Nephrekh Combo?

[BitsHammer]

So I decided to finally dust off Necrons for the first time in years and jumped into Nephrekh for my Dynasty (So. Much. Gold. I think I'm going to break it up a bit with some dark steel and jade), and mulling over stuff I came up with a rather silly idea to take advantage of the speed the army has:

 

+6 Wraiths with Transdimensional Beamers

+9 Scarabs

+Canoptek Cloak Cryptek or CCB (which also takes a Tesla Cannon) with the Solar Staff.

 

With the Cryptek this runs 574 points, while the CCB (which should also take the -1 to be hit WT) runs 636.

 

The basic idea is that Wraiths can move 18", and for a CP still shoot and charge (shotting gitting on 4s) with 6d3 shots that can also drop mortal wounds before charging. The staff can let you shut down the Overwatch on an Infantry unit, while the CCB can lay in some extra hurt with the Tesla Cannon. Scarabs are a bit slower, but you can use them to help screen the HQ model, or eat Smite.

 

It's likely only a combo that'll work on someone once, but the idea of running a Cantopek wing up the board, going full disco on the enemy before charging either what's left or something else looks pretty fun.

 

Downside is that it is very expensive, though dropping the 9 bases of Scarabs from the combo can help a bit (especially since they have uses all over the army, not just here) and can be pretty alpha strike-y. On the flipside it's got an effective threat range of about 30" meaning that you can reach out and touch things pretty easilly, though with the beamers only being S4 it feels like a lot of fishing for 6s.

 

Anyone else have some thoughts on this before I try building it?

[NTaW]

First off, gold and jade would look great with dark steel underneath.

 

As for the units, I get why it makes sense to put a Cryptek with Wraiths but ho boy to Crypteks suck in combat. They are squishier than a wet sponge and if you're in combat and your opponent doesn't like its buffs it will be an easy choice to pick it off to make the tougher to kill Wraiths a bit more vulnerable. I think the CCB would be a better option unless you're tied for points and available models. Wraiths I really don't think are worth giving guns to. I'm sure the potential is there and I bet it works great for the people who use it but there are more efficient uses of points in my mind.

 

Three things you can add to your Canoptek strike are the Translocation Crypt stratagem, Veil of Darkness, and the Deceiver. TC lets you deploy Destroyers safely and with a 24" range there's not much to worry about with screens, plus Extermination Protocols is amazing. The Veil lets you pull slower units like Lychguard (or more Wraiths, but behind the enemy this time) into the fight, and the Deceiver lets you reposition anything left if you're so inclined. Also: more gold.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

It’s a sound idea, and probably more survivable than you think. Add a spyder in, and it will either regen scarabs or tank fire that would otherwise hit your wraiths. It’s expensive because it’s good.

IIRC the beamers deal mortal wounds, which helps their damage output. If you want really hard damage, or guaranteed attacks in melee, grab whipcoils on the wraiths and laugh.

I’d go for it. Regardless of effectiveness it should be super fun to run.

[BitsHammer]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I'm definitely not against Lynchguard, but I am a bit middle of the road regarding Destroyers at the moment. Haven't decided if they're what my list needs yet. A C'tan is definitely an option.

 

And the beamers do mortals plus normal damage on wound rolls of a 6+ so they have some bite. The downside is that with a beamer each Wraith runs 62 points. Even with the guaranteed movement, that is a lot to put on each model. I might be better off spending the points for the beamers on Tomb Blades and supporting the army with some fast moving Dakka that can pop up in annoying places.

 

I think the biggest complaint about Nephrekh is that most of the stuff that benefits the most from the code can't take assault weapons.

[NTaW]

I initially modeled my collection over what was available when I first started Necrons, so Warriors, Immortals, Destroyers, Scarabs, and a Lord. If I hadn't had that view at the time I may have more Doom Scythes or another Doomsday Ark instead. I will say they are exceptionally easy to build at least.

 

I also think that the points intended for Wraiths here would be better spent on Tomb Blades to harass and distract. Those Wraiths are absolutely going to be the main target of your opponent. Maybe not the first game but once you demonstrate their effectiveness you may find yourself hiding in terrain as you advance instead of trying for an early charge. Anything to help take the pressure off will help them do their job.

 

Nephrekh doesn't offer my games much at all aside from using the TC strat to drop Destroyers in, and I can do that with an Auxiliary Detachment if need be. I'm inclined to think Necrons would program their minions as needed not just one code for all so my colour scheme doesn't reflect the Dynasty choices I make. If I ran your list the models may be gorgeous gold but the Code would be Novokh headed by a CCB warlord using the Crimson Haze trait. I admit I have a bit of an "all-in" mode for combat units :lol:

 

What's your goal for points in the army at first?

[BitsHammer]

Probably around 2k in the end, but I think most of my army is going to be "cool thing I want to play", though I'm not really chasing tournament levels. I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot at the same time.

[NTaW]

That's basically my mentality for army collecting and list building. For what it's worth I think this would give you a fun start to playing Necrons and if you're looking to make it a larger collection over time I doubt you'll ever regret those unit choices of units in the long run. I use Wraiths, Scarabs, and a Cryptek just about all the time at 2k and with 1300+ points left you can either commit to your starting theme or freely change entirely with little to no consequence.

[BitsHammer]

That's basically my mentality for army collecting and list building. For what it's worth I think this would give you a fun start to playing Necrons and if you're looking to make it a larger collection over time I doubt you'll ever regret those unit choices of units in the long run. I use Wraiths, Scarabs, and a Cryptek just about all the time at 2k and with 1300+ points left you can either commit to your starting theme or freely change entirely with little to no consequence.

I'm going to try a 1k game this Sat using the Outrider Detachment box (minus Ghost Ark), with an Overlord and a unit of Lynchguard. If I like how it plays I'll likely look at splitting the army into Vanguard and Outrider and go from there while basically leaving the Immortals and Warriors out of the list for now. Fair bit of melee in the idea as well.

 

The idea is to load up on a lot of stuff that can truck on the board while weathering a hit or two. Going to need to fit a C'Tan in there as well I'm sure.

[NTaW]

Nice, best of luck in your game! I'd be interested to hear how it goes if you're of a mind to share your results/post game thoughts.

 

I recommend, if you haven't committed to another relic anyway, that you straight up hide you Lychguard and Overlord totally out of LoS and Veil them in place when the opportunity arises. MWBD will at least offer +1 to your charge range to both the OL and LG through The Phaeron's Will to help get into combat once you arrive, and if you fail your charge there's at least Dispersion Shield Amplification to help if it looks like overwhelming firepower is coming their way. The only time I don't use the Veil on my OL/LG is when I'm facing an army I know will rush me, then it goes on a Cryptek who will use it on a squad of 20 Warriors to help reposition/get out of combat.