Rhino Rush: Does It Work?

[Sinthos117]

I recently played a 1000 point game against a Tau player in my escalation league and had a great game.  I have been using two 10 girl squads with flamer/heavy flamer for a few weeks and have found myself outpacing their threat range every game.  This time I stuck them in rhinos and flung them forward.  Turn 1 they moved 12, turbo 6.  Turn 2 they moved 6, flipped around, dumped the squad out 6 and watched two squads of fire warriors get baked by my girls.  I was amazed, giddy, and way too cocky as I proceeded to almost give the game away to a talented opponent.  My opponent and I both agreed that this maneuver was the turning point of the game.

 

So comes the question:  Does rhino/flamer spam work?  Would rhino/melta/multimelta spam work?  Would immolaters be better or too expensive?  What are your experiences?  Thanks ya'll.

[sedibear]

I theorized a full-mech list back when the Codex first released.

 

It skipped Immolators and ran with Rhinos on everything. Battle Sisters with the HF+F (with priests/tank canoness here and there), Full Dominions with Meltas, and Full Retributors with Heavy Flamers.

 

The way I saw it, you could cut down the contents of a transport with your Doms (rapid fire ignore cover bolters), and you could do decent damage against any target with the Rets (rending HFs and bolters lol)

 

You would throw everyone forward if you had first turn, or throw everyone forward and outflank the Doms if not.

 

It sounded good on paper and had the Raven Guard feel (my favorite SM chapter) of getting into your face and wiping you out in the early turns. I never got to try it because of my dislike of tanks.

[Fibonacci]

 

So comes the question:  Does rhino/flamer spam work?  Would rhino/melta/multimelta spam work?  Would immolaters be better or too expensive?  What are your experiences?  Thanks ya'll.

1 - Since 6th edition, I always take 2 squads like this.

2 - The Multi-melta has to snap fire too much.  You are better off running 2 melta guns.

3 - Immolator spam is a classic and still viable. A lot of people take several Immolators to use as their anti-air support. 3 twin-linked shots have a good chance of hitting something.

4 - I take dominions with 4 melta guns in a repressor when I can.  Half or more of my battle sister squads carry flamers, the others use melta, and they all ride in rhinos.  Seraphim carry hand flamers.  And then there are the 2 exorcists that almost everyone uses.  If I have an immolator it will be carrying repentia or a small battle conclave.

 

Flamers are under rated for what they can do.  Too many people don't like them because you have to get close to use them effectively.  Since close range shooting is what sisters do, I fail to see it as a problem.  Tank shock and flame.  It has been a standard tactic for 3 editions now.  Overwatch has just made them even more desirable as my go to weapon of choice.

[Naminé]

Of course it works, 18" of movement turn 1 means even if they kill the Rhino you are in their face the very next turn, that's what you pay the 40 points for!

Better running two meltaguns then a multi-melta, no need to snap-shot.  As for the spam thing, it probably would work, though I doubt it would be the most effective list we can put together.  A good mix of units is working together is were our strengths lie (I think of Sisters as the bridge army between Marines and Eldar).

[Duke Danse Macabre]

I think Drop Pods work better but its still a very potent options, I just done't like giving up allot of the tank popping power I get from Immolators to do this, I think we are better off moving up in good order and getting in turn 3 after their big griblies are dead.

Afterall you can rush them but if they have dreads and combat monsters plus big guns you need to deal with them before your in assault range.

[Sinthos117]

Thanks to all for the comments.  I definitely agree with the melta over mutli-melta as ya'll are saying. 

 

Fibonacci:  I love my flamers running and see far too few people using them.  As a horde IG player, I know what a few templates can do to my blobs, so I try to bring as many as I can with my sisters.

 

Namine:  What units would you back this up with?  I usually run repentia, seraphim, and 3 penitent engines down the field on their lonesome, so this is just more support up close.  I know everyone says I need to run 2-3 exorcists, but I am looking at other options as well.

 

Duke:  I don't want to run drop pods in my army, though I imagine that it would be a terrifying list.  Am I really giving up that much anti-tank if I drop the immolators and run more hand melta?  If the transports are meant to shoot, would I not be too focused on keeping the transports alive instead of getting their squads in the fight?  Looking for all the help/tips I can get.

[Anjetto]

I typically take 3 5 girl squads in a multimelta Immolator. Combi, flamer, h. Flamer. 2 5 girl Doms with combi, 4x meltagun in Repressors, and 1 5 girl Rets with combi, 4x heavy flamer in a Repressor. Works very effectively. Gives the army a great pace and a cool Look. But I run everything mech all the time. If you're not a bike or a jump / jetpack, you're in a transport

[Naminé]

Penitent Engines running behind the Rhinos works well, Seraphim going up too means you have a lot in their face first turn, and a lot of support.  My current Tournament list only has 1 Exorcist and a Squadron of 3 Pen Engines in Heavy Support.

[Sinthos117]

Penitent Engines running behind the Rhinos works well, Seraphim going up too means you have a lot in their face first turn, and a lot of support.  My current Tournament list only has 1 Exorcist and a Squadron of 3 Pen Engines in Heavy Support.

Do you use a lot of small squads or the full 10 girl squads in a rhino?

[Naminé]

I use 9 girls with a priest in a Rhino :) but then I ladle on the flamers. If I was going for melta on my Battle Sisters then I would only run a squad of 5 in an Immolator.

[Sinthos117]

Thanks for the info.  I will let you know how it works for me

[Anjetto]

There's no optimum build for sisters, just levels of okay. Im probably not running the most effective Sisters list but I run it every game, so I've gotten good with it

[Obsidian Knight]

Those Rhinos with the sisters and the flamer/heavy flamer hurt my Tau.  I watched both of my troops just get removed from the table. 

 

I think rhino rushing works very well against gun line armys like Tau and people who like to castle up in one spot.  It lets you get units across the board with out having them weakend from your opponet shooting them.

[Duke Danse Macabre]

And this is why i think there is allot to be said for the repressor over the Rhino, yes its 35 more points but comes with 8 Fire Points, a heavy flamer and a storm bolter not to mention dozer blade and armour 13.

 

So in my mind, take the repressor, laugh as you drive over everything firing on the gowhich makes the unit more survivable and thats a storm bolter and another heavy flamer. Most this cost is made up by dropping 2 sisters and the 8 still inside can all still fire. :D

[march10k]

It works for me...seven rhinoloads surging up-table...hard to bring enough of them down to stem the tide, especially when there are also exorcists that need killing.  It's a little tougher if you go second, AV11 is after all AV11, but the same could be said of immolators, so on balance, I do favor loads of ten over loads of five.  

 

I prefer my battle sisters to have a heavy flamer, melta, and simalcrum, though.  That second dose of prefered enemy is awesome, and the mixed weapons are more versatile than two flamers of differing strength.  It also disperses my melta across the force, making it a damned difficult threat to eliminate (as compared to a half squad with four meltaguns).  Also, you'll want a few of the rhinos to have laud hailers so you don't fail the act of faith (but you don't need them on every rhino, that adds up fast!)