Scout Snipers and Centurion Devastators

[Buggane]

Hi All

 

 

 

As a newly starting Raven Guard player they both have a certain pull as it would seem that they can take good advantage of the RG special ability to have -1 to hit over 12 inches. SFTS would also let you deploy the centurions in a nice bit of cover for a +1 armor save.  Plus scouts are incredibly fluffy for RG.

 

However, i've seen and read a lot of negativity about scout snipers not causing enough damage, and being expensive with all their gear. Centurions are ridiculously expensive and every time someone uses centurions in a battlerep I watch on youtube they are focused quickly and destroyed on turn 1 or 2. It might be better to put 4 lascannons in a dev squad with plenty of ordinary marines to act as meatshields, or use dreads (which also get the -1...)

 

So, how are people finding these two units? 

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Are those complaints you're reading from before 8E? Scout snipers were practically never seen for a long time after 5E and early 6E because they were just not worth the points compared to bolter Scouts.

 

In 8E, they shouldn't be bad enough to be commonly complained about. They can target characters which is vital against any army that's not the Assassin spam build, and on 6's, they deal additional Mortal Wounds. That's insanely powerful if you roll multiple 6's and put them on a character. Chances are if they're a generic HQ they will die. The rifle is also equipped on the absolute best infantry/Troop unit in the codex, with the best deployment rule in the game (able to counter-deploy) and best points-per-model in the army, beaten only by Intercessors in the points-per-wound category.

 

Grav-cannons deals the most average wounds against the most targets among all heavy weapons. However, Centurions have been nerfed twice, and if they are worth taking at all, it will most likely be in the GC setup if even that. If you are looking for taking lots of grav-cannons, I'm not sure if it would be better to take them on Devastators, Tactical Squads, or Centurions, but I suspect the Devastators might be better after the most recent nerf. LCs and MLs are probably better taken elsewhere on more efficient platforms. Don't know if the full bolter loadout is viable or not.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Tyberos the Red Wake

[wako1302]

What is the 2nd Nerf for Centurions ? I know the points cost went up, but what else has changed.

 

Mine seem to do OK, all have Heavy Bolters, 2 have Hurricane Bolters and 1 has Missile Launcher - They seem to do a good job of taking out infantry and light vehicles especially when deploying from a Crusader Landraider or Storm Raven.

[Frater Cornelius]

I am only playing Bolters Scohts with HB to infiltrate, block opponents and spam the HB Stratagem. Tried Snipers. They did very little while costing a lot. Sure, some times they did plenty MW. But the Hellfire Stratagem does the same. My issue with them is that their damage is highly unreliable without Guilliman. I do not want to keep Scouts that close to my deathball. They are supposed to cap objectives and block deep strikes. Atrived at the conclusion, that Intercessors were better for me.

 

Haven't tried Grav Cents and it is unlikely that I will. They are expensive and do not fit in my Primaris lists :D No comments on those.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Frater Cornelius

[Ishagu]

Grav Centurions still perform on the tabletop when used correctly, but they are crazy expensive.

 

If you are walking them around, they will die before they ever shoot. You have to deploy them inside a transport.

 

Their nerf is their cost increase, which I thought was pretty crazy. A comparable unit to Centurions are Chaos Obliterators - they are cheap, have impressive firepower and don't require a transport to get into optimum range. Oblits were buffed in the new Codex.

[Damo1701]

Centurions Nerfs:

 

1) points increase.

2) No Drop Pods.

 

Scout Snipers:

 

Best in blobs of 10, but, that's in the region of 180 points. However, you should get at least 2-3 mortal wounds out of it if they all fire at the same target... not always efficient that way, and they are a priority target.

 

Some people give their scouts a missile launcher, however, that eats into your mortal wounds against characters. Whereas you can stick missile launchers in tactical squads if you want Flakk Missiles stratagem...

 

I've had some success keeping my snipers in my deployment zone, as deepstrike denial, which has vexed my opponent a few times.

 

As my army theme is Heresy/Scouring, I don't have or use centurions, but I don't really miss them either. They were great in my Imperial Fists in 7th, but I do feel there might be better uses for their points.