LVO 2017 Mission Report: Crucible.

Crucible

The dreaded Crucible.  Four objectives, one Critical Location in the center.  This mission tends to favor the heavier armies with multiple Damage Points that can sit on the CL and survive.  Shaltari typically lack this unless you run a warstrider brick with a Dreamsnare.  Finding that brick too costly I opted to go with Shaltari infinite ranged weapons, the Ocelot and Panther.  My goal was to use these weapons to sit in the back and prevent anything from getting to or surviving on top of the CL.


Interesting note.  My opponent blogged about this match as well here.  It was definitely interesting hearing a post-match report from his perspective as it gives me a glimpse into his head that I never would have known.  For example, he speaks a lot about how he had to change his tactics due to my warspear, slowing down his approach and deploying his AA carefully.  I had no idea my warspear was so much on his mind.

Awesome Power

The match started well for me.  I got into my home building, doubled up the braves in hopes of finding it early.  Sneaked some braves into the left building and deployed my Ghairal on the right building to threaten it with my flame weapon.

Then the Ocelot, Panther and Tomahawks went to work.  My panther was able to get a shot on a Neptune carrying Helios.  Blew up the Nepture and one Helios crashed landed.  The Ocelot and Tomahawks, lacking any better shot, went after his home base.  I quickly did 15-20 points of damage in the first couple of turns.  The falling masonry kept hitting his Sirens which made me happy as I did not care to face them in CQB.  At this point I felt like my plan was working well.

Laziness, Distractions, and Type 2 Walkers

Things went downhill when I lost track of my goals and strategy.  I became too obsessed about killing things on the CL and focused too little on the objectives.  While activating my Panther I took some shots that I should have saved for reaction.  My Ocelot missed a shot at the building instead of going after PHR units sitting on the CL.  I moved a Spirit gate behind a building on his half of the board, the goal being to force him to react to my threat, I forgot about that gate and a Phobos made short work of it.  

I sent my Braves in my home building to the wall to shoot at the CL.  I should have learned in my previous game they just don't have enough shots to threaten heavier units.  My opponent did move up his Medusa which would have been a prime target for my Brave's Discus Launchers, I noticed this but forget to fire that weapon profile.  My braves would have done better hopping to another building. 

My Gharial was deployed to protect and burn any occupiers on the right objective building.  Nervous about the CL I began using him for his E12 shot instead of the flame weapon.  After he had activated my opponent got some infantry into the building and found the objective.  My Gharial commander, now up towards the center of the board looking at way too many PHR Type 2 Walkers, would not survive that round.  My opponent would extract the objective safely.  

One squad of Braves jumped to the left objective building and did find the objective.  My opponent moved into CQB with me and we fought a couple of rounds.  My Braves were almost finished until I realized that I had never deployed my last squad of Braves!  They were still de-materialized in limbo having not done anything.  After kicking myself I dropped them through the Spirit gate into the building so they could grab the objective from the other Braves squad before they died.  The Spirit would get shot down and I would be unable to extract the Objective.  

In the end.  6 - 14.  

Last ditch effort for the Critical location.  

My biggest mistake was getting distracted from my original strategy.  I think I got excited by the success of my initial building demo and forgot to take shots and his units that could score on the CL.  I should have focused my infantry more on extracting the objectives and looked at the CL as a secondary objective.  Getting my home objective and the other side objectives would have been us 6 points to 5 points in my favor.  Then, with the Ocelot and Panther, perhaps I could peel away enough of his units from the CL and score the CL the last turn.  

Other Thoughts

-  Once again, Going to wall helps in many scenarios, but not against Type 2 Walkers.  Shaltari's strength is mobility and I should have exploited that strength, especially in this scenario.

-  Type 2's are tough.  I don't know why people don't like them.

-  This is a tough scenario for the Warspear given the focus is all in the center.  With more gate movement sucking up his AA shots I could have brought my Warspear from behind to exploit the lack of Rear arc on his walkers and Phobos.  

Other Other Thoughts:

Quick shout out to Green Stuff Industries and their cool terrain.

Underground Hanger