Deployment
On the right flank, the White Lions set up once again in the woods (this will come back to haunt me one day!) with an Eagle behind for support. The Pheonix Guard set up next to the tower with the intention of marching right up infront and guarding it as...
I usually put the Archmage in the unit of Archers without the Flaming Banner, but given the circumstances, i put the Archmage and the archers with the flaming banner in the building - i figure that in the worst case scenario, they get assaulted, then they're re-rolling hits and wounds!
Eagle behind an RBT and due to space restrictions, the other archer unit in the wood along with the Swordmasters. The Spears follow next with 2 units of Dragon Princes on the left looking to run quick.
The Ogres ruined that by plonking the Mournfang opposite them! and Ironblaster on the hill with the Ogres in front. The Gnoblars blocks the all important IG unit which deployed right at the back - with the BSB in here i dont need to risk it too soon!
A unit of Leadbelchers take the building in their deployment zone and the Slaughtermaster, who would normally go with the Ogres, joins them! The other LB unit and Ironblaster went to the left of the building and are low risk.
From a High Elf perspective, i'm thinking it's gonna be really hard to get the MFC banner, but throwing 2 units of bannerless Dragon Princes at them seems worth a no-risk punt. The Ogre unit shouldn't be too hard to take out but the Ironguts with BSB will be a right git!
From an Ogre perspective, i'm chucking everything at that tower as the elite units have proven squishy enough so far and there's 3 points sat in that wizards tower!!
Spells
L4 Archmage:
1) Flesh to Stone
2) Shield of Thorns
3) Regrowth
4) Dwellers
L4 Maw:
1) Braingobbler (panic causer!)
2) Toothcracker (+T)
3) The Strength buff
4) Trollguts (Regen)
Turn 1: Ogres
Magic: 7/5 (6/6 after Annulian crystal) > 6/7 (after channels!)
Making no attempts to hide the strategy, Braingobbler is cast on the Archmage in the tower but is wisely dispelled (6 dice Vs 6 dice i might add)
Shooting:
Both Ironblasters fire at the Wizards Tower but only kill 5. The Leadbelchers kill 2 more. Archers hold.
Turn 1: High Elves
Other Eagles move to divert the inevitable overrun and line up a flank on the Ironblaster. was quit ehappy here as it was worth sacrificing 2 Eagles to perhaps get a flank on the MFC
Magic: 12/6
Hellheart used (2) but low roll misses everything - needed a 5 so was worth it as i sure as hell wasn't moving the Slaughtermaster out the towwer in a hurry!
Throne of Vines dispelled.
Flesh to Stone Dispelled
Regrowth puts 4 more back on the Archers
Earthblood cast with Irresistable Force but rolled a 7 on Miscast table which, s he's in a building does naff all! - yay!
Combat:
Eagle predictably got mulched
Turn 2: Ogres
Charges:
MFC charge Eagle which takes it.
Ogres charge Spears who also stand
Magic: 5/3 > 4/4 (After AC) > 5/4 (after channeling)
Finally have more dice than the damn elves!
5 diced Braingobbler...
...dispelled again!
Shooting:
The Ironblaster grapeshots 5 of the White Lions away who hold their ground.
The other Ironblaster kills 2 more archers in the tower.
The Leadbelcher unit not in the tower, kills 5 Pheonix Guard whilst the ones in the tower only manage 1. The PG hold.
Combat:
Spears only manage 2 wounds, Ogres only do 4. Drawn combat
Mournfang destroy the Eagle, but due to the Ogres charge and the length of the Mournfang, wouldn't be able to make the wheel if they overran into the Dragon Prince infront and so elect to reform to avoid the flank.
Turn 2: High Elves
Charges:
Dragon Princes charge Mournfang head on who hold.
Pheonix Guard charge Leadbelcher unit
White Lions into front of Ironblaster.
The other Dragon princes charge the flank of the Ogre bull unit.
The Swordmasters and central Eagle move to take a look at the Ironguts next turn (you'd be suprised ho much more that 2" gets you on the march from the Banner of Swiftness)
Magic: 12/6 (tidy!!)
Throne of Vines cast and let through, Regrowth cast on Pheinix Guard, restoring 6. Earthblood dispelled and Dwellers on Slaughtermaster failed to cast.
Shooting:
Archmages unit kills one Gnoblar, forcing them to flee into the White Lions where they are wiped out!
Archers int he wood kill 5 Gnoblar Trappers infront of them who infuriatingly hold infront of the RBT which fails to hit anything.
Combat:
Went with teh White Lions first hoping to overrun into the flank of the Leadbelcher unit.
As it goes, they fail to wound with 6 hits! IB kills 2, Drawn....rats!
Pheonix Guard kill 5, Leadbelchers return for 3. Leaddies flee 10" to Pheonix Guard's 8" (seems to be a theme of this battle series!)
In the spears combat, the Dragon Princes do a mighty 10 wounds!! Which was great as the spears themselves did bugger all! Ogres kill 2 spears and fail panic. Ogre runs 11", Spears 6" Dragon Princes reformed to face Mournfang flank.
Speaking of which...the Dragon Princes managed an incredible 5 wounds on the Mournfang for only one loss, fail their panic check and get run down by the Dragon Princes...
...i dont't know what just happened...but i'll take it!!
Turn 3: Ogres
Ogres 4, High Elves 7
One more flag lost and it's game over for the Ogres!!
Charges:
Ironguts charge Pheonix Guard who flee and bounce far enough to get worryingly close to table edge! Eek!
Magic: 6/3 > 5/4 (AC) > 5/5 (chanelling)
Braingobbler is 6 diced Irresistable forced (9) on the Archmage (Slaughtermaster takes a wound for his trouble). Archmage fails the panic test...and rolls double 6's...and flees of the table!
Just like that, the game goes to 4 Vs 4 and the next banner wins it for either team. I'm now shitting bricks about my very undermanned White Lions!
Shooting:
Ironblaster undershoots a flank shot on the Dragon Princes - i know in hindsight it would have been more useful to go for the spears of the Swordmasters...but i couldn't resist!
The 2 Leadbeclher units each pick off a pesky eagle. (The swordmasters hold!)
Combat:
The White Lions manage 3 wounds on the Ornblaster for loss of 1. Ironblaster runs 6" but bounces off the board, White Lions 3" (at least they've survived!
Turn 3: High Elves
Pheonix Guard rally which means i actually get a turn!
Charges:
Swordmasters go all or nothing into the flank of the Ironguts.
White Lions charge the building with the Slaughtermaster
Shooting:
The RBT, in quite the opposite of last game, manages to finish off the gnoblar trappers...joy!
Combat:
Went with the Swordmasters first.
Swordmasters do 12 wounds. BSB kills 4 back, unit does 2 more. Ironguts fail snake eyes re-rollable and flee - killing the BS and the standard bearer and winning the game for the High Elves!
Post Game
Interesting game! I honestly thought after the Ogres first turn that the High Elves were screwed! Note to self...against cannons, building actually aren't the safest place to be! stupid D6 hits!
Then followed the roller-coaster of having a great turn where i only needed to take one more banner and a minute later, hanging on by the smallest thread! I mean there were so many ways i they could have lost - the White Lions losing to the Ironblaster would have done it, the Pheonix Guard not rallying!
If anything, maybe this battle will lend support to those that say i need a BSB in my High Elf list. But!!! This is reallythe only time i've felt that would be useful! Thos points that would've gone to a BSB would've gone on the Dragon Princes which somehow ran down the MFC and their banner!
