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HQ
Shadow Sun 175
ELITE
4 Stealth suits T-array 160
4 Stealth suits T-array 160
4 Stealth suits T-array 160
TROOP
6 Fire Warriors 60
6 Fire Warriors 60
6 Fire Warriors 60
6 Fire Warriors 60
6 Fire Warriors 60
FAST ATTACK
4 Drones 48
HEAVY SUPPORT
Sniper Drone Team 80
Sniper Drone Team 80
Sniper Drone Team 80

1 Broadside 125
Advance Stab. 2 S-drones
1 Broadside 125
Advance Stab. 2 S-drones

Total 1493

Add 10 Vespids 166
10 Vespids 166
and 2 more drones to exsisting unit for 24pts to go to 1849pts.

Before a knee jerk response from all you haters I thought I would explain why I chose what I did. I think mobility is going to become even more important in 5th as things can now come on from the sides. This list is highly mobile and has small units because of the new CC rules. Lots of stealth units with 2D6 x 3 stealth fields are by design also. Orks are a major threat in 5th so I have taken as much S5 multiple shots as possible. I still have 3+ armor killing power mixed in also with multiple Nuetron blasters and rail rifles. Broadsides are for hunting armor of course.

Skimmers are not as survivable IMO. S-sun gives everyone LD 10 to try and stall combats and target prioritys. The whole force is designed to stay mobile and move as much as possible and when things are assaulted only small units get wiped hopefully leaving my opponents left out in the open to be shot down next turn. Single broadsides with two shield drones is almost like haveing 4 terms when it comes to saves.

I was considering a shadowsun list as well so I understand the motivation there.

I think you are overestimating the mobility of the army. Run will be nice and all but broadsides and sniper drones forced to run is a bad thing. Skimmers on the other hand move automatically to do their thing, so you don't sacrifice railgun or ion cannon shooting to move.

I think you will have trouble with 2+ saves. Volume of fire may help you but you don't have THAT much volume of fire with only 30 FW. For example, I was playing a game yesterday for fun using FOF (which I hardly ever use). 36 firewarriors, with markerlight support, rapid fired into a squad of 9 plague marines. And killed 6. a 3+ save with FNP is about the same as a 2+ save. Maybe you'd kill 7 or 8 terminators with every fire warrior and some markerlights...but you don't have an easy way to actually get them somewhere to do it.

Things like winged hive tyrants will catch you and eat you. You may however be saved by the new "cannot consolidate into a new unit" rules.


I don't get the vespid. They are fragile and expensive. their 12" range means to get to a position where they are actually shooting some marines, they almost definitely have to expose themselves. 10 Vespid shooting into SM is only 3.3 dead marines.

I'm not sure I see how the stealth teams are "by design". Right now at 1500 points your opponent will only be able to really shoot at the broadsides and the fire warriors. And they will be happy as a clam to do so - your FWs are the only things that can claim objectives, and your broadsides are the main AT threat. Shadowsun needs to stay close enough to the Broadsides to keep them at LD 10 or there is a good chance they will run after 1 or 2 drones die, so she won't be fusioning much early if ever.

I think you are underestimating skimmers in 5th edition. Based on the new charts and the potential for cover saves, all vehicles got better. Skimmers mathmatically are more survivable if they can get a cover save. It's just that other vehicles got a bigger boost than skimmers, not that skimmers got worse. I will say that the mobility bonus of devilfish sure isn't the same now that everything can run anyway.

sacrifice railgun

Broadsides move and fire also. Keep them hidden until a target presents itself. Shooting at Fire warriors is desirable as they will be in cover whenever possible with hopefully Ld 10. Stealth suits also help with volume of fire with 36 more shots and with three teams can position themselves for side and rear shots whenever possible. Sniper drones in teams of three concentrating on harder units seem to do well. Vespids will only kill on average of 3.3 shooting straight up but they are mainly for finishing off left overs or intercepting approaching units. As for thier fragileness see my Tactics thread as I don't believe that to be the case as much anymore in 5th edition.

They don't move very far and fire. Not far enough to get away from anything either. It seems to be hard to keep anything hidden in the new rules but I may be missing something in our games, it's obviously easier to hide an infantry unit (even a big one like a broadside) than a tank.

As a speed bump, Vespid may do fine. I just don't see them being particularly well supported. Their 5+ save is just no good. If your opponent wants to they will be able to shoot them to great effect. They are not useful in close combat and their shooting isn't particularly exciting. Using MEQs again, a squad of 20 kroot with a shaper is less points, counts as troops for scoring purposes, and kills as many MEQs per round shooting without worrying about cover saves. Sure the kroot can't use the markerlights but you only have a couple a turn and plenty of other units that will want to use them. The vespid are more mobile and less fragile (but with half the numbers) but I still don't find them exciting. They have all the same problems they had in 4th for being useful, and now they aren't scoring and everyone and their mom has a 4+ cover save.

If you try to do something like sacrifice the vespid to an ork charge the orks aren't going to take the bait. If you charge them, you probably don't make it through the round alive. If you stand in front of them braced for a charge the ork horde will just go around you or blow you off the board. They aren't going to charge you and get left in the open. They spend their whole game in the open. They'll just walk up and then shoot the crap out of you. I guess you could get really close and make a wall and force them to assault you or walk around you, robbing them of a turn of movement for 166 points. Ork hordes, to me, are shooty armies that happen to be reasonably scary in assault too. They don't have to use run every turn to be effective. They just run the first turn, maybe two, then apply horrific 18" range shooting to you.

Their 5+ save is just no good.

4+ cover saves in 5th now.

Ork hordes, to me, are shooty armies that happen to be reasonably scary in assault too. They don't have to use run every turn to be effective.

Ork hordes are owned by Tau. The force thats scary are the speed freek versions with lots of trucks and bikes.

That can be mitigated by your sniper teams, they will kill trukks in a pinch if need be.

I don't see it working as a competitive army in 5th.

Stealth Suits die to lots of wounds being caused, not cover hits, and so will continue to die once properly ranged.

Those Broadsides will lose a drone to a lascannon hit, and run off the table. Superior firepower armies will smother the drones in light fire, and zap the broadside with lascannon fire once the drones are gone.

Fast Attack drones need to be in large numbers, as do the FW units. You can't put alot of hits out on anyone with any of these units. They are vulnerable to being shot to death, and without markerlights your army is so light on anti-tank fire you're going to be punished. I wonder how you kill things with this army, surely not the stealth suits??

20 Vespids is something, but with only 3 markerlights you can really only pound one unit with them, and then they are out in the open...and they die.

So...I'm not challenging you in some sort of bravado but I'll gladly help you playtest this. I've been swamped at work the last two months but I'm more free now.