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So I've just discovered the awesomeness that is Basilisks. 125 points for what you get is amazing. I'd like to construct a list with 6 Basilisks in teams of two as a "base", but I'm not sure what to put around it. at a 1500-1750 point level.

On the one hand, that long-range firepower will more or less force the enemy to come at me, so I'm not sure how to make the most of that - gunline blobs behind an aegis? They lack the concentrated killing power I think I need. Plasma vets behind an Aegis looks tempting - give them a doctrine and they get 3+ cover save against all shooting, with a hell of a lot of dakka too.

But I've never really run such a list. Anyone got any experience with Basilisks?

< Taken by the void dragon. >

I've flirted with the idea of a basilisk spam list myself on more than one occasion, but I've never pulled the trigger on it. The basilisk is probably the only actual example of the jack of all trades master of none being real, rather than just a way to pretend like stupid weapons and units don't suck.

The basilisk is good for stripping off hull points, but it lacks that kind of acute anti-tank power. This makes me think that you really need meltaguns. Likewise, it can throw around a lot of wounds on dispersed infantry, but, as always, it gets weaker the more damage you do, which means that you need units that can finish off already wounded squads. This would make me think of things like lasgun spam or using a lot of plasma. Anything with lots of shots, and doesn't rely on blasts or templates.

Put another way, Basilisks, and by extension basilisk spam, is good for hurting stuff, but not good for killing stuff. The rest of your army would have to be built around nothing more than finishing off half-dead units in-close, and at-range.

True. I got because they can fairly reliably strip hull points, given the huge margin of error on the scatter (thanks to 6th edition's pie plate boost) and high-strength ordinance. Allowing for a 6" scatter, you'll hit it 1/3 + 7/18= 13/18ths of the time, and strip a hull point 11/12 of the time (maths may be a little off on that). They'll even get a hull point 2/3 of the time vs AV 14. But they will not kill vehicles at range.

But if I have to take melta and plasma as well then I don't really have the points to spend on both of those.

Aegis+ camo netting just looks too expensive. If I was going to spend those points to make them tougher I'd just take Russes.

I really think there might be something in this. With so many Basilisks on the table, your enemy would be forced into pressing forward as soon as possible (except for back-field units, including scorers), straight towards your artillery. I guess I'm looking for something to exploit that.

Putting my tin foil on, I'm thinking Hellhounds. Usually they die too quickly to do any good, but in a list with 6 Basilisks in it, the enemy has to prioritise between two highly dangerous units.

I honestly think there might be something in a list with 6 Basilisks, 3 hellhounds and some meltavets.

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Problem with ADL is that I can't take one without taking an autocannon...and then it gets too expensive

< Taken by the void dragon. >

Well, I need something to deal with flyers. I just resent having to pay for it

6 is to low, go with 9 baskalisks shots, support it with chimera vets with plasma. Kill things - and push your chimeras out drawing attention away from the big guns, you will wreck face.

I would go with 3 in a squad with an allied da or sw psycher casting prescience on the unit, 1 or 2 in a second unit, and griffons in a 3rd unit. Accuracy matters.