Australian Masters 2017 - Part 10

Greetings!

Part 10 is the last one of the series dedicated to Australian Masters 2017 and I would like to conclude with a collection of summaries, observations and simply share some general experiences.

It was great to be able to qualify and participate in that unique event. Many thanks to KenF for organizing the event, Good Games Ipswich for hosting us and for the great gifts and to all people who were one way or another involved in making this tournament happen! 

I feel privileged and honored that I made it thus far and I hope that Australian Masters will get more and more popular in the future!

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 9

Greetings!

In the part 9 of the series about Australian Masters 2017 I present the battle report from the last game of the tournament. This time I had a pleasure to play against Adam who also fielded all mounted army of Undead.

Interestingly, I had a chance to play against the very same force in my preparation games so I was even more curious about the battle. Would my preparation pay off? How would Adam use the army he designed? These and more questions were about to be answered!

Undead - Army List

10 Soul Reaver Cavalry, Regiment, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- Revenant King on Undead Winged Wyrm, Hero

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops 

- Revenant King, Hero, Mounted

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Army Standard Bearer, Hero, Mounted, Lute of Insatiable Darkness

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment
- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Necromancer, Hero, Mounted, Bane Chant, Inspiring Talisman

6 Werewolves, Horde

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 8

Greetings!

In the round 3 of Australian Masters 2017 I played against another Varangur army, also led by Ken! :) In fact, there was a "best Ken" competition going on during the Masters and as far as I know both Ken's had it a few times before. It was great to play against both of them again too! In fact, Ken "Chaarge" who was my opponent this time, played against me during one of the Valley of Kings events before (although back then he used Trident Realms army). I was very curious how would I do against his all mounted, super aggressive Varangur force that embraced an opposite concept to the one I was using myself.

Varangur - Ken - Army List

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- King on Chimera (also known as Fluffy), Hero, Headstrong, Fury, Brew of Haste

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Blade of Slashing

- Magus, Hero, Lightning Bolt (4), Fireball(12), Elite, Mount, Chant of Hate

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Mace of Crushing

- Magus, Hero, Lightning Bolt (4), Fireball(12), Elite, Mount, Heart-Seeking Chant

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury

- Herja the Fallen

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 7

Greetings!

In the round 2 of Australian Masters 2017 I had a great pleasure to play against Andrew and his Abyssal Dwarfs.

Andrew came a very long way from Melbourne to participate in the tournament and it was the very first time I had a chance to play against him.

He commanded one of the two Abbysal Dwarfs army with a strong theme of slave warriors force. There were very few Abyssal Dwarf in fact, as the arm's main body count came from three hordes of Slave Orcs!

Abyssal Dwarfs - Army List

6 Abyssal Grotesques, Horde, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- 10 Gargoyles, Troops
- 10 Gargoyles, Troops

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine

- Greater Obsidian Golem, Monster

- Ba'su'su the Vile, Hero

6 Abyssal Grotesques, Horde, Brew of Haste

- 10 Gargoyles, Troops
- 10 Gargoyles, Troops

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine
- Slavedriver, Hero, Banner of the Griffin

40 Slave Orcs, Horde, War-bow of Kaba

40 Slave Orcs, Horde 

40 Slave Orcs, Horde

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 6

Greetings!

Usually, the first post about the games from a particular tournament would be about armies I faced, scenarios played and some initial deployment maps for those who would want to try and predict the results. 

However, I have already posted about Armies of Australian Masters 2017 and in the part 5 of the series about the event itself you could see who played against who and what was the result.

I think that is about time I start posting the reports from my own games and in round 1 I had a privilege to command Ken's Varangur army. The fact that I could play with a completely different force to what I usually use was intriguing enough in itself. But to spice things up the fate intervened further. First, I played against Ken and his trusty Varangur almost a year ago during the first round of Australian Clash of Kings 2017. He defeated me back then so I was curious if I can even the score. It was thus quite an unusual re-match! 

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 5

Greetings!

After preparation period and smooth journey to Brisbane and then to Ipswich I hoped I was ready to compete in Australian Masters 2017. The event took place at Good Games Ipswich store and it was a nice and cozy place to play.

In the part 12 of Armies of Australian Masters I talked about unique round one of the event. In this part of Australian Masters 2017 I am going to remind you which armies and which players were paired with each other (we played Loot scenario). And then I will present the results of these games so that you can see if your predictions were accurate!

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 4

Greetings!

In the last preparation game before Masters 2017 I played against my good friend Michael aka DarthSabre. Michael did well in this season too and was sooo close to qulify himself! Next year, Michael! :)

He was kind to agree to play with one of the Master lists too and he chose Kingdoms of Men with Goblin Allies as it was the closest to what he often plays with himself.

Kingdoms of Men - Army List

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde, Healing Brew

- 10 Militia Mob, Troops
- 10 Militia Mob, Troops

- General on Winged Beast, Hero, The Boomstick

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde

- 10 Militia Mob, Troops
- 10 Militia Mob, Troops

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3) 

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3) 

20 Pole-Arms Block, Regiment

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3)

40 Arquebusiers, Jar of the Four Winds

Goblin Allies

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

- Wiz, Hero, Fleabag, Lightning Bolt (3)

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 3

Greetings!

In the second game of my preparation for Australian Masters 2017 I played against Eastern Barbarian, my usual sparring partner over Universal Battle. We have not played against each other for quite a long time too so it was a good opportunity to catch up.

I asked EB which army he would like to play and he picked Adam's Undead. I was really intrigued about this all cavalry Undead force as it was very unique and I have never played against this type of Undead army before. 

Undead - Adam - Army List

10 Soul Reaver Cavalry, Regiment, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- Revenant King on Undead Winged Wyrm, Hero

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops 

- Revenant King, Hero, Mounted

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Army Standard Bearer, Hero, Mounted, Lute of Insatiable Darkness

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment
- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Necromancer, Hero, Mounted, Bane Chant, Inspiring Talisman

6 Werewolves, Horde

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 2

Greetings!

After the 12 players who qualified for Masters got and confirmed the invitations, it was time for preparation. My most recent tournament was at 1200 points so I needed to get back to playing at 2000 points again. In addition, by the time I managed to organize a game, all the army lists were published so I wanted to use that for the preparation too.

Luckily for me, my Universal Battle sparring partner and UK Master player, Edzig, was happy to help me with the preparations. We quickly discussed the options and he also kindly agreed to play with my own army against Varangur force that I was to use in the first round.

I must say I was very intrigued because I have never played with a different army in KoW and that in itself sounds like a very interesting experience. In addition, I would see my own army lined up against me and I was curious how Ed would play with it. 

Here is the army list I was about to use as a reminder:

Varangur - Army List

40 Bloodsworn, Horde, Headstrong and Fury

- Devourer, Monster

-  Magus, Mounted, Elite, Soul Drain, Lightning Bolt (4), Inspiring Talisman

40 Bloodsworn, Horde, Headstrong and Fury

- Devourer, Monster

-  Magus, Mounted, Elite, Soul Drain, Lightning Bolt (4), Myrddin’s Amulet of the Fire-heart

6 The Fallen, Horde, Brew of Strength 

- Cavern Dweller, Monster

- King on Chimera, Hero, Chant of Hate

Australian Masters 2017 - Part 1

Greetings!

On 3rd December I took part in Australian Masters 2017 tournament. It is one of a kind event where the highest ranking players after the full season are invited to play against each other for the title of a supreme Master. 

Qualifying for that event was a huge achievement for me as at the beginning of the year I didn't even think about such a possibility. I was very happy when I got the invitation and wondered if I have what it gets to compete with the best players in Australia.

However, in the following series of blog posts I would like to cover not only my games I played both to get ready for the event and battles I played during the tournament. But also the event itself as I think it deserves more advertisement and publicity. I would like to try and describe the experience one gets from attending it and the unique way it is organized. By doing so I hope I will make it more interesting to all Kings of War players so that the event that is a culmination of the season would become something to aspire to attend and to follow by wider group of people. 

In the first part I would like to focus on the specific way the tournament is organized and discuss a few important things from the players pack.

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 12

Greetings!

Welcome to the last installment of the Armies of Australian Masters 2017 series! The event is taking place in two day and some of the Master players are already on their way. Some of them will play in the 1 day tournament the day before, on Saturday. Sounds like a very busy weekend, packed with a lot of Kings of War action!

Today I would like to highlight something unique to the Australian Masters. The first round pairings are not randomly determined. Instead, depending on the final ranking, the first player is going to be matched with the twelfth, the second with the eleventh and so on. However, the most interesting part is that the players in the first round are also going to be using their opponents' army against their own! 

That always guarantees some crazy start of the tournament and today I simply want to show which armies are going to fight against each other and who is going to command them!

Also, if you are interested in some betting, Ken prepared his "guide" for those who are willing to risk some money :) Here is the link: Australian Masters 2017 - "Bookmakers" advice!

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 11

Greetings!

Today in the Armies of Australian Masters 2017 series we have Goblin force led by the current 1st player in the rankings - Clint. 

Clint also holds the  "Most tournaments played" award as he attended eleven events this year during which he played with various armies. Most recent two saw his Goblins unleashed and he decided to take this army to the Masters.

Goblins - Clint - Army List

6 Trolls, Horde, Dwarven Ale

- War Trombone, War Engine

- Mincer, Monster

- King on Chariot, Hero

6 Trolls, Horde

- War Trombone, War Engine

- Mincer, Monster

- Flaggit, Hero

6 Trolls, Horde

- War Trombone, War Engine

- Mincer, Monster

10 Fleabag Riders, Regiment

- Big Rocks Thrower, War Engine

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

10 Mawbeast Pack, Regiment

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 10

Greetings!

Today in Armies of Australian Masters 2017 we have quite unusual army of Dwarfs commanded by the current Champion - Jeff. 

Jeff is a frequent tournaments participant and he also known to play with armies from many different factions. In fact, in the last season in nine events he used eight different armies!

He brings an army that seems to follow Multiple Small Units approach as he has no less but 18 elements in his force:

Dwarfs - Jeff - Army List

6 Earth Elementals, Horde

- 10 Ironclad, Troop

- 5 Sharpshooters, Troops

- Flame Belcher, War Engine

- Battle Driller, Monster

- Army Standard, Hero, Healing Charm

6 Earth Elementals, Horde

- 10 Ironclad, Troop

- 5 Sharpshooters, Troops

- Flame Belcher, War Engine

- Battle Driller, Monster

- Army Standard, Hero, War-bow of Kaba

6 Earth Elementals, Horde

- 10 Ironclad, Troop

- 5 Sharpshooters, Troops

- Flame Belcher, War Engine

- Battle Driller, Monster

6 Earth Elementals, Horde

- 10 Ironclad, Troop

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 9

Greetings!

We are getting close to the end of Armies of Australian Masters 2017 as there are only three left! Today we have another version of Abyssal Dwarves commanded by Evan.

Evan played with this army throughout entire season and if I am correct he didn't really change the army list. This is also his second Masters event and last time he finished on third position.

His army embraced "Slow and Purposeful" theme with many Obsydian Golems present.

Abyssal Dwarves - Evan - Army List

6 Lesser Obsidian Golems, Horde

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine

- Iron Caster, Hero

6 Lesser Obsidian Golems, Horde

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine

6 Lesser Obsidian Golems, Horde

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine

6 Abyssal Grotesques, Horde

- Abyssal Halfbreed Champion, Hero

- Gargoyles, Troop 

- Gargoyles, Troop 

40 Slave Orcs, Horde

40 Slave Orcs, Horde

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 8

Greetings!

Welcome to the next part of Armies of Australian Masters 2017! Today we have another Varangur army, also commanded by Ken (but I assure you, a different Ken than the "Chaarge!" one  - although he likes charging too. Must be the Varangur thing, or Ken thing, or both! :))

Ken played all his events in the last season with his Varangur army and this is his second Masters event. In fact, he is the organizer of the event and it was thanks to his initiative that the first tournament was organized last year. He played with Forces of the Abyss then and finished 2nd so I am sure he has the appetite for the 1st place! :)

Ken's army is much different to the previous version from the same faction and here are the details:

Varangur - Ken - Army List

40 Bloodsworn, Horde, Headstrong and Fury

- Devourer, Monster

-  Magus, Mounted, Elite, Soul Drain, Lightning Bolt (4), Inspiring Talisman

40 Bloodsworn, Horde, Headstrong and Fury

- Devourer, Monster

-  Magus, Mounted, Elite, Soul Drain, Lightning Bolt (4), Myrddin’s Amulet of the Fire-heart

6 The Fallen, Horde, Brew of Strength 

- Cavern Dweller, Monster

- King on Chimera, Hero, Chant of Hate

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 7

Greetings!

Today in Armies of Australian Masters 2017 we have the only representative of Ratkin army commanded by Dru. He switched to this force relatively recently but that was a good decision as he was very successful with it.  He won one of the local events and finished 3rd during his last tournament with it.

What is also interesting is that there are two other Master players who are known for playing with Ratkin but decided not to choose this army this time.

Ratkin - Dru - Army List

40 Shock Troops, Horde, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- Weapon Team, War Engine, Storm of Lead

- Death Engine, Monster, Vile Sorcery

- Warlock, Hero, Inspiring Talisman, Lightning Bolt (5), Bane Chant (3)

40 Shock Troops, Horde, Healing Brew

- Weapon Team, War Engine, Storm of Lead

- Death Engine, Monster, Vile Sorcery

- Swarm-carrier,  Hero, Lute of Insatiable Darkness

40 Blight, Horde, Blood of the Old King

- Daemonspawn, Hero, Fly

20 Tunnel Slaves, Regiment

20 Tunnel Slaves, Regiment

20 Tunnel Slaves, Regiment

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 6

Greetings!

While yesterday we had an army that had lots of models and units, then today the force featured in Armies of Australian Masters 2017 is a complete opposite. The Varangur commanded by Ken "Chaaarge!" contains only heavy cavalry regiments and a few but deadly associated heroes.

Ken is a frequent tournaments participant and in all but one of the events he brought his cavalry focused Varangur. The only exception was when he visited Canberra and had to borrow any army to participate :)

Varangur - Ken - Army List

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- King on Chimera, Hero, Headstrong, Fury, Brew of Haste

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Blade of Slashing

- Magus, Hero, Lightning Bolt (4), Fireball(12), Elite, Mount, Chant of Hate

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury, Mace of Crushing

- Magus, Hero, Lightning Bolt (4), Fireball(12), Elite, Mount, Heart-Seeking Chant

10 Mounted Sons of Korgaan, Regiment, Headstrong, Fury

- Herja the Fallen

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 5

Greetings!

In part 5 of the Armies of Australian Masters 2017 we have Kingdoms of Men army with Goblin allies (yes!) commanded by Chris!

Interestingly, Chris attended eight tournaments in the last season but only once with Kingdoms of Men army! He usually played with Ratkin and twice with Goblins. 

Kingdoms of Men - Chris - Army List

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde, Healing Brew

- 10 Militia Mob, Troops
- 10 Militia Mob, Troops

- General on Winged Beast, Hero, The Boomstick

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde

- 10 Militia Mob, Troops
- 10 Militia Mob, Troops

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3) 

40 Pole-Arms Block, Horde

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3) 

20 Pole-Arms Block, Regiment

- Wizard, Hero, Pegasus, Lightning Bolt (3)

40 Arquebusiers, Jar of the Four Winds

Goblin Allies

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

- Wiz, Hero, Fleabag, Lightning Bolt (3)

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

10 Fleabag Rider Sniffs, Regiment

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 4

Greetings!

In the next installment of Armies of Australian Masters 2017 we have Abyssal Dwarves commanded by Andrew! 

Andrew is attending Masters for the second time and brings his trusty Abyssal Dwarves again. In the last season he commanded this army three times out of five events that counted towards the Masters and he brings the army that embraces the image of the evil slave masters.

Abyssal Dwarfs - Andrew - Army List

6 Abyssal Grotesques, Horde, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- 10 Gargoyles, Troops
- 10 Gargoyles, Troops

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine

- Greater Obsidian Golem, Monster

- Ba'su'su the Vile, Hero

6 Abyssal Grotesques, Horde, Brew of Haste

- 10 Gargoyles, Troops
- 10 Gargoyles, Troops

- Angkor Heavy Mortar, War Engine
- Slavedriver, Hero, Banner of the Griffin

40 Slave Orcs, Horde, War-bow of Kaba

40 Slave Orcs, Horde 

40 Slave Orcs, Horde   

Armies of Australian Masters 2017 - Part 3

Greetings!

Welcome to the part 3 of Armies of Australian Masters 2017! Today another Undead army is going to be featured but this one is of a completely different flavor. 

This undead force is commanded by Adam who currently holds the "Best in Race: Undead" title. Adam is a regular tournaments participant and in four out of six events last season he took his Undead Army. And while Josh puts his faith in Mummies and War Engines, Adam brings all mounted force of Undead Cavalry!

Undead - Adam - Army List

10 Soul Reaver Cavalry, Regiment, Maccwar’s Potion of the Caterpillar

- Revenant King on Undead Winged Wyrm, Hero

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops 

- Revenant King, Hero, Mounted

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment

- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Army Standard Bearer, Hero, Mounted, Lute of Insatiable Darkness

10 Revenant Cavalry, Regiment
- 5 Revenant Cavalry, Troops

- Necromancer, Hero, Mounted, Bane Chant, Inspiring Talisman

6 Werewolves, Horde