Unit of the Week: Canoptek Wraiths

[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. Comments that do not adhere to this goal will be removed as they are not constructive to the topic.

 

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?

• Do you make use of the Adaptive Subroutines stratagem?

• What upgrades do you take?

 

Now over to you!

 

[BaconCouch]

Always one unit of 6. Its a tough distraction carnifex unit, or otherwise counter assault unit.

 

I always prefer Nephrekh for wraiths, with adaptive subroutines to shoot them 18 inches up the board and attempt a charge turn 1

I run them always bare bones

[BaronTuman]

3 units of 6, or none. Advancing all 3 will let me use adaptive subroutines on the unit that gets the farthest advance role.  Couple them with 3 units of 9 scarabs for some in-their-face HtH fun with the Novokh dynasty.

 

The big thing to keep in mind though, is that they are big models and might not fit in areas that allow you to get into contact with the enemy.  With the current meta of AP-1 & AP-2 S5 bolters, having a 3++ and T5 is handy.

[NTaW]

I always take a unit of 6, bare bones with no upgrades, using the Novokh Code in an Outrider Detachment. Typically I have either a Nightbringer or Destroyer Lord (sometimes both) hidden away in there for safe keeping with Scarabs occasionally running as blockers. They serve as a counter attack/vanguard unit to the rest of my army; sometimes hidden to counter fast foes who are coming at me but more often with the characters present they act as a sweeping unit running up the edge of the table and hooking in to meet the rest of my army as it advances. 

 

Just watch out for that psychic power Chaos Marines have access to that gets rid of your invulnerable save, or mortal wounds in general. Those are the two biggest weaknesses I've come across that don't involve mutinous dice.

[Mr4Minutes]

I think chapter approved address some interesting options now that their points have come down.

 

I’m looking at a squad of 6 where 2 wraiths will be equipped with whip coils now that they are cheaper. They become more punishing when they’re charged.

 

Something else to watch out for is the Chapter Approved FAQ. The transdem Beamer is listed at 14 points in the codex list but zero points in the forgeworld section. I’m assuming it’s going to be 14, but if that gun gets points cost(especially to zero) it’s a great edition to wraiths.

 

We’ll really get the mileage from their fall back and shoot/charge ability and the strat to advance and shoot/charge.

[Kaldoth]

So, I think everyone here can agree that Wraiths are one of the better units in our Codex. You see most people that take them running max sized squads and grinning as soon as they charge them into an enemy unit. However, after using them myself and watching other players use them both live and in battle reports, I feel like a lot of people don't use them to their full potential. I figured I'd do an in depth break down of how I run them and why I run them the way I do.

 

The first thing I want to look at is their stat line and what it means offensively and defensively for Wraiths.

 

IMO Wraiths don't actually have a super offensive stat line. They're very much a jack-of-all-trades but master of none kind of unit. Their stat line in my eyes means I can reasonably expect them to do semi-reliable damage to most things. Stat by stat, here's my break down of why I feel their damage output falls snugly in the "okay" category:

 

WS 3: This isn't bad at all. You've got a 2/3 chance of hitting your target. However, with their small unit size you're only going to get a maximum of 18 attacks. This puts them at a disadvantage for clearing out horde style armies like Orks and Nids. Flayed Ones also have 3 attacks base, and a mob of 20 only costs you 8 points more. They also have an in built reroll 1s on wounds in close combat, which makes them so much more reliable for clearing out chaff. Throwing your Wraiths into a large mob with the expectation of clearing them out just isn't going to happen. All you accomplish is tying your Wraiths up on something you'd probably be better off using Tesla or Flayed Ones against, and with no in built reroll mechanics you're at the mercy of the dice gods.

 

S 6: This is probably the biggest drawback I think Wraiths have. Strength 6 is nothing to write home about. Yes, it'll wound Marines on a 3+ and T3 armies on a 2+, which is great! But let's look at the weapon stats...

 

AP2 D2: With only 18 attacks at S6, Wraiths find themselves in a weird middle ground for killing potential. The AP2 and D2 is a wasted on T3 armies, as they mostly have single wound models and 5-6+ armor anyway. On the flip side, S6 only nets you a 3+ to wound against most characters and elites choices where that AP2 and D2 come in handy. Plain and simple, Warscythe equipped Lychguard do it better. Getting them into combat isn't as easy, but with Disruption Fields for 1 cp they're going to be wounding most things on a 2+ and with a whopping AP4 armor saves become a joke.

 

M 12": This is where Wraiths really shine offensively. A 12 inch move is ridiculous, especially when combined with their Wraith Form ability. The one thing that you can rely on Wraiths to do is make it into combat, and they've got a really good chance of bubble wrapping stuff and locking it in. I've never looked at my Wraiths and said to myself "gee I hope they make it in." Wraiths get there quickly and reliably if you play them right.

 

So, offensive breakdown done. Let's look at defensive stats, which is where I think Wraiths really shine.

 

T 5: This gives Wraiths some good staying power. T 5 means most stuff is going to be wounding on a 3+ at best, more often 4+. If your opponent is using S10 weapons on your Wraiths, then awesome. He's not using it on your Destoyers, vehicles, etc. If you're locked in combat with something that's whacking you at S10, that's also fine because...

 

3++: The invul save on Wraiths is what gives them their staying power in close combat. Smash Captain got you down? 3++ save. Pesky 2+ wound weapons? 3++ save. Besides Psykers using death hex or similar, Wraiths can basically be thrown into combat with anything and stand a reasonable chance of surviving.

 

W 3: Need I say anything? Who doesn't like 3 wound models? It's a solid number that forces opponents to either commit their heavy weapons to killing them or extreme volume of shots.

 

So, we've got a pretty survivable unit with high mobility but mediocre offensive output. So what do we do with them? My answer to that is tar pitting. Wraiths are an absolute nightmare to get out of combat with when you've got the right dynastic code and units/stratagems to support. You're not going to clear out hordes with them and you're not going to wipe an elite unit with them in one round of combat without considerable luck on your die rolls. Going into combat with Wraiths expecting them to clear out units isn't realistic. But what you can do is make your opponent pull his hair out because he can't use his Dark Reapers for two to three turns.

 

Before I get into what I think are the best codes, units, and stratagems to use, I'm going to preface all that with one thought that underlines my particular playstyle: volume is the bane of Wraiths. Be it shooting or massive amounts of attacks the easiest way to kill Wraiths is to overload them with saves. You have to get Wraiths locked into combat to keep them alive, lock them in with the right targets, and keep them behind LOS blocking terrain until you can do so. With that out of the way, let's look at how we can do that.

 

Supporting Units: The CloakTek is hands down my favorite unit to use to support Wraiths if you're running more than one unit of them. If you've only got one unit, then I feel like you could probably spend those points elsewhere, but if you're Canoptek heavy a CloakTek is awesome. Main reason being his high movement speed and the +1 he gives to Reanimation Protocols. "But wait," you cry! "Wraiths don't have RP!" Well, not baseline.

 

Repair Subroutines: Holy crap does this make Wraiths an indescribable annoyance. Down to your last Wraith? 2 CP and they're standing back up with a full compliment of wounds. If you aren't saving CP for this I feel bad for you. It is SUCH a good stratagem and I can't express in words the joy I feel when my opponent chews through all those invul saves only to have the Wraiths stand back up on a 5+. Oh, did I say 5+? I meant 4+, because my CloakTek is buffing their RP chance. This is what makes Wraiths one of the best tar pit units in the entire game. Even if you're unlucky and you only get 1-2 Wraiths back, you just forced your opponent to commit yet another turn of shooting or close combat into chewing through them all over again.

 

Adaptive Subroutines: Yet another great stratagem. Like I said before, Wraiths don't do anything but die if you're not in combat. Charging after an advance is always a strong ability, so use it as soon as that charge becomes realistic.

 

Now let's get into Dynastic code. I have my favorite, but I see people using two others and I don't really get why. We'll go ahead and disregard Sautekh and Mephrit. If you're shooting with Wraiths you're doing it wrong. So what's left?

 

Nihilakh: I see people use this code in order to take advantage of the stratagem, and I honestly don't get why. The code itself does nothing to help Wraiths. Now, on the surface the stratagem looks tasty. Who doesn't want a 2++ save and an extra attack? But the better question is how realistic is it that you'll be able to use it effectively? Using that stratagem is predicated on one of two criteria: the Wraiths didn't move or they're within 3 of an objective. The second of the two makes them great objective sitters, but in matches where objectives change in value, shift from active to inactive and vice versa, or using tactical objectives where it's luck of the draw this ability becomes incredibly situational. So, let's look at them not moving. Turn one your Wraiths are going to move to get into combat so you can't use it there. Lets say you get the turn one charge. That's one assault phase of combat. Now its your opponent's turn. Thats two assault phases of combat. They survive and stay locked in going into turn two and don't move. Three assault phases of combat. At this point, what is more likely: you need a 2++ save, or you need to start reanimating Wraiths? I would put my money on the latter. If this stratagem could be popped at the beginning of the turn and affect that turn then I would take Nihilakh all day every day. But you can't and it doesn't, and me having enough Wraiths left at the end of three assault phases to justify burning 2 CP on a better save is a stretch at best. Now the Nihilakh relic isn't bad for a CloakTek. It isn't a bad relic for any character frankly. But with only 4 wounds I don't see your CloakTek getting much use out of that 5+ FNP.

 

Novokh: This code honestly isn't bad, but it isn't my go to. It does give you a considerable boost to your hit output with the rerolls, but because of the previously mentioned issues with the attack profile of a Wraith, why bother? Hitting in combat isn't a problem with Wraiths to begin with, it's effectively killing targets and maximizing damage output. Your Wraiths aren't here to wipe units, they're here to play the long game, so quit trying to turn them into a blender. They're a slap-chop at best and they're perfectly fine that way. The Novokh relic can't be taken on the aforementioned CloakTek so meh, and I also don't even want to talk about the Novokh stratagem. 3 CP to fight again with 18 attacks? Hard pass.

 

Nephrekh: Hands down my favorite and IMO the best code for your Wraiths. Auto 6 advance is ridiculous on this unit. That is a whopping 18 inch move, and for 1 cp you're charging in turn 1. I can't say it enough, Wraiths die when they're in the open. This is the best way to deliver these writhing annoyances and start ruining your opponent's battle plan from the get go. It also ensures that CloakTek keeps up with your wriggly metal terrors. And guess what? If you don't get turn one and have to hide behind some big LOS blocking terrain your CloakTek doesn't care. He can fly and zip through terrain like it wasn't there anyway. Finally, the relic. Oh sweet sweet Phaeron the relic. The Solar Staff is absolutely busted on a CloakTek supporting a unit of Wraiths. That unit of Fire Warriors that was about to overwatch the crap out of your Wraiths? Just sit down. You don't get to do things. And then on top of that they're at -1 to hit in combat. Guess who just became even more survivable? The Solar Staff turns our best tar pit into a tar ocean and I can't stress enough what this thing will do for your staying power for that first assault phase.

 

So, those are my thoughts on Wraiths. I hope that gives some people a better idea of how to use these guys effectively. If I made anyone rethink their typical strategy or maybe using them in a different way, then I'll call that job complete.

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal

Edited January 29, 2020 by Kaldoth

[Beatnik cryptek]

I'm  the heretic here. I have 12 wraiths and 6 have TDBs. I think this makes them very effective and is worth the points as they can shoot some pretty good shots that can bypass a lot of armor, areS4 and inflict an additional MW on a wound roll of 6+.

Plus they can  do the "wraith ballet", where they fall back, shoot and then charge, allowing them to do damage in the shooting and melee phases. This is really nice against units with weak or no fire that can't effectively overwatch them. Needless to say this works best with sautekh and makes TDBs a more attractive option for sautekh wraiths.

People tend to  forget that they can use a strategem to try resurrecting dead wraiths.