Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Today i was watching a tournament in my town and i got to see a player using 2 lone wolves in TDA armour. To cut a long story short they tore the enemy apart with ease and were able to take out several times their own point cost. Was it just the dudes lucky day or is there a place in a TAC list for those 1-mini-kill squad?

For ~80 points i get a 2 wound, fnp, eternal warrior terminator with a chainfist. And he doesnt count for KP. I'll take it. Honestly i think they are the best thing in the codex now that longfangs got nerfed with the vehicle damage table changes.

 zephoid wrote:
For ~80 points i get a 2 wound, fnp, eternal warrior terminator with a chainfist. And he doesnt count for KP. I'll take it. Honestly i think they are the best thing in the codex now that longfangs got nerfed with the vehicle damage table changes.

Rune Priests are the best thing in the codex. Then GHs, then maybe Lone Wolves.

It wasn't the tables that killed Long Fangs, it was the Heldrake =(

Ok, I'll give you rune priests, but GHs have always been good but not great. They work well as a troop and have a lot of flexibility, but without their metal bawkses in 6th they are much less of a deal. They now need pods which up their cost and necessitate full 10 man squads which are almost a liability without combat squads.

Helldrake is 1 army. LF were dead before the chaos codex came out. Missiles are no longer a good reliable way to pop tanks in good time.

 zephoid wrote:

Helldrake is 1 army. LF were dead before the chaos codex came out. Missiles are no longer a good reliable way to pop tanks in good time.

I don't see how this is true. As a whole, vehicles got easier to kill in 6th edition with hullpoints making glancing hits actually dangerous.
And the helldrake IS one army, but 6th edition also brought in allies, allowing almost ANY army to bring helldrakes. These two changes are what hurt Longfangs in a competetive setting.
On topic, Lone wolves are almost always worth their points. Opponents seem to over commit firepower.

So how do you set them up? Take only 1 or 2? Both with Stormshields and Chainfists?

@tommse: Chainfist/Storm Shield or Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield and always in TDA for me. Occasionally they get a pair of Fenrisian Wolves as well. There is something to be said of taking 'em cheap and with Mark of the Wulfen and a Storm Shield, but I feel that really misses out on some of their potential and their role in the Codex.

They're great for dealing with MCs/vehicles that try to get in on your Grey Hunters. I pretty much never take them unless I'm walking some Grey Hunters though. While I've had some amazing instances of surviving a dozen stationary Noise Marines while taking only a single wound and then breaking the unit in CC, they are still a single 2 wound model that is susceptible to enemy shooting in high volume.

Basically, you use them as your Power Fist model. They're twice as expensive as a Grey Hunter with Power Fist, but offer you a lot more durability and killing potential so it ends up being worth it. Just make sure they die by Turn 5! And only take 1-2. 3rd Elite Slot is for your Wolf Guard

@zephoid: You are crazy. GH are amazing. Problems with what you said:
1) Drop Pods cost the same as Rhinos, so no point increase
2) Rhinos are still useful, just not worth spamming anymore
3) With vehicles being less common and more infantry on the table, not having combat squads is hardly a liability
4) Drop Pod lists with Grey Hunters were good in 5th Edition and just got better in 6th
5) Except for the fools doing Razorspam (which made some sense with BA but next to none with SW, and even then you didn't see Razorspam winning tournaments) you generally see lots of 8-10 man units even back in 5E, with Wolf Guard common in units smaller than 10 man so you can grab that second special weapon.

The only real downside to Grey Hunters is they have no access to Heavy Weapons, but you can't have everything.

And LF are still plenty good, as are lots of Krak Missiles. You can't really complain about being able to take 5 S8 48" range weapons for 140 points, when even the newest SM Codexes can only take 4 for 130. They're destroying vehicles just as easily, if not more easily, thanks to the way Hull Points work. They're just not the most effective anti-air, but then most things without Skyfire aren't.

I would not take Long Fangs anymore. Auto/las Predators seem to accomplish Long Fangs' job much more effectively these days, with more flexibility and versatility to boot.

As for Lone Wolves, I think they've become a lot better in the new edition. Previously, they had a big weakness in the form of 5th edition Dawn of War deployment, which often ensured they would accomplish nothing of value for the entire game. 1/9 of the time (Dawn of War/Kill Points), they usually not only did nothing but gave the opponent free points!

However, with the 6th edition changes it seems to me that Lone Wolves have become a much more reliable annoyance to the enemy than they once were. Whether they're worth taking over other options remains to be seen, but certainly I think they have a place in at least some armies.

As cowmonaut said really.

I neve bother with the chain fist, as I mainly use them for MC and tough character hunting where the initiative drop can really be helpful. Also with HP, the chain fist is rarely worth it unless you're assaulting a land raider. However I'd much rather have my LW assault the tough guy inside the landraider.

In low points games I've used the MotW and SS variety. They're really durable and can tie up far more than their points cost for a long time.

I've given my TH/SS TDA lone wolf MVP multiple times. He's dispatched a few MCs, taken Abaddon down to one wound (whilst also tying up him an his squad for a good 2 turns) and smashed a LR Demolisher that got a little close. Certainly worth taking for 85pts.

I agree with your assessment of Chainfists. While they were the de facto default option in 5th edition, when walkers were much more common, I think that the 6th edition environment contains far fewer units that the chainfist helps against. I would probably only take a chainfist if you anticipate encountering Land Raiders (or perhaps Maulerfiends)-- most other walkers have fallen by the wayside in the modern environment.