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July 2018 Scrum - List Prep

For the last two scrums I went on missions to learn a pair of lists and casters that I plan on making staples in my list selection for some time to come.  First I ended up taking Brad's Denny2 Dark Host list and really learning it.  I still have a ways to go to really understand how it's supposed to work, but I did a fair job with it anyway.  The next scrum was when I played my Skarre3 Slaughter Fleet Raiders list.  I am really happy with how this list works and especially love the interaction of the kraken with both Skarre3 and gang fighter.

For the next scrum I wanted to take a short break from these two lists.  Venethrax has always been one of my favorite casters, even if he isn't really top tier within the faction.  I put up a poll for the scrum group to vote on how I should play Venethrax.  I gave the options of running him in either Black Industries or Slaughter Fleet Raiders.  I think his natural home is in Black Industries, but anytime I build a list for him in that theme I end up thinking that Lich3 just runs it better.  That said, I do like the idea of mortality in Slaughter Fleet.  It could potentially allow the bloodgorgers to pac man through entire units without concern for things like tough checks.

The group decided to give me Slaughter Fleet for Venethrax.  My initial version of the list was running an arc node and four scavengers.  I really like the idea of scavengers with mortality and gang fighter.  Ideally, they will be able to kill something on their activation and then sprint back to safety.  However, I managed to complete a trade that brought in Kharybdis.  I decided that running Kharybdis and a pair of scavengers is a better deal for Slaughter Fleet.  I also wanted to try running the Devil's Shadow Mutineers in this version of the list.  That decision meant I was giving up the dirge seers.  I am slightly concerned by this, as the seers add some amazing utility to the list, but I am hoping that the raw damage output from the Devil's Shadow will offset that.  In the end, here is the list I decided to run:

[Venethrax 1] Lich Lord Venethrax [+26] - Slaughter Fleet Raiders
 - Deathripper [6]
 - Kharybdis [17]
 - Scavenger [7]
 - Scavenger [7]
 - Satyxis Blood Priestess [4]
Axiara Wraithblade [0(6)]
General Gerlak Slaughterborn [0(6)]
Misery Cage [2]
Misery Cage [2]
Ragman [4]
Black Ogrun Smog Belchers (max) [15]
Blighted Trollkin Marauders (min) [9]
Bloodgorgers (max) [15]
 - Jussika Bloodtongue [5]
The Devil's Shadow Mutineers [8]

For my second list, I also put up a vote in the scrum group.  I put up several options including Scaverous in Black Industries, Lich3 in Black Industries, Goreshade3 in Dark Host and Lich1 in Scourge.  In the end, the group selected Scaverous in Black Industries for me.  I started putting together a list, but never really found one that I liked.  While the cephalyx overlords allow for good use of his feat, there isn't really a good target for his soul collection spell.  I then thought about it and realized that both Venethrax and Scaverous really want to match up against similar targets.  Venethrax wants to fight living models to get the most use out of terminal velocity, while Scaverous wants to collect souls.  While there are a few exceptions, these two groups largely overlap.  Due to this, I overrode the vote and went with the second place option of Lich3 in Black Industries.

I do not own nine slayers and had no intention of putting that on the table.  However, someone in the group commented that they would be fine playing against it if I could borrow enough slayers to make it happen.  Once again, I ended up putting it to a vote.  Only 12 people voted and by a 7-5 margin, they chose to have me field nine slayers.  I found someone who has enough slayers for me to borrow that I can get up to the full nine slayer list.  This list largely builds itself, leaving only nine points for infantry options after the battlegroup is put together.  I ended up going with what I think is a very common version of this, which is a unit of iron mongers, a machine wraith and a soul trapper.  This gives me the ability to try and score each type of scenario element, although only having one unit will really limit my ability to score circle zones.  Here is the list:

[Asphyxious 3] Asphyxious the Hellbringer [+24] - Black Industries
 - Nightwretch [0(7)]
 - Nightwretch [0(7)]
 - Ripjaw [0(7)]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
 - Slayer [10]
Machine Wraith [2]
Soul Trapper [1]
Black Ogrun Iron Mongers [6]

It is worth noting I have never run this list or anything really similar to it, so I will be learning as I go.  I am hoping that there isn't too steep of a learning curve and I can get some decent results with it.  I am hoping that the Lich3 list can handle most of my warmachine matchups while Venethrax can take on most of hordes and any living infantry spam in warmachine.  It's possible that I will end up dropping Lich3 into more opponents than I expect, as list selection for that seems very binary.  Does my opponent have something that can handle nine slayers or not?  I am looking forward to putting both of these lists on the table and seeing how they perform.  Next week I expect to have the battle report from my round one matchup.  I was challenged by a fellow Cryx player, and it's not a matchup I feel I have a good answer for in my lists.  We will see how it goes.  Thanks for reading!

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