Unit of the Week: Triarch Praetorians

[NTaW]

 

Welcome to the Necron Unit of the Week Series!

 

Each week a different unit will be highlighted for discussion until we have amalgamated a full list of our available options and their relevant tactics as 8th edition evolves. We already have a few previous entries but things change as FAQs and Chapter Approved books get released and we playtest new ideas so please feel free to reopen a topic when new options become relevant for discussion.

 

Please keep in mind this isn't to lament the status of featured units or compare them to others but to try and find their potential for all types of gameplay.

 

This week’s unit is:

 

 

As a loose guide, here are some questions we could answer to help out any who happen upon our metallic little corner of the B&C:

 

• What size unit do you feel works best?
• What Code do you prefer?
• What synergies have you found with other units?
• Are there any stratagems that specifically buff this unit?
• Do you build your list around this unit or use it to fill some points?
• What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of this unit?

Now over to you!

Edited July 29, 2019 by NTaW

[Tyriks]

Well, code is irrelevant here. I just used my Praetorians for the first time in quite a while (playing against Sisters) . They did better than I expected, racking up something like 40 kills, but some of that was luck (Immolaters were deleting units left and right but the Praetorians kept rolling very well for saves). With blade and pistol they also probably find Sisters to be the ideal target, so that helped them too.

 

The biggest problem with them is the lack of Dynasty keyword. Almost everything in our army needs the keyword to interact, so they can't get MWBD, or a Lord's wound aura, or RP/invuln from a cryptek. They can't ride a Night Scythe or Monolith. That makes it really hard to get synergy out of them. I love the unit in theory, but the cost and lack of synergy makes it tough to justify them.

[NTaW]

FIIINE so I copy paste a little bit. You caught me 

 

Codes may not be particularly relevant to be sure, but there are a few unique characters that can accessorize Praetorians with general keyword use. Imotekh can use his first of two MWBD applications per turn, Szeras can apply Master Technomancer, and Anrakyr can use both his MWBD and Lord of the Pyrrhian (pronounced fury-an?) Legions abilities on any NECRONS INFANTRY units. Anrakyr offers the added benefit of being bereft of a DYNASTY keyword for use with other fighty units. CombatCrons could be a thing??

 

I see blade and pistol Praetorians similarly to how I view my lightning claw Vanguard Veterans: absolutely able to shred infantry but not exceptional against other unit types. I don't see much of a reason to take them with the rod of the covenant option, the slight buff to the shooting profile just doesn't seem as useful a weapon choice.

[Tyriks]

I think Pyrrhian should be "peer-ian". It's derived from the Greek name Pyrrhus which I have only ever heard "peer us".

 

Praetorians I would say are a little better than Vanguard with claws (in a vacuum) because they're s5/t5 and can get s6 with Disruption Fields, which means they can threaten light vehicles and small monsters. And I guess if you really need something killed you can give them Judgment of the Triarch.

 

And you're right about the named characters - I overlooked them because I never bring them. I don't like how prevalent named characters are right now so I avoid them. Maybe I should try out Anrakyr to support them sometime. Then again, he has his own problems with lacking the Dynasty keyword.

[NTaW]

Oh yeah Praetorians are implicitly stronger/tougher than Vanguard, that comparison ends after the style of unit they chase after.

 

Speaking of buffing them, if you could keep Anrakyr up he could consistently provide them MWBD and give them +1A while JotT would give them back their edge against pesky -1 to hit units. 4 attacks per model hitting on 2+ at S5/S6 w. stratagem seems like it could be very useful thinning out the herd. FLY goes a long way to keeping them out of sticky situations, but with the pistols would you really fall back often?

[Tyriks]

The pistols don't really add much, unfortunately. I use them more to try to pick off wounded units that aren't worth charging than to add damage in cc. Then again usually I bring them against Sisters so the blades are probably gonna overkill anyway. If my meta was different I might feel differently.

[Paulochromis]

Have just picked up a box of these guys, was planning to go with Voidblade & Particle caster.

Do you guys run full units of 10? They're not cheap.

Any merit in running a smaller units? Or even two?

Not so much to mitigate Morale issues but to provide diverse threats.

[Tyriks]

Well, morale is never an issue with them. Small squads are still preferable to me, though. Usually, the benefit of large units is that buffs it gives buffs more mileage, but Praetorians aren't easily buffed. Being able to engage multiple targets or threaten multiple objectives generally seems more useful to me. The only reason I consider 10 to a squad is because our elites slot is crowded.

[Mr4Minutes]

Just to give a different perspective.

 

I think Necron units in general benefit from max unit sizes. RP is built in to the model costs, so I try to make sure and take advantage of it.

 

So I’d take one 10(or 7-8 points depending) man squad. With fearless, your opponent will need to dedicate decent amounts of firepower to remove the last model. It’ll also maximize your use of their one strat.

 

Just minor gripe, but I hate they don’t benefit from a dynasty trait. I think that would make them instantly a competitive choice. Running a 10 man a squad with a cryptek would be sweet.

It would work fluff wise (to me at least) as the silent king assigns them to assist the dynasties.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Mr4Minutes

[Tyriks]

I completely agree. I think if they are attached enough that they paint themselves the Dynasty colors, it makes sense to give them a Dynasty trait (or make a Dynasty trait for them like Freebootas).