Unit of the Week: FW Chaos Sicaran Battletank

[Xenith]

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week++

++Sicaran Battletank++

New codex, new discussions about units! As we already have in other faction sections, this is the Thousand Sons Unit of the Week series, where each week we select and dissect a datasheet found in the book, and discuss how we use the unit in-game, favoured loadouts and combos, essentially how to use these units best. What have you found that works, and what doesnt? Please try to stick to the idea of making the unit in question work, as opposed to pointing out other units that might do a better job - we'll get to those in time!

This week, we will be discussing The Standard Sicaran - once an amazing unit seen in many lists, it's not seen too often now - do you have one and how do you run/use it?

What are you thoughts, and how best would you use the unit?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around?
  
• Will you be running multiples?
  
• What <GREAT CULT>, loadouts, spell relic and Stratagem support do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices?
  
• Are you buffing this unit, and if so, how?
  
• Are you building as a damage dealer or buff-provider?
  
• Uses in Matched, Narrative and Open Play
  
• How have they fared for you in-game?
  

Over to you.

++Thousand Sons Unit of the Week Index Link++

[Brother Kraskor]

Could be an awesome recipient of some of our buffs. Take the Heavy Bolter sponsons, stack on some buffs:

 

- 2+/5++, T7, W14, can pop Smoke, and very fast is reasonably tough nut to crack

- Six S8 AP-3 D3 and six S6 AP-2 D2 shots at potentially BS 2+

 

This comes at 195pts. A triple Ectoplasma Forgefiend at 40pts less has on average the same output as the main gun without needing the -1AP strat, but doesn't have the additional Heavy Bolter shots. Has fewer wounds, much slower, and a worse save, but can regenerate.

 

Don't really have any conclusions here just spitballing. 

[Casual Heresy]

I'll be looking to add a Sicaran to my TSons when the rumoured plastic kit surfaces. I love the look of the tank and once its painted in metallic red it works for both my 40k warband (in pre-heresy colours) and my planned 30k force. 

 

For the reasons Brother Kraskor has mentioned It fills a role in my force. I'm using cult of duplicity and a heavy weapons platform that can keep pace with disk mounted sorcerers and psychic teleportation shenanigans will be most useful. The weight of fire is respectable as well. 

[Ahzek451]

It is incredibly fast, the only downside being that it reduces speed quickly with damage. And no way to recover(but to be fair, we have zero ability to regenerate wounds on vehicles minus the daemonic ones). This seems to be the better alternative to the predator in my mind. 

I know this focuses on the main chassis, but its hard not talking about the others. 
The Punisher seems redundant in our forces, with the popularity of rubrics and scarabs, seems unnecessary to have more of the same weaponry.  
 

The Venator is geared more toward anti-tank but has the downside of needing to stay stationary to get damage 6. 5 pts more than the standard, and possibly worth a look with the right positioning if in need of anti-tank/monster.

 

The Arcus is cheaper(not entirely sure we have access to it), but with the nerfing to barrage weapons and with it's low AP, to me this one is a pass.

The Omega is the most expensive (10 pts more), but with a profile that has the same number of shots as the standard chassis, better strength and AP, but one less damage (supercharge for S9 and 3D), if you can manage to re-roll 1's somehow, this option would seem to be the competitor to the standard chassis. 

[Skywrath]

As a new TS player, my opinion might not be correct but here goes.

 

I think the Sicarians (and especially this variant) are pretty underrated. 2+, 14W, t7, AoC, access to the smokescreen strat and a 5++ (due to being TS) make them pretty good artillery platforms you can just leave on your home objectives, while your terminators slog up the board and contest the points. This in conjunction with the encrolleced infusion strat, which makes the lascannons AP 3, bolters AP 2, and the autocannons AP 3, you got a positive murder machine just begging to chew through Marines in today's meta. Plenty of anti-tank weaponry, flat 3 damage weaponry (which is a rarity outside of plasma nowdays), and a blocky footprint make it a pretty good choice.

 

Drawbacks - they are slightly overpriced, and the -1CP martial legacy strats hurts, especially with the changes to CP in the Warzone: Nephilim rulebook. 

 

All this aside, are they worth taking? Due to my limited experience with TS, I presume you'd take the Mutilith Vortex Beasts for that heavy support slot over those. However, for the rule of cool, look no further. Mark my words, even in their current state, these tanks are definitely ones to watch in terms of competitive viability. They are nearly there, they just need the points decreased slightly, and the martial legacy removed. 

 

Hope this helps!

Edited May 7, 2022 by Skywrath

[WarriorFish]

I have been thinking about the Sicaran for my Sons, now the plastic kit is confirmed I'm thinking about it a lot more... Unfortunately the price and Command Point tax is somewhat of a stumbling block for me, especially as I have a Contemptor I want to use already. In an army with expensive models and hungry for Stratagems it feels difficult to justify