Bikes? or Assault Squads?

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**willydstyle**

The fact that they're 85 points and have three good weapons.

Two of them cost about the same as a tactical squad, but have better-than tactical squad range, firepower and durability.

They add a lot to a list without costing the list much.

You bust open transports with all your mobile melta power, then you shoot what pops out with cheap preds, and maybe some Typhoon land speeders.

**wuestenfux**

On second thought, what about dreads?
Theoryhammer suggests that they are a decent support unit, only lacking in speed which may look bad when coupled with bikes, but it provides cover fire and a counter charge/combat threat with a 12" bubble around it.

Depends on what you want to achieve with the Bikers.

Bikers are a perfect harassing unit due to their speed and the cover save granted after turbo-boosting.
You can park them in front of a Tactical or Devastator unit and you can laugh about their effort to take it down via shooting.

What is the role of cover fire for a Biker unit?
Well, the Dread could pop a tank and the unit crawling out could be shot by the Bikers.
In case of some casualties, the Bikers might think about charging the unit.
Hmm, it depends whether charging is a good idea. Bikers have not enough attacks.
Moreover, if they do not charge, the enemy has to deal with them in the next turn.

**Eternal Newb**

I love my 10 man Assault Squad. Outflank with Shrike and a Chappy, 12 man squad of flying death. They either provide a big enough distraction to my opponent to focus all his forces on, or they rip through their backfield or both, if I'm lucky.

**Sanctjud**

Focusing on bikes:

May I get some thoughts on combat squads?
How do you guys run them?
Who's where?
Do you prefer combat squadding or just getting smaller bike squads?

I don't combat squad alot, but when I do I go with:

Hvy bolter Attack bike + 3 joes.
Then Sergeant, 2specials, and 2 joes.

Just to keep stuff with comparable ranges together.
___

I've seen MM Attack bike + 2 specials and a Joe, then Sergeant + 4 joes.
Just to concentrate much of the AT power there, while allowing the fist to go wild-ish.

My 7 Cents.

**Eyclonus**

Don't like combat squads, doesn't matter what is being combat squaded it always seems to be a more costly version of fielding them together.

Before I started playing BA saw a SM friend of mine go through a streak of 18 losses before winning his first game, the deciding factor being that he didn't go combat squads and was able to take casualties to his assault squads without seeing half his force leg it from Waterpistols.