Crushed by the Copycat...

This Thursday I went up against another Skorne Player. Another, PURPLE Skorne player.
I'm glad that I managed to retroactively inspire my fellows before I even arrived in this meta. It's a proud moment to know that my genius ripples across the universe to my local store. It even inspired him to kick my ass! It's a noble, proud time to know that I can inspire indirectly so, so well.

This round was a list of mistakes, and realization on the value of some of my models. I forgot some of my own lessons because I showed up really late to game night, and it had been a week, but I also made some legitimate issues. I hadn't screened my heavy properly, misused and misactivated some pieces, and made poor use of Morghoul again in a similar way to what happened against Circle. Also, I did Pop feat this game, it just didn't make any use due to Caster Cowardice, as I'm now calling it. It's when you keep your caster out of the fray to the detriment of the caster's utility. It also made me realize that there is greater utility in a different 1pt Minions piece that can cover my major issues, which I'll cover in my post game thoughts.

My Skorne: 20pts
pMorghoul (-7)
Titan Gladiator
Cyclops Savage
Cyclops Savage
Basilisk Krea

Min. Handlers
Swamp Gobbers
Agonizer


EEEEEVIL (but incredibly similar) Skorne

Xerxis
Tiberion
Bronzeback

Mortitheurge Willbreaker
Max. Handlers


Deployment

He won the roll and went first. My first thought during set up was realizing that I was outclassed in terms of damage potential in that he was packing two incredibly durable heavies with a specialized beast for holding center ground and manipulating the field.I also quickly realized that none of my anti-shooting defenses would work. The Cloud could only really block LOS, but otherwise the Krea's animus would have no value this game. I realized to win I'd have to get the most work out of my heavies, tying up key pieces, and trying to out position him.



That didn't happen. At all.





First Turn:

Simple first turn. He ran. I ran. He tossed Defender's Ward onto Tiberion, and ran everything forward.
I tossed Admonition onto the Gladiator, tossed 3 fury into the Agonizer, and walked Morghoul up 7", ran the Gladiator up 8", walked the krea and riled it for 1, and did the stupid thing of running both of my Cyclopes to opposite ends of the field pretty much to try and draw multiple angles. This left my Gladiator exposed which made the second turn almost as painful as being assassinated this early on would be...



Second Turn:

He ran everything up again. Upkept the same spells. The joy of SPD 4, it makes two turns feel like a really long single turn!

 Knowing I'm not in range to Alpha Strike him, and any steps forward I make would leave me in charge range, I just inch forward equal to my Speed. What I should have done in hind sight was Abuse and Rush him, drop Admonition and just wail on Tiberion as much as I could. However I didn't, and had him walk 4" and upkept Admonition. Morghoul ducked to the lower side near the cloud, out of Caster Cowardice.



Third  Turn:

Countercharge... I'm playing Skorne, as a Skorne Player, and I forgot about Counter Charge. He puts up Inhospitable Ground and killed my ONLY source of Pathfinder. This is going to be a long, slow game...
I spent my turn, run Morghoul up to the left (just like my game against Circle), abandoning one of my Savages who is enraged, and makes the one charge attack. My Agonizer uses the -2 Warbeast Damage Scream, and the Gobbers stay where they are and pop cloud, as they have no use due to Trample attacks being a thing. The Krea moved and tried to shoot Tiberion and hit so he can't run or charge.
We had a rules discrepancy on how Enrage mixes with Paralysis, so if anyone could answer that in the comments it'd be helpful. Morghoul pops feat and puts Admonition on himself.



Fourth Turn:

The Cyclops Died. No surprise. Inhospitable Ground was cast again by Xerxis, and he bunched up in the back corner.

The Beast Handlers whipped the Bronzeback to try to over pump my opponent's Fury Management. The Cyclops was Abused and tossed at Tiberion to try and get some damage in on it, but he was out of Morghoul's control area and couldn't be forced for more attacks. the Agonizer walked over and used the -2 Damage scream which did nothing this game. the Gobbers walk over slightly and pop cloud again.




Turn 5 + 6:

The Bronzeback killed a lot of Beast Handlers. Tiberion kills the Krea and a Gobber. Xerxis kills the Cyclops. Inhospitable Ground I believe was dropped.

Morghoul cuts for 4, and upkeeps Admonition and charges, making mince meat of some of his Handlers, and I clock in a hit or two for a total of 4 damage on Xerxis before I Sprint up the field.

I fell for the following trick before, and it got me again.
He moves his Mortitheurge up in front of Morghoul, I didn't Admonition away. Tiberion slams it into me. Knocks down Morghoul, Xerxis feats, and One hit kills me on 4 dice at P+S 20.





Graveyard Photos and Thoughts:


The way I lost was particularly painful. It was incredibly frustrating to lose at the Attrition game so poorly. It felt like I forgot everything that I learned. I would have just replayed this game from the beginning rather than fix any particular Tactical missteps.The Cyclopes should have been screening my Gladiator by running at a slight angle. Then I should have Abused/Rushed them and charged up to hold off Tiberion and the Bronzeback for a turn.

The big debate I'd have is whether to have them try to focus down and double team a particular heavy or to each hold off one.
I'd be screening Morghoul with the Krea. Then the target not engaged by the conceivably Enraged and Abused Gladiator next turn would be shot by an Aiming Krea to keep it from moving too far. Most importantly out of all this MORGHOUL WOULD SIT IN THE MIDDLE. He'd be screened, but still.
He has a very small control area, so he needs to be well screened, and able to consistently be involved in what's going on to well, he is squishy but he is not Issyria or the Harbinger.
He has no control area and wants to be up next to his beasts. He cannot hide despite his frame as an Assassin caster.
Don't let his squishiness keep you from giving him the placement so he can use his Control area.

 Most of my support pieces didn't really help. The Gobbers were USELESS. I did some research and realized that as 1pt. filler I'd be better suited by a Feralgeist to get more mileage out of my beasts.

Further, I've realized that I am running just too many light beasts for higher points values and need to pick up some of the Skorne staple heavies for the purpose of having the necessary pushing power.

I suffered from ridiculously poor positioning, and being out board controlled by my opponent. It was a bad, bad game from the first second and shows that I still have a lot to learn, in the departments of list building, and more importantly tactics.

If I could have redone this game, I'd have had the Cyclopes run at less of an angle, shield Morghoul with the Krea, and set Admonition on one of the Cyclopes instead, used that as a way to bait around the Bronzeback, or as a way to keep the Gladiator safer. Then, I would have had both of the Cyclopes charge at both of them, and then having the Gladiator smash the Bronzeback before it can smash back.
Then, I'll have the Krea and the Gladiator be able to focus on Tiberion. Morghoul would have been better positioned by being closer to the middle to take advantage of the feat far better than it had been used.
Even then, beyond getting a unit of Infantry soon, I plan on investing in a Bronzeback so I can run a bigger heavy punch than I've been able to with support oriented lights and a single heavy.

This match was an eye opener on the capacities that Skorne has for someone who owns few of the models at this point, but also was a good way to show what I lacked when faced with such massive armor skew.
For any new players, or new Skorne players, realize that if you don't have at least one game that makes you reevaluate what you have, and any problems you have in the game, then you won't be able to get better.