Battle Report: Gorechosen vs. Gor Coven

Ever since completing the Gorechosen battalion, I've been wanting to pit them, all by themselves, against an entire army.  So this weekend, I challenged my brother to bring an army of any size.

Using the Open Play deck, we drew the scenario below.  And though I drew a Ruse, I never used it.

The Gorechosen convened at an ancient and holy site, a ruined temple to the Dark Gods of Chaos long forgotten by the civilized world.  They convened to battle, to bathe themselves in blood, and to welcome a blood-blessed gift from the heavens that the Fexgor the Flayer had seen in his blood-fueled visions.  They reveled as the meteor left a bloody trail in the sky.  In the ruins surrounding though, something stirred.  The brayherd of Gorfax the Thrice-Blooded assembled in the shadows preparing for their ambush.

All told, some Ungor Raiders, a coven of Great Bray Shamans, Gorfax's lieutenant Rurkar Festigor, a horde of Gors, an elite cadre of Bestigors, a trio of Tuskgor Chariots, and half-a-dozen Minotaurs waited for the right moment to strike.

Rurkar sounded his Brayblast Trumpet and ambushers poured from the battlefield edges.  The coven of Great Bray Shamans worked their vile sorceries to summon a massive Gorghon from the woods nearby.  Ungors peppered the Gorechosen with arrows, but their hardier allies failed to charge successfully.  It was their undoing, for Kor Hammerskull, Redarg Bloodfane, and Tark Bloodgruel charged into the weak Ungors, but only Kor tasted blood as he smashed every single one of them with his massive burning anvil before his friends even got to strike.

Battling with the Gorechosen battalion is somewhat ridiculous.  Due to the interlocking web of buffs, they each end up making +3 attacks with each of their weapons, and they all get +1 to hit, so the normally deadly Khornate heroes become serious forces to be reckoned with.

Then, in a misguided effort to spare his allies, Kor charged (off turn using Blood Tithe points) the Gorghon by himself.  Had he survived, he surely would have smashed its face, but he certainly did not survive.  It turns out Gorghons are pretty serious business even after having their blood boiled by a Slaughterpriest.

A trio of Tuskgor Chariots charged in a race to slay Kor Hammerskull, but by the time they arrived he had already been sliced to bits by the Gorghon's deadly appendages.  The Brayherds held back their full might, waiting to see where the comet would fall.  Meanwhile, Rurkar Festigor rolled surprisingly well on his charge and ran straight past Tark and Redarg to engage with the Gorechosen's general, Vexnar the Reaper.

Minotaurs and Shamans held the city ruins, a horde of Gors moved on from the edge of the battlefield, and the Bestigors arrived to begin the assault on the Gorechosen in earnest.  The comet hurtled to the battlefield, landing between the Gorechosen and Bestigors (the pink crystal in the top right).  Sadly, like the Gorghon before them, the Bestigors choked at a critical moment, and failed their charge roll against Tark and Redarg (the Bloodstoker and Exalted Deathbringer).

Scoring a double turn, the Bestigors continued to choke, failing a charge on snake eyes 🙁.  The bray shaman coven chanted and danced around the herdstone, and dragged a Chaos Gargant from the wilds, grunting and roaring onto the battlefield.

Thrax the Bloodrocutioner tried desperately to hold the line against the Gargant and the Tuskgor Chariots, but it was a losing battle.  He fought valiantly, and left the Gargant in bad enough shape that his blood could be boiled by Slaughterpriests next turn, but in the end he died like the rest.  Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows.

Seeing the end approaching, Vexnar commanded his champions to rally around the fallen comet.  They formed a defensive line, and prepared to weather the oncoming tide of hoofed adversaries.

Only the chariots were able to close to melee, the Brayherds were off their game today, and the Blood God had truly blessed his champions in this battle.  After disposing of the Tuskgor Chariots (and a pesky Battle Standard Bearer), the Gorechosen attempted one final gambit.  With three Blood Tithe points, one of them could sacrifice their life to charge in the final hero phase and in-so-doing prevent the Bullgors and Gorghon from charging.

Fexgor charged into the fray, engaging the Bullgors and blocking the Gorghon's movement.  Though he fell to an onslaught from Gorfax's mighty axe, his life was not sacrificed in vain, for with his blood victory was purchased.

We'll be continuing the saga of the Gorechosen and pitting them against an even more potent adversary sometime within the next few months just to see how far they can go.