Help me use my Wolf Scouts

[MalachiOfRuss]

So, I've played a few games of 6th edition now but one thing I'm struggling with his how to use Wolf Scouts to best effect now. Now that they can't assault from reserve, they need to be used a lot more tactically. I've already made the adjustment to my list to drop the Power Fist from the WG with them as there's not much opportunity to use it. I thought I'd use my last game as a little "case study" and see if some of my Wolf Brothers here at the Fang can impart me with some wisdom.

I was playing a 1500 point game against Sisters of Battle. I'll summarize the two lists below for full context for people. However, I am not looking for list advice - I want this to be a discussion about tactics. It may also be important to note that this was on a 48" x 48" table.

Here is a crude diagram of the battlefield. The ruins in opposite corners were quite tall and had a commanding view. The red dots are the 5 objectives. This was the Big Guns mission so Heavies were scoring. I was Night Fight Turn 1, so I used an empty Rhino to searchlight the Exorcist and blow it up. On his turn my LF squad on the left got search lighted and the Retributors shot killing 3. The two Rhinos in the middle moved up 12" and popped there Smoke. At the start of Turn 2 the Wolf Scouts arrive, and after a reroll I can put them on any table edge I want. Where should the Wolf Scouts go? What should be my thinking for using them most effectively in this situation? I'm also open to suggestions on doing something different with them other than Outlfanking (gasp). Suggestions?

EDIT: I'll put in here that my Wolf Scouts are 5 strong with a Meltagun and attached WG with Combi-melta and meltabombs.

[MalachiOfRuss]

Here are the lists from the above battle.

 

Space Wolves List

Rune Priest

Bolt Pistol, Jaws of the World Wolf, Living Lightning, Power Armour, Runic Weapon

 

Wolf Lord

2x Fenrisian Wolf , Runic Armour, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer , Thunderwolf Mount , Wolf Tail Talisman, Wolftooth Necklace

 

Wolf Guard Pack

Wolf Guard - Close Combat Weapon, Combi Melta, Melta Bombs , Power Armour

Wolf Guard - Bolt Pistol, Frost Blade, Power Armour

Wolf Guard - Combi Melta, Power Armour, Power Fist

 

Wolf Scouts

5x Wolf Scout - 4x Bolt Pistol, 5x Close Combat Weapon, Meltagun

 

Grey Hunters Pack

7x Grey Hunter, Mark of the Wulfen , Meltagun, Rhino, Wolf Standard

Grey Hunters Pack

7x Grey Hunter , Mark of the Wulfen, Plasma Gun, Rhino, Wolf Standard

Grey Hunters Pack

5x Grey Hunter, Flamer, Razorback Twin-linked Heavy Bolter

 

 

Thunderwolf Cavalry - Frost Blade, Storm Shield

Thunderwolf Cavalry - Storm Shield

 

Long Fangs Pack - 2x Lascannon, 3x Missile Launcher

Long Fangs Pack - 2x Heavy Bolter, 3x Missile Launcher

 

Sisters of Battle (from memory)

Saint Celestine with Seraphim, melta pistols (about 6)

Uriah Jacobus with Death Cult Assassins (about 6) in Rhino

 

3x Battle Sisters with Multi-melta, meltagun, combi-melta in Rhino

 

Repentia squad (5) with Mistriss

 

Retributors with Heavy Bolters

 

Exorcist (destroyed in Turn 1)

 

EDIT: Dominions - 5 strong with 2x meltagun in Immolator with TL MM (outflanking)

[Quillen]

Straight in the back of the board and right into the retributers. This forces her to throw the repenters into the fray there and lets you move that Cav right in his face. That's just me thou. I love tieing up Ranged with scouts. It makes them all nervous and if you have the right squad you might just own them. Weaker strength and less attacks.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

well, without outflanking/OBEL the Scouts they are a waste of an elite slot.

 

what i've turned my Scouts into is a devi/headhunting unit, equipped as such:

 

5 strong

2 plasma pistols

1 plasma gun

1 MotW (he's too cool not to take)

and a Wolf Guard with dual plasma pistols.

 

this gives the unit 6 plasma shots when they emerge, along with a lil bolt pistol fire.

 

in the case above i would drop them as close to the seraphim as possible and vape the unit. (well, not vape, but certainly compromise its effectiveness) while the rest of my army goes for the other half the table.

 

WLK

[Grimtooth]

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

[MalachiOfRuss]

Straight in the back of the board and right into the retributers. This forces her to throw the repenters into the fray there and lets you move that Cav right in his face. That's just me thou. I love tieing up Ranged with scouts. It makes them all nervous and if you have the right squad you might just own them. Weaker strength and less attacks.

Sorry, it's not clear in the diagram but the Retributors were up a few floors in that ruin. I could have gotten close in that direction, certainly, and that probably would have drawn out the Repentia, if he didn't just pile out the Sisters squad in the back and Rapid Fire them all to death.

 

 

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

Yeah, I had identified those as the two high priority targets. I don't think I would've done significant damage to the Seraphim with the Scouts. Looking back I probably should have put the Scouts into the Rhino with the DCA. I think in the game I didn't do that because I was planning on hitting that with the Long Fangs. However, it probably would have still been a good plan to pop that Rhino so that I could start shooting the DCA with the Long Fangs (and maybe assault them with the TWC) or use the Long Fangs to knock down the Retributors some more.

[Grimtooth]

Straight in the back of the board and right into the retributers. This forces her to throw the repenters into the fray there and lets you move that Cav right in his face. That's just me thou. I love tieing up Ranged with scouts. It makes them all nervous and if you have the right squad you might just own them. Weaker strength and less attacks.

Sorry, it's not clear in the diagram but the Retributors were up a few floors in that ruin. I could have gotten close in that direction, certainly, and that probably would have drawn out the Repentia, if he didn't just pile out the Sisters squad in the back and Rapid Fire them all to death.

 

 

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

Yeah, I had identified those as the two high priority targets. I don't think I would've done significant damage to the Seraphim with the Scouts. Looking back I probably should have put the Scouts into the Rhino with the DCA. I think in the game I didn't do that because I was planning on hitting that with the Long Fangs. However, it probably would have still been a good plan to pop that Rhino so that I could start shooting the DCA with the Long Fangs (and maybe assault them with the TWC) or use the Long Fangs to knock down the Retributors some more.

 

With you loadout, you would have been hardpressed to do significant damage to Celestine/Seraphim. Plus they are going to run you down pretty quick. However, making Uriah and the DCA footslog would have effectively taken them out of the game. The secondary effect could have been the SoB player having to hold back some forces to deal with the Wolf Scouts.

[Valerian]

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

 

Agreed with Brother Ramses, here, and of those two units I believe you would be most effective in applying your Scouts against the DCA. First, they are in the Rhino, and it will prove exceptionally helpful for you to Melta up their ride, forcing them onto foot with their very poor saves, and putting them at the mercy of your Long Fangs. Putting them against the Saraphim would get you less "bang for the buck".

 

V

[Grimtooth]

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

 

Agreed with Brother Ramses, here, and of those two units I believe you would be most effective in applying your Scouts against the DCA. First, they are in the Rhino, and it will prove exceptionally helpful for you to Melta up their ride, forcing them onto foot with their very poor saves, and putting them at the mercy of your Long Fangs. Putting them against the Saraphim would get you less "bang for the buck".

 

V

 

But that would be with his current loadout. Loading up on plasma and suddenly that Seraphim squad starts to vanish quite quickly. Albeit also with the rear armor on the DCA rhino and ap2 bump on the damage chart, Uriah and DCA would have been pretty hurt in an explosion.

[Grimtooth]

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

 

Agreed with Brother Ramses, here, and of those two units I believe you would be most effective in applying your Scouts against the DCA. First, they are in the Rhino, and it will prove exceptionally helpful for you to Melta up their ride, forcing them onto foot with their very poor saves, and putting them at the mercy of your Long Fangs. Putting them against the Saraphim would get you less "bang for the buck".

 

V

 

But that would be with his current loadout. Loading up on plasma and suddenly that Seraphim squad starts to vanish quite quickly. Albeit also with the rear armor on the DCA rhino and ap2 bump on the damage chart, Uriah and DCA would have been pretty hurt in an explosion.

[Valerian]

The two units the SoB players wants in YOUR lines are the Celestine/Seraphim Squad and the Uriah/DCA rhino. I would use the Wolf Scouts to put one of those two units out of action while your TWC and Lord chew up the other.

 

Agreed with Brother Ramses, here, and of those two units I believe you would be most effective in applying your Scouts against the DCA. First, they are in the Rhino, and it will prove exceptionally helpful for you to Melta up their ride, forcing them onto foot with their very poor saves, and putting them at the mercy of your Long Fangs. Putting them against the Saraphim would get you less "bang for the buck".

 

V

 

But that would be with his current loadout. Loading up on plasma and suddenly that Seraphim squad starts to vanish quite quickly. Albeit also with the rear armor on the DCA rhino and ap2 bump on the damage chart, Uriah and DCA would have been pretty hurt in an explosion.

 

True, but he did say he wanted a tactics discussion, and not a list discussion. If he did go for that plasma-heavy unit, then he probably could make short work of those Seraphim.

[MalachiOfRuss]

Plasma heavy is an interesting option, but it significantly increases the cost of the Wolf Scout unit which is still essentially a suicide unit. If I'd had them loaded with Plasma I probably would have had them come on the left board edge and shoot the Repentia; plasma negates their Feel No Pain (at S7) leaving them with just their 6++. An army like Sisters of Battle is not an ideal one for the Wolf Scouts since (after the Exorcist is gone) there are no "prime" targets for their kind of attack. I think in studying the situation now, the best choice would have been the Rhino with the DCA. In the game I did Immobilize it with my Long Fangs on Turn 2, but had I Immobilized or Exploded it with the Wolf Scouts I could've done something else with the Long Fangs, like shoot the exposed DCA or the Retributors.

[WG Vrox]

If I had them to play in your game I would have brought them on as support for the TWC unit. Whatever you planned to hit with them was where I would place them on the reserve roll. Due to over-watch, random assault lengths and ruin rules they no longer a viable stand alone strike unit.

 

A plasma scout squad is expensive and personally I am not in favor of putting a plasma anything on a 4+ save 30 point model. Those overheat rolls add up for me real quick and loosing that 30 point model before he even gets shot at is a big bummer.

 

The only reason I would bring scouts is if I have a Wolf Priest giving re-rolls; then I would go all out with the plasma squad as described by others. Runic Armor and PP on the WP. Try to come out where you could both hit a unit hard and find cover for the +1 save bonus Hunter gives.

 

The advantage a scout squad gives that a GH unit does not is the extra Plasma Pistol as well as the extra dice roll to move through cover. Other than that I just don't see a reason to take wolf scouts in 6th.

 

Vrox