Scarface = MVP

I had a chance to break out Ariadna for a couple of games today, and I decided to use Scarface and Cordelia. Previous to this the only use of Scarface had been in a painful doubles game that drove me into the arms of 40k for a couple of weeks as a result (yes, really...). So today was my opportunity to actually try him out properly for the first time since I'd finished painting him.

And I wasn't disappointed!


I'd decided to leave the Steel Phalanx at home today, as they're currently mid-paint. One of the lads I have been getting a lot of games off at the moment, brutalised me last time out with his Maghariba Guard TAG (until Achilles and Pentheselia took it out...) and so fearing a total wipeout I decided to try an alternative version of my Ariadna list capable of playing some anti-TAG. There was also the chance I'd face another opponent with a HI and Chainrifle-cheerleader Yu Jing list.

Typically I choose the Assault Pack and a Cameronian, backed up with twin Tankhunters, SAS, Chasseurs etc. Today I went for an unfamiliar and small list with just ten models.

 GROUP 1 (Regular: 9/Irregular: 1):

 SCARFACE 2 Mk12, Panzerfaust / CCW. (1.5 | 69)
 CORDELIA TURNER Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife.
 UXÍA McNEILL (Covert Action) (CH: Limited Camouflage, Superior Infiltration, Specialist Troop) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges, Smoke Grenades / 2 Assault Pistols, Knife. (25)
 S.A.S. Chain Rifle, Grenades / Assault Pistol, AP CCW. (23)
 TANKHUNTER Autocannon, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 40)
 TANKHUNTER AP Rifle, Adhesive Launcher, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (27)
 PARA-COMMANDO HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 32)
 LOUP-GAROU Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
 CAMERONIAN 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades, Smoke Grenades / AP CCW. (22)
 CALEDONIAN MORMAER Lieutenant (X Visor) T2 Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (38)

 4.5 SWC | 300 Points

There's stuff in there I almost never use - Caledonian Mormaer, Tankhunter with ADHL... however I figured I needed to prioritise durability and heavy hitting over numbers and tricksey gaming. As we were going to be playing YAMS specialists weren't required either. Bare in mind I'm used to fielding at least another half a dozen models in addition to this lot, so I was way out of my Ariadna comfort zone here. As it was my Haqq opponent went Hassassin and left the spider tank at home, preferring Fiday's and Lasiq's to the Guard. Yu Jing came as expected with HMG's, heavy armour, and TO ninjas.

I used a denied flank type deployment in both my games today, concentrating the Tankhunters, Mormaer and Cameronian down one end of the DZ, with the TAG, Cordelia and sniper sitting centrally; leaving the camo token infiltrators to try and control the centre-field. It invited a fast sweeping attack down the exposed far right flank in both games, but with the big guns providing mutual protection to each other and the SAS units it meant any incursions would be at the mercy of some seriously heavy ARO attacks.

Scarface in both games started in cover in the direct centre of the board with sniper cover. My fear of impersonators and TO ninjas springing an unwelcome trap via their reserve deployment meaning I deployed with caution but in a spot that allowed a good forward dash to dish some pain out.

After losing the initiative and going second in the Haqq game I finished a single VP above my opponent without factoring loss of life. As it was, he was almost tabled by turn four. Partly due to the wandering of my Cameronian down the left side of his DZ after a failed CC attack in turn one from his Fiday character, but mainly due to Scarface absolutely tanking through the middle of board after splattering his other Fiday from a similarly abortive attempt to virally CCW him to death, and instead having his skull pulped by a man in giant robot suit with anger problems.

A burst 4 Mk12 toting, ARM5, -6BTS, 3W, 6-4 MOV angry dude was worth every single point in that game. A lack of AP weapons helped with a number of passed ARM roles, but a number of BTS roles similarly went off without a hitch (tanking viral mines for the lolz) enabling him to systematically pick off his foes in his third turn by getting into the +3 zone of the Mk12 and not leaving it for the rest of the game. I didn't Rambo him, I'd like to make that clear as the Cameronian played his part, Uxia ran half the width of the board to grab the Triangulation objective, and the Mormaer picked off a couple even at -3 to BS. But once he gets up a head of steam and you unlock the enemy defence, he is unstoppable as the enemy lines collapse one model at a time.

In the second match, he didn't survive the game. However the match was over in a turn and a half with another (virtual) tabling of my opponent's Yu Jing. This time I went first. Combined with a dire dispersion of Saito Togan right in front of Scarface, it was virtually all over halfway through turn one as his entire right flank collapsed as he lost Saito to a full burst of twin Mk12's, followed shortly by an HMG Daofei that died the same way. Scarface lost two wounds in a single careless ARO from his Hsein HMG and HMG Husong remote, but he managed to hang on long enough to see off a brace of Kuang Shi with ARO Panzerfausts shots before dying to a lucky Chainrifle - at which point we shook hands and packed up for home. Loss of Lt. and in total retreat by his second turn, with a clutch of completed mission objectives in my favour.

What both of these matches proved was Scarface might be a TAG-lite, but play him right and he is absolutely lethal. I see him as HI on steroids. He's can't Jotum his way through ARO fire, but the combo of 3 wounds, high HI ARM, and -6 BTS means he will survive most encounters alive in ARO short of setting off multiple heavy weapon ARO's at the same time. I was careful to avoid foolish CC match ups (Saito Togan for example) unless attacked as I feel this is his big weakness with a lack of a decent CCW or any sort of Martial Arts. The Fiday CC attack should have reaped some wounds, or even killed him over two bouts so dice were on my side there... but his heavy ranged attacks for me are where his real value lies when you're not on cheerleader sweeper duty. A lack of any hacking also helped but the majority of his kills came between 8 and 32 inches (bar the Fiday) and so without burning orders my opponent may have struggled to make such an attack today. To be honest I did worry he would be little more than a pretty model for my collection with little real use in my Ariadna lists, but I'll certainly try and include him as often as I can in the future.

The possible horror I could unleash by having him run up behind the Assault Pack is a mouth watering prospect - the fact both units do not reward an opponent with points unless their DZ sitting counterpart is also slain adds a level of insurance against it being too high risk... as would a combined order ARO dilemma for him!

Get yourself a Scarface today!