Dark Elves vs. Cursed Kings

I won the first deployment.

My deployment order was charots , chariots, warmachines, necropolish nights, necrosphinx, Warpshinx, Characters

My opponents deployment order was (if i remember correctly) Dark rider, dark rider, doomfire warlock, warmachines, doomfire warlock, Cold ones, Witch elves, characters. He won the scout roll, so shades got first. I used my horsemen as vanguard blocking duty.

My spells were Desert winds, Cursed blades, Smitings, Vengeance

My opponents spells were Power of Darkness, Chillwind, Word of Pain, Bladewind

I got +1 for staring roll, but still my opponent managed to steal the initiative ;(

Deployment analyze:

- I was really happy for the necrosphinx orientation. I choosed to leave spot for shades to come forth, but as expected none arrived.

- My opponent witch elves were little bit in bad place since our magic circle was solid structure, with heavy stone platform that we consider impassable.

Movement pretty much as seen.

Magic was pretty normal considering wom.

My oppontn rolled one miscast with doom bolt warlocks, killed bunch of chariots, and warded miscast damage =(. Then he rolled second doom bolt which I tried to dispel but failed against the odds =(

At shooting he anhilated my right flank horse archers and with reapers + shades finished my chariots, leaving my hierophant complety helpless

Turn analyse:

- I really didn't see that chariots would got so much damage in at this turn. All though I failed to dispel other doombolt. He didn't roll any superb rolls, but i think my chariots would have survived with only 2 wounds left if the other doombolt woudln't landed.

Il tried 22 inch charge with necrosphinx. It was more to do terror test in order to get them flee right infront of those chariots, but as seen in picture, they passed the test and as expected I didn't roll double six on swiftride roll. My chariots tried to charge dark riders, but they took flee reacton. My warpshinx charged to warlocks, they passed teror test, but my opponent decided to take flee rather than risk 14 inch charge (required 8 on 2d6). He rolled high flee something like 11. I could have redirected to master that was right in front of those witch elves, but that would have been suicide, so sphinx failed.

I moved my horse archers to block charge from warlocks to my aarchers, and made it so that they would have overrun to warpshinx side. I swift reformed with archers and turned. I wasn't sure what I was suposed to do with Knights, but I figured that those cok were in charge range of my sphinx, so I left them to support sphinx if needed.

Magic was 5 + 5 + 3 from casket so capped 12. I managed to cast Vengeance on witch elves my opponent tried to dispel it but failed. I only got 1 movement reduction for WE. Then I casted multiple shots on my archers, and I used casket targeting shades. They wiped out immediately, and the bounce got enough wounds to kill all the warlocks (my opponent rolled really high with 3d6) but he managed to ward of few of them.

My archers + horse archers managed to kill the rest of the warlocks... Catapults tried to lucky shot my opponent mage, managed to roll one hit but obviously he passed LoS

Turn asnalyze:

- To me this was key turn in this match up. Those shades would have easily destroyed one of my catapult next turn and those warlocks would have really but my hierophant / archer unit.

He took long time of considering wheter charge against my sphinx, but though that the risk of fialing charge was too high and he changed to better position.

My opponent failed to rally his warlocks and rolled again high enough to run of board. He set up double flee formation against my necrosphinx. He passed right through my flanks with his master. Then he decided to march with WE and got pretty average death count from DT, but too bad cauldron passed the test.

Magic was pretty much next to nothing., but he managed to cast Frenzy from cauldron to his CoK.

At shooting he managed to do at least 3 wounds to knights.

All of my EBtS came to board and only one scorpion was shifted, but luckily to left board edge so he was pretty much in the place i wanted. (I tried to have him between the BTs.

My opponent completely forgot that I had flying with Necrosphinx and I just charged that master behind the dark riders that were trying to do double flee shenanigan. I succesfully charged with warpshinx against the odds to CoK. Tomb swarm went to redirecting duty. This picture is little off, those witchelves were little more past the circle. but anyhow, they couldn't wheel or charge anything else from that point. most importantly he couldn't charge my sphinx flank. Again my archers swifft reformed.

If I remember correctly this was another 12 dice phase, or anyway almost capped. I used vengeance on Witch Elves, but it got dispelled. I tried to cast cursed blades on warpshinx but he dispelled it also.I tried to kill master with my casket, but fialed the LD test. Then I bubbled smiting and It actually reached warpshinx, and necroshipnx also. (it must be an error that the small version is range 12 and bubble 24... I find it hard to believi that it was originally meant so, but hey we play (almost always) as written ;) )

At shooting I tried to nail the cualdron with catapults, got a direct hit on it, but failed to wound =( few elves died ofc from collateral damage. I tried to kill that mater with barrage of arrows. too bad hiting 5+, wounding 4+ and 2+ armour save made it almost impossible, but managed to do one wound to it still. My stalkers got 18 shots to Reaper, but managed to throw only one 6... too bad. My chariots didn't do anything.

At close combat, necrosphinx killed master (too bad not with HBK). My warpshinx crew managed to kill 1 CoK. My opponent got little over average wound rolls and managed to do 3 wounds on the sphinx. I was going to lose the combat If I wouldn't done 3 wounds (2 would have been draw. since he had 3 wounds and banner. I had at the moment 1 wound and charge.) So I decided to use breath weapon allthough it would have been MUCH nicers against those witches. I maanged to kill total 2 with combined breath and regular attacks. got draw but as animated constructs crumble one less, no wounds there.

My opponent charged to casket with dark riders. He passed frenzy test with Witch Elves, He though a long time of charing to those tomb swarms, did math hammering etc. He finally decided to move that 2,4 inches sideways so his CoK got that reroll all to wound rolls. He wouldnät have been within the range if he would have charged to tomb swarms. This picture is little off since, those CoK was much closer to witch elves. (is it 6 inch from the cauldron in order to get that boost.

Magic was again next to nothing. I dispelled frenzy from the CoK.

At shooting those reapers killed my other scorpion. Chariots remained unwounded ;)

At close combat dark riders wiped casket. Warphinx got anhilated before he got the chance to do anything. That reroll to wounds really helped him out as expected.

I charged with kniths to dark riders, scoprion to on reaper and stalkers to another.

I figered that since I didn't have musician within the chariots I would lose the cat and mice play and decided to just move away from them exposing my rear to it. I quick calculated that he wouldn't probably not destroy them in charge. I moved my necrosphinx to support them so they wouldn't be just hand away points to my opponent. I again swift reformed with my archers.

Magic was pretty low. I casted multiple shots only to those archers. I tried to vengeance CoK, but he dispelled it.

At shooting I tried to.... either lucky shot his mage or cauldorn, but this turn one of them missfired, but only that denied shots from this turn. My arhcers tried to nail that one last wound from the master, but failed it.

Knights killed dark rider, stalkers killed reaper, but Scorpion fialed to do a single wound on his target...

CoK charged to scorpion. Master to catapult, and dark riders on the back of my chariots.

Witch elves swift reformed to face talkers.

Magic was pretty much useless. He actually killed bunch of with elves with dagger.

At close combat my chariots survived better than average.

I charged to dark riders with sphinx. I moved side ways with stalkers so that the one last stalker was in range against the other reaper. Tomb Swarms triet to block movement as best they could, but really there was pretty much nothing to do.

Magic phase was healing wounds from knights, casting vengeance on CoK, but it got again dispelled. I casted smiting on archers and I actually casted killing blow on them too, since I was afrad that he would have charged right in to my hierophant

At shooting one of my stakkers missfired and died as result. The remaining two failed to do any damage on reapers. My archers and horse archers managed to kill remaining master with volleys of arrows.

Dark riders hold the combat and I reformed as victor. (too bad he had that +2 from rear charge)

He charged to my stalkers and to my swarm.

Magic was useless again.

At shooting he managed to kill another knight.

My tomb swarms did get to chance to hit back, but as expected with little result.

I moved up pretty much like this.

At magic I tried movement spell so i could have healed knights and get my archesr in range with reaper. I prolly tried vengeance on CoK.

I tried lucky shoting his mage, without any success. My horse archers tried lucky shoting his reaper.

He charged and killed my swarm. He tried to nail last knight with reaper without success.

I managed to charge with sphinx, knight and chariot. (chariot was hard one, but still got it)

At magic I tried to put cursed blades on the necropolis knights but it got dispelled. (I though that it would have given that serpent a killing blow too and I figured that it might be better to give it to serpent and knight since they had better possible more attacks than sphinx. And it was also for the reason that if I would have failed to bubble heal my knight it would be more vulnerable) . then I tried smiting on buble and got with IF. Chariot healed for total 4 wounds!

At shooting I failed to kill that bloody reaper. And lucky shot on mage, failed to deliver.

At close combat chariot impact hits killed one. It wasn't enough to get that chariot to drop from combat. He tried to force every attack on necropolis knight which was at full healt at the moment. He managed to do two wounds on it, but it wasn't enough. My necropolisknight and necroserpent killed enough of them so that chariots dropped from combat. Luckily cold ones failed to deliver that one last wound on knight. Necrosphinx finished the surviving few CoK ( I managed to score few KB ). I did exactly 5 wounds to the unit and it wiped out.

Final score was 1363 to me and 985 to Veli-V. Highlights in the battle was turn 1 casket performance. Imo that played key role in the battle. Then outplaying that sick blender was one other key point in victory.