Tournament: Daemons/Word Bearers vs Tyranids

Mission: The Ritual

Another mission from Wrath of Magnus. This time, I had to capture each objective (and remove from the board each captured objective). If all objectives were removed this way, I win - if the game ends before that, the opponent wins.

Deployment

The Tyranids deployed first. A line of Gaunts was ready to advance, with the Hive Tyrants at the deployment line. Genestealers infiltrated on the middle objective.

This told me that they intended to rush forward and keep me in my deployment zone. I decided not to let them. I built a wall of Cultists and Horrors behind the Aegis Defense Line, and also made sure that Cultists held the two objectives in my deployment zone. I made a great show of measuring the maximum range of the Tyrant shooting, and deployed the Screamers and Kairos beyond it. Let them come forward!

Tyrands, turn 1

And they did. The Tyrants shot the Horrors as best they could. Alas, the ADL provided an excellent defense, and my casualties were minimal.

Daemons, turn 1

Time to strike back. I had a single Cursed Earth among my psykers, but to counter that, I had plenty of Possession. I immediately took advantage and called in a Bloodthirster. I also summoned a chariot on the middle-left objective, now having 3 in my grasp.
Not content with that, I had Kairos swoop forward and vector strike a Tyrant. That was, of course, the least thing it could do. I summoned an Exalted Flamer on the middle objective, then unleashed a psychic barrage, clearing the closest Genestealers.
I got a free unit of Brimstone Horrors from the warp storm, so I placed them ahead of my lines to stretch the boundaries.

At the end of the turn, I removed 4 objectives and was well up half the board.

Tyranids, turn 2

The Tyranids did what most opponents do when confronted with my army's psychic might: tried to reduce my warp charges.

The Mawloc popped up scattering behind me, not doing any damage.

The Tyrants swooped in, doing lots of damage to Cultists and Horrors, but not killing anything of value.
The Genestealers assaulted the Exalted Flamer, killing it easily.

Daemons, turn 2

I retaliated by calling in 2 more Bloodthirsters on the left, all of them Wrath of Khorne ones for lots of shooting. The only good Hive Tyrant is a jinking Hive Tyrant.

I also assaulted the Mawloc with the Screamers, tying it up for good.

Kairos kept going forwards, summoning another Exalted Flamer and shooting at the backfield units.

Tyranids, turn 3

Seeing me that close to the final objective, the back lines started moving towards it.  However, it was too little, too late. Even worse, the Genestealers failed their charge at the Flamer.

In my own backfield, the Tyrants were bleeding, and so was the Mawloc. However, at this point, this didn't really matter...

Daemons, turn 3

I turned my Bloodthirsters around and summoned another Chariot in the middle, going for the final push.

Tyranids, turn 4

At this point the Hive Tyrants also turned around...

Daemons, turn 4

But I had almost free reign. The Exalted Flamer jumped up to the objective...

... and then it was just a matter of weight of fire to destroy the last remaining Zoanthrope.

All the Bloodthirsters converged, as well as Kairos landing to get a good firing position.

And the Zoanthrope finally went down to... Flickering Fire, if I remember correctly.

Aftermath

I suppose this would have been far harder if the Tyranids played the mission instead of trying to kill me, like a regular game usually demands. All those troops turtling up on the final objective would have been very hard to dislodge. However, with the Tyrants busy shooting my useless backfield units, I could easily sneak through and take the objectives with impunity.