Blood Angel bike squad, advice needed ...

[Helias_Tancred]

I just recently picked up an attack bike box and a bike box. I've got a new unit type that I've never fielded in my Blood Angel army.

 

It appears I can make it more melee-orientated with chainswords for the bikers, a special melee weapon for the sergeant (power sword), while giving the attack bike the multi-melta? Or I can go a roving melta shooter unit with melta gun x2, combi-melta on sarge, and multi-melta on the attack bike? Or ... plasma guns on the bikers, combi-plasma on sarge, and either option on the attack bike?

 

I do have an outrider squad and a chaplain on a bike for my Blood Angels, so I'm leaning towards melta shooters, what would you guys do?

 

Seeking advice. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Helias_Tancred]

I like the plasma shooter idea too tbh.

[tychobi]

Speed and melta is a fantastic combo. Bikes are an all rounder and you should be charging as often as feasible so the power sword on the sarge is really good. You often will want to shoot a different target than the one you want to charge so possibly plasma specials, multimelta attack bike, and sarge melee upgrade? Or just multimelta and chainswords for cheap n cheerful.

[Majkhel]

I'd say: melta > plasma on bikes. Melta will not kill your biker and it's Assault, so you can advance and still use it.

[Cleon]

I'd say don't even consider the Heavv Bolter, give the Attack bike the Multi Melta... everything else is then about how you want to use them.

Purely theoretical as I've not fielded a bike squad since 8th but I see a couple of core options depending on what you wan to do with them, if you want to target high wound models, then go with melta, if you want to target tough low wound models go for the plasma - either way giving the sgt a combi or a melee weapon depends on your confidence in avoiding or being pulled into melee or the support you are running to extract them (or if you consider them a throw away unit)

Edited August 16, 2021 by Cleon

[Helias_Tancred]

I'm going to go the melta option. Mobile shooting unit, can still charge and melee if needed.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Jolemai]

Bike Squad:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/353793-unit-of-the-week-bike-squad/

 

Attack Bike:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/353463-unit-of-the-week-attack-bike-squad/

 

Hopefully there will be some ideas there

[Xenith]

Disagree on some of the above. Bikes can only take chainswords and get mediocre attacks. If you want a melee bike unit, take outriders.

 

Bikes are great as a fast moving firebase. If you take plasma/plasma/combiplasma you get 14 bolt and 6 plasma shots at 12", or 14 and 3 at 12 - 24". Add in the attack bike and you have a more threatening unit putting out 18 bolt, 2 melta and 3 plasma shots to 24" with 3 more plasma at short range. If you get them into combat, you lose all that. There's always the strat to allow bikes to fall back and shoot, but there's better things to spend CP on. 

[Leonaides]

Bikes are absolutely a harassment unit. But they can also mix it up with most other harassment or backfield units (sentinels/ ig heavy weapon teams, whirlwinds, devastator combat squads, etc) and in a pinch could be used to deny shooting from a basilisk, ravager, russ etc by locking it in combat. Yes, outriders get 2 additional attacks (1 from stat, 1 extra on the charge) but they are locked to a squad of 3, the extra attacks are mitigated somewhat by the addition of an attack bike to a standard marine bike squad.

[Xenith]

Bikes are absolutely a harassment unit. But they can also mix it up with most other harassment or backfield units (sentinels/ ig heavy weapon teams, whirlwinds, devastator combat squads, etc) and in a pinch could be used to deny shooting from a basilisk, ravager, russ etc by locking it in combat. Yes, outriders get 2 additional attacks (1 from stat, 1 extra on the charge) but they are locked to a squad of 3, the extra attacks are mitigated somewhat by the addition of an attack bike to a standard marine bike squad.

 

Outriders get +3 attacks on the charge, which I think you're forgetting? The unit of 3 get 19 attacks on the charge, 22 in assault doctrine, at AP-1.

 

Bikes swap the chainsword option for special weapons, so the 3 bike+attack, plas, plas, combi, MM unit gets 6A base, 10 on the charge, 14 on the charge in assault doctrine at AP0. If you go for a melee focussed bike unit, 150pts gets you 5 guys for 6A base, + 5 for chainswords, +10 for charging in assault doctrine for 21A at AP-1. 

 

There's also 15 wounds vs 12, then genewrought might+ THP access vs nothing. 

 

In my view:

Ranged harassment unit - use bikes.

Fast melee unit - outriders

[Karhedron]

I support the melta option. If you want to spam plasma, I think there are better options (Plasma Inceptors).

[Helias_Tancred]

Bike Squad:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/353793-unit-of-the-week-bike-squad/

 

Attack Bike:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/353463-unit-of-the-week-attack-bike-squad/

 

Hopefully there will be some ideas there

 

Thanks Jolemai!

[Helias_Tancred]

Disagree on some of the above. Bikes can only take chainswords and get mediocre attacks. If you want a melee bike unit, take outriders.

 

Bikes are great as a fast moving firebase. If you take plasma/plasma/combiplasma you get 14 bolt and 6 plasma shots at 12", or 14 and 3 at 12 - 24". Add in the attack bike and you have a more threatening unit putting out 18 bolt, 2 melta and 3 plasma shots to 24" with 3 more plasma at short range. If you get them into combat, you lose all that. There's always the strat to allow bikes to fall back and shoot, but there's better things to spend CP on. 

 

So you sorta prefer the plasma option?

[Xenith]

 

 

So you sorta prefer the plasma option?

 

If I was building a bike squad tomorrow, it would be plasma, plasma, combi plasma, then add in a MM ATB. This would allow them to be effective at longer ranges without having to commit to getting within 12" to do anything, as thy'll be losing the chainswords to take the special weapons.

 

Another contender would be triple flamer, but they already have decent anti-horde with the bolters.

 

I feel meltas have to get in too-close. But that said, a quad-melta unit could be fun...but at that point you're better off taking 3 MM attack bikes for the same or fewer points, greater range and more shots. 

 

I already have a grav/grav bike squad as that weapon was hands down the best in previous editions, now relegated to nothingness - it's the same points and vastly inferior to the plasma gun