Warmachine and Hordes Minions Battle Report: Helga (Will Work for Food) vs. Reznik 1 (Creator's Might)

I've written recently about Minions, dojoing a Jaga Jaga list here and unboxing the Dracodile here, but I hadn't had a good chance to get them on the table recently. 

Partially, life has just been busy and games haven't been played much. 

Partially, I've been reluctant to put unpainted models on the table after being so recently fully painted with Grymkin. 

In either case, I have a Dracodile and I intend to use it! Just...maybe not in ways that anyone else has been dumb enough to think about. 

Let's have a look at the list and then talk about the insanity behind it. 

- Gatorman Soul Slave (Free)
- War Hog
- Battle Boar
- Razor Boar x2

Wrong Eye
- Snapjaw
- Dracodile

Totem Hunter (Free)
River Raiders x3 (Free)
Mist Speaker
Swamp Gobber Chef

Bone Grinders (min)
Farrow Valkyries (proxied by Thrall Warriors)

Okay....what am I thinking here?

The Battlegroup is basically using up Helga's Warbeast points. It's possible that a second Battle Boar might be better than the Razor Boars, but I don't own two Battle Boars. I also think that it might be correct to run a pair of Gun Boars by messing around with the rest of the list, but we shall see. Razor Boars with Gang Fighter come in at Mat 8 PS 12, and Countercharge isn't the worst animus to have kicking around for Helgo. 

Wrong Eye with a Dracodile is risky, I'll be the first to admit that, but he's the safest lesser Warlock in the game to stick something so expensive on. With Submerge, he's not dying to anything but Spray ranged attacks, and if there's lots of blast damage, Helga can put Defenders Ward on him to bring him to a fairly impressive 15/19 statline. 

The Dracodile is hilarious with Helga's feat turn, since you can slam heavies around and then Blind them so they're more or less useless. Also, Defenders Ward on it makes it DEF 12 ARM 22, which is pretty hard to take down in one round. 

The Units are there to basically support Helga or the Dracodile. The Valkyries are there to Shield Guard stuff and also provide some "range" support in a pinch. They each also get two attacks, and with 2 inch reach and gang they're accurate and hit hard enough to kill most infantry or dent up light warnouns. 

Bone Grinders are there to make Distraction range 12, and they also provide some good output against Warbeasts. 

The Solos mostly have ways to get into enemy models' back arcs. Feralgeists can charge slantways into the back arcs of heavies thanks to Incorporeal, River Raiders can shoot enemy models and place themselves in their back arcs to hit them again thanks to dual attack. 

The Totem Hunter can jump into the back arcs of things as well. This is important for Helga's feat - you want to be able to slam enemy things towards your line to munch on them with the Dracodile and War Hog. 

The Chef and Mist Speaker are more support. Magical Weapons is important in a lot of matchups, and fury management is minimal in this list. 

I doubt this is great, but I wanted to play something fun and this seemed to fit the bill.

I got to play my local Menoth opponent today, and he's been tinkering with Reznik 1 since time immemorial it feels like, and today he was back on that kick. He had:

Reznik 1
- Heirophant
- Scourge of Heresy
- Reckoner
- Reckoner
- Guardian
- Castigator
- Revenger 

Covenant of Menoth "The Book"

Rhoven and Co. 
Choir (max)

I unfortunately lost the roll off, so my awesome +2 speed on turn 1 runs would be a bit of a waste here, and chose the side with the water on it so that I could at least use the rough terrain in my way. 

Totem Hunter Prey goes on the Revenger. 


Protectorate Turn 1:

Everything more or less runs at me. Reznik had Ignite up on the Revenger thanks to the theme to start the game off. 


Minions Turn 1:

I'm looking at this game and thinking my win condition is probably scenario since I can score my flag easily and contest with a Feralgeist or something. 

Snapjaw casts Submerge and charges a choir boy. The Dracodile casts Floodwaters and tramples up to protect Snapjaw. 

Helga casts Dash and moves up, staying just outside of the Scourge Death Bubble. 

Everything else runs. 


Protectorate Turn 2: 

The Book cries "no spells!" and advances past the flag to capture it. 

Everything else sort of dances around the threat ranges of my heavies. The Choir sings "passage" (no targeting the Warjacks with non-magical ranged attacks). 


Minions Turn 2:

Disaster strikes! I have a lot of random little guns that I can shoot at the book with, so I start off with a River Raider. My inexperience with the model means that I don't realize that the reel in ability to place him base to base with the model hit isn't optional, so now the Book has taken two damage, has 2 less DEF from Weaken on the Raiders' weapon, but is engaged. 

My plan is to have the Totem hunter finish it off and Sprint back behind the forest, but I mistakenly think that it is now a DEF 14 Covenant rather than the DEF 12 it currently is against shooting (I had the Covenant's DEF value at 12 base instead of 10), so I feel the need to put a boosted shot into it. 

My brilliant plan is to move Helga up, shoot at it, and then cast Cyclone to get back. 

Unfortunately, the Covenant sang "no spells!", so I cannot cast Cyclone and camping all the fury in the world isn't useful against Reznik's feat. 

I finish off the Book with the Totem Hunter, and then build a double line of models in front of Helga to protect her from the inevitable incoming Scourge missile as best I can. 

I run a Feralgeist up so that I can target it with the Dracodile spray, which now hits the Passaged Scourge and Guardian. The Dracodile also casts Floodwaters to make a big bubble of water around it. At this point I've kind of resigned myself to losing the Dracodile to Scourge of Heresy in order to not get Helga killed. 

Wrong Eye moves up right behind the Dracodile and casts Submerge and Star-Crossed. Snapjaw sticks around behind to counter-punch. 

I stick a Razor Boar and River Raider directly in front of Scourge so that they've gotta put some attacks over here in order to actually get all the heavies into the Dracodile. 

Because I've moved all of my units to protect Helga, there's nothing to control the right hand zone with, so I only score one point, but I'm contesting the flag with the River Raider so my opponent doesn't score. 

I apologize for this blurry picture, I was fairly flustered and it shows. Also thought it was funny that Wrong Eye was just hanging out under the Dracodile's tail, keepin' the rain off. 

Score: 1 - 0
Advantage Minions

Protectorate Turn 3:

Disaster again! Reznik has Hex Blast - when did that happen!?

Reznik allocates one to each of Scourge and the Guardian, both of whom shake blind. 

Star-Crossed means that Scourge is gonna have an almost impossible task of killing Helga, so the new plan is Reznik gets Harmonious from the Hippity Heirophant (Jason always calls it that, cracks me up), pulls from the Wrack, moves up and casts a Hex Blast at the Dracodile, and then puts Brand of Heresy on it. 

This leaves him dry, and he misses his swing on the River Raider, so Scourge doesn't get his free movement. This also means that Scourge can't get to the Dracodile at all, so instead he barrels in and Threshers to kill all three of my little models in that zone. 

Both other heavies come in and Brand of Heresy does work, making them all hit despite Star-Crossed and half killing the poor beast. 

The Castigator comes to screen Reznik and kills the River Raider. 

We both score a point. 


Score: 2 - 1
Advantage Minions

Minions Turn 3:

Well...that wasn't so bad. Helga starts things off by Feating, casting Defenders Ward and Primal on the Dracodile, and shooting Scourge for a few damage instead of backing up like a smart piggie. 

The Dracodile kills the Guardian and leaves the Reckoner on two boxes. Snapjaw comes in and misses his charge on Scourge (ouch), leaving him on ten boxes with every system intact and slammed five inches back with the last attack. 

The Totem Hunter slams the Castigator away from Reznik so that he isn't affected by Ashen Veil, and then misses Reznik anyway. 

A River Raider slams the Castigator deeper into the forest, where my War Hog Aggression Dials and kills it. 

Charging Valkyries do nine damage to Reznik and slam him back as well. Because Helga is so far up still, I have to turtle around her again.

I score again. 


Score: 3 - 1
Advantage Minions

Protectorate Turn 4:

Reznik has to come in and kill off the Totem Hunter after one of Rhoven's buddies misses it, makes a Wrack, and then Scourge walks up and Murders the Dracodile. 

Stuff of irrelevance keeps happening in the right hand zone, and the nearly dead Reckoner flails futilely at Snapjaw. 

I score again. 

I forgot to take a picture here, sorry :/

Score: 4 - 1
Advantage Minions

Minions Turn 4:

Wrong Eye pulls Fury from Snapjaw, who does not Frenzy. 

Wrong Eye kills off the Reckoner and dings up Scourge. Snapjaw moves up and kills Scourge and the Mechanik in the zone. 

The Valkyries hit the Wrack, which explodes and chips Reznik down to about three health. 

I take the left zone with the Bone Grinders, and the Gobber Chef runs to engage Reznik so that Helga, who casts Cyclone an then charges Reznik, has the gang bonus and puts the Menite down. 


"It's all over!" The Fat Lady Sang
Victory for Minions!

Post-Game Thoughts:

I clearly haven't played against Reznik 1 enough lately. Dude has a seriously crazy toolbox to work with, and Scourge of Heresy might just be the scariest Warjack in the game with him. 

I'm pretty pleased with how this Helga list performed, mistakes not withstanding. I need to get me some Valkyries...

I don't think the Soul Slave was the correct choice for this list, although that definitely might have been the matchup. If it had been Targ, I most likely would have killed Scourge of Heresy with Snapjaw the turn I went in. It also gives me access to a blind spray after everything gets knocked down and the Dracodile has wrecked a heavy. We will see, a boostable Distraction is certainly something I want to try more, it just doesn't work into a non-infantry list. 

Some other thoughts, although I've no idea how to make the points work, is a pair of Efaarit Scouts. Sniping out the cortex of a knocked down and blinded model seems fun. 

Anyway, I'm off to the land of infinite possibilities known as "how to build lists with a Dracodile", thanks for reading this silliness :) 

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