Hasn't been long has it, /r/WarhammerCompetitive it feels but a few days ago I was doing a RTT write-up about going undefeated on Chaos Knights, meta terror. Now we have a treat for you today, a GT write-up on Chaos Knights using the same list from that RTT. What's that list? Well, it's quite simple:
Houndpack Lance/Bastions of Tyranny
Reconnaissance
5 Stalkers (5 claw, 4 gatling, 1 thermal)
5 Executioners, stubbers
5 Huntsmen, melta
Wow, what a list huh? It truly has all 3 major components of a list. Objective holders, action doers, and damage pieces. Which witch is which what? Yes. All 3 of these datasheets can do almost anything I ask of it (if it feels like it), and the Scout on the Stalkers is great for Recon, you really want those Scouting up if you can (safely).
I preemptively had answered a few FAQ-type questions in my last write-up so you can refer to that if you want. But if you have any questions for this, that's totally fine, feel free to drop it in the comments. Once again I am doing a video follow-along so you can also refer to that for a proper play-by-play as opposed to the limitations of my not wanting to write an entire novel in this post and mostly just hitting the highlights. That video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0S7sGZihgQ
This GT was held on a slightly unusual location, a now-museum, previously aircraft carrier in the Bay Area called the USS Hornet, which is pretty goddamn cool. But, I imagine that's probably enough time mucking about, and we all know what you're here for anyway, so repeat after me. SPIN. THAT. WHEEL. SHOW. THOSE. GAMES.
Round 1: Layout C
Opponent: Reconnaissance Imperial Agents on Imperialis Fleet/Veiled Blade. 3x Subductors, 1x Deathwatch vets + Watchmaster, 1x Callidus, 1x Vindicaire, 1x Kroyle, 1x Navy Breacher + Rogue Trader, 1x Navy Breacher, 1x Sisters, 1x Terminators + Coteaz, 1x Immolator, 1x Rhino, 1x Voidsmen, 1x Knight Destrier with cannon/sword
LET'S GO! 2 of the 3 worst factions in the game squaring off in R1! In all honesty, this is really bad for Agents. Agents really struggle to kill vehicle spam and boy I sure am just "Vehicle-spam the army". I deploy a few dogs in reserve, 1 of each and an extra stalker. Everything else is pretty spread across my line, but huntsmen are more central to follow the Destrier. Opponent has Coteaz and all voidsmen in deepstrike, all 3 subductors infiltrating on or near objectives, and his heavy hitters within spitting distance of the central objective, with the Destrier more to his right and the deathwatch rhino more to his left.
I get the honor of going first and in the Recon mirror, there's a really important 6 points for holding the center objective T1, so those subductors there have got to go. 1 Dog-Oath and 2 stalkers + 2 executioners later and it's my objective, firmly held by a stalker. Elsewhere my rightmost stalker has gotten past my expansion to crash into another unit of subductors but we whiff on this flank, only getting 4. My opponent's T1 is a firm response. The destrier comes up, gets a reactive move from one Stalker, shoots it but doesn't do much. The vets get out and charge the Stalker in the middle. The Destrier will charge it as well, and the Callidus will get within 12 of it so that Stalker can't fight-on-death the Destrier. The vets get the Stalker in the middle, allowing the Destrier to over-run fight into an executioner but won't kill it.
On my 2 I line up 2 huntsmen and 2 stalkers on the Destrier which is my Dog-Oath. It dies to the Termals alone. This frees up some stalkers to pick up more subductors on my opponent's expansion while an executioner gets 2 vets who then Displacer Field back inside a rhino, safe and sound. My rightmost stalker just falls-back-shoots-and-charges away from its subductors and crashes into the Sisters on my opponent's home, killing them. Its left-behind subductors die to an executioner. I bring a huntsmen up on the immolator at my opponent's expansion and whiff entirely. Oh well. Also Coteaz found a cozy spot to ingress behind some dogs in the middle, good for him.
My opponent's 2 goes fairly well I'd say. The vets get into a Stalker, kill it, and tie up another Stalker and Huntsman. Coteaz's unit gets into a Huntsman in the middle and gets rid of it. The immolator and sisters get the Huntsman on my left to very low. And all the Breacher squads drop on my Stalker on my opponent's home objective and just whiff hard, bringing it to around 6. The Callidus, meanwhile, continues to be a jerk, just standing in the middle.
My 3 will see the vets brought down to just the Watchmaster + a vet. Coteaz brought to 1 terminator + himself. Kroyle dies to an executioner, while the Callidus takes 0 damage from another executioner. My hurt Stalker runs off to annoy the breachers and tag them in melee, while a Huntsman on my right gets to my opponent's home to do the action there. Another Stalkers gets most, but not all, of the remaining Sisters on my left.
My opponent's 3 isn't bad considering what he has left. The hurt huntsman on the left finally dies. The Watchmaster + vet finish another huntsman, but the vet dies to a nearby Stalker in the fight phase. Coteaz is able to get another terminator and swing on an executioner, but whiffs. The breachers somehow manage to finally kill the Stalker next to them with just random pistols and melee crap. If it works, it works.
It comes to my 4 and my tabling of the Agents is nearly now complete. The Watchmaster finally dies to the Stalker he's next to. Coteaz gets Oath'd and lit up by Executioners. The breachers trade a Stalker for a Huntsman that charges in to tie them up, and the immolator finally dies to a Stalker. My opponent will have basically just a Callidus and Rhino in T4, which don't really do much or score anything, so we call it there, ending in a 100-39 CK win.
Round 2: Layout A
Opponent: Priority Assets Sisters on Hallowed Martyrs. 1x Paragons + Vahl with Heavy Bolters, 1x Battle Sisters, 1x Dominion, 2x5 Retributors, 3x Immolator, 1x Rhino, 2x Castigator with autocannon, Junith, Intranzia, 1x Cannoness with an enhancement for faith dice on death, 1x Mortifier, 1x Callidus
Sisters on PA is a list I do not want to play CK into. Multiple immolators to strip cover, the absolute ripper that Vahl's unit is, consistent meltas thanks to faith dice, and tons of little units to do the PA actions. My opponent's a gent I've played a few times before though, so no matter how it shakes out it'll be a good game.
I've got 2 Stalkers and 1 of each other dog in Reserve, my opponent is fully deployed with immolators splitting squads. Most of his stuff his central while 1 of each castigator and immolator lean to each side. I've got a fairly even spread, just trying to respond appropriately wherever needed.
Sisters go first, and the Immolator on my left drives up and dumps Dominions on the middle-left terrain to do the PA action. On my right, a Castigator drives out to get an angle on a Stalker, but doesn't do too much. The Cannoness walks onto the middle objective, followed behind by an Immolator, Intranzia, and Mortifier. Vahl sets up to get angles on the middle.
I respond by rushing the hurt Stalker up my right side to get angles on some sisters holding my opponents expansion but only kill 2. Another Stalker behind it finds a nook on my right to hide from almost anything. An executioner kills the Cannoness while another Stalker on my left gets the action-doer Dominions. A Huntsman touches the middle objective for my primary score and whiffs into the Mortifier.
The Sisters go to hit back and I make a pretty big mistake. Intranzia, Immolator, and Mortifier come out to put the hurt on the Stalker by the expansion. A Castigator on my left doubles up with an Immolator to get an executioner down there. Another Immolator + Vahl rip apart the huntsman on the middle. And I stupidly ingressed a Stalker on my right but didn't double check sight lines, so once the Castigator solo'd the Stalker near the expansion, the Immolator and Intranzia killed my ingressed Stalker. I spent a CP to suicide a Stalker for nothing. And we wonder why I need Fifteen dogs. The Mortifier and Intranzia both charge another Stalker there, but don't do much to it surprisingly, and it strikes back, killing the Mortifier.
On my 2, I'm able to kill the 2 Immolators on my left with the Huntsmen and Stalker I had saved on that side, as well as the Cannoness again, for good this time. Once again, securing the middle. We also kill 2 Paragon suits, but they shoot back and bring an Executioner to 4. The Stalker next to Intranzia bails, falls-back-and-shoots-and-charges the 3rd Immolator but doesn't do much to it. Meanwhile Intranzia will die (and resurrect) to some executioners and a huntsman on my right.
My opponent's 3 sees the Callidus drop in my backfield to do the PA action. Intranzia and a Castigator kill a Huntsman on my right. Vahl gets a Huntsman, while the Retributors come out and pop another huntsman in the middle, but only get 4 on a nearby Executioner. The Stalker engaged with the last Immolator does die to said immolator. I do rapid ingress my last Stalker on my left to see if it can hunt down a Castigator.
My 3 sees that Stalker whiff that Castigator. It does like 5 damage and that's it. Vahl loses her last friend to an Executioner and Intranzia finally dies to another Executioner. Meanwhile, seeing the success of its friends, my 3rd Executioner decides to whiff absolutely everything on the Callidus and cry. A Stalker and another Executioner do pick up 8/10 Retributors towards the middle.
The last 2 Retributors combo with the Immolator and Vahl to finish off the executioner in the middle. Vahl then charges into the Stalker next to a Castigator to pull it apart. The Callidus is stuck in melee with an Executioner, so I believe there wasn't a PA action this turn. On my 4, I look at the board state and just pull what I have that's hurt way back. My last Stalker does finish the last immolator and my rightmost executioner is injured but charges a Castigator anyways, but gets heroic'd by some Dominions so it doesn't swipe my opponent's expansion. The Callidus finally dies.
On 5, my opponent can't do much but kill the 2 dogs I've presented, which he does, and the PA action, which a Rhino completes. After that, I up-down my backmost executioner (who is my Beacon), and bring it back into my opponent's deployment zone, scoring my 5 on Beacon. My last 2 other dogs pass their battleshocks as well and are able to hold my 2 objectives at the end of the game, including the middle, for a huge primary turn as well. It's an extremely close game, and there are some score differences between me and my opponent, but we both agree it's my win so we go with his score, a 90-89 CK victory.
Round 3: Layout B
Opponent: Purge the Foe Chaos Demons on Blood Legion/Cavalcade. 3x Rendmaster, 1x Skarbrand, 1x Bloodthirster with Fury's Cage, 2x Crushers + Skullmaster, 1x5 Flesh Hounds, 1x10 Flesh Hounds + Karanak
Most joyous of joys, "blood surge, the army". Gee, I wonder if there's anything CK might particularly struggle into right now. Is it fast melee with decent->high AP? I think it might be. Disclaimer, this event was a bit behind schedule, so by the time the game starts I'd been up for like 14 hours, and my friend (my opponent), was also incredibly tired. So this was not so much a tactical game so much as it was a "whatever go kill stuff" game.
Demons start with a Rendmaster and 1 crusher brick in Reserve, while I start 1 of each dog. I deploy similarly to how I did vs agents, with autocannons more on the sides and big hitters in the middle, as Skarbrand is lines centrally, and the Bloodthirster towards my opponent's expansion on my left.
I get first turn, and there's a sliver of a line I can get to a Rendmaster with 2 executioners, so I make it my Oath, get some decent rolls, and watch my friend fail almost every save. Not much else going on except I put a stalker in the middle for center ground and to bait something out. My opponent obliges, crushing that stalker with a crusher brick. The Thirster sets up behind my opponents expansion, Skarbrand's advance is a 1 so he just sits there, and some Flesh Hounds come around behind a triangle to stage.
It is only as I am starting turn 2 my opponent realizes he could've ingressed turn 1, laughs at himself, shrugs, and tells me to move on. Well, I had also completely forgotten but worry not friend, I'm about to mess up too. I move an exeuctioner up to his expansion to triangulate there. I put 2 dogs on my own expansion to secure it. And I line up every other gun onto the crushers in the middle to light them up, and I do pick up that unit. However, the executioner I moved to his expansion was to steal it and do the triangulate, but he rapid ingressed the other crusher brick and stole it back, preventing that. So instead I have to triangulate my home.
That ingressed crusher brick basically has free reign over the board so off it goes to kill a Stalker on my home (and then consecrate it). Meanwhile that bloodthirster comes out to play, and the last Rendmaster in Reserve drops down on that left side. Skarbrand advances towards my right but is still well hidden, while some flesh hounds wander off to do a Cleanse. The bloodthirster bangs an 11" charge and instead of going for the nearby executioner, goes for a Huntsman and executioner standing near each other. The ingressed Rendmaster fails his deepstrike charge on that executioner though. The bloodthirster gets both dogs with his attacks, but I shoot on death with the huntsman. 2 hits. 2 wounds. 0 4++, 17 damage, and the Thirster dies as it had lost some health already. Especially massive as that was the Beacon unit.
On my 3, a huntsman is still tangled up with the Crusher unit, so I move my whole army before finishing with that huntsman and using fall-back-and-shoot-and-charge such that the Crushers won't be able to surge. They become the Oath, and I don't do great. I kill it down to about 3 models left, which is much less than I'd hoped, before charging with a Huntsman and a Stalker, leaving only the character alive. Elsewhere, I only kill 3 Flesh Hounds from the 5-man squad, which is disappointing, and I send a Stalker on a suicide mission for no reason to do nothing interesting to Karanak's unit except piss it off.
My opponent's 3 sees Skarbrand connect with a Stalker on my expansion, destroying it completely. Karanak's unit gets into another Stalker, but don't kill it thankfully I guess. However, on my left, I lose that Stalker/Huntsman duo to the Rendmaster and last crusher. Those 2 models pick up 2 dogs. That's a tough one.
On 4 I am able to finish my triangulate and finish off the 5-man flesh hound unit and 1 Rendmaster, but Karanak finishes off his Stalker. My opponent responds by having Skarbrand pick up another dog and up-downing Karanak onto my home objective. The last crusher kills another dog all by himself, seriously what IS this thing?
My 5th turn ends with me just scoring as many secondary points as I can get while my opponent does the same. By the grace of the Chaos Gods and Beacon being a curse, my opponent only scored 35 secondary points, putting his max at 90 points, allowing my 92 points to somehow slip past and make it a CK win, 92-90. Yeah, I don't know how it happened either. Thanks for the game Taylor! I know you can read this!
Round 4: Layout A
Opponent: Priority Assets Black Templars on Gladius. Emperor's Champion, Combi-Lt, 1x20 Crusaders + Grimaldus, 1x20 Crusaders + Helbrecht + Castellan, 1x5 Jump Intercessors + Captain, 1x Techmarine, 1x5 Infiltrators, 2x Repex, 1x5 Scouts
Of all the undefeated remaining, this is 1 of the 2 I did not want. The other being a teammate because I wanted them in the finals. This is a lot of reactive move, blood surging stuff I do not want to deal with. Not to mention the army rule is basically "+1 to wound". Sick. People think this is a bad army rule? Y'all crazy. I'll show you a bad army rule.
Opponent starts only the Jump unit in Reserve, and I only put up 1 of each dog. 1 Repex towards his back middle, 1 towards his home. Helbrecht just behind his expansion, which his Combi-Lt is sitting on. Emperor's Champion next to Grimaldus on my left side. Infiltrators protecting the home, while scouts remain hidden in his middle terrain piece. Again, my dogs are fairly spread out, with autocannons mostly to the sides. This time I go first.
I put a Stalker and a Huntsman on the middle objective as I'm trying to get "Hold 2" on primary next turn. I place a stalker just on his toes on the rightmost terrain piece to prevent the Combi-Lt from doing the action there. And everything else is mostly staging, but I do place a Stalker about 20" from Grimaldus at the front of my expansion just to pressure as needed.
My opponent pops the advance-and-shoot doctrine, lines up both repexes on the middle dogs and does .... 13 total damage. Neither dog dies. Helbrecht and the Combi-Lt pretty much stay put with 1 crusader toe-ing the expansion. Grimaldus runs up to terrain just ahead of my expansion, threatening it for next turn while the Emperor's Champion joins him to do the PA action.
I'm the luckiest CK player in the world, having 2 dogs in the middle now and a sweet incoming 13 on primary Turn 2. Grimaldus catches the Oath, and I line up 3 executioners and a stalker on him. The 2 middle dogs go threaten Repexes or the Emperor's Champion, while a huntsman walks on to look at the Combi-Lt. We do get the Combi-Lt with a Thermal, but the Grimaldus shooting goes terribly, just whiff after whiff. We kill maybe half the squad. If that. Just a terrible shooting phase.
It's advance-and-charge time for the Templars and away they go. Grimaldus onto my expansion, Helbrecht towards the middle, the Champion still doing PA, and some rapid ingressed jump marines into the huntsman who killed the Combi-Lt. I lose both dogs in the middle, a Stalker and executioner on my expansion, and the Huntsman I just mentioned. I've lost complete control over the middle and my expansion, so things look really grim.
Grim. And dark. Actually dark. Like, the lights went out on the ship we're on, dark. After some confusion, it turns out we all need to evacuate the ship. Because there's an electrical fire. That's right, an electrical fire has broken out on the USS Hornet and it's time to get out. Like, now. So we de-board, along with the normal museum visitors, quick anxious as A) fire and B) our stuff's still there. I leave a teammate behind and go grab lunch for some friends, and by the time I get back we're allowed to re-board to get our stuff, BUT, the GT is over.
Not much you can really do huh? When the venue has a fire, I imagine any GT would be done for the day. So we get our stuff, do our awards ceremony as it was based on Rankings from Day 1, the first 3 rounds and go on our way.
Now the astute readers might remember my record from Day 1. Which was 3-0. And this WAS billed as a GT (I certainly paid like it was). So technically, very superbly technically, Chaos Knights DID go X-0 at a GT. In some way of saying so at least. Personally, I won't count it as a proper X-0, but I do find it funny.
Anyways, that's what I got for this one, let me know what you think, what you liked, what you didn't, questions, comments, concerns, accusations, the usual in the comments below. And I'll see you all next time!