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So, I have been trying very hard to figure out how to take out Eldar Transports early in the game so they don't race down and drop their Nasty payloads of Fire Dragons, Wraithguard, Banshees, etc. with impunity. Shooty just doesn't cut it, as reliably taking out Eldar Transports at range is very difficult, even with Vendettas. The next best option is dropping Melta Vets or CCS next to them, but unless they get in the rear arc of a Wave Serpent and/or within 6" of a Falcon, they still are not that effective.

However, hitting on the rear armor of a non-moving Falcon/WS with 10 Melta-Bombs, now THAT is a different story!! A Veteran Squad with Demolitions doctrine charging an Eldar transport yields:

(10MBs all hit when a vehicle hasn't moved) *(35/36 chance of a penetrating hit)*(1/2 chance the vehicle is immobilized or destroyed)=4-5 immobilized/destroyed results.

I call this Tactic the "Sapper Blitz."


So, how is this achieved? Let me illustrate:

V(*)= Valkarie with Veteran Squad inside
V=Valkarie
*=Veteran Squad
{}= Eldar transport


Valkerie with Vets starts 24" from Eldar.

V(*)____________________{}
....................24"....................



Prior to turn 1, Valkerie Scout Moves until is 12.1" away from the Eldar Transport

__________V(*)__________{}
......11.9"...............12.1"........

Turn 1, Vets unload within 2" of Valk Access Points, placing the nearest ones 10.1" away from the Eldar Transport (Valk moves away)
V_____________*_________{}
.........13.9"...............10.1".....

Vets then move 6", taking them to 4.1" away from the Eldar Transport, and then shoot with their Meltas.

__________________*_____{}
...............19.9"..............4.1"...

Vets then assault the remaining 4.1" and hit the (unmoved) Eldar Transport with their Melta Bombs.

_______________________*{}
......................24"..................


Now, of course this whole tactic is predicated on getting first turn and the enemy not siezing the initiative, and it also means your Vets are going to be left high and dry and probably massecred next turn, but if they immobilize/kill that transport, I'd say it is well worth it.

Also, this can be replicated with multiple Valk/Vet teams, meaning you can take down multiple transports in the first turn.

Very handy.

Thanks ... can actually work well for other high value transports, such as Land Raiders/enemy Valks/Battlewagons, or against high threat Tanks (i.e. Hammerheads, Leman Russes, Fire Prisms, Vindicators, etc.)

Obviously, no good for an entirely "biological" army like Nids, but the (3) meltas and the Demo Charge, followed up with a charge by a hidden PF might do some damage to a forward deployed TMC.

Nice, but for first turn you would also have to deploy first. It would then be just up to chance as to whether the opposition place their transports within the very thin arc which you can reach with a 24+2" move. The alternative is deploying second and relying on the (possibly more likely) 1/6 chance of seizing the initiative. Both situations are fairly unlikely but for the times it comes off you would fairly swiftly wipe the smile off your opponents face!

With a valk and a vendetta I have done this same move. One game vets killed 2 landraiders. Best was with out demolitions, didn't use them yet, would have been evil if I had that game. I killed 2 vindicators and 3 rhinos, krak grenades are great but not melta. The vendetta got away.

If you get first turn and you deploy in such a manner. Most opponents will hug their own board edge, to avoid the melta death. This is actually even better!! Then just scout move the valks/vendettas off to the side to get side armor shots or go after objectives. Their whole army is REALLY far away. Giving you 1 to 2 more turns of shooting at them then you would have had before. A good opponent will see this and his brain will explode trying to decide between the lesser of the 2 evils.

Best used vs heavy land raider lists. Also don't forget that assaulting 2 vehicles at once is better then one. So often I will not even shoot the melta guns if I can hit 2 vehicles in assault. Bummer if the melta kills your target and you cant use all those great melta bombs. VERY painful if they seize the initiative.

Cavalier wrote:Nice, but for first turn you would also have to deploy first. It would then be just up to chance as to whether the opposition place their transports within the very thin arc which you can reach with a 24+2" move. The alternative is deploying second and relying on the (possibly more likely) 1/6 chance of seizing the initiative. Both situations are fairly unlikely but for the times it comes off you would fairly swiftly wipe the smile off your opponents face!

You wouldn't HAVE to deploy first, but it would definitely make it easier. If your opponent has any idea of what you are planning, then you can expect some casualties if you don't deploy first, but with multiple squads doing this you should still achieve the objective of killing some transports. I like this "Sapper Blitz"! Very desperate and risky, the best kind of plan!

@Cavalier
Actually, its really more like a 36"+2" move... remember Valks can go flat out on their Scout move.

The limitation is that, in your Scout move, you still cannot get any closer than 12.1" to your opponent.... even if they deploy far back/far away, good chance you should be able to get within 12.1" on the Scout move, thus setting up the 2" disembark, followed by 6" move and 4-6" assault.

Ah, fair point. That flat out speed would greatly increase the effectiveness of the tactic. Also, given that the squad is likely to be a one hit wonder (or more if the enemy deploys his transports close together) surely saving 30 points by not taking the melta guns at all make sense? After all, if there is only one transport on its own 10 melta bombs will be more than sufficient & as Sha1emade points out if 2 or 3 vehicles are together then you would not want to fire so that you can assault all of the units. After such an effective 1st turn the enemy would not let this squad survive within his lines, melta guns or no melta guns.....

Have you game tested this tactic yet, & if so how often has it worked?

It still sounds like a good counter to a completely mech list like mech SM in land raiders and rhinos or something. Your valks don't have to just sit there after dropping off the vets; they can fly around and blast tanks with lascannons and stuff. It's only what, 200 points apiece for a bare bones valk with a vet squad with the demo team doctrine? Get 4 of these, with the rest of the points going to the HQ and some indirect fire, and you are going to kill mech/armored lists like nobody's business. They can't get them all! The downside: cost of the valks. Ouch.

Even in an objective-based game, if you kill all their units before the end of the game you win, so I like the no-holds-barred aggressiveness of this tactic. It sounds much more fun than sitting there in a stereotypical IG gunline waiting for turn 6.

Is your group playing that you measure distance to or from the base or the hull? If it's the hull then you will be forced to always sit the valkryie sideways otherwise since the front is so much further up than the access points you won't be able to get close enough to make an assault.

Very true... it doesn't really matter which way the Valk faces after the Scout move, though (as long as you have first turn), since next turn the Vets disembark and then the Valk can dash away and face its front toward the enemy again (heck, it can even go flat out to gain the SMF cover save)