NOVA Open Tournament Report Part 1

Hey everyone, Reecius here to regale you with tales of daring do! My Red Tigers Space Marines army at NOVA Open had a good showing and I had a ton of fun. Read on to hear more.

The Red Tigers are my own chapter of Space Marines and used the Raptors Chapter rules. The Raptors are a successor chapter of the Raven Guard and as such, use their Chapter Tactics and unique Stratagems.

Before I dive in to the nitty-gritty of the report, I have to say the NOVA Open was an absolute blast! I had so much fun, all of my games were against awesome opponents and the event was well run. Between playing games, meetings with other industry pros and going out at night to enjoy DC and hang out with friends from all around the world, I barely slept and am pretty tired today, but it was well worth it. I highly encourage any one considering going to the event to go.

Unit	Force Org	Cost	#	Total	Weapons	Cost	#	Total	Total	Notes
Brigade	Raptors				Command Points	9			PL
Lias Issodon	HQ	195	1	195				0
Lieutenant	HQ	60	1	60	Master Crafted Bolter	3	1	3
Captain w/ Jump Pack	HQ	93	1	93	T.Hammer	21	1	21
					Storm Shield	15	1	15
Company Ancient	Elites	63	1	63				0		Banner of the Emperor
Sternguard	Elites	16	10	160	Special Bolter	2	10	20
Vanguard Vets with J.Packs	Elites	18	5	90	Power Axe	5	1	5
Drop Pod	Transport	93	1	93	Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Scout Bikers	Fast	23	3	69	Twin Bolters	2	3	6
				0	Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Scout Bikers	Fast	23	3	69	Twin Bolters	2	3	6
				0	Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Scout Bikers	Fast	23	3	69	Twin Bolters	2	3	6
				0	Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Scouts	Troops	11	5	55				0
Scouts	Troops	11	5	55				0
Scouts	Troops	11	5	55				0
Tactical Marines	Troops	13	5	65	H.Bolter	10	1	10
					Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Tactical Marines	Troops	13	5	65	H.Bolter	10	1	10
					Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Tactical Marines	Troops	13	5	65	H.Bolter	10	1	10
					Storm Bolter	2	1	2
Devastator Squad	Heavy	13	6	78	H.Bolter	10	4	40
				0	Cherub	5	1	5
Devastator Squad	Heavy	13	7	91	Las Cannon	25	3	75
				0	Missile Launcher	25	1	25
				0	C.Plasma	15	1	15
				0	Cherub	5	1	5
Devastator Squad	Heavy	13	7	91	M.Melta	27	4	108
				0	C.Plasma	15	1	15
				0	Cherub	5	1	5
Totals			79	1581				419	2000
Command Points:	12				Detachments:	1

A single Brigade detachment, a good number of bodies, deployment shenanigans for days, and loads of dakka which was just what the doctor ordered in the highly competitive NOVA meta which features horde armies in droves.

The main trick to my army is the ability to counter-deploy my opponent after the game begins and then hit them hard with either an alpha or beta strike. I then have strong enough defense to weather quite a storm and hang in to win missions. Typically I drop the devs, stern-guard, Lias, the Lt. and the Banner. This keeps them safely off of the table if I don’t go first vs. a shooty army and lets me put them where they can do the most damage. This means my army largely doesn’t care about going first, although it is often still a benefit to do so.

Also, I chose the same missions every game which helped a lot to keep things simple for me and let me focus on becoming a skilled tournament player again. I chose progressive objectives, First Strike, Linebreaker, and Marked for Death as my missions all 6 games. The only time this bit me in the butt was in my last game when I brain farted super hard, but we will get to that later.

5 of my 6 games ended early! My second game went the distance but ended on turn 5 at time, which I am fine with. Even with high model count armies, our games were going quickly which is a boon of 8th ed.

Game 1

• Opponent: Paul’s Astra Militarum
• Deployment: Vanguard Strike
• Objectives: Destroy enemy units, farm objectives.

My opponent was a friend, Paul who was packing a brutal list. Right out the gates, this was going to be a tough event.

• Spearhead Detachment
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Storm Raven: Twin Assault Cannon, Typhoon, Hurricane Bolters, Storm Missiles
• Spearhead Detachment
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Mortar Team x 3
  • Storm Raven: Twin Assault Cannon, Typhoon, Hurricane Bolters, Storm Missiles
• Spearhead Detachment
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Company Commander: Plasma Pistol
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Elysian Command Squad: Plasma x 4
  • Conscripts x 28
  • Earthshaker Batteries x 2
  • Earthshaker Batteries x 2
  • Earthshaker Batteries x 2

So yeah, a no bullshit army right out the gates, lol! This was a tough list, and I knew I was in for a challenging game. However, my army is particularly well suited to fight these horde artillery armies which are so popular. The Plasma units put some fear in me, but I knew if I could mitigate their impact on the game, I’d be right as rain. As most of my best units deploy off the board, going first or second is no big deal for me in most cases.

My Scouts deployed in to the field to push back his Plasma units and my Tactical marines deployed in cover on objectives (which they do every game, lol) and take pot shots when they present themselves. In this match, I almost would want to go second to drop on his drop units if he brought them in. However, with the +1 to go first due to finishing deploying first, I took it and risked getting beta struck by the Plasma unit as I wanted to try and take out at least 1 Stormraven before it got to do too much damage.

My alpha strike from reserves was solid, I dropped a Raven, all the Conscripts and some of the Mortars. Nice! Paul then counter deployed out of reserves but wasn’t in range to really strike hard at me due to push back scout units and did some good damage to me but not enough. It is worth noting I made 2 lucky saves on units on objectives to keep the last member of a unit of Tacs (on a 5+ in cover) and Scouts (on a 6+ in cover) vs. Plasma to mean Paul would have to shoot them again to get them off of objectives. That little bit of luck helped a ton in this game as it earned me some objective points in my turn.

He was threatening my backfield though so my mobile reserve units would have to go back to try and take out his Elysians. The interesting thing to note is that even with 24 Mortars and 6 Earthshakers, I was taking nearly no damage from the artillery. The Ravenguard -1 to hit and being in cover means my Tac squads earning points are getting hit on a 5+ with a 2+ save vs. Mortars and a 4+ vs. Earthshakers. The artillery simply bounced off of me all game.

My assault units (Scout Bikers, Vanguard, Sternguard) tore in to his castle, eventually crippling it while my Devs dropped the other Raven on turn 2. Scout Bikers just obliterate light infantry, I love it! Sternguard, too, just mince anything that doesn’t have an invul save. Especially when combined with the Storm of Fire Warlord trait giving them an additional -1 AP on a 6+ to wound and the Masterful Marksmanship Stratagem on the Sternguard, they really pack a wallop.

In my backfield, the Captain with Jump Pack saved the day, smoking a few units and keeping them from bum rushing my objectives allowing my Tacticals and Scouts to a shoot out with the Elysians, letting me hang on to enough objectives to win the game with max points.

Great game, a lot of fun, and a good way to start the tournament. Paul went on to go 4-2.

Raptors victory!

Game 2

• Opponent: Kevin and his Chaos army
• Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
• Objectives: Relic, 4 other objectives.

My opponent had a very eclectic Chaos army, that didn’t look too tough on paper but was actually quite good!

• Battalion: World Eaters
  • Chaos Lord on Juggernaut: P.Fist, P.Maul (Black Mace)
  • Demon Prince of Khorne: Wings, Axe, Talon, Might over Magic
  • Chaos Cultists x 10
  • Chaos Cultists x 10
  • Obliterators x 3
  • Obliterators x 3
  • Berzerkers x 10: Plasma Pistol x 2, Chain Axe, Icon of Wrath, P.Fist
  • Chaos Rhino
  • Berzerkers x 10: Plasma Pistol x 2, Chain Axe, Icon of Wrath, P.Fist
  • Chaos Rhino
• Chaos Battalion
  • Ahriman: Death Hex, Infernal Gaze, Warptime, Smite
  • Be’Lakor: Prescience, Warptime, Smite
  • Horrors: Pink, Blue x 2, Brim x 7
  • Nurglings x 3
  • Nurglings x 3
  • Plaguebearers x 13: Plagueridden, Instrument of Chaos

I honestly didn’t know what to think of the list other than those fast melee units were a BIG threat to my Marines who do not like to tango with things like Berzerkers or Daemon Princes!

My opponent got first turn and took it, bum rushing me but spreading out his chaff in his backfield to try and stop me from Deepstriking behind his lines and coming after his weak backfield units. However, he left a sliver of real-estate where I was able to drop in my Captain (AKA, the Man Himself!) along with his Vanguard escort to threaten his back objectives. This was what won me the game as it forced him to send two melee characters back to deal with them, keeping that pressure off of my lines who more than had their hands full dealing with oncoming Berzerkers (who are quite simply all-star units this edition), Ahirman, Be’Lakor, Oblits, etc. The Chaos Lord came back and took on the Captain, but the Storm Shield kept him alive and he then smashed the Lord with his Thunder Hammer and an application of the attack twice stratagem (which is ridiculously good!). The Vanguard minced one unit of Cultists and went to finish off the other unit holding his second backfield objective but humorously got gunned down by them with some incredibly wonky die rolls, lol. The Sternguard came in from reserves in the same gap in my opponent’s backfield the next turn behind them though, and avenged their brothers.

In my lines, I was able to ace the Berzerker Rhinos (target priority #1!) but Warptime allowed one unit to make it in to my lines and my opponent wisely was able to wrap one of my Tac Marines, preventing me from falling back from combat which was big time bad! I then had to throw all of my characters into the Berzerkers to kill them as quickly as possible or be in big trouble. Luckily I had given my Lieutenant the Teeth of Terra and he was able to tear some of them up with Lias’ help. However, when the Oblits came in it got ugly, quick and we both started smashing one another to a pulp.

Midfield, it was all about Scouts! Scouts and Scout Bikers were in a battle with Ahirman, the Daemon Prince and Daemon chaff units. The Scouts and Scout Bikrers murdered the Daemon chaff with ease (again, Scout Bikers FTW!) but they struggle with the characters. I kept sacrificing the poor guys one at a time to keep him off the Relic but I was battling the clock. They managed to hold the Chaos units off long enough to prevent them from scoring the Relic until the last turn and to keep these key units occupied which was a life saver.

When the dust settled on turn 5, I had 2 objectives, he had 2, we both maxed secondary and tertiary (which I got by the skin of my teeth when the Sternguard finished off the last unit of Cultists on bottom of turn 5!) and it was a dead even tie, 15 to 15. It came down to Victory Points and I won by a measly 62, lol! My Lt. with the Teeth of Terra, in the final combat, had just barely finished off an Obliterator giving me the points to win. Wow, what a fun, close game! A bit of luck that saved my butt: Be’Lakor failed to destroy my Drop Pod which he had marked for death in one turn of combat, meaning had to stay and hit it again on the last turn to ensure he blew it up, but preventing him from potentially killing another of my units and possibly winning the game. Way to go, Drop pod!

Kudos to my opponent for being both a gentleman and having a very nicely painted Chaos army, which always makes the game a lot more enjoyable. Kevin wen on to finish 4-2, doing very well.

Raptors Victory!

Game 3

• Opponent: Juice of Podcasting fame and his Astra Militarum
• Deployment: Search and Destroy
• 6 objectives, 1 worth 3 points, 4 worth 2, 1 worth 1.

Juice had a savage AM army, and I can see how he went 7-1, winning his bracket.

• Spearhead Detachment
  • Ratlings x 5
  • Ratlings x 5
  • Compan Commander
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
• Battalion
  • Conscripts x 30
  • Conscripts x 30
  • Conscripts x 25
  • Commissar
  • Commissar
  • Harker
  • Company Commander
  • Primaris Psyker
  • Earthshaker Battery x 3
  • Earthshaker Battery x 3
• Battalion
  • Company Commander
  • Primaris Psyker
  • Conscripts x 20
  • Conscripts x 20
  • Conscripts x 20
  • Ratlings x 5
  • Ratlings x 5
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Mortars x 3
  • Xiphon Interceptor
  • Xiphon Interceptor

145 Conscripts, 20 snipers, 27 mortars, 6 Earthshakers, 2 hard hitting flyers….damn, son! This was going to be no joke of a game. But, again, I felt I had all the tools I need to win the game, going first or second (although first would make it a lot easier!). I did get one big stroke of luck though, I got the 3 point objective in my backfield and Juice got the 1 point objective. That was huge as it meant if I could keep him pinned down, I would win the game by scoring more points turn over turn. However, with a massive army like this, that is no small task.

I got first turn thanks to the +1 and had an amazing Alpha Strike, taking out my number 1 targets: the Xiphons, out of reserves with my Devs. The Flak missile on my one missile launcher came in handy each game for putting reliable wounds on flyers and I got lucky with a few Multi-meltas hitting and enabling me to take them out. Whew, that was huge as removing the Xiphons–who are fragile but deadly–meant Juice would have a much, much harder time of killing my units camping my objectives.

I then went balls to the wall at him with my assault elements. I had given the 2+ armor relic to make him even more menacing to Conscripts and it paid off as he and his Vanguard escort just waded into the Ratlings, chopping them up. The Scout Bikers, Scouts, Sternguard and Heavy Bolters all combined to take out 70 Conscripts and 19 Ratlings on the first turn! It was savage. However, Juice still had a lot of firepower and bodies, so the game was far from over.

His return salvo just bounced off of me, though. With no Snipers for Mortal Wounds, and the Xhiphons with their high ap shooting removed, he needed his artillery and Conscript blobs to do the heavy lifting. However, again with Ravenguard Chapter Tactics and cover, hitting on 5’s and 6’s, wounding on 4’s and 5’s into a 2+ save means the Marines just wade through the fire like it’s nothing. To his credit, juice was also rolling a bit cold on his Earthshakers but I play against artillery a lot and those Tactical Marines in cover just don’t die to artillery very easily. But, as he failed to destroy any of my units on objectives (and I had triple covered the 3 point objective) I was earning max points each turn. He was fighting the clock

By turn three, my Captain and his last Vanguard escort where over the Conscripts and into the Earthahakers, smacking them to death with his Thunder Hammer until the last surviving Ratling aced him with a lucky 6, taking his last wound, lol! But again, that guy and was a champ. The last Vanguard went hunting Commissars, chopping them up before also dying. The Las Cannons started picking off Earthshakers, taking Juice’s ability to kill my scoring units away.

The Scout Bikers and Sternguard also, again, just smashed light infantry. And while they too died, they killed so many Conscripts there was no way for Juice to get back in the game. He made a valiant effort of it but getting the low point objective in his backfield meant he was on his back foot before the game really began and made my strategy clear: keep him in his deployment zone. I was able to execute on it giving the Raptors a solid win, 17-12. That was Juice’s only loss, he played extremely well and went on to win his bracket. Well done!

I also have to say, that out of my 6 games, all of which were a pleasure, this may have been the most enjoyable as Juice conducted himself with considerable poise, even when things got grim for him at the end.

Raptors victory!

Thoughts after Day 1

That ended day 1 for me and obviously going 3-0 was awesome in such a competitive field. All three opponents were very good, with solid armies, were gentleman and fun to play. What I learned was that my list strategy coming in to NOVA to deal with loads of light infantry and the ability to camp objectives with cheap but tough ObSec units definitely was paying off. The Dev squads were just enough to deal with the Flyers I knew I would be facing and the Banner gave me the ability to kill them even while getting killed. However, the Banner wasn’t nearly as good here as it is in my local meta where I face armies that trigger it in to action more frequently. The massed hordes I saw at NOVA didn’t shoot the devs because they weren’t the threat, they were shooting Sternguard, Vanguard, Scouts and Scout Bikers who put out loads of attacks but were not in range of the banner. What it really did was give me defense against flyers or other shooting units that survived my alpha strike. They were unappealing to shoot at for fear that they would take you out with them.

As I suspected, mechanized armies with melee support were a problem for me as I saw with the Chaos game. My army falls apart to dedicated melee if they can get in to my lines.

The Captain with Storm Shield and Thunder Hammer was a legend, every single game! I was so happy I swapped the Librarian for him. The ability to give him a relic on the fly was magic. He really shored up some weaknesses in my list and in 6 of 6 games, was a star unit. The Vanguard were good in that they escorted the Captain and help him get where he needs to go. They have a lot of attacks themselves though, and against light units will do some serious work, chucking Frag grenades and shooting Bolt Pistols on the way in before delivering loads of Chainsword attacks.

The Scout Bikers lived up to billing again, and simply rocked screens. With a 16″ move and 22 shots at 12″ from a unit of 3 and 7 melee attacks, they just blast light infantry off the board. T5, 2 wounds and a 4+ means they are tough, but they did tend to die every game, but not after opening up gaps in my opponents screens for others units to rush though, or taking out their scoring units before dying. Also, being able to throw bombs on enemy units as you leave combat and deal mortal wounds with their stratagem is pretty damn cool!

The Scouts were simply clutch. They would infiltrate into position to threaten objectives, block deep strikers, move block melee units, shoot light units with their Bolters, etc. I won’t play without them.

The Tactical Marines, while doing very little damage in each game, won me the game time after time by just being annoyingly hard to kill. They can pack a punch up close with all of their shots, but mostly they hunker down in cover where ATSKNF, a 2+ save and -1 to hit means they just don’t die. Game after game they took massive punishment (sparring my killy units from taking those hits) and just stayed in the fight. I will for sure keep them in the list for just that reason for any event that uses progressive scoring (which, IMO, every 8th ed tournament absolutely should).

Of the Dev squads, the Multi Meltas were consistently the best. While I was never actually in melta range to trigger the higher damage, the AP -4 was so good. The range of the Las Cannons means I have to keep them, but in terms of performance: Multi-meltas, baby. The Heavy Bolter unit is also awesome for very little points and helps me to punch through those screen units and to utilize the Hellfire Round stratagem to ensure I finish off tough units. Lias or the Ravenguard Stratagem enabling me to put them where I want them is the key to making these units work.

The Stratagems are absolutely the best part of 8th ed, IMO. I can’t wait for more armies to get theirs as my list revolved around making use of them. They enabled me to do things that wouldn’t be possible otherwise, such as kill a really tough enemy unit with my Captain, or put mortal wounds on a Flyer to finish it off, etc. The one I didn’t make enough use of was the Ravenguard infiltrate stratagem which going forward, I will certainly do so.

Lastly, while I felt good about my game play, I still found myself making little mistakes I didn’t when I was at the peak of my tournament skill. I learn something new every game about ways to improve and am mega excited to get back to the top of my game! Also, I love my army, it is such a fun list. Again, thanks to all my awesome opponents for the fun games and opportunity to learn and improve.

Read part 2 of this report, here.

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