First game with Jarl1 - it's hammer time!

So I played my first game with one of the Jarl lists I was discussing in the previous post. I chose to go with the infantry list, because I believe it is a better list than the beast-heavy option. My list:

Jarl
-Runebearer
-Bomber
-Mauler
Braylen, Fell caller, Chronicler
Max Champions
Max Fennblades+Ua
Min Highwaymen
Fire eaters

The Axis list i was facing would be a tough match:

Axis
- Inverter
- Inverter
- Diffuser
- Corollary
Transfinite Emergence Projector
Transfinite Emergence Projector
Clockwork Angels
Optifex Directive
Optifex Directive
Reflex Servitors
Steelsoul protector
Steelsoul protector

Not only does axis have a feat that shuts down infantry quite well since they cannot charge. He also has a lot of tools that work well against them, such as razor wall, counter charge for his battle group. The two TEPs also will have a lot of things to spray, and the two shield guards are a pain for Jarl. I knew this would be a tough matchup for me.

Entrenched

We rolled for scenario, using the app Roll for Scenario on android, and ended up on entrenched. My opponent won the roll of  and chose to go first. While going first is something I usually always want with a troll army, I feel that without the stone and with an army rather geared for going on scenario, I don't mind going second although I still think going first is better due to the fact that I threat far with this list and therefore it is possible to push the opponent back, forcing them out of the scenario.

Round 1 - where nothing happens but running and missed shots
My opponent runs everything up. He has his two TEPs and angels opposing my zone, and the rest on the other side of a forest, effectively dividing his army into two distinct pieces. His angels hide behind cover in the middle of the board and his reflex servitors dig in in the far edge of his zone. On my turn I luckily scatter away one of the angels with my bomber, miss two boosted shots on one of the reflex servitors, needing nines, wasting my magic bullets. Fennblades gets quickened and run up to threat into my opponents zone. I try and stay out of the TEPs walk and shoot range.


Round 2 - where fennblades go to die and I misplay
the reflex servitors start of by killing some of my Fennblades. Axis positions himself in the zone and places an irritating razor wall in front of most of my remaining Fennblades. The angels kill one highwayman and stay behind the wall. The Teps move forward and don't do anything. On my turn, I make a play for scenario. I fan out my champs, move Jarl into my uncontested zone and shoot my opponents objective, putting some damage on it, and feats, placing clouds to block vision into my zone. The bomber moves up slightly and shots the objective, killing the shield guard with the first shot and getting the objective down to 3 boxes. My fennblades activate after having received warcry from the fell caller and tales of mist from the chronicler. The charge all across, trying to tie up as much as possible. One fennblade charges one of the angels on outside my zone, the officer charges one of the TEPs, and two of the fennblades charge into the opponent zone. However, I forgot that the steelsoul protector has defensive strike and kills one of them. I still was fine with the result until i rolled snake eyes on the angel. I also do a mistake when repositioning, allowing axis to get a counter charge. I end my turn after the fire eaters do not manage to turn each other on fire, nor kill the objective, left at 1 box.

Round 3 - Axis counter feats and clears the zone effectively

After my round 3.  How I wish my right champ
would have moved to the left!

Axis charges to the front central corner of his zone and feats, getting most of my army and his in the bubble. He trivially clears my zone and leaves me very few options to get back in there during the feat. One of the TEPs clear the second one, removing the fennblade officer jamming, and kills one of the champs. The second TEP moves into the cloud to put damage on the Mauler and Jarl, forgetting to calculate quicken when thinking about the threat ranges. The angels jam up the zone. On my turn, the bomber finishes of the objective and puts some damage on the closes inverter. Jarl gives the mauler quicken and rage, shoots one of the angels and then hides in the fuel cache cloud. The mauler moves up and kills one one of the TEPs and the last clockwork angel. Champs, only two left, do nothing except run forward, (this was also a mistake, if I would have moved the second champ to the other side of the wall I would have effectively blocked the TEP out of my zone and that would have won me the game). Highwaymen circle around to get back shots next turn on the remaining TEP.

Round 4 - Game over

Since I couldn't contest Axis zone, he will go up to 3 points. He gets a turn of setting up so that I will have a difficult time running things into the zone that will  not just die to counter charges. His remaining TEP moves up and kill my objective, placing one servitor in the zone to contest. On my last turn, the mauler frenzies with one remaining fury on him and then I do not have enough things to get into the zone. We play the turn out, the highwaymen kill the TEP (opportunist with braylen is very nice) but I do not have enough shooting or infantry to kill axis.

After Axis turn 4. Game over. 

Post game thoughts
I made some crucial mistakes during the game, misplaying against counter charge and also misplaying the champions. I should have run them more centrally on the feat turn. The fire eaters also should have gone around the far left flank instead of going straight on the zone, I still have not really gotten the hang of them. I also committed too many fennblades early, should have kept more back. The champions did not make one attack during the game and that is quite bad for a 17 point unit. I have not given up on them yet, but I am very much on the fence after the games I have fielded them in MK3.

The matchup was not so bad as I had though, I even had the opportunity to win if I just blocked my zone better. I feel the list is good and definitely playable, so it was a good test for the list. Jarl is also very fun to play and I enjoyed the game immensely despite rolling a bit badly in the first two rounds.