Retaliation Protocols vol.1: The Endless Tide

[NTaW]

 

Welcome to Retaliation Protocols, a series that will focus on what we Phaerons can do to effectively command our forces across the various battlefields of the 41st Millennium. As 8th edition progresses Necron armies are faced by a myriad of foes and we need to be prepared for what trials the tabletop brings for our Dynasties. Here we can discuss effective unit combinations, dangerous situations to avoid, different list builds, and many other situational tactics to employ as we retake the stars in the name of the Necrontyr.

 

 

First up is a discussion on how to stem the tide of models that horde armies send hollering/chittering/chanting across the table at us. As a loose guide, here are some questions we could answer to help out any who come by looking for guidance:

 

• What Code do you prefer to employ?
• What units do you feel have unique capabilities here?
• What synergies have you found between units that make them specifically effective here?
• Are there any stratagems that are of service?
• What are some potential core units for an army tailored to this type of enemy?
• What are some of the less favourable situations we face when playing this type of enemy?

 

To kick things off, tesla weapons are your friend. The 6+ stipulation means you can buff them with My Will Be Done and also the Methodical Destruction stratagem if you are playing the Sautekh code. Imotekh is a natural choice to lead this force since he can use MWBD twice every turn without The Phaeron's Will stratagem. If you can tee up a wound on a priority target with a unit ahead of time, bonus re-roll 1 to hit if it was a Stalker, exploding hits on 4+ can be absolutely devastating. Taking the Mephrit code means you're only getting the extra tesla hits on 5+ at best but you get an AP bonus that can really help peel back lightly armoured foes at close range. Using the Talent for Annihilation stratagem can provide a few extra attacks as well, best employed on units with their maximum unit size.

 

Now over to you!

 

[Beatnik cryptek]

Generally I prefer sautech.Best characters, and I like the overlord trait that letsmyou reclaim a command point per turn. Imohtek is arguably the best character, plus their strategem is useful.

 

The mephrit dynasty is also good for the AP bonus, especially for deathmarks and annihilation barges . I could switch between the two.

 

The best synergy in a necron army is generally between infantry units and a command barge and a cryptek. The barge gives a great buff with wave of command and a cryptek gives infantry a 5++ save and helps with resseurection within 3", this makes it harder to wipe a unit and prevent resseurection.

 

Scarabs are an underappreciated unit, they can engage flyers and wound on a 5+ in melee. A ring of them around a vital unit can interfere with deep strike attacks. Using the self destruct start can put hurt on vital units. Plus they can be made with green stuff quite easily and cheaply.

 

Tomb blades are versatile, and can be used for a variety of purposes such as winking infantry out of cover or be hard to kill due to the '1 to be hit and shieldvanes.

[NTaW]

I've found Scarab blockers to be indispensable in my games. I place them far enough away from what they are protecting that the enemy (hopefully) can't declare the screened unit as part of their charge after their move/arrival, and also far enough away that if the Scarabs die in the Fight phase the enemy can't consolidate into the screened unit. Orks and Tyranids/GSC both seem to have no issue pulling off T1 charges in my experience so having a unit out front of 3w models is a surprisingly decent speedbump for the Gaunts/Genestealers/Boyz I've faced. I've even had times of great luck when using a full size squad where I had Scarab bases left that got away with FLY to be a nuisance elsewhere while my Warrior squads mopped up what was left.

 

The trick is that first charge is less than half the enemy models and the rest are right there for the T2 followup charge :lol:

 

My full deployment is Scarabs up front (3x 3 model or 2x 4/5 model), 2x 10 model Warrior squads ~7" behind, 20 model Warrior squad however many inches the deployment zone lets me set up back (sometimes only 2-3" unfortunately), as well as a Lord and ChronoTek in the mix trying to buff all the Warriors. The idea really is that the front 4-5 units are all blockers for the Warrior blob and the rest of my shooting base (Destroyers, DDA, Stalker). When I get the spacing just right that 20 Warrior squad is integral or even alone in ending a unit per turn, but when I get the long-edge deployment zone this tactic is....well, harder to employ. In that instance I place the 20 Warriors in the middle of the formation and use either the Immortal Pride trait, or save 2CP for the auto pass morale stratagem, combined with the Veil of Darkness relic to zap the survivors out leaving the Lord and remaining Warriors to (hopefully) eliminate the enemy unit. It's very cramped with the 12" deployment zone, I've even lined the smaller Warrior squads straight up against the table edge at times to make it that much harder for Orks (specifically, since they are on 32mm bases over the 25mm bases of Gaunts) to reach them.