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A lot of the talk here on Dakka is about the best units to take in an army - hence you see frequent discussions about things such as Heldrakes, Long Fangs, Riptides, Wraiths, TH/SS terminators, Vendettas, and the like.

While those units may be the most effective for their points, tactical utility is not the only consideration some players have when building their armies.

So what I'd like to ask is which units have you decided NOT to take, even though they would be effective on a battlefield - and why?

I never took the Doom of Malant'ai when I was a 'Nid player, because it was too goddam good and way too broke, (however, my experience with the 'Nids was that the entire army was too broken, so I might be missing something)

Doom Scythe - I just don't have the courage to drop an AB! They are too frakking AWESOME for me to fill a Heavy slot with something other than an AB (not to mention how expensive the DS is compared to the ABs)

P.S: When are we getting a 6th bat-rep Hedgehog? I really want to read another White Scar's adventure

I cannot bring myself to field regular ork warbikers. They may be awesome when you get a bunch of them, and count them as troops, but I just think the models are so cool that it pains me to take them off the board from one wound. So I only run them as nob warbikers.

If it helps me win, Im taking it
But nahh, I resolved to never take lilith. To scary man

 TheDraconicLord wrote:
P.S: When are we getting a 6th bat-rep Hedgehog? I really want to read another White Scar's adventure

Yeah

Other chapter's special characters. I'm an Ultramarine player. Yes, Vulcan lists are powerful, but he is too distinct. No real way to re-name him to something a little more generic. I keep thinking about a Lysander counts-as. He's just a hard-core terminator captain, fits most fluff.

With my growing Eldar army I'm passing a lot of stuff up for thematic reasons. I'm running a Saim-Hann force. If something gets mud on it, it can stay home. Jetbikes, Gravtanks, and flyers. Fast moving aspect warriors might get an exception, and guys riding in transports get a pass. But war walkers, wraith lords/knights and support batteries are right out.

There is a lot of stuff I don't field, not for philosophical reasons, but because I"m a WYSWYG kinda guy. I just don't own any.

I make the special exception for a Wraithlord in my Saim-hann force, only because I love the model.

I wrote my Guard fluff to justify my irrational refusal to field Valkyries and Vendettas. The most annoying WAAC player I know ran roughshod with meltavets in Vendettas in 5th, and I don't want to invite comparisons.

Imo any army = fluffy. If it is in the book then it is fluffy

The riptide, and missilesides.
First of all, they are both very expensive kits, and I'm not sold ( ) on their worth.
Secondly, I am quite happy with the options I have currently filling my elites and heavy support slots, and those units don't really fit with the theme of my army.

Finally, because it's more fun playing 'different' lists. The other night I heard "Since the new codex came out I haven't seen a Tau list without missilesides". Not only does it provide a bit of variety for my opponents, but it means that the tactics they are used to using won't work on my army.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
If it helps me win, Im taking it
But nahh, I resolved to never take lilith. To scary man

>"if it helps me win, I'm taking it"
>plays dark eldar in 6th
>I know the pain

Vanguard Veterans, Is like trowing money in the fire.

Vespids.
Because they cost too much ($) (though eventually id like to get some (metal))
and they go in the fast attack slot.

Melta Dominions in a melta Immolator.

Supposedly they're great at slaughtering vehicles, but I just don't really like them for some reason. I can't think of a reason why they'd be awful at what they do, but I simply can't bring myself to take Dominions. Maybe if they could take 4 meltaguns in a 5-woman squad it'd be different. Just feels like too little firepower when I'd only get 2 meltaguns and maybe a multimelta on the Immolator if I tack on an extra bunch of points over taking a Rhino.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the unit and they're really supposed to be a 10-woman squad with 4 meltaguns in a Rhino, though, but that would be even more points required for only one extra weapon.

Night Scythes and Wraiths because the guys I play with already complain about how OP Necrons are when I use nothing but troops and Ghost Arks.

wilsjur wrote:
I never took the Doom of Malant'ai when I was a 'Nid player, because it was too goddam good and way too broke, (however, my experience with the 'Nids was that the entire army was too broken, so I might be missing something)

Yes the DoM is good, but if you mean the entire Nid army is broken in an overpowered way... Your meta is effed up.

I play Chaos and I don't own or plan on owning a Heldrake. I prefer Raptors in my FA Slot.

hellpato wrote:
Vanguard Veterans, Is like trowing money in the fire.

I have ten f those, they now just sit in my display case

 Blackhair Duckshape wrote:
Night Scythes and Wraiths because the guys I play with already complain about how OP Necrons are when I use nothing but troops and Ghost Arks.

haha seriously??

I ran NS and Wraiths in my first game with them and EVERYONE got into me for an OP list... I lost the game very badly!! maybe take it a couple of times and deliberately loose

I don't field the combination of 5 x Deathmark's and 1 x Veil tech with the auto hit 2+ to wound AP 2 flamer. THAT is a little broken....

I refuse to use any Wraith constructs for my Craftworld despite knowing that Wraithguard jumping out of Wave Serpent is crushing.

Aspect Warrior squads without an exarch. A real Aspect shrine never goes to war without their exarch!

I wouldn't say I don't use good units, but I don't spam them to the extent The Internet tells me I need to.

I take a single Dakka Flyrant. I take a single Tervigon and a single minimum brood of Termagants. I take no Trygons at all.

I take plenty of units The Internet tells me are absolute rubbish - Hormagaunts, Warriors, Carnifexes, Venomthropes.

The Internet lies. I still do fine.

With my Eldar I never take jet bikes, even though they are pretty much the best troops choice we have. it really has nothing to do with not liking them or even general principle, I just don't have any and they're quite expensive.

I only bring my Heldrake once every 10-20 games when I play my Chaos. Using a drake just feels like playing on easy mode, especially because my meta isnt very flyer heavy, and thus most armies aren't built to have much, if any effective air support. some might call it bad list building, but we just aren't all that into flyers for the most part.

Vendettas, because I don't care if it craps rainbows and dispenses candy, I'm not paying 70 bucks for a single flyer that looks like an apache front end welded to a dumpster with wings.

I don't take Special characters 99% because I like to name and give a story to my Commanders. I could just rename/paint a Special Character, but that kinda robs the fun out of it. When you make your own Commander, you get to pick his/her gear and make the story on why they use X/Y/Z.

I also do not take allies or use Tau auxiliaries. I'm a bit of a Tau Purist.

I've not taken units for the explicit point of dispelling the myths of certain units (whether bad or good).

The "best" units in a codex are so because they're the best for the not-strictly-40k games that get played at tournaments, and are the most mindless way to victory in a dice game.

That doesn't actually make them the best, and I like giving people who can't think for themselves some options, whether they choose to exercise them, or not.

Generally, it's not too difficult to figure out what people fawn over and then not take those.

Da Orks. I normally just pick at random what I want to play and then build an army around them, for a long time I haven't played in Tournies and the rule have changed a lot since 4th.

But if I were to make a Tournament Level Mob. I wouldn't take Stormboys, Kommandos, Tankbustas, Flash Gitz, Meganobs, No planes, Deffkoptas, Warbuggies, Killa Kanz, Looted Wagon, Trukks Weird Boys or Old Zogwort.
I would only take Burnas in a mob of 5 with 3 Meks and only as Vehicle support.
Nobs only as Bikkers
If I take a Big Mek with a SAG it would only be with 3 units of Big Gunz, ADL, and Quadgun.

 Pouncey wrote:
Melta Dominions in a melta Immolator.

Two meltaguns, the TL Faith power and Outflank to come in exactly where you want, which is behind that Hammerhead/Landraider etc. Dead tank with a good chance that the Immolator won't have to shoot at it and can try to kill a second vehicle.

As for what I leave at home, hmm... I bought a used Land Raider for my marines but have never actually used it. It's big, scary, tough, and costly in points that can be used for something else like a couple extra scoring units.

I won't take ally units. For some reason it just feels really cheap for me to pick and choose really powerful units from other armies to bolster my force. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way. Plus I play Chaos so it never makes sense from a fluff perspective.