Army Set up Question

[Barzyn]

So i gots question for ya'll, what units would you use as a fast attack choice (besides bikers) Would you actually use a squad of raptors/warp talons in a foot slogging army or a heldrake be a better choice? i'm kinda stumped atm on what to use as fast attack choice other than a squad of 5 bikers (but i don't know how to equip the bikers though) so that be another question on how would you equp a unit of 5 nurgle bikers?. I narrowed down the heavy choices to using a squad of obliterators and a forge fiend. i'm just struggling with Fast attack atm though. Guess i could see equipping a squad of bikes with melta guns and go tank hunting, or equiping them with plasma guns and go troop hunting or maybe a combination of both. What ya'll think? Any advice would help me out a ton.

[Circus Nurgling]

Either of those options, work, but mostly I'd go with melta, since you can get in range quick and the melta can do a lot more damage to more than just vehicles.

 

Another option is Spawn with MoN (so they can't be insta-killed) or Blight Drones (assuming you're not going to tournaments often). I've heard a lot of bad things about Warp Talons, but haven't looked at those or raptors enough to offer an opinion on either.

[Barzyn]

i will prolly just end up going with bikes, and yeah melta's can do alot of dmg to regular troops too especially terminators, so might just go with two 5 man bike squads at higher pts cost. i don't know if they actually run tournaments where i go now, i forgot to ask, they play by tournament rules though i think, so what you see is what you get deal, so if they do run tournaments i need actual plague marine models now (ugh) i so do not like the fine cast models much. i doubt i'd use warp talons, i like regular raptors more but they more designed for cc army though.

[Kelanen]

Talons are great models, but abysmal rules.

 

You can always pick up cheapish Plague Marines on eBay. I greatly prefer metal to finecast or plastic, and most of my armies are all metal. I also prefer the previous plague marines with spiky helmets and gas masks, so I always get the older ones.

[Chaeron]

Enjoying the Heldrake, certainly.

 

Bikes are very positive - and Raptors are the only other viable option.

[Plague Dave]

so if they do run tournaments i need actual plague marine models now (ugh)

 

You shouldn't have to get the Plague Marine models so long as you're using CSM models properly equipped, and perhaps painted in a clear, Nurgley fashion. I know I've got two actual Plague Marine model squads, but another is converted standard CSM, and another is the Forge World Death Guard upgrades. It really doesn't matter much.

 

Just make sure you clearly distinguish Plague Marines from standard CSM somehow if you're running both in a list.

[Barzyn]

i actually dont' know yet, i have to ask tomorrow when i go, wouldn't mind having the plague marine models cuz i like those models but man they are expensive. i'm trying to figure out how to put a melta gun on a chaos biker atm, when i don't have extra melta guns at hand, so will either have to order a thing of melta guns or see if i can proxy em so i can use my bikers when i get the other 4. the bikers dont' come with special wpns sprues to change their options to show they have different wpns than close combat/bolt pistol wpns

[compgeek1602]

Raptors are very, very good, especially with MoN, and I'm not exactly sure why there's all this hate for warp talons, as they aren't so bad as to be labeled 'abysmal.' Although, I will be the first to admit that they are not the most cost-efficient unit in the new codex. However, having a 3+/5++ and lightning claws, plus being able to move 12" and then charge is still amazing, no matter what you say. They are a little too expensive, but nobody complains about vanguard, and raptors put vanguard to absolute SHAME, points-wise, so I'm still not understanding the hate. A unit of 10 Warp Talons with MoN and VotLW are 400 points, which is hefty. However, a unit of vanguard with the exact same load-out, that lack the extra toughness, 5+ invul, and re-rolls against other sm's, btw, are 610 points. They may get an extra attack, but that does not make up for an extra 210 points. There is no contest there, folks. For what they get, they are absolutely amazing. They just need to be used right and can get expensive. So please, do not call them 'abysmal'. Just say they are too expensive for your taste.

 

For setting up your army, I'd say go with what fits your style of list. Heldrakes are amazing, and that's what I run, but raptors are a great choice, especially with how cheap they are now, and spawn are actually useable in this edition, as they move 12" and are T6 with nurgle. Not to mention, the ability to have some different cool effects from their mutation table is very, very cool. Bikers of course, are absolutely amazing in this codex, as they are dirt cheap now and having T6 models that can carry melta guns, which is your best choice BTW, is awesome. Warp Talons are not garbage, but ARE expensive, and so require a different mentality to be used correctly. Essentially, Warp Talons WILL take inordinate amounts of fire because they will be feared, and are expensive, so opponents want you to lose a hefty chunk of your points quickly. Plan for this accordingly, and either be extremely aggressive with them, supporting them with infantry that follow in their wake, or keep them in reserve to drop in a position where they can be again be supported, allowing the distraction they will create to give breathing space to your ground pounders. Warp Talons, bikers, spawn, and raptors make great diversionary units, as they will draw large amounts of fire, while absorbing it pretty well, due to their high toughness. Heldrakes also do this, right after you smoke a devastator squad after ripping two hull points off your opponent's flyer. Opponents tend to pay attention when one model wreaks that kind of havoc the turn it comes on the board.

 

So, if you want something to take the attention off your infantry, run some spawn or warp talons. if you want something that rips everything it touches apart while absorbing a shocking amount of your opponent's firepower, take a heldrake. if you want a little super-tough anti-tank unit that just runs around being unutterably annoying, take bikers. if you want something that can support your infantry very well by being flexible and fast, while still being able to take out tanks, take raptors.

[Serricus]

Enjoying the Heldrake, certainly.

 

Bikes are very positive - and Raptors are the only other viable option.

 

This.

 

For nurgle themed army bikes are your best bet. Give the squad some meltas, pweapon and melta bombs on champ (gift if you can afford it). Raptors are ok but bikes are so cheap (even with MoN) and much more manueverable/survivable that unless you hate bikes they are clearly better.

 

The drake is a solid choice as well with the baleflamer. Run it as Meq killer not anti-flyer and you will not be dissappointed. I try to run 1 w/ a 5 man bike squad and if I have the points double up on the drake.

 

Spawn are fun but I feel are better served as an escort to a jugger lord than a stand alone MoN fast attack. Warp talons cost too much for what they do. You will get use out of them, the question is will it be worth what you payed.

[Kelanen]

Blight Drones and Bikers are the best choices, and the only one for a Tally list.

 

Heldrakes are really quite good if you don't need the mark, and Raptors and Spawn are both okay.

 

2 spawn make a great escort for Typhus giving a majority Toughness 6, and 6 extra wounds.

[Barzyn]

yeah in my 1250 list i run with 3 plague marine squads, 5 bikers, a terminator squad a terminator lord and a sorcerer lvl 3 (when i get all my stuff together) and i actually get the bikers. i do not have the power wpn or melta bombs on my biker in my 1250 list though. Heldrake would be nice to take though also, so would a raptor squad. i don't know if i'd use spawn, as i do not own typhus atm and if i used typhus i'd put him in squad with my terminators so i can deep strike them all at one time though. I actually played my first game today in 15 yrs. 800 pts, so i had chaos lord, with cc wpn, bolt pistol, power armor and aura of dark glory mon. a lvl 2 sorcerer with force sword, botl pistol, aura of dark glory. then i had 2 squads of plague marines. 7 man squads with a melta gun in both squads, then i had my 5 terminators , 2 power axes 2 power fists 1 chain fist, two combi melta's 2 combi bolters 1 reaper auto cannon. I was playing against necrons. his entire unit was equal to my entire army lol he had a unit of 20 warriors with lord (my entire army was 21 models total). then he had his overlord and squad of 10 immortals with lord. he went first but i seized the initiative before start of game so i went first. 2nd turn my terminators came in, deep striked them right behind his warrior unit (cuz i was gonna plan to charge them into him) so he shot at my terminators then moved his unit forward out of charge range, while he charged into my terminator unit with his scarabs (took 2 turns to kill 5 scarabs) so that tied up my termiantors. so he launced his attack on my sorcerer's unti of plague marines since they were closest to the objective he had to take. so around turn 5 , i had 2 pm's and my sorcerer left in that unit. he decided to rapid fire with his remaining warriors bout 15 or 16 of em left along with his lord. so the end of game, but we went an extra turn, so i shot with my 2 pm's and sorcerer, and my 3 remaining terminators into his squad , didn't kill a single one. my full unit with my chaos lord and 7 plaguemarines, charged his unit of warriors. dueled his lord with my lord, obliterated his lord, so he couldn't attack back, so rolled on chaos boon charge i got the crusader special rule boon. i won combat by 3 . he rolls leadership, fails his leader ship with roll of 8. then we roll to see if i run him down. he rolls a 1, with initiative 2 for total of 3, i roll a 1 with initiative 5 for total of 6, then rolled extra d3 for sweeping advance , extra 3 inches so i gots total of 9, i obliterated his unit with my sweeping advance. which i drew first blood so i got 1 pt for that. i held my objective in my side of the table so got 3 pts for that, he held his objective so he got total of 3 pts. so i won the game 4 -3. was close fought battle but what really hurt him is Wpn Virus, i had wpn virus and enfeeble as my sorcerer powers. the wpn virus totally screwed with him cuz he was rolling alot of one's to hit me