Deadweight

Introduction

I had more games in the past week, but today I just wanted to share with you how not to play a Kraken when facing a caster with Deadweight. I happend to face two of them with my Skarre 3 list and failed to properly account for it.

SPOILERS: I lucked out and it didn’t really matter, but I really shouldn’t pull this sort of crap in a couple of weeks…

Deadweight 1

Skarre 3 SotBC vs Venethrax BI
Anarchy

I go first. There is a large obstruction in the middle of the table hugging his flag. My flag is at the edge of a forest behind which I deploy my Kraken. I deploy the Warwitch Siren and Kraken on my left, Bloodgorgers + support in the middle, then Skarre and finally the Marauders on my right.
I can’t stop him from scoring his flag on turn 2 and I didn’t put a solo on my flag, because it would block the Kraken. I screen the Kraken with Bloodgorgers but had a lapse in judgement and forgot to keep them all 2″ away.
He moves his arc node up slightly and lands a Mortality, but lucky for me, he didn’t put said arc node within 8″ of the Bloodgorger next to my colossal, so he can’t land the Deadweight. Instead he uses it to take out 2 Bloodgorgers, which weigh down 2 more of their buddies. He had Ambushed on my right side, to reinforce that zone and skirmish with my Marauders, putting a Slayer with 1 toe into the other zone, outside of my Ambush range.
I manage his counter charges by running/charging Bloodgorgers, who succeed in crippling the arc node and engaging 2 Slayers and the Harrower. Skarre can then feat (because fuck Lamentation) to cycle Draconic Blessing onto the Kraken after my ambushed Blood Hag ran to the one contesting Slayer, while the others position to score the zone. The Kraken takes out both Slayers at effective P+S 25 (19 + Gang Fighter + Draconic Blessing) and 23 (Dark Shroud from Blood Hag).
My right side doesn’t need to worry about free strikes because of Dash. Gerlak and Axiara take care of some Brute Thralls. 1 Marauder gets Guidance and combines with 2 more to take out the Pistol Wraith that was contesting the zone. I can’t take out his jacks, but I can keep them busy for a bit and contest his flag.

Score goes to 2-1 after I run the Warwitch Siren to my flag, but as he effectively lost the flank with the Kraken and can’t get to my caster through the middle obstruction, he conceeds.

Deadweight 2

Skarre 3 SotBC vs Jaga-Jaga WWfF
Anarchy

I go first again and my opponent chooses the same side as my previous one. I use a similar deployment as last game but swap the Kraken and Skarre. This leaves the Marauders with less support, but means that my Kraken will probably be able to face off with his beasts, so he can use the Sacral Vault and Nyss Hunters on the other side. I thought this would happen because otherwise the large obstruction would mess with the battle engine and the forests that were on my left would interfere with the beasts too much. I was right and he deploys the Nyss and Vault on my left, Jaga-Jaga with support in the middle and his 3 turtles on my right.

I manage to have the Blood Witches catch 2 Ironback Spitters with their pants down and effective P+S 14 charges should make short work of at least one of them. I fail to leverage them properly by blocking one of my own charge lanes and while I cripple both of them, one is at about half hit points and the other at 4 boxes. I also should’ve used Side Step to reposition a little as I was mostly in the back arc; the one Witch that charged into the front took a Retaliatory Strike to the face. I contemplate trying to use the Kraken’s big gun to finish off the severely damage turtle, but I would need to roll 9 to hit and 12 for damage, due to Carapace, while almost surely killing all my Blood Witches with the blast so opt not to do that. Instead I kill a Mist Speaker. Skarre kills Longchops who was just visible through the trees after not covering his tracks well enough.
My opponent uses all the fury on the snake lady to cast Signs and Portents as well as heal 3 aspects on the 2 damaged beasts. 1 of them proceeds to Overtake through 5 Witches and Mire charges the last one, which frees up the second Spitter who takes a pot shot at my Marauders. The Nyss Hunters and Vault are hampered due to Deceleration and Bloodgorgers succumbing to voodoo have trouble killing their former buddies due to not benefiting from Draconic Blessing anymore and needing to deal with Unyielding. Mire’s Wrastler had a plan to take out a bunch of delicious Trollkin, but lost sight of it due to the munchies and only killed 1 of them.
He has the Soul Slave cast a Deadweight at a Marauder, after getting Guidance from the remaining Mist Speaker, because they were affected by Prowl. Of course I make the Tough roll.
Skarre scored my flag as she felt relatively safe against just some arrows and soul powered shots. My opponent also scores his own flag.

The Kraken retaliates against the Wrastler after it, as well as the turtle that was there, get engaged by a Marauder. The Wrastler, and my opponent’s best hope of damaging the Kraken dies and the Ironback is on a couple hp.
Skarre moves to score the zone after decimating the Nyss, while the Priestess takes over the flag.
The one beast frenzies and kills a Marauder, the other 2 turtles charge the Kraken but barely scratch it. The Vault can’t hold down a flank by itself against Skarre and all his beasts will die soon, so my opponent concedes.

Summary

So, in summary, this wasn’t my best day and while there are many control tools the Kraken can shrug off in this list, but some things shouldn’t be trifled with. You don’t need to be good to get lucky, but I still hope I do better next time.