Also on this weekend are the European Team Championships (ETC) in Warhammer Fantasy and 40k. This year they are being held in Switzerland.
New Zealand has sent a strong team over for the fantasy event – in reality it is a miix of home grown and ex-pats. The team is made up as follows:
Dave Grant (Dark Elves)
Harry Dixon (Tomb Kings)
Joe Dixon (Warriors of Chaos)
Mal Patel (Lizardmen)
Dave Meachen (Daemons)
James Milner (Brets)
Chris Wilcox (Skaven)
John Matthews (Empire)
All these players bar Brisbane-based Chris, have played at the New Zealand Masters in the past three year. Chris has appeared at numerous Australian Masters so nothing is lost there.
I think that the team is stronger than last year (when they finished 10th) as five players are returning to the event. Of the other three, Dave Meachen has been playing in the UK, Mal is currently ranked #1 in the country and there is nothing Joe doesn’t know about playing for a draw.
The only tool missing from their arsenal is Vampire Counts but to be fair the restrictions soften them more than other armies.
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I predict that the NZ team will finish higher than the new-look Australians (though I would love the Ozzies to better the effort of their 2010 team). I think that the NZ team is far more balanced than the Oz team and has the benefit of players returning.
As to other predictions, I expect the English team to do much better and certainly place Top 5. They have the benefit of last year’s winning captain joining their team. The big four teams from last year Denmark, Italy, Germany and Poland will fight it out once again but I expect the English to gatecrash their party.
In the prelims it is hard to see the English not retaining the Ashes and continuing their whitewash from inception.
On the 40k front it should be again very hard fought. Here the English team has a number of weak links so I don’t expect them to outdo their Fantasy compatriots. I understand that the much vaunted USA team, who finished 5th in 2010, are taking a 20 point penalty into the event for an illegal list. In this environment I think that penalty will be fatal to their chances of winning. I’m picking Italy and Germany to fight out the Top 2. Poland would have been a contender but they have 40 point penalty.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! We'll do our best to make NZ proud.
ReplyDeleteQuick correction, James is taking VC instead of Empire.. so what we now lack in cannons, we make up for in yawn inducing draw potential!
Oh.. and I don't know if anyone has seen the schedule, but I was rather shocked when I saw that we're in for two 13 hour days... brutal.
is it possible those penalties are for fantasy not 40k? Apparently none of the USA 40k team even know they have a penalty, haha.
ReplyDeleteNope, it is certainly the 40k side, because the scoring systems are different, and this penalty refers to the 40k way of things, and the ruling is also signed by the 40k head ref
ReplyDeleteThe Dixon boys will be tweeting over the weekend on how they go.....@Double_Dixoned
ReplyDeleteHarry was second in the Singles run over the past few days. Joe 11th
Do they get sponsorship from somewhere for the event must cost a bundle to get everyone over there
ReplyDeleteNo...all personal expense....Chris and Mal have travelled from Oz and NZ respectively. John and Harry are in USA and the rest are in UK (Joe may be in Spain)
ReplyDeleteDaves girlfriend decided Ben Wadsworth and Myself didn't need our childhood bestfriend anymore, so she up and enrolled in oxford university and dragged our wee Dave Meachen with her, boooooooooooooo!
ReplyDeleteWell, looks like we beat Australia... that being tha main highlight, hope everyone had a great time, would like to go myself one day.
ReplyDeleteNot to take away from Harry's brilliant singles result though, Pussycat my ass :D
ReplyDelete