Captain Gunnbjorn vs Aurum Lucanum Athanor Locke (Convergence)

List Selection

After playing a game, and sitting out a game, I found myself wanting to try Gunnbjorn again. After all, that was the whole point – to play multiple games to tease out what works and what doesn’t.

My opponent shared that he chose his Locke list rather than his Clockwork Legion list because he knew Band of Heroes would ruin his Enigma Foundry strategy.

I’ve played against Locke before, and with Locke in Crucible Guard, so I kind of knew what to expect. However, I did not have a good strategy for fighting her.

  • Aurum Lucanum Athanor Locke
    • Inverter
    • Inverter
    • Inverter
    • Inverter
    • Diffuser
    • Diffuser
    • Galvanizer
    • Galvanizer
    • Corollary
  • Void Archon
  • Reflex Servitors
  • Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex
  • Elimination Servitors
  • Elimination Servitors
  • Attunement Servitors
  • Optifex Directive

The Locke list with all the shield guard servitors, who are also solos, means Convergence has an advantage in the scenario. It’s the one with the three flags in the middle. Also, Locke is pretty bonkers in this army, because she can run her Engine of Destruction spell to make her army MAT 9. Jackhammer hits hard with a POW 17 from the Inverter Meteor Hammer, and all four heavies can’t be knocked down. Redline means two jacks will do +2 damage, and be speed 6 for a turn. Additionally, the Diffuser adds another 2 inches on the charge. A SPD 4 Inverter suddenly threatens 13 inches. Spd 4 + 2 from Redline + 2 from Beacon + 3 for charging + 2 for the weapons. They totally out-threat the Mountain King, and at most, I might take out one with shooting, except for the troublesome servitors (12 shield guards).

If I had wanted to have a less one-sided game, I should have played the Grissel list. Instead, as I stated earlier, I was testing Gunnbjorn, so it was the same list for me as posted earlier.

Turn 1

I chose to pick terrain, hoping to catch some servitors with the bushwhackers on turn 1, but not remembering that the explosive ones had advanced deployment. Anyway, I didn’t want to get stuck with a building on my side to move around.

I thought this was a strong start… little did I know.

Locke casts road to war, and some pygs blow up, causing jacks to move. Everything important stays out of threat range, and some servitors spread out near flags.

My trolls move up to deal with some of the servitors, Braylen hanging about in the trench, the cannon getting close to it, and the wagon and company moving up into the zone. I am trying to screen the king with bushwhackers.

Turn 2

Convergence steps up, picking apart my bushwhackers with servitors, and moving warjacks into charge range. Not my charge range, but theirs (remember, they charge ridiculously far). Galvanizers try to block the war wagon, and are possibly working their way to the krielstone. Trolls retaliate by picking off some more servitors, clearing them off flags. The wagon smashes the galvanizers.

Ready or not, here they come.

In the post analysis, my opponent suggests that maybe the wagon should have pushed far right, so as to be out of range of the impending inverter charge.

We both pick up a point.

Turn 3

All hell breaks loose. The wagon and the Mountain King fall to the inverters and the void archon. The king suffered hits doing 10 damage at times. It was bad. I believe only 4 whelps hit the table.

Dark Shroud is really beginning to make me mad. So is Entropic Force. Two games in one day?

I pause for a while, to take stock. Trolls don’t have much left, and face four heavies. I only have one heavy. It’s sure to die. Convergence picks up 4 points, and trolls pick up 1. The score is 6:2, Convergence.

Braylen pops the solo on the flag, after a full advance, and gets to move to the flag.

Braylen doing Braylen things.

Gunnbjorn tries to do some damage, and ends up setting a wall to block charges. I set it a little closer, but I don’t think the wall will block the 2″ reach weapons. In the post analysis, my opponent said I probably should have placed the wall on the edge to prevent things from getting in the zone.

The end is near. Void Archons are troll bane.

Dozer slams a heavy, and tries to take out another. They don’t suffer knock down. A whelp tries to contest a flag. Score is 7:3, Convergence.

Turn 4

Dozer dies to a heavy, the whelp dies to a heavy, the runebearer dies to the void archon, and the krielstone dies for real (no tough, no self sacrifice, due to Entropic Force). The objective dies, raising Convergence to 8:3. Technically, that’s enough to win, but Braylen has to die before the end of the turn. Convergence claims three flags and their zone for a spectacular 12:3 finish.

Aftermath

It was really short. The last two turns I spent switching gears between the game, and an emergency plumbing issue at my house (coming to me via text from my significant other). I didn’t take pictures (slacker) and couldn’t stick around for any post-game dojo. I really wanted to, since the Convergence player was also a former Trollblood player, and I really wanted his insight.

Future Development

I think I need to look hard at the weaknesses and strengths of the Gunnbjorn list, and consider a change. I feel like the strongest warlocks in Trollbloods are probably Grim2 and Grissel1, due to their ability to buff the whole army’s damage. However, Grim2 doesn’t really help deliver the army, and it could be argued that my Gunnbjorn army isn’t being delivered either. More to follow in a future post.


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