Nephilim Jet Fighter, how has it performed?

[captain sox]

Hello folks. I'm working on a fun, 1500 pt build for a very casual and friendly "tournament" this weekend am toying with the idea of the NJF for fun. I'd be facing Necrons, Guard, Grey Knights and or Nids. Again, this is nothing serious, just a bunch of guys throwing dice and having fun. Totally not competitive.

 

That being said, I'd like to hear about your experience how the Nephilim performed for you. My list is (roughly) 3 x 6 man Terminator Squads, the Nephilim with the MEGA BOLTER, and a Dev squad w 3 ML and LC. I have few points left for a speeder or 2 as well.

 

There may be other flyers as well, 

 

 I think the Neph is a beautiful model, and I need to bring it out to play. I have 2 others in the hanger now too... but they will have to wait for the Apocalypse

 

Thanks

[Tiger9gamer]

My local GW manager swears by them, so I guess they can be helpful? it will screw over 4+ saves tho.

[MadMek83]

After first game mine was shot down by snap shotting plasma pistol by a wolf guard. After that when realizing that I need to support it, it has performed very well with avenger mega bolter when I support it  missile devs behind aegis / Bastion with quad gun. Sure It struggles against storm ravens and heldrakes but agaist pretty much everything else its formidable. I've had success against Tau fliers, Cron fliers, etc. I haven't yet encountered any Eldar fliers with it but I am worried of Crimson Hunter Exarch. If I get fire first, its dead, if it fires first I am dead. Against Av12 I will spam s6 and s7 fire from ground and air and it will take down av12.

 

In short of it: It works well aslong you support it in air combat with flakks or quadguns or both. As ground assault, it works well alone and messes Necrons, tau, Eldars, guards etc.

[captain sox]

Sweet, thanks for the info!

[Garath]

  Nephilim?  ....pass

[exsulis81]

I've proxied it a few times. It killed nothing, and died shortly afterwards.

[Disciple of Caliban Sgt]

Mine's done fairly well as long as you support it as well. Use it against infantry or hordes with Mega Bolter and you should be good. Not bad for opening transports if you get a side shot either. Two missles and the shots from the bolter should at least glance it to death. I've also had good stuff with it against Cron air.

[Chaplain Lucifer]

Navigation warning: There's a whole lot of threads about Nephilim. Some with tactics, most of them filled with complaints. So, here's the deal: Like OP stated, tell your exerience with it. No ranting about/price effectiveness, just the cold hard facts. I think people still have the stigma the Nephilim should be an AA gun and just dismissed it because they havent played it to its strong points or because they hear about other people that also didn't play it to it's strong points.

Long story short say what it did or didn't and why. No use to beat a dead horse.

[SvenONE]

I bought 2 way back when the codex came out (yayyy flyer frenzy!) assembled/magnetized them and played with them twice but never again.

 

My list was (I think the list is important for context):

Sammael

RWCS / Banner / RWGL

2x6 Man RWAS (MMAB, 2x Melta)

2x6 Man RWAS (naked)

Neph x 2

RWSS:

2x Typhoon (HB/ML)

1x Tornado (HB/AC)

 

Both games were in the same week vs the same opponent (he didn't run same list [necron], but similar each game) so the details have more or less blended together, but I can say with certainty that I much more preferred the AMB versions better.  The game I ran the TLLCs I think I missed a reserve roll and even though it hit, it glanced but didn't pen (arg necron vehicles).  Blackswords obviously couldn't even be used against them.  I had terrible rolling that game but I think even if it was better it wouldn't have had much of an impact unless I had gotten really lucky.  The game I ran the AMBs though I was much more successful in just chewing troops up.  Both fliers came in, between the heavy 5 and the 2 missiles, they ate up plenty of units, strafing run is pretty good.  Obviously necrons are damn near impossible to pin, but against regular marines/xenos there may have been a better chance at that.  Never got to enjoy the unrelenting hunter rule.  I can't remember the outcome of which game, I know I won one and lost another because my melta bikes popped 2 barges in one of the games early on which always helps.

 

I haven't fielded them because I just like Black Knights better, missing your flier reserve roll really stinks.  It's one thing if it's a MMAB we're talking, but when it's a flier, it's a lot of points to be missing out on a turn of shooting, especially if it's only (at best), 7 shots of Str 6ap4.

 

People have said that a Neph has been a hero for them in games, but mine were just sort of there shooting and hitting and killing sometimes, and shooting and missing others.  So my verdict would be in the camp of not really being all that special (after all I haven't fielded them in close to a year now).

 

Since the new stormtalon detachment came out I was thinking of dusting them off and getting a stormraven and proxying the Neph's as stormtalons.  While more expensive overall, I like what it's bringing to the table.

 

Edit:  I forgot the whole point of my list/context bit up top.  The game was competitive because my list was a FAST list.  The Nephilim were by all accounts, supporting units, something that is of course mentioned in the fluff.  The RW/GL banner combo was great at dealing with Wraiths and a 20 man warrior blob (even if they do get back up), the Nephilim just came in and helped with continuing the theme of chewing things up.

 

I should also note that while I've never run the Neph, I have run the Darktalon instead.  I'll leave it there since the conversation then would go into Neph vs Darktalon.

 

Edit Edit:  That's an 1850 list, I'd have a hard time bringing one in games less than that simple because I'm not that keen in starting that many points in reserve in a  small game, especially as I learned, that reserve rolls can fail.