Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report #65 – Chaos Demons vs Ynnari

Full-scale battle returns to the Maelstrom today, as the servants of the Ynnari battle with the hordes of Khorne. Can they snatch back this important Relic from the unliving servants of the Blood God?

The Armies

The Tithe

Chaos Demons – 2,000

Demonic Incursion

Demon Lord

325      Moloch, He Who Feasts: Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage; 2x Greater Reward, Lesser                               Reward

Murderhorde

145      Skulltaker: Juggernaut

260      Bloodcrushers of Khorne: two additional Bloodcrushers; Banner of Blood, Instrument of                                     Chaos, Bloodhunter

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

130      Bloodletters of Khorne: Banner of Blood, Instrument of Chaos

96        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

96        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

96        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

96        Flesh Hounds of Khorne: one additional Flesh Hound

Forgehost

165      Soulgrinder: Demon of Khorne; Phlegm Bombardment

165      Soulgrinder: Demon of Khorne; Phlegm Bombardment

165      Soulgrinder: Demon of Khorne; Phlegm Bombardment

A Light in the Darkness

Ynnari – 2,000

Reborn Warhost

Farseer: Singing Spear

Farseer: Skyrunner, Singing Spear, Spirit Stone of Anathlan

Windriders: 3x Scatter Lasers

Guardian Defenders: Scatter Laser, Warlock with Singing Spear

Guardian Defenders: Scatter Laser, Warlock with Singing Spear

Howling Banshees

Wraithlord: 2x Flamer, Wraithsword

Reborn Warhost

Prince Yriel

Dire Avengers: Exarch, five additional Dire Avengers

Dire Avengers: two additional Dire Avengers

Aspect Host

Dark Reapers: Exarch, Starshot Missiles

Dark Reapers: Exarch, Starshot Missiles

Fire Dragons

Aspect Host

Striking Scorpions: Exarch has Scorpion’s Claw

Swooping Hawks: one additional Swooping Hawk, Exarch with Hawk’s Talon

Warp Spiders

After Action Review

A bloody tribute to the Lord of War! The Eldar were determined to recover their Relic at any cost, and the cost turned out to be steep indeed. Though they mauled the Bloodletter cohort and ripped every last Flesh Hound to shreds, in the end the Khorne Demons finished sweeping over them like a tidal wave of anger and violence.

I cannot believe how effective those Harvester Cannons turned out to be! I’ve always had what felt like a silly amount of luck with them when snap firing, but today takes the cake for the most absurd output they have managed to date. Three Exarchs and a Warlock, by my count, were harvested by this additional “leftover” fire, which put quite a dent in the Eldar’s combat effectiveness. Add in the success of their basic bombardment fire, and the Soulgrinders did much to carry the weight and leave the Eldar reeling when the charge slammed home.

With that said, I underestimated the enemy in close combat. The Eldar were able to put quite a hurting on me, winning almost every combat they fought against the Hounds and crushing them out fairly early in the game. If I hadn’t been able to get that Soulgrinder into melee against Yriel and his cousins, I don’t know if the left flank would have turned out quite as well for me when the game finally rolled to an end. Again, the Soulgrinders just carried so much of the weight in this game.

Soulburst is a difficult rule to counter. It seems counterintuitive to face it, being punished for doing damage to the opponent! Although I’ve watched Ynnari played a few times, this was my first time facing it personally, and it really is a game-changer. I hope in 8^th edition the faction retains some of this unique approach, so they can continue to be a viable alternative to the standard Craftworld approach. That said, I’m going to have to continue to scratch my head on the best way to work around their power when their friends begin to die. It really helped swing some of those Hound combats in his favor!