Tau Golden Throne Day 2

So I had totally intended to get this up before I left for a business trip.  However I'm a terrible blogger so here it is a week later.

Day 2 was a rogue trader tournament for everyone but the top 8, which meant you get to start over from scratch and this is no longer a Win/Loss system.  Victory Points count for tie breakers and painting counts for some soft score.

Game 1 Jeromy's Eldar with Tau Allies

Sadly I've lost the list in the past week, but it looked something like this:
Illic
Baharroth
Blob of Gaurdians + Wave Serpent
Blob of  Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
Pathfinders
Swooping Hawks
Warp Spiders
Warp Siders
Dark Reapers
Dark Reapers

Aun'Va
Kroot Blob w/ hounds and Krootox

Yep no picture and I'm probably forgetting something there.  This game was Vanguard and The Scouring.  I won going first.

So to start off my Kroot infiltrated into a forrest and got the Ironbark roll, which meant they had a 2+ cover save which was silly.  Jeromy also forgot a few things during the game like I had night fighting and interceptor, which cost him some pricey units over the course of the game.

However his reapers had better range than I did so I was at a distinct disadvantage it felt like.  I also couldn't really advance my troops because without cover they would basically be shot to bits.

So I was up on him pretty early in the game, but then he was clawing his way back.  We finished turn 4 with only about 15 minutes to go and he had just eeked ahead of me.  Thankfully he was willing to go for turn 5, knowing it meant possibly losing.  I made some last dashes on to objectives to take the lead in about 5 minutes.  He spent 5 minutes taking all the shots he had, but I made enough saves to hold on to the win.  We had 5 minutes left and we rolled to see if there was a turn 6 but there was not.

This was a pretty fun game to play and Jeromy I've met lots of times so it was pretty casual the whole way through.  I'd play him again anytime as it was just a nice easy going game.

Game 2 Nick's Eldar

Spirit Seer
Autarch
5 Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
5 Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
5 Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
5 Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
5 Dire Avengers + Wave Serpent
Nightwing
Nightwing
Warp Hunter
Warp Hunter
Warp Hunter
Warp Hunter
Warp Hunter

The game was Hammer and Anvil and Crusade with 3 objectives.  Nick seems like a really nice guy, but this was one of those lists that most people, included me, really did not want to play.  Wave Serpents are stupid good, and warp hunters are great also.  Facing 10 AV12 Eldar shenanagins is not high on my list to play for any army!

Still I think maybe if I can go first I can Riptide ordinance them if they are clustered and get some range on a few other bodies.  Sadly he goes first.  I decide I've pretty much lost, but I'll try a crazy tactic of outflanking/deepstriking anything I can.  Turn 1 and I hold up 'ok', but in retaliation I only kill one tank and pop another gone.  By the end of his turn 2 I'm pretty wasted away.  I get a few reserves and pop another tank, but really there is just 0 way I see winning the game so we call it.  My fastest game of any tournament!

Funny enough Nick went to go play another Tau player round 3 that had 2 riptides.  The Tau player ended up stealing turn 1 and winning the game.  Just further fuel to my 'Tau going first is the way Tau win' theory.

Game 3 Dark Angels with IG Alllies
Sadly the Army list doesn't have his name and I've forgotten it now!

Azrael
Librarian on Bike, Power Field Generator
5 Ravenwing Command Squad, Aptoh, Champ, Standard of Devestation
6 Ravenwing Bikes 2x Plasma
6 Ravenwing Bikes 2x Plasma
6 Ravenwing Bikes 1x Plasma, 1 Flamer
Nephilim Jetfighter
IG Command Squad w/ Autocannon
35 Infantry Plattoon Blob, 3 Flamers
35 Infantry Plattoon Blob, 3 Grenade Launchers

Dawn of War and Big Guns Never Tire for this game.  He gets to go first and I'm worried.  That's a lot of bolter shots that he can get into rapid fire range turn 1.  Even going to ground I'm going take losses, so I'm wondering how much I can lay down turn 1 in return.

He scouts the bikes forward, then I steal the Initiative.  That totally sucks for him.

I basically kill almost all of his bikes, including the important bits out of the command squad.  That leaves very little return fire for me turn one as he advances the two blobs forward.  I kill basically the last few bikes and start working down the closer blob quite a bit thanks to blasts.  His fliers come in differnt turns and are interceptored down before they can do anything.  I basically spend most of the game shooting at him and him taking saves, but it wasn't pretty.

To his credit we played all 5 turns, but it was an ugly win for me.  Had I not got that first turn that game would have been pretty tough for me to eek out the win, but who knows.

So another 2-1 day, and  I placed middle of the pack as I probably should have since my loss and last win were convincing and my first game was by the skin of my teeth.

So I went 4-2 for the weekend so not unhappy with that either, playing 6 people I have never played before which is always nice as well.  The only thing I really wasn't thrilled with was I found the Tau boring to play, much like most gunlines.  It isn't like my Imperial Fist 'Tanks behind a wall' is that exciting either.  With my thousand sons it is always an uphill fight but it makes me have to make tough choices.  The bikes can be very flexible due to the movement phase.  But Tau are pretty much 'set up here, hope to go first, shoot as much as you can.'  Maybe that isn't that much different than the old ork/templar 'run forward and charge' either, so maybe I'm being too critical.

So I'm a little torn on where to go from here.  I've got Celesticon for 1500 points Aug 31st.  Then Feast is out in Oct, but by then marines will be out and based on the rumors Templar will be in there.  So that's basically 3 armies I'll update by then.

So Celesticon I might take Tau again, or maybe I'll go crazy and take orks for grins.  Or I could even take my same Kubla 1ksons list if I'm a masochist.

Maybe I can get a game in before then but right now I really have no idea what to take!