Unit of the week Unit(s) of the week (10th edition index tactica) : Predator (Annihilator and Destructor)

[Cpt.Danjou]

+++Unit of the week+++

 

 

 

Predator (Annihilator and Destructor) 

 

How do you use Fiends?

• Marks
• Armament
• Equipment
• Role

 

This is a discussion about Predators, both Annihilator and Destructor in the 10th edition index. Tell us your tactics, fun facts, your experience with them, and other things that are interesting with Predators.

I combined the both Predators together, even though they have different roles and tactics, as they come in the same box, plus if we are going to manage to get through all the units before the codex drops some units must be combined.

 

Cpt. Danjou

[Cpt.Danjou]

In my last game vs Thousand sons (1k game) my Annihilator became man/vehicle of the match. It was bunched up in a castle with a warpsmith, helbrute and havocs from at the start, but it moved up and claind the center of the board at the start, leaving the Warpsmith and Helbrute behind. The Sons needed to use lots of resources on it as it generated points, and was the main danger as it killed two Terminators per round. Everything else could more or less go unharmed up the board, my Chosen got in to the opponents more or less unharmed due to the threat of the predator, and my Helbrute and Havocs could walk around killing threats they could see. 

I think there is only one mark that is interesting and that is MoN, twice I used the Nurgle Stratagem making it not targetable by things that might have hurt it. In the end it was destroyed in round three, and at least a third of the wound on it was due to bad Dark pact rolls, I am great rolling snake eyes, and it exploded and hurt my Warpsmith.  :)

Having a wapsmith tagging along it helps, reparing and buffing it, and I think Sustained hits is the way to go, three lascannon shots became a bunch more hits with it.

 

I have never run a Destructor, as I don't have the same problem taking care of lower toughness targets, I usually play against a lot of Terminator and monster/vehicles, so the A-can is not optimal.

 

Cpt:.Danjou

[Tallarn Commander]

So far 10th is definitely a game that values ranged AT over everything else. So my Predator Annihilator has been very useful at chipping away at the enemy. I generally don't spend CP on it, don't support it with other units, and I usually give it Mark of Nurgle for sustained hits. It reliably chips away at the enemy and makes life easier for my assault-heavy forces as they move up the board.

 

It's often the only shooty unit I bring. Although I might want to start supporting it with a twin lascannon Helbrute or Warpsmith (and start bringing along another Annihilator or a lascannon Havoc Squad) 

 

I do own 2 Predator Destructors but I have not yet tried them this edition. As Cpt. Danjou said, the twin lascannon is more apt in my meta as well.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

I used a Destructor in a tournament and into Knights it didn't do much.  Shooting into Tau and Space Marines, however, it was an absolute murderbot.  Nurgle for Sustained Hits 5+ on the autocannon, especially in rapid fire range, was just wiping squads left and right and that's before you count the heavy bolters.  I tossed it in on a lark -- originally those points were dedicated to a second Helbrute -- and it was clutch into the two match-ups with significant infantry presence.

[Wind Whistler]

Another thing worth noting for the annihilator is that it’s the cheapest option in our index to carry a weapon with S > 12. 

[Newbiticus]

Forgive me if this is not the appropriate place to ask this but, why would you take an annihilator over a squad of havocs with lascannons?

 

 

[Wind Whistler]

1 hour ago, Newbiticus said:

Forgive me if this is not the appropriate place to ask this but, why would you take an annihilator over a squad of havocs with lascannons?

 

 

Well, it could be that you already have three havoc squads and you really want more lascannons.   Hey, Havocs and annihilators are both cheap enough that it’s not entirely implausible to run both!

Edited August 30, 2023 by Wind Whistler

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I can think of a few reasons:

 

1.  You get a S 14 weapon, rather than just S 12.  This won't make a difference against most targets, it is important for stuff like knights which are T 12 (and are they kind of target you really want anti-tank for).  It also makes a difference against T 7 targets, but that is less important as your army likely has other weapons that can deal with T7 and such targets are probably less common (though might feature heavily in some army lists, like an ork buggy/car list, which all seem to be T 7).

 

2.  Depending on the opponent, its a more survivable package.  There are a lot more things that can reliably kill T 5 than T 10.

 

3.  Though you get less firepower overall (one less lascannon, though your S 14 one does get a reroll to wounds in exchange), it degrades more slowly.  A havoc squad that takes 4 wounds has lost a lascannon, and loses 1 more for every 2 wounds it takes after that.  The predator doesn't degrade until it takes 6 wounds and never looses weapons (though its reduction in accuracy will have a similar effect).

 

4.  If you have other vehicles (or high T targets like demon princes) in your army you don't want shot, a predator serves as a better distraction than havocs.

 

5.  The other weapons you can put on a predator may be of some value - in particular the havoc launcher can be quite handy at dealing with fragile units hiding and holding out of the way objectives.

 

6.  You can buff and repair the predator with a warpsmith - while a warpsmith can attach to a havocs squad, it can't bring the havocs the same benefit and they can only be healed through the use of a stratagem that a) draws from a limited pool of CP and b) might be better used elsewhere.

 

7.  Aesthetic or modelling reasons.  For example, someone might prefer painting building/painting tanks or simply be really tired of painting trim. 

 

It is close either way.  Certainly, the havocs can take advantage of being put high up in terrain to a) get plunging fire if high enough, b) get better LOS and c) limit what can get into melee with them, which is a real advantage but is obviously dependent on terrain. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Dr_Ruminahui

[MegaVolt87]

On 8/30/2023 at 1:35 AM, Iron Father Ferrum said:

I used a Destructor in a tournament and into Knights it didn't do much.  Shooting into Tau and Space Marines, however, it was an absolute murderbot.  Nurgle for Sustained Hits 5+ on the autocannon, especially in rapid fire range, was just wiping squads left and right and that's before you count the heavy bolters.  I tossed it in on a lark -- originally those points were dedicated to a second Helbrute -- and it was clutch into the two match-ups with significant infantry presence.

 

I'm a classic Loadout enjoyer, so that means AC turret and las sides, las turret and HB sides. 

[Tallarn Commander]

16 hours ago, Newbiticus said:

Forgive me if this is not the appropriate place to ask this but, why would you take an annihilator over a squad of havocs with lascannons?

 

 

I do sometimes run my Annihilator and/or lascannon Havocs. I like both. In addition to the excellent reasons mentioned by Dr. Ruminahui and Wind Whistler, I've found it is sometimes much easier for the speedier Deathbat the Annihilator to get line of sight on the foe than it is for the lumbering and slow Nightsnipers Havoc Squad.

Edited August 31, 2023 by Tallarn Commander

[madlibrarian]

I’m a big fan of the abaddon / hellbrute deathball with my predators, all of whom are armed with AC and HB. 
 

the exploding 5’s and 6’s also doing lethal hits with the hellbrute nearby, and the benefits of being able to reroll all hits with abaddon is amazing. That and the flat three damage, they can chew through most things. I much prefer them now the main gun has rapid fire 2 also.

[Verbal Underbelly]

I've used the destructor in my games and find it quite reliable against its preferred targets. I've only run mono-nurgle so far but that's the best mark for this tank. Didn't actually realise the Annihilator version of the lascannon is strenth 14 though! That's pretty cool and re-rolling damage rolls of 1 reduces that feel bad moment when it does come up.