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http://elite40k.blogspot.fr/2015/06/analysis-skyhammer-annihilation-force.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elite40k+%28Elite+40%2C000%29&m=1

Got a new formation, unfortunately webstore exclusive, but looks rather potent?

Tactical thoughts?

My question is whether it actually has to be vanilla, or whether you can use Blood Angels? It says Tactical Squads, not Space Marine Tactical Squads, after all. Same for Assault Squads. I can't see the small print everywhere though.

What.

This is absurdly, off-the-wall bonkers good. Absolutely stunning power, honestly something I'd put well beyond Adamantine Lance, Decurions and the new Eldar.
Imagine taking 2 of these in a 1750pt game. 4 Assault, 4 Devastators. Everyone arrives Turn 1, the Devs Combat Squad. Bolter the infantry, Melta the tanks. Assaults charge and get stuck in.

It's removing all of the possible risks of deployment, movement and Deep Strike. It then supercharges your offensive output, throws some good old Morale hits for good measure, and your opponent has absolutely no possible response or counterplay beyond 'bubblewrap everything'.

I'm pretty sure if someone brought that into our escalation league, I would play him once, then tell him I was never going to play his douche list again, or probably him ever again.


All the benefits of drop pod assault, with none of the minuses BUT WAIT, THERES MOAR!!! benefits upon your already awesome benefits. Get relentless, 3D6 ldr tests, reroll wounds, double awesome jet packs, assault from reserve!!!

Its getting to the point our FLGS might just go CAD only + Ally detachments.

This has to be a joke right??

Isn't for sale in the US yet :(

Not that I'd buy it all myself, I just need devastators and pods, i could probably find someone to split it with for double goodness.

EDIT: only question is does it count as an auxiliary if taken in a Gladius Strike force?

Yowzah! Seems pretty OP!

fething sick of seeing assault from deep strike when they took the garbage one my Orks got away from us

Its like Eternal Warrior - all the heroes get it, but how common is it on the villains side?

Honestly, I think all models should be able to assault from deep strike, but yes, the formation is a little overly strong and probably primarily because it is a Webstore exclusive, not that that means you'll have to buy it to see the rules

jSewell wrote:
Honestly, I think all models should be able to assault from deep strike, but yes, the formation is a little overly strong and probably primarily because it is a Webstore exclusive, not that that means you'll have to buy it to see the rules

I agree that units deep striking should be able to assault when then enter. I never understood why they would just stand around if they deep struck next to the enemy to shoot them and then wait around to get charged? This formation is pretty OP and as quoted from above, It does seem like the good OLE SM are getting much better detachments and formations than Necrons or Eldar so far. We will see....

I'm calling it right now; this is the most powerful formation in the game. These guys will erase Wraithknights, Imperial Knights, and anything else. This is just bananas. Also, it is super cool. They've just made Assault Squads worthwhile again, and gave me a reason to not use my Dev Squads as backfield IG wannabes.

My initial reaction was "wow this is the first good space marine formation", then a few seconds later "wow this is actually probably the best formation in the game".

I had no real reason to run anything other than White Scars CAD, now I have to think of how to include this.

So how many people are going to let their opponents field this without the physical dataslate(which is only available in the bundle)?

That's just bonkers, particulary with Doctrine.

 Homeskillet wrote:
I'm calling it right now; this is the most powerful formation in the game. These guys will erase Wraithknights, Imperial Knights, and anything else. This is just bananas. Also, it is super cool. They've just made Assault Squads worthwhile again, and gave me a reason to not use my Dev Squads as backfield IG wannabes.

just keep the wraithknight in reserve and deep strike in. Yes, the formation is crazy good, but we'll have to see if it requires 10 strong units which will chew up quite a few points.

I am not a huge fan of alpha strike units and GW should realize it's detrimental to their business model (if they even have one). People buy miniatures, some even paint them, they then put them on the table and end up removing them before the game has really started. That is a surefire way to deter a new player from continuing the hobby.

Actually you can cancel Overwatch on 4 units simply by combat squadding your Devastators.

Will be fielding this in my Mantis Warriors

That is mental! What on earth are they thinking?
-Arrives T1 or T2 ... YOU CHOOSE!
-Relentless on Devs (MASSIVE - how do you bubble wrap against grav cannons or multimeltas with their range?)
-GtG rolls are incredibly strong when it gives...
-Rerolls to hit and wound for the assault squad that can assault when they arrive and get to use their JPs to assault so get HoW too.
-Can be combined with CTs for silly powerlevels.


And they make BA pay a 30 tac marine and 3 stormraven tax to be able to make our assault squads able to assault from DS (and not on T1). Do they realise what they are doing to the game?

BA is essentially a Codex:SM draft to see what works and should be made better for the boys in blue

 bullyboy wrote:

 Homeskillet wrote:
I'm calling it right now; this is the most powerful formation in the game. These guys will erase Wraithknights, Imperial Knights, and anything else. This is just bananas. Also, it is super cool. They've just made Assault Squads worthwhile again, and gave me a reason to not use my Dev Squads as backfield IG wannabes.

just keep the wraithknight in reserve and deep strike in. Yes, the formation is crazy good, but we'll have to see if it requires 10 strong units which will chew up quite a few points.

I am not a huge fan of alpha strike units and GW should realize it's detrimental to their business model (if they even have one). People buy miniatures, some even paint them, they then put them on the table and end up removing them before the game has really started. That is a surefire way to deter a new player from continuing the hobby.

Reserve your Wraithknight while this formation kills everything else on the board? I don't think the SM player will mind at all.

The article completely overstates how powerful this formation is. 10 extra useless devs are not tax?

This formation is definitely good. However getting a close enough DS with the assault marines to charge will be extremely hard to do with them not having any reduction of scatter. It helps you can combat squad the units of 10 but it is still landing 4 units of 5 somewhere assault marines with jump packs can be useful. The devs with heavy weapons is why you take this and they are a fraction of the points. Is this really better than just taking another unit of DP devs for just a little more than the cost of the extra 10 bolter devs this formation forces you to purchase? If you really think about the cost you could have had ObjSec TAC marines in pods with special weapons instead of the assault marines and almost 3 units of drop pod devs instead of 2 units and 10 extra bullet catchers. The second option is much more consistent in it's ability to win games.

Still I do like something that make jump pack assault marines even moderately useful.

Turn 1 deploy 3 or 4 landspeeders with homing beacons, turn two drop this pretty much where ever you want.

Could just this formation in turn 2 after you get rid of interceptors and have a drop pod with a locater beacon come down where you want them.

Fun OP rules for Loyalists?

I predict CSM will end up with some fun rule like Crush the Heretics! that allows all enemy models free overwatch shots at the end of every player turn if any CSM model is in range of their shooting.

Keep it fun boys!

I no like:

1) That they took away Zagstruck's Deep Strike assault and then give Space Marines, and
2) the 3D6 leadership tests will break most units, and many of those (but not most) will evaporate when they fail their regroup roll when assaulted.

If someone wanted to play this for fun, I would play against them.

I'm not seeing where it requires taking 10mans. You probably want to, but let's assume not:

UM SMs:
Devs:
MMx4, Combi-Melta

You're paying 2ppm more than Fire Dragons for a. *hell* of a lot of awesome. And 35pts for the best deployment option ever, only better.

For ASM, there will almost alaways be something for them to charge. Even otherwise-naked, a 5-man should do some damage to most rear-AV10 vehicles. Throw in a meltabomb or powermaul if you want to.

It's like Scatterbikes stupidity.

Reserving to avoid the threat? There isn't much, if anything, that isn't threatened by them. Bubble wrapping? Meltadroppong with a 24" range makes that much harder. Null deployment? He brings them in T2 if he wants.

Its like Marketing made a list of things that the balance team worked hard to prevent/remove, and is doling them out like candy to sell models. This is worse than Libby conclaves manifesting on a 2+!

And 3d6 LD? Omgwtfbbq? That is why you want 10mans. Combat squad. With UM Dev tactics up *OR* getting the alpha within 12" free, a 5man SM squad with just boltguns easily pays for itself. But they get *both*. *And* even the best of the best will be pinned half the time.

 Frozocrone wrote:
Could just this formation in turn 2 after you get rid of interceptors and have a drop pod with a locater beacon come down where you want them.

Yeah does the beacon have to be down at the start of the turn? Or can the formation pods have Homers to bring in the assault squads? It seems like you could fire the spare bolter guys at two other squads to force maximum checks before doing a huge disordered assault with the assault squads. Probably will not work for any template devs though there is too much risk of hitting your own dudes

Another good formation to point to for my idea of banning all formations.

They're too hard for TO's to keep track of. They're even hard for players to keep track of. They provide extra rules, abilities, wargear, or models at no cost. There's horrible balance across formations. Some give you every rule ever, some let your terminators run and shoot the turn they deep strike. (ಠ_ಠ)

The codices might have varying power levels, but that's nothing compared to the fluctuation between formations.

Used to be, banning formations would have been practical, but not entirely necessary. Before GW made it necessary, they made sure to make it impractical, via armies incapable of forming a CAD.

Bharring wrote:
Used to be, banning formations would have been practical, but not entirely necessary. Before GW made it necessary, they made sure to make it impractical, via armies incapable of forming a CAD.

Yeah, as a Haemonculus Covens player, I'd like to stay away from "ban all formations" and "only allow CAD+AD" lines of thought. I'm sure Harlequins players can get down on that too.

Banning formations makes Harlequins almost unplayable as they don't have a HQ, so you'd probably have to allow faction specific detachments if you did do that, although I still would say keep formations, but ban those that are detrimental to balance.

@Silverthorne, yeah the Locater Beacon has to be already on the field. Was hoping Scouts could take it but they take teleport homers instead.