Sternguard: Rhino, Drop Pod, or nothing?

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**warpspider89**

Anyone tried putting them in LR?

**KingCronan**

mwnciboo wrote:
I find that using a 10 Sternguard squad+ Drop pod to slag a LR is a waste, you are looking at a negative Trade in points even if successful, at least combat squad if you can and have one Combat squad slag vehicles and the other 5 with Plasma's try to kill or decimate another hardcore unit. Too many Melta's means you take down one unit for another, and often over kill.

From 5th - still haven't got points from 6th available.

10 Sternies + Drop pod = 285pts (NO COMBI'S!)

1 x LR = 250pts.... So if you want to kill this, you need to spend even more pts.

Drop and Kill Troops, by the swarm, especially nid's or orks.
Drop on those Shoota boys and murder them with Plasma and Hellfire.

Taking out troops and objective holders is the key, that's why the TFC is great, you can just kill the core troops especially eldar and tau. Next thing you know, they have one maybe two scoring units left.

I really cannot get over the obsession with killing vehicles with Sternies - Drop a Dread with a MM and another shooty weapon. Sternies are Infantry killers, not pseudo one shot tank hunters. Spend the same pts on Hunter Killers and leave the Sternies to excell at doing what they do best, killing infantry.

Yes i completely agree. I don't see why people are using this squad for tank hunting especially now that combis are 10 pts each. you are paying a premium for this unit because of their special ammo and then never using it because you spend a bunch more points for combis and then use those instead. If you wanted to drop a squad full of melta use something else like a command squad. I say equip them with 2-3 combi-flamers (for overwatch) and drop them where there are some key infantry or MC and special ammo them away.

**d-usa**

A command squad with 5 Meltaguns and a Drop Pod is 185 points.

Sternguards with 5 Combi-Meltas is 205 points.

Now I will admit that command squads are useless if you want more than 5 models, but any models that survive do get to shoot more than one round with their Meltas.

That would also leave your Elite spot open for something else.

Maybe a Sternguard squad that is actually sticking around and shooting bolter rounds...

**zilka86**

I had a idea to use a couple ten man squads with some tacs all in drop pods and to drop on a bunch off troops and kill them i have a few ig ork and nid hord armies in my area so killing of 2our 3squads in one go might be a good idea

**Skinnereal**

What I'll be trying soon is:
10-man SG squad, combat-squadded.
Squad 1: Combi-meltas in a drop pod, with Pedro Kantor
Squad 2: Bare-bones, with assault serg.

Watch the melta-squad die, and keep Kantor alive as long as possible.
When a Rhino or Razorback has dropped off up-table, zoom back, pick up the mini-squad, and get them to help out Pedro.

I only have 2 drop pods, but a few Rhino-types, so should have one left for the backup squad to use.

**Col. Dash**

Drop pod only if you dont mind them being a suicide unit or if the rest of the army is made to support drop pods through target saturation. Otherwise a rhino with everyone else or however you plan on moving the rest of your force.

**poda_t**

rhino first, feet second. If you're going to send in ~~a suicide drop-squad~~ ablative meat shields, terminators or LOTD are better. They won't benefit from any potential "hold the line" rule, true, but if your goal is to have a slice of army that you can shed, there's better units for it.

I'd suggest footsies or rhino. I've tried deploying my rhino close enough for my models to run into, but not actually deploying them in the rhino. Sometimes it works and the transports get ignored. If it's absolutely necessary that i have a mobile squad, then i buy a rhino for units/characters that can take them, but don't need to ride in them.

then again, if you have half or more of your army in drop-pods, or some other fast attack units that you intend on dropping in, then drop pods are a good idea.

**Martel732**

I'm gonna go with Rhino and no combi weapons. Suicide Sternguard never really worked that well I think. The drop pod is just giving away expensive veterans, especially now that combis cost more.

**d-usa**

I'm going to try a squad of 6 Sternguard (maybe with a combi-weapon or two, but probably not) in an Assault-Cannon Razorback. Let's see how it goes.

**poda_t**

see, one thing I was looking at was taking the command squad with combi-weapons instead. They don't have the fancy bullitz, but they still get combi-weapons, and they cost less than sternguard.

**d-usa**

poda_t wrote:
see, one thing I was looking at was taking the command squad with combi-weapons instead. They don't have the fancy bullitz, but they still get combi-weapons, and they cost less than sternguard.

I was thinking about doing the command squad in a drop pod (without the HQ) and just giving them regular meltaguns. Same price as combi-meltas, but if they survive they can shoot on turn 2. I would run them without the Champion or Apothecary.

But the command squad does give you some interesting options:

5 Sternguard with combi-meltas in a pod: 205 points
Command squad with meltaguns in a pod: 185 points.
Command squad with meltaguns and storm shields

in a pod: 235 points.

Just to throw that out there.

So I think I would run a suicide command squad in the pod, and then Sternguard as beefy shooty-marines in a shooty-Razorback.