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So, first off, I've been a way for a while, let me reintroduce myself to the Dakka community.

I'm FKE, I was a decent player about 2 years ago. I was part of the Best General team at the Adepticon Team Tourney. I scored in the top ten in one of the Gladiators. I've won a number of local tourneys. I think I still have the longest fanfic on dakka.

The reason I haven't been on dakka much for the last year and a half or so is that my group has pretty much switched to Privateer full time. They have a company forum, so I'm mostly over there. That said, I've always kept my hand in at 40k, getting the new dexes, buying/building armies.

This year they reinvigorated the Atlanta Tournament Circuit. This is an idea where we have a tourney at each store in Atlanta and add up the points. It's a lot of fun. I was the champ the first year, then Dashofpepper the second year, they let it lapse the third year, and now its back. So I decided to drag out my weak old school fu and take the young-uns on.

I've played about ten games with the new Necrons, and this is the list that I've settled on. I'm actually pretty confident in my list and knowledge of how to play it. The area where I feel lacking is that I haven't been part of the meta in a while. I can imagine myself being caught off guard really easily by the new hotness. Still, I've at least read the new dexes, so I'll just have to pay careful attention.

Tourney Meta:

The Imperium is all over this tourney. Out of about 26 players there are 2 crons, 2 Eldar, 1 Daemon, 1 CSM. The rest is all Imperium. Every flavor except Sisters and Dark Angels was represented, with the Space Wolves and Daemon Hunters being particularly numerous.

My list:

Necron Overlord
+ Warscythe
+ Mindshackle Scarabs
+ Catacomb Command Barge

Necron Overlord
+ Warscythe
+ Mindshackle Scarabs
+ Catacomb Command Barge

5 Immortals
+ Herald of Annihilation (think that's the title, the one with the s8 ap 2 shot)

5 Immortals
+ Herald of Annihilation (think that's the title, the one with the s8 ap 2 shot)

5 Immortals

10 Lychguard w/hyperphase swords dispersion shields
+ Necron Lord w/warscythe, resurrection orb

C'tan w/Lord of Fire, Pyreshards

C'tan w/Moulder of Worlds, Spirit Shards (the one with stealth and grenades)

Annihilation Barge

Annihilation Barge

Annihilation Barge

Game #1: Vs. Imperial Guard.

Primary: Kill Points (need to win by 5+ to get max points)
Secondary: Kill their most numerous non troop/hq category (light for me, heavy for him)
Tertiary: Victory Points

His List:

Command squad w/3 meltas in Chimera
Psyker Battle Squad in Chimera
6 Veteran squads w/melta weapons and demo charges, 3 in chimeras
3 Vendettas (other vet squads ride in these)
basic Russ + lascannon
Plasma Russ

My assessment: Ok, this is a serious problem to have first off the bat. This was pretty much the list that ruled the roost when I left, although the HS isn't quite right, should be 3 lighter choices instead of 2 russes. I do not want to play it on a mission with no objectives. More, I don't want to play it when he goes first.

He gets first. Doh.

So we line up, I'm resigned to defeat, as one of my playtests were vs. this guy's army, and he tabled me.

Then I seize the initiative! Well that changes things.

Necron turn 1:

Lords boost forward, C'tan move + run forward, barges drive up 6" and my troops and Lychguard run forward. Barge shooting shakes a Vendetta (despite flat out scout saves) and immobilizes a chimera and shakes another chimera. This is an excellent opening.

Guard turn 1:

He has a serious problem here. He needs to focus fire on the C'tan to kill them before they get to his lines, also on the barges, and he needs to do enough to the lychguard to pbs them. He also needs to blast my barges to stop the constant shaking. He has a choice to make in terms of forward or back, and decides to move up and use his meltas on the command barges, chancing the Lord of Fire rolls, and use his long range on my annihilation barges, since those are his secondary objective.

This pretty much splits the difference between good and bad rolling. His long range rolls good, destorying one barge and immobilizing another, while his short range rolls terribly, leaving the barges intact despite a squad charging one with melta bombs as a desperation move.

Necron turn 2:

This is a great opening, and I take advantage. The barges fly over a chimera and a vendetta, destroying one and immobilizing another. The C'tan move up to charge chimeras. The lords disembark to charge vehicles. My Lychguard make it into a unit that failed to kill a command barge. it's glorious.

Remainder of game. Effectively the Necrons are running rampant through the parking lot at this point. The Overlords ability to fly over the first echelon of vehicles and break the second one has destroyed the typical Guard firewall, and they are trapped in melee. I take primary and tertiary through the destruction of pretty much everything in the center.

Unfortunately I have no way to catch the Vendettas on the flank, and they get to fire unrestricted as the game peters out, destroying my last annihilation barge and taking the secondary for him. So the score is:

Necrons (15+5) 20, IG 10

I felt great about this game, nice to exorcise my demons, so to speak. Good to see that if we go first Necrons can give the IG gun line a tough game. Beating a PBS with a non-fearless 525 point unit is also an accomplishment I'll be proud of for a while.

Game #2: Vs. Space Wolves

Logan

Space Wolf Lord on Wolf

6 units of Wolf Guard, for each 5 of them there is one with terminator armor and a cyclone launcher and a chain fist

3 Lone wolves w/terminator armor, storm shield, chain fist

2 solo thunderwolf cav models with power fists and storm shields

2 Long Fang squds, 6 guys with 5 missile launchers

I love this list. Missile launchers everywhere, and when you get close they give you the chain fists. The troops can walk and shoot missile launchers because the guys with them are in terminator armor. Logan can give relentless to a Long Fang squad if need be. They have the Lone Wolves to soak up a round of your shooting, and the Solo Thunderwolves for a similar deal. Good at objectives because of all the scoring units, good at KP because the things that are near you are Lone Wolves. It's just an impressive list.

The mission:

Deployment: Dawn of War
Primary: There are 6 objectives, one disappears on round 2, another on 3, last one on 4. Have the majority of the remaining 3.
Secondary: Kill their HQ choice
Tertiary: Vps

I get first turn. I deploy one barge up at the mid line to back him off. Plan is that it moves back toward my side and is embarked in by my Lord on top 1. He sets up some guys in his back 6".

He seizes. Hey, turnabout is fair play.

Wolves 1: His army moves on and takes advantage of their heightened senses to beat the night fight and blow away my Barge. Dang it. He doesn't run anyone except his assault units though, just sort of sits in his back lines with his shooters.

Necrons 1: I move on, My other barge boosts up to the mid line, the rest of us move at max rate.

Wolves 2: He moves his assault stuff forward and uses his shooting stuff to down my next command barge, despite the moving fast save (there are just too many missile launchers.) He still doesn't move up his scorers.

Necrons 2: I move up to the center, Star Gods and Lich Guard playing goalie. My gunboats fire away at the Lone Wolves, I think we kill one with a whole round of shooting 2+ and FNP are tough to kill with tesla.

Wolves 3: His assault troops close in. One charges a C'tan this round, neither dies. His missiles shoot down a barge and do half of an Immortal squad despite them going to ground.

Necrons 3: We do some more shooting, and I use my other C'tan to goalie his other units. The Lychguard make a long line to keep the wolves away from my scorers. My Lords have joined my Immortals, ready to use their bodies to soak up missiles if he starts going for them.

Wolves 4: We remember the objectives are supposed to be disappearing. Both of the ones in the center vanish, as does one on his side, leaving me ahead 2 to 1.

Rest of the game. There isn't really much to be done at this point. Ultimately I win the fights because most of his army isn't in them. (just the lone wolves and wolf riders vs. 2 C'tan and 10 Lychguard), neither of us can get closer to the other. I get primary because more of his objectives vanished, he gets tertiary because his missile launchers are doing more damage than I'm doing back. Neither of us get secondary because we aren't silly enough to lose 2 IC's if the mission says not to.

So necrons 15, Wolves 5.

With 35 points I'm not really in the top echelon anymore. There were a lot of 30's in the second round. I need a good last round.

Round #3: Vs. Necrons

Imhotekh
Zahndrekh
Big unit of Warriors (I think 17), w/Herald of Darkness (flamer guy)
10 Immortals w/tesla carbines w/Herald of Darkness w/veil
9 Scarabs
5 Wraiths, 2 have coils
5 Wraiths, 2 have coils
3 Spyders
3 Spyders
3 Spyders, 1 has Gloom Prism

I'm just confused by this list. How do you read the Cron codex and take the most aristocratic bosses, with the most plebian maintenance units? My elite soldiers will thump his technicians.

Mission:
Deployment: Spearhead
Primary: Objective in center of enemy quarter for 10, your own for 5
Secondary: Objective in each neutral quarter for 5
Tertiary: Objective in table center for 5

He gets the first turn, and I fail to seize.

Scarabs 1:

He does his lightning thing, it only strikes a annihilation barge, glances it but I ignore the stun. He adds 9 bases to the scarabs, moves his army up on me. Does he want to fight? How does he think this is going to work?

Crons 1:

When he added a base and ran he got his scarabs into charge range. My C'tan goes in. Meanwhile my army tries to make his out through the night fight, we kill a wraith and a half with some barge shooting. The C'tan kills 4 bases and gets wrapped in a zillion scarabs that can't hurt it. I boost my Lords over his wraiths into the empty quarters, trying to divide his push and make him spend more rounds under barge fire.

Scarabs 2:

The night ends, and he pretty much flounders. He does get one thing done well though, as he sends one unit of Wraiths in on the other C'tan, and slaughters it. He shoots at the barges with gauss, but they are able to take save well. He charges one with spyders, but I take a wound to negate the one result he does get.

Crons 2:

I shoot down all but one wound of a Wraith squad, move my Lychguard into a position to be charged by his Wraiths. The C'tan is still munching on Scarabs.

Scarabs 3:

The last Wraith goes into a troop squad, the other almost full unit charges into the big Lychguard squad, but is defeated (he really needed to soften it up before the fight, or get his Spyders in alongside, or something).

Rest of the Game: We pretty much take control from here on out. I have shooting, and he doesn't, and his mobility is gone with the Scarabs and Wraiths. So I just shoot at him, backing up when necessary, and use my Lords to troubleshoot when it gets ugly. I actually end up tabling him, but can't spread out enough to get every objective.

Necrons 20,
Scarabs 0

Ultimately I end up with 55 points, which is good enough to tie me for third. It was a very fun day, and all of my opponents were great guys. Very nice to be back in 40k.

Score one for Skynet 40,000!

I wish I had been able to go this weekend, but I'm glad to see the ATC is up and running again.

With the overall performance of your army, is there anything that stands out as something that will stay or be taken out? I've played a few games versus Necrons and my buddy is trying a fairly similar army build so I'm curious to see what your feelings were.

interesting list, but a good rep!

I really like this list a lot, it is very unconventional from what I have seen out there,but it seems to work.!

What prompted you to take the duo C'Tan? Also, what are your impressions with a 10 man Lychguard unit? I like the idea of 10 T5 dudes with the equivalent of Terminator Armor (1/3 wound, 1/2 come back for a 1 in 6 chance to kill)

Nice to see you back here posting batreps! I think the first one of yours I read was a tourny where you took a cc based necron list with 9 spyders back when it wasn't en vogue (end of 4ed even?) so its kind of a treat to see you posting necron batreps again. Will love to read your thoughts on things.

Very interesting list compared to what people tend to take. It does seem like your opponents let you win in a way, by getting into the C'tan and lychguard threat ranges way sooner then they ought to have. But even with that, I think people underestimate the strength of having such a nasty core of cc units hitting mid table.

Welcome back, more pics

Yay! FKE back in businass! I've missed you buddy!

@Unholy Martyr:

Yeah, there's something. The Catacomb Command Barge is simply amazing. If there was a Codex: Dream Team that could take from every codex the only thing that might be used in it from the Necrons is that Barge.

It really has to be experienced to be understood. You get 3 attacks vs. an enemy vehicle, hitting on 4's. The hits are the equivalent of meltas from close range...save that they lack the +1 on the chart and 1 str, but they also hit rear armor. They pen most AR 10 vehicles something like 90% of the time. So you are basically rolling d3 pens.

These pens ignore cover saves. So no smoke, no flat out, just you trying to get 5's and 6's on the chart. Unreal.

And they happen in the movement phase! So you know if you have opened the vehicle or not before you move up your heavy hitters. Its stupendous, dead brilliant. You know if you wrecked it, and where they disembarked, or if it blew up, and if they are penned. So if you aren't going to be able to get the charge you can instead march your guys away, and they can't do the old dump the models on the other side trick. Its just awesome.

And the price for all this...is that your Overlord is now among the enemy, having boosted on past. He is in an armor 13 vehicle with a moving fast save. It's glorious. Normally you have to forego attacking to get your save, for this weapon you don't.

I keep thinking I must be cheating. Is there a rule that they can't attack with the scythe while moving flat out? I don't wanna know...

@Zid: Thanks man!

@Calypso: My favorite thing about the C'tan is twofold. First off the fact that they ignore terrain is awesome. The other thing has to be their detonation. They are a huge threat to elite assault units, because they fight hard, and then when they die they'll take half (or a quarter if the fight is in terrain) of the enemies out with them.

They also have a very small footprint. That's important in my list, as the Lychguard and the Tanks do a lot of jockeying for position. Having two guys on terminator sized bases who have the hitting power of Daemon Princes is a great way to make up for traffic jams.

The Lychguard themselves are solid, nothing to write home about. They are basically a unit of TH/SS terminators. The shields are a nice gimmick, as to assault you an enemy must linger in their 6" range for a shooting phase (unless they are beasts/cav, of course), and that precludes using heavy weapons on you.

They also have an advantage over Wraiths/Spyders in that they gain that little extra bit of mobility from reanimation protocols. That extra 2" + base width at the end of a phase can be decisive.

The big drawback, of course, is that they can't be made fearless. Same as big units of Terminators, for the most part. You are banking on Ld 10, and occasionally you are made to suffer for that faith.

The Lord with Scythe/Orb is a huge help, both as an 11th body and as a tank/walker popper. You don't want your massive doom squad to get stuck on an armored Sentinel.

@winterman:

yeah, the old Mechagodzilla Crons. Loved em. I still have those models, thinking of switching them to my new color scheme and letting the old days live again. I'm trying to hold out till the new kits arrive though.

The Lychguard certainly get underestimated, the C'tan seem to be overestimated. In the Star Gods case I think people remember the 300 point monsters of Codexes past. In the Lychguard's case its the small bases. They don't look like TH/SS terminators, and it causes all manner of foolishness. I've seen people drive up land raiders, disembark five terminators with TH/SS and charge into my 11 man squad. Just straight up assault 2 to one odds, never mind that I go first and get to stand back up.

@Redbeard: The new paint scheme looks pretty cool. Maybe I'll get some pics up...too bad I didn't take a camera to the tourney. The Guard army was this totally cool WWI/Retro conversion. It got like 85% of the votes for best army.

@Wiley: Its good to be back!

Glad to see you back here; i've always found your reports, comments and lists interesting; I'm still playing a demon list very smiliar to yours and enjoying it

The only thing lacking in your reports is a camera -_-

Good job on the games; especially against the SW list which is quite brutal...

Nice report. Its good to see you are back.

Great to have you back active. Thanks for another good report! Sweet to see yet another different built out of Necrons. That codex is probably my favorite since Orks. There's just so much neat stuff and variety in it.

great reports, was a fun read. I'm enjoying necron battle reports these days.

Hey FKE, haven't you read, the Interwebs has decided and Lychguard and C'tan are not competitive choices and Wraiths are an auto include?

Please come back with a more credible battle report when you are ready to concede these absolute undeniable facts.

Sincerely,
Netlisters Anonymous

Want to join our group! http://www.icheckers.net/

Great report. Go necrons!

Interesting to see an unconventional necron list work. Inconventional in that it includes 2 c'tans and a lychguard deathstar.

nice rep and +1 for what jy2 said, unconventional it is.

@arleucs:
Thanks man, I like Bat repping.

I've actually taken pictures a couple of times, just never mustered the enthusiasm to upload them. I'd promise to do better but it'd be a lie, I'm old and set in my ways.

Much love still for the daemon codex, particularly because DH is so common, so you'll get the classic matchup pretty often. Towards the end of my Daemon career I deviated from my Khornate orthodoxy a bit, switching out 2 chariots for a cheap GUO and one of the troops for the changling and a little squad.

There's no way to verify it, but I still like to think I was instrumental in the pushback against that terrible idea that the best way to play Daemons was to balance the waves equally.

@extrenem

Thanks man, it took a new dex for my beloved crons to do it, but I'm loving 40k again. Still play Privateer more, but I try and get at least a game of GW in a week.

A new GW opening in walking distance of my house helped.

@mannahnein

Thanks man.

I loved Codex Orc, but between then and now I've had a few favorites. Nids got an awesome book, in my view. I'm not sure the crons are better (in terms of more viable lists). The DE codex was impressive mostly for the way it made an army up out of wholecloth, and it turned out that that army could compete pretty well. Blood Angels was a hoot as well.

And, while I'm not a personal fan, it has to be admitted that the Guard and DH codexes are massively popular.

@racta

I hear that! Jy2's quake-crons, in particular, were an impressive read to me. I've been contemplating putting a cryptek (from the second royal court) in with my lychguard with the -d3 from charges upgrade. I think that that upgrade could be a big deal.

@Shadar:

ha ha! thanks man.

I dunno, I've gotten plenty of ideas from lists posted on the internet. I don't think there's particularly anything wrong with taking someone else's lead.

My lists do tend towards the unconventional though. I like to play what other folks aren't. In a way I'm just as much of a netlister as they are though, just in reverse.

@jy2

Thanks man! I see you've been rocking the new dex as well, and to much more success.

To be honest, I didn't set out to tweak the orthodoxy, I just don't own any wraiths (they were trash in the last dex, it's not my fault!). I wanted to use the new kits, and settled on this.

The first C'tan is dictated by my army's fluff, the second was a last minute addition when I got rid of my expensive HS section ( I used to go with Monolith, double Doomsdays). I think the modern game is just too movement based for points that sit back and don't come up.

I do think that Lychguard/C'tan are sort of sleeper choices. They don't have the same immediate jaw dropping impact as the Wraiths, or the same crazy potential as the scarabs, but there's strength there. Power weapon attacks are at a premium in the dex, and sometimes you need them.

@SevenSins:

Thanks dude. I like writing battle reports.

I think we are pretty early in the learning stream for a list to be unconventional, particularly when my HS and troop choices are utterly uncontroversial.

I'm actually most proud of the HQ's. There's a lot of utility in those two popemobile overlords. It's hard to imagine swapping that out, although Zahndrekh/Obyron (stealing Zahndrekh's ride) is something I'll give a hard look when it comes out.

I don't know if the HQ's are beloved of the net or not though. What do most folks take for Necron HQ's nowadays?

40kenthusiast wrote:
I'm actually most proud of the HQ's. There's a lot of utility in those two popemobile overlords. It's hard to imagine swapping that out, although Zahndrekh/Obyron (stealing Zahndrekh's ride) is something I'll give a hard look when it comes out.

I don't know if the HQ's are beloved of the net or not though. What do most folks take for Necron HQ's nowadays?

All I can say is that in competitive play, you'll be seeing a lot of the dynamic duo's, with people on occassions subbing out 1 pimpmobile for the Stormlord. As far as necron HQ's go (in competitive play), it's going to be pretty cookie-cutter (though Norbu did win a GT with a somewhat different combo - Immotehk and Orikan).