stage [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 4 to Stage [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Advances onto Objective 3 to Charge [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 2 Deep Strikes near Objective 3 [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths uses Technomancer to Heal 2 Wounds [Necrons] Lokhust Heavy Destroyers Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 5 to Stage |
| Shooting | [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Shoots Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 and Deals 0 Damage [Necrons] C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon Shoots Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes and Deals 2 Damage |
| Charge | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Driven to Butchery for 1 CP [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Charges into Scout Squad 2 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Crimson Harvest to Deal 2 Mortal Wounds to Scout Squad 2 [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Declares a Charge – Charge Failed [Necrons] C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon Declares a Charge – Charge Failed |
| Fight | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Fights Scout Squad 2 and Destroys Unit |
| End of Turn | [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 7 VP [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 uses Temporal Corridor to go into Strategic Reserves |
| Score at End | 26 |
| CP at End | 2 |
Necrons draw first blood as they start to push into the midfield.
Coming into this turn, the plan was to start turning the game into a race to 100 VP by racking up as much Primary as possible. This would be accomplished by killing the Scouts on Objective 3, avoiding the Infernus Squad 1 Overwatch, and then staging up as much as possible for a Round 3 “push turn”. The Necrons know where the Salamanders need to be to win this game, the Central Objectives, and are positioning themselves to force the Salamanders into that killing field. They mostly accomplished that, with the only worry being the lack of Secondary scoring to date.
From a Salamanders perspective, they made one minor mistake in Round 1 and it resulted in an easy 4 VP for the Necrons. Given where the Scouts 2 were positioned, they were going to die in Round 2. Knowing this, the Salamanders should have Charged with them into the Flayed Ones in Round 1. Yes, they do make the Charge for the Skorpekhs easier and probably save the Necrons a CP, but they also would block the “kill more” scoring for the Necrons. Given that this game looks like it is turning into a race to 100 VP, that could prove important.
Board state in the middle of Round 2 is shown below.
Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Salamanders |
| Score at Start | 13 |
| CP at Start | 3 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Draws secondary objectives: Defend Stronghold, Engage On All Fronts [Salamanders] Declares Oath of Moment on C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 8 VP |
| Movement | [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 2 Advances onto Objective 4 to Shoot [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 1 Advances onto Objective 5 to Shoot [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Advances towards Objective 5 to Shoot [Salamanders] Repulsor Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 6 to Perform an Action [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Disembarks and Advances towards C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon to Shoot [Salamanders] Scout Squad 1 Makes a Normal Move to Screen [Salamanders] Land Raider Redeemer Makes a Normal Move to Screen [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Deploys From Reserves in Salamanders Deployment Zone to Screen [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Deploys From Reserves near Objective 3 to Shoot |
| Shooting | [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Shoots Ophydian Destroyers 2 and Kills 1 Model [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Incendiary Terror on Ophydian Destroyers 2 [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 2 Passes Battle Shock [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 2 Shoots C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon and Deals 2 Damage [Salamanders] Eradicator Squad 1 Shoots C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon and Deals 3 Damage [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 uses Explosives on Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths for 1 CP to Deal 3 Mortal Wounds [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths and Kills 2 Models [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Performs Cleanse on Objective 5 [Salamanders] Repulsor Performs Cleanse on Objective 6 [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad uses Rites of Battle to reduce the CP cost of Immolation Protocols by 1 CP [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Shoots C’tan Shard of the Void Dragon and Destroys Unit |
| Charge | [Salamanders] None |
| Fight | [Salamanders] None |
| End of Turn | [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Bring it Down — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Cleanse — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 3 VP [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 2 uses Tunnelling Horrors to go into Strategic Reserves |
| Score at End | 34 |
| CP at End | 2 |
And the Salamanders answer the Necrons challenge with a huge turn.
Coming into the turn, the Salamanders had to deal with the C’Tan before it became a problem. The plan was to use to Eradicators and Gravis Captain + Aggressors since the Eradicators become disposable once all Monsters and Vehicles are dead and because the Aggressors get built in Twin Linked and reduced CP cost for Immolation Protocols. The idea was to dump as many re-rolls and Devastating Wounds as possible into the C’Tan and hope it’s enough. Beyond that, the plan was to focus on Secondaries and to keep the Infernus Squads well positioned to score and Overwatch. This game is turning into a race and the Salamanders want to keep the pressure on the Necrons by continuing to outscore them while also threatening to do damage in their turn.
All of those goals were accomplished and the Salamanders are positioned to score 3 to 5 more VP on Secondaries into the Necrons turn in Round 3. Salamanders are feeling great about where they are at this point in the game.
On the other wise of the table, the Necrons are still feeling OK as well. The C’Tan was a distraction in this game and was being used to keep the Land Raider Redeemer out of the middle, which it did accomplish. The Necrons would have preferred to see the C’Tan last 1 more turn, but losing him now in order to draw out so many enemy units is still worthwhile. Even better, the Salamanders only killed 1 unit, so if the Necrons can get 2 kills (say 2 units of exposed Eradicators) next turn, they will continue to run up Primary points. The only worry about this point is Secondary scoring as the Necrons are behind there and need to catch up before time runs out on them.
Board state at the end of Round 2 is shown below.
End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Necrons |
| Score at Start | 26 |
| CP at Start | 3 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Declares Pyromancy for Librarius Conclave [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Defend Stronghold, Outflank [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Passes Battle Shock [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 4 VP [Necrons] Flayed Ones uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 2 Wounds [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 1 Wound |
| Movement | [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 1 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 1 to Screen [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 4 to Charge [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 2 Deep Strikes onto Objective 1 to Charge [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Advances onto Objective 6 to Charge [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 to Shoot and Charge [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 4 to Shoot [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 4 [Necrons] Lokhust Heavy Destroyers Advances towards Objective 5 to Shoot [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 1 Deep Strikes near Objective 6 to Score [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths uses Technomancer to Heal 2 Wounds [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad uses Rites of Battle to reduce the CP cost of Fire Overwatch by 1 CP [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad uses Fire Overwatch [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths and Deals 2 Damage |
| Shooting | [Necrons] Lokhust Heavy Destroyers Shoots Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 and Kills 7 Models [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Shoots Eradicator Squad 1 and Kills 2 Models [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Shoots Eradicator Squad 1 and Deals 0 Damage [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Shoots Eradicator Squad 2 and Deals 1 Damage [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 1 Shoots Repulsor and Deals 1 Damage |
| Charge | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Charges into Eradicator Squad 2 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Crimson Harvest to Deal 1 Mortal Wound to Eradicator Squad 2 [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad uses Blazing Earth on Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths for 1 CP [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Declares a Charge – Charge Failed [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths uses CP Re-roll for 1 CP [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Charges into Eradicator Squad 1 and Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 uses Driven to Butchery for 1 CP [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Charges into Repulsor and Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Crimson Harvest for 0 Mortal Wounds [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar uses Spreading Madness for 1 CP [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Charges into Eradicator Squad 2 and Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad |
| Fight | [Necrons] Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths Fights Eradicator Squad 1 and Destroys Unit [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad uses Counter Offensive for 2 CP [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar uses Image of Death for 1 CP [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Split Fires and Fights Nekrosor Ammentar to Deal 0 Damage and Fights Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths to Deal 1 Damage [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Plasmacyte [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Fights Eradicator Squad 2 and Destroys Unit [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 uses Plasmacyte [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Split Fires and Fights Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 to Kill 1 Model and Fights Repulsor to Deal 14 Damage [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Fights Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad and Kills 5 Models [Salamanders] Repulsor Fights Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Deals 0 Damage [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Fights Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Deals 0 Damage |
| End of Turn | [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Outflank — 5 VP [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Engage On All Fronts — 3 VP [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 7 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Defend Stronghold — 5 VP [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 uses Temporal Corridor to go into Reserves |
| Score at End | 45 |
| CP at End | 0 |
The Necrons push as expected and it is a haymaker and a half. Coming into the turn, the plan was to kill the 2 Eradicator units in order to score 11 more VP on Primary while also trying to score as much on Secondaries as possible. Any additional damage beyond that was icing on the cake but the Necrons weren’t going to count on it.
As it turns out, they were able to achieve all of their plans while also getting all of the icing on the cake. Both Eradicator units went down and then Necrons started coming back on Secondaries. The Nekrosor then made a “long bomb” Charge into the center of the board and then he and the Wraiths brick walled the Aggressors Counter Offensive before clapping the unit back HARD. The Necrons exit the turn having scored everything that they wanted while also doing major damage to 3 of the Salamanders damage dealers. Not a bad turn at all.
From a Salamanders perspective, that hurt but not all is lost. They’re still in a strong position in the middle with Vulkan He’stan controlling Objective 5 and the Land Raider Redeemer positioned to advance into the fray with its guns spitting fire. They also kept scoring in the Necrons turn and so are positioned to stay ahead on points.
Board state in the middle of Round 3 is shown below.
Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Salamanders |
| Score at Start | 39 |
| CP at Start | 0 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Draws secondary objectives: Outflank, Beacon [Salamanders] Selects Scout Squad 1 as Beacon unit [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Passes Battle Shock [Salamanders] Repulsor Fails Battle Shock [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Passes Battle Shock [Salamanders] Declares Oath of Moment on Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 8 VP |
| Movement | [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 Falls Back towards Objective 5 [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Makes an Ingress Move near Necrons Deployment Zone to Shoot [Salamanders] Land Raider Redeemer Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 4 to Shoot [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Advances onto Objective 3 to Shoot [Salamanders] Scout Squad 1 Makes a Normal Move off Objective 2 [Salamanders] Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad Falls Back [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 uses Rapid Ingress for 1 CP [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 Deep Strikes onto Objective 2 [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 uses Inescapable Death on Fire Overwatch for 0 CP [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 Shoots Scout Squad 1 and Kills 1 Model |
| Shooting | [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes uses Forgefather on Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths [Salamanders] Repulsor Shoots Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Kills 2 Models [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Crucible of Battle for 1 CP [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Shoots Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 and Kills 3 Models [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Fails Hazardous and Takes 1 Mortal Wound [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Incendiary Terror on Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Fails Battle Shock [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Shoots Ophydian Destroyers 2 and Destroys Unit [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths and Kills 1 Model [Salamanders] Land Raider Redeemer Split Fires and Shoots Technomancer + Canoptek Wraiths to Destroy Unit and Shoots Nekrosor Ammentar to Deal 8 Damage |
| Charge | [Salamanders] None |
| Fight | [Salamanders] Repulsor Fights Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Kills 1 Model [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Fights Repulsor and Destroys Unit |
| End of Turn | [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Outflank — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Engage On All Fronts — 3 VP [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 3 VP [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Defend Stronghold — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 58 |
| CP at End | 0 |
Both sides keep throwing haymakers and keep running up the score as the Salamanders clap back with another good turn and the Necrons keep closing the Secondary gap.
The plan for the turn from a Salamander perspective was to take down anything the center of the board that had decent Objective control while also setting up the Land Raider Redeemer for a devastating Fire Overwatch next turn. They also wanted to start chipping away at the Necron scoring units, if possible.
They accomplished most of this with both units of Skorpekh Destoryers getting whittled down to just the Lords, the Technomancer + Wraiths finally dying, and Nekrosor going down to 1 Wound remaining. Even better, they also took down one of the Ophydian Destroyer units as well. The only potential mistake was creating too much space in their Deployment Zone and then allowing the Hexmark Destroyer 2 to sneak in and fire off an Overwatch.
From a Necrons perspective, that hurt but not all is lost. The Nekrosor will probably go down to an Overwatch next turn, but that can be used to bait out said Overwatch and to free up the Lokhust squads to fire away. They are running low on units that want to stand on Objectives and still need to catch up on points. It’s looking like this one will be a sprint to the very end.
Board state at the end of Round 3 is shown below.
End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Necrons |
| Score at Start | 50 |
| CP at Start | 0 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Declares Pyromancy for Librarius Conclave [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Forward Position, Secure No Man’s Land [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Fails Battle Shock [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Passes Battle Shock [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 uses Insane Bravery for 1 CP [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 10 VP [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar uses Reanimation Protocols to Heal 1 Wound |
| Movement | [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Makes a Normal Move towards Salamanders Deployment Zone to Charge [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 5 to Charge [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 4 and Objective 5 to Shoot [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 5 to Charge [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 1 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 6 [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 2 to Shoot [Necrons] Lokhust Heavy Destroyers Advances towards Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 to Shoot [Necrons] Flayed Ones Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 3 [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 uses Fire Overwatch for 1 CP [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Shoots Lokhust Heavy Destroyers and Destroys Unit |
| Shooting | [Necrons] Hexmark Destroyer 2 Shoots Scout Squad 1 and Kills 2 Models [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Shoots Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 and Deals 1 Damage [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Shoots Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad and Deals 2 Damage [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Shoots Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad and Deals 0 Damage [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Shoots Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad and Kills 1 Model |
| Charge | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Charges into Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 uses Crimson Harvest to Deal 3 Mortal Wounds [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Charges into Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Charges into Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 uses Crimson Harvest to Deal 3 Mortal Wounds to Captain in Gravis Armour + Aggressor Squad and Destroy Unit |
| Fight | [Necrons] Nekrosor Ammentar Fights Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes and Kills 3 Models [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Fights Librarian + Infernus Squad 1 and Destroys Unit [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 Fights Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes and Kills 1 Model [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Fights Nekrosor Ammentar and Deals 0 Damage |
| End of Turn | [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Forward Position — 5 VP [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Secure No Man’s Land — 5 VP [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Assassination — 5 VP [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 3 VP [Salamanders] Scout Squad 1 uses Guerrilla Tactics to go into Strategic Reserves |
| Score at End | 78 |
| CP at End | 0 |
That’s back to back big time turns for the Necrons.
The plan for this turn was to force the Salamanders hand in the center of the board by doing as much damage there as possible while also racking up as many points as possible on Primary and Secondaries. The Necrons’ assumed that the Land Raider Redeemer would try to Overwatch the Nekrosor and so set it up to hopefully take down the Aggressors, Gravis Captain, and Librarian + Infernus Squad 1. Ideally, they also wanted to do substantial damage as well to the Librarian + Infernus Squad 2.
The turn instead played out with the Salamanders gambling on the tankiness of Vulkan He’stan and the Gravis Captain to withstand the pressure on the center and audible’ing into Overwatching the Lokhust Heavy Destroyers. That Overwatch proved to be devastating and the Lokust Heavies were wiped out. That decision briefly looked like a great one as the Gravis Captain then proceeded to tank the majority of the Lokhust Destroyers incoming fire before dying to the Skorpekh Lord 2 rolling a 6 for his Crimson Harvest roll. That allowed the Necrons to really run up the points this turn, while also killing everything in the center except for Vulkan. The Necrons are feeling great about the turn and just need to keep the pressure up as they know the Salamanders will also keep scoring.
From a Salamanders perspective, that turn hurt but also created opportunities. The Infernus Squad 2 now have a wide open lane to the Necrons’ Home Objective and an end of game 10 VP. They also have the Land Raider Redeemer and Captain + Infernus Squad in perfect position to crack back at the Necrons on the Central Objectives. Most importantly, they still have Vulkan and his 15 OC standing on Objective 5. This one is going to be fun to watch close out.
Board state in the middle of Round 4 is shown below.
Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Salamanders |
| Score at Start | 58 |
| CP at Start | 0 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Draws secondary objectives: Overwhelming Force, Forward Position [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes uses Insane Bravery for 1 CP [Salamanders] Declares Oath of Moment on Nekrosor Ammentar [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 8 VP |
| Movement | [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Advances towards Objective 1 [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Advances onto Objective 4 to Shoot [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Falls Back onto Objective 5 [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers uses Swift as Death for 1 CP to Reactive Move away [Salamanders] Scout Squad 1 Makes an Ingress Move near Objective 1 to Score |
| Shooting | [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes uses Forgefather on Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Rites of Battle to reduce the CP cost of Crucible of Battle by 1 CP and targets Flayed Ones with it [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Split Fires and Shoots Flayed Ones to Destroy Unit and Shoots Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 to Deal 5 Damage [Salamanders] Land Raider Redeemer Split Fires and Shoots Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 2 to Destroy Unit and Shoots Nekrosor Ammentar to Destroy Unit |
| Charge | [Salamanders] None |
| Fight | [Salamanders] None |
| End of Turn | [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Beacon — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Overwhelming Force — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 3 VP |
| Score at End | 79 |
| CP at End | 0 |
Another great turn and the Salamanders are back in the lead. They also look to be gaining an edge for the final Round.
Going into this turn, the Salamanders needed to clear out the middle, score some Secondaries, and then position themselves for a Round 5 push onto the Necrons’ Home Objective. To accomplish this, they advanced both Infernus Squads towards their target Objectives and then had to get very cute with how they distributed their buffs from Oath of Moment, Forgefather, and Crucible of Battle. They also needed to get more than a little lucky with their ranged shooting rolls and Secondary draws.
From an execution perspective, the Salamanders executed their plan to the letter. This did involve a bit of luck, like the Land Raider Redeemer rolling “box cars” to Wound on its melta gun into Nekrosor or 15 total shots into a 2 Wound Skorpekh Lord with its Flamestorm Cannons, but also involved a lot of very specific Shooting Phase sequencing of all of the buffs. The Salamanders pulled it all off and now look to reap the reward of what is looking like a potential game winning turn.
From a Necrons’ perspective, that might have been the knockout punch in what has been a hard fought game. They will probably score well on Secondaries and some primary but it looks like they just don’t have enough in the way of damage dealing units to slow down the Salamanders. Let’s see how it plays out.
Board state at the end of Round 4 is shown below.
End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Necrons |
| Score at Start | 78 |
| CP at Start | 0 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Declares Biomancy for Librarius Conclave [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Centre Ground, No Prisoners [Necrons] uses New Orders for 1 CP [Necrons] Drops Secondary: Centre Ground [Necrons] Draws secondary objectives: Beacon [Necrons] Selects Hexmark Destroyer 2 as Beacon unit [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Fails Battle Shock [Necrons] Scores Primary: Destroyer’s Wrath — 10 VP |
| Movement | [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Advances away from Objective 4 to Shoot [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 5 to Charge [Necrons] Ophydian Destroyers 1 Advances towards Objective 3 |
| Shooting | [Necrons] Lokhust Lord + Lokhust Destroyers Shoots Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes and Deals 0 Damage |
| Charge | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Declares a Charge – Charge Succeeded [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Charges into Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 uses Crimson Harvest to Deal 3 Mortal Wounds |
| Fight | [Necrons] Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 Fights Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes and Deals 1 Damage [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Fights Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Deals 0 Damage |
| End of Turn | [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Beacon — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 93 |
| CP at End | 1 |
Vulkan He’stan is out here pulling his best Gandalf from The Fellowship of the Rings. Every time the Necrons try to take away Objective 5, he shouts “You shall not pass!!!”.
On a more serious note, that turn was borderline heart breaking for the Necrons. They had it all right there in front of them. Keeping the Ophyidans Destroyers 1 on Objective 1 for the last turn guaranteed them maximum Primary via “hold more”. From there, they just needed to kill Vulkan He’stan for 2 VP on No Prisoners and then hang on to score Display of Might next turn and they would have guaranteed 100 VP and a minimum of a draw. Instead, Vulkan singlehandedly brick walled them with Invulnerable Saves and Feel No Pains to live on 1 Wound.
All is not lost for the Necrons though, as the Salamanders now have a tricky decision to make. No Prisoners and Display of Might are still active for the Necrons and both can be scored in either player’s turn. This means that if Vulkan goes down in this turn, the Necrons could still get to max VP. The Salamanders will have to work through that one in their upcoming turn.
Board state in the middle of Round 5 is shown below.
Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Salamanders |
| Score at Start | 79 |
| CP at Start | 1 |
| Command | [Salamanders] Gains 1 Core CP [Necrons] Gains 1 Core CP [Salamanders] Draws secondary objectives: No Prisoners, Centre Ground [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Fails Battle Shock [Salamanders] Declares Oath of Moment on Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — 8 VP |
| Movement | [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Falls Back [Salamanders] Vulkan He’stan + Company Heroes Passes Desperate Escape Test [Salamanders] Land Raider Redeemer Makes a Normal Move towards Objective 5 to Shoot [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 4 to Shoot [Salamanders] Librarian + Infernus Squad 2 Makes a Normal Move onto Objective 1 |
| Shooting | [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Rites of Battle to reduce the CP cost of Explosives by 1 CP [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad uses Explosives on Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 to Deal 5 Mortal Wounds [Salamanders] Captain + Infernus Squad Shoots Skorpekh Lord + Skorpekh Destroyers 1 and Destroys Unit |
| Charge | [Salamanders] None |
| Fight | [Salamanders] None |
| End of Turn | [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Forward Position — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: No Prisoners — 2 VP [Salamanders] Scores Secondary: Centre Ground — 5 VP [Salamanders] Scores Primary: Vital Link — max out primary [Necrons] Scores Secondary: Display of Might — 5 VP |
| Score at End | 100 |
| CP at End | 2 |
And thats game as the Salamanders find a path to victory despite everything that the Necrons threw at them. Vulkan He’stan failing Battle Shock definitely gave the Salamanders a scare, but even if he had failed Desperate Escape and died, everything that I have found state that the Necrons would not have gotten credit on No Prisoners for it.
It was a hard fought game by both sides. Board state at the end of Round 5 is shown below.
End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 100 – 98 Salamanders WIN
WTC Teams Format: 10-10 DRAW
GAME REVIEW:
What a game! Both players executed their game plans almost flawlessly and the result was a game that quickly became both a slugfest and a sprint to 100 VP.
From a Necrons perspective, this is easily the best game with Cursed Legion and the Nekrosor that I have ever played and it felt great given how cool I think the Destroyer wing of the army is. The list was dynamic and played exactly how I envisioned it in planning. Even better, the list performed well despite not getting a ton of output from its main ranged shooting units or C’Tan, which means there is room for upside. This is definitely a list and detachment combo that I am coming back to.
From a Salamanders perspective, the list performed as well as I had hoped. The game plan worked perfectly and the dice were just favorable enough for them to squeak out a win. The Salamanders gambled more than the Necrons in this game and it paid off for them, even if just barely. They had two turns where they were able to brick wall the Necrons in the center of the board using their durability enhancing abilities and it proved to be just enough to tip the game to them. It’s not something they can count on every game, as Vulkan He’stan made 8 of 8 Feel No Pains at one point, but worked today. This is another list that I definitely plan on playing again.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- Salamanders
- Not a ton here other than being aware that the gambles they took with relying on the Gravis Captain and Vulkan + Company Heroes to hold off 50% of the Necrons army in the center won’t work every game. It will inevitably swing the other way at times and they need to have a backup plan for when it does.
- Necrons
- Not a ton here either as the Necrons played a great game as well. They do need to get more value out of their shooting units in the future, but as long as this is a one game wrinkle and not a trend it isn’t too concerning.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
The little nub on the edge of the terrain that Vulkan He’stan used to hide for 3 rounds of the game.
OK….that one is a bit of a joke, but not entirely. Vulkan He’stan was the linchpin of the Salamanders strategy and he executed his role way better than expected. Some of it was placement on the board, which is where that little terrain footprint nub comes in, and some of it was dice, but the combination was him being a brick wall of “NO” to the Necrons all game long. He was easily the best unit for either team in this game.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
Scout Squad 2. As discussed in the early round writeup, the Salamanders kind of wasted them but getting caught trying to be too cute with them. They should have either committed to killing the Flayed Ones or not bothered at all. But trying only in Shooting and then freezing when it failed, they effectively became a launching point for the Necrons to use to get a Skorpekh unit into action quicker than expected. Not a great use of a unit that should have been saved for doing late game Secondaries.
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