Best units in new Codex

[knife&fork]

It doesn't move 6". First It moves 18-36" ;) then it it moves 6"+6"+random charge.

 

AV13 is not fragile when you decide the terms of engagement. 

[Bartali]

Stormraven deployment will get you into one assault on turn three at the earliest (later if you fluff your reserve rolls). For me, that's not good enough for the points invested.

[Remtek]

It's an 88% chanse to get the Raven in turn two if you bring Dante, and the Raven still has a nice alpha strike.

[Frater Cornelius]

I can definately see the value of it's potential damage in assault.

 

However, on a platform that moves 6" and is fragile, I can't.

This. He may have S10 WS10 I10 20A, it will not help if he will not get there. If he foot sloggs or uses wings, people will avoid it easily.

When he is in a Raven, he will charge way too late and has to spend one turn embarked, which might cost him his skin.

 

And he is fragile. No invul save except possibly a random power. He can also become useless from a single pen. Crew Stunned stops him for a turn, and if you his Immobilized or Explodes you can forget about him.

There is also plenty of units that are fast enough to get on his rear.

 

The worth of a CC unit is not only measured by its punch in CC but also its ability to get there. A lot of people focus on the first and ignore the second.

[knife&fork]

Stormraven deployment will get you into one assault on turn three at the earliest (later if you fluff your reserve rolls). For me, that's not good enough for the points invested.

 

What investment? 

 

It's a sub 200 pts for the dread and 200 something for the raven you were going to take anyway. One of the punchiest HQs in any marine codex for less than a chaptermaster with SE, and that's before you even add a bike or command squad to the latter.

 

For less than a geared up tactical squad you get a unit that can take on;

Nob bikers, paladins, NDKs, TWC, daemon princes, greater daemons, wraithlords and wraithknights, any tyranid MC, any non SH vehicle and quite a few SH ones as well. Just to mention a few. 

 

Compared to what you need to spend on other units to bring down the kind of units a Lib dread can dispatch on his own, in one or two combat phases, I almost consider him a steal. If he didn't have any downsides he would be a game breaker. 

[Bartali]

I think it is a significant investment to get a Dread into probably only one combat.

 

Don't forget the Stormraven becomes a glorified sled for it's occupant. On turns 2-3 it's not going to be focusing on using it's guns to the best of it's advantage, as it's going to be getting the Dread into position. On turn 3 it enters hover mode, which will likely see it go bang.

 

For one assault during the game (and at turn 3, half way through the game), I just don't see it worth the investment.

[knife&fork]

being in the right place is a valid concern, but in practice I've almost never had that problem. After dozens of games ferrying cc dreads or mephiston I can only come up with less than a handful games where this came up. Tables aren't that big in this game and the action usually isn't concentrated around the edges.

 

The turn after a Raven arrives it's usually jinking no matter what. Spending a turn or two in hover mode in my experience doesn't impact damage output or survival to a large degree. As long as you are mindful about the initial placement it's usually ok.

 

The raven is quite good at relocating out of the danger zone even in skimmer mode. hiding on a building, impassible terrain or behind the combat its cargo joined is how I tend to handle it.

 

As for the points it might depend on the size of the game. At 2K i don't see the issue of having less than 10% of your total in tactical reserves. Well worth it since it's an answer to things we can't handle well in other ways.