Emperor's Blade Assault Company Experience

[The Titanz0r]

It has been some time since the release of Vigilus Defiant. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on our formations. Specifically, the Emperor's Blade Assault Company. I've considered heavily many aspects of this formation, and I want to know what other people think about it. I run a mechanized army, with four armored fist squads as my main line (four Infantry squads with plasma guns, embarked in four Chimeras with twin heavy bolters). With how I play my army, this formation seems like a perfect match. However, after careful deliberation, it seems less than stellar, maybe even detrimental.

 

My thinking is this... For 1CP at the start of the game, I get the Emperor's Blade keyword. Before we even start, I'm down one Command Point.

This formation grants several options. The first of which, and most perplexing to me, is Mechanized Commander. Instead of taking, say, Grand Strategist or Master of Command, I gain the ability to issue orders from my Warlord while embarked in a transport. This is a permanent version of a stratagem we already have. Cool. However, this seems counter-productive to its point. While intending to keep the officer better protected inside the transport, it loses the protection of being a Character. What's to stop my opponent from blasting the Chimera into oblivion, and possibly heavily wounding the officer and even the unit that disembarked around him? Wouldn't it be better to drop the officer off with the troops, and move the Chimera elsewhere, or better position it to support the troops?

 

The other option is to take the heirloom 'The Shield of Mortwald.' Instead of taking Laurels of Command or Kurov's Aquila, I gain a +3 Invulnerable save that may not even last beyond the first time you need it. Further, it's an item for a unit that shouldn't be put directly in harm's way, anyway. The officer should have the protection of all the units around him already, negating the need for such a save to begin with.

 

We also gain the use of two stratagems: Mechanised Fire Support and Rapid Redeploy.

Mechanised Fire Support seems of negligible use. For 1CP, I can overwatch my two heavy bolters at a charging enemy unit from one chimera within 6" of the charged unit. Alright, cool. This isn't going to stop the charge, and will only statistically kill a handful of bad guys. The squad will most likely get stuck in, anyway, which will also leave the Chimera stuck nearby. I can see some marginal use if you happen to have a unit still embarked and also have a pintle weapon, as this will add at least eight more shots to the volley of heavy bolters. Decent, but not at all great. If it were a stratagem that allowed every transport within 6" of the charged unit to overwatch, that'd be better.

 

Rapid Redeploy seems the best gain from the formation. For 1CP you can move and then embark. This will allow your troops to zoom about the field and easily get their FRFSRF volleys, or advance your Chimera to an objective and have the troops jump out onto it, quickly securing it if you need to. This would synergize well with the Armageddon Armored Fist stratagem, allowing a unit to re-roll 1s to hit if it disembarked that turn. Applications of this stratagem seem pretty evidently useful.

 

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Am I missing something, or not seeing potential uses from this formation? I just fail to see the benefit of spending CP to be able to spend more CP.

[duz_]

I think its a solid choice for a mech army and a good way to add more theme to Steel Legion

 

Although I'll be honest I haven't played with any of the Vigilus detachments yet

(Actually I may not have played any games since it dropped... :ermm: )

[GuardDaddy]

Personally I stopped using CP regen traits/relics when I got to 20+cp. Taking a brigade does this easily.

 

I don't see much benefit to Blade formation either. The artillery company however is broken - you basically get to double fire for one CP so essentially halving cost of unit.

 

My initial thought with the blade was to use melta swt and drop out next to big stuff after zooming up as you suggest. 

[rcoon]

Personally I stopped using CP regen traits/relics when I got to 20+cp. Taking a brigade does this easily.

 

I don't see much benefit to Blade formation either. The artillery company however is broken - you basically get to double fire for one CP so essentially halving cost of unit.

 

My initial thought with the blade was to use melta swt and drop out next to big stuff after zooming up as you suggest. 

The double fire strategem for Basilisks etc costs 2CP. But it's still hilariously OP, especially when combined with OFoF.

[Bonzi]

I've used Emperor's Blade a lot because mechanized is how I prefer to play guard. To address some of the OPs concerns:

 

#1. The warlord trait is meh, unless you spend the extra CP to get that one in addition to your regular warlord trait on a different character. This is an option that can be found at the front of the Vigilus Formations. It's called subcommander or something. So real cost of the formation is now 2CP, but I'll pay that to have a second warlord.

 

My setup is generally a Company Commander as my main warlord set up in the back with my line infantry and artillery. I generally give him Grand Strategist or Master of Command.

 

My Blade Commander rides forward with Vets and SWS in Chimeras with his Mechanized Commander trait and usually the Laurels of Command.

 

#2. The Blade relic is junk. Yes it is. You don't have to take it. Use one of our better base codex relics.

 

#3 The overwatch stratagem is actually pretty great because most opponents forget about it, but it is super situational and you have to plan for it. The key is that the overwatch hits on a 4+ and the second part is using it at the right time to overwatch vulnerable units.

 

Most assault players will use a blocker unit to absorb overwatch before following in with a character unit. You let that blocker unit hit your guard squad, then when they do another charge to bring in a character to the fight you activate the Strat and target the charging character because it can be used any time a BLADE keyword unit is charged.

 

I had nothing but my Mech Commander in a Chimera when an Ork warboss charged the last couple guardsmen of an Infantry Squad on my front line. He didn't make it through 12 lasguns, a storm Bolter, a multilasers, and a heavy flamer all hitting on 4+.

 

#3. The final strat is where the real money is. I use it primarily with SWS with flamers or Vets with tripple plasma. It's brutal and it's a good way to catch a unit by surprise, especially if you move forward 10 to 12", disembark into cover, get orders from the mounted commander, and double tap a key unit with overcharged plasma. (I run Vostroyans so 15" double tap and the option to add +1 BS adds up to some heavy hitting).

[The Titanz0r]

It seems my play style and what I like to use don't lend themselves well to CP farming or available formations. I run a Battalion and a Spearhead, so I only have 9 CP to use in my games. Removing my Chimeras would get me a lot more points, and putting my Russ tanks into my main unit would allow me to fill a Brigade. However, I'm not interested in that play style, as I don't wish to do that tactically or assemble, convert, and paint that many infantry models. Curiously, I find that I hardly use many stratagems, anyway. The majority of them seem of limited or very niche use. I wonder what players that have upwards of 20 CPs even spend the points on.

[HallofStovokor]

I've played with Emperor's Blade, Fist, and Wrath detachments. I play Cadians, so playing a melee focused detachment like conclave is suboptimal. Blade is hot garbage except for the strat that lets you greater good a chimera. Wrath and Fist are more useful. Fist has the best relic and unyielding advance is great and makes people salty when you advance a demolisher to get in range and then fire the main gun. The other stratagems is kind of silly. Nobody would consider charging a tank into close combat, even if you can cause mortal wounds. Wrath is great. The warlord trait is nice, but most armies have invulnerable saves, so changing a basilisk from AP-3 to AP-4 is very situational. Wrath's power is in the stratagems. Suppressing fire is is great for preventing movement shenanigans and helps you get the crucial charge. Pounding barrage is awesome. Double shooting a basilisk or wyvern can help you get a crucial kill. It synergizes really well with OFoF. Unless you use steel legion, blade is the worst vigilus detachment you can use.

[HallofStovokor]

Personally I stopped using CP regen traits/relics when I got to 20+cp. Taking a brigade does this easily.

 

I don't see much benefit to Blade formation either. The artillery company however is broken - you basically get to double fire for one CP so essentially halving cost of unit.

 

My initial thought with the blade was to use melta swt and drop out next to big stuff after zooming up as you suggest.

Pounding barrage is 2 CP. Suppressing fire is the 1 CP stratagems. It's still really good for both Cadians and Catachan.

[The Titanz0r]

Unless you use steel legion, blade is the worst vigilus detachment you can use.

 

I run an entirely mechanized army, with my Battalion as Steel Legion, which is why I looked so heavily into this Emperor's Blade formation. Yet, the only real advantage I can come up with is using the Rapid Redeploy and Armored Fist stratagems in conjunction, which doesn't seem worth the CP investment. It's baffling to me that the majority of things for us seem so mediocre. Not like some other formations, like the Ork's Kult of Speed allowing units to double move and charge, getting a 30+ inch threat range for charging.

[sairence]

 

 

Unless you use steel legion, blade is the worst vigilus detachment you can use.

I run an entirely mechanized army, with my Battalion as Steel Legion, which is why I looked so heavily into this Emperor's Blade formation. Yet, the only real advantage I can come up with is using the Rapid Redeploy and Armored Fist stratagems in conjunction, which doesn't seem worth the CP investment. It's baffling to me that the majority of things for us seem so mediocre. Not like some other formations, like the Ork's Kult of Speed allowing units to double move and charge, getting a 30+ inch threat range for charging.

Disembarking after movement is a pretty big deal, both for capping objectives and getting into the right spot. Veterans and Special Weapons teama love that kind of stuff in a mechanised list. Ask Mordians what they like doing to enemy characters if they can draw good line of sightbfor example.

 

All of those formations tend to have one stand out ability, some okayish stuff and something very situational. Given Knight-missiles and more useful snipers hitting the field, the option to issue orders from a Chimera again is pretty sweet. It's a free command vehicle strat each turn for your WL.

 

None of our detachments are bad. They all have very nice uses for specific situations while none is a universal no-brainer. And that's what they should be. We don't want a return to 7th ed formation nonsense.

[The Titanz0r]

@sairence I'm not understating the quality of the Rapid Redeploy stratagem. It's clear that it's the best and most useful thing for that formation. I'm just saying, it seems odd that the majority of options from most of the formations seem pretty lack luster. There's one element out of several that's of any real, good use. Unless I was missing something, it doesn't seem of much worth to use this formation in a mechanized list, like I have. I'm playing a game later, and I may try it out, just to get some more field testing out of it.