Defilers in new codex

[minigun762]

After being infatuated with the new demon engines, my eye is coming back to the original giant demon crab.

 

Bad news = a 30% price hike SUCKS!!!! Seriously though, it was a massive jump however I think it might not be as bad as it seems at first glance. The forgefiends, flakk havocs and triple obliterators will all run around the same price.

 

Good news

1) Battle cannons are improved when killing armor thanks to maintaining S8 on all vehicles.

2) Thanks to the foot slogging shift, you have more exposed infantry to blast away.

3) 72" range is a rarity, especially for Chaos.

4) Base 4 attacks on the charge @ S10 should crush tanks just as effectively as a mauler while still maintaining a shooting option (albeit at an increased price).

5) 4 hull points is only matched by land raiders. Coupled with a 5++ save and IWND and you can take a solid pounding from S6-7 weapons.

6) Built in 5++ save compensates for the difficulty of the target to get reliable cover saves.

7) Reaper gives an emergency anti-flyer weapon and TL heavy flamer is solid on overwatch.

8) Ability to take dirge caster on a giant model helps protect unit from overwatch.

9) You will win against most squads that rely only on krak grenades for walker defense. Sure they will typically hit you @ I4 on 3's but only damaging on 6's and then getting past the 5++ save and IWND while you're smacking them with S10 power fists will work on in your favor over time.

 

Challenges

1) WS3 & I3 hurts when fighting MCs, dreadnoughts and TH/SS terminators. You are still a threat but these aren't your #1 targets.

2) AV12 is good enough to stop many multi shot weapons but missiles and lascannons have a fair chance of destroying you with penetrating hits and not stripping hull points.

 

So anyway, I gotta say that my forge fiend might find itself paired up with the defiler in future lists.

[HJL]

looks good.

 

Edit * missunderstood*

[Minsc]

I'm still not impressed by the Defiler - it's roughly ~200 pts for a AV12 Walker, which most likely "only" will fire a battlecannon shot each round.

One lucky S7 shot can kill it outright, not to mention S8, which there seems to be alot of at my LGS.

[Excessus]

I'm still not impressed by the Defiler - it's roughly ~200 pts for a AV12 Walker, which most likely "only" will fire a battlecannon shot each round.

One lucky S7 shot can kill it outright, not to mention S8, which there seems to be alot of at my LGS.

That would be a very lucky shot, and that won't happen very often anyway...besides, you can say that about a land raider as well, a lucky lascannon shot can destroy it(which is worse since your assault units will have to walk up the board now). The 4 HPs and IWND and a 5+ save is nice and makes it durable, and if you pay the extra for the scourge, it also decreases opponents Ws so it might even hit for 3+, and enemies might even have to hit it on 5+! :)