Baldur1 vs Morvahna

That's right kids, we decided to throw down with some hot Circle vs Circle action.  I've been playing Morvahna a lot, but I didn't really think I was excited by the prospect of a mirror match so I decided Baldur1 would be my guy.  This was a 35 point shindig, and I went ahead with the tier 4 theme force for my list:

Baldur1
- Megalith
- Wold Guardian
- Wold Guardian

Druid Stoneward & Woldstalkers
Druid Stoneward & Woldstalkers
Shifting Stones
Sentry Stone & Mannikins

He, as mentioned, was playing a Morvahna list, I'm pretty sure this was what he had:

Morvahna
- Ghetorix
- Argus
- Gorax

Tharn Bloodtrackers (max)
- Nuala the Huntress
Warpborn Skinwalkers (max)
Shifting Stones
- Stone Keeper
Gallows Grove

Contrary to my mental decision to only play scenarios, we did not do that.  Also, contrary to my mental decision to take pictures while playing ... I didn't do that either.  Win some, lose some.  We did the old fashioned "roll for terrain".  I think he won the roll, passed and didn't put anything on the table, so I went ahead and dropped 2 forests more or less on each flank in the middle-ish.

As a side note, I think that as I want to get a bit better at playing that I dislike this method of putting out terrain.  I do try to not be a dick when putting out terrain, but I'm playing Circle, so it gets kind of easy to put out terrain that will definitely grant me an advantage.  I'm not going to get this if I show up at a tournament so I don't know that I like it here.  No big deal, just something I've seen.


Deployment:
Anyway, I won the game die roll, so I opted to go first.  The 2 Wold Guardians got AD from the theme for the theme force benefit.  So I deployed everything how you'd expect.  Baldur and Megalith in the middle, the units of shrimp on each flank.  He deployed his stuff more or less in the middle.  For AD I deployed my stuff basically in the middle.  He deployed the Bloodtrackers on my left flank and the shifting stones right-ish.  My Woldstalkers advance move basically straight ahead.  He chose the Sentry Stone & Mannikins

Round 1:
Not much exciting from me here.  Everything moved ahead.  Only thing of note that I did was one of my Mannikins was able to get within spray range of his Gallows Grove.  Boosted the damage, anddddd I rolled 1 1 2, awful.  Baldur puts up Solid Ground, we've got Stone Skin on one of the Wold Guardians, and here we go.

On his turn, most of the stuff moves up.  He tries to rock hammer something with the Stone Keeper, this doesn't work at all.  His Bloodtrackers kill off all the mannikins and some of the wold stalkers on that side, but leave the Sentry Stone.  Everything else moves up and Morvahna puts Restoration on the Skinwalkers and Regrowth on the Bloodtrackers.

Round 2:
Now things get interesting.  Shifting Stones send the Stone Skin'd Guardian after his shifting stone and a skinwalker, those die.  Baldur feats.  The shrimp shoot another Skinwalker, and some fail to do much against the bloodtrackers.  Megalith and the other Guardian stay home in the shifting stones.

He goes, tries to do the most he can with the bloodtrackers.  They kill all but the Stoneward and the Sentry Stone is still there.  One Skinwalker tries to kill a Shifting Stone and fails, 2 others charge the Guardian and do some damage, but all the aspects are up.  Morvahna kind of runs away.  Ghetorix moves up and I don't think he does much might have killed a wold shrimp.  He tries to Primal up the Gorax and charge the Guardian but ends up short.

Round 3:
Well, this is interesting.  My Guardian with Stone Skin on it goes up and kills another Skinwalker and Gorax.  I did some mis-positioning here, but basically Megalith moved so that his animus would hit Ghetorix, Wold Guardian #2 is teleported into base with Ghetorix, gets Stone Skin, and proceeds to kill the shit out of him.  Baldur moves, kills a Tracker, puts up a forest to stand in and casts Flesh of Clay, and the Sentry Stone moves to block

So, the mistake here is that I probably should have cycled Stone Skin to Baldur, or left him with the transfers.  I had forgetten about Argus, who advanced, and hits Baldur with his Paralyze, and since its a spray it ignored cover.  Needed a 4, he got it, Baldur's DEF against shooting is now 9.  Morvahna had to move into a forest to do this though, so he's got to kill Baldur or that's the game.  Bloodtrackers move into range, and get their throws off.  I don't remember how many it was, but he still had like 6 dice.  Game Over.

Analysis:
I think Baldur is definitely a good matchup against Morvahna, and probably much of Circle.  I continue to like the 50 point list where I can bring the extra support and decide between the Warden or the Druids.  The ARM 20 Guardians are a bitch for Circle to do a whole lot about with most lists, Megalith is of course amazing, and we rely heavily on having Pathfinder to help us get there.  I need to get a little quicker playing him, and I need to get my turn one a little more down if I'm not playing the Warden in the list (I'm too used to going Solid Ground. Rapid Growth. Undegrowth. Forestwalk. Go.)  Also, transfers are good things, I should keep some around.