Hello all! So I am here today to talk about alpha strikes and how they pertain to the current meta. As we speak, the newest codices are changing the face of the game. We have the Astra Militarum codex, which has introduced a different style of foot-based list (not conscripts!) and revived the 5th-Edition "leaf-blower" list. This list features lots of vehicles and ridiculous amounts of firepower to essentially blow you off the board. Then we have the insanely mobile, cheap, and powerful Aeldrai. These guys have the firepower to do some serious damage as well. Then we have the Tyranids. They are much improved, with ability to take blobs of cheap infantry, lots of large creatures, lots of shooting...and most important, perhaps meta-breaking, is the ability to reserve tons of things onto the board. They are saturating their enemy's frontlines with close combat units, which will negate their opponent's ability to shoot.
So what does this mean for us? It means that reserving large pieces of our army deserves another look. Our chapter tactics lend towards successful charges. I want to know why we aren't utilizing this? I understand that only a short period of time ago, smite-spam decimated at close range. However, we no longer need to worry as much about these lists due to the change in meta. We're going to face more of these parking lot lists than ever before and we're going to need a way to fight them. As it currently stands, our humble codex is over matched by these cheaper armies. Being elite doesn't always mean you are better.
But what does the reserve alpha strike do for us? Honestly? Its a risky endeavor as we have discussed before. If you make your charges, you are well on your way to win. Having units such as Scouts (Neophytes) or Reivers in your opponent's face will A) force a response or B) allow you to charge and eliminate your opponent's forces whole-sale. That is, of course, assuming that you make your charges. If you manage to break through your opponent's bubblewrap, you can reach the inner core of vehicles and other goodies. Remember, you are better than they are at close combat. And if you're fighting a vehicle, all you need to do is tie it up so it cannot shoot. Leman Russes are no joke.
How to manage this deed? Reivers are an obvious choice: both for their resiliency and their large quantity of close combat attacks. They lack power weapons, but we're looking for quantity here. They also reduce your opponent's leadership, which has a bonus of effectively killing another guy if you win and they fail that test. As mentioned before, Scouts also do this job, though with much less efficiency. You also have the cost of sacrificing your troops to this role. There are also Vanguard Vets and Assault squads. These can double as effective plasma carriers, in addition to close combat specialists.
We have discussed in the past the power of disruption. We have seen the power of the defensive drop pod list in past editions. And when used properly, your opponent is so tied up with inconsequential units that they don't know what to do. The difference in this edition is that we have units that actually can create a huge mess in both close combat and in the shooting phase. Your opponent has to deal with them. I think the best way to utilize this is through either a few large units that can be broken up or through the use of MSU. This will give us the highest chance of getting units into combat.
With sufficient fire support and troop backup, I think having a reserve alpha strike has the potential to be incredibly effective in the new meta. We'll have the ability to disrupt our opponents game plans from the start of the game. I will be drafting a couple of lists that I think will fulfill this purpose and we'll see how they do.
But what does the reserve alpha strike do for us? Honestly? Its a risky endeavor as we have discussed before. If you make your charges, you are well on your way to win. Having units such as Scouts (Neophytes) or Reivers in your opponent's face will A) force a response or B) allow you to charge and eliminate your opponent's forces whole-sale. That is, of course, assuming that you make your charges. If you manage to break through your opponent's bubblewrap, you can reach the inner core of vehicles and other goodies. Remember, you are better than they are at close combat. And if you're fighting a vehicle, all you need to do is tie it up so it cannot shoot. Leman Russes are no joke.
How to manage this deed? Reivers are an obvious choice: both for their resiliency and their large quantity of close combat attacks. They lack power weapons, but we're looking for quantity here. They also reduce your opponent's leadership, which has a bonus of effectively killing another guy if you win and they fail that test. As mentioned before, Scouts also do this job, though with much less efficiency. You also have the cost of sacrificing your troops to this role. There are also Vanguard Vets and Assault squads. These can double as effective plasma carriers, in addition to close combat specialists.
We have discussed in the past the power of disruption. We have seen the power of the defensive drop pod list in past editions. And when used properly, your opponent is so tied up with inconsequential units that they don't know what to do. The difference in this edition is that we have units that actually can create a huge mess in both close combat and in the shooting phase. Your opponent has to deal with them. I think the best way to utilize this is through either a few large units that can be broken up or through the use of MSU. This will give us the highest chance of getting units into combat.
With sufficient fire support and troop backup, I think having a reserve alpha strike has the potential to be incredibly effective in the new meta. We'll have the ability to disrupt our opponents game plans from the start of the game. I will be drafting a couple of lists that I think will fulfill this purpose and we'll see how they do.
RSS Feed