Argus, Argus Everywhere!

Last Wednesday I played a 15 point game of Warmachine and a game of Deadzone, but that's a blog post for another time, another place.

My list was:

Kaya the Wildborne
- Argus
- Winter Argus
- Scarsfell Griffon
- Gorax

Blackclad Wayfarer Hero (Electrical Augmentation, Crown of the Wild, Wilting Totem)
Feralgeist

Opponent played:

High Exemplar Kreoss
- Dervish
- Revenger

Maximum unit of Exemplar Bastions
Paladin Hero

We didn't play any scenarios, but used Mangled Metal rules so that game ends either by caster kill, or killing everything else but the caster. In the first picture Protectorate has ended a turn. Let's call it turn 1, as I don't remember who actually started.

Paladin Hero in in Stone and Mortar stance and has Defender's Ward also cast on him. Kreoss had cast Lamentation on turn 1 and upkept it throughout the whole game.

To open the game somehow Winter Argus advanced and attempted to Critical Freeze the Paladin - and succeeded doing that!

I think it was Scarsfell Griffon, who charged one of the Bastions dead after Blackclad Wayfarer had cast Hunter's Mark on it.

Kaya cast Spirit Door to get the Griffon back, and since freezer operation had succeeded, she didn't cast another one.

I don't have a picture from the end of Protectorate's turn, but mostly it was just Revenger charging Winter Argus and not killing it. Dervish ran to engage.

Turn 3 starts with a great botch on my part. By now I should remember such trivialities as Repulsor Shield. Oh well. Anyway, Gorax cast Primal on Scarsfell Griffon, who charged Revenger next. Damage was okay, but I got to make only one attack. Fun fact: griffon could have charged a bit farther, and blocking the push with Winter Argus.

Winter Argus then blocks push with Griffon and tries to bite and chew the light warjack, not doing much. Kaya decided to pull Winter Argus back and leave the bird to die. Thanks to useless Primal the Griffon would just frenzy next turn.

Blackclad Wayfarer probably had already tried to Critical Knockdown the Revenger, but it's not possible to score two critical hits in one game. True story.

Argus paralysed a Bastion. Whee. I guess the Bastion was paralysed because it saw someone actually fielding arguses.

Next turn Kreoss used his feat. At least I think so, though judging from the pictures it's possible it was saved for later. Scarsfell Griffon dropped dead instantly, and Blackclad Wayfarer died, too. Revenger charged Gorax, but somehow managed to fail the kill.

Turn 4 spelled doom for Revenger. Gorax almost tore it to pieces even without animus. But not quite, and that's where Winter Argus had to come and align its sprays against Kreoss, slightly clipping Revenger but not hitting Gorax.

Regular Argus paralysed three Bastions. The sight of Argus and Winter Argus in the same battle was too much to bear.

But say what you may. Both arguses were the last warbeasts I got alive. Take that, mainstay Gorax and situational Scarsfell Griffon!

Gorax fell to Bastions. Feralgeist had offered some utility during this game, but it's performance was far from exceptional.

Turn 5 Winter Argus and Kaya try to maul Dervish dead, but sad as it is... they fail. Kaya uses her feat and spends all Fury from her second pool to teleport to safety. I was pondering if I should try to assassinate here by moving Winter Argus forward and Critical Freezing Kreoss with first spray and boosting damage, and boosting damage for the second spray - and then casting one damage boosted Spirit Fang. It was a lot to expect from three boosted POW 12's. But in the end I didn't even try, because it looked so difficult to get Winter Argus within spraying distance. Damn that Reach.

Circle lost only regular Argus and the Feralgeist next turn. Oh my! Did I actually get one more chance of attempting some outrageous assassination?

Not really.

Turn 6 Winter Argus was nearly dead, and engaged by Paladin, and any path to Kreoss was blocked by medium bases. So I opted to inflict as much casualties as possible as a gesture of futile defiance.

Kaya and Winter Argus did manage to wreck Dervish and kill the Paladin hero.

After Bastions fail to kill Winter Argus, Kreoss personally ends the game by killing the pup.

It was a fairly long game for a 15 pointer, and I guess I have now learned my lesson that you never ever run Circle with just light warbeasts and nothing else.

My hero got second Arm Fracture injury, meaning that he is only marginally stronger fighter than Swamp Gobbers now.

But experience was enough to get Potent's Mark upgrade. Crown of the Wild + Potent's Mark seems to be a rather disgusting combo, to be honest.