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I have occasionally used a small squad of 3 to infiltrate onto key locations. This can be somewhat effective and occasionally the sniper rifles are useful against GUOs and iron arm tyranids.

Honestly though the only time I have seen them be decent is the one game I took a nurgle themed CSM/Daemons list with most of my points spent on iron arm MC and told the opponent to feel free to build a list to kill it. They took 30 ratlings and I still won based on deep striking nurglings that deep struck next to the ratlings and wrapped them up for a few turns and my plague marines which took the relic and kept it the entire game.

I run 5 in a 1.5 or 1K list, Of course I usually end up hitting nothing, or all hit but none wound, but they are at least, bullet magnets, stealth helps them to take advantage of cover, plus night fighting on turn 1 (which we always end up getting, either because of the dice roll or a Warlord trait) helps them even more to survive.

Of course the times they do hit, it's so bloody violent I almost feel bad for the other guy.

 Ailaros wrote:
But rangers rend twice as often, and have an additional source of Ap1. They're much more easily worth the cost, especially since they score, and they come in a codex that doesn't have much else by means of troops choices to get excited about.

What! They have more troop options then most other codices. DA are solid and GJB are one of the best scoring units in the game. I think your way off base.

I just finished playing in a 6-game league with locked-in lists and I included "Kitchen Cabinet," a 10-trooper ratling squad in my league list. As previous posters have noted, ratlings are a decent unit that, for various reasons, are slightly less effective than most of the more orthodox IG Units.

However, over the course of the league I was impressed with the way my ratlings consistently sniped out enemy sergeants, special weapons, and heavy weapons (when I actually remembered this rule). This ability is an often overlooked ratling benefit. So if you're not particularly competitive and want a fun, fluffy unit that will give you a chance at sniping things out of enemy squads, I'd recommend taking a ratling squad.


Tallarn Commander,
IG, "We are many. They are few."

Ally your force with a couple of Haemonculi, a couple of squads of Kabalite Warriors mounted in Raiders with splinter racks.. They should deal with your MC problem