[batrep] Warhammer 40k - Dark Angels vs Tzeench Demons

I had the opportunity to visit Rio's Warhounds wargaming club once more. I love flying up here to play as I can always find some of the best 40k players in the country packed in the same room. It's great not only to play with them, but also discuss the format of future events and challenges ahead. 

I brought my 1500pts tzeench army from Rumble in the Jungle 4 to face off against Castello's Dragon Knights. As usual this was an exciting game filled with memorable moments. We played one of the Chapter Approved missions and finished the game in just under 3 hours. 

Below is a brief summary of our game. 

The lists

My list is the usual 1500pts points of pink horrors led by a host of special characters: a Lord of Change, Demon Prince, Flux Master and three Exalted Flamers. You can read about their background on their own page. 

Castello brought his Dragon Knights made up of Dark Angels. Leading the charge was Azrael and a lieutenant. His forces comprised of several scout squads, devastator squads with a mix of heavy bolters and missile launchers with a full squad of Primaris Hellblasters. Providing air support where two dark talons. 

First turns

My deployment was simple  aiming at protecting my characters from Dark Talon sniping and gearing up to close the gap with his gunline as quickly as possible.
The Dark Angels deployed on all the available cover with their scouts claiming three objectives outside of their deployment zone right on the first turn.

Tzeench, fickle as ever, won the initiative roll but allowed the Dragon Knights to seize the initiative!
The first turn of fire was devastating on the demon lines, the devastator squads firing all their high powered shots against the lord of change. Special ammunition was spent in the name of the emperor to a big payoff. The armorium cherubs kept bringing hellfire rounds and flakk missiles that penetrated the greater demon defenses and inflicted a total of nine Mortal Wounds!

The Warp Surge stratagem, however, saved the greater demon from the rest of the shooting. All plasma incinerator and hurricane bolter fire, however, shredded through the mass of horrors in great efficiency. But the chaos powers of the warp twisted their shapes, splitting larger horrors in twice the number of lesser forms until a horde of diminutive brimstone horrors was claimed by the warp energies.
The demon horde pressed on en mass shooting their baleful flames at the hellblasters. The demon Prince and exalted Flamers vectored in one of the flyers while the greater demon swooped in on the other. With a combined might of spellcasting and vigorous cleaves from their magical swords the two demons brought down both aircrafts.

Looking at the trailing black smoke from the downed aircraft, Azrael and his Lieutenant gathered the primaris hellblasters for the inevitable horrific charge of the demons. Luckily, the two aircraft had lured the greatest threats away and thinned the might of the horde some.

Later turns

The hellblasters and Azrael hold off and pin the large horde of pink horrors giving enough time for the devastator to shoot down the swooping greater demon with precise flakk missiles. The effect of his demise is felt across the demon horde as they thin down by pockets of warp surges sucking demons back into the warp left and right.
Not only that, the valiant scouts stood their ground against tremendous odds, fighting off the horrors of the warp and preventing the demons from reclaiming their heretical tomes of perdition.
It was then that the Demon Prince charged Azrael in combat. A trap was sprung when his lieutenant unfolded the Eye of the Unseen. Even the mighty Kitkazir was unable to be lured by its pull. Taking advantage of the opening, the Dark angel grandmaster plunged his sword deep on the demon form and banished him from realspace.

The remaining demons suddenly jerked and vanished back into the warp.

Dark Angels Victory!

With their great flexibility in taking up field offered by their scouts, the dark angels secured a great number of objectives around the board and amassed a solid points advantage.

Even then, the tomes they had been fighting for vanished as if they had a will of their own. After the battle, the chapter honored their fallen and promoted the surviving scouts. They had faced the great enemy eye to eye and where now symbols of the might of the emperor and mankind over chaos.

In his crystal palace Tzeench smiled as everything unfolded as he knew it would. It was now time to punish Abutre, the outcast, for his failures...