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Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion

 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:00 pm 
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After Action Review:
The silliness with not using all my points was just a bonehead move.  This was my first game with the Ulthwe’ and I just need to get used to building them.  I also could have used my Revenant against the blitz-grabbing Warhound first and saved myself a lot of heartache.  While I still would have won, I might have been able to take away his Defend the flag objective point (a consideration for tournaments since the score would have been 3-0 then).

The Minervans not bringing their Hydras… Well, this is a mistake most people make once and only once.  He probably should have saved his Thunderbolts for the Vampire too, but the pizza arrived right after this time so I think hunger had impaired his decision.

Activations were pretty close.  I had 10 activations to his 9.  The help came from the Wraithship to provide an extra activation in turn 1 and the Avatar in turn 2.  Breaking his formations and out-activating him in turn 3 was the key to the Eldar’s victory.  

Thoughts on the Minervan List:
The Thunderer platoons seemed to be subpar IMO, but it wouldn’t take much to make them worthy.  I understand the desire for a higher activation count, but adding a single Vanquisher, Destroyer, or even an Exterminator to the formation would extend their range and make them better for not a lot of extra points.  Perhaps mixing one different super heavy into the SHT Company would have been better as well although I think that is just personal preference.

Thoughts on the Ulthwe’ Eldar List:
I like it!  It’s fun and the Black Guardians provide a little extra insurance for the survivability of the Avatar option.  The Seer Council is nasty with two MW attacks on the firefight.  However it doesn’t strike me as unbalanced only because you get 0-1 of these things.  I did have some challenges with building the list due to the 2-to-1 support restriction but I didn’t mind it at all.

I didn’t have a chance to play with the Spear of Khaine due to my mathematical error (carry the one!!), but it might have easily been the tipping point for killing that Warhound that made a run on my blitz.  Who knows?

One mistake that had no bearing was the fact that I was playing the Ulthwe’ with a Strategy rating of ‘4’, not ‘5’.  Now I won all three SR rolls anyway so it made no difference.  I’m not sure what to make of this (if there is anything to make of it at all).  I am sure some people will say it illustrates they don’t need a SR ‘5’ while others will say it didn’t matter since my opponent’s SR was comparatively low. I am neutral for now.  

Playing the Cobra pair was a treat– for me anyways  :oops: .  It’s been awhile since I’ve done that and they are just brutal killers.  This would be maybe the second or third time EVER I’ve seen a Leman Russ formation reduced to nothing so Cobras should not be underestimated by anyone.

Comments welcome.

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 7:09 am 
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cool game and very exciting to read! There seemed to be fewer than usual classic Eldar combined assaults with double or triple retention - was this just how it played out or a tactical decision? Do you think the double cobras were one shot wonders or worth taking in place of 1 or 2 scorpions (or even a Warlock titan and a squadron of nightwings)? How come no wraithgate?
My ancient Ulthwe army is currently sitting on Melbourne's docks, so I'm keen to get some ideas before my first game (in nearly 15 years!) :)

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:31 pm 
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Thanks for the report. I tend to find that Ulthwe suits my style of play more than BT. reading through the report I must admit that I thought the Eldar were stretched out too much at the end of turn 1, but you pulled it together again for the end of the game.

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 5:26 pm 
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Yes, the board looked rather 'thin' for the Eldar.  The left flank was completely supported by a minimal amount of troops (1 Guardian formation and 4 stands of Shining Spears).  With that said, though, the plan was to bring in the Vampire with Guardian and support where needed or attack wherever vulnerable.  With his fighters used up soon in the turn and no flak to speak of, my best bet was to wait till the last activation and then drop the guardians behind, which worked out great against the artillery.

Oddly enough he kept a minimal amount of forces behind to protect the artillery and had them strung out too much too boot.  Now this has more to do with a lack of familiarity with the Eldar.  My opponent hasn't played against them so it was a learning curve for the IG.  I don't think I'll get away with that kind of attack anytime soon.

There seemed to be fewer than usual classic Eldar combined assaults with double or triple retention - was this just how it played out or a tactical decision? Do you think the double cobras were one shot wonders or worth taking in place of 1 or 2 scorpions (or even a Warlock titan and a squadron of nightwings)? How come no wraithgate?


This is just how it played out.  I was HOPING for the hole to attack his artillery (which I got) but I was initially thinking I was going to assault the Thunderers and consolidate into the woods for turn 2.  This would have given me two formations close by against the MechInf Platoon and a third that could have doubled, fired, and supported.  As it was, opportunity knocked.

I only did one triple retention because I wanted the activations.  I know the Minervan weaknesses and you have to take advantage of their big formation sizes.  As for the Cobra pair and the Wraithgate, I was just trying something new.

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:39 pm 
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Quote: (Moscovian @ 02 Feb. 2009, 19:00 )

The Seer Council is nasty with two MW attacks on the firefight.

Only 1 MW attack in firefight, not ?
The Seer Council second MW attack is in base-to-base.

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:52 am 
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thanks Moscovian :) I wasn't criticising, just interested! HAdn't really considered the tradeoff between triple retaining and out activating your opponent, worth thinking about. Where did you get the warwalkers from BTW? They came out after I stopped playing and look really cool!

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:11 am 
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Quote: (mattthemuppet @ 03 Feb. 2009, 19:52 )

thanks Moscovian :) I wasn't criticising, just interested! HAdn't really considered the tradeoff between triple retaining and out activating your opponent, worth thinking about. Where did you get the warwalkers from BTW? They came out after I stopped playing and look really cool!

You didn't come off as critical.  Even if you did I wouldn't mind.  Battle reports are for picking apart otherwise what would be the point of posting them? :cool:

I don't know when they came out with the current war walkers but I love them- they are my 2nd favorite unit type (Shining Spears always have a special place in my heart  :love: ).  I do know you can still get them from the Games Workshop site.

Triple activations are a great option, especially if you have a popcorn army where you count on coordinated assaults to win.  This army had three expensive formations (the Black Guardians in Wave Serpents, the Revenants, and the Cobras) so that drove my activation count down.  There were times that I was safer waiting for the Minervans to move first so that's why you saw more conservative movement.

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 Post subject: Ulthwe' Eldar vs. Minervan Armored Legion
PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:39 am 
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Great report, thanks Mosc!  :)

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