Steamroller Prep: 25 points - Circle

Like I mentioned yesterday, there will be a 25 point Steamroller tournament next weekend that I want to attend.  One neat feature of this tournament is that every scenario will feature Reinforcements which will make it far more interesting and predictable when it comes to designing lists.  I already shared two Cygnar lists worth considering (although I came up with another today that is so scary I want to keep it secret!) and today I wish to share two lists that I'm considering if I were to play Circle instead.  One of the greatest advantages of playing my Circle is not only that I'm more familiar with them but that they are mostly painted - thus I can enter into the raffle easily!  The two lists I'm considering from Circle will feature some models that have already been painted, but there will be some more that I would need to paint in order to be completely painted for this tournament, so I'd still be motivated to paint.  What two lists am I considering bringing?



The first one, as you can probably guess, is pBaldur.  I love this guy and he has rarely let me down.  His theme list is solid and while I initially didn't think that I'd like it at 25 points, I can now say that I underestimated it.  Here's what I'd bring:

Rock of Orboros Theme List - Tier 2 - 25 points
Baldur (+6)
- Megalith (11)
- Woldguardian (9)
Shifting Stones (2)
Shifting Stones (2)
- Stone Keeper (1)
Sentry Stone & Mannikins (3)
Sentry Stone & Mannikins (3)
Reinforcements:
Woldwyrd (5)


With Reinforcements I can get to nearly the same list that I would bring in 35 points, minus the Woldstalkers.  As much as I love them, I think that this list will still perform well.  Thanks to the two theme list benefits, the Sentry Stone and Mannikin units will be 20" upfield as usual and can apply some early pressure.  Since I'm less likely to see lots of infantry at this level, I think that these two units will serve as some cheap anti-infantry while putting some pressure on Hordes lists by gobbling up some fury.  The Mannikins might not be all that impressive in their offensive output but they still bring P+S 12 attacks and are great at engaging models to force them to kill them or suffer free strikes.  Hell, even their sprays can be intimidating against some infantry, and for only 3 points they are better than most give them credit for.

Haters gonna hate

The key feature of the list, of course, is that I have my two big heavy hitters and Baldur himself with two units of shifting stones for teleportation shenanigans.  Even if my opponent can see what I'm trying to do, they'll have to devote a lot of resources to stop me from doing it and then I can always perform free charges and power attacks with my constructs anyway and they'll be quite capable of dealing with any heavies I could come up against.  Even if someone brings the Stormwall + Haley1 combo I mentioned yesterday (still overrated, in my opinion), shifting stones allow me to get to it from about 10" away without charging it and with the Woldguardian's animus I'm really not afraid of it's ranged firepower.  This is a list with which I feel comfortable and confident.  The second list, is another challenge, however, as Circle warlocks typically have a lot of fury and having enough beasts to generate said fury can be difficult.  Here's what I'm considering for my 2nd list:

Morvahna (+6)
- Gorax (4)
- Warpwolf Stalker (10)
Tharn Bloodtrackers (full, 8)
- Nuala (2)
Wolves of Orboros (min, 4)
Shifting Stones (2)
Gallows Groves (1)
Reinforcements:
Wolf Lord Morraig (5)

Why yes, I do own Morvahna!  Oddly enough, I haven't really played much with her since I only recently bought some Bloodtrackers (I know, I know!  I've been playing Circle for a couple of years and only just picked up these ladies...).  I will certainly need some practice before I decide in earnest to take a list like this one but I feel like if I can use it properly, it will be quite effective.  While it might seem to lack some heavy-hitting, nearly every element of this list hits pretty hard.  The Bloodtrackers will obviously cause fits to any infantry unit I decide to make my Prey (like Winter Guard) and are also a perfect unit for Regrowth.  While I do have to worry about Purification with this list, even without my upkeeps I feel like I have some potential to do some damage - I just hope I don't come up against a Harbinger of Menoth list!

The Shifting Stones will be great with Restoration on them if I come against a shooting army since they can be quite resilient at ARM 20 when Morvahna has Sacrificial Pawn and they'll be perfect little pawns!  The Gallows Grove was included as a bit of a point filler, but it also will help me deal with any Tough infantry I come up against so that I can make the most of Harvest.  It also means that I could cast Eruption of Life if I have the fury points for it from a bit further away, and Influence now has potential for me to be really annoying for the opponent by using their own models against them!  Lastly, I think that the Wolves will be great for camping out in a scoring zone with Morraig as a Reinforcement, since Morraig can charge a model with a P+S 13+5(!)D6 - that's an average of about 12 damage to ARM 18!  Even heavies will be feeling he charges!

Lastly, the Gorax and the Stalker will be able to provide some fury for me if I really need it and the Stalker synergizes really well with Morvahna's feat and is our best hit-and-run heavy that we have in Circle.  I'd rather not throw him at a heavy target if I can avoid it, but he'll certainly make a mess of one - especially with Primal, but that's really only if I need it.  No, if I see more than 1 or 2 heavies the Stalker could be in rough shape unless the Bloodtrackers soften it up first.  If, however, I'm going up against a sizeable amount of infantry then the Stalker will be quite useful.

With these two lists I would have to paint the following:
Morvahna
Sentry Stone & Mannikins
Bloodtrackers + Nuala
Gallows Grove
Morraig

I've already base-coated Morraig, but the rest would be easy enough that I could actually get it all done in time, unlike my Cygnar lists which would require a lot more time!