Thursday, April 30, 2015

Event Recap - 50 Point Steamroller at Bel Air Games

After what feels like forever, I managed to make it to another Brawltimore event this past weekend. It actually hasn't been that long, and I've had one or two others I potentially could have attended, but this one was best for my schedule, so I decided to stick to my guns. Join me after the break for a recap of how the games went, the event itself in brief, and thoughts about my next steps (along with some general Khador SR list theory).

Here are the lists I opted to run:

Butcher3 - 50 Points:Kommander Zoktavir, The Butcher Unleashed (*4pts)
   * Berserker (6pts)
   * War dog (1pts)
Greylord Ternion (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
   * Black Dragon Officer & Standard (2pts)
Kayazy Assassins (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
   * Kayazy Assassin Underboss (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Fenris (5pts)
Iron Fang Kovnik (2pts)
Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan (2pts)
Man-o-war Drakhun (with dismount) (5pts)
Saxon Orrik (2pts)
Objective: Effigy of Valor

Same 'ol Butcher3 list. I won't change this up until either Ruin or the plastic BD IFP come out. I have yet to get enough practice in with the "Butcher3 + warjacks" list to really feel comfortable with it, and on top of that I'm not sure how well that list would hold up in the local tournament meta.

Sorscha2 - 50 Points:
Forward Kommander Sorscha (*6pts)
   * Conquest (19pts)
   * Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (2pts)
Great Bears of Gallowswood (5pts)
Kayazy Eliminators (Leader and Grunt) (3pts)
Man-o-War Drakun (no dismount) (4pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Winter Guard Infantry (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
   * Winter Guard Infantry Officer & Standard (2pts)
Ragman (2pts)
Battle Mechanics (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Widowmakers (Leader and 3 Grunts) (4pts)
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich (2pts)
Objective: Bunker

Likewise, same 'ol Sorscha2 list. Though - slight spoilers - this event finally gave me some "oomph" to shake this list up and try some new things.

Round 1:
Scenario: SR2015 Fire Support
Opponent Faction: Cryx (Mike)

For the first round I ended up paired up against Mike who was running Skarre1 and Denegrha1. Not having confidence in Butcher3's ability to deal with either tide of infantry (especially since the Denny1 list had plenty of guns), I opted for Sorscha2. He opted for Denny1, and here's the list he ran (as best I can remember; there's 1 point that I'm 90% sure is that Deathripper not being a Defiler):

Warwitch Deneghra (*5pts)
   * Deathripper (4pts)
   * Defiler (5pts)
   * Skarlock Thrall (2pts)
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters (Cylena and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
Mechanithralls (Leader and 5 Grunts) (3pts)
Necrosurgeon & 3 Stitch Thralls (2pts)
Necrosurgeon & 3 Stitch Thralls (2pts)
Satyxis Blood Witches (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
   * Satyxis Blood Hag (2pts)
The Withershadow Combine (5pts)
The Devil's Shadow Mutineers (Leader and 2 Grunts) (4pts)
Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (2pts)
Lord Rockbottom (2pts)
Master Gunner Dougal MacNaile (2pts)
Warwitch Siren (2pts)
Warwitch Siren (2pts)

As one might expect from these two lists and the scenario, this was a helluva slog back and forth. Mike advanced towards both flags, committing more heavily towards his own flag (due to terrain as much as tactics; this table was not friendly for movement lanes). I pushed up with my forces, but stalled out on Denny1's feat turn (as is almost always the case) and never really regained any momentum.

Crippling Grasp on the WGI greatly reduced their ability to thin out his infantry, and I had a terrible time trying to find a place for Sorscha2 to stand where she'd be in the Killbox, but not die immediately afterwards. Ultimately, I ended up running really low on time, so I opted to throw Sorscha2 and Conquest into at least killing his objective for 1 CP, which left Sorscha2 flapping in the wind to get killed the following turn.

Round 1 Result: Loss by assassination, 1 CP, 16 army points destroyed

Round 2:
Scenario: SR2015 Close Quarters
Opponent's Faction: Skorne (Justin) 

My opponent in the second round, Justin, was running a face-smashing compliment of Zaal and Rasheth (I can't remember if it was in theme, but whatever it was, it had 5+ Titans in it). Having learned my lesson about dropping Butcher3 into Skorne (though I think he may have managed against these specific lists), I opted again for Sorscha2. Justin chose his Zaal list:

Supreme Aptimus Zaal & Kovaas (*5pts)
   * Basilisk Krea (4pts)
   * Tiberion (11pts)
   * Aptimus Marketh (3pts)
Cataphract Incindiarii (Leader and 3 Grunts) (6pts)
Immortals (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Nihilators (Leader and 9 Grunts) (8pts)
Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer (3pts)
Ancestral Guardian (3pts)
Ancestral Guardian (3pts)
Hakaar the Destroyer (4pts)
Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (2pts)

As is often the case with Sorscha2, this game was a grind (though thankfully didn't eat up quite so much time as the previous game). I pushed hard towards his flag while fighting over mine, and Zaal ended up having to retreat from his flag once Conquest rolled up onto it (and both of his beasts died that turn due to Sorscha2's feat). 

He pushed back hard, throwing 8 Immortals with Last Stand into Conquest, but his dice betrayed him and Conquest survived, which made it pretty easy to clear the few contesting elements near his flag and start scoring. Zaal was able to throw some attacks at Sorscha2 while she was camping the flag for the final Domination to win, but he wasn't able to do much to her at full camp and the game ended on his turn.

Round 2 Result: Win by scenario, 5 CP scored, 52 army points destroyed

Round 3:
Scenario: SR2015 Recon
Opponent's Faction: Circle (Dave)

In what would end up being the final round (the pare down lost this round, making this a relatively quick event) I was paired up with Dave, whom I played several months back during his inaugural Bradigus run. I decided to play Butcher3 just for the hell of it - and to prevent lock-out in case the tournament went the full 4 rounds - and he opted to play Krueger2:

Krueger the Stormlord (*5pts)
   * Pureblood Warpwolf (9pts)
   * Warpwolf Stalker (10pts)
   * Woldwarden (9pts)
Druids of Orboros (Leader and 5 Grunts) (7pts)
   * Druid of Orboros Overseer (2pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
   * Stone keeper (1pts)
Shifting Stones (2pts)
Blackclad Wayfarer (2pts)
Blackclad Wayfarer (2pts)
Druid Wilder (2pts)
Gallows Grove (1pts)
Una the Falconer (3pts)
   * Rotterhorn Griffon (3pts)

This was a quick game in terms of turns, but a very time consuming game due to positioning and lots of very technical movements. The short version is that we both rushed the zone in the middle, while I fanned models out on both flags to hedge my bets against Krueger flying out there to Dominate. Early skirmishing resulted in the Woldwarden dying and the Stalker eating a lot of damage from Fenris and some IFP charging, which set up Butcher3 to Dominate the right flag and score early.

Krueger2 responded as he does: by popping his feat, clearing the zone, and scoring 3 CPs that turn (dead objective and Dominate). I ran as much as I could back into the zone, but I made a few miscalculations on just what I'd be able to actually attack that turn (I was able to kill the Stalker, but the Pureblood ended up just outside of Impending Doom range) and Krueger2 is able to clear the zone the following turn to win via Dominate (with 30 seconds left on the clock!)

Round 3 Result: Loss by scenario, 1 CP scored, 22 army points destroyed

Overall Result: 1 Win - 2 Losses, unsure of final standing (probably not great considering record and tie breaks)

Event Impressions:
This ended up being a relatively small (10 players) event that was pretty quick (3 rounds) due to the pare down. Given how massive some of the early year events were, I'm all in favor of playing some smaller, faster events. A 25+ person SR event is impressive to behold, but it's also kind of draining to play through, so I'm happy to have weekend events lean more towards 4 rounds (with a chance of 3). It makes going to them more often more of a possibility.

As with all of the previous events, this one was well run and organized by all involved, and everyone in the event was a pleasure to be around. I was kind of out of it mentally for this event (a week of very early mornings that I didn't really recover from) so it's a testament to how pleasant at least that group of players was that I ended that event with a losing record and still walked out of there in a great mood.

Key Mistakes By Tournament Round:
Round 1
 - One consistent problem I have with my Sorscha2 list is that I don't push up the table hard enough when I'm going second. It's a fine line to walk, as some lists can really hurt you if you get too aggressive when going second, but in most of my games I've felt there was at least one army component I didn't get up the table fast enough.

In this game, it was Conquest. It's shooting would have been nice, and the biggest threat to it - the McThrall boat that was ebbing and flowing all game - was far away for most of the game (and it's one of the only units that Creeping Barrage actually might thin out!) Much more importantly, moving it up faster, earlier, would have given Sorscha2 a better potential space to hide. As is, she ended up stuck in front of it, which is precisely the opposite of what I want to have happen.

 - I knew this was going to be an uphill fight from the start. One of the conscious choices I had to make when putting Eiryss2 in with the Butcher3 list is that it makes Sorscha2's list weak against Denny1 (and now Denny2 with Body and Soul, but that's a different animal). I've been lucky so far to dodge Denny1, either due to the lack of Cryx in our meta or the few Cryx players not playing her.

Point being: there was no way I was going to win in the long game. My best shot was either some crazy scenario swing (more on this in a minute), or taking the best assassination that came up and YOLO'ing it as ferociously as possible. Sorscha2's feat makes miracles happen.

I didn't really play well for that possibility, and the one turn where I had a real chance at it - Denny1 was right next to the objective with only 1 Focus for camp, I screwed up by not going for a jank assassination. I could have allocated 4 Focus to Conquest and tried to kill her with boosted blast damage under Sorscha2's feat. The tricky part is not killing the objective before I have the chance to kill her, but a few spiked blast damage rolls against ARM 15, doubling damage; that's about the best chance at winning I was going to get.

I didn't recognize how "good" my chances were that turn, so I ended up feebly slapping away at attrition, which didn't really get me anywhere and just prolonged the inevitable.

 - One of the reasons I didn't consider my assassination possibilities that turn was because I managed my time poorly in the outset. Due to feeling like I was on the back foot from the start, I ended up taking a really long turn 1 - despite only running some models and firing a handful of shots - and that death spiraled into me not having enough time in later turns to really think about much of anything.

That first turn was pretty simple, all things considered, and I didn't need to burn nearly that much time on what ended up being a pretty boilerplate first turn (it would have been more worthwhile if I had come up with some grand master plan that would have won me the day).

 - I thought I had an eye on scenario, but looking back on the game the only notion I have of that is putting Conquest opposing the enemy objective. I actually may have at least been able to make a game of it by putting Sorscha2 near my objective and having her Dominate the friendly flag for some CPs, though odds are very good she would have been killed doing it. But again as with the assassination run: at least it something proactive that forces a response.

 - Finally: after I scored the 1 CP I did, I just kind of sat there and was going to let the clock run out to end the game (only having a few minutes left). What I didn't consider, and thankfully came up due to conversation around the table, was how much of a dick move that was. No one phrased it that way but me, though the point is the same: even if the end is the same (he wins, I lose) in that situation the right thing to do is switch the clock over and let your opponent score whatever CP and army points they're willing to go for. Thankfully I realized that while I still had time left on the clock, so I was able to shift it over and let him score a few more points before Sorscha2 got put down.

I'm still more used to the "casual play" mentality, even when using Deathclock and tournament standards. Once the course is really obvious, it's okay to concede or just let you clock run out and call the game. In a tournament setting, that is not at all okay: tie breaks are a legitimate concern, so you should give your opponent the turns fairly allotted to them to claim them, if they so choose. They can either go for those points and extend the game a bit, or they could just opt to close the game out quickly (since almost any assassination can go belly up due to insane dice flukes).

There is a final, practical reason to always play everything out to the fullest, and it is something that was touched upon in an excellent episode of Chain Attack (sadly I can't remember the episode #, but I'll edit it in if I remember/find it at any point): closing games out is a skill that you need to practice just as much as any other in WM/H. Even when things seem clear cut as can-be, if you're attempting to improve your tournament play you should always play everything out until the last CP is scored or the last damage box is marked on the opposing 'caster. Playing the game that way allows you to be more comfortable in those crucial last moves (when it's easiest to make a mistake due to nerves/excitement, and also the most costly), and even more importantly it gets you into good habits that keep you from doing things like inadvertently dicking your opponent out of the chance for better standings metrics.

Round 2
 - The turn where Conquest had his glory day, charging in and killing Tiberion, Hakaar, and an Ancestral Guardian, I screwed up my order of attacks. I made sure Tiberion died first, then the Ancestral Guardian, which spawned a Kovass. I was ready for that, and had Aiyana give Conquest Magical Weapons that turn so he could punch it down, but I made a huge mistake and punched the Kovass then Hakaar, which ended up just putting the Kovass on the table. I got really lucky in that he didn't see or didn't want to try to make a charge on Sorscha2 from where the Kovaas ended up (it might have been short), but that would have been damn sad way to lose the game after such a sweeping turn.

 - I very foolishly moved Sorscha2 up way too early when I was trying to close out the game. I could have easily kept her back for another turn and let Conquest/something else control the enemy flag for another turn to get me up to 3 CPs, ensuring that when she did move into danger that it would immediately win me the game. Thankfully my opponent wasn't in a good position to take advantage of that (and no dice spikes came through to ruin it), but it was still a silly mistake to make.

Round 3
 - I should have considered more carefully the idea of putting Silence of Death on the BD IFP before charging them into the Stalker. The main reason I didn't do that was tied to another, larger mistake, but it was also something I didn't even consider until after the charge was done and over with. The Stalker ended the turn in pretty bad shape after Fenris and the BD IFP charged it (I think it had 6 or so health left), so it is very likely that the BD IFP would have been able to take out it's Spirit (related: I forgot to select the column for their damage) and thus lock it out of doing much next turn.

 - Based on my previous experience with Butcher3 in Recon, I thought it might be a good idea to keep him around the center zone as a counter-punch threat. I then immediately abandoned that idea for the promise of being able to kill the Woldwarden and get 1 CP. In hindsight, that was not a fair trade. Moving Butcher3 away from the central zone pulled away one of the biggest threats I had to his heavies (which ended up being key in killing the objective and clearing out models the following turn,) and that ended up not being at all worth it. The IFP and IFK could have chopped the Woldwarden down sufficiently to neutralize it for the rest of the game (again, especially if I remember to direct damage to the Spirit), which would have freed up Butcher3 to lurk around the middle and at least be scary.

 - I made a grave miscalculation in the final turn. I thought/hoped that Butcher3 would have been able to catch the Berserker in his control area when he cast Energizer (to get within Impending Doom range of the Stalker), which would have potentially allowed the Berserker to get into melee with the Pureblood. Unfortunately, the Berserker ended up being outside of Butcher3's control area prior to the Energizer casting. And, looking back on it, I'm not even sure if the Bererker could have made it to the Pureblood (being all of SPD 2).

That ended up being doubly unfortunate because, for no reason, I activated the Ternion prior to moving Butcher3 and had them Ice Cage the Pureblood. They managed to stick two on it, which would have been helpful if the Beserker could have made it over there, but they didn't even end up freezing it (that would have at least pulled a Fury off of it's potential output the following turn). In the end, the Ternion probably would have been better off running for the zone to try and give me another model or two in there. My opponent ran right down to the wire trying to clear the zone; just one or two more models may have forced him to time out before being able to do it (or run out of attacks).

 - In general, I feel like I fanned out too much. I was worried about Krueger2 running wide to score some early CPs on the flags (before locking things out in the central zone) but that was never going to be necessary. Any scenario 'caster worth their salt can and should throw themselves into bullying the hell out of the zone and trying for a 2-turn Dominate win, and Krueger2 is absolutely well enough equipped to do that.

Some of those models needed to be out on the flanks - Fenris, and some of the BD IFP + IFK to hobble the Woldwarden to limit future shenanigans - but models like the Berserker and Eiryss2 could have benefited from being able to press further into the zone. Particularly Eiryss2; having a high DEF, Stealth model would have been nice to have in the zone as another hurdle.

Things To Improve:
My Sorscha2 list takes a decent chunk of time to win it's games, as do most lists with guns/templates/sprays as the workhorse elements. Because of that, I really need to work on having consistently quick early turns - that list is one that doesn't really get going until turn 2/3, so I can't afford to burn up a lot of clock in the early turns. Part of improving that is experience against different match ups, another part is general experience (to know when "auto pilot" moves are alright, etc).

Also, I need more practice unpacking my Sorscha2 list. I have a general sense of how to deploy it and move in the first turn or so, but I jam myself up enough consistently that I think its something I can improve. It seems to be worst when I'm going second - and thus trying to juggle advancing against potentially killed - so that's something I need to bear in mind as well.

I need more experience with more of the scenarios in the packet. The good news is that SR2015 has the most condensed list of scenarios in recent years so getting that practice isn't too difficult. Some scenarios I've played a lot - Incursion, Close Quarters, Outflank - while the rest I've only played a few times (and mostly in tournaments, at that). Having experience playing the scenarios makes a big difference when it comes time to make a plan of action and that leaves me winging it (or drawing on a narrow set of experience) more often than I'm comfortable with.

I need to be more willing to go for assassinations in "low odds, but not many better options" situations. I have the mental hang up that I'm more willing to lose a game to a scenario grind or the clock than I am getting assassinated (which is usually the cost of failing on an assassination run). While that instinct works out in grind-y, scenario oriented games where I'm able to claw my way back from a disadvantageous position, it's a liability when my only chance to win the game is a chips-in push on a medium-to-low odds assassination. I need to be more willing to go for it when those situations arise. Not something you can really practice, but definitely something to be mindful of.

Related to that: when I come up with a "good" scenario plan, I need to stick with it. Sticking with the plan worked out very well in round 2; deviating from the plan left me in a really bad position round 3.

This tournament highlighted some issues I have with my list pair that I need to work on, so it's time to take this set back into the dojo for a bit. But more on that in the lists section.

Things I'm Happy With:
When the Sorscha2 list works, it is a wonderful thing. Still lots of room for improvement and refinement, but it exemplifies the heavy hitting, combined arms approach to the game that Khador does very well.

Although the last game ended in a loss, I feel good about how Butcher3's list worked in that match up. It wasn't an easy win for my opponent and if I had done a few things differently I may have been able to hold on for that one last, crucial turn that would have let me get back into the game with a vengeance. That Butcher3 list continues to impress me with how well it can work despite how simple it is.

Aside from my first round game, I feel good about my time management. I was sort of shook from round 1's clock failure, but thankfully round 2 went much better. I still had 8-10 minutes left on my clock by the time the game was over, and that was after 5 rounds or so of playing. Likewise, I had a good 20 minutes or so left on my clock by the end of my round 3 game which would have given me plenty of time to hack through the enemy army if I'd have been able to hang on. I definitely still have some things to work on with time and play speed, but I'm overall still pretty happy with how I play on average.

Thoughts About My Lists:
I'm still pretty excited about the prospect of putting Ruin in my Butcher3 list. Having that early game missile could have been really useful in the Krueger2 game, and even if I hadn't used it in that way Ruin could have confounded some of the TK/Force Bolt shenanigans with it's Orgoth Seal.

One question I keep asking myself is: does gaining Ruin afford me enough wiggle room to move Eiryss2 over to the Sorscha2 list? It would make the Sorscha2 list a much better anti-Cryx drop and a great anti-armor list as well, but I think it would leave the Butcher3 list disproportionately weak against the thing I want it to be strongest against: upkeep buffed colossals. Granted, that's a narrow band, but Khador has issues dealing with at least one of those (Stormwall) and I think relying on Ruin for your "main" upkeep removal is a mistake.

The Kayazy Assassins in Butcher3's list continuously impress me with how good they are. Not that they're especially amazing, but it's easy to internalize a lot of the negative feelings they've been getting over the recent years as them being "bad". They're anything but; if you can get them into melee, they're fairly astounding. The tricky part is, of course, getting them there.

This event was a potent reminder of their other big issue: no access to Fearless or a Standard. A failed Assassins command check made it that much easier for Kreuger2 to clear out the zone and win the game. It makes it easy to consider putting in something Fearless, like another unit of BD IFP. And I'm definitely considering that, although I'm waiting until the plastics come out before taking that plunge. But I also can't ignore the fact that the BD IFP wouldn't have Stealth or DEF 14/16 which were just as important with the Assassins surviving some attacks/forcing odd movements.

The "net" result right now is that I'm still pretty happy with the Assassins, but I also wouldn't at all mind some kind of support solo for them in the next book (hey, anything can happen right?) Failing that, I may give a second unit of IFP a shot.

Now, onto Sorscha2. I've noticed a pattern with that list: despite the feeling of volume of attacks from the WGI and even poor big 'ol dumb Conquest's templates, the list is really dense. More specifically, the list sort of hinges on the WGI to do most of the work. Conquest, unfortunately, has a really hard time doing anything resembling consistent work with it's one good template (with poor RAT) and seriously terrible templates, so that's 19 points that isn't doing a lot. The rest of the list is either support - Mechaniks, sort of A&H, Ragman - or melee - Eliminators, Drakun - so the only thing that really projects threat/does ranged work are the WGI. The Widowmakers chip in, but they're often supplementary.

This leads to a few issues:

 1) I am nervous about anything happening to the WGI. As a result, I am often more cautious with the WGI than I think I should be, which in turn limits the amount of actual work they end up getting done.

2) In games where they can run free and unimpeded, things usually go fairly well. In games where the WGI are tied up/locked down/heavily debuffed/killed, the list struggles to stay in the game.

3) Sorscha ends up in some risky situations to mitigate some of that trouble. Freezing Grip is an exceptionally powerful tool, and it is a godsend against most multi-wound infantry. It's also not something to use lightly, as it costs you 6 Focus on most turns you want to use it safely (4 to cast, 2 to Cyclone away from death) and can be a devastating waste of resources when it fails to connect. The need to use Freezing Grip as a stall tactic to buy the WGI time to work can be effective, but it can also be very risky and isn't sustainable over a variety of matches.

For those reasons, I think it's finally time to give in and try out the WGI + Nyss build I've had sitting on the back burner for awhile. I've wanted to keep this list in the rotation, as the Eliminators and Drakun play well in the local meta, but it's becoming clear that I need to adopt a broader approach if this list is going to work the way I want/need it to. The Nyss give the unit a much need additional volume of gunfire, while still chipping in solid melee attacks (that can really hurt with Harm and Sorscha2's feat). Here is the list I'm going to switch to:

Forward Kommander Sorscha (*6pts)
   * Conquest (19pts)
   * Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker (2pts)
Battle Mechaniks (Leader and 3 Grunts) (2pts)
Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters (Cylena and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
   * Koldun Kapitan Valachev (2pts)
Great Bears of Gallowswood (5pts)
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (4pts)
Winter Guard Infantry (Leader and 9 Grunts) (6pts)
   * Winter Guard Infantry Officer & Standard (2pts)
   * 2 Winter Guard Infantry Rocketeers (2pts)
Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich (2pts)

Not tremendously different from my other list, but it should increase my ranged attack presence in just the way I want. I am tempted to break Conquest down into another warjack plus some random things, but I'm sticking with the big lug: it's a fantastic melee piece in this list (it just needs to hit something once or twice to annihilate it,) it's a great model for Sorscha2's warjack bond, it's a great tanking/scenario piece, and it's Main Guns are randomly the best gun in the world. My secret hope is that Victor does the job I desperately want Conquest to do - be an actual gun platform worth a damn - and that I can just swap it in whenever it comes out, so I'm going to stick with a colossal build for Sorscha2.
For the Record...
My desperate desire to have anti-upkeep tech in both lists had me actually sit down and make a Zerkova1 list or two. Banishing Ward is the only other way in Khador to handle enemy offensive upkeeps, and her feat is actually pretty great, but ye gods the rest of her spell list is flaccid. The best lists I can come up with for her feel like they'd be alright-to-good in a narrow spectrum of match ups, but much weaker overall than Sorscha2 (surprise, surprise).

I dearly hope that Zerkova2 can bridge that gap more effectively than her original incarnation. It's....not a high hurdle.

Closing Thoughts:
You often learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. This event - which didn't go all that badly, all things considered - has pushed me to try to refine and improve my lists that much further. It has also spurred me to practice more with my lists and try to gain more experience with my lesser played SR2015 scenarios when I can. While I may have done both of those things even if I had won the event, I doubt I'd have the same impetus I do now.

I'm very much looking forward to testing out the new Sorscha2 list, along with continued proxy games with Ruin in Butcher3's list (and soon I won't even have to proxy!) Games may be a little scarce in May, but hopefully I can dive back into playing towards the end of the month and into early June.

If anyone has thoughts about the Sorscha2 list, or possible alternatives, I'd love to hear 'em. As always, thanks very much for reading!

2 comments:

  1. Zerkova1's spells are similar to Conquest's gun: Randomly the best things in the world. Though, actually, Icy Grip and Watcher are always worth it. Banishing Ward actually has me put Eiryss1 with her, since the upkeep hate of the epic elf isn't as warranted.

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    1. I agree. Zerkova1's spell list actually has some great spells on it. She could almost make up for not having a really good spell by having a bunch of situationally good ones, but unfortunately her spell list falls apart for me around Twister and Influence.

      I do think she's helped out by things like the TAC (which helps her play forward much more safely) and the Grolar should be great with her if the damn thing ever comes out. But Zerkova2 may have made her moot by then. ;)

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