Vanilla Stormravens - strategies & tactics

[Giga]

Alright, it's official. Death From the Skies is available for advance order and stormravens are now available to both black templars & vanilla marines. You can even find them in the army products list on GW's site. This makes me a happy chapter master. It also makes me want to brainstorm this to no end. 

 

So far I see three obvious uses for the stormraven.

 

- deathstar assault transport - put an ironclad dread & 5-6 hammernators inside, kill off the opponent's interceptor guns before stormraven arrives, and wreak serious close combat havoc in turn 3. 

 

- troops transport - put a full tactical squad or a combat squad inside, maybe add a dreadnought as support, so you can basically claim any objective or bolster any position you want

 

- dedicated flyer-hunter - stormraven is awesome at murdering other fliers with its multimelta & missiles, so this is pretty explanatory, add a stormtalon to escort it and you'll rule the skies

 

This also makes me wonder about dreads. Let's say I want to keep my options open, that I don't want a dedicated assault dread, but I still want a dread that can do some assaulting-from-a-stormraven if needed. I'm thinking a bog standard multimelta dread with heavy flamer, or doing something unusual like autocannon/dccw dread, or even missile/dccw dread, so he can serve both the assault and the long-range shooty tasks, depending on situation. 

 

Discuss.

[company veteran]

This is awesome news for you guys..its a great unit. just remember that when you hover to drop off your assaulting units your raven is prob gonna go bye bye.

 

also you guys get 'stormstrike missiles'... whatever they may be.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

I'll get one, and find a use for it somewhere.  But I'm still going to keep my Storm Talon.  That way, I can Escort the Raven and get both flyers on in one turn.  Only one can be Intercepted by an AA gun, and it gives me multiple skyfire options.  It also gives me an excuse to revive my Sentinel Clave (aka Honor Guard Squad) now that we have an adequate delivery unit.

[Aqui]

I'm considering one... The ability to drop a Dread directly over an enemies head is far too tempting, plus I like the model a lot. Still at £50 plus £20 for the Death from the skies book, it'll be a fair while until I actually get one (My wallet actually screamed at me to stay the feth away from it )

[Azash]

Alright, it's official. Death From the Skies is available for advance order and stormravens are now available to both black templars & vanilla marines. You can even find them in the army products list on GW's site. This makes me a happy chapter master. It also makes me want to brainstorm this to no end. 

 

So far I see three obvious uses for the stormraven.

 

- deathstar assault transport - put an ironclad dread & 5-6 hammernators inside, kill off the opponent's interceptor guns before stormraven arrives, and wreak serious close combat havoc in turn 3. 

 

Discuss.

 

This is really tempting but that's  ALLOT of eggs in one basket.

 

200 pt Storm Raven

200 pt Terminator Squad

150+ pt Dreadnaught

 

Then if you throw an HQ in there (not sure what the exact transport capacity for infantry models on the storm raven) and you have 700+ points all bundled up together. If your Storm Raven lawn darts it from an icarus las cannon or getting glanced to death by a combo of Flakk Missiles and a Quad Gun or some other combo of flier death (a flight of Valkyries) on the turn it comes in (interceptor for the win!) or even the turn after it arrives everyone is taking a str 10 hit no armor saves allowed. That would devastate any army list or strategy.

 

Another down side of this is say your running a 1500 pt game or a 1750 pt game...that's 50+ percent of your army that has to start in reserves. A bad reserve roll or two and any models starting on the table are gonna be in for a rough go.

 

The upside is obvious though as C:SM has some of the best Death Star out there. The idea of a squad of Assault Terminators piling out of Storm Raven on turn 3 being lead by Vulkan while a double heavy flamer Ironclad piles out the back is about as awesome of a Death Start fantasy as a C;SM player could have. It is powerful enough to be an "I win button" but if it goes south on you....oh man it could really go south on you quick.

[Captain Idaho]

Storm Shield Terminaters aren't as vulnerable to being blown out of the air though.

 

My biggest problem with the Storm Raven is it's forced Reserve deployment. You're looking at a turn 3 Assault every game at best. A Land Raider is less vulnerable to many armies and can deliver it's cargo turn 2 potentially, and lay down firepower from turn 1. Not to mention it's destruction not being terminal for the embarked unit.

 

However if you got second turn then you can shoot down 2 fliers in a single turn and when it works the Storm Raven is unstoppable.

 

I'm nervous about getting one but am interested in this thread to educate me. Do people have experience to allay my fears?

[DarkGuard]

If I use it it would see use with my Honour Guard, allowing them to get to where they need to be while being a reactionary move against certain units, which is something it does better than the Land Raider. If I had a Dread as well, I'd stick it on, but I doubt I'd put that many eggs in one basket.

 

Plus, it's just a better flyer than the Storm Talon.

[Captain Idaho]

I am tempted. Would be nice to shoot down a few opposing fliers too. Just so worried about it getting shot down before the squad inside can be deployed.

 

How often does this happen in people's games, my BA and GK friends?

[company veteran]

i play blood angels..and i find it to be an awesome unit.

 

it always gets destroyed after dropping troops off tho..before then i have found it quite survivable.. just dont forget to jink.

 

there is also merit in running it with no passengers and just using it as a gunship...it has plenty firepower for the job.

[Captain Idaho]

I might have to try one and see what I can do. I'm still worried it'll only go and get shot down, especially with everyone having their own fliers and Defence lines.

[Atlantic]

I run mine with no units inside purely as a gunship.

 

It becomes way too vulnerable to destruction in Hover Mode.  The best way to use this thing is just to nuke other flyers and then support your ground units with it's firepower.

[PaganLinuxGeek]

I might have to try one and see what I can do. I'm still worried it'll only go and get shot down, especially with everyone having their own fliers and Defence lines.

Escort it with a storm talon and provide better support, more guns, and target saturation. Chances are the opponents are going to target the raven first but the 4 hull points, and av 12 make it a more survivable unit. The talon can focus on taking out the AA guns, and could potentially block LOS to the raven. I think 130 pts is a bit steep for aa gun fodder but if the raven is carrying a high point cost unit then it's a small price to pay in comparison... Just remember that the minimum a flyer can move is 18" or it's destroyed. so if using the talon as a "shield" fly it out 24" and put raven on behind it. The flight stands are angled towards the rear on the raven so that should help.

 

The talon can escort the raven but must come on the board 6" from the raven if I understand the rule correctly.

[Azash]

What about bringing back an old Land Speeder Storm tactic in a modified form.

 

Fielding a Storm Raven as primarily an anti flier or ground pounder if your opponent has no fliers. Then field a minimally equipped 5 man squad of scouts and start them in the Storm Raven. if things go well and you achieve air superiority and it's no longer key you can use Storm Raven in flier mode then you an use it to deliver the  scouts as a quick objective grabber in the latter rounds of the game. If the Storm Raven goes down it's not to much of an additional loss since the squad inside is only 75pts.

[Captain Idaho]

Not a bad idea, both of you. I was thinking the Stormraven in an army which has a couple Drop Pods coming down the turn before to provide a distraction and possibly destroy some anti-flier units first turn.

[Giga]

According to the newest FAQs, stormravens are a definite part of the vanilla unit list, rather than an optional supplement unit. This makes me happy as a pig in dung. :]

 

Now I'm trying to come up with a list that would utilize both a land raider and a stormraven. The idea is to be flexible, depending on opponent, so I can pick whether I want to transport a tactical squad in the stormraven while keeping the termies in the LR, or vice versa. 

[Captain Idaho]

According to the newest FAQs, stormravens are a definite part of the vanilla unit list, rather than an optional supplement unit. This makes me happy as a pig in dung. :]

 

Now I'm trying to come up with a list that would utilize both a land raider and a stormraven. The idea is to be flexible, depending on opponent, so I can pick whether I want to transport a tactical squad in the stormraven while keeping the termies in the LR, or vice versa. 

 

Yes that's an awesome idea. I would love my Ultramarines to be able to assault from their Land Raider (nice and safe) and a Stormraven in support. Best of both worlds and I could even transport a Dread if needed.

[PaganLinuxGeek]

I love the dreadnought transport! A stormraven dropping a squad of termies backed up by dread right where you want them WHILE providing aerial support awesome.

 

I also need to correct my previous statement regarding move distance on the stormtalon / stormraven. The MAX move distance is 36" so that would provide much greater flexibility when using talon to block LOS to the raven. <blonde moment>

[BassWave]

And remember guys, if you use the rules for jumping out the Raven while zooming, you automatically pass any dangerous terrain tests if you have Move Through Cover. So if you are dropping off those scouts on an objective, you don't even have to hover.

[Azash]

And remember guys, if you use the rules for jumping out the Raven while zooming, you automatically pass any dangerous terrain tests if you have Move Through Cover. So if you are dropping off those scouts on an objective, you don't even have to hover.

 

Very good point.

[Stormshadow]

I am tempted. Would be nice to shoot down a few opposing fliers too. Just so worried about it getting shot down before the squad inside can be deployed.

 

How often does this happen in people's games, my BA and GK friends?

I would say almost every game, except for those times you come up against army’s that chose to ignore flyers.

 

I used the Ravens a lot in 5th but less in 6th (I play GK). The reason is that in 6th they lost their 3+ cover save and almost anything inside dies if they go down.

 

For a SM army I would only use a raven with really cheap scoring units (scouts) or units with a 3++ or better (Terminators), and also have a first turn plan of killing AA units.

 

I would consider it a waist of points to run the Raven empty. It can’t act as a line of sight blocker or bunker, like the Land raider, (if the raven slows down to pick something up, it often dies).

 

Using a Raven is a gamble at best. They may be best used hovering 48” away from the opponent and Embark/disembark a rifle dread and cyclone Terminators for a hard hitting punch to one enemy flank before rapidly redeploying to another vantage point. Or you can always load them up with the nastiest thing you can think of and fly strait at the enemy and jump out. Hopefully you will target swamp the enemy and increase your unit’s chances of surviving. This “tactic” rely depends on you killing anything with the interceptor rule in turn one.

 

All in all I think it is cool that we can use them with C:SM now, but they are still very tricky to use.

[WarriorFish]

Wouldn't Stormstrike missiles probably be the non-silly name for Bloodstrike missiles? The Stormraven will be the big brother the talon needs, even more so if it gets the price drop that has been rumoured. As has been mentioned I'd like it as a gunship but I reckon it'll be nice to transport some Troops around for some flexible support/objective grabbing. Surely it will also be a great unit to run in a list that makes use of Drop Pods especially since they could work in tandem with the podding units taking out AA and the flyers providing fire support.

[tvih]

 

Now I'm trying to come up with a list that would utilize both a land raider and a stormraven. The idea is to be flexible, depending on opponent, so I can pick whether I want to transport a tactical squad in the stormraven while keeping the termies in the LR, or vice versa.

Indeed, for my BT I did this in anticipation of the release a few weeks back. LRC with a power-armored Crusader squad, and the Stormraven with TH+SS termies and a TDA Chaplain - plus a Dread, of course! In general the list is pretty fluffy. It doesn't have the Stormtalon in it though, since it wasn't clear then whether we'd get it or not. Gotta see if I can fit it in without having to remove something I don't want to remove.

 

For SM I suppose I'd use it to carry 6xTH+SS termies as well, and an Ironclad. But will see once I get the bugger and actually get to play a game, as well.

[Giga]

I'm thinking something along these lines (assuming barebones stormtalon costs the same as BA one):

 

Libby - nullzone & avenger

Tac Squad - plasmagun, combiplasma, missile, razorback with tl-plasmagun & lascannon

Tac Squad - plasmagun, combiplasma, missile, razorback with tl-plasmagun & lascannon

Tac Squad - plasmagun, combiplasma, missile, razorback with tl-plasmagun & lascannon

6 hammernators

stormraven

stormtalon - cyclone missile

vindicator - dozer blade

vindicator - dozer blade

aegis defense line - quadgun

TOTAL: 1830 pts

 

Stormtalon can be replaced with an ironclad dread. Vindicators & stormtalon can be replaced with a pair of dakkapreds + a rifleman dread + a multimelta+dccw dread (which can ride in stormraven when necessary, otherwise sit back and threaten vehicles). With some points shuffling, the third tac squad can be replaced with ~30 guardsmen and a chimera. 

 

The idea is that you shoot the crap out of the opponent while bubblewrapping your tanks with your tacticals to give them constant cover saves and then, as soon as he starts to push back, hammernators + fliers arrive where needed and ruin his day. Depending on metagame, plasmaguns can easily be replaced with flamers or melta. 

[Brother Xeones]

I'm working under the assumption that the vanilla SR will still be able to take a Locator Beacon, but if so, I'd be trying to figure out a list involving:

• Librarian (TDA, SS) Gate of Infinity, Avenger

• 10-man Tactical Terminator Squad (2x CML)
• Ironclad Dreadnought (Melta, HF, CF)
• Ironclad Dreadnought (Melta, HF, CF)

• 5-man Scout Squad
• 5-man Scout Squad

• Stormtalon (Typhoon ML)

• Stormtalon (Typhoon ML)

• Stormraven (Beacon, more Typhoon ML?)
• Stormraven (Beacon, even more Typhoon ML?)

Fill in the rest with whatever additional units and wargear you fancy. Maybe it's not hardcore competitive and a bit gimmicky, but it looks fun. Scouts and Ironclads are in the SRs and the Stormtalons are linked to the SRs via their Escort Craft rule. The terminators (who would probably start on the board) can safely teleport around with the SRs using Gate.

Everything can consistently move 24" and you could include a decent amount of Typhoon/CML spam if you wanted. Include an Aegis with Comms and/or an allied Inquisitor with Psychic Communion if you want more surity that your Ravens (and attached Stormtalons) come in on turn 2.

[Bannus]

Fill in the rest with whatever additional units and wargear you fancy.

My first suggestion would be warm bodies - and a lot of them. 10 Tactical Marines and 10 Scouts do not an army make. ;)