Skaven Clawpack Batrep

[Dead_Ghost]

I think that if I were a Skaven warlord that someone would have skinned my hide by now for failing the Great Horned Rat so miserably!

Another game against @Ademo's Mixed Death list last night. 2k points. which, If you've sussed the tone correctly, I lost

As it's the second time i've played this army, I ran the same army list as last time as it's also the one I intend on taking to a tournament later this year - and practice is good! (Clawpack [30, 10, 10 Clanrats, 30 Svermin], Tretch, Sayl, Warbringer, Stormfiends and six giant rants). 

I faced a slightly different list than last time, this one dropping the number of spirit hosts and some other bits, and taking a Mourngul instead. 

Game - Gifts from the Heavens - I set up first, elected to go second.

Turn 1. 

Flying, running mourgul charges down the centre of the board towards the mainstay of my army. rest of the undead army slowly moved forward (well, as slow as an 8" plus run move is) - all heroes tucked nicely at the back exerting influence. 

My first turn, as there's still no comet - I beef up the unit of clanrats as a first wave. gnash-gnaw, hack-hack, death frenzy, inspiring presence - cast traitors mist of them and send them 'sayl-ing' into the mourngul. To prevent drawing the 40 block of Skeletons into combat, some rats had to miss out, but I threw 71 attacks at the mourngul, and inflicted 2 wounds. He then killed several rats and healed himself right back up again. 

Turn 2. 

Comet came down on my left flank.

I won the roll off and stupidly elected to go first. In reality, this was my first big mistake, as I then lost all the buffs I had on my now 20 something unit of clanrats as they were out of range. No extra attacks, no death frenzy, no rend, no inspiring presence. They attacked again, inflicted a wound on the mourngul, and during @Ademo's second turn they were swarmed by the 40 skeletons, unable to hold them off for another turn. 

Left flank secured the objective. Ademo's objective also came down on (my) left-hand side and he made his way towards both

Turn 3.

Ademo won the roll, which proved devastating. I should have left the turns staggered, by giving Ademo T2 and hoped to get the double turn from T2 into T3. this would have given me the opportunity to properly deal with issues better. 

His skeletons marched their 8" (coupled with their minimum 6" charge) from the middle of the board to my left flank and wiped out a unit of stormfiends. Mourngul slapped the unit of buffed Stormvermin. I threw 27 attacks at it, inflicted 2 wounds, which were then healed. 

In my turn, I buffed the stormvermin again but failed to cast death frenzy. Sayl misted them to the left flank out of combat with the mourngul and they hit the unit of skeletons with the verminlord. Combat whiffed and I managed to kill just 11 skeletons. I also charged the mourngul with my warlord and tretch, hoping their rules for removing themselves from combat would hold the mourngul down, but also help them relieve themselves from combat without damage. 

Turn 4.

Ademo won the roll. I forgot that the mourngul can fly. He just flew out of combat, over the top of tretch and warlord and placed himself within 6" of the stormvermin. Everything descended upon my objective. Skeletons horde attacked the stormvermin, but I failed to crack back on account of the -2 to hit from the mourngul radius effect. 

In my turn, I managed to kill the wight king with a warpfire thrower, but with an enemy unit within 6" of my objective i was no longer scoring (and didn't have the resources to take it back) so threw in the towel. 

Conclusions.

My army is very combat orientated, coupled with a low bravery (highest being six?) the mourngul just ruined me - with, in effect, a 14" bubble, a 12" move and only needing to touch a single mini from a unit, the -2 to hit was devastating to my army. And that thing is straight up a ball breaker - I threw 107 attacks at it by the end of the game, managed about 5/6 unsaved wounds on it total, but it ended the game having 'lost' 1 wound on account of the regen. 

Coupled with a tank unit of 40 skeletons with 3 attacks, hitting of 4's with re-rolls and double attacks through van hels, an an 6+/5+/6+ save. I struggled again to make headway against this blob.

To be honest, there were some serious mistakes on part, and the very combat orientated force wasn't optimal for this opponent (unable to take out his characters). It's possible that this kind of opponent, with a combat army list, is just not a good match up. Either way, it was a good match!

I'm playing a stormcast army next week, with lots of fulminators. So it'll be interesting to see how that match up goes.