The Wrath of the Green Lady – A Masters Tournament Blog (Part One)

2020 marks the fourth year of the U.S. Kings of War Masters, and I have had the distinct pleasure of attending each of them. As I gear up for the big event this weekend and read all of the content on -/28, Mike Rossi’s article inspired me to make a tournament blog of my own. Please give his fantastic article a read if you haven’t done so already.

Goals for the Event

Interestingly, I have taken a different army each year, and have improved my performance each year. In 2017 I brought Goblins and won two games. In 2018 I brought Nightstalkers (before it was cool) and won three games. Last year I brought Undead and won four games. That means I should win five games with my Forces of Nature this year, right? Eh… not so much.

Last year I really challenged myself to take the strongest list possible and see what I could do. I was ecstatic to walk away with four wins and a top ten finish. Given my level of play and my self-imposed restrictions on list construction (more on this later), that was as good a result as I think I am capable of. It also came after I had spent several years playing 2nd Edition and refining my understanding of the game and the Masters environment.

This year, with the switch to 3rd Edition and my relative lack of experience with it, I’m aiming for three wins. Aside from that, there are my usual goals to connect with old friends, meet new people, and make people laugh. Those of you attending will see what I mean…

Army List

With my Forces of Nature army fully painted, there was no way I was bringing anything else to the event. List construction was definitely limited by available painted models. I am truly a hobbyist first and a gamer second. I spend much more time painting my models than I do actually playing the game, so I write lists centered upon units that I am excited to paint. I like to be competitive, but I also like to design unique lists that few/no other players are bringing. The only units that are painted that didn’t make the list are a (third) Troop of Hunters of the Wild, a Forest Warden, and a Centaur Chief. Everything else that I’ve painted will be put on the table! As an aside, I have a firm belief that naming your units (and referring to them by name on the tabletop) will not only increase your enjoyment but also make you roll better.

Army: Forces of Nature

Ally: Forces of the Abyss

Points: 2300

Unit Strength: 22

220, Earth Elemental Horde (The Unyielding Stone)

165, Centaur Bray Strider Regiment (The Rustling Leaves)

— Frenzied Otter

135, Salamander Prime Regiment (The Cold Heart of the Forest)

120, Forest Shambler Regiment (The Verdant Bloom)

120, Forest Shambler Regiment (The Spring Eternal)

105, Hunters of the Wild Troop (The Cunning Branch)

105, Hunters of the Wild Troop (The Wicked Bough)

270, Tree Herder (Barknose Gnarlyfist)

— Hann’s Sanguinary Scripture

230, Greater Earth Elemental (The Fury of the Forest)

175, Naiad Wyrmrider Centurion (Octavius Wrathborn)

— Chalice of Wrath

105, Druid (Sister Freya)

— Shroud of the Saint

— Surge (4)

245, Moloch Horde (Children of the Sodfather)

— Despoiler Champion

175, Abyssal Fiend (The Sodfather)

130, Seductress (Lilith, Herald of the Sodfather)

I wrote this list back in November and committed to it before playing a single practice game. Am I crazy, you ask? Well, possibly! At the time, I did not have the Forces of the Abyss Allies painted. I needed 500-600 points to add to the list and knew it would take a lot of time for me to paint. So, I went into full “theory-hammer” mode and decided these Allies would be my best bet. Not only do they complement the playstyle of the list, but they also could be represented using “demonic” Nature models (GW Sylvaneth).

General Strategy

The list is divided into several segments which, in theory, work cohesively to win the scenario. It’s a balance between anvil and hammer units, that can dictate movement and matchups surprisingly well given its general lack of Speed.

The Horde of Earth Elementals, Greater Earth Elemental, Regiment of Salamander Primes, Tree Herder, and Druid (cowering in the back) form the main battle line. The Salamander Primes honestly don’t do much aside from sitting there and looking pretty but in a lot of scenarios that’s all I need from them. The other units can grind rather effectively. The combination of Heal (5)  on the Druid, and Lifeleech (1) (from Hann’s Sanguinary Scripture) and Radiance of Life on the Tree Herder make certain that my De 6 wall can withstand a decent amount of punishment. And the quality of attacks on the counter charge is fairly high, especially when the opportunity for a Surge in the flank arises.

The Regiment of Centaur Bray Striders, Horde of Molochs, and Abyssal Fiend are the hammers of the list. They each have a measure of reliability that I appreciate. The Frenzied Otter allows the Centaurs to re-roll up to three “ones” when rolling to damage. Although it’s one-use-only, they are a fragile unit that usually only gets one good charge. The Molochs have Brutal and Fearless, and the Abyssal Fiend has Brutal and Vicious (Melee). Sometimes they all deploy together, and sometimes to Centaurs go off on their own. While they don’t have the Speed or volume of Attacks of some traditional hammer units, they can get strong positioning and favorable charges thanks to the chaff.

The two Regiments of Forest Shamblers and two Troops of Hunters of the Wild are the chaff. They are more expensive than many other chaff options, but for the extra points, you get some flexibility. They deploy in front of whichever units need protection the most and make good use of the Scout special rule. They are durable enough to withstand some light Ranged attacks and can beat out the traditional chaff units (Gargoyles, Tundra Wolves, etc.) in one-on-one matchups, even if they get charged first. They also tend to prevent the opposing army from advancing, especially when I receive the first turn. They create a zone where my opponent can charge them, but not past them to the rest of my army. However, if they do charge them, it allows me to charge the rest of my army into them (if I want) in return. This is how my army makes up for its lack of Speed and can actually fair well against alpha-strike lists. It also means I prefer scenarios such as Invade and Push.

Finally, we get to my favorite units in the list, the “problemsolvers.” The Naiad Wyrmrider Centurion and the Seductress are great utility pieces that can fill many different roles. The Centurion can happily deploy next to the Centaurs and provide them with Inspiring and a few more points of damage in a combo-charge. However, he can also be a total pain-in-the-rear and hold up units which I otherwise have no answer for. His De 5, Regeneration (4+), and Fury (from Chalice of Wrath) make him nigh impossible for a unit with fewer than 10 Attacks to bring down. I’ll never forget when he held up Lady Ilona from Turns 2 – 7 at the Crossroads GT (2nd Edition). Meanwhile, the Seductress is perfect for hunting War Engines or annoying Individuals thanks to Stealthy and Duelist. In the absence of those targets, she can also add a few points of damage in whichever combat needs it or do a respectable job grounding a Monster or Titan with Fly.

Conclusion

I will be taking photographs and detailed notes during each of my games at Masters, which I will then use to write a follow-up article. As previously stated, I am hoping to win three of my six games. I’d like to think I have the tools and skill to meet that goal, but will be outclassed by several of the players in attendance and outmatched by several of the “skew” lists. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all pans out, and I’m sure I’ll have a blast regardless of the results!