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.

I am in a 1500 point tournament this weekend and my first game is against a ravenwing bike list. They shouldnt be too much trouble as Im playing vanilla marines. However any help with strategies to counter bike lists would help very much.

bring a heavy alpha strike army, Bike lists suffer horribly if you can hit them hard. Drop pods work great here. focus down his blacknights and or RWCS.

Alpha Strike?

Make sure you bring an Orbital Strike.

I find simple volume of fire takes bike out. They can only make so many 3+ saves. Grav cannons with tiggy eat them easy. Roll for ignore cover and prescience.

Like everything else dump wounds on it.

Bonus points for ignore cover and High Str.

But tactics to actually counter bike mobility? probably bring your own mobility with transports or drop pods.

Hit the banner and the darkshroud - without those the army loses a lot of its potency.

Ignores cover is your friend. Do Thunderfire cannons have an ignores-cover mode?

TFC indeed has a ignore cover at Str5????

So it should be decent at putting on the wounds (though if they spread out it wont be as effective)

As a SPess Marhine, and unless you know they run a ton of meltas, Landraider redeemers might be a good match.

TFC is only more effective if they're rocking a 2+ cover...otherwise its not an optimal weapon for this.

(Sorry to keep making IA:2 references - I'm still in the honeymoon stage with the book)
Are you aware of the legacies of glory that SM vehicles are allowed to buy if you allow FW (doesn't need to be a FW vehicle)? One of them is called Battle of Keylek which gives a vehicles weapon Ignores Cover for 35pts. May be a good idea on a vindi if playing a bike spam.
Plenty of grav and plasma helps too - there are only so many jink saves they can make. And if they are jinking they are not causing enough casualties to your plasma or grav units to prevent you doing it all over again next turn.

Try a couple of flyers.