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So with all of the trading I've been doing I've come into a butte load of Karsikans and Valkyries. I'd heard that the IG Air Cav was pretty tough, so I put one together using the Karsikans as Vets with carapace armor.

Karsikan Air Cav (1850)
-HQ-
CCS w/ 3 plasma, 2 bodyguards, Astropath, Carapace Armor (Ran out of Karsikans so I'm using the old Stormtroopers)

-Troops-
Vet Squad w/ 3 Plasma and Carapace Armor
Vet Squad w/ 3 Plasma and Carapace Armor
Vet Squad w/ 3 Plasma and Carapace Armor
Vet Squad w/ 3 Melta and Carapace Armor
Vet Squad w/ 3 Melta and Carapace Armor
Vet Squad w/ 3 Melta and Carapace Armor

-Fast Attack-
Valkyrie Squadron x3 w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Vendetta Squadron x2
Vendetta Squadron x2

That's it. So far I've played 2 games with it, Necron Bakery and a Tyranid Breeder that had no flyer defence. Set up takes no time at all. I field the Melta vets in the Valkyries, and the plasma in the Vendettas. Thinking of taking this to my next tourney rather than my standard IG toolbox, but I'm not sure what I need to look out for. Opinions? Comments? Secrets to Immortality?

Are you aware you can't have every squad in a flier, as that way, you have no units on the board Turn one and will auto-lose at the end of the turn? I'd suggest dropping one or two squads of veterans to get a platoon or two to hold an objective in your Deployment Zone.

The Idea was to use all of the Karsikan models I'd gotten, guess I could start with a couple of units on the board.....

I see. You do need something on the board, so a platoon would be a good bet. How about using a couple of the Kasrkin squads as stormtroopers instead?

If only. 6th ed killed off air-cav as we used to know it, because at least you used to be able to start valkyries and vendettas on the board. No longer.

The best you can do is a hybrid air-cav. Have three units of stormtroopers scouting forward in their chimeras and then have three units of vets in vendettas kind of a thing.

Just play the Elysian drop troops list from IA3 (2nd edition). You can deep strike half your Valkyries on turn 1, fixing the auto-loss problem. And you can also take Valkyries as dedicated transports, fixing your awkward squadron problems.

 Peregrine wrote:
Just play the Elysian drop troops list from IA3 (2nd edition). You can deep strike half your Valkyries on turn 1, fixing the auto-loss problem. And you can also take Valkyries as dedicated transports, fixing your awkward squadron problems.

This is really your only option if you want to run a full air cav list

or have infilitrators? or do they count as "not being on the table" for DS purposes

i mean, its a gamble but few squads of infiltrators "recon" or failing that ally elysians from IA:3 their air drop allows a turn one valk

Yea sometimes its a good idea to read the rules, codex, and FAQ so ya dont run into the problem of getting units you dont need or that you won't be able to use.