2,5k Salamanders list, is it too strong?

[Misterduch]

 

Had a big 3vs3 points for a total of 7,5k vs 7,5k and afterwards, alot of feelings were hurt and some behind back the back comments were made. Granted the only thing that "worked" on my end beyond occasionally plinking a wound off of a thanatar, rhino or a bunch of tech tralls was the drake party bus with my characters in it. Said unit wiped out a Castellax unit on the charge Turn 1 ( went second ), tanked a large chunk of fire from mechanicum and then ate a charge from Rogal dorn, 10 huscarls, 2 vorax+assasin and a knight, loosing a total of 3 drakes that battleround while killing 2 vorax, 4 huscarls and plinking a HP off of the knight ( magaera I believe ).. We didn't play further as the other side forfeited before I could fight in my second turn.

Scorpiuses killed 1 vorax and 5 tech tralls, kratos spend the whole guy shock pulsed while 1 pred got nuked BT1 and the second one got crew shaken T2.

 

for more context: IF had 2 illiasus assault cannons units with castellans, in rhinos with more assault cannons, 2 tac squads, Royal dorn+10 huscarls 1 contemptor + Leviathan with full auto weapons. Mechanicum had 5 castellax, 3 assasins, 2 thanatars, 1 domitor, 1 Magaera, a bunch of tech thrills + characters. UM had 2 contemptors, 1 Leviathan, 2x5 fulmentaris, lascannon squad and a bunch of nemesis bolter veterans.

 

My team had a cobbled together RG army with a fire raptor, a few of those jump pack guys and special snipers.

 

WB had a Dark brotherhood army with lorgar+command squad in a spartan, 10 gal vorbak on foot. 2x10 assault marines and a double warp plasma contemptor. Lists and teams were not discussed before hand and we went off of only allegiances. ( UM and IF had to be loyal due to Garro/Dorn,  Mechanicum wanted to be loyalist )

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Misterduch

[arnesh88]

It’s deathball vs deathball vs deathball in a 2500 pt game. It looks like everybody was going all out with their respective forces that doesn’t involve fury of the ancients. I don’t know the mission you were playing. Whoever shot first or attacked first basically would win. Hard to give advice in this situation because the lists don’t look narrative, so it’s basically rock paper scissors, and Firedrakes + Spartan are basically 2 Rocks. Also, looked like everyone said “screw Line units” in their lists, so Objectives didn’t look to matter.

I also don’t know what the terrain looked like.
 

The only thing I can see is that they had very little ranged anti-tank, so they couldn’t crack a Spartan, a Kratos, or your predators. To me, that’s more on them, as most armies try to at least include ways to kill a Spartan each turn. They tried to contend with your Firedrakes, which is still one of the kings of Deathstars, and about one of only 2 “cheese” ways to play salamanders (other being fury of the ancients, but IH do that better).

[SkimaskMohawk]

Well let's see.

 

You have a praetor and no rite of war. So it's a beatstick, when there's better units for the same points. And he has a grenade harness while having a thunder hammer. 

 

There's no dreads.

 

There's no lascannon support squads.

 

There's no primarch.

 

As you say, the only real threat in your list is the 10 man deathstar in the spartan. It's basically a staple heresy problem unit that people have had 10 years to develop techniques to fight or mitigate. Firedrakes basically didn't change all that much, so it really is just the same thing as in 1st. 

 

The combat just sounds wildly unlucky for them. Dorn averages about 2 with the huscarls doing another 4; all of them instant killing through Mantle. And Dorns attacks get to be allocated onto the ICs until dead as well. The fire drakes kill an average of 4 charging huscarls only if all the attacks get allocated to them instead of other units like the vorax or the knight. 

 

The thanatars could have really chunked the unit down too after they disembarked. Not sure if they both did the double overcharge, but 4 large blasts with str 8 and breaching 4+ can generate a lot of invuls. 

 

So ya, bad luck and possibly bad decision making into a pretty normal list. 

[Vostroi]

Why does the firedrakes I it have 9 hammers

[Ripper.McGuirl]

I honestly don’t think it’s possible to have a Salamander army that’s too strong. They just don’t have the kind of varied tools that lots of other legions have. And, as the saying goes….when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

Sounds to me like it was a typically haphazard giant multiplayer game, and they were just being salty losers. 

[Xenith]

Hardly seems cheesy. 10 terminators in a spartan was the standard before, and is even more so now with the AoD box set giving everyone exactly that. Dorn+10huscarls with fists and shields is also nasty - anyone using that has no right to complain about anything you bring. 

 

Fists are one of the stronger legions, IMO. 

[Galron]

Looks fine to me. They just had a really unlucky round of attacks. IF is pretty much top dog and the player is probably used to easy wins and didnt get one.