Had my second Genestealer Cult game

[blackrainbow]

Loved the whole thing, learning curve and all.

Sept 29, 2016 9:59:22 GMT N.I.B. said:

The moment during deployment when your opponent realizes he can be assaulted turn 1 by 40 Genestealers and a Patriarch...

Best. Part.

[gigasnail]

Right. Just be sure to give the combatants some room.

[armyofterror]

Sept 30, 2016 20:34:58 GMT gigasnail said:

Something to consider with IK is that after the FAQ's go live (provided they aren't altered), stomps will still go off at I1 even if the model is destroyed.

So, you'll pile in and smash it's face, it will swing back (if you both going at I4), the it stomps, and then to add insult to injury, it explodes.

Good times.

I think that FAQ meant it will still stomp if destroyed by I1 weapons like fists. If you rend it to death it won't get it stomps.

[gigasnail]

I'll have to go back and reread it, but I don't recall that being specifically mentioned.

That would be perfectly reasonable...I just don't recall the exact wording, and, well, you know how they are.

[blackrainbow]

Good trade either way, especially with that 5++ like N.I.B. said.

[sidedisc]

Sept 30, 2016 23:00:43 GMT blackrainbow said:

Loved the whole thing, learning curve and all.

Sept 29, 2016 9:59:22 GMT N.I.B. said:

The moment during deployment when your opponent realizes he can be assaulted turn 1 by 40 Genestealers and a Patriarch...

Best. Part.

Yeah, I rolled Ambush Leader WT for the First Curse in my second game vs Ultramarines. I did a turn 1 disorganised charge with 20 genestealers + Patriarch w/familiar (86 attacks!) on 2 of his 3 Thunderfire Cannons turn 1. My other squad of 10 genestealers got They Came From Below CA too, and charged a laspredator and whirlwind. It was beautiful. I drowned in my opponents tears!

Although it was awesome, I did feel bad for him. I totally broke his morale... I can't feel too bad though considering his list had 3 thunderfire cannons, 3 whirlwinds, as many flamers as possible. Still he did concede after 2 turns....

Basically, genestealers are pretty awesome with a first turn charge, 3 attacks, stealth, shrouded and a 5++. Who knew?

[Kark]

Thanks for the report NIB

I myself haven't looked at gcult dex yet, but it seems kind of interesting.

You missed/confused some rules, but still managed to have quite even chances against drop pods, good CC units (SW) and IK. That sounds promising for genestealers

[blackrainbow]

Oct 1, 2016 7:41:13 GMT sidedisc said:

Yeah, I rolled Ambush Leader WT for the First Curse in my second game vs Ultramarines. I did a turn 1 disorganised charge with 20 genestealers + Patriarch w/familiar (86 attacks!) on 2 of his 3 Thunderfire Cannons turn 1. My other squad of 10 genestealers got They Came From Below CA too, and charged a laspredator and whirlwind. It was beautiful. I drowned in my opponents tears!

Although it was awesome, I did feel bad for him. I totally broke his morale... I can't feel too bad though considering his list had 3 thunderfire cannons, 3 whirlwinds, as many flamers as possible. Still he did concede after 2 turns....

Basically, genestealers are pretty awesome with a first turn charge, 3 attacks, stealth, shrouded and a 5++. Who knew? ;)

Good on ya! Now, how often can we make these 1st turn assaults, and will that make/break things? Listening to other reports this seems to be a decently reliable strategy, which should throw ALL meta's up in the air as folks scramble to compensate.

Okay, now I'm smiling a little inside. Mmmm, GSC...

[No One]

blackrainbow said:

Good on ya! Now, how often can we make these 1st turn assaults, and will that make/break things? Listening to other reports this seems to be a decently reliable strategy, which should throw ALL meta's up in the air as folks scramble to compensate.

It's very unlikely to not get it actually. First curse+brood cycle (not including neophytes)+sub uprising (primus+1 extra) gives ~95% chance of getting at least 1 T1 charge. And (considering min neophytes/purestrains and 8 man acolytes/metamorphs) that's ~1300-1400 pts. Still leaving you enough for 2 flyrants, or to bulk out squads/add more sub uprising or whatever. Now, getting it in enough numbers/on big enough units to actively put some hurt on their army as a whole (as opposed to 1 unit)? Slightly less likely. (I mean, a lot of these bat reps have involved first curse getting a 6 in some way shape or form, which isn't unlikely with WL, but you're not going to more often than not.)

[almostmercury]

I'm about to post the maths. Give me a bit and I'll have it up tonight.

[N.I.B.]

I didn't have time or models to make that many changes to my first list. Played against a friends tournament list (KDK, Gorepack)

Tyranid CAD
Dakka Flyrant
Dakka Flyrant
Mucolid
Mucolid

Cult Insurrection Detachment

First Curse (Command)
Patriarch lvl 2, 2 Familiars - Warlord
20 Genestealers

Lords of the Cult (Command)
Magus lvl 2, The Crouchling

Brood Cycle (Core)
Acolyte Ironward
5 Acolyte Hybrids
5 Acolyte Hybrids
5 Acolyte Hybrids
10 Neophyte Hybrids
10 Neophyte Hybrids
5 Hybrid Metamorphs
4 Aberrants
20 Purestrain Genestealers

Subterranean uprising (Auxiliary)
Primus
5 Metamorphs
10 Acolyte Hybrids
10 Acolyte Hybrids

2000
116 models


I faced something like 2 Bloodthirsters, 3 units of Fleshhounds (one big unit with Herald warlord with Axe of Khorne), 2x8 Cultists, 2x3 Bikers, a unit of 2 Spawns, 2 units of 1 Spawn and 2 Soulgrinders. 8 Bloodletters in reserve.

Mission was a mix of Maelstrom, Eternal War, kill points and secondaries (First Blood, Warlord, Linebreaker).
Dawn of War deployment.

I put my objectives in the corners, my opponent tried to gather his in a quadrant.

I lost the important roll so my opponent grabbed first turn (will anyone want second turn against the Cult?)
Rolled warlord trait, a 5, reroll, a 6! Sweet.
First Curse stealers got Preferred Enemy, which I would forget about for the whole game. Didn't matter.

Cult spells were 1, 3, 5, 6. Summonings!

During Cult Ambush I rolled another couple of 6’s, the other Purestrain unit plus 10 Neophytes.
He deployed refused flank and I loaded up on his empty flank with units, plus some on objectives in my deployment zone.
I failed to seize.

[N.I.B.]

He shot me up a little and charged lone Stealers with Bikes, 5 Flesh Hounds and a Soulgrinder. The Purestrains eventually grinded them down around mid-game.
I lost my Magus to a greedy Psychic Summoning (Periled, rolled '1' and failed Ld, First Blood, bummer) but summoned 10 Metamorphs and moved them into his corner by outflank Ambush. 10 flamer Templates messed up a bunch of Fleshhounds pretty good, but I then lost all of them to combined charges from a Soulgrinder (eating Overwatch), Bloodthirster and Fleshhounds (still they almost killed every Fleshhound and I had bids on instagibbing the Iniatitive 1 Bloodthirster in challenge with my Bonesword Leader).

Flyrants thinned out the big units of Fleshhounds, Cultists and Bikers, but I lost one to Vector Strikes.

He summoned Flesh Hounds and deep struck Bloodletters in my backlines, I fought them off with mostly Aberrants, and some other MSU units.

Acolytes and Warlord Genestealers wrecked his backlines. Those Warlord Genestealers, oh my lord - Psychic Stimuli and Might from Beyond... That's a slaughterhouse unit with a couple of buffs.

My opponent popped his own Herald with blood tithes to transform him into a Daemon Prince and the Axe turned into a Bloodthirster if I understood it right (and if I would kill the Prince it would become another Bloodthirster). My depleted Genestealers took some pie plate damage and a Bloodthirster made them run (to later rally on an objective).

We closed the game with him having 3 Bloodthirsters and a Daemon Prince alive. I had most, if not all objectives, and a bunch of units remained. Big win for the Cult.

I cycled units on and off and could grab lots of Maelstrom points, plus eternal war felt easy going second.
Spells were great, omg Psychic Summons. And buffs on big genestealer broods.
I think combat oriented lists will be a favoured matchup for the cult, but we will perhaps struggle against mobile, shooty armies.

Edit - turn 4 I forgot my First Curse could leave the table and assault something turn 5, doh! But I wanted them on an important objective as we called time.