Tank Commanders and other questions

[Lord_Urbonov]

I've been thinking more and more about finishing my guard army that has been sitting in limbo for a while (half finsihed tank is just depressing sitting on the shelf) but before anything is set in stone (or glue) I wanted to ask a few questions and get some opinions.

 

1) Putting Pask aside for a moment, what is the best tank for the basic Tank commander, in a general "take on all comers" kind of list.

 

2) Is a Deathstrike worthwhile?

 

3) Is a Basilisk useable despite the annoying minimum range restriction?

 

4) Can I get away with not using any fliers and still be competitive? I'd really like to go for a WWI or WWII appearance for my army, and the fliers kinda clash with that.

 

That's all the questions I have for now. Any thoughts on any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Happy Hunting comrades.

[Chefzilla]

1. Tank commanders are still useful. Split fire order for one is a winner.

2. I don't use a Deathstrike but I try to avoid any single use weapon. Even one that strong.

3. Basilisk minimum range is only for LOS purposes. You can still shoot it from the hip, as it were.

4. Yes you can. You can use the quad gun or flakk missiles as anti-air. Normally my Vendetta is more anti-tank than anti-air any way.

 

I hope this helps.

[Frater Cornelius]

1) Something to make use of its BS4 would be preferable. Otherwise it is just an overcosted LR squadron with tank orders. Vanquisher with front LC comes to mind. Not sure though, since basic Commanders are rather rare with Pask around.

You could also go the cheapest route and get an Eradicator to pile on wounds on things that dislike wounds piled on them.

 

2) Fun but literally a one-trick pony. I would never use it in a serious game but definitely get it out in higher point friendly games. It is simply inreliable given its one shot.

 

3) Depends on deployment. Hammer and Anvil are the best for you here. When playing on 48x48, then things get tricky.

However, do not forget that a Basilisk can fire indirectly, thus able to shoot within its minimal range and even out of line of sight. You are just not allowed to subtract your BS. Not a big deal.

The Manticore is the only long ranged gun unable to shoot within its minimal range if I remember correctly.

 

4) I would not bother with fliers. Not enough dakka for too many points, so most will not do much to you. Get MOAR TANKS instead. If you still feel scared, get Quad Gun or Hydra ;)

[march10k]

1) Well, making use of his BS4 is nice, that would indicate "anything that isn't a blast," but also keep in mind that an AV14 warlord is a little harder to kill than a T3 warlord, so there's value there, and if you're running a single FOC, "exporting" a tank squadron from heavy support is worthwhile in its own right.  After all, Heavy Support is the FOC with the most competition for the guard...which is a little less of a big deal in the current environment.  After all, veteran squads are really good, so the only "tax" to get a second set of three heavy slots is a second HQ.  On balance, I find the "AV14 Warlord" argument the most persuasive, and if you're going that far, there's really no downside to fielding Pask...I'm currently involved in a league at my LGS that has four guard armies out of about ten involved players...4/4 field Pask!

 

2)  It's not competitive, but it is fun.  Kind of orky in its randomness, similar to the lore of heavens's meteor spell...adds a little something to the game.

 

3)  If I were going to replace my wrecked (melted, left it in the car in July in south GA) bassie, I would go for a closed crew compartment and cammo netting, then use it as a direct fire weapon...large blast S9 ordnance that automatically hits side armor?  Sold!  Kinda expensive, but if you cammo net it in ruins, a 3++ on AV12 is nice.

 

4)  Vendettas are nice, but I've played IG successfully (don't own a vendetta) since 1998.  It really is optional.  Even when I field a FW flier with my guard, it's for fun, like the deathstrike, mine only has two hull points, so it never lasts long!  For air defense, anything with quad icarus lascannons is king.  Vengeance weapon batteries are cheap, but have to target the nearest enemy, even if it means snap-shotting a ground target.  Firestorm redoubts are purpose-built air defense bunkers, they only target the nearest ground target if there's no enemy flier on the table....but that's expensive!

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

1) I'd say Vanquisher for a vanilla tank commander as it really benefits from the BS4 and is plenty good without Pask, whereas its Pask's special rules (rending) that really makes the Punisher shine.

 

2) I've never used or faced one myself so can't comment.

 

3) Immersturm covered it. Basilisks are still great IMO.

 

4) I usually bring neither flyers nor fortifications to my games and have not found flyers to be a problem. Granted, my meta is fair flyer light but I think you can definitely get away without them. Just bring a Firestorm Redoubt if they're really giving you probems.

[WarriorFish]

Good posts here comrades, I can't really add anything. The Guard codex is flexible, so you can run effective lists in almost any way quite easily :)