"Bring it down!" - How do we tackle Knights in 9th?

[Marshal Mattias]

Lockdown took a toll on my 40k, and I'm struggling to catch up with the new style of the game in 9th. Now that I have another player in the same house, I've started getting some games in - mostly vs Skitarii and Imperial Knights.

(No battle reports yet - my first couple of games I managed to use a bizarre mix of 8th/9th lists that got all the profiles/points wrong!)

 

My question is, as we start to amp our game size up to the 1500/2000pt mark:

 

How do you face an Imperial Knight head-on?

 

How about their 'Armiger' bodyguards?

 

With the array of relics/strats/warlord traits and deadly close-combat attacks that a full-fledged knight can bring, I'm worried my old lists will be a disaster.

I don't really have much in the way of primaris, so I'm hoping that Vanguard/Terminators/Dreadnoughts might be viable here. Equally I'm interested to see what of our new toys are effective here too.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing what strategies our chapter has devised for showing these jumped-up servitors who the REAL knights are! ;)

[Medjugorje]

they are absolut no problem for us. Our Terminators and Vanguards kill them very effective in close combat.

[Marshal Mittens]

No invuln in CC means th/ss termies and van vets murder them. SB/PF termies do ok too.

[Focslain]

No invuln in CC means th/ss termies and van vets murder them. SB/PF termies do ok too.

 

Actually knights can get saves in CC or close to it. Also a few of the FW knights have a CC save built in. 

 

Relics: Sanctuary (5+ inv vs melee), Armour of Saint Ion (2+ save so -4 AP needed). These are basic relics so any knight can use them, even freeblades.

 

Knights with Ionic Flare Shield (5+ inv, period) - All Cerastus classes, Magaera and Styrx 

 

Best weapon against knights is anything with multiple damage. So yes TH are good when they get through. Anything that can bypass their saves or high toughness is a bonus. 

 

So things that generate mortal wounds or the Marksman bolt carbine that infiltrators carry are good. 

 

Armigars are not too bad to deal with as you can tarpit them and drag them down. 

 

Most important thing though is a focus fire. Take out a knight completely as even a limping one can be dangerous. Especially a Machanicus house one as we have a strat that can allow the knight to act at full wounds for a turn and since Engine War we have a regen. (all machanicus houses heal 1W during their command phase). 

 

Best thing to do is to go for the mission overall and take objectives. Outside of the Freeblade boon Sworn to Quest and the Imperialis Relic Banner of Macharus Trimphant, knights have no obsec. So you can hold objectives if you have the numbers.

 

If you want I can give you a few more tips, but would need to see what the knight player is fielding to get you better intel.

[Marshal Mattias]

That's reassuring that you guys have had success in good old-fashioned melee - I have Thunder Hammers and Power Fists a-plenty! I'm also wondering about maybe throwing an Ironclad dreadnought in there - mine has done work in editions past...

 

 

  "snip"    Most important thing though is a focus fire. Take out a knight completely as even a limping one can be dangerous. Especially a Machanicus house one as we have a strat that can allow the knight to act at full wounds for a turn and since Engine War we have a regen. (all machanicus houses heal 1W during their command phase).  

 

This is all good stuff ^ - he tends to play them as Mechanicus House I think, and I suspect he'll anticipate me bringing the heavy melee approach. I'll have to batter through an invuln save I'm sure.

I'll be sure to go all-out until it is toast :P

[Focslain]

That's reassuring that you guys have had success in good old-fashioned melee - I have Thunder Hammers and Power Fists a-plenty! I'm also wondering about maybe throwing an Ironclad dreadnought in there - mine has done work in editions past...

 

 

  "snip"    Most important thing though is a focus fire. Take out a knight completely as even a limping one can be dangerous. Especially a Machanicus house one as we have a strat that can allow the knight to act at full wounds for a turn and since Engine War we have a regen. (all machanicus houses heal 1W during their command phase).  

 

This is all good stuff ^ - he tends to play them as Mechanicus House I think, and I suspect he'll anticipate me bringing the heavy melee approach. I'll have to batter through an invuln save I'm sure.

 

I'll be sure to go all-out until it is toast

 

A chainfist on the ironclad will help a lot. That is a 6 dmg hit at -4 AP. Make sure to pop SmokeScreen on it to keep it alive. With a weapon that hard hitting it's going to a primary target.

[Marshal Mittens]

Dreads in general are good if they can get into CC, but you want them to be able to kill the knight as they likely won't serve getting hit back in return.