IG/Tau vs. Guard-Crons in "Survival of the Fittest" (1500, 9/20)

[Lord Sotek]

Hi All,
Thank you for the suggestions.
I guess Tau fast attack isn't that anti-flier without forge world (which my mates and I aren't using.  Yet.).
I'm actually heavily considering bringing in Hydras now, as they have been hit by the nerf bat pretty hard (no longer can hit ground units without snap-shotting), and are pretty cheap for what you can get out of them.

I concur with this. Hydras have always been fluffed as "Great anti-air tanks that also do a decent job of splattering things when there aren't any pressing aerial threats about." In 5th, they were cheesemachines because their statline actually made them ideally suited to vigorously and fatally molesting transports, light vehicles, and infantry, and so for the most part the "flak tank" was used as nothing more than an inexpensive blender. Now in 5th, their gaining the Skyfire rule has catapulted them back into the role they're -supposed- to be performing, and the glut of AV12-13 skimmers means that they're competent rather than sportsmanship-crushingly overpowered in said role.

Plus, it's not even like you're a player of another army just abusing the Allies system so he can spam hydras; Vasily and co are a dedicated IG army, and the Hydra is a dedicated IG tank.

And yes, I think I need my calvary back.  Just not sure where to get the points...  Perhaps from the vets?  The carapace-plasma combination sounds so good, but they often get out-maneuvered and then ignored for the rest of the game.  Just not sure which other troop is decent enough in comparison.

Melta/plasvets and especially stormtroopers seem fairly hit or miss in my (admittedly limited) experience. It seems like they generally either find themselves in the right spot at the right time and vaporize something groinpain-inducingly spiffy and expensive from your opponent's list. Or else they wind up poorly positioned and either spend the game not contributing, or looking down from above because something cackled at their small squad size and vaporized them.

Used to be in 5th you had a pretty much guaranteed shot at delivering them into the enemy bunghole of choice if you deployed them via chimera bumrush, but 6th has thankfully curbed the curbstompy transports from 5th. So, sans that, they're really a toss of the dice. Especially stormtroopers, who can mishap. My last game, I got to sit my opponent's melta-stormies time out in a corner because of a mishap; they spent basically the entire game bricking their Run rolls and contributing nothing to the fight.

By contrast, rough riders are more mobile, and judging from your battle reports, seem to be a consistently hard-hitting unit (I don't recall them ever not getting the charge, either). They also give you tactical options and alleviate your army's squishines, which vets don't. So, when it comes to killy units, and you're choosing between coin-toss-y vets or swift and reliable (Not to mention more characterful; when's the last time you saw someone spam minmaxed RoughRider units? ) Rough Riders, I'd 100% reccomend you pick Lady Saigo and her crew.

Just a quick question to you Tau users out there:
Devilfish knocking your socks off since the new FAQ or just not doing much?  I like the whole shrouded cover save, and I'm putting the fire warriors in reserve most times anyway.  If they could make a break for objectives late game that sounds pretty stellar.

Not really a Tau player, but my understanding is that the new FAQ has made warfish viable again. I think it's worth your while to experiment with.

[BigToof]

Hi Lord Sotek,
Thanks for your reply.
I think I am going to try a Hydra (not to get too overblown), and then pump in the Rough Riders.
If the Hydra gets too much bad press then I'll revert, otherwise, I might keep it as it'll actually be doing the job the Russ is supposed to be doing, you know, at half the price or so.
I'm actually considering bringing two squads of the horses, but costs are being a little finicky.  One thing I did want to try with them is their new 24" meltagun range from reserve, as that will be a good surprise for things wandering over to try and get a free tie-up (i.e. Dreadnaughts) that would be VERY problematic for the blob.
The Devilfish is starting to wane in my opinion as I'm having some difficulty getting the model, but maybe after my next game...

Best,
-BT

[The Man They Call Jayne]

Dreads can't tie up guardsmen anymore cant they? You can leave combat if you are incapable of doing any damage to the enemy. So S3 v AV12 means you can just walk away. Or take an Initiative test. I dont remember which, I havnt had to do so yet.

[BigToof]

Dreads can't tie up guardsmen anymore cant they? You can leave combat if you are incapable of doing any damage to the enemy. So S3 v AV12 means you can just walk away. Or take an Initiative test. I dont remember which, I havnt had to do so yet.

That's... a very good point Jayne.  In fact, that's a good reason to never, ever give them krak grenades or link them up to an IC that has them.
I do worry that if they run they'll go right off the board most times thought, but that's a very good point overall.

One thing that has crossed my mind is Kroot.  They're cheap and sort of hitty, but they don't have power weapons...

Best,
-BT

[The Man They Call Jayne]

I dont think that disengaging is the same as failing a moral test. I dont thing you run you are just free to move off then turn and blast it with a meltagun or whatever you have handy.

Kroot are great at taking out a single squad, but they will inentiably die in the process.

[BigToof]

Ack, I was afraid of that.  Kroot might not be what I'm looking for then.

Does anyone have any experience with the carnivores in 6th?
I sort of remember them being useful speedbumps in 5th, but haven't seen anyone use them recently.

Best,
-BT