The Skorne Chronicles Vol 5: Jank Tank

Jank Tank

This stupid place is where I spend most of my time lately, and part of this is because of the Bradigus Problem. I’ve decided that I am going to take Fist of Halaak Xerxis to he local tournament here on the 15th, but I’ve not really decided what I am going to do with him. There are some strange variations of both him and Rasheths Chain Gang, or non-gang, that I think I can work with in order to do some moderately different things.

First, the two starting points. These are, to me, the basic Fist and Chain Gang list. The fist list curbs my own terror at running into something like Irusk 1 or Rask, while the chain gang is cribbed completely from Trevor Christensen because it looks like a hell of a lot of fun to run.

Fist of Halaak

[table id=37 /]

Chain Gang

[table id=73 /]

However, there are a number of Circle players in our area, and most of them run Bradigus, causing a ton of consternation on my part. At the end of the day, though, He’s much easier for Skorne to deal with than other factions, so I am really pleased. However, I didn’t think that Fist and Chain Gang were the best options. So I started mulling over lists to try and find a way to either have the list break on me, or break it, which lead me all over the world.

One of the first lists I wanted to create was something that was just jam packed with as many Cetratii as I could stomach. They are my favorite troops, and if I could just pack them in there, I’d be thrilled. This was the List I came up with

[table id=70 /]

The thought was simple: Replace the 2 units of Arcuarii and Vorkesh with Cetratii. One, likely the smaller unit, would trail a bit and act as bodyguard for Xerxis. One large unit would get Defenders Ward and come up the center, with the other large unit getting fury, stacked either behind the Defenders Ward or to their flank. The Incindiarii would be the flanks and jamming units if needed, with Tiberion and Xerxis bringing up the rest of the army. I thought to myself if 6 models with arm 20 are a pain in the ass, I wonder what 16 would be like. I don’t dislike this list, but I don’t think a 5 person tournament is the crucible this should be tested out in.

That forced me into a non-fist thought process, and what I came up with was this:

[table id=71 /]

I remember playing Xerxis with Marketh and freaking loving it. With him in the list, I was able to cycle Fury onto three units in a turn and get miles and miles of work done, even when I wasn’t feated or charging. Its a simple list with a simple plan: Punch the enemy good and hard and make them pay for whatever they decided to do. This is definitely a list I want to try out as well, but once again I think its something that takes a bit fo getting used to to get to work right. Oh, and a friend had convinced me to look at a second beast, because Tiberion with rush is freakin’ bonkers.Which got me here.

[table id=72 /]

The Two Beast Fist. This is The list that I have seen a ton of places, that I have talked to a friend or two about, and that I think can do a ton of work. It has all the right components of durability, aggression, fire and beasts, and I think that I can really get this list to hum if I play it a few times. Once I get this “tried and tested” list to work for me, I can see why or why not I want to embrace some of the other list concepts I thought of first. One of the casualties of the lack of game time I’ve had due to a child is that lists I think are neat don’t get to see the table anymore. They have to be lists I think mean a damn.

So, now we come to chain gang, a list I’ve been looking forward to for a long, long time. Titan herds and cyclops herds are something I’ve been longing for since time immemorial, and now I get to play one. However, Bradigus.

Enter, Rasheth Unchained.

[table id=74 /]

This list is almost certain what is coming with me, and it has a very, super, ultra specific function. Oh, and its also a bunch of titans. One of the big problems that comes with Bradigus, unsurprisingly, is Kreuger2. This titan of scenario play is something that I’m not sure I am ready to take on. While Fist is going to be my default drop against Bradigus due to the massive amount of boxes and wounds he brings to the board, Kreuger 2 has a very specific situation which makes him highly likely to drop. Any sort of central scenario is going to bring him out, and I don’t so much as like Fists odds there. It will be very easy to move around and TK my models out of position for a scenario win and just not fight the fist list at all. The Titan Train, however, can lock arms and stand in there with the best of em, virtually invincible against the push. TK can get around it, of course, but that is going to be extra focus intensive. The big problem with that scenario, though, is that there are two situations that I can see in which Rasheth could be squaring off against Bradigus. The first is that if the circle player doesn’t know that it is a Kreuger 2 situation, I could be way ahead of the game, and need to fight against Bradigus. The Second is that if the Circle player knows what I know, and is trying to bait the list. This is why I had to break tier. In dropping the Cannoneer, I am seceding the ranged come completely, but I am gaining the ability to toss Molik Karn out there and take down a stone or two before I get completely massacred. Stripping the double or triple port is highly critical in that situation, and I think a rushed, Eyeless sighted, enraged Karn can reach out and touch someone some 13+ inches away, and could be fantastic in being an equalizer.

I think we will see, on the 15th, how I do. 29 people are registered for the tournament at the moment, and we can hold up to 32. This’ll be a tournament unlike any I’ve attended! Feel free to leave me comments on my armies, your experience with/against them and anything else you think could help!