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Interceptor Squads - Any good?


SyNidus

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So I'm curious what. You guys think of the interceptor squad?

 

I've got an idea of running 2-3 NDK supported by some squads of interceptors. If I want to go for an alpha strike, this can be done by shunting. Or I could always save the shunt move for objective claiming, especially in maelstrom missions.

 

Has anyone tried/contemplated this tactic before?

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They are the favorable of the two power armor units. While the enemy focuses on the dreadknight your interceptors can do a solid amour of damage, just be careful with placement. Run them with incinerators

And by two you mean four, right? Or are you in denial about strikes and purgators? ;)

So I'm curious what. You guys think of the interceptor squad?

 

I've got an idea of running 2-3 NDK supported by some squads of interceptors. If I want to go for an alpha strike, this can be done by shunting. Or I could always save the shunt move for objective claiming, especially in maelstrom missions.

 

Has anyone tried/contemplated this tactic before?

That tactic is the very core of GKs.. its called the shunt punch.

 

ymmv but I've found intercepts to be enormously fun and flexible. However, their life span is usually around 1 turn, and not necessarily yours. This is in part due to the likelihood of being the only power armoured models in the army, and also in part because teleporting a S6 soulblazing template around players backfields tends to cause evaporation.. on both sides.   

Thinking of using a couple squads with just incinerator backed up by 3 NDK to push first turn and gain map control early on. Is this competitive?

No. the ~200 points spent on two interceptors could gets you a dreaknight with better melee and ranged weapons, all with terminator armour and better stats. There's no competition between the heavy incinerator and just a bog standard incinerator, even if you get one for each squad. The dreadknight is better than terminators in almost every way, so it's invariably going to be better than interceptors.

 

If you're choosing a CAD to get 3 HS choices then switch to two NSFD as combined gives you 4 HS choices. 

And by two you mean four, right? Or are you in denial about strikes and purgators? msn-wink.gif

No, he's just not interested in wasting points on sub-par units. Strikes are incredibly underwhelming nowadays, and Purgators might as well not exist.

On the subject of Interceptors, I like them, but as Quozzo points out, a DK is better in every measurable way and costs about the same. If you find you want fast Knight infantry instead of going Terminator heavy, they are definitely the only other viable PA unit besides Purifiers. Personal choice though, and in a competitive format I'd ditch them for Dreadknights. Too many things vape them before they can shine, whereas DK's can survive a lot more firepower.

Well. A pure strike list isn't too bad. For 1500pts you can have 30 guys with various upgrades, a couple of dreadknights and a flier.

 

Combat squad them all and make sure each squad has an incinerator and hammer. If you're lucky with your reserve rolls and scatter, then you have a :cuss load of shooting and templates turn 1. Even if you're up against an interceptor heavy list.

 

Just make sure that they land far enough apart that each squad can't be multi charged.

Well. A pure strike list isn't too bad. For 1500pts you can have 30 guys with various upgrades, a couple of dreadknights and a flier.

Combat squad them all and make sure each squad has an incinerator and hammer. If you're lucky with your reserve rolls and scatter, then you have a censored.gif load of shooting and templates turn 1. Even if you're up against an interceptor heavy list.

Just make sure that they land far enough apart that each squad can't be multi charged.

Interesting for B&B but not that competitive I fear. Plus after DS they just hang around and have worse mobility than guardsmen.

On Interceptors:

Sure yes you can have another NDK but I think 2-3 in <=1500 point games are enough. I don't like to NDK everything, just on the grounds we might have a bland and boring codex. I see interceptors as my second line of attack and / or rapid response force. While NDKs and terminators do the alpha punch, Interceptors grab objectives, go after softened squads, intercept (haha) tarpit units or annoying fast attack, get linebreaker, or go after threats on my table side where I am not fighting because I deep striked (nearly) all of my forces on his...

Thinking of using a couple squads with just incinerator backed up by 3 NDK to push first turn and gain map control early on. Is this competitive?

It's strong and can be pretty hard to deal with. There really isn't a good defense against shunting in the game. It's like first turn no scatter DS for everything in the army that can't be intercepted or prevented by reserve modifiers.

I think 20-30 interceptors and several knights would be a pretty competitive core although I've never taken it quite that far. It should also do decently in maelstrom. The main issue, as always, is cracking hard targets at range. If you sort that out then ya I feel it could be competitive.

Well. A pure strike list isn't too bad. For 1500pts you can have 30 guys with various upgrades, a couple of dreadknights and a flier. 

 

Which promptly melt to standard anti-infantry tools, which every list has. Strikes also suffer from only bringing anti-infantry firepower, which means precisely nothing to the mech and MC's dominating the game right now. At least Interceptors can Shunt and alpha-strike something reliably, and have decent prospects of getting into melee Turn 2 unless they're killed. Strikes are never going to see melee, and their firepower is too inefficient, and they die too easily in a firefight. 

 

GW ruined Strikes when they made psycannons Salvo. If that were not the case, I could maybe justify taking Strikes for cheap psycannon spam. But given their only good special is the incinerator (which is a nice anti-infantry weapon but that's all it does), they're just too narrow in scope. Terminators beat them on price, durability and firepower/melee output. 

Sure yes you can have another NDK but I think 2-3 in <=1500 point games are enough. I don't like to NDK everything, just on the grounds we might have a bland and boring codex. I see interceptors as my second line of attack and / or rapid response force. While NDKs and terminators do the alpha punch, Interceptors grab objectives, go after softened squads, intercept (haha) tarpit units or annoying fast attack, get linebreaker, or go after threats on my table side where I am not fighting because I deep striked (nearly) all of my forces on his...

 

Don't blame the players, blame the game. GW failed to deliver either new units, or make our roster viable outside of 1-2 builds (which aren't even that strong anyway). I don't think Interceptors are bad, far from it, like I said they're the only good PA unit besides Purifiers (and unlike Purifiers they don't require a transport to get into enemy lines). But you will feel the difference when you bring a DK instead. It's just worlds away a better choice, because GW cannot into internal balance. 

It's strong and can be pretty hard to deal with. There really isn't a good defense against shunting in the game. It's like first turn no scatter DS for everything in the army that can't be intercepted or prevented by reserve modifiers. 

 

Yeah I think Shunt GK is our other build that works, besides going Terminator heavy with NSF. I'm still on the fence about going Interceptor heavy, I think you trade too much survivability for speed, but I'm still testing different builds (I'm currently toying with half Terminator half Interceptor). Shunt is an amazing tool, I still catch people out with how far a 30" move can get me. You basically skip the normal 1-2 turns of shooting the enemy subject you too with a foot list, and speed the game up for both. Which can backfire (remember that the closer you get the more firepower you eat, so it is a double-edged sword). However, I think GK are forced into the aggressive role by our codex. We just can't do attrition or shoot our way out of most matchups. We have to get into melee to use half our psychic powers anyway, and we're much stronger face to face (our Terminators in particular are the best in the game currently). 

 

 but as Quozzo points out, a DK is better in every measurable way and costs about the same.

 

Sad thing is, you can say that about just about all of our units...

 

For sure although I'm not too sad about it honestly. I love dreadknights and I'd run more if it didn't feel quite so dirty.. so instead I use centurions.

Sad thing is, you can say that about just about all of our units...

 

Like I said, GW cannot into internal balance. They took the most complained about unit from our last codex (besides Draigo lol), dropped his overall costs, made his guns better, slightly nerfed his melee weapon from 'insanely potent auto-include' to 'style and a re-roll or Concussive for slightly cheaper'. 

For sure although I'm not too sad about it honestly. I love dreadknights and I'd run more if it didn't feel quite so dirty.. so instead I use centurions.

 

Hey man, Red Hunters Centurions are pretty dirty haha ;)

Sad thing is, you can say that about just about all of our units...

Like I said, GW cannot into internal balance. They took the most complained about unit from our last codex (besides Draigo lol), dropped his overall costs, made his guns better, slightly nerfed his melee weapon from 'insanely potent auto-include' to 'style and a re-roll or Concussive for slightly cheaper'.

For sure although I'm not too sad about it honestly. I love dreadknights and I'd run more if it didn't feel quite so dirty.. so instead I use centurions.

Hey man, Red Hunters Centurions are pretty dirty haha msn-wink.gif

They did pretty much the same thing to Draigo. Sure you have to buy a HQ to get him now, just like a Dreadknight! Some are willing to splash out on a librarian and terminators (some are frugal and go for strikes) just to get Draigo and his teleporting centurion shenanigans. Even though he comes with an AP2 sword at initiative 5 with storm shield, golly gee happened there.
They did pretty much the same thing to Draigo. Sure you have to buy a HQ to get him now, just like a Dreadknight! Some are willing to splash out on a librarian and terminators (some are frugal and go for strikes) just to get Draigo and his teleporting centurion shenanigans. Even though he comes with an AP2 sword at initiative 5 with storm shield, stuff happened there. 

 

Oh yeah, he's hands down the best HQ friend to Centurions besides Tiggy, and unlike Tiggy he can rek most melee units single-handed if they try to stall or kill the Centurions. I think as Marine players slowly come to understand how boss 'Gated' Grav-Centurions are (you see it crop up but its not won a tournament yet), he'll be much more popular. He might even get banned, as Loth has been :P

 

It comes back to use being an Ally codex first, actual army distant second. Even the NSF is basically 'Allies, but better' detachment. 

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