Iron Moot 2017 Champions Game 3: Magnus 2 vs Iron Mother

In my third game at Iron Moot Champions, I am facing Frederick Bäckstrand with Convergence. He has Mother and Father, and chooses Mother into the match up.

Hist list:

Destruction initiative
Iron Mother
- Corollary
- Axiom
- Conservator
2 TEPs
9 Free Elimination Servitors
6 Accretion servitors
3 Free Attunement Servitors
Optifex Directive

The scenario is less live than in two previous games, but it gives me an objective for Pathfinder, and is still very playable with two halberdier units for circular zones.

I won the roll off and chose to go first. My deployment is very symmetrical, as I expect him to put Axiom on one flank, and I don't want both Halberdies units there (they need to score, and I have no intention of destroying Prime - TEPs are a higher priority). My expectations prove correct.

I decide that the play will be contesting left zone and controlling the right one. Trenchers advance with Dig In, outside 15" from TEP. Kell gets into his own tiny forest. Things run up to prepare for the push.

Frederick contests both zones: left with Prime and right with a TEP. I measure and see that three halberdiers are within 11" of TEP. My renegade can run to a point within 10" from TEP.

Trenchers move up to create a cloud wall and kill some servitors. All nomads and talons run behind it. Renegade runs within 10" of TEP, and then Magnus puts calamity on it. Halberdiers charge and remove about a half of its health. The left flank halberdiers contest the zone and jam the Prime.

Frederick removes a big amount of my halberdiers on both flanks. Conservator is brought into the right zone to contest. We score one point each.

I decide that I need to finish TEP, first of all. Halberdiers charge, the fully loaded renegade charges, and it is still noth enough. I have to use Orin (Kell can't be used because Shield Guards), and unfortunately he rolls 3 leaps, killing all my halberdiers (but the TEP is killed as intended). This leaves me with a conundrum: I now have to score this zone with Magnus. I destroy the Conservator with my nomads and then run into the zone. Bucaneer knocks magnus down. I score two more points, while his zone is contested. I also started working on his objective.

Well, turns out that I just made myself vulnerable to assassination, as TEP's spray can target a different model, and still damage Magnus.

Iron Mother puts backlash on the Purple Nomad and then gets every available automatic one-damage tool into the game. This leaves Magnus on less than half health. TEP advances and makes three sprays with 4 dice for damage. Unfortunately, this is enough and Magnus dies.

Analysis:

I lost because of a stupid mistake. Knocking Magnus down is a stupid mistake - more of a habit. TEP would have had to use a servitor to get dice for attacks rolls, and Magnus would have survived, getting an easy scenario victory. Running Magnus to a place just outside of 15" of TEP would have accomplished the same (he can't kill me in one round with only Backlash).