Seattle GT: Game 1 vs Tau

Time for the battle reports for my Immolator Spam at the Seattle GT last weekend.

Here's my list:
 214 HQ - Canoness w/Book of St Lucius, MeltaBombs incl 5 Celestians w/2 Melta
        in an Immolator wImmolator Tank w/Extra Armor, Smoke, Searchlight
 474 ELITE - 3x 5 Celestians w/2 Melta in an Immolator Tank w/Extra Armor, Smoke
 210 TROOP - 3x 5 =I= Storm Troopers w/2 Plasma
 565 TROOP -IG Infantry Platoon: Command + Al'rahem w/3 Melta in a ML/HF Chimera
        2 Squads, each w/Melta & Autocannon,  2 ML/HF Chimeras
        2 Special Weapon Squads each w/3 Melta
 318 FAST - 2x 5 Dominions w/2 Melta in an Immolator Tank w/Extra Armor, Smoke, Searchlight
 219 HEAVY - 3x Immolator Tank w/Extra Armor, Smoke
2000 points.

..and here's what it looked like:
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/001.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/002.jpg[/IMG]

My first round opponent was Bentley Pascoe, a longtime Tau player, and 40K Tournament Judge at some events, like TSHFT coming up the first weekend of March.

I'll edit his list in here later.

Here's what his army looked like:
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/029.jpg[/IMG]

They had the scoring sheet printed on the back of the scenario, so you couldn't keep it.  Thanks to the wonders of technology, however...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/003.jpg[/IMG]

I chose one of the IG Autocannon gunners (who looks like Vasquez from Aliens) to be my messenger model. 

I won the roll off to go first, so I deployed in my usual way, ready to pop smoke on the sideways tanks in front providing cover to all of my Immolators as Al'rahem's IG outflanked. 
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/004.jpg[/IMG]

Then the Tau seized the initiative (insert sad trombone sound here), and took his first move.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/005.jpg[/IMG]

Here's the results of his shooting phase, one exploded Immolator, and two weaponless and immobilized Immolators in the front row.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/006.jpg[/IMG]

Then in his Assault phase, Bentley jumped back behind his lines.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/007.jpg[/IMG]

So, since I had two bunkers in rapid fire range of the Objective, I had two units of ISTs bail out and swap rides with the two Celestian units, belatedly advancing under cover of smoke.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/008.jpg[/IMG]

Top of turn two, and Bentley lines up his suits to maximize his shooting...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/009.jpg[/IMG]

..shaking two, destroying the turret of the third, and wrecking the fourth Immy not-so-protected by smoke.  In the bottom of the picture you can see the ISTs and Celestians swapping rides.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/010.jpg[/IMG]

Then the Tau suits jumped back in the assault phase.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/011.jpg[/IMG]

Al'rahem and his IG arrive, Outflanking on the left.  I brought in the two Infantry Squads as a blob to provide extra ablative bodies for Vasquez.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/012.jpg[/IMG]

Taking over the IST Immys, the Celestians move to midfield.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/013.jpg[/IMG]

In the distance, Al'rahem takes out one devilfish, but fails to do more than stun the second.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/014.jpg[/IMG]

Top of turn three, and here come the Tau...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/015.jpg[/IMG]

...with some Outflanking Piranhas to help contain the IG infestation....
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/016.jpg[/IMG]

...wrecking one Chimera, stunning Al'rahem's ride, and gunning down two Special Weapon Squad girls.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/017.jpg[/IMG]

In the center of the board, Tau shooting shakes every Immolator, and immobilizes the one next to the center objective.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/018.jpg[/IMG]

Then the Tau assault...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/019.jpg[/IMG]

...Immobilizing one Immolator and wrecking the other, which would have been a perfectly placed bunker for the ISTs.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/021.jpg[/IMG]

Meanwhile, both Special Weapon Teams get assaulted by Gun Drones...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/020.jpg[/IMG]

...and get stuck in combat with the ninja frisbees for the rest of the game.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/022.jpg[/IMG]

Bottom of the turn, and I can[U] finally[/U] get some of my (non Outflanking) models past the halfway point on the board. I Tank Shocked the HQ in the center, but misjudged the angle and clipped the Shas'whatever who had the melta, exploding an Immolator.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/023.jpg[/IMG]

I  also tank shocked into a unit of Firewarriors on the left, but with all of the Immolator turrets out of action or destroyed by this time, it's nowhere close to dishing out the holy Promethium like it should.
I do kill a couple of battlesuits with meltas and bolters, though.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/024.jpg[/IMG]

I then charge into assault with my Sisters who only fired their meltas, since time was running short (both Bentley and I had cases of the dreaded slow player-itis this game) to try and tarpit them away from the center objective.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/025.jpg[/IMG]

Top of the turn, and here come the Kroot, right in Al'rahem's face.  One of the Kroot was the messenger model for the Tau...
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/026.jpg[/IMG]

...and the Kroot charge in with predictable results.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/028.jpg[/IMG]

While I manage to tarpit the HQ, the lone crisis suit on the right kills one Celestian, and the girls fail their morale and run, letting the lone suit jump-consolidate on top of my wrecked Immolator to contest the center objective just as "dice down" is called.  The game ends in a tie, with my 12 points to Bentley's 13.
[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd162/frowbakk/Seattle%20GT%20Game%201%20vs%20%20Tau/027.jpg[/IMG]