Sell me on warriors

[gigasnail]

Ok kids, sell me on taking warriors. Aside from being cheapish synapse, what do I do with them?

Assume competive list in ITC baseline environment.

[almostmercury]

...have you tried a Malanthrope?

[gigasnail]

<3

[butter]

I can't.

Shrikes on the other hand are great objective grabbers and leap pesky gunlines. Are they even ITC material? Ehhhhhhhh.

That's all I've got.

[gigasnail]

Yeah just talking warriors here, not shrikes or raveners.

[mattblowers]

They are playable. That is something that hasn't been true in years. That's a win.

Honestly though, they probably don't have a place now that the malanthrope does the same job as warriors and venomthropes for cheaper.

I've played a list a few times where I spammed them with Primes and they did really well. I like them with deathspitter, toxin sacs, flesh hooks, and rending claws. They are very versatile and can wreck in both the shooting and assault phase.

For fewer points though it's hard to beat purestrains in a chimera. They become vastly more survivable and although a one trick pony, they do that trick at a [Your Nations Name] Got Talent golden buzzer level.

That's the best I got.

[killercroc]

I'm a big fan of Warriors now, I plan on having a shooting and combat squad of them. Now this is using the idea that you're taking a Prime as your HQ though.

Ok for shooting I'm looking at 9 warriors, Scything talons on all and 6 with deathspitters and 3 with barbed stranglers. So 18 S5 AP -1 shots are great for taking out Helmets as they get past their toughness and Save if out in the open, if in combat then they remove the cover bonus. 18 shots hitting on 3+, wounding on 3+ will net on average 8 wounds, killing 4 marines in the open, or 2-3 in cover isn't bad. Then for the big cannons they're great against large blobs or fresh unwounded marine squads, with a 36" range great for those pesky heavy support squads. 3D6 shots hitting on a 2+/3+ wounding on a 3+ is going to cause around 6 wounds so 3 dead marines in the open. Using averages this squad of warriors can drop a 10 man tact squad a turn. 273 pts. may look like a lot but their ability to move and fire at full BS or advance and fire makes them a good mobile firebase. Also synapse and not terrible in CC either, 3 attacks each, hitting on 2+ with re-rolls of 1's, wounding on 4+ makes them not terrible there either, about 13 wounds on average is another 4 dead marines.

As for combat there are so many options, but the two I'm looking at are dual scythes with adrenal and flesh hooks, Or dropping the scythes for boneswords/rending claws and devourers. Mainly the dual scythe ones, 4 attacks each, hitting on 2+ with re-rolls is a lot of attacks, not to mention the 2 S4 shooting attacks each turn. The main beauty of these ones is cost, 23 points a warrior is a steal for their damage capability. 4 attacks, 2 shots, +1 to advance and charge for a unit of 9 being 207 points they can do some hurt.

Just to do an example of combat those 9 warriors versus 41 Hormagaunts for equal points. Assuming maximum attacks in combat just for ease. Also with a prime there so a bit of leeway

So, 9 warriors shooting flesh hooks then attacking, 18 flesh hooks is 12 hits and 6 wounds, then 36 attacks is 34 hits then 17 wounds. So total 23 wounds against marines is about 8 dead marines.

20 41 Hormagaunts is 82 attacks, is about 48 hits which comes to 16 wounds. About 5 dead marines.

So for the same cost in Hormies you get higher wound output while still getting synapse creatures with a 4+ on 3 wounds. Looking at just bolters it takes about 162 bolt rounds to kill the warriors whereas it's about 109 bolt shots to kill 41 gaunts. Sure there are heavy weapons but those if they wound there is a 33% chance of not causing all the wounds to drop, versus a 100% chance of instant death before.

Sure they're not perfect but they have lots of damage potential for a fair amount of points and battlefield variety. That's why I'm planning on making more use of Warriors this edition.

[almostmercury]

Jul 22, 2017 20:53:12 GMT gigasnail said:

Ok kids, sell me on taking warriors. Aside from being cheapish synapse, what do I do with them?

Assume competive list in ITC baseline environment.

In all seriousness, zedan (sp?) got 9th at ATC using a unit of warriors. From the batreps, it was only for synapse for Hive Guard. Keep in mind the desire was to use a Malanthrope, but ATC had restrictions.

I guess they fill a troop slot to get those CP and provide synapse? If you're not trying to do those things it's more of a question of do "You want to take them?" Same rules apply as before: if you take inefficient models, make sure you shore up your efficient ones. ITC missions are pretty good at balancing armies and the core rules are good.

But they're not killing Stormravens if that's what your asking.

[jaigo]

I want to like them.... but I do not.
Not in greater numbers and not from a pod....

But they are good as an allrounder with DS and claws. For the points it is okey, and that is my problem, I prefer units with a more specific role.
So I tend to replace them in my lists time and time again

[Xenothios]

60pt exocrine babysitters are the only things I've used them for. I want my buttload of ST/RC built ones to be good for something, but they simply aren't as far as I can tell with my limited experience using them.

[kazetanade]

Jul 23, 2017 0:43:08 GMT mattblowers said:

They are playable. That is something that hasn't been true in years. That's a win.

Honestly though, they probably don't have a place now that the malanthrope does the same job as warriors and venomthropes for cheaper.

I've played a list a few times where I spammed them with Primes and they did really well. I like them with deathspitter, toxin sacs, flesh hooks, and rending claws. They are very versatile and can wreck in both the shooting and assault phase.

For fewer points though it's hard to beat purestrains in a chimera. They become vastly more survivable and although a one trick pony, they do that trick at a [Your Nations Name] Got Talent golden buzzer level.

That's the best I got.

Genestealers in a Chimera is like the only way to use a Chimera, thank you sir <3

for Warriors, I really think they're only good as a babysitting troop for bare minimum requirements and FW not allowed areas. Stick a single cannon on them so that they arent completely useless, or keep them out of LOS most of the time. 

They couuuuuuuuld be a counter drop strike team since its not like they dont do damage... the question is do they hit hard enough to handle the drop. which I suppose they could with boneswords. 

[gigasnail]

thanks for the input guys. i know they're usable, but sure nearly everything is usable. nothing impressive so far. their shooting is not good (they hit on 4+, and i'm not dropping a broodlord or patty for a prime). they are decently choppy if someone is dumb enough to come near them, but i have stealers already for that.

again, thank you everyone. i couldn't see anything i wouldn't want to just use another unit for instead of warriors, and wanted to be sure i hadn't missed a trick.

[keening]

Role: Back field Synapse (Warriors vs Malanthrope)

Warriors x3, Deathspitters and Boneswords 96pts

Warriors will:
Provide larger Synapse
Kill at range (1 Teq, 2 Meq, 3 Geq per turn ish)
Kill more in close combat
Move more than 3" from what they are babysitting
Better claim objectives
Fill a Troops slot
Use infantry advantages

Malanthropes will:
Provide -1 to hit (obviously fantastic) to ranged attacks only
Use character status to hide

Ultimately I sometimes prefer Warriors for objective purposes. Late game a Malanthrope won't kick anything off an objective and if its ward dies it's largely pointless.

[No One]

killercroc said:

Just to do an example of combat those 9 warriors versus 41 Hormagaunts for equal points. Assuming maximum attacks in combat just for ease. Also with a prime there so a bit of leeway

You don't take horms for their damage capacity...(also, equal pts, and then chucking in a Prime? Umm...sure). Not going to comment on how effective they are in combat, but there's not much point in comparing them to horms.

[Hyrrokin]

Have you considered using them with a trygon tunnel?
Stealers lose their high movement as hormagaunts would and warriors bring synapse to the backfield along with decent melee and range.
Warriors are also good at taking out what the trygon can't and AG comes very cheap to help them engage. I think I would rather have warriors in the tunnel than stealers. Stealers can easily move up in the chimera or with the swarmlord.