Clockwork Comics Summer 40k Tournament Game 4

My LGS is currently hosting a 40k Tournament on Sundays, based in 5th edition it's 3 games of 1000 points 3 games of 1500 points and 2 games of 2000 points over 8 Sundays. This past Sunday, yesterday 7/3/08, was the 4th week in the tournament. Going in I knew it was a 1500 point Capture and Control Pitched Battle but no idea who I would be fighting against. My opponent ended up being a guy named John, John won the last tournament as Nids and was now playing as Eldar. Both of us started the game with a 3-0-0 Record so the battle was important.

(My) Tyranid List

HQ:
Hive Tyrant - Wings, Toxin Sacks, Scything Talonsx2
Hive Tyrant - Toxin Sacks, Extended Carapace, Enhanced Senses, Twin-Linked Devourerx2

Elite:
Lictor
(5)Warrior Brood: Toxin Sacks, 4 Deathspitters, Barbed Strangler, Lash Whips

Troops:
Genestealers: 7 Stealers with Acid Maws and Scuttlers
Genestealers: 7 Stealers with Acid Maws and Scuttlers
Genestealers: 7 Stealers with Acid Maws and Scuttlers
Genestealers: 6 Stealers with Feeding Tendrils and Scuttlers
Gaunts: 9 Gaunts Without Number and Flesh Borers

Heavy Support:
Carnifex: Barbed Strangler and Scything Talons
Zoanthrope: 3 with Warp Blast
(Johns) Eldar List:
HQ:
The Avatar of Khaine

Troops:
Pathfinders: x6
Guardians: x10 Warlock w/Embolden ad Spirit Stealer Scatter Laser
Dire Avengers: x10 Exarch w/Aveger Shuriken Catapult x2 and Blade Storm
Wave Serpent: TL Eldar Missle Laucher Shuriken Cannon Spirit Stones
Dire Avengers: x10 Exarch w/Aveger Shuriken Catapult x2 and Blade Storm
Wave Serpent: TL Eldar Missle Laucher Shuriken Cannon Spirit Stones

Heavy Support:
Fire Prism: Prism Cannon Shuriken Cannon Holo-Fields Spirit Stones
Wraithlord: Bright Lance Eldar Missle Launcer Flamerx2
Wraithlord: Bright Lance Eldar Missle Launcer Flamerx2

Pre-Game Information:
Mission - Capture and Control
Deployment - Pitched Battle
Size - 1500
First to Deploy - Eldar (John)
First Turn - Eldar (John)


Deployment
Eldar: On one far side of the board he placed his Fire Prisim and on the other the Wave Serpents. The center of the board was where the rest of his army resided, on the top floor of the building in the middle of his deployment zone were his Rangers while on the other side were the Wraithlords and Warlock/others.


Tyranids: the Big Bugs hid behind a large rock outcropping across from the Fire Prisim hiding the two Hive Tyrants and giving the Carnifex a cover save from fire. In the center of the board open to fire was a line of Gaunts protecting the Warriors also spread out across the center. Then the Zoanthropes were placed behind this line as well rather equally apart for Heavy Support. Finally one group of Genestealers (the squad of 6) deployed in the opening and scouted 6" closer to the Eldar.

Top of Turn 1
The Eldar's first turn was rather uneventful. His movement phase was essentially just shifting everything around on the board. Most of the units on or near the building moved to around for better firing positions while the skimmers moved back away from the board edges and hid. The only real movement that occurred was the Fire Prism moving so that it could get a shot on the Stealers.
Shooting was full of misses and failures. John rolled a lot of ones and twos and after a die roll to decide if the Carnifex was in 50% cover or not it didn't matter because the rangers failed to wound anyhow. The Fire Prism shot missed and scattered away. All in all the Tyranids lost little, just a few Stealers.

Bottom of Turn 1
Tyranid's turn to get closer. Movement was a lot more eventful for the Nids the Big bugs walked into the open and started to open fire on the Eldar. The Gaunts continued to screen the Warriors and Moved and Ran closer to the Eldar. The Zoanthropes and Warriors blasted the rangers to bits (though Only killed two in the end) and the Genestealers got about 2cm out of range from Assault with the Eldar in the building. As for shooting not much really happened some of the rangers died and that was about it.


Top of Turn 2
Starting here is where things get a bit fuzzy. Realizing this is the game for first place we both started to care less about pictures/remembering what was going on and really got into the game. The Eldar again just really shifted around in the building, however this time the Wave Serpents came out to form a defensive shield and disembarked both squads in hope that they could fire. Shooting was no more impressive than the previous round, the disembarked squads were just out of range and the rangers did little. But there were wounds done to the Flying Hive Tyrant and thus it went to ground so it could save it self from total distruction.

Bottom of Turn 2
After one squad of genestealers came on the board and couldn't get close enough to assault the fire prisim things kicked up in this round with the Gaunts headed between the Wave serpents to assault the squad closest to it. The warriors blasted the squad behind that and caused multiple wounds killing almost all of one squad. The Zoanthropes failed miserably at trying to take down Wave Serpents. The Genestealers managed to get into combat with a wraith lord and eat it alive and just before that the other wraithlord was defeated by 12 shots from the devorer guns on the other Hive tyrant.


Now the game was still so close that it was scary. During this turn I lost some of my warriors and my Flying Hive Tyrant, then the DakkaTyrant managed to get some wounds on it as well. I ended up wiping out a squad of his guys and he finished off my Stealers that were in the building. I got in the rest of my army, my lictor deepstriked and got in combat with his Warlock and the squad with it and the genestealer got into some action as well.

The Rest of the Game
As said before the was getting extremely stressful, its a tournament game and though were both being nice were playing to win. Now around turn 4 were starting to get an audience of all the players that were finished with their games and the store owner came to watch. Through out the next two rounds the Avatar got in close combat with my carnifex and they fought until the end of the game with the carnifex finally dying. My Dakka Tyrant died in turn 4's shooting phase and I killed his fire Prisim both wave serpents and all of the squads therein. The game came down to the two objectives. During turn 5 I assaulted and got into contesting range of the objective on his side of the board, locked in close combat with a guy that has a 2+ save made it nearly impossible for him to take that one.

What Decided it all... at the last turn my Gaunt squad came on the board to try and claim my objective. I had lost all the Genestealers during his turn that were in range to claim my objective and all I could do was hope that I passed my LD check on the gaunts so they would count as scoring units. I failed. The game was a Draw!

Now were both in line to have to face off again (if we continue to win against other players) with a 3-0-1 record. Tied for first place. It was probably the best and most stressful game I've played yet in my time.