Testing some decks for my boy Elathain

 The second week in a row (and the final time this year) I can get to play Underworlds - I forgot to make pictures last week for a report, but it was two wins for my Shadeborn.

 

And as I unexpectantly can make it to the Halle event the coming weekend, it was time to try out some decks for my boy Elathain and his Soulraid, to see what I will be taking.   

 

Though I'm not going there for the win and connected Cogfort price, but to discuss and plan some things with the TO, who will be my ceremonial master at the wedding.

 

The first game was against a pale reflection of myself, as Peter also brought Elathain's Soulraid, using the same Blazing Assault with Pillage and Plunder deck that got second place at the worlds last year.  I fielded the deck that I wanted to take had I gone to them this year, namely a tuned version of the deck my Vlood of the Bull has been running, Emberstone Sentinels with Pillage and Plunder, as I no longer needed to take into account the slowness of the Helsmiths compared to the very fast Idoneth, allowing me to play the game now on either my or his half of the board.

 

Both bands deployed, Spinefin and Duinclaw ready to scuttle onto some objectives as soon as the first activation takes place. 

 

Tammael missed his attack though, while Peter immediatly took out Duinclaw with a Trapped Cache followed by a succesful attack of his thrall. 

 

However, Spinefin "swam" over, and delved down one of the treasure tokens in my half... before being taken down itself.  So I lost both my little animal friends, which isn't something I worry to much about in this deck to be honest, they did their job in the opening stages, and every attack you draw onto the GOAT is a bonus as it doesn't go on the Idoneth.  Spinefin might not be the bad-ass anymore he used to be, but he still puts up that dilemma of drawing away attacks to prevent him from delving unchecked.

 

I started taking the fight to the enemy, even though I didn't roll to many succesfull attacks, but managing to work to the objectives I needed to score none the less.

 

And after round one, my Soulraid took the lead with 5 to 4 compared to the pale imitations.

 

The second round started with Tammael charging to his Elathain, but he saved the attacks and no damage was inflicted.  This wasn't really the plan, so far I had only injured Duinclaw for two and that was it, maybe just a bit to less.

 

As his leader moved off, my Elathain gave chase, but he also defended against that, sometimes you just don't get through the opponents armour it seems, even if it is made from conches!  In return he charged his against mine and injured mine for 2...

 

His troops where starting to invade my half now, but at least I had taken down Duinclaw, bringing the bodies to the same amount left, but his where in a healthier state compared to mine.  But I had obtained my goals, and scored Supremacy as well as Iron Grasp and extending my lead to 11-6 and probably game if I can keep him from scoring Strip the Realm... which I still had from my opening hand.

 

His Fuirann charged over, taking down my leader in a flurry of swift strokes, even while on guard and the whole shennanigans.  Fickle dice, cruel dice!

 

I had to do some damage now really fast though, before I would run out of models to complete some other goals, and Fuirann wounded his Tammael, drawing out his Healing Potion. 

 

My Tammael, now charged out after wounding his Elathain earlier with Great Strength, attacked his leader again after surviving the return blow, and taking down his leader now at last. 

 

Both Thralls where now on objectives, but his warband was still in a slightly better condition.   

 

When he took down my Fuirann, I knew I couldn't score my Strip anymore, so it would just be a matter of not allowing him to score his in the final moments of the game. 

 

 He went for the occupying of one token to at least get Desolate Homeland, as I dug up the one under Tammael again, taking away his chance for his Strip the Realm, and the game ended in an 18-14 for my Soulraid.  While the result was rather close, I never had the feeling the win was threatened.  If some attacks had damaged a bit earlier, I would have been able to play around for Strip the Realm, but as it stood I could still navigate and score passively without ever coming behind after the opening moment of the fallen Duinclaw in the game.  The deckbuild is solid, though not exciting to pilot.

 

And that brings us to the second game of the evening, facing Wouter and his Thyrielle's Zephirites running Hunting Grounds with Nexus of Power.  Guess it's a duel between a fish, and a fox that does what the design team said at the beginning of edition 2 they couldn't do with that fish anymore in the new mechanics.  In other words, it was personal!  I went tot run a first draft of a highly experimental deck, coupling Deadly Synergies to Countdown to Cataclysm for a lot of passive glory scoring and defensive bonusses, while being a loose cannon on the offensive side as this has no solid attack plan build in.

 

I deployed wide and open, gambling on getting first turn, but not to spread out should it be a problem if I didn't.  I did get it though, allowing Duinclaw to pull back to a moving Elathain and create my "United" box.

 

His leader had advanced forward, and this game my attack rolls fell better then the first, charges of both Tammael and Fuirann taking her out halfway round 1, even with the aid of one of his spearman Sirikith, because united is just awesome.

 

Orieth came forward in an effort to inspire and do some damage, but in return Sirikith was wounded by Elathain as the Soulraid ganged up on his models.  No matter who would go first in round 2, he would be able to save only one from a surrounded attack...

 

With his leader down and Aggressive Unity scored, this meant I already took a hefty 7-1 lead after round 1.   This deck might actually take off, as long as I stay to my mantra of "I will succeed, because I am insane!".

 

He pulled out Sirikith first in the second round, after I wounded Orieth in the brawl as I had first turn.  I didn't go for the finisher yet, as at one life left, he would be fair game to both Elathain and Tammael, both now inspired and hosting ensnare's on their weapons.  As does Spinefin, but it is a bad day for the Soulraid if it comes down to that...

 

With Fuirann having first charged and wounding Anara, I would be able to score Wreckers this turn, and when Duinclaw scuttled over as an Army of Two and kneecapped Sirikith, it was as good as over, especially since Tammael had also taken down Orieth.  The first round ended with a complete Soulraid facing an archer left on two wounds, and a 14-6 lead.

 

This meant the hunt was on, and soon Anara was eliminated, tabling the Zephyrites for no loss of my own.  This did mean I couldn't score 3 out of my remaining 5 objectives anymore, as there was nothing to attack of be attacked by, so some focussing later, a 20-7 victory was on the board for the Soulraid.  So this deck is insane, it worked really smoothly, but it felt like it could swing anywhere all at once, and I have no clue about how consistent it will be.  Guess that needs some more playtesting and finetuning to find that out.

 

Still, I'm inclined to keep Wreckers in though, just because no sane person plays that card anymore, and "I will succeeed, because I am insane!".