Drop Pod Long Fangs loadout

[Bloody Legionnaire]

I've been thinking about using LFs in a Drop Pod for some tasty alpha strike for a while now, but I'm not sure which weapons to give them. x4 MM was my initial thought, but now I'm wondering if PC would be the better option. MMs are great for deleting high toughness units and I would definitely be in melta range for the two dice rolls. Plasma Cannons would be a little more versatile and the LFs natural re-roll ones helps there. Any thoughts or other considerations?

[One Two Wolf]

Wait for release, if we get doctrines your D3 shot PC's will be at -4, and better than MM all round. They will be dead by turn two regardless so overcharging doesn't matter and they have a native reroll anyway, with no -1 if you use the strat. I'd consider adding an ancient with banner to the pod if you want a 50/50 of shooting again as they get gunned down. Less useful if you get charged however... If you deploy with the pod between you and the enemy you have some smite shielding and possible character protection if you lone wolf the last one, MM's may not give you the range you want to be ae to do that.

 

Just thoughts.

[PeteySödes]

I did a similar thing earlier after our codex with outflanking long fangs for fun and it was interesting. I’d say the PCs are the better choice, very versatile and the range helps.

 

Meltas are are hard sell IMO because screening stuff is old news and just habit now. You could maybe get people with it last year but not so much now.

 

For my findings it worked pretty well actually against aggressive armies like speed freek orks where they don’t have a back line to speak of and you can drop (turn 2 at the time) behind them and force them to double back.

 

Ultimately I ditched it because losing T1 shooting was too rough even if it made for some interesting tactics. I’d totally think pods could be pretty cool with that use case.

[TiguriusX]

I have some theory lists toying around with a DP but never followed through

 

Drop pod is unique now because you get a turn 1 drop

 

My idea revolves around 1 drop pod and multiple LF units with specific anti tank (multi melta) or anti infantry (bolter or plasma)

 

The pod is for whatever threat you want to delete.

 

Send in pod long fangs. Pop keen senses and the wolf's eye for 3s rerolling to hit and reroll all wounds.

[Karhedron]

Another vote for Plasma Cannons. Range is a big factor as Multimeltas really want to be within 12" for maximum boom. Plasma Cannons are quite happy as long as they are within 36". This means you have more flexibility with deployment as your opponent will find it harder to screen against you. You also have the ability to drop on an objective and/or deploy in cover. Drop Pods on objectives are really annoying for the enemy as they are so large that even if they get a Troops unit, they cannot get within 3" to claim the objective. They will have to chew through 10 wounds of drop pod before they can nab the objective from you.

 

If you want to help keep them alive a little longer, put a Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator with a Storm Shield with them in the pod. With 2 wounds and a 2+/3++ save, he should be able to tank for a while before going down. At the very least it will force the enemy to allocate a disproportionate amount of firepower to deleting them. An ancient is not a bad idea.

[Krakendoomcool]

Unfortunately you can't put terminators in drop pods this edition. It's always fun to put TDA with your power armour squads. You can still get a PAWG with storm shield for a very reasonable 16pts.

 

I've been trying to squeeze some MM long fangs into a drop pod too. It's a bit of a gamble it seems and with some bad dice could be a disaster. I love the look of the Multi melta but considering PC after reading this thread now.

 

Seemed a good combo of drop pod and multi melta 12" half range but maybe the practicalities are still problematic.

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

I outflank plasma cannon long fangs alot, and well they tend to be a bit glass cannony they really get work done most of the time. Especially when coupled with a Stormshield terminator (with cyclone if I have the points) as they will often get a second turn of shooting. I imagine a drop pod would offer similar advantages except allow for a T1 drop at the expense of the Terminator not being there for added durability.

[Karhedron]

Unfortunately you can't put terminators in drop pods this edition. It's always fun to put TDA with your power armour squads. You can still get a PAWG with storm shield for a very reasonable 16pts.

Oops!   I guess that shows you how often I run Drop Pods in this edition. You are right that a PAWG with SS and maybe SB is still a worthwhile investment for tanking the odd plasma shot coming their way. Sadly he doesn't boost their survivability vs small arms to the same degree but you can't have everything.

[Karhedron]

I outflank plasma cannon long fangs alot, and well they tend to be a bit glass cannony they really get work done most of the time. Especially when coupled with a Stormshield terminator (with cyclone if I have the points) as they will often get a second turn of shooting. I imagine a drop pod would offer similar advantages except allow for a T1 drop at the expense of the Terminator not being there for added durability.

 

Ironically the drop pod costs very close to the price of a TDAWG with CML and SS so you can try switching between the two and see which works better without disturbing the rest of your list too much.

 

The Pod can come in T1 whereas the Outflankers have to wait for T2. I guess the real advantage of the outflanking squad is that you don't have to spend the CP and outflank them if you don't want/need to. If the board gives you a good location for them in or close to your DZ, you can start them right there,

[Bloody Legionnaire]

Great discussion so far Wolf Brothers, I appreciate the feedback from all!

 

Wait for release, if we get doctrines your D3 shot PC's will be at -4, and better than MM all round. They will be dead by turn two regardless so overcharging doesn't matter and they have a native reroll anyway, with no -1 if you use the strat. I'd consider adding an ancient with banner to the pod if you want a 50/50 of shooting again as they get gunned down. Less useful if you get charged however... If you deploy with the pod between you and the enemy you have some smite shielding and possible character protection if you lone wolf the last one, MM's may not give you the range you want to be ae to do that.

Just thoughts.

 

I definitely think we'll get some good stuff out of this PA. Not excited for Primaris Ragnar, but at least having a new model will be nice! If melta range is 12" wouldn't deploying to the rear of the drop pod still keep the MMs in range? Banner is definitely a great idea!

Another vote for Plasma Cannons. Range is a big factor as Multimeltas really want to be within 12" for maximum boom. Plasma Cannons are quite happy as long as they are within 36". This means you have more flexibility with deployment as your opponent will find it harder to screen against you. You also have the ability to drop on an objective and/or deploy in cover. Drop Pods on objectives are really annoying for the enemy as they are so large that even if they get a Troops unit, they cannot get within 3" to claim the objective. They will have to chew through 10 wounds of drop pod before they can nab the objective from you.

 

If you want to help keep them alive a little longer, put a Wolf Guard Pack Leader in Terminator with a Storm Shield with them in the pod. With 2 wounds and a 2+/3++ save, he should be able to tank for a while before going down. At the very least it will force the enemy to allocate a disproportionate amount of firepower to deleting them. An ancient is not a bad idea.

In this list I'd like to have 3 pods coming in. 1 Pod will be loaded with 2 packs of LFs (the other LF pack will be all HB for screen thinning) Another Pod with GHs and character support, and lastly a dreadnought drop pod filled with something nasty (I'm thinking a Levi right now). I don't have the ability to fully implement this list, but the idea is to throw down a lot of hate and then force the opponent to make the wrong decision in target priority. 

[One Two Wolf]

With the doors down at nine inches and deploying behind it you won't make melta range. If it's not a psychic heavy army you're facing it doesn't really matter, the banner may end up more useful than the smite shield anyway. Just try it out and see what happens. MM would mean no save for a 2+ unit with dev doctrine, so don't rule them out completely.

[Karhedron]

If melta range is 12" wouldn't deploying to the rear of the drop pod still keep the MMs in range? Banner is definitely a great idea!

Sure, it is not impossible to drop the MMs within range but you are much more vulnerable to screening units and you may not be able to drop exactly where you want. The extra range of PCs means you have more flexibility to drop into an advantageous position (such as cover or an Objective) and still shoot at your priority target with no hindrance.

 

In this list I'd like to have 3 pods coming in. 1 Pod will be loaded with 2 packs of LFs (the other LF pack will be all HB for screen thinning) Another Pod with GHs and character support, and lastly a dreadnought drop pod filled with something nasty (I'm thinking a Levi right now). I don't have the ability to fully implement this list, but the idea is to throw down a lot of hate and then force the opponent to make the wrong decision in target priority.

A Leviathan with 2 Storm Cannons and "Big Guns Never Tire" will certainly put a big dent in things. If you are planning to drop that amount of firepower in, it might be worth adding a WGBL as part of you character support. You will have a lot of guns in one place so a 6" bubble of rerolling 1s to wound could be tasty. Give him something like a Power Fist and Armour of Russ so if your opponent tries to charge, he can HI and then freeze them so they strike last.

[Bloody Legionnaire]

A WGBL was definitely one of the considerations for character support as well as a Rune Priest for psychic support/buffs. I was actually leaning towards Storm Cannon/CCW for the Leviathan. Having at least one CCW fits much better with the Hunter Unleashed rule.

[KGatch113]

With the doors down at nine inches and deploying behind it you won't make melta range. If it's not a psychic heavy army you're facing it doesn't really matter, the banner may end up more useful than the smite shield anyway. Just try it out and see what happens. MM would mean no save for a 2+ unit with dev doctrine, so don't rule them out completely.

Since when do the doors need to be down and count as part of the model?

[One Two Wolf]

 

 

With the doors down at nine inches and deploying behind it you won't make melta range. If it's not a psychic heavy army you're facing it doesn't really matter, the banner may end up more useful than the smite shield anyway. Just try it out and see what happens. MM would mean no save for a 2+ unit with dev doctrine, so don't rule them out completely.

Since when do the doors need to be down and count as part of the model?

They don't have to be down and I didn't say that they do. The doors are part of the model.

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

The doors definitely count. It was in an FAQ a while back. You dont need to lower them however

[Bloody Legionnaire]

Well, well, well, Wolf Brothers! Now that it's confirmed we have access to doctrines I'm still thinking Long Fangs in Drop Pods are going to be pretty good and the Plasma Cannon suggestion appears to be spot on! I wonder if 2x4 units of Plasma Cannons would be better than 1x4 and then 1x4 of HBs for horde clearing. 

[Dark Legionnare]

Well, well, well, Wolf Brothers! Now that it's confirmed we have access to doctrines I'm still thinking Long Fangs in Drop Pods are going to be pretty good and the Plasma Cannon suggestion appears to be spot on! I wonder if 2x4 units of Plasma Cannons would be better than 1x4 and then 1x4 of HBs for horde clearing. 

If it's in a pod, likely coming out in a way where its very much closer proximity to the enemy means they'll likely die, I'd say the "Horde" clearing aspect would be better with the HB's.  S5 (so wound your normal hordes of boyz, nids, etc... on 3+), AP-2, guaranteed 3 shots would get you better mileage against hordes, I feel.

 

Since the random PC shots per gun and the fact that against boyz they're still only 3+ to wound unless supercharging, while also risking exploding, never strikes me as worth it.  For sure, the PC's can double as decent enough anti-tank with SC'ing in a pinch, where the HB's can't.

 

People in general also seem to have a "that must die" mindset with plasma weaponry, so I feel like the HB's might have a better chance or survival by virtue of being ignored for more priority targets.

 

I also have a huge soft-spot for the belt-fed HB models, they look dope. Not that the PC's don't too, but I think the HB's are so "space marines" it hurts.

 

 

If against other MEQ or TEQ, especially primaris (Which are everywhere these days, so pretty likely) other than actual "hordes" the PC's are the go-to, for sure.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Dark Legionnare

[Bloody Legionnaire]

It was already discussed in this thread, but the Long Fangs aren't meant to drop in by themselves, there would be 2 other Drop Pods coming in and one of those would be a Dreadnought Drop Pod with a Leviathan. Units are going to die in this game so the intended purpose matters more than the survivability is ultimately a bonus. I expect them to be prioritized by the opponent.. It's all about forcing the opponent to prioritize the wrong thing and make them pay for it. There anti-tank LFs are just as needed as the anti-horde...

[Dark Legionnare]

It was already discussed in this thread, but the Long Fangs aren't meant to drop in by themselves, there would be 2 other Drop Pods coming in and one of those would be a Dreadnought Drop Pod with a Leviathan. Units are going to die in this game so the intended purpose matters more than the survivability is ultimately a bonus. I expect them to be prioritized by the opponent.. It's all about forcing the opponent to prioritize the wrong thing and make them pay for it. There anti-tank LFs are just as needed as the anti-horde...

Yeah, I had that all in mind when thinking of the above. Just saying, when using the word "horde" I'm thinking 20-30 model units. Where ultimately I think the HB's would serve better in that situation especially with the leviathan acting as your anti-MEQ and vehicle/light vehicle, just because they get full three shots.

 

Spending the CP for no hit penalty on the fangs only to have that squad (4 hvy weapons in it) then only get 4-6 PC shots would seem better served by having full 12 no matter what.

 

Again, all this based around your use of the word "horde". Not general purpose listing, where the PC's would probably always be the better option.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Dark Legionnare