Unit of the Week: Canoptek Acanthrites

[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?

• How do they stand up in combat?

• Are they a viable anti-armour unit with the cutting beam?

 

Now over to you!

 

[Kaldoth]

So I haven't played with this unit and I really want to like them, but I've been hesitant to throw them into a list.

 

I definitely feel like they'd be best taken in max sized units for survivability (I'll touch on that later). I think target priority for these guys would be better suited towards transports and your more sturdy problem units (centurions/aggressors, obliterators, Eldar bikes) as S7 just isn't reliable enough IMO for tank popping. Being able to roll two and pick the highest for damage is great for removing multi wound models and lighter vehicles. For dynastic code I think Nephrekh would be the best bet. The cutters are short range, so giving them an auto 6 advance and pairing with adaptive subroutines for 1 CP could mean some turn one shooting (possibly in melta range). If you can get lucky you might have the opportunity for character sniping given that they have the fly keyword and can move over enemy units. 9 S7 AP4 D6 dmg shots is enough to make any character shake in their boots.

 

The biggest draw back to these though is their survivability and why I'm hesitant to take them. All they have is a normal 3+ save. No living metal, no reanimation protocols, and no way to give them a reliable invul save. The -1 to hit is nice, but against armies with large volumes of fire I see them getting picked off quite easily. At 48 points a model and no way to keep them in the fight, taking them is a risk if you don't have other things for your opponent to shoot at.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Kaldoth

[Tyriks]

I've proxied these a few times, looking mostly for solutions to armor back in the index days. It didn't go well.

 

The first time, it was terrible luck, plain and simple. I had 3 of them in cover turn one. My opponent fired 12 bolter shots, hit 11 times (even with the penalty), wounded 9 times (on a 5+). So, very good rolls already. I failed every single save, 9 rolls got me 9 ones. Wiped the unit. I was completely dumbfounded.

 

Next time I brought them, I brought three squads, hoping one would survive long enough to do damage. They survived but failed to wound with their Cutting Beams.

 

If you bring them, ignore the guns. The guns are a trap. Use them to pick on infantry in close combat and if a good target is within range of the guns, go for it, but despite the melta-light guns they just aren't much of a threat to vehicles. The range is much too short, s7 melta isn't very reliable, and they don't have enough shots. But 12 5/-3/1 attacks with a 12-24" threat range (more with the strat since they are canoptek) isn't bad against marine-like units. They won't win you any games by themselves, but they can be decent fast moving threat in close combat.