Guard Tournament Results (part 1)

Rob speaking,

So the other weekend I attended Caledonian, one of, if not, the biggest independent tournament in the UK scene at the moment, which is run amazingly by Tim King, the event was attended by 84 people in the end as the snow took it's toll, but it was still a good turnout.

You can see my list here, I totally forgot my phone so there are no pics which is gutting! But here we go!
Game1: Dave Williamson, Tyranids, The Scouring with Vanguard Strike Deployment:

HQ1 : Hive Tyrant 170pts, 2x sets of Twin-Linked Devourers with brain leach worms 30pts,
Wings 60pts, Old adversary 25pts, Regeneration 20pts, (Total 305pts)
HQ2 : Hive Tyrant 170pts, Lash whip and bone sword, 1 set scything talons, Armoured
Shell 40pts, Old adversary 25pts, 1x Tyrant Guard Rending claws and scything talons.
60pts, (Total 295pts)
Elite1 : 3x Hive Guards 150pts
Elite2 : The Doom of Malan'tai 90pts (Transport 1)
Elite 3 : 2x Zoanthropes 120pts
Troop 1 : 13x Termagants flesh borers 65pts
Troop 2 : Tervigon, Cluster spines, Scything talons 5pts, Adrenal Glands 10pts, toxin sacs
10pts, Dominion, catalyst 15pts (Total 200pts)
Troop 3 : 3x Tyranid Warriors 90pts, Scything Talons, 2x Deathspitter 10pts, 1x venom
Cannon 15pts (Total 115pts)
Troop 4 : 30x Hormagaunts 180pts, ToxinSacs 60pts, Scything talons, (Total 240pts)
FA 1: 20x Gargoyles 120pts, Toxin Sacs 20pts, Fleshborer,(Total 140pts)
HS1: Biovore 45pts
HS2: Biovore 45pts
Transport : Mycetic Spore ripper tentacles 40pts

So after a brief look at the list before the game I was feeling okay about getting something out of this game, as long as I could get my hands on that 4pt objective, I have 3 strong scoring units, 3 weak ones and 3 Vendettas, which can score if the objectives are placed high enough (Which I totally forgot about when placing my objectives....), so I felt confident as long as the Flying Tyrant doesn’t get into the squishy troops behind the blob and the Doom doesn’t cause too much chaos.

Deployment:

I was passed first turn and it was night fight turn 1, so I set about castling in my corner, Aegis out front, with the blob and attached Characters behind, on the left went both Grey Hunter packs and the Veterans, behind that lot went the hyperios missiles, the Warlord Command went in the Vendetta and Platoon Command started in reserve.  

Dave's deployment, Dave divided his army up, the 30 hormagaunts, 13 Termagants, Hive Tyrant on foot, Zoanthropes and Tervigon deployed opposite the blob, then on the extreme left flank went the rest of his army, so that's 3 Warriors, 20 Gargoyles, 2 separate Biovores and the winged Hive Tyrant (which is out of sight to the whole of my army).

Turn 1
Dave attempts to steal and fails, the blob struggles over the Aegis and gets 3” into no mans land, the Grey Hunters also struggle, due to night fight and lack of ranged weapons, I don’t do much damage, 7 of the 13 termagants are slain and one of the Zoanthropes goes down. Dave's turn 1, everything on the right moves forwards bar the Tervigon who poops out 18 gants! Who then in turn jump on the 3pt objective in the centre of his deployment zone, the mauled termagants move and run off to capture the 1pt objective in the top right corner, the Tervigon after spawning the gants moves to capture the 3pts objective in the top left, on the left flank everything moves forwards, still keeping out of sight behind a ruined Bastion. The Biovores then launch their shells into the blob, but cause minimum damage.

Turn 2
The blob moves up to consolidate its position in the midfield, the Grey Hunters still struggle about in the ruin they deployed in, all 3 Vendettas come on, 2 central, 1 on the right flank, the blob opens up into the hormagaunts, thinning them to about 18-20, the Grey Hunters also open up into the hormagaunts, thinning them by another couple. The Veteran squad try to drop the remaining Zoanthrope but fail, so the Hyperios missiles are needed and they do the trick, giving me first blood, the Vendettas fire into the Gargoyles, but only kill about 6 between them. Dave's turn 2 the Hive Tyrant on foot and hormagaunts on the right flank move up to the blob, the Doom stays in reserve, the Hive Guard move out of hiding and run towards the objective in the centre of his deployment zone which turns out to be Skyfire! The Biovores and Warriors hide behind the ruined Bastion, the Hive Tyrant with wings also surprisingly does the same, while the Gargoyles move behind a ruin on the extreme left flank. The Biovores switch target and fire into the Grey Hunters killing 1 and they fail moral, the Hive Tyrant and Hormagaunts declare charges, the Hormagaunts are reduced in number to about 6-7 by the time they hit the blob, the Hive Tyrant makes combat as well, issuing a Challenge which is accepted by the naked sergeant who dies to the hammer of wrath hit, the Tyrant Guard and Hormagaunts kill a handful of Guardsmen between them, while the Guardsmen can only reduce the Hormagaunts to about 3, the Tyrant Guard also takes a wound.

Turn 3
The Grey Hunters that can move do so towards the left flank as they move into range of the Gargoyles, the Platoon Command comes on and reinforces the 2pt objective in the centre of my deployment zone, the Vendettas all move to get LOS to the Hive Guard about to get on a Skyfire objective, they then open the shooting and kill 1 and reduce the other to 1 wound. Combat and the Hive Tyrant issues a challenge, which is accepted by a brave sergeant who obviously dies, the Hormagaunts and guard kill another few Guardsmen, the Hormagaunts and guard are then removed through weight of hits. Dave's turn 3, the Doom arrives next to the blob, but uses the Spore to hide from the Hyperios missiles, the Hive Tyrant moves over to a Vendetta, the Hive Guard move onto the Skyfire objective, the Hive Tyrant takes a hull point of the Vendetta, the Hive Guard then shoot down the Vendetta containing my Warlord company command, luckily 2 survive the explosion. The Biovores kill a couple of Grey Hunters from the pinned squad, but they pass moral! Combat sees the Hive Tyrant issue another Challenge, which is rejected, so a Rune Priest cannot attack, the Tyrant then kills a handful of Guardsmen who then strip 2 wounds off in return, but the other Rune Priests fluffs and causes no wounds!

Turn 4
The Grey Hunters both move out towards the objective on the left flank, the 2 Vendettas move around to get LOS to the Hive Tyrant while still flying, the Grey Hunters start the shooting phase by thinning the Gargoyles to just 4, the Hyperios missiles then fire into the Hive Tyrant and reduce it to 1 wound, which a Vendetta then finishes off, the other Vendetta then kills another Hive Guard, the Veteran squad then remove the Spore pod exposing the Doom. Combat continues and the blob drags down the Hive Tyrant giving me Warlord, then consolidate 5” spacing out. Dave's turn 4 and Doom moves up to the blob, the Gargoyles continue trying to hide, the shooting phase starts by the Biovores firing into the Grey Hunters again, this time scattering way off, the Doom then charges the blob and gets killed by a Force Weapon, the blob then consolidates 2” towards the 1pt objective in the top right corner.

Turn 5
The blob moves up and runs towards the objective in the top right, but they are short! The Grey Hunters move onto the objective in the bottom left, the Vendettas move to support, the Hyperios missiles open the shooting phase and go into the Hive Guard, but it goes to ground passing the 3+ cover saves. The Vendettas then remove both Biovores as the Grey Hunters remove the Gargoyles. Dave's turn 5, the Warriors move up to contest the objective on the left flank while the Hive Guard misses a Vendetta with a snap shot.

So at the moment, Dave has 7pts worth of objectives (2x 3pt and a 1pt objective), I have the 4pt objective and a 2pt objective.. so I NEED the game to go another turn... Dave then rolls a 3... game goes on!

Turn 6
The blob moves up to charge the Termagants, the Vendettas then find their killing ammo and remove the Warriors as the Grey Hunters move to consolidate their position on the objective bottom left, as the Hyperios Missiles kill the Hive Guard, the blob then charge and remove the Termagants, but also get me line breaker.  

We call it game there, as there is no time for another turn and Dave has zero shooting left. So there was a 3pt swing in the last turn, with me now controlling 4pt, 2x 2pt objectives, 1pt objective, while Dave still has control of the 2x 3pt objectives. I also have all 3 secondary missions for a 19-1 win!

Overall
Things went well, I got the objectives I set about getting, (top right, bottom left and my 2 central and bottom right) but I got lucky the game went to turn 6. But I was dominant in the game but Dave had control of the most objectives until turn 6! If it had ended turn 5 I would of lost 9-11! Luckily for me, it didn’t! I was happy to get a win in the first game and with it not being a 20-0 I hope to avoid some of the really nasty lists!

Next up game 2...