What's a sister to choose?

[ArmouredWing]

Hope all you folks out there have had a good holiday. Guess it's back to the front for many of us.

 

So having had a couple of games against 5th edition SM lists and finally facing the ironclad it became pretty obvious that standard battle sisters face an even tougher time when it comes to up close and personal armour killing. With this being the case I've been considering the options available for the vets and it seems to me that the only reasonable answer now is in the selection of eviscerators but am I right in thinking this?

 

I tend to run footsloggers, big squads supported by 2 or 3 exorcists and led by either a jump canoness or a canoness with a retinue in an immolator. Up to now I've had 4 squads of sisters, 2 equipped with flamers for clearing out infantry and 2 with meltas and krak grenades for tougher foes. The big thing that I found (and I'm ashamed to say I didn't know previously) is that the ironclad is not an easy to beat and effectively impossible to Krak (pardon the pun!). This brought me to think that there's only 2 ways to nail this sucker using battle sister squads (and taking into account that the exorcists coughed and spluttered ineffectually throughout the game).

So whats the best way to go? I've never really considered the eviscerator before and have trusted in the steady eye of the vet combined with the punching power of either a combi melta or combi plasma gun to take out approaching armour before they get close enough to cause problems but drop pods have taken that safety away to a certain extent, but now the eviscerator seems the only possible logical way to go to ensure that battle sisters are not pinned in CC and whittled away without hope of striking back. So is the eviscerator now an essential piece of wargear?

 

The other thing that came to light is how effective scouts with Sgt Telion are out there and if unchecked telion can remove the ability for units to use faith and the BoSL single handedly. Not nice, in fact if it wasn't for his arch nemesis, the vindicare assassin, he would have proceeded to have done that. Add in the scouts improved cover save with a fortified biulding and they are a serious support unit for hitting units and picking off key squad members.

 

So the marines have got some new toys and tactics but is there anything else in their new codex that is of particular threat to the inquisition?

[Imperator Mos]

How many Seraphim are you using? You can outflank a Dread, and give them all kinds of tank-hunting goodies. Oh, and hit-and-run if you do get caught somehow.

[the jeske]

shouldnt play footslogger . mecha with melt/hvy flamer combi load out and 2 serfin units in support for anti tank + 2 jump pack canoness with eviscerators [because str 8 instant kills a lot and is better against tanks then holy blades].

[Krieghammer]

+ 2 jump pack canoness with eviscerators [because str 8 instant kills a lot and is better against tanks then holy blades].

 

canoness is str3 so with eviscerator she only got str 6? or what do you mean?

[Grand Master Tyrak]

+ 2 jump pack canoness with eviscerators

 

Ah, the Flying Nun of Doom build. If Pyriel ever reads this, my apologies to him for ever doubting this was a common build. :)

[Inquisitor Fox]

+ 2 jump pack canoness with eviscerators [because str 8 instant kills a lot and is better against tanks then holy blades].

 

canoness is str3 so with eviscerator she only got str 6? or what do you mean?

Eviscerators get +2d6 for armor pen, so while it's true it's only a strength 6 powerweapon against most foes, it does get 6+2d6 armor pen, for an average value of 13. Respectable, while not Astartes level.

[Melissia]

+ 2 jump pack canoness with eviscerators [because str 8 instant kills a lot and is better against tanks then holy blades].

 

canoness is str3 so with eviscerator she only got str 6? or what do you mean?

The Act of Faith named "Hand of the Emperor" gives, if you pass it, +2 strength, but reduces initiative to one. Eviscerators double strength and reduce initiative to 1. Canoness' base strength is 3. Modifiers are added after the multiplyer as per the BRB.

 

Ergo: (3*2)+2=8

Meaning, as long as you're wililng to expend a faith point, the CAnoness can do three attacks in one phase at WS4 / S8 / I1.

[Pratch]

Seraphim with melta bombs are quite effective. They're WS4 I4 as standard and if they charge the Ironclad, they should strike first. Meltabombs are S8 with 2D6 AP. Even the front armour of an Ironclad at AV13 should be relatively easy to breach, they need 5 to glance, 6 to penetrate. On 2D6, this total is quite easy. Of course, charging a dreadnought is never a good idea, and I can't remember if meltabombs strike at I1. I don't have the rulebook to hand, so ignore me if I'm wrong with regard to anything, it's in a box in my room somewhere and I haven't had time to locate it yet...

 

If the Seraphim strike first with meltabombs, then a full squad of 10 is likely to score a few hits and with MBs, they ought to penetrate and do something. Combi-meltas are good but unpredictable. You can never be quite sure when the dice gods will ensure you roll a 1! Likewise, you can pretty much guarantee that the one time you need your squad's meltagunner to hit or penetrate, she aims into the sky! I appreciate that Seraphim are an expensive points choice, esp. with meltabombs, but they are reasonably reliable.

[Inquisitor Fox]

That scenario Marid metntioned becomes even better if you give said Seraphim the 2 inferno-pistol sisters/plasma pistol on VSS combo that I've mentioned before. With the 2 inferno pistol shots being twin linked, and melta to boot if you're within 3" (which since you plan on charging, you can be), those two are most likely going to hit. That's an average roll of 15 within 3", and even if you're outside of it, one of the two is often at least a glance on the Ironclad.. better if you assault from the rear of the walker.

 

The plasma pistol on the VSS is really just additional effect, particularly from the rear, but between the three.. that's often one or two glances before the meltabombs in melee. That' decent odds. Of course that doesn't necessarily help your standard rank and file Battle Sisters, but it's more tools in the toolbox.

[Melissia]

Standard Battle Sister squads are mainly focused on enemy infantry, so that's not necessarilly a bad thing-- but then, you can quite easilly give them a pair of meltaguns if you want them to be able to deal with vehicles, which whill alos make have a guarenteed wound agaisnt high armor save models too (since the Sisters want to be in rapid fire range anyway!)

[Mosk]

I always have all my VSS and Cannoness with evicerators. My army before was a kroot merc army, where the evicerator was basically the only anti tank weapon I had. I have found that bringing seraphem VSS with evicerator has been more effective for me and also cheaper points wise, and never fails.

[ArmouredWing]

I'd have to say that in any game 1500pts or below I now consider seraphim to be a luxury. They are without doubt an awesome unit but a single seraphim is worth 2 battle sisters and, perhaps more importantly, they don't score.

Now, rightly or wrongly, I play to win rather than contest. Anything other than battle sisters on the table (ist's excepted) is there in a support capacity and I always account for support units in regards to how many sisters I lose from my roster if I choose anything else. As it is my footsloggers are performing really well at the moment, 2 of my regular opponents run tournie class lists and I've got some very good results against them, so my current list does work but I do consider the ironclad to be one of the biggest threats to standard sisters in the game as it can lock a unit in CC and the vet is the only one who can effectively do anything against it. Other units can do damage if loaded out with expensive additional equipment but bang for buck, to me at least, the evis is the only choice available to protect your scoring units in dreadnought CC.