Road to Adepticon 2007: Mkerr’s Gladiator Tournament Army List

On Friday I’m playing in Adepticon’s Gladiator Tournament. It’s a no-holds barred, no soft scores, anything goes 2000pt tournament. The first rule of the Gladiator Tournament is “No Whining!” and it’s a hell of an event! Last year I played an Enslaved Witch Hunters Army (with a Culexus) using one of Andy Chambers’ Creature Feature articles from White Dwarf. This year I’m counting on the newness of the Dark Angel Codex to surprise my opponents with a one-two punch that I like to call the “Red Hot Poker“.

The list is based on the first DA list I posted here, but it’s been tuned specifically for Adepticon’s Gladiator Tournament. I’ll break down the list into functional pieces and tell you a little on how I plan to use it. Don’t worry; I’ll keep a few tricks up my sleeve for the actual tournament.

The first section is my Deathwing Assault unit. This is the Red Hot Poker (yes, it’s a Mel Brooks reference; thanks for playing). You’ll find two very tough characters attached to a very tough group of Assault Terminators. This seven-man unit appears using Teleport Homers; more than often on my first turn.

Belial, Master of the Deathwing

– Twin Lightning Claws, Rites of Battle

– Standard Bearer, Apothecary

185pts

– S6 Force Weapon, Storm Bolter

– Holy Relic

175pts

– Sergeant w/Twin Lightning Claws and Company Standard

– 2 Twin Lighting Claws

– 1 Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield

– 1 Apothecary with Assault Cannon

Notes: The Grand Master adds a lot to the army besides his S6 Force Weapon. According to the nifty Adepticon FAQ, his presence negates Minor Psychic Powers. This means that I don’t have to worry about Siren Princes! And besides the nasty Nemesis Force Pike he carries a Holy Relic that gives every member of his squad +1A when they need it most.

The squad has a crazy number of attacks: The Deathwing Standard gives every member of the unit +1A. The Holy Relic adds another +1A to everyone when I need it most. On the charge the GK Grandmaster gets 5 attacks, Belial 6, the Lightning Claw Terminators 5 each, and the Thunder Hammer and Power Fist are 4 each. If I use the Holy Relic that round, the unit can dish out 25 TLC attacks and 15 attacks that are S6 or S8! And thanks to Deathwing Assault combined with Ravenwing Teleport Homers, I can get this unit where I need it as early as the first turn.

10-man Devastator Squad

– 4 Missile Launchers

245pts

10-man Devastator Squad

– 2 Heavy Bolters

– 2 Plasma Cannons

245pts

– Veteran Sergeant with Power Fist

– Plasma Cannon

– Rhino

240pts

10-man Tactical Squad
– Veteran Sergeant with Power Fist
– Plasma Cannon
– Rhino
240pts

Notes: My long-range shooting element consists of six 5-man squads with a total of 4 Missile Launchers, 4 Plasma Cannons and 2 Heavy Bolters. So far I’ve been very happy with the mix and don’t miss the S9 Lascannon at all. Since my army doesn’t have a lot to fear from tanks, I’ve just been ignoring AV14 (including a Warhound Scout Titan last week!) to focus on my opponent’s infantry. The loadout seems to be enough to deal with AV12/13 tanks and is devastating to 2+/3+Sv armies.

– Multi-melta Attack Bike

– Veteran Sergeant with Power Fist

– 2 Plasma Guns

325pts

– Land Speeder Tornado

100pts

Notes: There are really two parts to this section: terminator delivery and objective management. The three squads of bikes (two 3-man squads and the Attack Bike) have the unenviable job of placing the Terminators where I want them. They use their scout move to setup a location and to shield themselves from enemy fire. In 90% of my games, I use DWA to bring in my Terminators on the first turn (especially if I’ve pulled off a Refused Flank maneuver). The bikes, having done their job, move into assault to tie up a unit. This blocks line of sight for return fire and keeps my opponent in place for an assault by my Terminators.

The second part of this section is composed of two 5-man squads in Rhinos and a Land Speeder Tornado. These three units support my army against counter charge and manage objectives.
At first glance the army seems really top-heavy, but even though I’ve spent over 600pts on my Terminator squad I’ve still managed to squeeze in 13 scoring units. The army is nicely balanced between a strong assault element and a strong long-range shooting element. I have enough mobility to handle far objectives and I have the ability to concentrate an amazing amount of power into a small location. The army plays well spread out along a long board edge and it plays well crammed into a corner.

I haven’t had as many games with the list as I’d like due to a last minute change in the tournament rules barring my Enslaved Nidzilla list. But I have managed to play the army in two local RTTs and I’ve won both tournaments. I’m taking that as a good sign.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the army — comments are welcome!