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Hello, I did not know if I should post this in here or in the army list section but since it is about tacktics I'd thought I should try here:

I really want to make my Interseptor Squads to work from the new GK codex. I can imadgine them wonderfully teleporting trhough the air but I have a hard time comming up with a list that manages to use the potensial of landing on the side of tanks and shooting them. In short I think it would be as a form of alfa strike where you try to deny him a flank.

I usualy play at 1750 in points, this is what I have so far:

Interseptor Squad 10, 2 Psycannon, Psybolt Amunition, Hammer 310
Interseptor Squad 10, 2 Psycannon, Psybolt Amunition, Hammer 310

Terminator 1 demon hammer, 2 halberds, 2 forcesword, 1 Psycannon 225
Terminator 1 demon hammer, 2 halberds, 2 forcesword, 1 Psycannon 225

Librarian, Mastercrafted halberd, Digital Weaponds, Sactuary, Shrouding 175

That is 1245 points, I do not know what to do with the rest. I think terminators would fitt this list well since they can walk 6 foward giving them a 30" range forcing your oponent to line up against the table edge enshuring that he does not cluster up. The librerian is to give stealth to the diferent units.

I Do not know what to use the last 505 points on. I was thinking autocannon dreadnoughts (to help with eather flank I attack.) However that would give his long ranged weaponds something to shoot at, and I do not think I can hide all of my units with stealth anymore.

What do you people think, am I thinking intersceptors as wrong? Should I only take them in small units of 5 to bother the oponent AKA they are not strong enough to build a list around? I am not shure.

Any sugestions will be apriciated as I am sitting on a lott of converted models who would make exelent Intersceptors and I have some very cool GK temrinators I put together.

I think that your list will be best served by dreadknights with teleporters. It will give you opponent something to worry about, they are great fire magnets, and will wreck things if left alone.

I also don't think you have enough in the way of troops. 2 units of 5 termies isn't going to be enough honestly.

I think the librarian is underutilized in this list. What is his role? 175 pts to escort 2 units across the board? meh, doesn't sound all that thrilling.

I don't think you really want psybolt ammon on the interceptor squads. Sure it sounds like a good deal, but after I ran the numbers on it, it just isn't worth what you give up by taking it. 40 pts doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up.

40 points is cheap in the SW codex but NOT in the GK codex. You have to wrestel for all the points.

Why the bolts? Well it is a good question, I figured that you could splutt them into 2 psycannon/3 bolters and 5 bolters and the hammer (perhaps a halberd, if they are fighting small squads it can be better.) That way you can target the psycannons vs nasty things, and the bolters can target smaler targets (side of chimeras or AV 11 tanks) or you can shoot up the chimera with the psycannon, and you can bolter what is inside.

I agree that DK will be abel to keep up but we are talking something like 240 points each (with a weapon and the jump jets.)

I figure that a dreadnought would also be abel to keep up by providing suport fire with the 48" range on one flank.

You don't have to buy a weapon for the dreadknight, at 205 he does just fine with his pair of fists and no guns.

As for the bolts: Against Meqs, S5 vs S4, 16 shots for both (cannons in the squad) S4: 10.66 hits, 5.33 wounds, 1.77 failed saves. S5: 10.66 hits, just over 7 wounds (like .04 over) 2.32 failed saves. Is 20 pts worth half a marine dead on average? S5 can threaten light armor, while S4 doesn't really. But is it worth 20 pts to go from having almost no chance of using it vs vehicles, to having a slim chance of doing something against light armor? S5 against AV 11 (rhinos) 16 shots, 10.66 hits, 1.76 glances. Vs AV 10: 1.76 glances, 1.76 pens. Both results are assuming no cover. I've personally decided that it really isn't worth it when GKs have other weapons that can cover the duties that S5 bolters try to. More cannons for one, they can handle anything short of the oh so common monolith (sarcasm), S6 HB backs (s6 is where you get the big jump in medium strength firepower) and autocannon dreads (either ven dreads, or HS ones).

S5 is a lot of dead orks, guardsmen, or genestealers. The power weapons are for MEQ, stormbolters for lighter targets. When facing MEQ the best option for any GK is to charge the MEQ and let power weapons do their thing.

S5 is actually a serious threat to the rear armor of a vehicle as S5 to AV10 is the same as S7 is to AV12,S8 is to AV13, or S9 to AV14. Shooting 8 stormbolter shots at S5 into the back of a vehicle is the same as shooting 8 lascannons at a land raider.

Interceptors can combat squad so both combat squads continue to have psybolts and 2 targets can be hit with a shunt. Shunt then 8 shots at S5 and 2 shots at S7 into the rear of a vehicle is a good way to go tank hunting.

Against AV10 the psycannon will average 2/3 of a pen and 2/9th of a glance while the storm bolters will average 8/9th of a pen and 8/9th of a glance. That's right the stormbolters out gun the psycannon against AV10.

Mathhammer
2S7 shots ignoring rend because it's only AV10
2/1 shots 2/3 hit 1/2 pen=2/3
2/1 shots 2/3 hit 1/6 glance=4/18=2/9

8S5 shots
8/1 shots 2/3 hit 1/6 pen=16/18=8/9
8/1 shots 2/3 hit 1/6 glance=16/18=8/9

The storm bolters actually out damage the psycannons when shunting for a rear shot on a vehicle.

All of that being said the main reason so many people are going to fail with interceptor squads is that they don't fit into a larger part of a battle plan. They are too expensive to send on complete suicide missions, and a poorly timed shunt into the wrong location is completely suicidal for the squad. Interceptors are a precision tool, not a sledgehammer so any attempts to use them as such will result in disaster.

Yes, but how do you runn a list that uses them good? If you compare them to other jump pack infantery you get quite a good deal for 26 points. Power attacks, psycic powers, jump packs, power armour etc. In short they are amasing, but how to use them? If you charge head on they will die.

I like them,i was thinking of using a couple of squads as a flanking force because going up the middle will be suicide.Combat squads will advance up each flank,shunting when a choice vehicular/squad target becomes open.

Niiai wrote:Yes, but how do you runn a list that uses them good? If you compare them to other jump pack infantery you get quite a good deal for 26 points. Power attacks, psycic powers, jump packs, power armour etc. In short they are amasing, but how to use them? If you charge head on they will die.

Keep them partially behind a friendly Rhino for cover and fire the psycannon until you see an a good use for them. Sometimes that will require waiting a turn or 2.

If they shunt into the middle of an IG gunline on turn 1 they will be shot down like dogs. If a Vendetta comes in off reserve in an unsupported location on turn 2 or 3 it's a good target for a shunt.

Unsupported long fangs would be another good target, but shunting into the space wolf deployment zone on turn 1 is suicidal. Odds are after 1 or 2 turns the long fangs will be left unguarded, and interceptors can take them out. Just be sure to shunt half of the squad into cover (probably the same cover the long fangs are hugging) and blast them. The long fangs will return fire, and the sick part is the interceptors actually outgun them as krak missiles quickly become unimpressive after the 4+ cover save. Charge them next turn.

Baal pred does a scout move to an isolated location=shunt it on turn 1. Any isolated unit with an AV10 rear should be a quick and easy snack for an interceptor squad.

There are no real easy answer when it comes to the proper use of a fast unit like interceptors, you just have to play a better game than the other side.

I find that I really don't have to try and make Interceptors work. They are a powerful unit, and combined with Grand Master they can put the hurting on the enemy in round 1.

First let me make this clear, I don't play Mathhammer. I have been working with them, from experience, from the time I played with the leaked info until yesterday....some 20+ games. I may not be perfect with my tactics, but here is what I found works.

I run 7 Interceptors, 4 with Halberds and the Justicar with a Daemon Hammer. I upgrade them with Psybolt ammo and that is it. It comes in at 232. Psycannons never have made it worth the points for bringing it, nor has the Incinerator. What this gives you is a nice, super hard hitting unit of Force Weapon wielding Knights who will generally be striking first (Initiative 6 with Halberds). The Justicar can crack those tough eggs when needed.

I started using them after my 3rd attempt with Grey Knights once the real codex came out using the Store copy of the codex and proxies. I would say it is safe to say they have made their points back in spades in over 70% of my battles.

I especially love using them with my Grand Master, whom I use to give them Spear of Light strategy (gives units Scout). If I have the first turn I am assaulting my first target on turn 1.

I have found them to be less effective against Horde lists, but i admit i don't see them much here.

I've played 13 games now using interceptors (and only 2 without). I've run every variant from 5 man shooty or assault squads, to full 10 man units with all the extras thrown in.

Time and again, the most effective build I've found is 10 men, 2 psycannons and psybolt ammo. If I have spare points they get a daemonhammer or 2. This is a unit with disgusting firepower that can still handle an assault decently well (by virtue of numbers and getting to shoot first). You don't need all the expensive cc upgrades when you can unload 4 str:7 and 16 str:5 shots into the enemy before hitting with str:5 power weapons.

In the past 4 games or so I've been playing 2 full units in a list with a shrouding librarian, vindicare assassin and 2 psyrifle dreads as a "firepower pincer".

The basic idea is to treat the interceptors as delayed infiltrators along with the vindicare, and use their shunt move to set them up in good cover positions on the flanks of the opponent's army (ruins are perfect for this). Between them and the vindicare, you should be able to cover almost all possible side and rear angle shots at the enemy, while taking advantage of cover for yourself.

Meanwhile, the librarian, dreadnoughts and the rest of my army (usually mounted in chimeras or rhinos) are advancing in spearhead formation up the center of the board. I pop smoke on the leading tank and now have 3+ cover for the entire formation. Alternate tanks at the front so that 1 is popping smoke every turn if possible.

Most of the rest of the army is troop choices to provide scoring and cheap transport cover, as I find the dreads, interceptors and vindicare are more than capable of handling the shooting.

If the opponent sends units to deal with the interceptors or vindicare, great because they are survivable and it will take a lot of resources to bring them down. If they focus on the spearhead main army, I can cast sanctuary from the librarian to make assaulting annoying and deadly, and a 3+ cover save is incredibly difficult to deal with in shooting.