Priority for Heavy Support Tanks

[awilden]

Hey all, I was just wondering what the best additions to a small Guard (allied or combined arms) detachment would be? at the moment I have a Leman Russ (standard kit not demolisher, but with all the standard weapon options), and was looking at getting a Hydra/Wyvern kit, I was also looking into the possibility of getting a Basalisk or a Manticore.

 

What is the usual best to worst, or highest priority to lowest, for heavy support tanks?

 

At the moment my Guard detachment is in a supporting role to Blood Angels, and focused on long range, so troops blob, company command squad, and a lot of heavy weapons teams (managed to get quite a few teams out of the kits with help from one of the threads i posted here), and tanks. I like the idea of Guard being the heavy weapon/mass fire support, and using the BA's to close the gap and protect the squishy normal humans.

 

 

[librisrouge]

If you're taking the IG for heavy support with melee BA then I presume you'll want to avoid scattering AP3 or better, yet still be able to take vehicles out so that your assault troops can mulch the soft, pasty, insides.

 

That means either vanquishers (for heavy armor) or exterminators (for light) from the kit you have, both with hull lascannons and, probably, sponson multimeltas. I would consider a manticore, because they're good at plinking off hull points and AP4 means bad scatters still give you armor saves. They wyvern is universally excellent. Get two.

[steellegionnaire85]

It depends on your opponent. What do you face most. Hordes wyvern is the best choice. If you face necrons the manticore. It will force them to take their reanimation at a minus. And it's devastating.

[CyderPirate]

Yeah, most of the tanks have a pretty specific role.

 

LRBTs and Manticores are good all-rounders, posing a reasonable threat to infantry and vehicles. (You could also include basilisks here)

Eradicators/Wyverns/Punisher - infantry killers.

Exeterminator - beats light armour/medium infantry

Vanquisher - busts tanks

Demolisher - anti-vehicle/elite infantry

Executioner - terrifies elite infantry/monstrous creatures

Annihilator - elite infantry and tanks (wouldn't bother with it though)

 

I'd either go with a standard Russ, Manticore or a brace of Wyverns. In most games they'll have something to do. 

 

Forge World books have some excellent options too, if you're open to 'em.

 

 

*edited to add FW*

[WarriorFish]

There is no such thing as a best to worst overall, all depends on what you need as mentioned. I'll also second steering clear of AP3 pie plates for allying to Marines as a sensible rule but that still leaves you with plenty of choice.

 

I'd also add that something your Marines can't do as well, or would prefer not to is a good idea. Something like an Eradicator (also a cheaper AV14 hull) or Executioner to focus their role perhaps?

[duz_]

If you haven't already wyvrens and wyrevns

 

Of you want AA I'd rather get a vendetta than a hydra

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

If you haven't already wyvrens and wyrevns

 

Of you want AA I'd rather get a vendetta than a hydra

Just as in real life, the best air defense is another aircraft. The vendetta pulls Air Defense better than the hydra, mine dropped a stormraven in one go.

[march10k]

I'd like to vote for the humble and cheap eradicator.  The S and AP are about as nasty as you can get without endangering your allied marines, and it ignores cover saves...what more could you ask for?  I'd normally advocate for the demolisher under the banner of "the biggest bomb kills everything."  S and AP are just plain an easy button when it comes to killing anything that isn't a flier (unless it has a good cover or invulnerable save.  Even then...making an entire squad of thundernators make a 3+ save has its merits!) and the demolisher, being such a threat, will draw a ridiculous amount of enemy action away from the rest of your list (take two if you take one), so it's doubly fantastic.  Under these circumstances, I'll have to recommend a command squadron of vanquishers, perhaps led by pask, certainly with hull lascannons (but no sponsons, you want to be 40+" from the enemy for your own safety!) for antitank support, if that's what you're after....so, eradicator for killing non-power-armored troops, and lascannon eradicators for killing tanks.

[Lukash_]

I'm an Exterminator fanboy. A four-shot twin-linked autocannon is nothing to sneeze at, and with upgrades it can threaten just about anything.

[steellegionnaire85]

My wyverns carry the field auto include. My exterminators have taken down many flyers. I never use hydras. My vanquished are great for tank sniping.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Or you could always just pull some black templar shenanigans, and say "damn the losses" and just throw templates out there and as long as the opponent loses more than you do, call it a win. That's how I play my infantry platoons (when I go DKoK). All in how you want to play.

[march10k]

you sound like Longshanks..."I have reserves...they have none...archers!"

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Well, yeah, now that you put it that way. I was thinking more along the lines of Soviet Russia circa WW2.

[march10k]

I do miss that commie bastard Chenkov with his WoN platoon...but not as much as I miss Al'Rahem...a whole platoon of outflanking chimeras with hull heavy flamers and two flamers from the hatch!  Take that, gaunt hordes!

[Tallarn Commander]

These days I sometimes try to replicate Al'Rahem's ability to romp around in the enemy backfield by using a militarum tempestus platoon with 35 or so scions--it costs twice the points and is about half as effective.  R.I.P. Al'Rahem.

[march10k]

Well...IIRC, doesn't creed do Al'Rahem better than Al'Rahem?  D3 outflanking units?  Or did that change when Al'Rahem went away?  I ran that trick once with two outflanking demolishers...it was GLORIOUS!!!

[Lukash_]

All Creed does now is get two warlord traits (but has a high probability of getting the outflank one if you have him in a CAD.)