Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tournament Tuesdays: Preparing for the UG&G Team Tournament – Part One



In a couple of weeks, Ernie and I will be attending the team tournament being held at Unique Gifts and Games. Unique Gifts and Games is a nice store in Grayslake, IL that is known to host all kinds of gaming tournaments and leagues. It has been a few years since I have been to the store, so I am eager to visit. Unlike our last attempt at attending a team event, I am sure this one is going to happen, so I am very excited to be getting out for a day.

At the time of writing this post, the rules for the team tournament are pretty basic. Each team member is allowed 750 points and may not share their points with their partner. When I signed up, the person on the phone took my email address and informed me that a complete set of rules would be sent out shortly. I will post complete rules once they become available.

When it came to deciding which armies to use, there were really only two options for Ernie and me. The first option was for both of us to bring our IG armies. A nice idea, but we didn’t feel that each of could field what we wanted in our respective forces. This lead to the second option, Mean and Green! Mean and Green is the nickname for our team when Ernie fields his orks and I bring the daemons. We originally planned on bring M&G to a tournament last year, but since that one was cancelled, the only experience we have had with the combined force is from a single practice game. Fear not though, for Ernie and I are master tacticians and have begun to formulate a plan! Okay, it’s more like a strategy to avoid coming in last place, but that still counts as a plan.

While I have not finalized a list, a couple choices are pretty much decided for me already. My mandatory troop choices will be bloodletters and horrors. The horrors are my first wave troops and intended to anchor where other forces in my army will land. In comparison, the bloodletters are meant to deal with the 3+ save units that the horror’s shooting cannot deal with effectively. In the games I have played with them, I have found the combination to work well, so I tend to stick with it. At this point, I have ~400 points spent on two units.

When it comes to the other 350 points, Ernie and I will need to talk some more about what he is fielding. Depending on what Ernie brings, I may need to select units that will fill flaws in our combined force. As I write this article, one flaw that we need to fill is how to deal with AV13/14. In the game we played against a space wolf/necron team, a monolith was our undoing as we lacked any effective method of taking off the board. I have a few thoughts on what I can add to my army, but Ernie and I need to talk a little more before I make a final decision.

Next Week: The Final Lists

3 comments:

  1. I have no idea what the tournament scene is like. I'd be curious to see what you might think you'll go up against!

    My initial thought was that you need a psyker as they seem so powerful nowadays. And that demons+orks is terrifying. Orks can field like a zillion boyz in 750 points...fodder for your elite-like demon troops.

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  2. @ Cawshis Clay

    Since Grayslake falls under the Chicago umbrella, the tournament scene can be very competitive. Since this tournament falls on the same day as an AWC tournament, I am expecting most of the more competitive players to be heading to the Chicago Battle Bunker. This is not to say that the players at UG&G will be any less competent or fun, just that I expect a much more casual crowd.

    750 per player is an interesting point value to work with as you quickly find yourself really restricted on what you can bring. I have tossed about bringing a herald of Tzeentch, but I wanted to be troop heavy and field a painted army, so a new herald was not an option at the moment. (The Vanguard tournament is my main focus for anything I do on the painting table right now.)

    When it comes to my partner’s army, I have seen his list and it looks like a sea of green will be on the table. Ernie and I are not master strategists, but I do feel confident that unless everyone comes armed to deal with a massive horde of models, we have a decent shot. One of my blog entries for next week will include Ernie’s army list.

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