how do you deal with alpha strike sternguard ?

[Septicon]

I have a game coming up against another BA player and he just loves his 10 man combi-melta sternguard in a drop pod.

 

My issue is I run a 10 man DC with corbs in a LRC and I can see this being a prime target for his "drop and pop" sternies.

 

What's the best way to keep these melta toting guys away from my LRC of death ?

[BassWave]

Hold the land raider in reserve. If that is his only drop podding unit, he'll have to drop it on turn one.

[Septicon]

I thought of that but then they death company wouldn't get across the board until turn 4/5

[BassWave]

I thought you guys could deepstrike landraiders?

[Boomkapow]

Thats true. We can deepstrike Landraiders. Just make sure they are away from mass melta. Also you could put them in a Stormraven. Hooray ceramite plating!

[Orblivion]

I agree either deepstriking the LR or putting them in a Stormraven instead are your best options. However I have to ask why you have Corbulo with Death Company. Death Company is awesome, Corbulo is awesome, but they don't have a great unit synergy. Death Company already have the rules that Corbulo's Red Grail confer, so a lot of what he is intended to add to a unit is going to waste through redundancy.

 

I'm a strong proponent of playing what you like over playing the "standard" so please don't take this criticism too seriously, I'm just curious.

[Chronotonic]

Did you mean lemaretes...probably not as he has a jump pack...

 

a basic chaplain would work better for re-rolling attacks and wounds...and he comes with a power weapon and invuln save...and cheap to boot...

[Boomkapow]

corbulo is best under these conditions:

1) unit doesn't have feel no plain or furious charge.

2) Corbulo is best in the front of the unit to soak up mass shots (2+ fnp).

 

Seems like he would be best in an assault squad when given wings of sang., or in a squad with no packs in a raven or something. Basically, not great in dc.

[Septicon]

Corbs is awesome at absorbing any incoming shots like overwatch, i don't want to be losing 20 - 35 point models to a rapid firing tac squad that rolls a few lucky sixes.

 

Also the FC/FNP range is measured from the LRC hull so any jumpers I have following up behind will benefit on the way across the board.

[CitadelArmyGuy]

Corbulo is in fact good in DC, exactly for the #2 reason stated by Boomkapow. However, it's not just dakka that Corbs negates (although he certainly does do that!)

DC hate plasma which is rampant in the meta but Corbulo shrugs off Plasma like a joke. Also it means DC can go toe-to-toe with Monstrous Creatures who are generally Str6. Also, Powerfists are generally much more rare in favor of Power Swords/Axes and once again, Corbulo can tank that.

So tanking Dakka, Plasma, Power Weapons and normal MCs.... those are what an opponent usually relies on to 'solve' DC. Drop them from a Pod since Corbs has to walk and you've got a great Unit. The LRC is also extremely viable IFF you know how to play LRs correctly.

As far as on topic, preventing the Sternguard alphastrike is easily accomplished through screening--- models unloading from a Drop Pod move within 1" of any of your models. A single 10-man Scout Squad is more than capable of defeating a meltagun podstrike (12" screening is way hard but 6" is rather easy). The Scouts simply combat-squad into two groups of 5, then go like this:

The picket-line of Scouts is 5" from the hull of the Land Raider. A Pod cannot land in-between the gap because 5" isn't enough to give it 1" clearance from both the LR and the Scouts--- so it will have to land outside the picket line. No model will be able to unload within 6" of the LR.

So friendly Scouts are 5" from hull, then their own base is 1", then the opponent cannot come within 1" of them = 7"

In the photo, I use the table-edge to guard the right flank but if you add another 5-man Unit (or even better use BLOS terrain) then you achieve the same effect. Also, this is the ultra bare-bones screen using only 10 models. With every friendly model you add (Razorbacks and other things) then you make it far far easier.

Also a note, I used Scouts because they can Infiltrate outside your Deployment Zone so that the LR can deploy right at the front-edge of your DZ. If you don't want to use scouts, then the LR will have to back up 6" into your DZ. Five Scouts are all that's really needed though, other Units can handle the screening inside your DZ. Scout-screens are fun though because you don't have to deploy them until after the opponent is done deploying (ie during Infitrators). Meaning he will see the loner-LR sitting in the open and he isn't going to allocate anything against it since he'll assume the melta-sternies are going to be able to take it out. Surprise Surprise.

Also also note, a Pod COULD land behind you in the corner... but there are 270-degrees of scatter that would take him off the board for a mishap. So he's only got 90 degrees of 'safe scatter direction' or else he's hoping for a Hit Marker. Of course, a Single Unit placed behind you (or backing up the whole formation about 5") completely removes the option if you aren't comfortable tempting fate. Again--- I've shown the absolute minimum Screen possible.

Be extremely precise in your measuring, you should double-check all ranges and use your own Drop Pod to ensure he can't land in the gap. Welcome to Screening.

[appiah4]

Ditch the Raider, Deepstrike your Death Company in a Drop Pod, and get some Poding Sternguard of your own to shoot his Sternguard to Kingdom Come when they arrive.

[Orblivion]

Ditch the Raider, Deepstrike your Death Company in a Drop Pod, and get some Poding Sternguard of your own to shoot his Sternguard to Kingdom Come when they arrive.

 

I never pod my DC, as you want them to have the charge immediately after disembarkation.  Podding them in is just asking for them to be cut down by concentrated fire before they ever get to deliver their hammer blow.

[CitadelArmyGuy]

I never pod my DC, as you want them to have the charge immediately after disembarkation.  Podding them in is just asking for them to be cut down by concentrated fire before they ever get to deliver their hammer blow.

Podded DC are amazing. Read this: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/260878-dc-drop-pod-tactics/

[appiah4]

 

Ditch the Raider, Deepstrike your Death Company in a Drop Pod, and get some Poding Sternguard of your own to shoot his Sternguard to Kingdom Come when they arrive.

 

I never pod my DC, as you want them to have the charge immediately after disembarkation.  Podding them in is just asking for them to be cut down by concentrated fire before they ever get to deliver their hammer blow.

 

You are doing it wrong.

[Orblivion]

 

I never pod my DC, as you want them to have the charge immediately after disembarkation.  Podding them in is just asking for them to be cut down by concentrated fire before they ever get to deliver their hammer blow.

Podded DC are amazing. Read this: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/260878-dc-drop-pod-tactics/

 

Well, no offense but when I pod DC they do so badly they might as well not be on my list from my experience.  Whereas when I use them in anything other than a pod they work fantastically, so I'll keep doing it my way.  Your drop pod tactica is very well laid out, but excuse me for saying that it does not take into account the rest of a player's army and how that tactic will effect the synergy of the list.  However I will say that I like seeing a wide variation of army styles from a single codex, and as I am the only Blood Angel player at my FLGS it's refreshing to see different ideas.

[Ushtarador]

The idea with podded DC usually is that they drop on a flank and take up a lot of the opponent's attention. He will have to divert a sizeable portion of his army to wipe them out, thus allowing the rest of your army to advance unhindered and get into CC with minimal losses They are not your hammer unit in this scenario, but rather the diversion, it's a completely different role than in the LRC.

[Zynk Kaladin]

CAG, you should write a book entitled "Art of Warhammer". You're like a walking Codex Astartes of tips and tricks.

[Ushtarador]

CAG, you should write a book entitled "Art of Warhammer". You're like a walking Codex Astartes of tips and tricks.

haha not only that, he also knows how to put it into a nice form so people easily understand what he's saying ^^

[CitadelArmyGuy]

D'aww thanks guys, much appreciation. I'm just glad to help out. You know there was a time way back when I used to put Stormbolters on Jumper-Chaplains.... so I guess we all grow over time in the game. I'm still crap at painting

I'm just really glad my current assignment with the Army is very low tempo and low effort so I have much more time for 40k musings than a typical Officer usually would! Anyhow this thread reminds me that I've got to rewrite my Formations article, the old one was lost in the warp after the website transition (should never have 'blogged' it, should have made it a proper thread).

I suppose I'm just glad people like what I have to say.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the thread, I also would like to mention that Jump Assault Marines make good mobile screens once a LR gets rolling--- Attack Bikes are also excellent. In the case of the mobile-screen, having your Priest hidden safely away inside the can is probably the best place for him, since he'll be providing the FnP bubble to all the various screens without being exposed to danger himself.

Foot-Lib, Corbulo and DC in an LRC are deathstar in price but certainly will deliver deathstar-level damage. Definition of "Shock Unit" for sure, if you do your best to maximize your maneuver-security. If using a LR, I actually almost prefer a Chaplain (shocker! But once Eldar get their re-boot and Runes of Warding goes away I'll change to 100% Libby all the way) since you are nearly guaranteed the charge, and you will then be able even take-on MCs with the FC+Rerolls.

I will say that generally using LRs is high-risk high-reward: against certain builds they won't care, but if someone wasn't prepped to handle AV14 then you may see great success.

[Ushtarador]

I especially appreciate that you are one of the persons that doesn't complain if BA take a beating, or other people get shinier toys, but you take whatever units we have available and come up with really cool ideas to make it work a lot of people just whine about what makes us weaker than GK/SW/whatever instead of taking it as a challenge and start finding areas where we are better than other codices.

This is one of the things that I really appreciate about the B&C and I guess the main reason why I actively started posting here.

[knife&fork]

I will say that generally using LRs is high-risk high-reward: against certain builds they won't care, but if someone wasn't prepped to handle AV14 then you may see great success.

 

Even without any enemy melta at all a hammer unit in a LR can still be blocked (or fed) with sacrificial units, either to get bogged down or exposed for countercharges or heavy fire in the enemy turn. 

 

Not to say that it won't ever work, but with supporting units included it's a lot of points to gamble on a very predictable tactic.  

[Taranis]

14 DC and Lemmy can fit in a crusader. :) Bulky jumppack counts for double. :)

8 and Lemmy in a rhino. If you'd so desire.

 

Edit: Brb p. 78. The above is not possible. Riggs is correct.

[Riggs]

Sadly some where in the transport section of the rule book it says jump troops cant go in transports unless the transport has a specific entry like the storm raven :(.

[I am Legion]

K&F - you mention that its a predictable tactic, and yet ive always found that deep striking stuff scares alot of players because most people generally have their whole army on the board and we have a surprise unit. To deep strike an assault unit in the right spot and blowing up a major piece of enemy artillery can be game changing, this also goes for something big and scary like a LR with a unit inside. Keep in mind that if you can set it up right and land in the heart of the enemy, it'll hurt! yeah they'll kill the raider(and use up alot of shots) but that unit inside will live to fight and cause major headaches. At that point the rest of your army is in their face and they're starting to play defensive which is what we want (to some degree at least).

[knife&fork]

I was thinking about a hammer unit in general riding a raider since screening work both ways. It's a pretty straight forward unit, right? They are there to smash face! :D 

 

But now I think the discussion is starting to go all over the place compared to the OP :P