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Rumors keep pointing at a “Summer of Flyers”. Between the imperial guards Vendetta to the flying deamon princes of chaos it’s already obvious that flyers have made a huge impact in Warhammer 40k. With rumors solidifying around a full wave of flyers next month, it seems they are monopolizing the meta. So, what do you do if you play a codex that just doesn’t have a flyer?

Granted they are few and far between, but some of our favorite armies have been left out of the loop. Space Wolves are stuck ruffing it with thunder cav, Tau are falling short with Rail guns, and Eldar can’t seem to conger up some air support. It seems to be common knowledge that both Tau and Eldar will both be picking up a flyer next month via White Dwarf (or something like that) but what if these flyers aren’t up to snuff. What do they do until then?

The first choice for a player in this obscure position is to pull in allies. Allies can supply the some air support for most of these armies. In most cases this only means a single flyer. Without he ability to “spam” Flying units, it’s best to look at them as defensive. Basically using their skyfire rule to counter other flying units.

In many cases a single flyer is not going to do it. After all, it could come in before your opponent’s aircraft and get shot down. Fortification emplacements can be used to support or replace your single flyer. The emplacements are relatively inexpensive but are only available as upgrades to fortifications. This presents a unique Situation. Although I don’t see the “problem” in using this aspect of the game, some tournaments have banned them from play. Most of their T.O.s justify this by quoting the inconvenient deployment of fortifications in the rulebook.

Say you don’t feel ether the allies or the fortifications work for your force. You can always count on volume of fire. Lascannon Long fangs have a relatively good chance to shoot down most flyers. You have 5 shots at high strength and +1 on the damage table. They may not be a sure fire way to drop that pesky bird, but it has a good shot. You also have the opportunity to utilize Twin linked weapons. Its a lot easier to see that six if you get more rolls.

While working on your own technique to deal with the new flyers try not to get discouraged. Flyers have their own downfalls, and can always be dealt with. This is only one of the new aspects of the game to take into account. Just like the new fortifications, allies, charge ranges, ext ext ext, you need to account for it when building you new allcomers list.

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You can bet that alot of Codices will get Flyers within the next year.

Tau will probably get the Barracuda and Eldar will probably get a counterpart to the DE flyers as a WD release, Nids will probably have a Harradian model get released at the same time.

Chaos will have something in their upcoming Codex(Helltalon IIRC)

Space Wolves might get the Stormtalon added.

BTs and DAs will probably get the Stormtalon and Stormraven in their next codex.

Allies are the easiest way to go. Use them to get access to Flyers and/or Skyfire. Failing that, get a Fortification with a Quad Gun or Icarus Lascannon. If you don't want any of these options, then use as many twin-linked weapons as you can throw at a flyer.

Alternatively, if your friends/opponents are "cool", then use some 40k approved Forge World models (such as the Storm Eagle).

Finally, the toughest way to do it would be to just plain outmanoeuvre them. They can only make 1 90 degree turn, if you can get out of their line of sight they'll either disengage or go into Hover Mode and be much more vulnerable.

I think if you build a ground list that you need to be packing serious firepower at full range on turn 1 and 2.

What saves Tau isn't so much their anti air, but that you can shred your opponents battleline on turn 1 (and 2 if you go first). By the time the flyers come in, the target selection is much simpler and you can afford to snap much of your arsenal at it.

forcing into reserve truly is a deficit to the flyer. sometimes it would be nice to start on the table with that Stormraven or vendetta.

Yeah, but then the obvious rule argument would be "does the Flyer count as Zooming if I shoot it on turn 1?"

What if the Flyer is one that is Supersonic and can only Zoom?


Its way simpler to have them stuck in reserve.

Grey Templar wrote:You can bet that alot of Codices will get Flyers within the next year.

Certainly this will be true. Also, there will be a temporary boost of flyers, because they are new.

I'm not too big on flyers, though, and I imagine that, while they will continue to be cool (well, I don't like them, but still...), but won't necessarily be some big, overdominant part of 6th ed.

Anything that can be successfully handled by being ignored won't have much staying power...

The weakness to flyer spam list is the lack of ability to hold objectives. If your opponent flyer spams, and has troops inside (the exception being necrons), shooting down those flyers means lots of dead bodies...

If the flyers are too overwhelming, ignore them and just mass troops.

I think it will be flakk missiles. They will be introduced and aeroplanes will start to fall from the sky too readily.

Then the interceptor mechanic is actually too strong. I would imagine chaos get given some gun with it, just as the mechanics is currently only used for fortifications. Then you will only be able to use flyers effectively by spamming them.

The other issue is not flyers in general but specifically that the IG planes are too cheap and night scythes are too powerful.

Almost everyone can ally with Necrons, and you can 3 (4 if you REALLY want) Flyers from them, for a pretty point effective cost:

Overlord, 2+, MSS, Scythe 130
2x Voltaic Staff Crypteks 50

(5) Warriors 65
Night Scythe 100
(5) Warriors 65
Night Scythe 100

Doom Scythe 175

= 685

Gives you 3 Flyers, and 2 Hawire teams which can also deal with vehicles in a pinch.

As a deamon player I ignore them until they start skimming. Each bolt of tzeentch has a 1/6*1/3*2/3 chance of blowing the bastard up. That works out at about 3.7% by my maths.

Icarus lascannons ftw.