Unit of the Week: Tomb Blades

[NTaW]

 

Welcome to the Necron Unit of the Week Series!

 

Each week a different unit will be highlighted for discussion until we have amalgamated a full list of our available options and their relevant tactics as 8th edition evolves. We already have a few previous entries but things change as FAQs and Chapter Approved books get released and we playtest new ideas so please feel free to reopen a topic when new options become relevant for discussion.

 

Please keep in mind this isn't to lament the status of featured units or compare them to others but to try and find their potential for all types of gameplay.

 

This week’s unit is:

 

 

As a loose guide, here are some questions we could answer to help out any who happen upon our metallic corner of the B&C:

 

• What size unit do you feel works best?
• What Code do you prefer?
• What synergies have you found with other units?
• Are there any stratagems that specifically buff this unit?
• Do you build your list around this unit or use it to fill some points?
• What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of this unit?

Now over to you!

Edited July 29, 2019 by NTaW

[Tyriks]

I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but if you like Gauss Immortals, try some Tomb Blades instead.

 

2 Immortals compared to one Tomb Blade with shieldvanes, the Tomb Blade has: +1T, almost three times as much movement, same shots, same wounds, and a penalty to be shot at for only 1 point more. I prefer Gauss on them because Tesla benefits so much more from MWBD that I want that on Immortals.

 

They definitely seem better in larger squads. The penalty to hit and bonus Toughness makes them much more survivable than Immortals, but getting a few back from RP can change the game. So, make sure your squads are big enough to have some survivors. I really need to get more Tomb Blades.

 

EDIT: I truly think Tomb Blades are among the best units we have. They're very durable and fast, and aren't lacking in the lethality department.

Edited June 17, 2019 by Tyriks

[MithrilForge]

So your saying their like Immortal destroyers...?!?

that new box coming out has some in there...i may have to look into this 

and i guess they'd work really well with Mephrit Dynasty...as they can zoom in to half range and fire!...

 

Mithril

[dreadmad]

I was doing some maths for my own benefit and figured there's no reason not to share it here - it's not formatted super neatly since it was for personal use but the numbers should be pretty clear. After Kaldoth gave some feedback and a look at his list I wanted to quantify each loadout for a better understanding of how each fits in lists.

 

The obvious comparisons are Tesla Vs Gauss & Sautekh (for the strat) and Mephrit (for the AP, plus the strat as needed).

 

Graph

 

Table

 

The number is the % of the number of shots as unsaved wounds caused. E.g. for the "Tesla Base" section, against T3 6+ save every 100 shots will cause 111 unsaved wounds.

 

I forgot to add the Mephrit strat for Gauss, however just increase the damage by 1/6th (against Marines the damage goes from 74.07% to 86.42% of shots).

 

The major takeaway from these numbers is Tesla is always better than Gauss above 12", and when both are Mephrit (at 12" or lower) Gauss outperforms Tesla by ~10% (against the tougher target you want to shoot Gauss at).

 

Mephrit is also equally effective (at 12") Vs the tougher targets (Marines etc) *without* using any stratagems as Sautekh is while using their 2cp strat. When you add in the 1cp exploding 6's Mephrit pulls ahead in damage, and has a lower CP cost. However, while I didn't include the numbers here - the damage drop of for Tesla is FAR more severe for Tesla than it is for Gauss, which I think opens up the niche for Gauss a little more.

 

This leads me to think that while Tesla is a good generalist option that won't suffer unless you face negative modifiers to hit, a squad of Gauss Tomb Blades can definitely do some heavy lifting - and are worth building around and prioritising for the exploding 6 stratagem. I'd also probably always run Tomb Blades as Mephrit, with an outside case to be made for Sautekh.

 

Interested to hear if anyone has any thoughts or conflicting opinions based on these figures!

Edited February 12, 2020 by dreadmad

[Kaldoth]

Awesome breakdown! Pretty much backs up the argument I've always made, but with actual mathematics behind it, so thanks for doing all the work for me :P

 

I never run Tomb Blades with Tesla, and it's entirely because of their movement speed. Getting Tomb Blades into rapid fire range is one of the least difficult things in the world to do. They're one of the few units we have that can reliably get into rapid fire and on Mephrit that means an extra point of AP. S5 AP3 rips through all types of elite stuff. You can even plink wounds off of heavy armor with semi-reliability just because of shot volume. Add in a Triarch Stalker for rerolls on ones and you've got quite a nasty little unit.

 

For unit size I like to run 7-8 of them, usually 7. They're incredibly hard to hide in large numbers so I try to stay away from max sized squads. Conversely, having too few means they'll get shredded. While they aren't the most expensive thing in the world, they are expensive enough that I'd like to keep them alive to take advantage of RP if possible.

 

While I don't think anyone would argue that they are better damage dealers than Destroyers, I do think that if you've got other elite killers and anti tank in your force, they can fill the role that Destroyers normally fill without issue. Do they out shoot them? No. Is their damage output still good enough to get the job done? Absolutely. I look at their Weapon profiles (as Mephrit) and rationalize it thusly:

 

S5 Ap3

 

vs

 

S6 Ap4

 

So, is S6 really that much better than S5? Not really when it comes to Destroyers vs Tomb Blades. Reason being, S6 just let's you wound T3 targets on a 2. It's still wounding anything T4 on a 3+, which is most infantry units in Marine armies. For the T5 units, you're still on that 3+ with Destroyers vs a 4+ with Tomb Blades, but you're also getting way higher shot volume with the Tomb Blades.

 

Ap4 vs Ap3. More AP is always better, no doubt. But here I look at shot volume again. I would rather take 28 shots at Ap3 over 18 shots at Ap4. It's only against multi wound 3+ save models (primaris) that Destroyers are really going to outperform Tomb Blades. But if you've got other units besides Destroyers to help out, then is that really that important? IMO, no.

 

Tomb Blades are cheaper, more survivable with the native -1, have more shots per model when in rapid fire, and you can give them a native 5++ if you've got the points to spare. If you've got units to support them, then Tomb Blades all the way :tu:

 

Edit: One more small thought for ITC settings. Another perk of Tomb Blades is you get multi wound models with some survivability to them without worrying about giving up Gangbusters as a secondary ;) Most of the units we have that are good elite hunters are also low unit size and give up Gangbusters pretty easily. Tomb Blades don't, but still lay down impressive amounts of firepower :D

Edited February 12, 2020 by Kaldoth

[Beatnik cryptek]

I kit my blades with shieldvanes and gauss, since if just one unit survives with one wound I can do RP. I avoid Tesla due to no MWBD. Edited March 11, 2020 by Beatnik cryptek

[Get Thokt]

Mine are kitted with Tesla and shieldvanes. I tend to play them as flanking units and try avoiding them getting the bulk of the opponent's firepower. The longer these guys are in the game, the harder it is for your opponent to remove them off the board.

 

I've always played them as Sautekh but thinking of trying them as Nihilakh with Shadowlooms. Then paying 2CP and keeping them on a middle objective with a 4++.

[The_Chaplain]

What are peoples views on Tomb Blades now that the codex is out? Could they be a decent choice in a crusade force considering you don't have to "pay" for things like shield vanes, nebula scopes, etc.

[Stupidity]

I haven't fielded them yet but I find a unit of 9 to be very interesting indeed for Mephrit. 

They are core, so can be brought back by technomancers and buffed by my will be done. 

With 14" movement and 30" range, gauss blades can easily get targets into half range where they can hit hard. My basic math says they can comfortably remove a unit of 5 two wound marines from the table. 

With 36 S5 AP-3 shots they would seem to be the most efficient use of the gauss stratagems like exploding 6's or auto wounding on 6's. 

 

Edit: Mathammer says 9 Mephrit TB kill 6.667 MEQ on average. 10 on average with MWBD and exploding 6's strategem. 

 

On that note, anyone have any idea how the auto wounding strat works best? When would you want to take it over exploding hits?

Edited October 19, 2020 by Stupidity

[The_Chaplain]

Yeah, gauss blades caught my eye immediately just because of the -2 ap-- pumping out more shots via tesla or particle gun seems appealing but without any ap in a marine heavy meta, whats the poontnif its gonna bounce off?

[Axilleas]

I was thinking it could be good to throw 1 tesla inside a unit of gauss as well, to easily proc the exploding MW strat anytime a good opportunity presents itself.

[NTaW]

=][= There will be a new edition of the UotW series starting soon, specific to 9th edition. For the time being please start new threads to discuss tactics. When I'm home later I will move posts so topics aren't spread across two editions. =][= Edited October 19, 2020 by NTaW

[Get Thokt]

The inability to fall back and shoot has hurt them quite a bit. A 9-man unit is quite risky due to the fact that if your opponent gets into engagement range, they have turned off your shooting for a turn. I think running 2 Gauss units of 4 might work best. What's everyone's opinion of using Particle Beams?

 

Apologies NTAW, I just wanted to add this in

Edited October 19, 2020 by Get Thokt