The winner of the SoCal Smack down has been kind of enough to provide us with some battle report of all this games.  Best general was Reece Robbins of Foot Eldar Fame. This time he took slightly different Space Wolf army and tore through the competition. Here is his report…

Howdy, Bloody Kitten lovers, my name is Reece (Reecius) and I’m special. I’m not just special because I ride the short bus to school but because I won my Golden Ticket to the Games Workshop Las Vegas invitational tournament. Here’s how I did it, minus all the cheating and loaded dice:

Tournament: SoCal Smackdown. Location: Anaheim, CA right next to Disneyland. The event was put on by the SoCal Games Workshop crew who run fantastic events. Check them out if you are in the area.

Tournament Structure: 100 possible battle points, 40 painting points, 30 points player judged comp, 30 points player judged sportsmanship. Comp and sports were a simple thumbs up thumbs down. Your first thumbs down in either category are ignored. Every player had 1 reroll token to be used once per tournament. You could use it to reroll a single die or force an opponent to reroll one of his.

There was a great mix of armies, with every codex but Sisters of battle represented. It’s always nice to see a wide variety of armies.

My Army:
HQ
Bjorn: P.Cannon 1 270
Rune Priest: JotWW, Storm Caller 1 100

Troops
Grey Hunters: Flamer 5 75
Grey Hunters: Flamer 5 75
Grey Hunters: Melta, Razorback, A.Cannon 6 155
Grey Hunters: Melta, Razorback, A.Cannon 6 155

Elites
Dreadnought: L.Cannon, H.Flamer 1 145
Dreadnought: L.Cannon, H.Flamer 1 145

Fast Attack
Land Speeder: Typhoon 1 90
Land Speeder: Typhoon 1 90
Land Speeder: Typhoon 1 90

Heavy Support
Long Fangs: M.Launcher x 5, Razorback, L.Cannon 7 215
Long Fangs: M.Launcher x 5, Razorback, L.Cannon 7 215
Long Fangs: M.Launcher x 5, Razorback 7 180

Totals 50 2000

Game 1: Dawn of War deployment. Any unit may deep strike if they choose to on turn one instead of walking on the board. Primary: Kill Points, Secondary: Wipe out H.Support, Tertiary: End Game with one HQ within 6″ of table center
Opponent: Patrick
Army: Imperial Fists

HQ
Khan: Moondrakken
Librarian: Bike, Epistolary, Null Zone, Avenger

Troops
Bike Squad x8: P.Weapon, M.Gun x 2, Attack Bike w/ M.Melta
Tactical Marines x 10: Fist, M.Gun, P.Cannon, Rhino, x-tra S.Bolter, x-armor
Tactical Marines x 10: Fist, M.Gun, P.Cannon, Rhino, x-tra S.Bolter, x-armor
Scouts x 10: Cloaks, H.Bolter, Telion

Fast
L.Speeders x 3: M.Melta, H.Flamer
L.Speeders x 3: M.Melta, H.Flamer

Heavy
T.Fire Cannon

This was the softest list I played all tournament but I had my stupid hat on. I misread one of the mission rules and it cost me dearly as I thought I had to deep strike my army when in fact I did not. I also had abysmal dice and pretty much nothing went the way I wanted it to go. My boys couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn; I was missing assaults by a fraction of an inch, the assaults I did make I lost despite charging with superior numbers, etc. In the end the wheels just fell of the boat. And then the boat sunk.

Score: 3 battle points to my opponents 15. Not a good way to start.

Game 2: Pitched Battle deployment. Primary: Most scoring units within 6″ of the table center. Secondary: One HQ within 6″ of table center. Tertiary: Eliminate all enemy fast attack choices.
Opponent: ChristianA
Army: Space Wolves

Defenders of the Fang
HQ
Rune Priest: JotWW, Storm Caller

Elites
3 Wolf Guard: C.Melta x 3, Razorback, Las, Plas
3 Wolf Guard: C.Melta x 3, Razorback, Las, Plas
8 Wolf Scouts, M.bombs x 8, m.gun

Troops
5 Grey Hunters: M.Gun, Razorback, las, plas
5 Grey Hunters: M.Gun, Razorback, las, plas
5 Grey Hunters: M.Gun, Razorback, las, plas
5 Grey Hunters: M.Gun, Razorback, las, plas
5 Grey Hunters: Flamer, Razorback, las, plas
5 Grey Hunters: Flamer, Razorback, las, plas

Fast
2 L.Speeders: H.Flamer, M.Melta
T.Wolf Calvary: T.Hammer, S.Shield x 2, M.Bombs x 2

This was a shoot out at the OK Coral. With no LOS blocking terrain mid-board, it would come down to who went first and Bjorn proved why he is the linchpin to my army, yet again. I went first with Bjorn’s ability. After that it was a Wild West shootout with some hot wolf on wolf action. We both rolled like complete arse, only the sheer volume of weapons allowed us to cause any damage. I took out most his fire base, he bum rushed me, but my dreads took out or stopped his objective push. Bjorn pimp slapped the T.Wolves (they were modeled to ride Fantasy Ork Boars: Space Pigs!). In the end, my wolves proved to be the tougher than the Space Pigs and achieved all objectives.

Score: 20 battle points to Christian’s 0.

Game 3: Pitched Battle Deployment. No outflanking, scouts or infiltrate. Primary: have more kill points alive in the other player’s deployment zone at game’s end then your opponent. Dedicated transports don’t count. Secondary: Prevent any enemy HQ’s from ending the game in your deployment zone. Tertiary: Have a heavy support unit in your enemy’s deployment zone.
Opponent: George
Army: Blood Angels

HQ
Mephiston

Elites
Sanguinary Priests x 2: J.Pack, L.Claw, I.Pistol. L.Claw, I.Pistol
Chaplain: M.Bombs

Troops
Death Company x 8, P.Weapon x 3, P.Fist
Land Raider
A.Squad x 10, M.Gun x 2, Fist, I.Pistol
A.Squad x 10, M.Gun x 2, Fist, I.Pistol

Fast
Attack Bike: M.Melta
Attack Bike: M.Melta
Attack Bike: M.Melta

Heavy
Dev Squad x 5: M.Launcher x 2, L.Cannon x 2
Dev Squad x 5: M.Launcher x 2, L.Cannon x 2

This list lacked the numbers to really scare me, although either Mephiston or the Death company Could go through me like a buzz saw if they got into my boys.

I won first turn, but my opponent seized the initiative. He tried to shoot it out with me at first, maneuvering for position with Meph and the Death Company. I gunned down his shooting elements and forced him to commit to an assault. He rolled through my flank, deep striking combat squaded assault squads with descent of angels. I was in hot water here as my flank defenders were destroyed. Bjorn and his funky fresh dreadnought crew plugged the gap, however, saving me from defeat. This allowed me to slip up the other flank into his deployment zone with mobile elements. Bjorn beat the crap out of Meph in single combat for the second time in a tournament game for me. Vampires are lame, Mpehiston, even if they are Space Vampires! When the dust settled I achieved all objectives but the tertiary as the squad of Long Fangs I sent towards the enemy deployment zone didn’t make it.

I finished with 17 battle points to my opponents 0.

Game 4: Pitched Battle deployment. Primary: 5 objectives placed by players anywhere on the board no more than 12″ from an edge or another objective. Secondary: Destroy one enemy HQ. Tertiary: End the game with one unit in the enemy deployment zone. Gravity flux: every game turn, roll a die. On a 1, the entire board is difficult terrain, dangerous to vehicles. Assault and pistol weapons are twin linked. On a 6, all vehicles become fast, if already fast, may move 12″ and fire everything but all BS is reduced by one. If you have an event, do not roll the next turn. (I hate these wacky, random game events. Save them for campaigns, I say).
Opponent: Cooper
Army: Word Bearers

HQ
Lash Prince, Wings
Lash Prince, Wings

Elites
Chosen x 5: M.Gun x 4, Rhino

Troops
Plague Marines x 5: P.Gun x 2, Rhino, x-arm, C.melta
Plague Marines x 7: M.Gun x 2, Champ, Fist, Rhino, x-arm, c.melta
Plague Marines x 7: M.Gun x 2, Champ, Fist, Rhino, x-arm, c.melta
Berzerkers x 8: Champ, Fist, Rhino, x-arm, C.melta

Heavy
Oblits x 2
Havoks x 5: A.Cannons x 2, L.Cannons x 2
Havoks x 5: A.Cannons x 2, L.Cannons x 2

Cooper and I played each other the weekend previous to this in an RTT with the exact same lists in a really similar mission. We tied then and I knew Cooper was a very good opponent with a tough list. Bjorn’s reroll won me first turn and my superior fire power proved to be the deciding factor as Cooper attempted to seize the objectives early and then defend them. Turn 4 Gravity flux occurred and I held still to avoid the dangerous terrain tests. Cooper risked it and grabbed two objectives and destroyed Bjorn for the first time in ages with the 4 melta Chosen squad. Had the game ended turn 5, it would have been a tie. It went to 6 despite Cooper using his reroll token to try and end it early and I was able to secure Bjorn’s wreck (he becomes an objective when destroyed: even in death he still serves!) and contest two other objectives while achieving all other objectives. Great game.

I ended up with 20 points to Cooper’s 8.

Game 5: Spearhead. Primary: Kill Points. Secondary: Table quarters, 2 points per quarter with more units with a weapon skill in them than the opponent.
Opponent: Hulksmash
Army: Adeptus Mechanicus counts as Daemons. (Awesome army, very creative. I hope he posts some pictures up of it).

HQ
Herald of Tzeentch: Chariot, bolt, mastery of sorcerery
Herald of Tzeentch: Chariot, bolt, mastery of sorcerery
Herald of Tzeentch: Chariot, bolt, mastery of sorcerery
Herald of Tzeentch: Chariot, bolt, mastery of sorcerery

Elites
Fiends x 6
Fiends x 6
Bloodcrushers x 8, Musician

Troops
Horrors x 5: Bolt
Horrors x 5: Bolt
Horrors x 5: Bolt, Changling
Plague Beraers x 7

Fast
Screamers x 5

Heavy
Daemon Prince: MoT, Bolt, Gaze
Daemon Prince: MoT, Bolt, Gaze
Daemon Prince: MoS, Pavane, Iron Hide, Breath of Chaos, Aura, Musk

Hulksmash is a great opponent. He is very skilled with a beautiful, fully converted army and he is very fun to play. He narrowly beat my IG at the last GT we were at, just edging me out of first place and denying me my Golden Ticket at that event. I wanted a little retribution!

I won first turn and chose to go second. Hulksmash dropped in his assault elements first, making sure to keep his crushers protected from dreadnoughts. Then we played the game of: can I shoot the Fiends and Bloodcrushers to death before they waste my little squads?

It was a great game. Turns 1 and 2 I felt confident as Hulk lost two troops units to deep strike mishaps. I also dropped his Daemon princes in short order as my atrociously poor shooting was only bested by Hulk’s even worse saves. Turns 3 and 4 he caught back up to me and at the end of 4 it looked like I was done for as his Crushers were in range to multi charge my last two Long Fangs and then on into my squishy Razorbacks which they would shred. He missed his assault by a fraction of an inch, allowing Bjorn to just reach them in combat, sealing my victory. Turns 5 and 6 were mop up and securing all four table quarters. Excellent game.

End result: 20 for me, 0 to Hulk.

After the top table wrapped up I ended up in second place with 80 battle points. The top player ended up beating me for best overall by 2 points (171 to 173) so I defaulted to best general earning my ticket. It was a great event, excellent prize support, well organized and fun all around. I highly encourage anyone who is thinking about the tournament scene to jump in and go for it. You will become a part of a community of gamers who will expose you to new ways of playing, new lists and awesome army ideas. Plus, tournaments are a great way to have a weekend away from life’s troubles with your buddies.

In the next couple of days Blood of Kittens will post all the results from the SoCal Smack Down. If you want even more detailed reports of Reece games go check out Dakkadakka and this link.