How do we beat the Custodes Shield-Captain bike spam list?

[Panzer]

Well a huge part of the game is decided during the list building stage so if you have trouble with one kind of a list and ask for help the obvious answer is to take a look at your list first. :D

[DaisyDuke]

Other than terms in a spartan what was your list? From just the information you have given, when facing the custards next time put something else in the spartan and use it as a fire base and suckering in the Custodes. Then deep strike the terms to cause havoc in his guardsman back lines. Or to counter strike his bikes once there stranded after they’ve over killed a bait unit.

Without the lists I don’t think anyone can give you much tactical advice.

[Trevak Dal]

Yeah I was providing what I'd do with what I got. My main Csms are very "combined arms force". My World Eaters are as many Zerkers, helbrutes and daemon engines I can fit into a list with a daemon Prince.

 

My Tau can be...well anything that doesn't require the :cussty non forgeworld fliers, or requires more than two riptides or 1 ghostkeel.

[Mekhitar]

What else do you take in your lists? You mentioned termies, cultists, Spartan...

[Raven1]

What it seems like everybody is saying is "build completely different lists". Maybe that's the best advice. I was hoping for some tactics, though, not just list-building tips. I'm not a fan of tailoring my whole list just to fight one threat (i.e., the Shield Captain jetbikes). Is there anything else I can do besides just redesign my list from the ground up?

 

Well we only have bits and pieces of your list and not much of his list or models they you have. The fact of the matter is despite the models looking good the Termi and Spartan built as is not that good in 8th especially for what your facing.

 

That being said I think deepstriking the terminators would good with 6 captains on Dawneagle jetbikes I'm not sure he has much points for anything thing and his back field could be vulnerable.

 

Last advice maybe play if you concentrated mission objectives you could still win. I have won games with less models on the board by playing the objectives and not focusing too much on the other models.

[masterstrider]

Some suggestions: 

*Take 2-3 units of Obliterators with the Mark of Slaanesh. Keep them in deep strike reserve. When his bikes hit a screen unit, fall back, drop the Obliterators down and double shoot the jetbikes using Endless Cacophony. Do this for one or two consecutive rounds and they will be red mist.

*Keep the distance between your screen and your good stuff just shorter than the base width of the jetbike, so he can't leap over your screens and into your good units.

*Use Death Hex, especially if the jetbikes are deployed as a unit, since you will get more mileage for the power. Then shoot them with high AP weapons to eat through their armour saves, e.g. melta guns or Raptors with multiple plasma pistols. FYI, 5 raptors can take 4 plasma pistols (2 on the champ, and 2 on single models) for around 113pts. Give them the mark of Slaanesh and they can shoot again. Then they can charge the guy so he can't charge you. Even if you lose the unit, you've tied him up for a turn.

*Charge them first. This way they lose the bonus of reroll to wounds with the lance.

*Daemon Shells for 1CP could be good.

*Smite + Infernal Gaze could potentially finish one off.

*Contemptor dreadnoughts with Chainclaw and Soulburners dish out heaps of mortal wounds for only 217pts.

 

As mentioned above, list building is a thing in 8th. If you want to play competitively, you'll have to adapt your list to the META or prepare to lose/tie games.

Edited March 1, 2018 by masterstrider