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#1 5 Sternguard, 5 Combi Melta, Drop Pod = 205 points

#2 5 Command Squad, 5 Melta Guns, Drop Pod = 185 points

#3 2 Dual Multi Melta Speeders = 160 points

#4 5 Tactical Marines, 1 Melta Gun, 1 Combi Melta, Drop Pod = 125 points

At first glance, the most common choice (Sternguard) is the least efficient as it is the most expensive while still only being a single shot.

One thing to note: if you go UM then you can twin link the tactical squad the turn they pod down. so then you get 2 TL'd shots, which i ususally throw in the extra 5 marins to also pick up the MM which is now the equivelent of BS 2on that turn.

Pretty effective way of generating both melta AND more scoring. alternately if you go FW one of the special marine types (red scorpions maybe?) lets the tactical marins all have FNP

Thing is, Sternguards also have their special ammunitions that can come in handy after melta'ing something ?

 Seb wrote:
Thing is, Sternguards also have their special ammunitions that can come in handy after melta'ing something ?

That SIA is awesome but it does nothing against armor. The standard reply is then "that's why you take melta" but what if you used another squad, like the ones above, as AT and let the Sternguard utilize their special ammo.

You forgot lotd which is 155 for a melta/combi-melta/multi-melta that is relentless and ignores cover

 minigun762 wrote:

 Seb wrote:
Thing is, Sternguards also have their special ammunitions that can come in handy after melta'ing something ?

That SIA is awesome but it does nothing against armor. The standard reply is then "that's why you take melta" but what if you used another squad, like the ones above, as AT and let the Sternguard utilize their special ammo.

Well what makes Sternguard guard interesting is that you can take 10sternguard, 4 with mult-meltas, and everyone else bare. combat squad them then pop a transport and use special ammo to kill the insides. Great for a one-turn transport and unit killer. Although it does get expensive to do that.

Seeing the comparison, I am suddenly intrigued by the landspeeders with dual mult-meltas. However, they are more likely to mishap than a drop pod is, and drop pods (half+) also get the benefit of coming in on turn 1.

#6 Venerable Dreadnought in drop pod = 160

I usually run it with a heavy flamer and give the pod a beacon, but still. You are looking at a relatively cheap price to get a dreadnought in close with a multi-melta. It is only one shot though, but even then, you now have something that needs to be dealt with before it gets in to cc. a great distraction for assault armies that need to cross the board.

There are also MM attack bikes, which I've grown fond of. Fast enough to get arou to side or rear armor, jink saves, and can engage in close combat. Plus it's 2 wounds for 55 points.

 AtariAssasin wrote:
There are also MM attack bikes, which I've grown fond of. Fast enough to get arou to side or rear armor, jink saves, and can engage in close combat. Plus it's 2 wounds for 55 points.

Can you deep strike them?
maybe if Deep Strike is a USR, you could in a kill team game.

Nobody: Good addition with LotD.

Icculus: The Dread is another good option. As for the speeders, there is more chance to mishap but also more room for error with 2x the range.

I'm not saying SG are bad at all, just that I believe there are better squads for semi suicidal Melta.

I prefer to drop in enough targets that the sternguard's suicide isn't guaranteed. I like to start with a squad of sternguard (mixing meltas, combi-meltas, and heavy flamers to taste) and two tactical squads (each with a flamer, a multimelta, and a combi-melta). There will usually be a few other targets in the list. Then again, I play Salamanders, so I tend to front-load the meltas and flamers in my army. (In addition, a full squad of Sallie Sternguard with combi-meltas is double sweet, since Vulkan gives the bolter half of their combi's the Mastercrafted rule too!)

Against lighter, weaker vehicles (especially non-skimmers!) the tactical squad is a great choice. From a pod, coupled with rear armor and grenades, they can usually take out one vehicle with a high degree of certainty (and possibly two, depending on fragility).

Essentially, my vote is: yes! If I have the points, I see no reason not to include all these options (or some variant on them).

Nope, can't deep strike in kill teams. I just forgot the topic half way through lol. My bad.

What about 5 Devastators with 4 Multi-Meltas in a drop pod for 145?

 TedNugent wrote:
What about 5 Devastators with 4 Multi-Meltas in a drop pod for 145?

Good on subsequent turns but not great when they arrive. Could be mitigated with Salamanders but that's true of all Melta choices.

1 Company Command Squad
Upgrade 1 model to Apothecary w/ Meltagun
Upgrade 4 Veterans to Meltagun w/ Boltguns

200 points w/ drop pod. 4 Boltguns, 5 Meltaguns, 2 base attacks and FNP.

I think that LoTD is the best melta-drop. Reroll to scatter, relentless multimelta, ignore cover. Nothing better than that for the points. U'll apretiate them when see a waveserpent in 2+ cover.

I don't think you can give the Apothecary in a Command Squad a Meltagun. Only Veterans can get Special Weapons. When you upgrade the Apoth, he is no longer a Veteran. I do like running 4 Meltas and an Apoth for my Salamanders though.

Saythings wrote:
I don't think you can give the Apothecary in a Command Squad a Meltagun. Only Veterans can get Special Weapons. When you upgrade the Apoth, he is no longer a Veteran. I do like running 4 Meltas and an Apoth for my Salamanders though.

That's my understanding as well.
Not sold on the value of an apothecary unless there is an attached HQ.

Otherwise Melta Drop Command Squad has real value and doesn't take up a slot.

I am really liking the value of the dual MM Speeders but not coming down turn 1 is an issue.

Buy 5 meltaguns, upgrade one Veteran to Apothecary. Voila!

Bike squad, sgt with combi-melta, 2x marines on bikes with melta.

Add an assault bike with multi-melta if you need that 4th...

Don't have my books, so I can't total up the points.

For the land speeders, I'd just do a squad of 2 speeders with 1 melta each. Much more point efficient.

 kronk wrote:


For the land speeders, I'd just do a squad of 2 speeders with 1 melta each. Much more point efficient.

Why do you say that?
1 MM per Speeder = 60 points per MM
taking two per speeder knocks it down to 40

Saythings wrote:
I don't think you can give the Apothecary in a Command Squad a Meltagun. Only Veterans can get Special Weapons. When you upgrade the Apoth, he is no longer a Veteran. I do like running 4 Meltas and an Apoth for my Salamanders though.

Well, bear with me because I don't have a Space Marine codex.

This is from my DA dex which I assume is identical.

Any Veteran may replace his chainsword and/or bolt pistol with a Meltagun. Check. 5 Chainswords replaced with Meltaguns.

-One Veteran may be upgraded to an Apothecary, replacing their bolt pistol with a narthecium. Check. Now he's an Apothecary with a Meltagun and Narthecium.

Any Veteran may replace his chainsword and/or bolt pistol with a Bolter. Replace the remaining 4 Vets' Bolt Pistols with Bolters (no CCW bonus and Meltagun is an assault weapon).

4 Veterans with Meltaguns and Bolters, one Apothecary with Meltagun and Narthecium. It's legal RAW in the DA dex.

 minigun762 wrote:

 kronk wrote:


For the land speeders, I'd just do a squad of 2 speeders with 1 melta each. Much more point efficient.

Why do you say that?
1 MM per Speeder = 60 points per MM
taking two per speeder knocks it down to 40

I think the 2nd melta in each LS fires only snap shots ?

Not on fast skimmers

 Nevelon wrote:
Not on fast skimmers

Exactly, makes for a lot if firepower on the turn they arrive.

Could get 6 shots for nearly a LR price tag but that feels like overkill.

Plus if you are DS’ing a squadron of speeders, their footprint on the table starts to become an issue.

 minigun762 wrote:

 TedNugent wrote:
What about 5 Devastators with 4 Multi-Meltas in a drop pod for 145?

Good on subsequent turns but not great when they arrive. Could be mitigated with Salamanders but that's true of all Melta choices.

not with UM, Dev doctrine gives Relentless to devastators for a turn

 Commander_Nightflier wrote:

 minigun762 wrote:

 TedNugent wrote:
What about 5 Devastators with 4 Multi-Meltas in a drop pod for 145?

Good on subsequent turns but not great when they arrive. Could be mitigated with Salamanders but that's true of all Melta choices.

not with UM, Dev doctrine gives Relentless to devastators for a turn

But not when disembarking.

Oh yep there it is... shoot that would be nice

Maybe SG would be better if they used non-Melta weapons, like combi-plasma which work better with their SIA.

If playing Salamanders, I would give SG heavy flamers and be done with it.

Between double heavy flamers that re-roll failed to-wounds and double-tapping special ammunition, they're a fantastic anti-infantry unit; and if you give them AV to shoot at a vehicle, you're wasting your special ammo shots.

I don't feel like you can really go wrong with putting standard tac marines in a pod for your DS'ing AV. Give them a meltagun, the sargeant gets a master-crafted combi-melta, that's two melta-shots into a vehicle's side/rear armor. That should be enough in most cases.