Winning Harder: A Common List-Building Trap

This is going to be a bit of a longer post, but I hope you can bear with me on it, as I feel there is an important lesson to be learned.

Winning Harder is the concept where you specifically choose things to add to your list that make your easier match-ups even easier. Either they are elements added that work well against inexperienced players playing any list, or against anyone playing an unbalanced list. Now, this might not seem novel at all, but there is absolutely no reason to increase your chances against these opponents as stronger play will carry the game for you anyway. I think a lot of people fall into this trap, with units that are commonly referred to as 'Death Stars' (much of you strength and points limited to one or a handful of hard to defeat units). Meanwhile, you have unbalanced your list so much that you will have issues against an opponent running something more balanced and with the experience to back it up.

The Land Raider: N00b Hammer. One of the most classic examples of Winning Harder.

I am going to start with an example of a list one of my friends was running at the local GW. He was playing occasionally on the intro nights where you bring in 1000 points and generally play against new players. As he played, he kept adding to and changing elements of list such that he could win his games faster and faster, and to that end he was succeeding. I had been taking a rather long break from the game at the time and was just coming back and people were raving about his list. My response, after hearing what was in it, was, 'That just sounds really bad.' Now, those who heard me say that rolled their eyes, this list had been utterly unstoppable. Before I go on a bit, let me show you the list and maybe get you thinking about why this thing was bad:

The N00b Hammer (1k Blood Angels)
Mephiston 250

Librarian Dread w/ Blood Lance, Shield of Sanguinius, Drop Pod 210

5x Death Company 100
Death Company Dread w/ Blood Talons 125

Baal Predator w/ Flame Storm Cannon 115

Storm Raven w/ Multi-Melta, Twin-Linked Lascannon 200
Total: 1000 points

Well, what are your thoughts?

Starting a Warmachine League

A pretty ambitious Warmachine/Hordes league is starting up here locally, with games spanning over an entire year. We start at 25 points and move up 5 points every two months. They seem to have found a balance with how to handle the games as your 'score' is based on your win/loss ratio for the month. I have been disappointed in the past with some people gaming a league to max out their games when others cannot; not necessarily leading to the better players getting up to the top.

This is being hosted at the best gamestore in town, Thunderground Comics, if you are in the area, it is definitely worth checking out. Probably the best Privateer Press selection in town and Roy Kim, the owner, always bends over backward to help out the community hosting large events.

So, what will I be bringing? My Cryx (which will be shockingly under-represented by just myself). Here are the lists I am looking at with a little explanation of their playstyle:

Lich Lord Asphyxious (AKA Epic Asphyxious (AKA eGaspy))

This guy promoted himself by turning his old boss into his new weapon.

Lich Lord Asphyxious (*6pts)
* Nightwretch (4pts)
Bane Knights (Leader and 9 Grunts) (10pts)
Bane Thralls (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Bane Thrall Officer & Standard (3pts)
Bane Lord Tartarus (4pts)
General Gerlak Slaughterborn (3pts)