Unit of the Week IX - Seraphim

[Aqui]

Unit of the week I - Exorcist

Unit of the week II - Imolator

Unit of the week III - Repentia

Unit of the Week IV - Battle Sister Squad (BSS)

Unit of the Week V - The Penitent Engine

Unit of the Week VI - The Canoness

Unit of the Week VII - Ministorum Priests/Jacobus

Unit of the Week VIII - Celestine

I forgot to post a new topic again this week! However, better late than never I suppose...

On to another of my favourite units (models-wise at least). From what I can see, the general consensus is to use this unit besides Celestine to act as a body guard, or to use them to challenge objectives (I don't have too much experience of the latter).

I currently have enough for about nearly three full squads (including copious amounts of Superiors! ), so I definitely want to make the most of them.

So, the question, as ever is - How do you use yours?

[Servant of Dante]

I like these threads! Other than the Exorcist, my favorite SoB models. Maybe has some competition from the Canoness. They are so much fun to run. I blame the BA for my love of jump infantry.

However, I'm aparently bad at running them, 'cause they always die in one turn. I've been running a squad of 8, but I'm working on getting 2 more. I guess I need to use more cover.

I did play a kinda derpy game recently where some termis tried to assault my seraphim and Celestine through some ruins. Four D6 S3 hits, and D3 S5 hits managed to kill one (they had FnP from Corbulo). Then they failed their charge. Also, I must not forget about Hit and run!

[Naminé]

It's true that seraphim tend to be targeted first, and I reckon it's because most people recognise the speed they offer as a threat. Especially if you are heavily meched, often Seraphim are just an obvious target. Don't expect them to survive the full game (that's why the Celestine tank is so ubiquitous).

 

Seraphim offer us speed in an army that has very little of it, and so they are a very precious commodity in 40k. That said, they might not kill much on their own except the weakest infantry, but they are good in supporting your other units and harassment. Their main strength is their ability to 'pin' a unit in assault, stopping it from shooting or locking it in combat until the better fighters arrive.

 

My personal setup is to take a full squad with the handflamers, or without if points are tight. I don't recommend the inferno pistols usually because there are better places for melta that are more effective and point efficient. If I did run them this way, I would go for the smaller squad msu and deepstrike.

Instead I run them on the board as another target and so they can act from the very first turn. Lately, as my opponents get smarter and learn the army more, the Seraphim are now surviving the games and make good late game objective grabbers.

[BitsHammer]

I typically run them 10 deep, 2 with Hand Flamers, and the Superor with either two pistols or a power maul and pistol (I prefer mauls to swords on Sisters, better against everything but Power Armour, and even then we wound more often. Plus S5 can glance AV11 and Pen AV10 with decent rolls). I usually use them as a Celestine retinue though they can be a lot of fun on their own too.

[Servant of Dante]

I always take the flamers, and I use the plasma pistol and power sword superior. Maybe not points efficient, but I like the model, and I can't change to load out easily now that she is established as Superior Kataline, and her weapons as relics. Also, I paid extra to get the model off eBay (nib, actually)

 

Although, the metal supporting her broke, and I ended up using a combination of solder and superglue to hold her on her base.

[sedibear]

Seraphim are very good, it's a shame they are competing with Dominions in the current codex. I can never decide which one I want to run 2 and 1 of, except when I can Double CAD.

 

In melee, Hit and Run is very valuable, especially if you also have Celestine in the unit.

 

The rerollable invul save is also nice.

[dracpanzer]

I usually run double cad with three dom squads in one and at least a ten strong seraphim squad in the other. If I have the points and am feeling a bit too impatient to burn heretics, I will include as many five strong, bare bones and two twin flamers squads as I can.

 

Ten strong squad usually runs with Celestine to start. Ablative sounds until she usually drops off into a Priest blob, then they just move fast and exploit exposed foot troops and hunt down Maelstrom obj's.

 

I don't always run Celestine, but when I don't I like three deep striking Seraphim squads with flamers just for the one turn shred burn inferno fun!

 

My favorite bit of fluff for Seraphim is that its usually where the pretty girls get sent.

[ValourousHeart]

I usually run 2 squads of 7-8 with flamers.

Their job changes depending on whom I'm facing and the lay of the terrain.

 

Some times they run up the flanks to hedge in units on the flanks. Has worked well vs Orks as they tend to pile up and bottleneck themselves if they are not able to spread out. This gives my other units a chance to funnel all of their firepower into that front gap.

 

Another way I run them is as a back field defender. If I'm expecting reserves then they protect my exorcists. And help keep me from getting surrounded.

 

A new strategy I have employed is having them support penitent engines. Running them all at a mass of squishy units.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I may have covered this in the Celestine topic, but I'll say it here too.

 

In larger games I run double CAD like Sedibear so that I don't have to worry about losing Dominions so I can have two squads of Seraphim.

 

5 Seraphim with handflamers and Saint Celestine. They go for the enemy backfield and burninate infantry sitting on objectives.

 

5 Seraphim with inferno pistols. They aggressively deepstrike close to their targets of choice (usually vehicles but sometimes higher T elites depending on the situation at hand,) and get to work. If I can get two rounds of shooting out of them it's a bonus, but my thinking is that normally trading them for their target is OK.

 

I've done larger squads before but I don't like it. For one thing, my collection of Seraphim is right at 10 women, so having a big squad means I can't have a second squad even if I have the points. For another thing, it's their special weapons that make them hit hard, and it's not like they get more of those as the squad gets bigger. Ablative wounds have diminishing returns in the points department where they could be buying other things in the army list, and more bodies always means the deepstrike footprint becomes more risky.

 

And on that last point, I've learned to place my Seraphim aggressively when coming in from Reserves. Deadly mishaps don't happen that often, and waiting until next turn to shoot is better than leaving them targets out in the open to be shot at without them even getting to make the most effective use of their weapons. "Who dares, wins," is my philosophy with deepstriking.

[Blackarmor_redtruth]

Seraphim for me are either delivery unit (for St Celestine or for a full-kit Vet UG - bombs, plasma, power sword) or mobile harassers via flamers and Hit & Run. Either way always get the flamers, as the inferno are too short range and really, the melta aspect are well covered elsewhere. I also favor about seven to a unit, more wounds to keep them going and more threat - I like what I get for their ppm. I would like to run two squads, one for St C and one for Super vet, but sadly they are Fast Attack and compete with my Doms, which win out for me.