Warhammer Casual gamenight: racing against the clock

 The last casual game night before Benelux Clash, meaning we had to implement the one thing we all dreaded: the timer clock!

Sunday, you will have exactly 1 hour from the moment you make the first roll-off to the counting of final glory, and that is something we are not used to in our casual games at all.

As we numbered 5 players tonight, everyone got two attempts to get used to this, so off we went to some speeded-up gameplay (and hence a few pictures less per game as I didn't want to interrupt to much).

In my first game, I faced Zondara's Gravebreakers with the Beastbound Assault deck by Peter.  Yes, those are the ones that the same night where featured on GW's hobby hang-out, way to go mate!

 

 

Peter immediatly longboarded me, which negates a part of my special movement rules unfortunatly and one thing I don't like for my basic gameplan.

 

 

Fuirann immediatly charges Toyle, but as he saves on a crit only manages to push the zombie back.

 

 

Tammael has more success, his harpoon puncturing Pikk and taking the first zombie of the board for now. 

 

 

The Soulraid infiltrates the oppossing field, and the scoreboard reads 3-3 in glory points.

 

 

In the second turn, being inspired now,  the attack began and soon Ferlain was wounded by Tammael's spear and stuck on the field.

Spinefin appeared next to the werewolf, and Duinclaw assaults the beast which had healed a wound back, wounding him again.  At that moment, Spinefin injected it's toxin into him, and the cursed lover fell.

Having turned the tables for now, even though Pikk returned to the table, the score was 7-6 to the Soulraid.

In the final turn, Fuirann went deep into the board, taking out Cracktomb as we where inspired again thanks to Fury of the Storm.

On the other side though, Zondara took down brave little Duinclaw.

Unfortunatly, in the final activation of the Gravebreakers, a combination of cards managed to take off the final wound from Fuirann, meaning I couldn't score the Dead or Doomed anymore I had in hand, and the Soulraid lost 11-12 to the Gravebreakers as I couldn't prevent his objectives being played in turn.

The second game brought me against Michael and the Brethren of the Bolt, coupled to Rimewyrm's Bite.

A band I never played before, but I wasn't longboarded so my higher movement could prove pivotal for this battle.

Tammael immediatly charged Arcus, taking the crazed lightning adorning follower down.

Friar Galvic though took revenge, hitting Duinclaw hard and knocking him back into a lethal hex, the Model of the Year succumbing to the damage before Elathain himself took down Yakob.

With the Soulraid now on enemy territory, and poor Spinefin punctured by an ice shard, the score read 5-4 for the Brethren of the Bolt after the first round.

As my inspired round now came up, Fuirann pushed back Galvic after wounding him, as Tammael made short work of Tazat.

Friar Galvic was taken down in a duel against Elathain, as the Brethren where seriously hampered by Forgotten Nightmares, refusing to discard and as such assaulting Spinefin, who survived... twice!

Pater Filius ran into my territory to make an attack on Fuirann, but she defended, and after the second round the it stood 10-5 for the Soulraid.

Going into the third turn, I knew I would score my full hand anyways in the end phase, so I was confident this was in the bag.  I just needed to make sure I had someone next to the Pater at the end, and as Michael had first activation I could always react to this as such.

The hunt began for the soul of the leader of the Brethren as a result, damaging him along the way, until Elathain stepped in and took the crazed cultist leader down.  Scoring as such a hefty 6 glory in the end phase as well, it ended 18-7 for the Soulraid... and all 3 times Elathain took one down, I forgot the Lurelight I had equipped from my first activation to offer a discard or extra glory, so it could have been even higher...

But, the gaming against the clock went smooth, and while it does prevent a bit of hex counting and upgrade deciding, I have a pretty good idea what my deck does *cough*.  I could have actually won both games, but undead warbands are always a bit harder for my objectives as they keep coming back, making it hard to either spread them out or mark them all, and like with the Hungering Rats last week victory slipped through my fingers by a last moment power card, but that is the name of the game after all.

So do I feel confident for the Benelux Clash now that I brought my beloved Elathain deck back?  Yes, in that manner that I aim to end in the first half of the table, and all the rest would be bonus.  But with 6 rounds, a lot can happen and two early defeats might find you suddenly in the basement.

Let's see next week with how I faired at the tournament, before having a final wave off for edition one and the Soulraid (they aren't part of the new 33) at the Ekeren tournament, after which the baton will be passed to those other Idoneth of Cyreni's Razors...