[HH1.0] Mechanicum Tactica

[Mango Polo]

Good overviews on Inar, thanks. Guess he won't quite work for me.

[Guardbuddy]

Been a while since I been on here but I wanted to share my experiences with the Vultarax.  I played a 2500 point game against Tau and it was absolutely amazing.  He decided not to take any vehicles but all his lighter infantry units (pathfinders and the like) were demolished turn after turn.  The amount of small blasts and high BS makes it really good at doing just that.  Sure I didn't get to use haywire but the amount of markerlights on my guys went down by an immense amount which ultimately aided in letting my Myrmidon Destructors grav-spam a Stormsurge to death.  Also used the Arlatax in the battle (Domitar conversion).  It was hard to keep it out of line of sight but once it got in combat it performed extremely well.  

[Vaz]

Anyone thought of using Belisarius Cawl as either of the special characters? He's a little bigger...

 

I have been wanting to build an army using our favorite demon priest but have not been able to think of a suitable model.

[Withershadow]

Yes, he's going to be my Skoria.

[TompiQ]

He makes an excellent Scoria until the latter gets his own model, after which he'll do well in representing a magos on abeyant with a machonator array.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Siege wreckers are too expensive when you have smash. 20 (or is it 25?) points for effectively an extra attack in subsequent rounds of combat doesn't seem amazing. Maybe okay to get one in a squad in case you get a charge off.

 

Not really. Being able to punch out multi-wound squads and kill Dreadnoughts is very handy. If you need more attacks just cast 'Rite of Fury' on them. I've played with and without siege wreckers, the difference is quite noticeable. 

Been a while since I been on here but I wanted to share my experiences with the Vultarax.  I played a 2500 point game against Tau and it was absolutely amazing.  He decided not to take any vehicles but all his lighter infantry units (pathfinders and the like) were demolished turn after turn.  The amount of small blasts and high BS makes it really good at doing just that.  Sure I didn't get to use haywire but the amount of markerlights on my guys went down by an immense amount which ultimately aided in letting my Myrmidon Destructors grav-spam a Stormsurge to death.  Also used the Arlatax in the battle (Domitar conversion).  It was hard to keep it out of line of sight but once it got in combat it performed extremely well.  

 

Yeah T3 infantry do get splattered by those havok launchers. Glad you crushed them so hard. I'm surprised the Stormsurge didn't do more though, I find fighting them a nightmare in 40k. Arlatax really need 'Rite of the Beast' I've found, but against Tau they auto-win melee anyway so not as necessary. 

[Withershadow]

If you're engaged by one of those units, they likely charged you, so you are paying 20 points for an extra swing. They can all hit at S10 natively already. Maybe one for a largish forward squad of Castellax, but mauler Castellax aren't particularly awesome value to begin with for me to consider paying darkfire prices for them.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

If you're engaged by one of those units, they likely charged you, so you are paying 20 points for an extra swing. They can all hit at S10 natively already. Maybe one for a largish forward squad of Castellax, but mauler Castellax aren't particularly awesome value to begin with for me to consider paying darkfire prices for them. 

 

It's not that often, Dreads are just as slow as Castellax, and are often podded for that exact reason. If you don't expect to get in melee then by all means save the points, but I run a Scoria bodyguard so they kinda need it. 

I never take mauler Castellax they're a waste of points. Darkfire means you're in range Turn 1 and can hurt even Superheavies. 

[Guardbuddy]

 

Siege wreckers are too expensive when you have smash. 20 (or is it 25?) points for effectively an extra attack in subsequent rounds of combat doesn't seem amazing. Maybe okay to get one in a squad in case you get a charge off.

 

Not really. Being able to punch out multi-wound squads and kill Dreadnoughts is very handy. If you need more attacks just cast 'Rite of Fury' on them. I've played with and without siege wreckers, the difference is quite noticeable. 

Been a while since I been on here but I wanted to share my experiences with the Vultarax.  I played a 2500 point game against Tau and it was absolutely amazing.  He decided not to take any vehicles but all his lighter infantry units (pathfinders and the like) were demolished turn after turn.  The amount of small blasts and high BS makes it really good at doing just that.  Sure I didn't get to use haywire but the amount of markerlights on my guys went down by an immense amount which ultimately aided in letting my Myrmidon Destructors grav-spam a Stormsurge to death.  Also used the Arlatax in the battle (Domitar conversion).  It was hard to keep it out of line of sight but once it got in combat it performed extremely well.  

 

Yeah T3 infantry do get splattered by those havok launchers. Glad you crushed them so hard. I'm surprised the Stormsurge didn't do more though, I find fighting them a nightmare in 40k. Arlatax really need 'Rite of the Beast' I've found, but against Tau they auto-win melee anyway so not as necessary. 

 

Thanks!  And yeah, I felt kinda lucky with the Stormsurge.  It did a number on some of my stuff (like one shotting my newly painted Macrocarid Explorator  ) and stripped two wounds off the Vultarax with Skyfire shots.  But it couldn't do much else once the Myrmidons unloaded into them.  16 grav shots with rerollable 2+s against the Stormsurge did quite a number on it.  It didn't exactly have the best shots at any of my stuff besides the Macrocarid.  Sure it could shoot the Castellax but then it has to ignore the Krios venator.  And if it shoots the Krios Venator it has to ignore my Macrocarid and so on.  After the Stormsurge was gone, I could mop up the Riptide wing pretty well by that point since most of his infantry were gone and all I had left was semi-wounded robots and a fully ready to go Arlatax +2 Krios Venators waiting to unload.  

Edited January 19, 2017 by Guardbuddy

[N1SB]

Just a quick note after talking to my local meta: Legion Veteran squads are becoming the norm now.

 

The Chosen Duty Rite of War, which turns Veterans into Compulsory Troops, is quickly becoming the go-to.  About half the Legion players in my meta are saying that's what they're doing, even though it means they can't bring a Primarch or a Lord of War.  They usually choose the Veteran skill that gives everyone Sniper.

 

That will probably impact high Toughness models like Battle-Automata, but also suddenly all my T5 models don't seem as tough as they used to.

 

 

I know thallax aren't fast, what I meant was the extra jet pack move they get.

 

 

And you're absolutely right.  Way to keep that option in mind, it's a useful tactical tool in your toolbox.  It really screws Legion players up when you basically leap off a building in the near-endgame and deny an objective they thought they had dead to rights.  Even for those that know it's coming, they start having to try to counter you and end up possibly exposing themselves to your Rad Engines.  It's pretty funny stuff and I've had maybe a quarter or a third of my games where that was an edge.

[LtDan]

Yeah pride or choosen is common as for a few extra points your troop choices are actually useful.....it is not nice against mech.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Thanks!  And yeah, I felt kinda lucky with the Stormsurge.  It did a number on some of my stuff (like one shotting my newly painted Macrocarid Explorator  ) and stripped two wounds off the Vultarax with Skyfire shots.  But it couldn't do much else once the Myrmidons unloaded into them.  16 grav shots with rerollable 2+s against the Stormsurge did quite a number on it.  It didn't exactly have the best shots at any of my stuff besides the Macrocarid.  Sure it could shoot the Castellax but then it has to ignore the Krios venator.  And if it shoots the Krios Venator it has to ignore my Macrocarid and so on.  After the Stormsurge was gone, I could mop up the Riptide wing pretty well by that point since most of his infantry were gone and all I had left was semi-wounded robots and a fully ready to go Arlatax +2 Krios Venators waiting to unload. 

 

Yeah it's a beast against vehicles and most units, glad to hear your Myrmidons crushed the pilots inside the armour :) . 

Wow Riptide Wing...do Tau players ever not field broken stuff?

Just a quick note after talking to my local meta: Legion Veteran squads are becoming the norm now.

 

The Chosen Duty Rite of War, which turns Veterans into Compulsory Troops, is quickly becoming the go-to.  About half the Legion players in my meta are saying that's what they're doing, even though it means they can't bring a Primarch or a Lord of War.  They usually choose the Veteran skill that gives everyone Sniper.

 

That will probably impact high Toughness models like Battle-Automata, but also suddenly all my T5 models don't seem as tough as they used to.

 

Veterans at least suck in melee but those Sniper rounds and combi-weapons hurt. It's why I take Augery Scanners always, and I'm seriously considering Satarael over Scoria (cyber-occulari are pretty great as a hard counter). Depends on if they're pod or Rhino delivery, but either way you need to kill them fast. 

[LtDan]

Nothing a reductor artillery strike can't cope with

[Withershadow]

Do veterans actually suck in melee? They have 3 attacks base, they do better than most non-elite infantry.

[Unknown Legionnaire]

Couldn't agree more. A power fist on the sergeant and 2 power weapons sprinkled into the squad and they'll be formidable due to the sheer number of attacks they can dish out.

 

They're a threat to T5 and even higher toughness creatures.

[LtDan]

We wouldn't want to be messing around with them..they could all take power mauls too. Just two base attacks tho

[Reyner]

We wouldn't want to be messing around with them..they could all take power mauls too. Just two base attacks tho

Technically 3 since they all have bolter, close combat weapon and pistols :)

[SkimaskMohawk]

On the charge a squad of vets without power mauls (sarge has a fist) will get about 3 unsaved wounds onto a castellax.  unless a player was going against a ton of mechanicum in his area, I don't think anyone would ever gimp a vet squad by giving them all mauls (which would only push the damage up by 2 wounds).

 

Mechanicum has enough guns to just shoot them off the table in most cases though

[LtDan]

Yeah I doubt anyone would unless they fight alot of mech. Most the vet squads I see are just bolters with the sarg having a p fist or axe.maybe odd combi or power weapon.... But as said I would just shoot them

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I'm happy if Veterans wanna get into melee, its coming in and rapid-firing Sniper rounds into me that is the concern.

 

Don't forget that your Veterans still test for Fear (you'll probably pass the Ld test anyway but it does come up sometimes), and if they whiff combat they can get run down by Castellax. 

 

On a side note, had a game against GK. Arlatax are the real deal with 'Rite of the Beast'. I'm still tossing up between them or Vultarax in my local matchups. I know against the mech lists angry bees are hilariously good, but Arlatax do demolish other MC's, Terminators and vehicles quite reliably. Forge World need to release the model already, it's the last thing I have to proxy for. 

[Withershadow]

The bees aren't bad in combat, either. They swing at S6 AP2 as well, and can sweep even without Skoria.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

S4 sadly :( otherwise they'd be Castellax tier

[Withershadow]

Whoops. Still, AP2 at initiative ain't bad, and they don't need Skoria to be able to sweep.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I'd stay in Swooping mode all game. With 24" cortex range you can zip them around pretty easily, just need to zig zag and position your Domini in a nice chain up the board. 

[Withershadow]

If the game is down to the last turn, I would definitely consider going into hover mode if there is some enemy tactical squad on an objective I could sweep. Keeping it alive is worthless if you lose the game.