Drop Pod Grey Hunters....

[SamaNagol]

So obviously Grey Hunters in pods are very strong in this iteration of the game. Probably the best use of them in a transport now.

 

What I wanted to know is how are people running them in terms of squad size, and with or without Wolf Guard?

 

I've been trying different permutations and have found that the most versatile load out has been 8 Grey Hunters with a special weapon and a Wolf Banner joined by a Wolf Guard in Terminator armour with a Power Axe and a Combi-weapon in a Pod. It's cheap (which is important as I mainly play 1500) and still very tough and resilient. If I were to go up in points I'd add MOTW to the unit and upgrade the Wolf Guard to a Fist instead of Axe

 

My main question is do people run 10 man squads with no Wolf Guard (leaving them at Ld8) or do they add in a Power Armour Wolf Guard, or even the TDA one like myself? The TDA Wolf Guard is such amazing value. I have no problem sacrificing him in a challenge because he costs practically nothing. Compared to other sergeants with a Power Weapon the difference in cost is negligible but the benefits of the 2+/5++ are huge. Obviously you cannot sweep but the podding Hunters are there to drop on a target and stick there rather than run things down in my view.

 

I just want to hear some different opinions.

[Thorisin]

Love the idea of SW GH dropping onto an objective.  I ran RG a few years ago so the idea of a mobile, reserve oriented army is of interest.

 

I would go with TDA WG because of the low cost and resilience he will have if challenged.  Not able to sweep?  For me that wouldn't be their goal, because I would want them to sit on the objective targeted.    If you wanted an assault option to the squad, then give the WG PA and MotW, you'll ruin people's day for sure.

[SamaNagol]

That's +1 for the TDA WG then. Good stuff

[Grimtooth]

Depends on the role that you want for that pack of GH.

 

If I am wanting that pack to sit on an objective and rapid fire anything coming into range, I am going to stick with the 10 man pack and forgo the WGTDA.  If I am going to have this pack actively seeking targets to kill off, the WGTDA will be invaluable in doing so.  Round peg in round hole with SW in my opinion and GH build options are flexible enough to build to suit.

[Jonny Wolf]

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

GH Pack 1:  9 GH, Plasma Gun, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP - this is nine wolves in the event I want my Rune Priest to ride with them.

 

GH Pack 2-4:  10 GH, Plasma Gun x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

GH Pack 5: 10 GH, Flamer x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

Lone Wolf (Bare Bones) - he's manning my Quad Gun on the Aegis Def Line.

 

Having a lot of success with this little beauty, psychologically.  20 Rapid Fire Marines, Logan, a Rune Priest (with living lightning and jaws) and all that plasma is very disconcerting to most opponents, especially when they realize another 29 Marines are in bound.

[hackziden]

My ultimate Grey Hunter Drop Pod squad looks like this:

 

9 x Grey hunters (135)

1 x Plasma Gun (10)

1 x Power Fist (25)

1 x Mark Of The Wulfen (15)

1 x Wolf Standard (10)

1 x Wolf Guard (18) + Power Fist (20) + Combi-Plasma (5) + Melta-Bombs (5)

1 x Drop Pod (35)

Total = 278 Points

 

This is how the squad works:

the drop pod lands, the hunters disembark...then in the same turn (no assault allowed) they empty EVERY GUN including the combi-plasma into the nearest possible squad that could assault them as this means that they would be relatively safe for a while. Then you have two options, you use the stalwart close combat loadout to assault another squad of foes...or you move a bit further away from the pod (to prevent them exploding it AND you) and then make a stand there...shooting at the enemy, and counter attacking would be assualts.

 

This is how I would field my Grey Hunters, but im only new to space wolves...so I wouldnt know too well, but from reading the rules and codex, this sounds best 

 

hackziden

[hackziden]

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

GH Pack 1:  9 GH, Plasma Gun, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP - this is nine wolves in the event I want my Rune Priest to ride with them.

 

GH Pack 2-4:  10 GH, Plasma Gun x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

GH Pack 5: 10 GH, Flamer x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

Lone Wolf (Bare Bones) - he's manning my Quad Gun on the Aegis Def Line.

 

Having a lot of success with this little beauty, psychologically.  20 Rapid Fire Marines, Logan, a Rune Priest (with living lightning and jaws) and all that plasma is very disconcerting to most opponents, especially when they realize another 29 Marines are in bound.

Why use a powersword? I found this link: http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.com/2009/11/mark-of-wulfen-vs-power-weapon.html and it explains why NOT to use the mark of the wulfen & a power sword....just use the wulfen instead

[DanPesci]

Ive been fielding a combination of GH in pods with and without wolf guard as due to lack of terminator models (and my tendency to always take a TDA lone wolf) i usually cant get TDA WG on all my grey hunter squads.

 

I think both options are viable and as ramses says, 10xGH works well for just podding onto an objective and sitting there. 8 with a WG TDA gives you more options to go and attack other units.

 

If i was taking a 1500 - 2000 point drop pod list, id probably run my core troops as:

 

GHx10, Banner, Wulfen, Flamerx2, Drop Pod

GHx10, Banner, Wulfen, M.Gun, Plasma gun, Drop Pod

GHx8, Plasma Gun, Wulfen, 1x TDA WG - C.plas/P.fist, Drop Pod

GHx8, Melta Gun, Wulfen, 1x TDA WG - C.melta/C.fist, Drop Pod

 

Id drop the first two on turn one, hopefully on mid table objectives, the other two then come in hopefully pretty fast, and accurately enough to go where theyre needed.

 

 

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

Am i right in thinking here that you're running logan in the pod with the long fangs? Id thought about doing a similar thing myself (my logan model goes woefully unused but we hopefully have a big apocalypse game coming up).

[DanPesci]

Why use a powersword? I found this link: http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.com/2009/11/mark-of-wulfen-vs-power-weapon.html and it explains why NOT to use the mark of the wulfen & a power sword....just use the wulfen instead

 

Especially now a power sword is only AP3, whereas a rending hit is AP2. Of course you could take axes, but the wulfen would still strike at I4 with the potential for downing terminators. (especially if youve thrown a standard in there too)

[hackziden]

 

Why use a powersword? I found this link: http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.com/2009/11/mark-of-wulfen-vs-power-weapon.html and it explains why NOT to use the mark of the wulfen & a power sword....just use the wulfen instead

 

Especially now a power sword is only AP3, whereas a rending hit is AP2. Of course you could take axes, but the wulfen would still strike at I4 with the potential for downing terminators. (especially if youve thrown a standard in there too)

exactly, I know this....and I bought my first pack of space wolves on saturday, It was a box of grey hunters, built with the loadout above...and i somehow managed to rip the legs off of two crap models i had and built a wolf lord with lightening claw and stormshield, and a rune priest :)

 

the only problem now is: i have about a hundred CSM and bloodangels in the garage, i got told to paint them up again (they were my first and second army, badly painted) before i get more wolves...this saves me money i guess, but i still cant get any wolves for a while :(

[Jonny Wolf]

Ive been fielding a combination of GH in pods with and without wolf guard as due to lack of terminator models (and my tendency to always take a TDA lone wolf) i usually cant get TDA WG on all my grey hunter squads.

 

I think both options are viable and as ramses says, 10xGH works well for just podding onto an objective and sitting there. 8 with a WG TDA gives you more options to go and attack other units.

 

If i was taking a 1500 - 2000 point drop pod list, id probably run my core troops as:

 

GHx10, Banner, Wulfen, Flamerx2, Drop Pod

GHx10, Banner, Wulfen, M.Gun, Plasma gun, Drop Pod

GHx8, Plasma Gun, Wulfen, 1x TDA WG - C.plas/P.fist, Drop Pod

GHx8, Melta Gun, Wulfen, 1x TDA WG - C.melta/C.fist, Drop Pod

 

Id drop the first two on turn one, hopefully on mid table objectives, the other two then come in hopefully pretty fast, and accurately enough to go where theyre needed.

 

 

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

Am i right in thinking here that you're running logan in the pod with the long fangs? Id thought about doing a similar thing myself (my logan model goes woefully unused but we hopefully have a big apocalypse game coming up).

Yes, Logan gives them relentless for the turn they arrive.

 

Additionally, your opponent is staring at Logan with Plasma Cannons and / or 20 Marines...gives him a lot to think about when targeting which unit to destroy.

[hackziden]

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/270917-1000-points-drop-pod-assault/?do=findComment&comment=3303108

 

Read that, i know im the only one that commdnted on my own post so far, but that gives an example of a way to use grey hunters in a drop pod with a functioning army

[Loki-LaughingDeath]

Okay this is the unit that I like to use for assassination runs, objective recovery/denial and generally making a nuisance of themselves! 

 

10 Grey Hunters with 2 Plasma guns a Wolf Standard and 1 Wolf Bitten in the Pod. 

 

For the most part I tend to use these guys for assassination and denial.  Drop them in close and rapid fire the living bejezzus out of your target.  More often than not they will trigger a charge response.... unless you are facing off against a Tau or another fire power based army at which point you have to weather the storm and respond.  I like to play an agressive style forcing my opponent to react to me instead of reacting to them.  The really great thing about a Pod is the internal guidance, which allows you to drop in crowded terrain so that you can have a better chance of placing your pack where they are most needed. 

[KGatch113]

Played in a 1999 tournament this weekend, my 3rd opponent was a drop pod wolf army.

 

He had 1 squad with a melta gun and a combi melta on the wolf guard, 2 squads had plasma gun and combi plas. All the squads had banners and power axes.

 

And, all 3 had rune priests with runic armor. These guys made the army tough on the drop. Granted, he jawsed my Njal who not only rolled a 1 on his runic staff but then a 6 on his Init test...But the firepower those squads put out on the drop was outstanding.

 

Now, had Logan not been killed by Overwatch, the game might have swung in my favor, but the army was impressive. He took guard allies and had some Long Fangs hanging back, and I think those were a mistake....More wolves coming down would have been solid.

[pedrogzc]

I think that the configuration of the droppoding squads depends on the number of pods you are using.

 

I only have experience with 3 pods armies. If you run a full droppoding or even a single pod army, the concept may be different.

 

I started running 3 GH droppoding squads with all the shiny bits (two plasma or melta gun, banner, wulfen, sometimes power weapon, other times power axe or even fist)

 

Next, seeing that they always got battered before swinging any blow, opted for arming them only with the 2 special guns

 

Now, I leave the heavy plasmacide or meltacide to two wolfguard squad: 5 men with 5 combi plasma and 4 combi melta. They always die with their boots on... Their role is to obliterate targets too difficult for the rest of the army ie  Heavy artillery sitting in the back of the table, obliterators, defilers, heavy infantry crazy enough to move out of cover, etc.

 

The third pod is 7 or 8 GH with a flamer and a TDA guard with heavy flamer. The role is clear an objetive and capture it if possible.

 

The rest of the army should be fast enough to support your podding attack. Otherwise you'll end broke in two halves.

[Grimfoe]

 

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

GH Pack 1:  9 GH, Plasma Gun, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP - this is nine wolves in the event I want my Rune Priest to ride with them.

 

GH Pack 2-4:  10 GH, Plasma Gun x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

GH Pack 5: 10 GH, Flamer x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

Lone Wolf (Bare Bones) - he's manning my Quad Gun on the Aegis Def Line.

 

Having a lot of success with this little beauty, psychologically.  20 Rapid Fire Marines, Logan, a Rune Priest (with living lightning and jaws) and all that plasma is very disconcerting to most opponents, especially when they realize another 29 Marines are in bound.

Why use a powersword? I found this link: http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.com/2009/11/mark-of-wulfen-vs-power-weapon.html and it explains why NOT to use the mark of the wulfen & a power sword....just use the wulfen instead

I think you want both.  Why limit yourself to just the MOTW?  I like having that model as well as the powersword.  They're both very effective, and with the new rules on movement at initiative steps, you can move them to where they will do the most damage when there are multiple armor types, toughnesses, etc.

 

 

For the record, I've run the GH with 10 men in a pod.  2 plasma guns, 1 motw, 1 powersword.  I give the Wolf Standard to the PS model.

[Jonny Wolf]

That's exactly how I run my list, Brother Grimfoe (when I can squeeze the points for a banner that is).

[Grimfoe]

That's exactly how I run my list, Brother Grimfoe (when I can squeeze the points for a banner that is).

What do you think about running a smaller squad?  I was thinking 2 10 man squads as we discussed and a third squad of 5 or so to stay home and hold objectives.  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.  It seems like I always have a squad of 10 wasting points holding an objective in my deployment and never seeing any real action.

[DanPesci]

I think you want both.  Why limit yourself to just the MOTW?  I like having that model as well as the powersword.  They're both very effective, and with the new rules on movement at initiative steps, you can move them to where they will do the most damage when there are multiple armor types, toughnesses, etc.

 

 

For the record, I've run the GH with 10 men in a pod.  2 plasma guns, 1 motw, 1 powersword.  I give the Wolf Standard to the PS model.

 

For me, running all my GH squads with both the PS and MotW is too many points, if i take a squad with both, its usually the squad that accompanies a rune priest or wolf priest for extra killyness

 

each to their own though ;)

[hackziden]

 

 

I'm currently running an 1,850 Drop Pod list:

 

Logan

Rune Priest - Runic Armor

Long Fang - 3x Plasma Cannon, 2x Melta, Pack Leader, DP

 

GH Pack 1:  9 GH, Plasma Gun, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP - this is nine wolves in the event I want my Rune Priest to ride with them.

 

GH Pack 2-4:  10 GH, Plasma Gun x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

GH Pack 5: 10 GH, Flamer x2, Power Sword, Wulfen, DP

 

Lone Wolf (Bare Bones) - he's manning my Quad Gun on the Aegis Def Line.

 

Having a lot of success with this little beauty, psychologically.  20 Rapid Fire Marines, Logan, a Rune Priest (with living lightning and jaws) and all that plasma is very disconcerting to most opponents, especially when they realize another 29 Marines are in bound.

Why use a powersword? I found this link: http://space-wolves-grey.blogspot.com/2009/11/mark-of-wulfen-vs-power-weapon.html and it explains why NOT to use the mark of the wulfen & a power sword....just use the wulfen instead

I think you want both.  Why limit yourself to just the MOTW?  I like having that model as well as the powersword.  They're both very effective, and with the new rules on movement at initiative steps, you can move them to where they will do the most damage when there are multiple armor types, toughnesses, etc.

 

 

For the record, I've run the GH with 10 men in a pod.  2 plasma guns, 1 motw, 1 powersword.  I give the Wolf Standard to the PS model.

The reason I never use the power sword and the mark of the Wulfen is due to the fact that instead of a power sword, I always take a powerfist instead. I know that this is way more expensive than a power sword at 25 points instead of 15, but then I have some added anti-tank/heavy infantry close combat weaponry.

 

The power sword does not provide me with the anti-tank power i need, and so I feel like the better option for me in this situation is to use the MOTW and a PF to add the optimal strength to my unit

 

hackziden

[Grimfoe]

I can see that, but I just don't like giving a powerfist to a model with only 1 attack.  Seems a waste.  I'd rather include a WGPL if I was to do that.  Maybe give him combi-plasma to compensate somewhat for lost firepower, but then you're getting up there in points, again. 

[Jonny Wolf]

 

That's exactly how I run my list, Brother Grimfoe (when I can squeeze the points for a banner that is).

What do you think about running a smaller squad?  I was thinking 2 10 man squads as we discussed and a third squad of 5 or so to stay home and hold objectives.  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.  It seems like I always have a squad of 10 wasting points holding an objective in my deployment and never seeing any real action.

It's a double edged sword, brother:

 

Pro: On the one hand, you've got a smaller squad dedicated to holding that objective - ergo, more points to spend elsewhere.

 

Cons:

1.  In the event you need a more robust squad holding that objective, you'll wish you had ten wolves.

2. What if you need to flex (the mission doesn't require you to use the 5 wolf pack) and you want them doing something else drop pod wise, that's a weak pack to put down anywhere.

3. If you're making 5 wolf packs, each with a drop pod (35pts), that's a lot of 35pts your spreading around.

4. Ultimately, a 5 wolf drop pod pack isn't resilient enough (in my opinion) to contest and/or hold objectives if seriously pressed.  Whereas a 10 wolf pack can at least (typically) surive a round or two of shooting & combat.

 

I can see that, but I just don't like giving a powerfist to a model with only 1 attack.  Seems a waste.  I'd rather include a WGPL if I was to do that.  Maybe give him combi-plasma to compensate somewhat for lost firepower, but then you're getting up there in points, again. 

Agreed.

[Rift Blade]

My luck with Drop Pods has been mixed. I have 6 & have played all drop pod & partial drop pod including Logan Wing. I like having WGPL in all my GH Packs & have found a mix of PA & TDA seems to work best. A WGPL gun slinger is handy as well as a RP if you are bringing 3 pods in the 1st turn, especially against Eldar & other Psychic strong armies.