How to use a drop pod to its full capacity?

[MTMK15]

ok i have 1 drop pod with an ironclad in it. although i think the drop pod assault rule sucks, i have to obey it. so what are some good tactics to use with drop pods? particularly one with an ironclad in it

[Grey Mage]

It doesnt suck, its a Guarantee.

 

You bring it down exactly where you need it, and you always know when its going to show up. Send him down where you can unleash a pair of heavy flamers on a nice juicy infantry unit, get his points back turn 1. Then watch as your opponent spends most of the turn dealing with him, leaving your rhino mounted squads unmolested.

 

Slam him down on a flank, change your opponents priorities real fast. Take a couple of HK missiles and unload on side armor. Move up your other units fast to support him, as your opponent turns part of his flank to deal with him. This will disrupt his plans, wich at the very least gives you a chance to take the iniative.

 

Or just deploy him normally, use the pod to drop to block line of sight or a convenient path to your forces you need blocked off. Deployable terrain :tu:. The Dread can hold a flank against hordes, or lead a counter-assault against choppy armies.

[Ryjak]

Not much to add; Grey Mage covered the fundamentals. So, some finer points:

 

A basic Ironclad in a Drop Pod is 170 points, fully upgraded can hit 220 points. Odds are pretty good he won't destroy that much before he's destroyed, so don't concern yourself about making points back. Also, he WILL be destroyed, so don't worry about that either.

 

Dropping an Ironclad on your enemy is all about messing up his gameplan. Even if it lands completely out of position and dies first turn without causing damage, it should suck down quite a bit of firepower in the process, or pull a powerful assault unit away from the rest of your army. Anything beyond that (like wrecking a Land Raider or Lemun Russ, or blasting an Ork Battlewagon in the side from the opposite side of the board) is bonus.

[Marshal Serion]

I agree 100% with the above two posts.

 

Having an IronClad in a Drop pod in your enemy's face on turn one might be the best distraction we have -- barring maybe Shrike and his various alpha-strike options.

 

I normally run two with pods, with a Tac Squad in a 3rd pod for later. I put together a list a while back for Target Priority and Target Avoidance -- meaning, basically, which units to aim for and which units to avoid at all costs. My standard IC dread is MG/HF w/ the hammer, and the other IC is MG/HF with the chain fist.

 

So, I aim mostly for armor on first turn. If i can pop a transport, then he's made his points back by slowing down my opponent. If there's no armor to pop first turn, aim for non-melta infantry and pop them with the heavy flamer.

 

 

Here's the list:

 

 

STAY AWAY FROM:

Obliterators (at least 18.01 inches away)

Multi-melta Attack Bikes (at least 24.01 inches away)

Multi-melta infantry (at least 12.01 inches)

Meltagun bikes (at least 18.01 inches)

Meltagun infantry (at least 12.01 inches)

 

(Basically, anything with Melta that you don't have a fair chance of killing on the first shot)

 

 

AIM FOR:

Land Raiders

Leman Russes

Ork BattleWagons

Artillery pieces (Thunderfire, IG Basalisk, etc)

Transports, except if meltagun/MM infantry are inside

Walkers with an Armor Value (Dreads, Defilers, etc)

Any Tau vehicle with the crazy cover save option

 

SECONDARY TARGETS:

Ork/Tyranid hordes/swarms

Infantry w/o MM

 

TERTIARY USES:

Drop the pod in between other terrain pieces to block that pathway from approaching enemy units.

Aim for an objective and sit on it until something comes close.

 

 

REMEMBER:

You can always skip shooting on the 1st turn and pop smoke. Remember, deep striking dreads can RUN and then pop Smoke (Page 72, BRB, 2nd paragraph under "Walkers Shooting".

[Validar]

Awesome points Serion, I'd just add:

So when you land, you'll most likely have to work on the priorities, since you won't be able to avoid all the danger. If you can avoid the meltagunner and the multi melta bike, but have to accept the lascannon and demolisher cannon, then you'll have to take it (since the lascannon would otherwise pop transports and vindicators are just a general destruction, while the melta takes some time to get dangerous)! Normally it won't be as easy, since your opponent looks at your drop-pod dread and spreads out his melta accordingly.

[thade]

You know what I have done? I've run two drop pods.

 

One is the dedicated transport for my melee Dred; he deploys in the drop pod.

 

The other is a dedicated transport for my Devestators; they do NOT deploy in the drop pod.

 

So at the beginning of the game I can decide whether I want the Dred in NOW or if I want to wait on him...in which case, I drop the empty drop pod onto an objective. :)

[Ryjak]

Hmm... I suppose a Drop Pod can contest an objective. Never considered that.

[Biorebel]

I'm glad someone already brought up this thread. I run a Vulkan list with two IC's in drop pods (and a tac in a third for late game point capture and getting them both on in turn 1). But I've been having some issues with them. I notice they tend to fare well against imperial armies, but not so much against xenos. I particularly have issue with those fast eldar bike armies.

 

Do you guys think that 2 IC's is too much for one list? They've destroyed their fair share of Landraiders on turn one, only to frustrate the infantry inside. But then theres always something that can pop them the following turn. I've considered dropping one in exchange for a Sternguard unit in a razorback.

[Ming]

On larger games I've had 2 ICs, and they arrive in separate but nearby pods. I only use ICs that enhance everyone else around them.