Unit of the Week: Thunderfire Cannon

[Jolemai]

Welcome to part two of the Blood Angels Unit of the Week Series!

Following the release of the 9^th edition Supplement, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will focus on the unique BA units and part two will focus on BA units that are new to this edition of the Codex, part three will discuss how to get the best use the generic units from the past that are still with us (and that many of us have in our armies still), and part four will discuss the Legends units that we still own and love. Finally, part five will be dedicated to the reinforcements from Forge World.

Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.

Without further ado, here's this week's entry:

Thunderfire Cannon

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use your TFCs?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• Will you be running multiples?
• How are you buffing this unit? Will it babysit anything?
• Stratagem synergy or note?

Over to you

[Jolemai]

Should you want your model on display here (or on another thread from the series), then submit a photo here please.

[The Unseen]

The nerfs hit this beauty really hard. Lost Str and AP, and went up in price. Paying for the sins of IH yet again.

 

But, Tremor Shells is still a fantastic stratagem, and with Orks possibly seeing a resurgence will be even more valuable. For me, I'd rather take a whirlwind now though, as Suppression fire is also incredibly good, and the whirlwinds gun has survived much better. 2d6 rather than 4d3, but Str6 is a big deal.

 

Having a single  backfield objective holder that doesn't need LoS to contribute to the game is an incredibly valuable thing to have in 9th these days.

[Tokugawa]

Its 9th rules are not only weak, but also…weird.

 

Once the gun destroyed, you still got…a character gunner with 4 wounds left on the ground. I don't know what job he could do, but he already done one thing: occupy some value in designer's mind, and made his "cost"(may be up to 30pts) to count towards the total cost of TFC.

[BloodyB]

Its 9th rules are not only weak, but also…weird.

Once the gun destroyed, you still got…a character gunner with 4 wounds left on the ground. I don't know what job he could do, but he already done one thing: occupy some value in designer's mind, and made his "cost"(may be up to 30pts) to count towards the total cost of TFC.

Gotta say I agree here. I suppose if you took one of these and hid it near a tank you might benefit from the techmarine, but I kind of doubt that comes up often. The strat the gun gets that halves moves is pretty good, but not good enough to make these a must have.

 

Honestly the Thunderfire cannon is outdone by most similar units, the whirlwind is better in general and has perhaps one of the most powerful strats for supporting BA assaults, and the rapier is way cheaper and has the exact same gun, but with AP rounds. It just struggles to find a niche.

 

If I were dearest on using one, I would take 3. Each one babysat by a five man tac squad, maybe a heavy weapon. Heavy Intercessors work too, but can be pricy. Stick them in separate cover, ideally on objectives, and use them as fire bases to support faster moving elements. A few outriders, assault squads, sanguinary guard or vanguard vets and some Melta speeders can do some damage if the Thunderfire focus on infantry and neutering the elite of the enemy with that strategem of theirs. It's gimicky and not very competitive, but it could work well.

 

I don't see much competition between the Thunderfire cannon and the Firestrike, as their intended targets are very different, as is their in lore roles. The Thunderfire cannon can hurt infantry well, but struggles to hurt anything beyond a tactical marine. Vehicles, monsters and even terminator equivalent units are all able to wade through their best without much effort. This is unfortunate as that strategem they have is best put on such units. Means, the Firestrike can engage any vehicle or gribbly with confidence, but struggles to stop infantry waves of any kind due to shortage of shots. The similarities these units share seem only skin deep to me.

 

It's a shame they don't play well in 9th, as the model is very nice, especially in Blood Angel's red.