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Hello folks! I put together this list trying to shore myself up against flyers using the guard as allies while still maintaining the feel of the Ravenwing.

HQ:
Sammael on Corvex 200
Librarian - Mastery 2, Bike, Power Field Generator, Auspex 155
IG: Company Command Squad 50

Other:
Ravenwing Command Squad - Champion, Apothecary, Grenade Launcher, Standard of Devastation 220

Troops:
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Attack Bike w/ Multi-Melta, Sgt w/ Boltgun, 4 Bikers w/ 1 Flamer 194
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Attack Bike w/ Multi-Melta, Sgt w/ Boltgun, 4 Bikers 189
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Attack Bike w/ Multi-Melta, Sgt w/ Boltgun, 4 Bikers w/ 1 Meltagun 199
IG: Veteran Squad - Chimera, Heavy Flamer, 2 Flamers, 6 Shotguns, Sgt w/ Shotgun 155

Fast Attack:
Ravenwing Black Knights - 2 Knights and Huntmaster, 1 Grenade Launcher 126
Darkshroud 80
IG: Vendetta Squadron - 2 Vendettas w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons 280

Total: 1848

The strategy is pretty basic. CCS hangs back a bit, taking pot shots and at least slowing down a deep striker or infiltrator (if someone is shooting at them, I've either been almost tabled or they don't have anything else to do). Vendettas provide air support/anti-air if needed. Sam and the Libby (Telepathy, with the PFG for a bubble) each join one of the big attack squads and surround the RW command squad, with the dakka banner boosting all the bolters. The darkshroud tries to keep itself and the banner alive. The small melta attack squad goes tank hunting if needed, adding extra bolter shots if not. The IG veterans are a suicide squad that hopefully will escape attention with all the bikes, getting close enough to open up with some anti-horde flamers and shotguns. If not, at least the bikes can get some LOS blocking off the Chimera for a turn. The Black Knights hang in the PFG bubble, going after MCs or tough nuts.

Some thoughts:
1) Have I diluted the Ravenwing too much by adding the IG? I'm giving up a lot more bikes to take them.
2) Am I using the CCS and Veterans properly? I'm hoping they will be ignored in favor of the more obvious threats, but you never know. I like the Vets in there as some cheap anti-horde if they can survive.
3) Would my IG HQ points be better spent on a Primaris psyker in the Chimera with the Vets? The CCS doesn't do very much, but it's cheap.
4) Should I dump one or more of the attack bikes in favor of more regular bikers? More standard bikers = more dakka from the standard.
5) If I need to dump the IG for more RW, would throwing some flakk Devastators inside a Bastion or on a Skyshield be good for anti-air?
6) Are the knights worth taking in such a small squad?
7) Am I trying to do too much at once, spreading my forces too thin overall?

Any thoughts on my specific questions or just general commentary would be welcome. Thank you!

I think you need to try and put all of your guard infantry in the vendettas. For this pupose you would be better with an independent character imperial guard HQ. RW armies are weak at anti air so the vendettas fill a good niche, but you should keep the guard highly mobile and the best way to do this is by putting them in the flyers. I think the veteran squad looks good (I love shotguns they look so cool), just in the vendetta not a chimera.
Good luck mate.

Putting the vets in the vendettas would save a few points, but I like the anti-horde role they fill by rolling up, flaming and blasting away with shotguns. They're dirt cheap, BS 4, and I won't care at all if they get squished immediately after discharging their payload. That many templates and shotgun shots would put a dent in a big boyz or IG blob. In an objective mission though, putting them in the vendettas would be nice since it would (hopefully) keep them alive a little longer.

Edit: Oh yeah, and I agree the models with shotguns look pretty nice.

I'm not entirely sure of the point of the IG in the list, to be honest.

You're spending 225 points buffing the Command squad, (and another 80 for Darkshroud and 150 Librarian) but only taking three units which benefit.

Invisibility, Darkshroud Stealth and 4++ are all nice, but you only need to take two at maximum of the three- Invisibility and PFG being the better option.

Vendettas are undoubtedly excellent for their points cost but when the IG codex comes out they will be nerfed to oblivion, and then you're stuck with unusable allies.

The CCS and Chimera are superfluous. If anything they should ride around in the Vendetta for last minute objective scoring/ melta striking action.

Also, the strength of the Ravenwing is the alphastrike- and you're putting out only 36 bolter shots when comparative lists can put out in excess of 80-20.

SoD gives you all the infantry slaughtering potential you need, what you lack is long-ranged firepower and reliable turn 2 AA. If you roll poorly or second, your vendettas won't be able to shoot the Helldrakes that roast your bikers.

I recommend a Mortis Contemptor or two instead, or a Hyperios launcher battery, and more bikes in smaller squads. If Ravenwing have to use flamers, something has gone terribly wrong somewhere.

The Contemptor Dreadnought seems promising, and I like the look of the model. Are they an effective anti-air solution? Just like every MEQ player, the Heldrake terrifies me since it can erase one of my squads every turn. That's why the redundant Darkshroud/PFG/Telepathy and Vendettas were there in the first place. Honestly if not for that !#$!@ thing I would just run all bikes and ignore flyers altogether. I've considered allying in Vendettas, hiding Devs with flakk inside a bastion or on a skyshield. Haven't really looked at the Mortis Contemptor. Where are the rules and are they legal everywhere?

Imperial Aeronautica, it's essentially a BS 5 Skyfire/ Interceptor 215 pt Armour 13 Dread which has Assault 12 Rending and 2 Cyclone missiles a turn, and a 5+ invuln save.

It only get Skyfire when it stands still, however. Helldrakes can burn through two squads a turn, and even the PFG isn't great as it's only a 1/2 chance to save your squad from 5-6 ap 2 wounds. I run two in my competitive list, one isn't reliable enough to kill fliers; It's a huge threat against everything else- It's possibly the only thing in the game capable of theoretically killing anything in a single turn of shooting.

If you're really hard up for Las, you can take lascannons on it as well, for 225. I prefer the versatility of Assault cannon (and I play on small boards as well so range isn't a huge issue.

Found the Mortis Contemptor stuff. I'm impressed, hopefully they'll be able to survive long enough to knock down some fliers. And if not, they're just as good against infantry. Retooled the list to dump the IG.

HQ:
Sammael on Corvex 200
Librarian (Telepathy) - Level 2, Bike, Auspex, PFG 155

Other:
Ravenwing Command Squad - Apothecary, Standard of Devastation, Grenade launcher

Troops:
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Sgt w/ boltgun, 5 Bikes 161
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Sgt w/ boltgun, 5 Bikes 161
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Attack bike with Multi-melta, Sgt w/ boltgun, 3 Bikes w/ 1 Meltagun 172
Ravenwing Attack Squadron - Attack bike with Multi-melta, Sgt w/ boltgun, 3 Bikes w/ 2 Meltaguns 182

Fast Attack:
Ravenwing Black Knights - Huntmaster w/ Melta bombs, 3 Black knights w/ Grenade launcher 168

Heavy Support:
Mortis Contemptor Dreadnought - 2 Kheres assault cannons, Cyclone missile launcher, Searchlight 216
Mortis Contemptor Dreadnought - 2 Kheres assault cannons, Cyclone missile launcher 215

Total: 1850

I realize that the thread title is RW with IG, but if I can get the anti-tank with the dreadnoughts and bring some extra bikes I'll do it! This gives me potentially 16 troop bikes taking advantage of the dakka banner, most of whom have not upgraded their boltguns. That's a lot of concentrated bolter fire. If I can get Invis and combine it with the PFG, the banner should be able to survive and potentially buff all 4 squads. Plus added an extra black knight for a bit of extra oomph.

If I was going to run IG with RW, I would use Azrael and take a big blob squad. Then you have an unmovable object plus a bunch of highly movable objects.

Great minds think alike; this is pretty much exactly the list I would run at 1850.

I'm debating freeing up some points for a Darkshroud, but I feel in most games where I run it it never accomplishes much.

Oh, run the Black Knights as a second RCS and save yourself 6 points. Challenges with the BKs actually hurt them, because you want to be dishing out as much Str 5 rending death as possible. If they have Powerfist characters Sammael and the Lib can deal with them in short order.

I also run MSU 3-Man Ravenwing squads to minimise casualties and economise firepower.

whoadirty wrote:
If I was going to run IG with RW, I would use Azrael and take a big blob squad. Then you have an unmovable object plus a bunch of highly movable objects.

I went up against this the other week.

Please don't bypass the language filter like this.
Reds8n

Blob-Azrael synergises better with Deathwing, as Ravenwing lists are Standard-centred and require as many bolters scouting forward with the banner in turn one to be optimal.

Also, I doubt the OP wants to buy and paint that many IG considering he dropped the IG like a chaos-damned Fallen once he found out about Mortis Contemptors



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here's another Caveat though, this list is far too strong for casual play; foot lists get wiped on turn one, and inexperienced players who don't know to target the Banner will get wiped for certain. Even good players will most likely lose the game if they lose the roll-off, and deploy too close to the Banner squads. It's not hugely fun for your opponents: for more exciting games I run five units of Black Knights, Darkshroud, Sam, Lib, Techmarine on bike, Darkshroud (optional) and only three banner biker units.