Battle Recap - Experimental Prototype Cadre versus Fellhammer Siege Host

It’s Sunday, which means practice as we gear up for Mebane Mayhem. I’m on a tighter schedule than I’d like to be, but Kyle and I figure we can jam a quick game before I have a hard out at noon. He’s been on a bit of a hot streak with the Fellhammer Siege Host lately, and I’m trying out the new Experimental Prototype Cadre. 

His list is sturdy- Two units of chosen and a unit of terminators make up the meat of his army, each with characters (including Abaddon), that make for some really difficult-to-shift threats with insane killing power if they so much as touch one of my units. Kyle likes to sit on objectives and dare you to try and knock him off, and with his detachment it’s a supreme effort to do it at range.

I’m feeling confident with what I’m putting on the table as well. I’ve got two commanders leading a squad of Sunforge suits and Starscythe suits, alongside some breachers and riptides. This will also mark the first time I’m putting broadsides on the table in ages, and I’m hoping to really pop off with their missile loadout.

The Game

We’re on Mission F, with Burden of Trust as primary. This one has hidden supplies as the mission rule, with a second objective now in the center. This allows for some really juicy primary points- provided I can actually hold an objective.

Considering his lack of shooting, we both deploy pretty aggressively. I want to really see what this detachment can do, plus the sooner we start taking stuff off the table the faster we can get moving. I get first turn, and I hit the gas.

I charge forward with my fusion suits with riptides close behind, then angle my broadsides to pummel his chosen with missiles. He pops a strat to get a feel-no-pain, and suddenly my barrage becomes a gentle breeze. I’ve popped the lethal-sustained strat on my suits and they just can’t make it happen. I kill a couple guys, and then Abaddon’s unit tanks my fusion suits before they get cut down on his turn. I had pulled no prisoners that turn as well, and had been banking on being able to really get in there and do some damage. I inhale, adjust for my losses, and then train everything on Abaddon for turn two.

As a T’au player my experience with big bricks of tough units is to just hurl shots into them until they’re gone, and just hope they’re out of models before you’re out of gun. Kyle pops the feel-no-pain again, but I just hammer into him with everything. Flamers, pulse blasters, pathfinder rifles, Skyray missiles, and ion rifles all rip into the unit- each activation taking away one or two models until it’s just Abaddon left. I don’t take any chances and pop my Riptide’s devastating wound ability. Two sixes finish off Abaddon and I exhale. 

Turn three, and the next squad of chosen go down easier than the first, thanks to Abaddon’s early departure. I use the Experimental Ammunition strategem on my flamer suits and end up completely beefing my hazardous test. Two suits die in the effort- probably need to be sent back to the lab.

Killing the chosen and their characters is a bit of a hollow victory, though. Kyle’s massive terminator brick is able to hold two points, and I simply don’t have the time or the power to kill it. We speed things up as noon approaches, and he ends up winning with 75 pts to my 63.

Final Thoughts

I’m pretty happy, despite the loss. New list, new detachment, and I’m shaking off about a month of rust since Cherokee. I definitely know where I made mistakes, but also I really enjoy having the extra range for my breachers and crisis suits. I think this list is going to get run back a few times- and it will most likely perform better against armies that aren’t as tanky against ranged units. 

I wouldn’t say I’m in love with the new detachment, but it did feel pretty nice to not have to worry about what turn it was or if one guy was within however many inches of another. I’m not 100% sold, but I’m looking forward to experimenting more!