Objective Secured

I thought it might be interesting to go through a couple of the more unusual or hard core lists we are going to be seeing at this years ATC so here we go… Queenslands Necron List!

DETACHEMENT: Necrons Combined arms detachment

DETACHEMENT: Canoptek harvest formation

LARGE DETACHEMENT(primary):

HQ1: Destroyer Lord(110)- Shroud armour(35), warscythe(20) [165pts]

HQ2: Orikan the diviner [120]

TROOP 1: 5 Immortals- gauss blasters [85]

TROOP 2: 5 Immortals- gauss blasters [85]

FAST ATTACK 1: 5 Wraiths [200pts]

FAST ATTACK 2: 5 Wraiths [200pts]

FAST ATTACK 3: 5 Wraiths [200pts]

HEAVY SUPPORT 1: 3 Tomb Spyders [150pts ]

HEAVY SUPPORT 2: 2 Tomb Spyders [100pts ]

HEAVY SUPPORT 3: 2 Tomb Spyders [100pts ]

DETACHEMENT TOTAL=1405pts.

CANOPTEK HARVEST FORMATION:

HEAVY SUPPORT: 1 Tomb spyder(50)- Gloom Prism(10) [60]

FAST ATTACK: 5 Wraiths [200pts]

FAST ATTACK: 9 Scarabs [180pts]

DETACHEMENT TOTAL= 440pts.

ARMY TOTAL=1845pts.

So what does this list do exactly? Its a great hybrid of the old scarab farm and wraithspam lists. It packs a total of 20 wraiths in 4 units of 5 though they lack the whip coils you would commonly expect. There is a destroyer lord to buff one of them with preferred enemy who is a danger all on his own. That said, I suspect he and Orikan both join the scarab unit to maximise their impact. With 8 tomb spyders and 9 scarabs to start the game, these little suckers will become a carpet on the board very quickly indeed! A couple of mandatory immortal units round it out.

I assume the wraiths will form the first wave of the assault while the scarabs are probably a turn 2 or 3 charge to ensure they can effectively tie up the enemy army in 1 massive multi charge. You could even be charged turn 1 by the swarms with the right deployment, movement and spawning sequence. A unit of 15 or so scarabs with entropic strike built in is a real threat to mechanised lists or knights so caution is in order if that’s the list you are using against it. Where a more ‘take all comers’ list is the opponent, the scarabs are a clean up crew. The destroyer lord giving them preferred enemy along with his decent combat ability along with Orikan and his powered up form means that the super durable elite assault units don’t really want to get in combat with them either. Also – so long as that lone spider in the harvest formation is about – reanimation protocols will effect the scarabs as well! This makes them even more durable and hard to put down.

In my mind, you should have 2 priority targets when you face this list – the lone spyder from the harvest formation and then the scarabs themselves.

The lone spyder make the scarabs just super. With the option for RP or shred from the formation bonus, he needs to put back into his tomb ASAP! Once he is down (a good option for first blood as well!) the scarabs need to be crushed. Its needs to be quick and in 1 turn. If even one of the little buggers survives, he can spawn more into the unit and you have to do it over again. This is a big ask after the first turn or so as you will have 20 wraiths breathing down your neck!

The wraiths are also very mobile and can be used to claim objectives late game with a reasonable expectation of survival thanks to a ++ save, multiple wounds and T5. You know the necron list is solid when you can afford to use a unit of wraiths for objective camping!

Its main weakness is in the anti air capability. Multiple flyers or flying monstrous creatures could be a real pain to deal with as apart from a handful of gauss in the immortal units, they have no way of engaging them. In hover/glide modes that’s a different matter of course! The list is also highly susceptible to mid strength multi shot/blast weapons as the hits will be removing bases of scarabs thanks to instant death while they will be wounding the wraiths on 3’s or 2’s – essentially making them space marines with a 3+ save. Eldar or Astra Militarum are both very valid options for a counter list as are some marine lists with multiple flyers and blasts.

What do you think of the list?  Let me know in the comments!