Lynchpin units in your army

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**vipoid**

Decurion Necrons - Destroyer Cult and Canoptek Harvest. Whilst Necron infantry is resilient, I find that it rarely does much. These are the units that really pull their weight offensively.

Dark Eldar - I actually try to build DE armies that avoid having any single lynchpin unit. Hence why I prefer an MSU approach to CTC or large Grot squads.

Nevelon wrote:
If I find that I’m relying on one unit so much it feels like a lynchpin, I rotate it out to give other units a chance.

When you do this, do you find units with similar roles/capabilities to the units you swapped out? If you see what I mean.

**Crimson Heretic**

oddly enough my hellbrute seems to fair well

otherwise the khorne zerks really cause some mayhem in the lines..

**marcman**

Ive played one game so far with my skitarii/Cult list and my vangaurd did so much work I killed 2 dreadnights with 13 vangaurd turn one, 3 had plasma killed one wk- another 10 with a radium killed the other lulz that was basically half his army gone on turn one lol

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ive played one game so far with my skitarii/Cult list and my vangaurd did so much work I killed 2 dreadnights with 13 vangaurd turn one, 3 had plasma killed one wk- another 10 with a radium killed the other lulz that was basically half his army gone on turn one

**vipoid**

I hear stories like that and think "how on earth did they manage that?"

Then I remember that Skitarii can have 18" Assault 3 plasmaguns...

**Selym**

vipoid wrote:
I hear stories like that and think "how on earth did they manage that?"

Then I remember that Skitarii can have 18" Assault 3 plasmaguns...

Thanks GW

**TheManWithNoPlan**

It's a relatively small thing, but my minimal Eldar War Walkers coming on to the side of the board to be a thorn in the side.

Shuriken Cannons can do quite a bit of damage, and they distract fire from my important units. They often win me the game just by not being important.

**zbg97**

Selym wrote:
What is GSD?

Not a Warhammer acronym - just means "Getting S*&^ Done."

**Nevelon**

vipoid wrote:
Nevelon wrote:
If I find that I’m relying on one unit so much it feels like a lynchpin, I rotate it out to give other units a chance.

When you do this, do you find units with similar roles/capabilities to the units you swapped out? If you see what I mean.

Every list I make is a TAC list, so if I’m replacing something, the roles it covers need to be picked up somewhere else. This might be swapping a melta bike squad with a melta tac squad in a drop pod, or an auto/las pred with a fire support dread.

There are cases where I feel I need less of something, so it might not be replaced. If I’m running up against more armor, the TFC might spend some extra time on the shelf, as I need more AV.

Overall there are a lot of things that pull me in different directions when building a list. One is to get something on the table with a reasonable chance of winning. But I also like to field a fluffy list, with a little something from every FOC slot, use some older minis that have been collecting dust, get fresh paint on the table, and try out new tactics.

**Martel732**

What are these victories you speak of?

**Selym**

Martel732 wrote:
What are these victories you speak of?

Yeah. BA are just damned. Good luck though

**vipoid**

Nevelon wrote:

Every list I make is a TAC list, so if I’m replacing something, the roles it covers need to be picked up somewhere else. This might be swapping a melta bike squad with a melta tac squad in a drop pod, or an auto/las pred with a fire support dread.

There are cases where I feel I need less of something, so it might not be replaced. If I’m running up against more armor, the TFC might spend some extra time on the shelf, as I need more AV.

Fair enough.

Have you ever had trouble finding a suitable replacement for a linchpin unit?

Nevelon wrote:

Overall there are a lot of things that pull me in different directions when building a list. One is to get something on the table with a reasonable chance of winning. But I also like to field a fluffy list, with a little something from every FOC slot, use some older minis that have been collecting dust, get fresh paint on the table, and try out new tactics.

I'm the same, save for getting fresh paint on the table.

**Martel732**

Selym wrote:
Martel732 wrote:
What are these victories you speak of?
Yeah. BA are just damned. Good luck though

In all seriousness my lynchpin unit is grav bikers? Even though they are worse than both White Scars and Ravenwing bikers? Really?

**Ustis**

For my guard, it has to be the infantry squads. It is always the lasguns which do the most damage in relation to their points cost. Always the lasguns that take down the onrushing hordes and prove to be the killing blow to rampant monstrous creatures.

**Selym**

Martel732 wrote:
Selym wrote:
Martel732 wrote:
What are these victories you speak of?
Yeah. BA are just damned. Good luck though

In all seriousness my lynchpin unit is grav bikers? Even though they are worse than both White Scars and Ravenwing bikers? Really?

Why are they worse? Do they cost more/have fewer gravs?

**Furyou Miko**

They don't have Move Through Cover.

**Selym**

mistype

**Melissia**

Dominions, and Exorcists. The special weapon spam is the only reason Sisters can really win, and Exorcists are our only real anti-tank other than meltaguns.

**Furyou Miko**

Melissia wrote:
Dominions, and Exorcists. The special weapon spam is the only reason Sisters can really win, and Exorcists are our only real anti-tank other than meltaguns.

I dunno, I drowned a daemon player in bodies yesterday. Two large battle sister squads with priests. Only one Dom squad and one Exorcist, who spent most of the battle chasing a GUO around.

**vipoid**

Ustis wrote:
For my guard, it has to be the infantry squads. It is always the lasguns which do the most damage in relation to their points cost. Always the lasguns that take down the onrushing hordes and prove to be the killing blow to rampant monstrous creatures.

Really?

The last time one of my lasguns proved dangerous was when it was accidentally swallowed.

**ultimentra**

Vendettas, Manticores, and sometimes Veterans with melta guns and a heavy flamer.

**Nevelon**

vipoid wrote:
Nevelon wrote:

Every list I make is a TAC list, so if I’m replacing something, the roles it covers need to be picked up somewhere else. This might be swapping a melta bike squad with a melta tac squad in a drop pod, or an auto/las pred with a fire support dread.

There are cases where I feel I need less of something, so it might not be replaced. If I’m running up against more armor, the TFC might spend some extra time on the shelf, as I need more AV.

Fair enough.

Have you ever had trouble finding a suitable replacement for a linchpin unit?

I play Ultramarines. There is so much flexibility in the SM army that I don’t think I’ve ever not be able to come up with a unit to cover something I took out. The closest would be AA, where for the longest time the only options I had were a quadgun and my talon. So if I wanted to keep the skies clear, I needed one or both of them. It helps that I play in a more casual meta. I don’t need to restrict myself to the top end most efficient units.

The whole concept of a lynchpin is something I try to avoid. It implies a focal point that the whole army revolves around, and a single point of failure. That’s not a style of list I generally build.

**Ustis**

vipoid wrote:
Ustis wrote:
For my guard, it has to be the infantry squads. It is always the lasguns which do the most damage in relation to their points cost. Always the lasguns that take down the onrushing hordes and prove to be the killing blow to rampant monstrous creatures.

Really?

The last time one of my lasguns proved dangerous was when it was accidentally swallowed.

Yep. My leman Russ squads can be unlucky with scatter rolls, my heavy weapon lascannon teams rate of fire is such that they can also fall prey to statistical abnormalities with ease, but my infantry squads weight/rate of fire is such that the shots always even out fairly in terms of damage output and with so many lasguns a lot of damage is therefore inflicted.

**DirtyDeeds**

Smash fether leading 5 ravenwing command squad bikers with apothecary, drop pod grav centurions, and my knight crusader. All of these units take/give a LOT of heat.

**Grimmor**

It used to be Slugga Boyz with Grotsnik, then the Flash Gitz got a turn (when Gitfindas where Ignores Cover), Lootas always got honorable mention, now.... id say Skitarri Vanguard, i just love those cancer guns.

**Vector Strike**

Tau:
- Crisis Suits. They're the best thing Tau has.
- Sky Ray. With a bit more markerlights, nothing remains in the sky too long.
- Tetras. Best markerlight platform.
- Riptide. used aggressively (expecially XV109), will attrat attention and let your army deal with the enemy's.
- Commander. One of my favorite HQs in the game - so flexible!

**Melissia**

Furyou Miko wrote:
Melissia wrote:
Dominions, and Exorcists. The special weapon spam is the only reason Sisters can really win, and Exorcists are our only real anti-tank other than meltaguns.

I dunno, I drowned a daemon player in bodies yesterday. Two large battle sister squads with priests. Only one Dom squad and one Exorcist, who spent most of the battle chasing a GUO around.

Fair point, but don't 'thave many pure daemon players around here.

**Frozocrone**

Tyranids: Flyrants
BA: Rhinos and Assault Melta squads
Ork: Boyz, Meganobz, Gretchin, Warbikers
DE: Venoms and Scourge. Talos if I play Covens.

**Smotejob**

Dreadknights! If not for Dreadknights and Draigo the Grey Knights would not function.

**morganfreeman**

I play Renegades of Vraks 85% of the time.

Heavy Ordnance Batteries or Mutant Rabbles have got to be the big winners.

Probably the rabbles. 50 GEQ with 6+ armor save and 6+ FNP for 175 points. Bring it upto 210 points and you've got 51 bodies all with rage and 2 CC weapons. They also reroll failed leadership / moral checks.

Great bubble wrap, great at tearing apart elite melee units. Just about their only weakness is hordes of ork boyz, bizarrely enough. Even then though they just have to get in combat and stand there, at which point my Earthshakers start shelling the feth out of the entire combat.

**vipoid**

Furyou Miko wrote:
Melissia wrote:
Dominions, and Exorcists. The special weapon spam is the only reason Sisters can really win, and Exorcists are our only real anti-tank other than meltaguns.

I dunno, I drowned a daemon player in bodies yesterday. Two large battle sister squads with priests. Only one Dom squad and one Exorcist, who spent most of the battle chasing a GUO around.

Did your big battle sister squads shoot them to death, or get them in melee?