Unit of the Week: Crypteks Pt 1

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

 

Welcome to the 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 9th edition evolves. This will include not only matched play, but free play considerations as well as Crusade, as these methods of play are just as relevant and exciting.

 

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.

 

This week’s units (yes, plural!) are:

 

The Support Crypteks

 

We will be looking at the Chronomancer and the Technomancer this week. While both are capable of putting the hurt on the enemy, these two are best known for their buffing potential and defensive capabilities. As such, here are some thought-provoking questions to consider and cogitate as we discuss this week's unit(s):

• Which Arkana and wargear do you give to these technowizards?
• Are relics worth the investment on these characters?
• Do you keep them in the backline, or do you subvert expectations and go on the offensive with them?
• Do you make use of the Cryptothralls and the Dynastic Advisors rule?
• How do you use this unit in your listbuilding process?
• What are overall strengths and weakness of this unit?
• Which stratagems synergize well with this unit?
• Which specific Crusade benefits best suit this unit?

The floor is yours, honored Nobles and Crypteks!

Edited February 8, 2021 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Stupidity]

Good:

Dynastic Advisors is nice to get extra characters on the field. 

Love me so some Technomancers with cloaks. Always bring at least one with a ghost ark to repair it and help bring warriors back.  

Chronomancer seems like it has decent weapon options and would help out scarabs a lot. 

 

Bad:

Sadly the thralls are half the speed they need to be too keep up with my technomancers. Even the Chronomancer is much faster. 

Arkana is all basically 5-10 points too expensive for what is mostly single target abilities. 

Only the Chronomancer has any built in defense. I haven't fought any snipers but that seems like a big weakness. 

[Miek]

A few quick thoughts (in a hurry):

 

I find it hard to create a list above 500 pts without a technomancer. It's an auto include when warriors are involved, except for 10 models units in ghost arks, and in canoptek lists. I always use the thrall of the silent King trait on it.

 

Edit: Thrall of the silent King is useless with the cloak.

 

I usually skip the arkana entirely; apart from the canoptek stuff, they do seem to be overcosted.

 

I tend to think about the thralls as infantry substitutes to 3 Scarabs for camping somewhere. In cover with the immovable phalanx dynasty, they should be unreasonably hard to take down (certainly not very hard, but a bit too hard for a 40pts unit). I haven't played yet but I don't really think about them as the bodyguards they're supposed to be.

 

The Chrono looks great, but I usually include the Psycho instead and thus haven't really planned on using it. Also, have to go, maybe I'll add some thoughts later.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Miek

[Bonzi]

I have mostly used the Technomancer, sometimes with the Phylactrine Hive. I always have a hard internal debate over the cloak vs node. The cloak gives you the movement you need to be in the right place, but it wants you near vehicles or monsters to heal them while the main ability to revive wants you near a core unit. The node wants you near Canoptek units but the revive wants you near core. They're a great unit but it's hard to get maximum return out of them.

 

The Chronomancer is a fantastic unit for supporting warriors and Scarabs but less great for other units.

 

I have had a lot of fun with the plasmancer. They are direct damage only in utility but they are a reliable source of non-Ctan based mortal wounds. I really want to run a list with double or tripple plasmancers just to see if the damage gains outweigh the loss of utility from other Crypteks.

 

I think all the Arkana is over costed by 5 to 10 points.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Bonzi

[Stupidity]

Seems everyone agrees the arkana is over costed.

I really want to try the countertemporal nanomines but the 30 point price tag is so ridiculous. 

The only one that really tempts me is the CRYPTOGEOMETRIC ADJUSTER, -1 to shooting to an enemy within 12" because it's only 15 points. Might be nice on a veil of darkness cryptek. 

[VoceNoctum]

I like the crypteks, they're generally fun models, with unique abilities and flavor. If anything, I wish I had an option for a Cryptek led team that substituted the lost Protocols with something useful and fun. Szeras especially, I think, needs a good way to be a Phaeron level guy. Of course, I'm a bit biased since I like the crypteks a whole lot.

 

I'd have liked a way to more theme a list, so you could have a Destroyer list with some sort of Destroyer troop (maybe Flayed Ones, though I know they're "different"), leaving warriors/ immortals to the phaerons and something else for the crypteks. Or maybe Immortals/ Deathmarks go to crypteks for synergy (along with Canopteks) and warriors go to phaeron/ nobles. I dunno, just rambling after reading Seraphon's and seeing the focuses there, while Necrons are basically just pushed towards one heirarchy.

[Axilleas]

I like the idea of giving my Technomancer the Veil of Darkness & Control Node and then having it teleport 1st turn midfield to support my wraiths, scarabs, and spyders. I haven't had the opportunity to test it yet, but I'm hoping that core of units is enough to lock down/harass the enemy, while being difficult to shift.

 

I like the idea of giving him the TotSK WL trait to extend the control node's range.

[Miek]

I'm not sure I'd use flayed ones for anything else than scoring secondaries, and maybe, MAYBE try to increase the Deceiver's unique ability (for fun, not for competitiveness), but a big unit of FO might be a good client for the chronomancer. It could catch up with the VoD or Dimensional Sanctum and they benefit from everything it offers.

 

That last one - dimensional sanctum - is one I overlooked and could be interesting when combined with DS units. Food for thought.

[VoceNoctum]

I was thinking of a psychomancer/ flayed one combo to tie up folks, but it'd probably be more handy points wise to use either warriors or scarabs. The Flayed Ones are a cool unit, but who knows. A deep striking flayed ones/ psychomancer/ Deceiver could be a good theme, but probably a huge waste of points.

[MegaVolt87]

Chronomancer is the obvious choice to setup melee units IMO. Plus it looks great. 

[Tyriks]

Bit late to the party here but I love the Chronomancer to tag along with Skorpekhs. Their biggest weakness I see in my games is lack of an invuln, so having a Chronomancer running up with them makes them a lot more durable (especially in close combat, it seems).

[Ahzek451]

Bit late to the party here but I love the Chronomancer to tag along with Skorpekhs. Their biggest weakness I see in my games is lack of an invuln, so having a Chronomancer running up with them makes them a lot more durable (especially in close combat, it seems).

 

Makes sense, my first impression when looking at the codex was that the Chronomancer was built for Skorpekhs. Needing and lacking an invuln, re-roll charges....

[Captain Coolpants]

I've not played yet. But if I do, absolutely this. They have the same speed, really seems like they were built with them in mind

[Mandragola]

On the face of it Chronomancers are way better than other crypteks. That 5++ ability is awesome on warriors and Skorpekhs. The guy himself has a 4++ (no other crypteks do) and even quite a serious gun.

 

The technomancer is also pretty good, but more of a generalist. With the cloak he can get around fast. His staff of light could be upgraded to the voltaic staff, particularly if you had a special character overlord who couldn’t take it themselves.

 

He can very significantly buff canoptek critters if you take the control node, and especially spyders. The fail-safe overcharged gives each of them an extra D3 attacks. He also has some chance of keeping up with them - unlike wraiths or scarabs. So I’ve heard of people running a technomancer with three spyders, especially as eternal expansionists.