The final training evening before Mines of Alost 2026

 And there we have it, only a few days before the first Golden Ticket qualifier here in Flanders, and I am in a bit of an arrrrgh place.

 

I've build a deck for my Shadeborn, which worked fine, but was build around the re-rolls of Raging Slayers and mobility, so basically aiming for "a death by a thousand cuts" style of aggro.

 

And then last update two weeks ago, the whole mechanic of the plot card changed.  I don't want crits to hit possibly harder, I wanted almost guaranteed hits allround...

 

So not sure if I would be playing any role the coming sunday, I went to the weekly wednesday meeting to give it a try in the current form and see if something could be salvaged out of it still...  

 

My first game was against Wim and his Xandire's Truthseekers, who with their Pillage and Plunder / Deadly Synergies combo had been running amok on the evenings I heard. 

 

The cards where drawn, both bands deployed, as I opted to set up deep and rely on my speed and teleport to get where I wanted. 

  

The initial actions where undertaken by both ranged fighters, Sylarc both shooting and pinging with Dark Lamprey on Dhoraz.  My plan was to take him and his grievous out without damaging the others,as against Stormcast bands, and especially these ones, it's better to overload one instead of slightly damaging a few.  They tend to attack pretty accurately, and being armoured with only a cape of smoke isn't cutting it then.  

 

Dhoraz came forward as his leader moved back for safer places, attacking Valyssa with his huge hammer.  But she stuck a Knife in His Heart... 

  

...and Slythael moved in and finished him off, bringing down the first of the tin cans.

  

Xandire herself, supported by Taros, came forward and attacked Slythael though...

  

... and my valiant leader was duly finished off by Luxa as a result.

 

The first round ended, but the Shadeborn where 7-5 in the lead, though still hadn't gotten the numerical advantage.

 

The second round started furiously though, and the combined attacks of Valyssa (long live the crit inspire with new Slayers, at least she benefits greatly from it) and Sylarc (somehow my most accurate one), brought down Xandire.  As I had refrained from damaging his other models, this meant his double heal was wasted as a result.

 

 The game turned into a to and forth in the middle of the board, as everyone of my crazed Khainites where out to draw blood.

 

 Taros retreated to the back of the field to go delving, in order to allow him to score objectives instead of throwing the bird in for a mild attack.  And as a result, it stood 10-9 for the Shadeborn after round 2, but now I had the numbers and my eyes set on the archer...

 

 Charging up like a meatgrinder, Drusylla flew into Luxa, smashing a large piece out of her chest and gravely wounding her.

 

And while she was severly injured in return, Sylarc sneaked up and put a knife in the back of her neck, ending the Stormcast, though she did wound Drusylla still in her dying throws.

 

 This left only Taros on the field, who went on guard.  Valyssa charged the bird... 

 

...but it made good it's escape.

 

 However, as it failed to finish Drusylla, she brought down her coffeemill of a grinder down on the beast, ending it and allowing me to score both Unrelenting Massacre as well as Annihilation, giving the Truthseekers a crushing 21-13 defeat.  And I hadn't even used my teleport during the game...

 

For the second game, it is the kings of the current aggro elite, and also fielding Blazing Assault with Raging Slayers: Ironsoul's Condemnors piloted by Nico, who now basically auto-inspire every activation...

 

We both deployed aggressively, and initial blows where quickly exchanged, Tavian going after Valyssa while Drusylla went for my main target: Brodus, who would even inspired remained on one shield.

 

 The big guy came forward injuring Slythael, who returned the favour before Sidestepping out of range hopefully of the others, but forcing him to use a heal on the hammer guy.

 

Ironsoul herself came forward, and she smashed Sylarc to the floor with her hammer, making him the first casualty of the game.

 

And so round one ended with a hefty 4-8 lead already for the Condemnors, who where also all inspired.

 

But so where a couple of mine, and Slythael finished the big hammer off.  He didn't have a shield, so Nico couldn't put my Cleave off, which helps greatly. 

 

In a battle of leading ladies, Slythael was taken out in return by Gwynneth herself.

 

Valyssa put a lethal dagger into her though, bringing her immediatly to vunerable status.

 

Drusylla came flying in, carried on Wings of War, and with the re-roll from the Wayward Hex made her attack against the guarded Ironsoul, but failing to finish her.

 

 However, in a desperate attempt, Valyssa wanted to put her 1 damage Cleave dagger into his leader.  She put off the Cleave ability, but even guarded failed to save the one hit with two dice, and Ironsoul fell to a sneaky knife in the dark.

 

The second round came to an end, and the Shadeborn had scored massively, taking the lead now with 13-12 over the Condemnors.  Now it was one healthy Stormcast against two Grievous wielding ladies...

 

And while he was first wounded by Valyssa before finishing her off, the coffeegrinder called Drusylla came crashing in, and decapitated the Eternal with a flurry of strikes.  The game ended with a 23-14 victory as I focussed through my objectives for my big scorers.

 

So, won both games, both times against Stormcast warbands, and both times tabling them completely AND scoring both Unrelenting Massacre and Annihilation... maybe the deck still functions after all.

 

I must say, Valyssa benefits greatly from the new plot, as would her inspired three swords hit, she can use the crit to use Grievous every time, effectively giving the fragile aelven assassins two three damage attackers.  I even never used Twist the Knife in either game...

 

Now let's see if it will work out on Mines of Alost in the first hunt for a Golden Ticket... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2

 Hot on the tail of the first season, me and Noshi sat down to watch the second season of this Disney+ series.

 

And this one was based on the second book, Sea of Monsters, and the quest for the Golden Fleece.

 

So yeah, basically teenage Jason and the Argonauts... or at least a part of it. 

 

The defenses of the camp are failing, another guardian in Tantalus has been appointed (a very annoying figure, both as written as well as the way he was portrayed I thought) and percy, son of Poseidon, is kept out of the loop.  And not only because he suddenly has a cyclops half brother who is also a son of Poseidon and tags along like a puppy.  

 

At the core of it all is the tree protecting the camp that is failing, also known as Thalia, daughter of Zeus, after Luke poisoned it.  Percy, Annabeth and Tyler, against the wishes of the camp leaders, set out on a quest to get the Golden Fleece and free Grover who is captured by the Fleece's guardian, which is capable to heal the tree.  Of course, this brings them not only across Luke, who actually not only wants a war that brings down Olympus by using the fleece to restore Kronos, but also wants to free Thalia.  Because we learn during the series she didn't make the sacrifice to become the tree, but was punished by her father for not obiding to him.

 

But they manage to overcome not only them, but also the machinations of Circe and the Sirens, to reach the Fleece and defeat the huge cyclops Polyphemus.  Though of course, Luke gets the fleece as he wants to save a gravely wounded Annabeth with it first, before attacking Camp Halfblood.  Percy and Clarisse, who have formed a friendship during the journey after running into each other, form the defences and manage to restore the tree... to Thalia, and she is not happy.

 

Percy realises she might be his hardest challenge to come in the future, but that will be for season 3...

 

It still isn't a bad series, though Percy (or at least, his actor) made a HUGE growth spurt in the years between season 1 and 2, the things with teenagers of course.  But he still puts down a convincing depiction of the halfgod, and the effect of the series where really nice.  Especially Clarisse's crew of the dead was pretty funny and well done.

 

All in all, it's no loss of time to watch this series, and that is a good thing amongst a lot of rubbish being tossed out the past years... 

 

 

See season 2

 Time to see the second season of See (pun intended), a post apocalyptic series which revolves around a blind civilization.

 

Though I must say, just as with Stranger Things, everyone loves it and I just can't get attached to it... so yes, it is a bit of a struggle to go through the episodes. 

 

With Baba Voss's brother Edo appearing on the scene in the season 1 finale (hello Drax), this season is set to be all about family and bloodties, especially as the children have been split up and need to hide their gift of sight.  But they aren't alone, for example the girl Wren, tasked with guarding Baba's daughter Haniwa also posesses it.  Kofun in the meantime is brought to his mother and to the Queen, and soon starts falling under her charm (because well, teenage boys and "experienced" women).  Maghra, Kofun's mother, is forced in marriage with Lord Harlan in the meantime by the Queen's machinations (though Harlan turns out to be quite an okay guy all things considered) to establish a new capital.

 

Now, to be honest, the side characters for me where the better things in this season.  Not only Wren and Harlan, but also the returning Witch Hunter, thought dead in season 1, and the "good riddance" of the children's biological father. 

 

But of course, while they have to face the threat of war with the stronger nation of Trivante, as the Queen wants a holy war in her name.  Maghra tries to broker peace, but fails, and then moves to usurp her sister and take her rightfull place on the throne.  Baba and the children join the battle to hold off the attack, and succeed with tricks and aid of tribes Baba helped out before.  But the imprisoned queen kills Paris, and escapes captivity while the brothers face off, Baba forced to kill Edo.

 

Now, I must say that the second season starts to pick my intrest already a bit more then the first one did so far, but still, on a scale of 1 to Hooked, I would say I am only around 4.  For me, it's still something to watch while not fully awake, you know, that "one episode before calling it a night" kind of series.  I will watch the third season somewhere this year, but it isn't high on my priority list to be honest...

 

Guess it's not a series I want to "See" per se hehehehe... 

Warhammer Underworlds battle report: a double dose of Dromm

 Yesterday evening, I sat down at the club to try out a new concoction for Elathain, featuring Pillage and Plunder with Blazing Assault.

 

Now, this will be far to soon for Alost next week, but I aim to tune it for the Benelux Clash at the end of march tournament.

 

One thing, being the aggessive trigger-happy player that I am, this will be a test of nerves for myself, to resist the all out infiltration into enemy territory, yet also be just a tat aggro to score the other cards...

 

Facing me where the Gorechosen of Dromm with Blazing Assault and Reckless Fury, a warband that when I play aggressive aelven builds doesn't scare me that much, as I can usually run circles around them.  But now I have to let them come and count on defensive cards and such while delving around, and the amount of staggers that will load unto my fighters... 

 

Which soon started happening, as I began the delving works on my half, while the Gorechosen approached. 

 

I managed to keep a relatively safe position in this first round of the game, but the Gorehulk and Dromm himself lingered just on that edge of putting in a charge.

 

Which the Gorehulk duly did, but nobody messes with Duinclaw as the crab blocked the attacks.  Tammael snuck around the hulk and wounded Dromm, who was about to be finished off by Elathain, but of course rolled that crit on his one dice, surviving the strike of the Idoneth.

 

 The round ended as such at 5-4 for the Soulraid as I was on his Ghyranis token, but that leader should have been dead.

 

Instead, he got priority and it was my leader that fell to the smashing attacks of the Shatterer of Worlds instead. 

 

Tammael tried again to take him down.  And you can guess what happened... another 1 dice block as the Thrall managed only a lonely single success on FOUR dice, pushing him but not out of the game. 

 

When Spinefin was then killed, I knew it was game.  His leader surviving twice on Stand Fast was just to much to overcome, and now his three damage dealers could begin their shennanigans as they had inspired.

 

Fuirann managed to push Herax off the token (I made a mistake here by forgetting to give her an upgrade that could have killed him, typical first time playing the deck with the band errors).

 

Herax bravely legged it instead though... but failed to kill Tammael.

 

... and the Gorechosen where now 10-12 in the lead instead.  That's four points that slipped through my fingers by dicerolls and a mistake, doh.

 

 While the Gorehulk took out Duinclaw, Tammael put him down with his spear.  But of course, the beast returned on 1 wound and smashed the thrall to a pulp.  At least he would give up his glory at the end...

 

He charged Fuirann, who survived and struck back with three dice on swords.  FUCK YOU Gorehulk... now THAT I had to roll earlier on the attacks to take out Dromm goddamit.

 But it was not to be, and Fuirann failed to defend against Dromm's slaughter even with her Stand Fast reduction.  The result was 17-17 (had she survived, the Aqua would have tipped the balance in my favor as I couldn't be pushed), but the Gorechosen pulled a minor victory due to being the only ones with a model still on the table.

 

 

As we still had time, we set up for a second game, this time on a Spitewood board as my opponent got to choose. 

 

Now, from halfway round 2 onwards I forgot to take pictures, so I'm just putting all that I have above.  It was a very one-sided affair, the first round ended at 5-5, and then, believe it or not, Dromm AGAIN escaped with a Stand Fast of being killed,  after a barrage by Tammael (who then fell), Fuirann and Elathain.

Elethain was then put down (on 3 defence dice...), and Fuirann eventually followed as I couldn't take his leader down anymore.  He went to hunt for Spinefin to score Unrelenting Massacre as well with his Gorehulk, and after that round 2 had a still do-able 10-12 deficit, I ultimately and heavily lost 13 to 19.

  

Did I make mistakes?  Surely, not in the least that in an effort to keep my normal infiltrating aggression at bay, I played perhaps TO defensively, opting to delve and get staggers to quickly for glory.  In hindsight, I should have gone in more firey, and let the minions do the needed delving instead, going for the medium run instead of the quick gain, like I did before at the Halle event, and that worked out way better.  Well, still got some time to either finetune, or go back to my Synergies / Pillage combo instead, OR even go Pillage / Nexus perhaps before Benelux Clash end of march.

 

With the update, my Shadeborn are royally screwed over, but as this deck needs still to much tuning, I'm kind off going to take them to Alost next weekend.  Hopes are low, and I count myself out of contention for the top spots, let alone the Golden Ticket at that event, where I expect a LOT of elite aggro genre Dromm, Jaws, Ironsoul and Emberwatch... and I lost those re-rolls needed for the surgical strike deck I had build, which can't affort to botch even a single attack against those sorts of warbands.

 

Maybe I'll just take Cyreni along instead... 

 

But for Benelux Clash, we will be prepared, charged up and ready to do a throw to the crown!