Tanks Options

[Bonzi]

I just bough the Cadian Defense Force to flesh out my growing AM/MT army.  The box comes with the kit to make the basic Leman Russ variants (LRBT, Vanquisher, Eradicator, & Exterminator).  My conundrum revolves around which one of these tanks would be the best to add into my army.

 

My rough list is:

 

(AM Detachment)

 

CHQ: lascannon, tbd

 

Commissar, Priest

 

PCS: tbd

-Chimera

-IS: flamer

-IS: flamer

-HWT: x3 autocannons/lascannons?

 

Veterans: x2 melta

-Chimera

 

Hellhound: multimelta

 

Manticore: camo

Leman Russ: ???????

 

Aegis Defense Line: quadgun

 

 

(MT Detachment)

THQ: x4 plasma

 

x5 Scions: x2 plasma

-Taurox Prime: autocannon/missiles

x5 Scions: x2 volley guns

-Taurox Prime: autocannon/missiles

x5 Scion: x2 melta

x5 Scion: x2 melta

 

Valk: rocket pods, heavy botlers

 

I know their are posts on the relative merits of each tank but I also feel that the meta has shifted more in the time since the AM book has come out and what I have in my own army changes things.  It mostly comes down to a choice between the standard LRBT and the Eradicator.  The Exterminator is out on the grounds of my Taurox Primes already giving me BS4 tl-autocannons so I'm not too concerned about taking on light armor.  The Vanquisher is out because without Pask or Divination it seems lackluster and I already have plenty of Scions to hunt heavy tanks.

 

LRBT Pros:

-Str 8 and Ap 3 kills MEQ and MEQ characters wholesale

-Long range will let me keep the tank far back from the lines

-Versatile.  It can put the hurt on almost anything so it will always have a target

 

LRBT Cons:

-My Manticore has better range and is better at killing tanks

-Expensive in points cost

-No sponsons

 

Eradicator Pros:

-Ignores cover.  This is huge as meta seems to have shifted to armies like Eldar, Dark Eldar, Tau, Necrons and AM who all have 4+ or worse saves and often rely on cover.

-Fits thematically.  My army favors terror weapons like Manticores and Hellhounds.  An Eradicator fits right in.

-Dirt cheap

-No ordnance weapon so sponsons are viable.

 

Eradicator Cons:

 

-Fills much the same roll as my Hellhound.

-Very limited anti-tank ability

-Lower strength limits use against MC's and won't instant death t4 models.

 

I'm interested in people who have experience in heavy tanks.  This is my first one I've ever used in any army I've run.  Does anyone have any tidbits or tactics they can share on these variants or any thoughts on which they think might be better for my army?

[hendrik]

get some magnets and be able to swap between all options? here's a good topic about it:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/297605-tutorial-magnetisation/

[scatmandoo]

Magnets are the way forward though if not an option then make the Eradicator and pick a basic russ up from ebay for peanuts?

[WarriorFish]

Magnets are king as hendrik said ;) Otherwise yes, the number of choices we have is wonderful albeit sometimes a hindrance as you have to make decisions :P Fortunately for you there are many tread heads here who are happy to help.

 

I really like the Eradicator even before it got a tasty points drop. It reliably evaporates anything short of Marines and that can make games for you - but it isn't of much use outside of infantry hunting. Do you need help dealing with infantry, in particular entrenched infantry? If not then perhaps you should look at the standard Russ. When in doubt battle cannon I say - as you've pointed out it can do most things well enough and is a good choice if you're not sure what you need.

 

That aside it's the classic, get a couple of them together and they will threaten most things and provide a reliable backbone to your armour :) In your case the Eradicator may fit the theme nicely, but if you're running Hellhounds I'd go for the standard Russ instead.

[Bonzi]

Yeah, I had planned on magnetizing no matter what.  I figure that some day I'll have a Pask punisher to go along with this tank and I'll want a different loadout for that.  I suppose I'll just play test both variants and see how it goes.  First I'll run the Eradicator with heavy bolter and heavy bolter sponsons.  Then I'll run a stock LRBT and see how they compare.

 

I'm still looking for any insight into the best ways to use these tanks and what tactics work best from veteran treadheads who have fielded them.

[WarriorFish]

Tanks are pretty easy to use depending on their role. The Eradicator should be looking for enemy infantry with a 4+ save, ideally ones in cover. You'd prioritise more dangerous foes or ones that you need to remove sooner for example so you can move past them or capture an objective and you can even go after light armour if you've no decent infantry targets. The standard Russ being a generalist means you can turn it to whatever you need. A bit of tank hunting, especially if there's a few bunched together you can try and get under the pie plate or you can go for blasting infantry apart - especially Marines thanks to AP3. Multi-wound models at T4 are also great targets as you can instant death them, I tend to leave my Russes to fire last if I don't have a specific thing that needs to die so I can use them to shore up other weapons fire that might not have been as effective as I wanted.

 

Last but not least tanks are vulnerable to assault and fast/deep striking meltas and the like so a squad or two of troopers to support and protect them is always beneficial. The use of tanks is something that warrants a tactica all to itself really but you should read the new Tactica Generalis as it covers some parts of using armour :)