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Hey guys, I'm looking to compete with my friends & my community and I'm having troubles competing with higher tier armies such as Eldar, Space Marines, or Daemons. I feel like I'm being out played more than I should, so please make your recommendations. I'm sticking to a Mech list, and I've been considering the Steel Host formation. I have access to quite a few models and I'm not looking to buy more unless its completely necessary. Take a look at my model list:

7 Leman Russes o any variant
3 baneblades of any variant (not looking to always rely on them)
1 Imperial Knight
3 Tauroxes/Primes
2 Basilisks
2 Wyvrens
3 Valkryies/Vendettas
3 Vulture Gunships
1 Hell hound
1 Chimera
Aegis Defense line
1 Heavy Weapons Team
2 Company/Platoon command squads
60 infantry assorted
25 Scions/Storm Troopers assorted
2 Commissars
3 Bullgryns
3 Regimental Advisors

Imperial Guard has been and always will be my favourit so I'm looking for some generalize tactics that would keep me competitive. If I need more of some type of model (IE if 8 Russes is the magic number, I'll bet 1 more) I'll consider buying more.. Thanks in advance!

How many points are you playing to start off?

Well to be honest you are more of an armored list not mech. Theres a difference, mech relies heavily on a lot of vets in chimeras,(chimeras are better than tauroxs point for point) and armored lists rely heavily on russes or even having a super heavy.

Mech lists are actually pretty competitive as dedicated transports to troops makes them count as troops so now you double your objective secured units. And with that said if your playing 2k you should have at least 5 vet squads with their chimeras. Kit them with either 3 plasma guns or 3 melta guns. Ive been having great success with 2 plasmas or meltas and then throwing in a heavy flamer as the 3rd special weapon. Then usually a vendetta or 2 as anti armor/air. Then in almost all my lists I include pask in a punisher with a hull lascannon and sponson multi meltas with an executioner partner with plasma cannon sponsons. Those russes will murder your opponents.

Now armored lists are very rough to play and require a little more skill. Obviously since its an armored list your taking very few troops whether they are vets in chimeras or small platoons. Most of your points are going into russes. 1st off start with the above pask squad I listed, it is almost mandatory with how much damage those 2 alone can do. Next I like another tank commander squadron, kitted as: Vanquisher with tank commander with hull lascannon and sponsons multimeltas and an exterminator partner with hull lascannon and sponson multi meltas. The idea with these 2 tank commander squads is that the vanquisher and exterminator pop 2 transports with their split fire orders or try to really damage them. If any transports get damaged then Pasks squadron orders split fire and murders what comes out of the dead transports. or if there not dead or theirs a bigger target coming have the executioner murder what comes out and let pask rend the heck out of another vehicle or big unit. After that your heavies are up to you. Armored lists MAJOR FLAW is that they have no ignores cover, so DE and Eldar and most bike lists will just jink and get in your face and once your tanks get assaulted or in melta range then its over... thats where good strategy comes into play. Also I prefer to have platoons to bubble wrap my tanks so they are getting a cover save as well as stopping my opponents from assaulting them.

Any questions, feel free to ask as im pretty experienced with guard.

At 1750 pts with your models I would bring something along the lines of;
*Yarrick (145 pts)
*Infantry Platoon (430 pts) 5 IS w/ lascannon and meltabombs on sarge, PCS w/ 3 flamers and HF
*Vets (90 pts) forward sentries and lascannon
*Vendetta (170 pts)
*Vulture (170 pts) w/ punisher cannon
*Vulture (170 pts) w/ punisher cannon
*Wyvern (65 pts)
*Wyvern (65 pts)
*ADL w/ Quad-gun (100 pts)
*Knight Paladin (375 pts)

You hold down your end of the table with Yarrick and the infantry blob behind the ADL. Yarrick mans the quad gun and with the ignore cover order the blobb + Yarrick will bring down a waveserpent every turn. You play the imperial knight conservatively most games as it and the PCS riding in the vendetta are your only realistic forward scoring units. This list can put out some pretty decent damage but it is a little weak at maelstorm type games, though honestly those are harsh for AM anyways so you would need to refocus your army on more imperial knights or bring some better forward scoring allies.

Points of optimization for this list are to trade the quad gun for a comms relay (wasn't sure if you had one) so as to ensure the flyers come on when you want. I also limited this to two detachments as many tournaments and metas have house rules thus. This list presented could also seriously benefit from an inquisitor to give fun time grenades and possibly prescience or a culexus assassin to mess with psykers, however the pts are tight and the weakest link in the list is the vendetta which is also one of the 2 units that can deal with AV12 flyers.

Another option would be using forgeworld army lists. Some of them would fit your models better and can make some pretty brutal lists. The elysian drop troops army list is great and the Armoured Battlegroup with imperial knight support is also very good.

Primary
HQ Tank Commander Pask
Punisher
multi melta sponsons
Lascannon
camo netting

(Buddy) Executioner
plasma sponsons
Camo Netting

Troops Vet Squad
meltas x2
Demolitions
chimera

Vet Squad
meltas x2
Demolitions
chimera

Vet Squad
meltas x2
Demolitions
chimera

Vet Squad
meltas x3
Demolitions

HS Wyvern
Wyvern
Hydra

fortification Aegis defense line
coms relay


Formation
Stormraven 200
Extra Armor 5

StormTalon 110
skyhammer missile launcher 15

StormTalon 110
skyhammer missile launcher 15



This list got me first place in a local 22 person tournament. Wen 3 rounds undefeated. I love running Mech Lists...

I didn't think that 3 special weapons was still the standard on MechVet squads given that they can only fire 2 out of the Chimera fireports now?

Should think of the transport as a second skin rather than a firing platform
chances are they will be destroyed but by then they should be up field where the guys inside can do Tons of Damage.

What I've been finding successful with my Chimera Vets, is to take 2 short range specials [like 2x Melta] with a long range special [Plasma] and a Bolter and/or Autocannon.

If you're at long range, you can snap shot an Autocannon on the move and still fire a Plasmagun. Or if you get close, you can fire a pair of Meltas at a tank, or a Plasma + Melta at an MC, or Bolter + Plasma at lighter infantry, like Nids... that sort of thing.

Including the Chimera, the BG + 2x MG + PG + AC = 171 pts

It makes them surprisingly versatile, and if the ride gets blown up, you still have a decent amount of ranged firepower to utilize, increased if something tries to get close and punch you in the face.


You could run a "cheaper" anti-horde version with 2x Flamer, 1x Grenade Launcher, 1x Bolter and 1x Heavy Bolter / AC = 151 pts.

You can't take 3 special weapons and a heavy weapon though.

Marshall Ragnar wrote:
You can't take 3 special weapons and a heavy weapon though.

You can if the heavy weapon isnt a heavy flamer

 Desubot wrote:

Marshall Ragnar wrote:
You can't take 3 special weapons and a heavy weapon though.

You can if the heavy weapon isnt a heavy flamer

And you can't take a heavy flamer as a heavy weapon choice in a HWT

in a vet squad you can take one of the following configuarations:

heavy flamer+hwt+ 2x special weapons
or
hwt+ 3x special weapons
or of course any of them by themselves

basically you can take it all but if you take the flamer it restricts your special weapons to 2 instead of 3