What's your "Hear me out" List?

[Tawnis]

For those like me that love to theory craft and spend loads to time trying out crazy strategies and units to come up with a great list that's all our own, I wanted to know what list you've built that is performing well, but when you tell people about it them underestimate it. 

 

Mine, (assuming you haven't heard my veritable essays on how good this sub-faction already) is Kroot. And I don't mean soup in Tau guns, I mean 100% murder chickens. (Well maybe like 98% as I'll use some Vespid from time to time.) I've been playing the faction since 8th and always doing better than anyone expected, but only with their recent 10th edition rules did they become legitimately powerful to the point where I am placing highly in competitive events, despite my low experience in tournament formats. 

 

The biggest misconception about Kroot, is that at face value, their profiles are pretty underwhelming. However, in a great blend of both fluff and mechanics, the Kroot are pack hunters, 1v1, they often get clobbered, but their overlapping buffs both offensively and defensively have them punch well above their weight class. Take the humble carnivore for instance. Hitting on 4's at range, 3's in melee with 2 S:4 no AP D1 shots for 6.5 points a model doesn't sound that exciting. However, with a 7" move, a 7" scout move, and with sticky objectives, it's very mobile for an infantry unit. With Stealth and a 5+ Invul it's pretty durable to shooting attacks. It almost always has +1 to hit from the detachment rule, re-rolling from the Lone Spear's effect, more often than you'd expect has +1 to wound, while often being able to pick up a pip of AP from the Trap Well Laid stratagem which effects every Kroot unit that targets the same enemy. That's pretty scary for your basic line infantry unit. 

Each Kroot unit is like this, a meh profile at first glance, but being a threat to much larger targets that you'd expect. Even with the strongest looking profile being the Repeater Cannon at 2 Shots 36" Rapid Fire2 S:7: Ap-1 D:2, I've had no trouble taking on heavily armoured lists, once downing 5 War Dogs and some supporting smaller daemons in a single turn, something many armies with big anti-tank guns struggle to do. And this is the trap I see lots of people I talk to fall into, that they need big guns to make the list work, and you don't, it actually takes away from what the Kroot are already good at doing. 

For the actual list itself that I'm currently running at 2k: 
1 Lone Spear with Kroot Long Gun. Enhancement: Kroothawk Flock: 90pts
2 Kroot Lone Spear with Blast Javelin: 160pts
1 Kroot Flesh Shaper. Enchancement: Borthrod Gland: 60pts
1 Kroot War Shaper with Bladestave/Prey-Hook: 50pts
6x3 Kroot Rampagers: 510pts
3x3 Krootox Riders with Repeater Cannons: 270pts
12x3 Kroot Farstalkers: 255pts

20x1 / 10x4: Kroot Carnivores: 390pts
5x2 Kroot Hounds: 80pts
5x2: Vespid: 130pts

I'm still debating cutting one for the 10 man carnivores for the Dart-Bow War Shaper, more Vespid, or Darkstrider but for the moment, I'm happy with it performing how it is and overall, it's only a minor tweak. I haven't had the chance to take this new version out to a competitive event yet, but it's been playing better than my last Kroot list that went 4-1, so I'm hopeful that I'll do well when the next one rolls around to my area. 

Beyond that, there are still others I'm working on theory crafting that I want to see if I can make good. Guard Cavalry with the Atillans and the Kreigers with the Recon detachment to give them more durability while quickly shoving dozens of horses in your enemy's face. , Null Maiden's Vigil with loads of swords and flamers packed into Rhinos that can drop off their threats then screen and do actions. The GSC Final Day detachment with a mountain of abberants hitting on 2's. All the Necron destroyers I can fit into a list and just hosing people with full re-roll 5+ Lethals at AP:3 D:2, that they have to ignore to handle all the Skorpekh's running at their face. Will all of them be good, probably not, but it will be fun to find out. 

 

Anyhow, I've ranted about my favourite faction and other ideas long enough. What crazy list has been working for you?

Edited Tuesday at 04:14 PM by Tawnis