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I'm about to use my deathmarks in a game and I have been hearing how great it is to be able to deepstrike in during an enemy turn with deathmarks or with Zandrekh's special rule. Really though, what are the tactical advantages to this? All it does is give the enemy a turn to shoot at them before you get to use them.

With Zahndrekh it can put units on objectives when an opponent least expects them, potentially throwing their entire plan off. Also allowing you to get CC units in their face quickly (eg. Wraiths). And if you're playing friendly games, there's nothing like the look on someone's face when a Monolith suddenly shows up in their deployment zone and they've got nothing nearby that can crack that AV14 shell.

For Deathmarks, it's assumed someone screwed up during the writing process. (their special rule's name is "Ethereal Interception", allowing them to appear in response to an enemy unit entering from reserves. As it is, they just show up... and sit there. In 5th edition, this made zero sense, as their fluff indicated that they would lay in ambush for prey before popping out of the ether to precision assassinate their target. But then 6th came along, bringing with it a new rule that allowed certain units to be able to fire in the opponent's shooting phase! Even the name of the rule (Interceptor) and the Deathmark rule (Ethereal Interception) were similar enough that everyone thought surely Deathmarks would be updated to include this rule and would finally be able to use it and have it make sense!
...
But FAQs came and went, and yet still no errata was seen.
As a result, the rule on them is pretty much useless.
We're hoping once the new codex comes out (next year? if rumors are to be believed) that they'll be updated to include the missing rule, and the rules might actually be able to reflect the fluff.

Well if you're just going to deep strike there the next turn anyways, I would say it's not much of a difference. I suppose it's good because you can get into assault the 2nd turn, but you'll still have to tough a turn of being shot at before that, the same as always.

That would be a sweet rule for deathmarks though, here's hoping.

With Zen, you do it with wraiths-so they can move and assault next turn.

The deathmarks...honestly its not that great.

they might be awesome for maelstorm of war missions when you deny opponent those easy backfield objectives when they lack objective secured units.

Wraiths and flayed ones. Nom nom nom turn two. Great against drop pod lists.

Flayed Ones!!! Bwaaahahaha that's a good one. Flayed ones.... I'll be chuckling all day over that one. They have the dubious distinction of being an assault "specialist" unit that's even worse at assault than the mandrake.

 Nova nick wrote:
I'm about to use my deathmarks in a game and I have been hearing how great it is to be able to deepstrike in during an enemy turn with deathmarks or with Zandrekh's special rule. Really though, what are the tactical advantages to this? All it does is give the enemy a turn to shoot at them before you get to use them.

It basically lets you choose when to bring them in from reserve, but with the penalty you mentioned. Any time your opponent brings in reserves you can choose to bypass your own reserve roll with Deathmarks and bring your own in right then.

Arriving by deep strike normally doesn't allow you to shoot (or is it snap shot only?) unless you're in rapid fire range because you counted as "moved that turn", but if you DS in on his turn then on yours you'll be able to take a full BS shot at their weapon max range. If your target is his DS unit, his guys would still be sitting there like ducks in a fustercluck.

Goes like this:

His turn...
Marine drop pod lands and pops out some tac marines.
You choose to make them your marked enemy and DS your Deathmarks a full 24" away.
He can't shoot them with his bolters (or can only snap shot?) because he counted as "moved that turn". He might be able to run a bit, but hiding is difficult.
His other units theoretically could shoot at you, but you're too smart to give them LOS, right?

Your turn...
Blast them at max range with snipery goodness on very easy to wound targets.
Profit?

Tac marines would be able to shoot non heavy weapons as normal after droppod disembark. Heavy weapons as snapshots. Same as 6th

Ok, maybe it is good for nothin'

Rapid fire can shoot normally after arriving from deepstrike. There's no advantage there.

I never understood what the advantage was with deathmarks either. My necron friend when i was in South Korea for awhile did it all the time against both my tau and my orks - both of which just turned and annihilated them immediately.

Literally the only units i see should ever deepstrike are units that have damn good guns, i.e. tau, or can be massed reliably via droppods to not worry about being 100% mopped up before they can do anything. I believe BA still have assault out of deepstrike units, but since they took that away from my beloved Zagstruk i imagine they might take it from BA too when their new codex drops.

Thats why i find the Zagstruk formation the orks have in the ghazzy supp to be totally pointless. Cool, i have a gakton of stormboyz that scatter 1D6 rather than 2...big deal youre going to roast most of them before they do anything lol.
Which is exactly what happened to my friend's Deathmarks literally every single game whether i was facing him or not that he brought them in on the opponents turn

Moral of the story: until Deathmarks get errata'd to include the Interceptor rule, don't use the Ethereal Interception rule... unless it's turn 5 and you need to capture an uncontested objective.

If you arrive during the opponent's turn, he doesn't get to Interceptor fire at you.

True because interceptor is after opponents movement phase. However, the entire army will fire at it anyway.

Contesting an objective is what it's about.
Not worthless, and it isn't like necrons are tight on elite slots anyway.

I'd consider a minimum squad in reserve as objective contesting.

-Matt

Why does everyone bring that up? You can contest an objective just as easily by deepstriking during your turn.

Not for maelstorm of war

You have a necron warrior unit on an objective about to be charged. A very expensive screen of 5 deathmarks deepstrikes in to get in the path of the unit and absorb the charge themselves. Only scenario that I can think of which will be slightly advantageous...