Thinking of starting Raven Guard, any tips?

[Captain Antargo]

I'm thinking of starting a Raven Guard army mainly focused on Phobos units, is this a good idea? Could you also give any tips, suggestions or tactics you may know. Many thanks.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I'm thinking of starting a Raven Guard army mainly focused on Phobos units, is this a good idea? Could you also give any tips, suggestions or tactics you may know. Many thanks.

I did the same thing. Phobos are thematically very much Raven Guard. From what I've discovered the phobos units have some deficiencies that need to be accounted for. Intercessors hit harder and output more shots and have better shooting than Infiltrators and Incursors. The biggest benefit with infiltrators is the anti-deep strike bubble they project, which keeps them safe from a charge out of deep strike. Giving them the helix adept makes them sticky, but they lose shooting to use that guy, and the comms relay is cool if you run LT's or captains, but doesn't work with Chapter masters, and it does make them shoot better. Still the big reason to use them is the deepstrike denial. Incursors are a neat unit that gets a haywire mine. They're a neat denial unit, put them on an objective drop a haywire mine, and then counter charge anything that tries to take that objective.

 

Eliminators are oppressive. It's tempting to run them with the las guns, but the ability to target characters that you can't see is disgusting. Trade the sgt's sniper rifle for an instigator carbine, so that you can kite a melee unit around. If you have a unit that's at max range for a charge, 12", they declare the charge, you fire overwatch and immediately move 6" away. He's now out of charge range, and you were never in combat, so you don't take a penalty for falling back. Shoot the unit with hyper frag rounds, wash rinse repeat. In order to get a reliable charge off against eliminators so equipped, is 6 inches. Which means that your eliminators would need to be the last thing on the board.

 

Last, you have Invictor warsuits.Technically not Phobos marines, but it's piloted by one. It has the same Infiltration deployment as the other phobos units, and makes an excellent infantry support walker for your phobos marines. I personally love the idea of a Fireateam of Phobos marines backed up by an invictor stalking through a jungle, or a city. That image seems so cool to me.

[Dracos]

Because we have Infiltrators and Strike from the Shadow Stratagems, and 9th edition is hinting at wider array of shenanigans for everyone, if I was starting all over I’d pretty much do this for Raven Guard.

 

2 - 5 man units Infiltrators/Incursors (depending on your play style but very similar) for Turn One ObSec

2 - 5 man units of Bolt Rifle Intercessors as an auxiliary unit. Might flavor with Thunder Sgt or not, but it’s more ObSec

2 - 5 man units of Assault Intercessors (when they come out) SftS with Thunder Sgt. more aggressive auxiliary unit. ObSec

3 -3 man units of Sniper Bolt Rifle Eliminators. Must have.

 

That would be the Core of the army. After that start adding Aggressors, Invictors, Hellfuries, Inceptors depending on how you like to create pressure on your opponent. It’s my opinion RG Primaris works best as an infantry army because we have deployment and movement shenanigans that makes vehicles less necessary than other Chapters. Important thing is to find the models you think are the most fun to play with and find a way to make them work. For me ... though I have 10 Aggressors to be competitive, it’s the simple Intercessor I like best. So though they might be no more effective than the Reivers, I’ll be adding 10 Assault Intercessors and striking them from the shadows as soon as possible :)

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Because we have Infiltrators and Strike from the Shadow Stratagems, and 9th edition is hinting at wider array of shenanigans for everyone, if I was starting all over I’d pretty much do this for Raven Guard.

 

2 - 5 man units Infiltrators/Incursors (depending on your play style but very similar) for Turn One ObSec

2 - 5 man units of Bolt Rifle Intercessors as an auxiliary unit. Might flavor with Thunder Sgt or not, but it’s more ObSec

2 - 5 man units of Assault Intercessors (when they come out) SftS with Thunder Sgt. more aggressive auxiliary unit. ObSec

3 -3 man units of Sniper Bolt Rifle Eliminators. Must have.

Infiltrators/Incursors are almost an auto-include for me. T1 ObSec is big, grabbing midfield objectives early is something I really care about. Incursors are probably more my speed than infiltrators, just because I really like the melee option they present, and the haywire mines...

 

Intercessors are a bit different take for me. I like them as a fire support base, so Auto bolt rifles for me chainsword sgt, and veterans. I'd like to use them for taking objectives.

 

Assault intercessors will probably be a single box purchase for me. I like my 5 man small teams.

 

Bolt sniper Eliminators are great, take the instigator as an emergency option because the sgt shouldn't be shooting.

[Dracos]

Yes I’m definitely picking up enough assault intercessors to make two squads of five. Hoping sgt gets armory options and point cost is same as rapid fire intercessors. I’ll use them usually with the idea of shadowing in to add weight onto the midfield object, unless they can target a specific target they can take out in opponents backfield.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I really like the use of small squads. It fits my theme well.

 

Part of me really wants to do a showcase theme squad diorama. I want to build a 6 man phobos squad, A Team leader, with the Occulus carbine and multi tracker, a weapons guy with a reaver helmet and a heavy bolter, a helix adept, A guy with a Haywire mine, a comms guy, and a guy with an auto bolt rifle and agl.

 

I really think that intercessors should get the option to 1 AGL and a heavy bolter per 5 guys. If they're going to take the place of tactical marines they need to get a bit more flexibility. they should be able to take heavy weapons...

[Captain Antargo]

I really like the use of small squads. It fits my theme well.

 

Part of me really wants to do a showcase theme squad diorama. I want to build a 6 man phobos squad, A Team leader, with the Occulus carbine and multi tracker, a weapons guy with a reaver helmet and a heavy bolter, a helix adept, A guy with a Haywire mine, a comms guy, and a guy with an auto bolt rifle and agl.

 

I really think that intercessors should get the option to 1 AGL and a heavy bolter per 5 guys. If they're going to take the place of tactical marines they need to get a bit more flexibility. they should be able to take heavy weapons...

Yeah, I like to play small squads as well, its easier to adapt. And yes I agree that intercessors should have that, maybe the assault intercessors might get something.

[Lord Raven 19]

 

I really like the use of small squads. It fits my theme well.

 

Part of me really wants to do a showcase theme squad diorama. I want to build a 6 man phobos squad, A Team leader, with the Occulus carbine and multi tracker, a weapons guy with a reaver helmet and a heavy bolter, a helix adept, A guy with a Haywire mine, a comms guy, and a guy with an auto bolt rifle and agl.

 

I really think that intercessors should get the option to 1 AGL and a heavy bolter per 5 guys. If they're going to take the place of tactical marines they need to get a bit more flexibility. they should be able to take heavy weapons...

Yeah, I like to play small squads as well, its easier to adapt. And yes I agree that intercessors should have that, maybe the assault intercessors might get something.

 

Maybe one model taking an eviscerator?

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

 

I really like the use of small squads. It fits my theme well.

 

Part of me really wants to do a showcase theme squad diorama. I want to build a 6 man phobos squad, A Team leader, with the Occulus carbine and multi tracker, a weapons guy with a reaver helmet and a heavy bolter, a helix adept, A guy with a Haywire mine, a comms guy, and a guy with an auto bolt rifle and agl.

 

I really think that intercessors should get the option to 1 AGL and a heavy bolter per 5 guys. If they're going to take the place of tactical marines they need to get a bit more flexibility. they should be able to take heavy weapons...

Yeah, I like to play small squads as well, its easier to adapt. And yes I agree that intercessors should have that, maybe the assault intercessors might get something.

 

Maybe one model taking an eviscerator?

 

Maybe. Though I certainly hope that assault intercessors get access to power weapons for everyone, especially if it's just an upgrade to the basic intercessor squad, and we get to keep the Veteran upgrade strategem.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

Hey guys, I'm interested in dabbling my toes into the shadows. Always fancied the sneaky beakies, and my friend has coerced me i to painting some up.

 

At the moment I have 2 10 man squads of infiltrators from the Vanguard box and one unit of a five man incursors squad.

 

Things I have in reserve to paint as any marine chapter are as follows;

 

Repulsors (in spades)

Aggressors (in spades)

Squad of interecessors

Hell blasters

 

And some other things here and there. One thing my friend suggests in eliminators

 

I do not hate the idea of a veteran intercessor squad.

 

What do you lot think may be a solid choice or two, if any outside of the eliminators?

[Dracos]

I'd have built my base with Intercessors instead of Phobos but that said, outside of Aggressors and Eliminators I'd go with Inceptors.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

I'd have built my base with Intercessors instead of Phobos but that said, outside of Aggressors and Eliminators I'd go with Inceptors.

Well, I'm looking at the change to the edition, and with a from scratch army I don't know how much infiltrators or incursors will go up. I have a cheeky feeling going forward squads of 10 may be more important with the changes to detachments. I've found both phobos troops are extremely good units. With 1 Vanguard squad of interecessors that can deep strike (though I feel a strong 6 man aggressor squad may do this better) is keen.

 

Basically I thinj RG get to cheat on a couple of key CP spenders. Shrike + PP.

 

I also think Assault centurions have a place again with, if to be expected, the new outflank rules coming back into play. (I have 2 boxes of these boys sitting around also.)

 

With the changes to terrain coming up, the army as a whole got a big boost, and k-shots may be an important war piece again being able to bullet sling out of sight characters.

 

The changes to how command structures work also makes me feel that Character changes and the importance of the 3 you can take before CP tax is another big deal because with how RG function those warlords and force multiplier HQs are not safe.

 

I also feel like the trickle down feed on how tanks work make at least one executioner mandatory for any type of competitive play. Always having a 2+ turn one means you have a stronger beefier fire base than most other MEQs or defacto armies.

 

Which two impulsors may not be a bad idea depending on how psykers change in the new edition, because its looking like smite spam armies got a boost to the baseline functionality of their armies if their opponent doesn't invest in multiple detachments.

 

This last bit is a lot of theory but from what I've seen and how the games in my past have played out, I think RG are a strong over all force.

 

Now, while the above sounds great, I'm not really chasing the meta or anything, just looking at the pros to a new army that I've had my eye on since their release date.

 

Sorry for the TL;DR post. Haha.