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I was looking for an effective way of killing squads of Striking Scorpions. I am a marine player and I pretty well wiped out a squad of Scropions with a 4 plasma cannon dev squad but that was after it tore through my command squad and Tiggy. There has to be a better and cheaper way to deal with them but how?

Thanks... 

To start, stop using Plasma Cannons. If you must, put one in a tac squad. Do not put them into Dev Squads. For the love of God, it's so expensive. So expensive it's prohibitive. For scorpions, just kill them the same way marines kill everything else: Assault Cannons, Lascannons, Heavy Bolters, and Plasma Guns.

You should never shoot your heavy weapons capable of dealing with falcons at scorpions.

I think we'd need to see your army list to give you much realistic input, however. Scorps are gonna have a 50/50 shot of running to fear of the darkness or a reasonable shot at being pinned by fury of the ancients, so using Tig to do that might be a good bet.

The main thing to do is to get two assaulty squads on him simultaneously or to maneuver and get to shoot multiple squads at him. So either you use tanks, speeders to shoot him to death or you use assault squads/bike squads to assault him to death. As long as you get the initiative, getting two assaults on him will guarentee you the fight. Maybe your Tiggy squad and an assault squad.

Missile launchers would do the trick. A squad of devs should get two or three per turn. Of course, the assault cannon is still the king of the battlefield. Plasma cannon got neutered when they forced them to center blasts on a single model.

Scorpions shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. Keep a few things in mind. They only move 6 inches a turn (with a 6 inch charge) so unless you let them, there is no way for them to charge you. If you see them getting close (within 12 of you), just back up. They can't fleet of foot or assault out of transports, so really, if you get assaulted by them, its your own fault. As for killing them, just shoot them a lot. How do you normaly deal with marines? Whatever works on marines will work on scorpions only better (T3 insted of T4). Plasma, missles, or even just lots of bolters (heavy or regular) will do the job. Plasma cannons may not be the best bet anymore due to the nerfing of the template rules (should only hit 1 and 2 partials if your opponent is smart) so something with more versatility may be the way to go...and anything else is cheeper.

2 las/plas tac squads ought to do the job. Just deploy one squad a little farther forward than the other (~7 inches or so) and have them shoot at the scorpions as they come in. When them move to within 12 of the first squad, have them back up. If they keep moveing forward, when they get to within 12 of both squads, double tap into them with all your guns and there shouldn't be enough of them left to really matter once they assault you.

Shoot them. A lot. Play keep-away with them (Scorps can't fleet, so even if he infiltrates, use that to your advantage, and get 'em isolated). If you have to assault them, bring the pain, but remember that there's only one power fist in that squad, no power weapons, and that they're T3.

I use Scorps a lot, but they die like punks to shooting, and a dedicated assault squad (Assault Marines, Rough Riders, anything with multiple 'fists or power weapons) will wipe 'em out.

Everyone will get pissed at me but I use 4 PlasmaCannons too and LOVE IT! Phoenix is right just watch them, and if you think they can get in close and charge you.....you do it first! I don't care if it's scouts never give them the extra attacks then they will be farther away if they win giving you more time to deal with them and hopefully killing some of them. I'll charge anything just so they lose attacks, make them work for it!

Everyone will get pissed at me but I use 4 PlasmaCannons too and LOVE IT!

I'm glad that you're happy. But do allow me to say a word on effectiveness.

For the record, you do understand how preposterously expensive that squad is? Hell, how about each gun. Each plasma cannon comes at the bargain cost of 35 pts. Plus the trooper, of course. Are you out of your mind? That's just crazy. Sure, the percentage increase isn't that high, it's in fact the lowest percentage increase for a devastator squad heavy weapon, but to pay that much is just nuts. assuming you go with 8 models, you have 4 15 pt models. Then they die, and each casualty costs you 50 pts.

As far as killyness, each blast template is resolved seperately. And casualties don't have to come from beneath the template, just from within range and LOS. After the first blast template kills 1-2, he'll remove the 1-2 models that have the potential to do the most damage to the rest of the squad. Then the second template kills 1 model, unless he's been an absolute idiot thus far. Then, if you even have a 3rd template, if you hit that 3rd time, you drop 1 more model. And I've given you the benefit of the doubt. If you actually do kill 4 models in one volley, you're a very lucky man. Not bad for an investment of 260 pts. Good God, it's just so damned expensive! I just don't know how you rationalize it.

Templates get nerfed, plasma cannons cost an unGodly amount of pts, and now 1/4 of the board has to have cover. And you're going to somehow make the case for the 4 plasma cannon Dev squad. You're a daring man. A daring man.

Well, to be fair, all plasma weapons LOOK really cool, even if it's only the rifle-sized ones that perform efficiently.

edit - tangentially, ever since 4th came out I thought someone should invent a plasmortar! Turn two bad guns into one good (in batteries) gun.

Naw, they should bring back Plasmablasters___effectively TL Plasmaguns___to be used on Termie armors as weapon upgrades. The Ultramarines' Capt Invictus, in the 1st Chapter Approved Annual, had one.