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Greetings all - a fairly new player here, planning out my completed Necron army in advance. The idea is to use a core of warriors & ghost arks (with the reanimation rolls & repair barge) alongside the HQ & Lynchguard to soak up wounds whilst death reigns from above. Tomb blades are included to meet the requirement and because they seem insanely powerful from what i've played.

My primary concern is whether the Lynchguard will actually pull their weight, since they will be footslogging with the HQ, I suspect they won't see much action.

Here's my list:

HQ
Command Barge (1) (Scythe, Phase Shifter, Phylactery, Tachyon Arrow) - 220
Attached to
Lychguard (5) (Scythe) - 125

Troops
Warriors (20) with Ghost Ark (1) - 365
Warriors (20) with Ghost Ark (1) - 365
Immortals (10) (Gauss) with Night Scythe (1) - 300

Fast Attack
Tomb Blades (Gauss, Scope, Shield Vanes) (6) - 154

Deathbringer Flight
Doom Scythe (2) - 320

Thoughts?

Split one squad of Warriors and run:

20 Warriors
10 Warriors in Ghost Ark
10 Warriors in Ghost Ark

Sandwich the Block between the 2 GAs and then you won't have to struggle with trying to manage 2 Units on field and how to support both with the GAs, and force your opponent to deal with GAs instead of just ignoring empty ones.

Not sure exactly what you plan on the CCB doing, but I think decurions run better, the longer you can keep him around. Taking the CCB allows your opponent to start trying to crack him, instead of chewing through a unit that can take the hits. A foot Overlord might work out better, but it's an easy switch. You've got a full blob of Warriors supported by 2 GAs, it makes that HQ practically impossible to get at.

You're going to be frustrated with the Lychguard. They are slow, and pretty manageable because of the Warrior blocks. Not really fast enough to respond to any mobile threats which will be an issue since its your only CC Unit. Put them in the NS and start with the Immortals on the table if they don't work out. Just remember that they are there for your opponent to deal with, and not to respond to what your opponent brings (If that makes sense).

If you want a unit to protect your shooting from the enemy, your best options in a Decurion are Praetorians or Flayed Ones. If you don't mind using different assault units then you could run the Canoptek formation, but be sure to actually Invest/Commit to it rather than just take the minimum as a 'Tax' to get the one part you want.

 Akar wrote:
Split one squad of Warriors and run:

20 Warriors
10 Warriors in Ghost Ark
10 Warriors in Ghost Ark

Sandwich the Block between the 2 GAs and then you won't have to struggle with trying to manage 2 Units on field and how to support both with the GAs, and force your opponent to deal with GAs instead of just ignoring empty ones.

Not sure exactly what you plan on the CCB doing, but I think decurions run better, the longer you can keep him around. Taking the CCB allows your opponent to start trying to crack him, instead of chewing through a unit that can take the hits. A foot Overlord might work out better, but it's an easy switch. You've got a full blob of Warriors supported by 2 GAs, it makes that HQ practically impossible to get at.

You're going to be frustrated with the Lychguard. They are slow, and pretty manageable because of the Warrior blocks. Not really fast enough to respond to any mobile threats which will be an issue since its your only CC Unit. Put them in the NS and start with the Immortals on the table if they don't work out. Just remember that they are there for your opponent to deal with, and not to respond to what your opponent brings (If that makes sense).

If you want a unit to protect your shooting from the enemy, your best options in a Decurion are Praetorians or Flayed Ones. If you don't mind using different assault units then you could run the Canoptek formation, but be sure to actually Invest/Commit to it rather than just take the minimum as a 'Tax' to get the one part you want.

Thanks for the feedback - interesting idea with the Ghost Arks, I just noticed repair barrage does work with all Warriors, not just embarked units. Pretty dirty

I built part of my army before the new codex hit, so i'm committed to the CCB, since it wants to be in CC I figured the Lynchguard would be ideal to roll with the HQ. Praetorians are very expensive since I have to put them in an attachment with a stalker, it would require a major change in the list strategy.

Perhaps there's a better way of making use of the CCB?

It's not just the rules it's also Tactics. The best way opponents get around the Ghost Arks, is to do more damage than they can replace. With 2 Blocks of 20, you've not only got to manage keeping both of them around so that they can support whichever unit gets hit, but you've also made it easy for your opponent, because he doesn't have to worry about the Empty GA's. The opposite is also true, if you don't run anything on the ground, then you're not really making use of the repair ability, since you pretty much have to get hit with flamers to be able to replace the models that are already inside it. This is of course very basic, and there are too many scenarios where this isn't the case, but it's sound advice. It usually why you'll see Ghost Arks both with a unit inside with another unit on the ground in some of the better lists.

As for the CCB. I've never been a fan of it and part of the reason for it's popularity was the endless rules dispute from the last Dex. As expected, they didn't stay that way and sometimes I get the impression that people are trying to justify using them because they spent the money on them. I'm not saying that they aren't great, they definitely have their uses. They just don't fit in with how I play Necrons, so have no plans to get one anytime soon. I have a feeling they'll become popular if Harlequins take off, because that Re-roll vs. whatever Deathjesters do (haven't read the rules yet) will come in handy.

That said, I think it's better off in a Normal CAD than a Decurion. I'm runnin a Decurion list, and the whole thing is centered on the Warlord being from the Reclamation Legion, and being protected for a long as he can during a game. Once he goes down, they lose that critical re-roll 1's. Taking a DLord or a CCB just exposes him that much, or moves him away from the bulk of the CAD to take advantage of that I don't see it being optimal (it's still viable!!!), by doing so.

In a CAD, you have more flex and Freedom to take Wraiths, Praetorians w/o taking the Formation, and really recommend starting with the CAD as you learn to play Necrons then work your way into a Decurion if you find yourself using units that fit into it. As opposed to buying the Decurion, then trying to figure out how it works only to decide that you don't like the units. The Decurion, like most of the formations for any army, isn't for everyone.

 Akar wrote:
It's not just the rules it's also Tactics. The best way opponents get around the Ghost Arks, is to do more damage than they can replace. With 2 Blocks of 20, you've not only got to manage keeping both of them around so that they can support whichever unit gets hit, but you've also made it easy for your opponent, because he doesn't have to worry about the Empty GA's. The opposite is also true, if you don't run anything on the ground, then you're not really making use of the repair ability, since you pretty much have to get hit with flamers to be able to replace the models that are already inside it. This is of course very basic, and there are too many scenarios where this isn't the case, but it's sound advice. It usually why you'll see Ghost Arks both with a unit inside with another unit on the ground in some of the better lists.

As for the CCB. I've never been a fan of it and part of the reason for it's popularity was the endless rules dispute from the last Dex. As expected, they didn't stay that way and sometimes I get the impression that people are trying to justify using them because they spent the money on them. I'm not saying that they aren't great, they definitely have their uses. They just don't fit in with how I play Necrons, so have no plans to get one anytime soon. I have a feeling they'll become popular if Harlequins take off, because that Re-roll vs. whatever Deathjesters do (haven't read the rules yet) will come in handy.

That said, I think it's better off in a Normal CAD than a Decurion. I'm runnin a Decurion list, and the whole thing is centered on the Warlord being from the Reclamation Legion, and being protected for a long as he can during a game. Once he goes down, they lose that critical re-roll 1's. Taking a DLord or a CCB just exposes him that much, or moves him away from the bulk of the CAD to take advantage of that I don't see it being optimal (it's still viable!!!), by doing so.

In a CAD, you have more flex and Freedom to take Wraiths, Praetorians w/o taking the Formation, and really recommend starting with the CAD as you learn to play Necrons then work your way into a Decurion if you find yourself using units that fit into it. As opposed to buying the Decurion, then trying to figure out how it works only to decide that you don't like the units. The Decurion, like most of the formations for any army, isn't for everyone.

Who was is that said you go to war with the army you have

I can see what you are saying, but i'm definitely committed to the Decurion. I find the 5+ Reanimation saves hilariously enjoyable to play, even if it were a suboptimal style i'd still run it!

I still can't see a better use of the CCB than the Lynchguard. I could just skip all his upgrades and attach him to the group of 20 Warriors. Without paying for the Lynchguard i'm free on points to add a second Night Scythe, so 5 Immortals in each Night Scythe. That may commit me too much to the air however, since i'm already running the Doom Scythes.

Unless I missed something, the CCB can't attach to units. I don't see anything in the rules for chariots that allow it.

partninja wrote:
Unless I missed something, the CCB can't attach to units. I don't see anything in the rules for chariots that allow it.

It was doable (if heavily debated) with the old codex because it was a upgrade to the Necron Overlord who had the Independent Character special rule. With the current codex the Catacomb Command Barge has a separate entry that does not have the Independent Character special rule. The Barge can not be attached to any units.

IronicallyTwisted wrote:
I can see what you are saying, but i'm definitely committed to the Decurion. I find the 5+ Reanimation saves hilariously enjoyable to play, even if it were a suboptimal style i'd still run it!

I still can't see a better use of the CCB than the Lynchguard. I could just skip all his upgrades and attach him to the group of 20 Warriors. Without paying for the Lynchguard i'm free on points to add a second Night Scythe, so 5 Immortals in each Night Scythe. That may commit me too much to the air however, since i'm already running the Doom Scythes.

If you're committed then there is no issue. I don't know if you're buying the whole army up front or in pieces as you go along. If you're going for all of it up front, then you have my thoughts on it.

Same with what Partninja said, CCBs can't join units. It was sketchy before so reading tactics on how to use it might be confusing when trying to see what to do with them. While they did get cheaper they lost more, and their re rolls to LD are lost if you use it as a forward CC unit. In either case, it's pretty easy to take down in CC. It's still too many points for its output, and Wraiths make a better Tarpit unit if that's a tactic you want to go with.

In a Decurion, your Warlords biggest boost is that Re-roll for the RP. The advantage of the CCB is that you can move him to give that bonus if part of your army gets separated or spread out. That's something that Footsloggers don't have the luxury of doing. This is only an issue if you're at a point in the game where having that re-roll will make or break the game.

In a CAD, you don't have that bonus, and you get more freedom to use him like you want to out front with your Lychguard. Yes you still have this option in a Decurion, but that's a huge bonus that you're not taking advantage of, and it might affect your decision process in game.