Positive Discussion: Host Raptorial

[BrainFireBob]

Not much comment on the Devastation Battery.still, let's continue with the Host Raptorial.

 

Seems to me the best use is either:

 

Legion: World Eaters

Units: T. Hammer lord, Field Commander Trait, 3x Warp Talons

Use: Drop and wipe. A response tactic, assuming turn 1 went against you

 

Legion: Purge

Units: Either Sorc or Lord with Chiropteran Wings, Filed Commander, 3x Warp Talons

Use: Purge rule should trigger off the movement phase caused mortal wound from the relic.

 

 

Not sure which is better.

[Captain Incompetence]

The Host Raptorial is on paper an interesting detachment. The Warlord Trait buffs deepstrike significantly by making the charge much easier to make, which highly benefits Warp Talons. However, Raptors get something useful out of this detachment too with the Vicious Descent strategem. This allows you to drop down a plasma or melta raptor squad anywhere they're legally allowed to be placed without having to worry about them being in a reroll aura. This gives you some more tactical flexibility on where you want to provide some needed fire-support.

 

I haven't used the relic yet, though I can see the appeal of a Thunderhammer Jump Lord with it. That being said, I think it's better to have it on a HQ that's moving around the place and not deepstriking. It'll be much easier to set up moving across multiple units if you're not coming in from deepstrike as technically you can double-dip with it. Once in the movement phase, and once in the charge-phase.

 

As for Warp Talons, I'd actually advice against World Eaters for them, due to the simple fact that I'm convinced that the Nurgle keyword benefits them far greater, atleast if you bring a Chaos Daemon detachment alongside it. The reason why this is good is because the Warp Talons have a Daemon keyword and thus actively benefit from the presence of a Daemon aura's. A Nurgle Daemon HQ brings Locus of Virulence, granting them +1 damage on a wound-roll of 6+ while within 6". On top of that you also have the psychic power Virulent Blessing granting them +1 on their to-wound rolls and doubling their damage on a 7+ wound roll. If that wasn't enough, you can then use the VotLW strategem to grant them another +1 to their to-wound roll while their lightning claws grant an innate ability to reroll all failed to-wound rolls. This means in general that you'll be doing 2 damage on a 4+ and 3 damage on a 5+ wound roll. Suddenly everything from MEQ to vehicles is prey for the Warp Talons.

 

While this is ofcourse awesome on paper, it does tax you quite heavily on CP and points as you want that Nurgle HQ to deepstrike alongside it, and you'll be needing a Nurgle Daemon detachment somewhere in the list. That's ofcourse on top of the quite steep pointcost of the Warp Talons itself. In other words: It's really cool when it works out, but it's expensive and don't expect this to work nearly as much as you'd like.