Sisters vs Imperial Guard

[Mosk]

Yesterday, I played a game against Imperial Guard. I used no tanks (my rhinos be with my bro). I had two squads of retributers (4 heavy bolters and a storm bolter in each)

 

I found that my 5 seraphem (2 inferno pistols and 1 evic) , and my 2 Jump Cannoness (both with evic and inferno pistol) made perfect anti tank stuff. He had 2 Leman Russ Battle Tanks, A chimera, and a Basalisk. He went first. He shot everything Killed 1 death cult assassin, and crew shaken/ crew stunned my two penitent engines (which did nothing cause they cant be shaken or stunned he he) He moved up all of tanks too. I then jumped all my seraphem and cannoness towards different tanks. First turn I did not make it to anything, just hid them behind cover. Next turn he shoot again killing several sisters and several arbites Shook my penitent engines too... My turn brought my two penitent enines within 4 inches of a squad of guardsmen, flamed em, then assaulted, my cannoness and seraphem jumped to behind both leman russ tanks, and the chimera. Chimera gets popped evic (it explodes) , leman russ gun destroyed, and leman russ becomes terrain. my seraphem head towards the basalisk and land 8 inches away.

 

My retributers this whole time are shooting at the gaurdsmen usually taking out atleast 5 each turn. One turn I took out ten of his rough riders.

 

I won.

 

I used no exorcists.

 

What would you all use against IG?

[Warp Angel]

I can only really speak from the guard side, but just about any sister's army is terrifying to them.

 

You shoot better than we do, with pretty much every weapon ignoring our armor saves.

You've got good numbers.

You're better than we are in hand to hand.

You've got good anti-tank.

You've got those pesky faith points.

 

It's like facing a Marine gunline, but worse.

 

For the record, 20 lasgun shots will be lucky to kill 2 sisters.

Half of all heavy weapon shots aren't going to hit you, let alone wound. That means I need 2 squads shooting to kill more than 2 sisters a turn. Tanks are single points of failure and you've got plenty of easy ways to take them out (like you noticed in your game).

 

Essentially, all the weaknesses that Sisters seem to have against MEQ armies don't exist when fighting guard.

And your strengths are even more pronounced.

 

It's a good matchup in favor of the Sisters.

[Inquisitor Fox]

It also depends greatly on which aspect of the Imperial Guard are you talking about...

 

Is it the "Anvil of Humanity", or the "Hammer of ZOMG! I <3 Tanks!" or a hybrid of the two?

 

The Anvil of Humanity hates flamers and templates... yes pure sisters doesn't have artillery, but oh does it have flamers! Scathes of Guardsmen with no saves (as only a 5+ is toast) and with no cover to save them... yeah, feel the burn.

 

The Tanks.. well... there's no Land Raider equivalent for the Guard. Even a Leman Russ Demolisher has vulnerable sides and rear arcs to an Exorcist, or worse.. mobile Seraphim or Dominions.

 

A cunning Guard general might be able to prevail by using a combination of hordes of numbers (indeed, why buy heavy weapons against a 3+ save army when you can get another squad or two of lasguns and win by attrition and failed armor saves), with powerful artillery to take out tanks and try to template the Sisters and force saves.

 

Speaking from my Guard experience (it's my other Imperial army), you HATE anything that tries to rush you and get in your face, as they're tougher than you and often more heavily armed than you. Guard wins by attrition, by area denial, by a horde of men backed by big guns.

 

Only the problem is the horde of Sisters is often of similar size (as most Guard players don't conclude that heavy weapons in a line squad is a waste like I do, and leave them at home unless they're in a support squad), and they have their own big guns. Faith just helps to tip the balance more.

 

I think this thread will be a very different flavor though come May if rumors are true for the Guard :nuke:

[Melissia]

And I hope it does. Guard kinda needs the help.

[Cath]

As a Guard player, I usually simply concede to Sisters. For a Guard player there really isn't any way to beat them. Where against Marines carapace would work against sisters its pointless. Against Mechanized sisters tanks are effective, until they get close. The Sisters were more or less, designed to fight them. They can ignore or easily count everything a Guard player can bring to the table. The best bet is camoline and gunline it in cover so you have an equal save against bolters and hope you can force them to footslog it to you because the second they pile out of those rhinos you're a piece of extra crispy KFC.

 

As for Guard rumors, I haven't heard any that would remotely rectify this problem.

[Imperator Mos]

I would contend that a mechanized grenadier list backed up by heavy armor would be competitive against mech SOB. The only thing guard are really lacking is jump troops, but Rough Riders are a great counter-charge unit. All this talk of flamers, and IG has the most flamery unit in the game (barring the redeemer?) the Hellhound. Anyway for IG, I think carapace armour makes all the difference. Look at the ratio of AP4 weapons to AP5 in 40K currently, and that gives you an answer.

[Bucky]

Played a game against guard. Biggest weakness, was the amount of kill points they give up.......

 

It wasn't even close.....

[Cath]

Sisters are the only army in 40k with all-round access to heavy flamers. Heavy flamer > pt. 8 guardsmen

[Melissia]

For myself, the only thing I really fear from Guardsmen is the Leman Russ. High strength, low AP pieplates are rather devastating against large numbers of Sisters, essentially a group of assured wounds. The Basilisk isn't that fun to be on the recieving end of either, but it's notably easier to destroy-- the Leman Russ at least has 14 frontal armor.