In a Self-Made Slump

Well, 5 games without a win, since my "Gaming Year" started in mid-August, is best categorized as a slump.  I think we've all been through them.  This one, typically, is self-made.  to recap:

Game 1 - BAs vs Tau.  Loss. The game was the relic, pitting by BAs against a very suit and plasma heavy tau list.  I did run off with the relic, and the game ended Turn 7 with one of the lowest scores possible (2-1).

Game 2 - BAs vs DAs.  Draw. The game went the distance, and at the bitter end, instead of going for points, I'd decided to toy with Samael on his Lawn-Mower landspeeder, and it cost me to create a draw instead of a victory.  Not a big deal, the game was a bunch of fun, pitting two great armies against each other.

Game 3 - BAs vs unbound all-skimmer Eldar.  Loss.  The game was an experimental game, my opponent had a list he'd brought looking to use every skimmer in his arsenal.  On a table he set up.  It was an interesting challenge - I did manage to destroy maybe half of his army, but that would not matter for the points.  Towards the end I was throwing units forward with reckless abandon, just to see if they could make it to assault the next skimmer in range.

Game 4 - IG vs Footy Eldar.  Loss.  The game was also experimental, to test a scenario for a campaign written by someone else.  All we showed was that the defender would get slaughtered.  It resulted in clarifications on the scenario/mission, which we've yet to play (but hopefully soon). I also used the feedback from this and comments at Bolter and Chainsword to develop a revised list.  I was short a Chimera too when I unpacked.  It was probably the first time I'd played IG in over a year, and something rarely seen locally.    

Game 5 - IG vs Tyranids.  Loss. Yep. Played last night.  Overall, it will cause further revisions to my 1850 IG list (already inked last night as rev3)...even in this game, with revisions from rev2, I'd forgotten to bring another Chimera, so it caused a last minute list revision.  So without much more than that as an intro - here are the photos and thoughts from last night:

Here is my list - Command squad, 5 veteran squads, 4 chimeras, a hotshot demi-squad, manicore, 2 demolishers, and 2 vendettas.  Master of the odnance, master of the fleet.  A sprinkling of meltaguns and plasma guns and flamers.  Not too bad.  The small squad of elites would ride in a Vendetta.

Opponent's list.  The Artillery node, flyrant, carnifexes, gaunts, warriors, pretty much all shooty or templatey.  Able to generate 8 or so warp changes just for being there.

      He deployed first and wanted to go first.  I seized.  We were playing the mission where you only drew cards for the objectives you held.  I drew an unscorable card for the first turn.  In shooting, my own templates and massed heavy bolters killed off a third of hist total number of gaunts, and left a few wounds on some big bugs.  I'm sitting right now on 3 objectives.  I'd gotten the outflanking AM warlord trait, but only got a 1 for the D3, so one Demolisher was in reserves with the Vendettas.  That was mistake number 1.  Mistake number 2 was forgetting the Master of the Ordnance.      

In my my opponent's turn 1 he'd popped the central Chimera, and then his artillery node killed off the disembarked squad.  Here is a shot in the middle of turn 2 or so.  Yep, I got all my reserves, and Vendettas shot at the Flyrant, but failed to drop it.  The other Demolisher came in at my lower left corner (out of the photo here), and was poised to head forward.  I was able to get more wounds on big bugs and kill more gaunts.   I felt i was doing pretty good.  The Manticore got me three templates this turn (just two the first turn).  I also remembered to use the artillery barrage from the Master of Ordnance.

Better overview here.  But now the really shooty Tyranids are closing in and everything seemed totally twin linked and S6 or greater.

 Middle of Turn 3.  The Flyrant moved off the table in my turn 3 by specuial rule, and returned in his movement phase (below) to shoot into the rear armor of the Vendetta.  He was making 3++ saves like a champ too.  On his turn 2, he'd wrecked the Manticore.  

Just another view.  I'd killed off his Carnifex and other units on my right, and wanted to start moving forward with my commend Chimera next turn...Mistake #4 or so - for fun, I'd grav shoot deployed the elites with their AP3 hotshot guns hoping to kill the last Carnifex on my left.  Nope...twas' not to be...in response, the living artillery node made quick work of them.  

Middle of the 4th was just a mere 4-3, bugs winning.  We were both just sitting at best on 2 objectives, and the cards we were drawing were horrible...

Here the Tyranids are in the movement phase of Turn 4. My Vendetta has gone off to the back corner to look at getting linebreaker on turn 5. My opponent is looking to wreck my last two Chimeras and Demolisher in odrer to get at the tasty bits on the insides...

And they did...here we are in Turn 5.  My commander's Chimara was wrecked, and half the squad dispatched by the living artillery barrage.  So I dismounted the other squad from their immobilized ride, to try to bring it down (the Flyrant), as it had maybe two wounds left.  I failed.  

Just another view.  My opponent tried hard to kill off my Commander to get STWL, but he would also fail.     

Quick view at the end.  I did get Linebreaker.    

Final score - 6 to 5, Tyranids win.  

So, I've already gotten feedback from another player to just stop playing IG till their new Codex comes out...

But, I'm just a sucker for doing it over and over until I get it right. In this case, I'm really wanting to learn about the IG and make them work for me!  

Overall, the next list tries to have less points tied up in flying reserves, and more in firepower I can apply on Turn 1.  

Here's looking forward to next week...

Other stuff I'm up to is another painting challenge at B&C - I'm working on a Furiouso and 10 more DC marines.  Look for photo progress here soon.

We also have the Standish Standoff V tournament in just 4+ weeks.  I still have no idea what I'll bring for that.  If I cannot solve the IG riddle to Victory before then, I'll probably go back to BAs or Ultramarines!  

What are your thoughts? I need some insights or training from an experienced IG Master....