Return of the devastator squad?

[Chaplain Admetus]

I've been busting out assault-spam lists recently; they've been fun but I would not consider them competitive by any means. My standard lists tend to start with 1 of each of the 'core' choices, read: 1 tactical, 1 assault, and 1 devastator squads, but this discussion is making me lend serious thought to 2 dev squads. 2 dev squads might also encourage me to keep my librarian back from the front lines and buff the shooting, keeping him slightly safer.

[Blindhamster]

d@n, outside of apocolypse level... I've not actually lost a game in months (and yes... I have been playing :P)

[Memento Of Prospero]

Devastators are everything the Meta doesn't want. They are extremely rigid, slow and don't have ablative wounds if fielded to be cost efficient. In a meta where volume of fire solves all the problems, they don't cut it.

 

They compete with ravens too much, which we need for air domination.

 

If you build a castle around them, you are building to lose.

 

There's no winning with them. If you don't go first, they are likely to die easier than a predator. If you go to ground, good luck snapfiring. If you hold then in reserves, you lose the reserve advatange by having to snapfire on arrival.

 

With LoS block terrain being a lynchpin these days, they can be countered with careful deployment alone.

[Bartali]

I think in the end, it really comes down to who you regularly play against. There's no 'one size fits all' choice anymore.

 

Play against lots of ground vehicles or MCs ? Then Devs or Preds

Play against fliers or FMCs ? Then Stormravens

Using Las/Plas razor spam ? Then Vindicators, Baal Preds or Fragiosos

 

etc

[Jolemai]

Haven't used my Devastators for regular games this edition as I've stopped playing hybrid and have been playing light mech. However, I did use them in my last Apocalypse game. Using Missile Launchers with Divination and Perfect Timing was fantastic (until they were obliterated by Exterminatus...). The thing is, as per the norm for our Codex, is the cost of the buffs to make them decent actually feasible?

[thebymster]

Not untill I started BA did I appreciate the long fangs I'd taken for granted up till then!

Only PlasCann seem worth the cost to me, all else too expensive, I'd rather run with wolves if I want a shooty shooty army. But stuck some on roof of bastion 2 nights ago, thought I was taking on a termi army. Same cost as a Baal, vindi or dread in pod. Tbh wish I hadn't taken them.

But, as Bartali was saying- they get transport. So land raider could be used as distraction?!

Imho; ally long fangs (and Xeno =][= with conversion beamer and servo skulls) if you want heavy weapon squads. I put rune priest in jump pack to give Assault Marines presc, or to give Jaws vs tau / Ork!!

Oh, and don't bother with ADL or bastions. Esp vs tau or anything deep striking! Spend the points on distractions - like McFistOn!

[Kanis]

@D@n I have to disagree here and say that's not entirely true, just because a list isn't optimized as far as meta is concerned does not equal losing. There's too many factors like other area players and such sure, but I've been able to run more or less what I want (minus poor Sang. Guard) and still win my games. As long as we keep from one side being "correct" to play, that's fair in my eyes! 

 

More on topic though, I had to drop my own devastators in favor of other mobile units and I've used Dev's for nearly 14 years now and they've always helped, but this year I've had to get creative with my AT measures like DoA marines, drop pods, or just plain powerfisting! :P It's as others have already stated above, I think there is too much going against a static unit like Dev's like all that cover, jinking, and LoS issues. 

 

My two cents. o7