Kangodo wrote:
I use it and it's quite effective.
Contrary to popular believe, not every Necron-player uses 4 flyers.

Dakkon wrote:
It could definitely work. Just know that it's probably not the most 'competitive' way to play (which is completely fine, and will preform well.)

Things to be aware of is the phalanx's weakness if close combat. There's nothing worst than having a 20 unit warrior blob get swept by the enemy.

So, it's up to your list to prevent that from happening. Necrons do well when their list has strong synergy to 'help' each other.

Weak CC? Maybe throw some wraiths or even scarabs to body block/tarpit/intercept enemy CC groups.

Or just position yourself so you deny cc. stay within 20-24 inch and just shoot them down. no need to go close when you have a few 20-man blobs.

I'll leave the rest for the other forum members to add!

 ImotekhTheStormlord wrote:

 Kevcron wrote:

Kangodo wrote:
I use it and it's quite effective.
Contrary to popular believe, not every Necron-player uses 4 flyers.

Cool, I've just finished putting together my army today and really am trying to go the warrior route. I only bought the battleforce and anilihation barge so far, but I made the ark into a ghost ark just for that strategy. I figure death marks and AB can help draw fire away from the blob of hard to put down warriors.

Have you had any problems with particular units from other armies whiping your unit out before it can replenish its ranks?

Manticores smash warrior blobs like there is no tomorrow, as do griffons, hellturkeys, large amounts of heavy bolters and pretty much every other source of AP 4 en-masse.

It is because of this that I think that warrior phlanx is not very competitive at all.

ShadarLogoth wrote:

Manticores smash warrior blobs like there is no tomorrow, as do griffons, hellturkeys, large amounts of heavy bolters and pretty much every other source of AP 4 en-masse.

It is because of this that I think that warrior phlanx is not very competitive at all.

Um, if Helldrakes invalidate Warrior blobs by there mere existence then they invalidate every Space Marine army in the game, because Warriors at least have RP to fall back on, giving them completely superior RPP numbers.

Seriously, this is just tragically wrong. It's like saying the new Tau invalidate Cron Air because of their efficient anti-air.

Spread out if you are fighting things like Hellturkeys, and use cover if you are facing AP 4 en-masse. It's not that complicated. I never lose more then a couple of bases per Hellturkey salvo. They are, quite literally, the least of my worries as a Necron player who always includes one blob of Warriors.

I forget the IC name, but the guy who causes darkness and rains lightning. Throw him in to limit the enemies sight distance.

Imotekh, ironically the name of the poster who is bashing this strategy...

Kevcron

Ignore the haters. The key to making a blob work are resiliency and contingency. IE, make it at least "competent" in CC and it will function much better. This is why Phaeron most certainly isn't worthless, as 40 Gauss Flayer Shots followed by 40 CC attacks is quite respectable, no matter who you are assaulting. Toss in a WS/MSS Lord/Overlord, and you mean business. Not strong enough to take out a full CC army on its own, of course. But plenty strong enough to finish a weakened opponent off if it gets close.

The other good support options have already been mentioned. Res Orbs are good, and Ghost Arcs are great. I wouldn't recommend more then 1 or 2 blocks at the most though, to leave room for other elements.

My 2 cents.



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but you're gaining a half dozen back a turn at best, and a single Heldrake can drop that many or more.

If you have more then 4 bases per turn getting hit by Flame templates, you really need to work on your spacing.

 skoffs wrote:
I am both amused and saddened by people who think the only way to play 'Crons is with tons of Nightscythes.

Run your Phalanx, my good man. Follow the advice given in this thread and you should do well.
(additionally, consider running a shooty RCDI to hijack the Ghost Ark. Makes for one scary gunboat, if you're facing Marines)

katfude wrote:
Another vote of confidence for the warrior blob. I run 2 barges, one with 10 inside, 1 empty bought for the 20 on foot.

Arks ride on either side, shooting stuff and the blob has an overlord with Res Orb standing everything back up.

I'm adding up to 6 warriors back in a turn from the arks. You either shoot my blob and it keeps coming back, or shoot my arks and have a block of nasties in your face. Lose/lose.

If my block dies (only happened once) the group of ten can jump out and gain the double ark benefit if need be.

Worked fine against any opponent I've played, friendly, competitive and any codex. Heck, some locals think it's cheesier than croissant spam now.

Having a ton of fun with it under IA12 Necron rules. First round of combat I get 20 (40 with a Phaeron charge) shred attacks for 10 points? Yes, please!

 Mitranekh the Omniscient wrote:
I haven't run the cron blob but I believe it to be viable. Canny placement of Lords with Orbs, Ghost Arks etc are useful for topping them up. You basically have bolters though so against MEQ some better AP weapons would be useful. I'd also use immortals for the increased save and weapon power dotted about, you have less men but they're tougher and more powerful.
Similar to Green Tide lists, you may want some distraction units like Scarabs or FOs to tie down shoots units or destroy vehicles

 skoffs wrote:
Pretty simple: combat Lords/Overlords at the front, Crypteks/Zahndrekh-esque characters at the back.

If using Wraiths/Scarabs, keep them behind something, not out in front of the Phalanxes. Their movement is enough that they should be able to get in place easily for the counter assault when needed. Something like Lychguard with shields, however, would go in front.
Spyders are tricky, though. They're tough and can really hurt things, so you kinda want them up in the action... but on the other hand, their ability to repair Ghost Atks and spawn Scarabs is pretty valuable, so you also want to keep them out of harms way if you can avoid it.

 Paradigm wrote:
Speaking as someone who plays against this kind of cron army very frequently, it is certainly effective, 30-40 warriors are difficultto remove with shooting, even more so with the arks. The major weakness with this type of list is things that can get into CC quickly, as a couple of squads of DP ASM can usually take a turn of fire hiding behind the Drop pod and then hit hard enough the next turn to run down a warrior squad, so make sure you have a plan to counter DS CC units, or fast units like TWC.

I find 15 is the sweet spot for warrior squad sizes, 10 is too small and 20 is a little unwieldy when trying to manoeuvre and apply force concentration. Keep a Semp Res Orb Scythe lord in each one, and they become pretty tough and have the potential to take the punch out of CC units with challenges.

Other good additions to this kind of list are a D-Lord and wraiths for countering your CC weakness, a maxed squad of immortals for some resilience to AP4 and a nice boost to defensive firepower with tesla. A couple of anni barges make a good, fast detachment to move up a flank and put down most threats, they are great against infantry as well as medium vehicles (and good at forcing saves on MCs as well). Finally, a Triarch Stalker can be really good here, AV13 in cover (just stand him behind some warriors or between a couple of arks) is pretty tough, and the ability to TL fire is an excellent force multiplier for your warrior squads.

Kangodo wrote:
I don't really like a R-Orb in groups of 15.
Just some math:
It improves RP by only 1. That means on average you need 6 dead warriors to make the Orb useful.
The Orb is 2.5 times as expensive as a Warrior, so you need 15 dead Warriors before it got its points back.
They already resurrect on a 5+, the 4+ is (in my opinion) only worth it in expensive groups or in 20-blobs.

Stalkers are awesome, but they are also a big "SHOOT ME" if you only take one.

Imothek and Pulse-teks are great for warrior-lists, since they will take care of all the Large Blasts that can ruin your day.

ShadarLogoth wrote:

That's a very good question, and definitely not a noob question as its a pretty common perspective to have. The question is, would you rather have Overwatch shots, or 20 extra attacks, plus them losing Xbases extra attacks, plus an extra War Scythe attack, plus get to choose who ends up base to base with each other on the charge (critical if you have MSS). The assaulting unit almost always comes out ahead in these equations, regardless if the units themselves are shooty or assaulty based. Phaeron effectively makes the Warrior blob a hybrid unit (like Grey Hunters), particularly when you start adding Imothek, or War Scythes, or MSS...etc. Even though your I2, your going to soften the unit up with rapid fire first, and if you have been shooting them a turn or two before this, their generally isn't much left to punch you, even if they punch first. Like I showed above, 40 rapid fire shots can kill 4 to 5 MEq bases. So a full squad of Grey Hunters or ASM would be cut and half before CC even began. Makes a pretty big difference.
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