Mech BA - More thoughts..

[syypher]

So I have been playing Mech BA since about a week after I started W40k and I love it. Nothing to me is cooler than having a bunch of tank and mechanical vehicles in front of you the way Mech BA does it! I have tried various forms of Mech BA and altered the lists multiple times; from HG drop suicide melta squads, podded DC/furiosos, Landspeeders, Librarian vs Mephiston etc. (Sadly though almost everyone at the shop I play with calls it cheese and always knocks "BA is imbalanced" jokes. It's starting to get annoying... :huh: )

 

One of the things I have found as BAs greatest strength is their assault capabilities. However one of the greatest weaknesses with a Mech BA list is your 5 man RAS squads aren't very assault and you truly give up what BA is known for.

 

Insert Death Co.

 

I usually field a RB of 5 DC and 1 Chap or Reclusiarch. (1PF 1-2PWs) I've even tried Lemartes jumping around behind the DC RB waiting to strike :P This solves my assaulty problem and if their is a unit my opponent has that's fairly strong I have these guys to assault and usually kill them with.

 

Just got a LR:R and might use that with my DC to make a sort of Deathstar army - Thinking of placing just 5x DC and 1x Chap in it though and just giving 4x PW and 1 PF. Since theres only 6 units in it this can give my opponent a sort of fake out. Giving them false thoughts that the unit isn't so deadly. (But 5x PWs swinging @ FC with rerolls on hit and wounds, not much survives that...) Since most LR's hold 10 Termies or 10-15 DCs or something super crazy. My thought is they want to shoot at it, it's not as huge a loss for me as to 10 Termies but if they don't its still a wrecking ball of a unit. Sort of makes a deathstar but not too big of one that will draw too much fire as regular deathstars. Will test this out. Thoughts?

 

Another problem with usual Mech BA lists is lack of anti-AV13/14. Honestly, TL AsC and Las Preds are NOT efficient anti-AV13/14. As much as people want to argue that you could be pumping those shots into something more efficiently. Meltas are probably the only truly reliable way to destroy LRs and the like.

 

This is where Land Speeders come in. Sadly I have not had very much luck with them in anti-AV field. Did you know when a squadron of vehicles (LS in this case) has a vehicle go immobilized it counts as destroyed instead? Ouch. I did not know that. I'm in the process of trying to get Attack Bikes and hopefully remedy this AV13/14 problem I have been so itching to get out of my hair.

 

This really is one of my biggest problems...

vs MEQ we can go Flamestorm Baals or and I have a LR Redeemer with Flamestorm cannons (ouch).

vs CC that can get in my face fast I can get Sang Priests, an awesome force multiplier, and make my 5x man RAS squads a lot deadlier.

vs Horde I can use more Flamers + Fastness of RB's to get more turns maneuvering around the field and abusing the 24" TL AsC range.

vs AV13/14? Land Speeders? They shoot their weak AV10 and immobilize/destroy them and the rest become useless. I can't usually put them in seperate FA slots because I usually run 2 Baals. HG/VV drop squad with meltas? A little expensive for a suicide unit TBH. Going to test attack bikes which was suggested to me by a lot of people here @ BC and other forums. Hopefully this solves the problem.

 

Baal Predators. I have this love hate relationship with them. I love their AV13, but 11 on their sides makes me a sad panda. It's not terribly difficult to get a side shot on a Baal. Not to mention vs MEQ their HB sponsoons feels like they never make back their pts. Having their TL AsC do most of the work I have been thinking I might as well put in another RB with 5 RAS and another TL AsC... Then there goes my 145 pt AV13 wall. That's a lot of points for a wall...

 

Final thought goes to Las Preds. Almost every list chooses either TL AC/ Las sponsoon Preds or Dual TL AC Dreds for their heavy slots. I've only used the Preds for my heavy slots so far and have to say I am very unimpressed. We all love TL right? Nothing on the heavy Pred is TL! It's very pt inefficient to get a TL Las to replace the AC with so that's just out of the question. I have so many times needed that sponsoon to help vs a LR or an annoying Dred that's closing in and it wiffs. With no TL on the Pred it makes me wonder if I made the right choice. Not to mention, on paper it's awesome but in the field, those sponsoons are quite hard to hit with. Since the Pred stays back and the sponsoons are so low to the ground, one of my 4 RB's or 2 Baals usually blocks the LOS at one point in the game...

 

I just purchased 3x AoBR dreds and am going to convert them to TL AC heavy dreds. I can't tell you how excited I am about that. Everyone always pokes at my BA for being "imba" and all that crap but the sole reason I chose them, before I even knew what was competitive and what not was because I love dreadnoughts. They are the coolest looking unit in the entire 40k world to me. When I saw a Furioso for the first time when my friends and I were trying to decide what race to play I was hooked. It had to be BA!

 

 

 

Well there's a huge wall of text for you guys! Thoughts? ;)

[Godhead]

If you have a big wall of mech, bring an assault squad or two with 2x melta. It's fast, you can stick a priest with it help them shrug off small arms fire, and AT fire is largely useless against it. Your sgt can have the IP so technically it can be 3 melta shots.

 

If you can't pop av14 with that I don't know what to say. That still leaves your FA slots for something else. Also your dreads typically pack meltas guns. They do pretty good work busting tanks and if you can assault with them Str 10 is the bomb. You could also consider a tact squad. melta gun and multimelta in a rhino. Or a landraider with a MM. I love POTMS. You can move 12" and still fire the MM. BA's gets LR's as a dedicated xport so it doesn't even affect your FOC.

 

The thing about enemy land raiders is that it typically drives toward you, that only leaves Monoliths and Leman Russ battle tanks. Monoliths typically come down in your face too, so the only really difficult av14 tank to get to would be the Russ. Personally I like the land raider or the jump pack assault squads. Another nice thing about the assault squads is that they can DS in behind the Russ, and they only have av10/11 on the rear, so you should still get the extra die for pen since BA's drop down with decent of angels.

[Emperors Immortals]

I have to agree, with my two TL AC i have shredded my opponents to date.

 

VV are great, but so far DC have done there job and more.

 

Also, i loooove dreads, so i always include at least 2 (incl. DC dread).)

 

 

p.s; i ve been sidelined with my other project - my empire fantasy army.

[syypher]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It's good to hear the dreds have been pleasing to use! I can't wait!

 

I'll try out the assault squad next time. 3 meltas type effects and sang priests should be pretty deadly ;) if that's the case I can save my Fa slot for a 3rd baal

[Rybnick]

Instead of a 3rd Baal I'd go for a could of MM Attack Bikes. I've found that 2 Baal Predators is usually plenty and the 2 AB's are cheaper and another fast threat that MUST be dealt with. I think they pair nicely with dual scouting Baal Pred's Move them fast 1st turn for cover saves then next turn if you're enemy doesn't kill them they can easily get side armor MM shots in on his tanks. I've found MM AB's to be the ultimate LR destroyer.

[syypher]

I'm actually leaning towards the 10x RAS JP'd guys with Meltas and a Priest because it helps give me some assaulty power + a 3rd Baal gets me another AV13 wall. Since my heavy is going to be switching from 2x AV13 Heavy Las Preds to 3x TL AC Dreds I think the 3rd Baal "waal" will be really helpful as a screen to my RBs.

[SamaNagol]

In 1500pts I run 2 vindicators (by far and away the most versatile way of killing armour and infantry in our heavy support section, also they can move 12" and still fire!), 3 separate MM Attack Bikes who can all focus on one target or 3 separate ones. I also have 2 TL AC razorbacks with 6 man meltagun/lightning claw squads. That's my anti armour and I do very well with it as everything is insanely mobile and the whole army can move 12" and still fire at full strength. Everything has Extra Armour to retain that mobility.

 

On top of that I run a small decoy DC unit like yours in a Razorback for cheap, a Librarian and Corbulo in a Rhino with another 6 man squad with melta and a thunder hammer. The Libby Fears and Shields out of the Rhino whilst corbulo force bubbles my squads and takes on basic troops in combat with no fear of dying when placed out of b2b with power weapons.