Deathleaper and Tau

[bebe]

So how would you deploy? I had reaper cc tyrant, desthleaper, 2 squads lictors, 3 stealer squads 9two with broodlord), ten gants in a comms bastion, 2 crones and two mawlocs.

My opponent had buffmander, 3 broadsides (SMS HYM 2 drones, interceptor), Riptide, WK, DA in Serpents, seer, warp spiders, aegis.

The problem here is that the broadside unit can rip my leaper to shreds if he is within 30" easily. If I DS or outflank he has interceptor. Sure horror can help if I can survive within distance but I sure cannot set up the Mawlocs safely for no scatter. I need to hide the flyrant and crones first turn also.

So how would you deploy and advance?

[liberame]

Terrain placement would dictate deployment. That list doesn't appear to have markerlights so nothing to boost the snap shots. The horror won't help much since they are snapshotting anyways if they target deathleaper. I would try to remove the broadsides first and more than likely deepstrike deathleaper, possible keep him back just to keep the farseer nerfed. Something to note however is that if the broadsides and riptide are using their sms on deathleaper, they aren't using their igh yield missiles on your flyrant/crone

[gigasnail]

Opponent is free to shoot what he wants first turn, high value targets are off the board.

[bebe]

Opponent is free to shoot what he wants first turn, high value targets are off the board.

Indded ... I have to take into account ther range of 30", the fact that LoS is ignored and that cover is ignored. I can place my Flyrant well back behind the bastion. I can run my termagants to the bastion turn one. I can reserve some stealers, some lictors and maybe a crone - depending on cover. I need to hope dual mawlocs do some damage turn two for sure. It is very tricky against a Eldau list like that. I have this:

50 Leaper and the Reaper

HQ: 415
Flyrant, Scytals, Reaper of Obliterax, Sheddeshard Beetles, Regen
Deathleaper

Elite: 200
2 Lictors
2 Lictors

Troops: 448
7 Genestealers, Broodlord, Scytals
7 Genestealers, Broodlord, Scytals
6 Genestealers (mid table objective holder)
10 Termagants (in Bastion)

Fast Attack: 310
Hive Crone
Hive Crone

Heavy Support: 280
Mawloc
Mawloc

Fortification: 95
Bastion, Comms Relay

Now honestly I'm fairly happy with the list but you know the wave serpents can take out a squad turn one (ignore cover) and the broadsides have a shot (if I deploy too close - ignore cover and LoS). Nids have a problem with this type of list to be sure. So I'm picking brains.

[gigasnail]

i honestly do not know how to win consistently with a list like this, aside from kill the other guy's scoring units, contest with mawlocks and try to troubleshoot with flyrant and the two crones while holding on for dear life to your own objectives. to me, it's a whole lot of if's that have to come together to work.

[bebe]

My list can win against many armies, but just like in last edition, it will have problems against 2 of the top armies ( Eldar/Tau) as well as a couple of RPS (rock-paper-scissors) builds. Against these armies and against some particular army builds), I expect that I will struggle. This does not mean I need to concede the game. That was my point yes. Unfortunately those top two armies appear quite regularly. The RPS builds are a bit more rare although my second army which I play regularly is an RPS build - grav Iron Hands with SW Rune Priest ally ( I cannot even begin to say how good an RP is now in the current meta against the top armies) also is tough against Nids. I don't have high expectations playing against these lists. I muddle through those match ups and hope to pull out a win by outplaying my opponent.

So the question remains - how do I outplay him when starting at a disadvantage?

[gigasnail]

that's the $600,00 question isn't it? i don't have an answer for you. if nids are 40k on hardmode, playing our hard counter armies with this list must be hellmode.

play to the mission, and to the fact that most people don't run lists like this, so opponents may not know wtf it's supposed to do. try to keep units pinned with the horror while you do your thing. it'll work less than half the time, but you can (probably) keep one unit locked down, so long as they don't nuke your stealers.

[bebe]

I'm thinking that I might just have to adjust the list a bit ...


The Reaper and the Leaper

HQ: 385
Flyrant, Scytals, Reaper of Obliterax, Sheddershard Beetles
Deathleaper

Elite: 200
2 Lictors
2 Lictors

Troops: 405
Tervigon
30 Termagants, 5 Devourers
5 Genestealers


Fast Attack: 310
Hive Crone
Hive Crone

Heavy Support: 450
Mawloc
Mawloc
Exocrine


I think the two extra MCs might be a must have.

[gigasnail]

i like this list a lot better. any particular reason you're not going dakka on the flyrant? tyring the headhunt riptides?

[bebe]

Exactly that. My HT last game easily did in a Tide.

[brassangel]

That Reaper Tyrant would be an absolute beast in combat. I like that you kept at least one template weapon on him to torch some dudes in cover.

The second list looks more polished, and definitely presents greater threat saturation. Let us know how that plays out.

[bebe]

Iron Tau

250: Chapter Master; Artificier Armour; Shield Eternal; Power Fist; Auspex; Bike -- Iron Hands
135: Commander; Command and Control Node; Multi-spectrum Suite; Puretide Engram Chip -- Tau

210: Riptide; Ion Accelerator; TL Fusion; Velocity Tracker; Early Warning Override

145: 5 Bikers: 2 Graviton Guns; Combi-Graviton -- Iron Hands
140: 5 Tactical Marines; Plasma Cannon; Razorback; Heavy Bolter -- Iron Hands
140: 5 Tactical Marines; Plasma Cannon; Razorback; Heavy Bolter -- Iron Hands
096: 13 Kroot Snipers; Kroot Hound -- Tau
096: 13 Kroot Snipers; Kroot Hound -- Tau

125: Storm Talon; TL Assault Cannon; Skyhammer Missile -- Iron Hands

340: 3 Devastator Centurions; 3 Grav-Cannons; 1 Lascannon; Omniscope -- Iron Hands

70: Aegis Defense Line; Comms Relay

So this is thre list my opponent played.I was actually rather lucky. Grav guns are good no doubt and the lascannon was able to split fire. Ignoring cover and LoS is also pretty nice to have so the cents were toughwith buffmander. As well the razors and Drop pod covered the bikes approach but they could not stop vector striking Crones - the Crones were very very good in the list. My flyrant was down to one wound in the end but managed the Riptide kill and also hurt the plasma marines in the back behind the aegis. The mawlocs died but diod take out the cents with help from two Lictors.Although it seems that I'm painting an easy victory it was not. My list just has =d answers to his main threats. Without Serpents and warpspiders and a WK the list is just not as scary as TauDar or even DelDar. He did do a lot of damage to me. The orbital bombardment and plasma cannons wrecked havoc on my gants (my Terv survived thankfully) and spawned over thirty gants. The grav took out my exocrine which he targeted first - I kept my Terv a little farther back. My Deathleaper (who was my warlord was okay but his D3 reduction was not that useful. I wanted psychic scream but never rolled it of course and i wanted onslaught on the EXo and never got it. I did get catalyst though and it kept my Terv alive. My stealers were just an early buffer - gave me time to set up the vector strikes and drool shots (very important that he took the bait). So a decdent game but I'm still not sure how it would fare against TauDar. This game my Lictors and Leaper had a fair bit of leeway able to use their flesh hooks, assault with gants ( to take overwatch) and hit and run. They did also got to set up a Mawloc attack - nice. I missed the bastion a bit. My Mawlocs did not arrive turn two and that gave my opponent time with his cents that I did not like. But I managed. BTW - his storm talon did very little. Took a two wounds off a Crone.

[gigasnail]

i have found VS FMC are the bane of bike lists, for sure.

[coredump]

Heh, if only bikes still ID'd as T4....

[bebe]

It made a difference but not much ... it was the CM that was a proble., TBH. He is a tough nut to kill.