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I’m thinking probably full Steel Legion list. Probably a battalion with a chimera for each infantry squad. A couple of Leman Russ Battle Tanks with plasma. Tech priests to take care of them. Perhaps a Taurox or two with Bullgryns and ministorum priests inside. Then, the Supreme Command Detachment for more leaders and the Baneblade. But which Baneblade? Most of this list is about the infantry getting around fast with some armor to back them up.

Shadowsword. It's arguably the best one in general, and in your case you have a lot of anti-infantry units but limited ability to deal with the big stuff. The Shadowsword fixes that problem in one nice neat 500 point package.

Stormlord and go for mellee ig.

How would you play melee IG? I like the Idea.

Covenant wrote:
How would you play melee IG? I like the Idea.

Take Baneblades/Shadowswords with heavy flamers, use the stratagem that makes them hit on a 2+, wipe squads off the table with one of the best melee units in the game.

Covenant wrote:
How would you play melee IG? I like the Idea.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/760841.page

Would you still take a shadowsword over a standard baneblade vs Tyranids? My main issues are the flyrants and with only getting on average 6 shots, half of those hit...Seems like getting past the 4++ and possible 5+++ might be an issue with a lower number of shots..

 Billagio wrote:
Would you still take a shadowsword over a standard baneblade vs Tyranids? My main issues are the flyrants and with only getting on average 6 shots, half of those hit...Seems like getting past the 4++ and possible 5+++ might be an issue with a lower number of shots..

You might have a higher number of shots, but each of those shots does much less damage. The Shadowsword has a bit more than half the average shots of a Baneblade, but each shot that gets through does more than twice the average damage (significantly more than that if there's no invulnerable save to make the AP difference relevant). The net result is that the Shadowsword will average more wounds per turn.

A magnetized baneblade is the best baneblade.

Unless you meet necrons. In which case you're screwed with all that high damage weapons

 Peregrine wrote:

 Billagio wrote:
Would you still take a shadowsword over a standard baneblade vs Tyranids? My main issues are the flyrants and with only getting on average 6 shots, half of those hit...Seems like getting past the 4++ and possible 5+++ might be an issue with a lower number of shots..

You might have a higher number of shots, but each of those shots does much less damage. The Shadowsword has a bit more than half the average shots of a Baneblade, but each shot that gets through does more than twice the average damage (significantly more than that if there's no invulnerable save to make the AP difference relevant). The net result is that the Shadowsword will average more wounds per turn.

Fair enough! I was figuring that between the misses and the high invul there would be a good chance to maybe only get 1 or 2 shots through, and then youre up to the dice gods on what you roll for the 2D6. The flat 3 damage might be nice there for some consistency.

Earlier you mentioned getting a 2+ to hit baneblade using stratagems, the only thing I can find is the vostroyan one which would make it a 3+ to hit, how are you adding another BS (or were you using your target as a TITANIC unit for the extra BS)?

 Billagio wrote:
The flat 3 damage might be nice there for some consistency.

Remember, you have a 97% chance of rolling at least a 3 on 2D6.

Earlier you mentioned getting a 2+ to hit baneblade using stratagems, the only thing I can find is the vostroyan one which would make it a 3+ to hit, how are you adding another BS (or were you using your target as a TITANIC unit for the extra BS)?

Not for shooting, for melee. There's a stratagem that makes a tank WS 2+ when it charges.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Billagio wrote:
The flat 3 damage might be nice there for some consistency.

Remember, you have a 97% chance of rolling at least a 3 on 2D6.

Sure, but with the regular baneblade youve got double the shots. Im just saying you have a bigger chance of whiffing with the shadowsword vs that 4++. That being said I think youre right, the shadowsword is better. What regiment would you use? I was thinking vostroyan for the +1 BS stratagem, but cadian rerolling 1s isnt much worse and it synergises with the relic and OLFoF Strat

Take Stormlord:
Stuff it full of plasma teams
???
Profit

Leman Russes and plasma guns can handle tyranids. You take the shadowsword so a knight doesn’t stomp all over your army.

I've been on the Shadowsword's side for ages, but I agree, I think the Baneblade is now back on the menu. My mate has been arguing this for a while, and I think I'm coming round to his way of seeing things.

Any knight worth its salt will have at least a 4++. Expected damage of a Shadowsword main gun is 10.19 against that. A Baneblade main gun does 5.27, and its demolisher does 1.17.

If the knight has bulwark and rotates its shields (which ofc it's gonna do against these guns!) things get very close: SS does 6.8 and BB does 4.68+1.03, so 6.8 vs 5.71. (If the knight only has 5++, the SS races into a big lead.)

So yes, it comes out behind the shadowsword, but not by much, and the big takeaway is that NEITHER is doing much against a tanky Castellan on its own.

On the other hand, the Baneblade main gun shreds a wide variety of targets, especially low wound/high invuln targets. And those things are everywhere. 3d6 shots, S9, -3, 3D is pretty much the perfect profile against a lot of targets.

 grouchoben wrote:
Expected damage of a Shadowsword main gun is 10.19 against that.

The Shadowsword is doing an average of 13.61 wounds against the knight, not 10.19. You seem to be forgetting that the Shadowsword is +1 to hit against titanic units, including with its four lascannon sponsons which add another 3.11 wounds (33% more firepower than the Baneblade's equivalent).

 Peregrine wrote:

 grouchoben wrote:
Expected damage of a Shadowsword main gun is 10.19 against that.

The Shadowsword is doing an average of 13.61 wounds against the knight, not 10.19. You seem to be forgetting that the Shadowsword is +1 to hit against titanic units, including with its four lascannon sponsons which add another 3.11 wounds (33% more firepower than the Baneblade's equivalent).

This. And then I’d recommend Valhallan doctrines, so that as long as you have at least 7 wounds you’re firing at full BS. Unfortunately steel legion doesn’t have the best vehicle doctrines. Tallarn could be an option as well to null deploy your tanks.
And if you do go up against a Castellan, go for “old grudges” as your warlord trait. You’ll still have plenty of CP with Kurov’s Aquila, but being able to quickly kill the biggest threat to your list will be worth it.

Yes you're right, thanks. That changes things a great deal...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also Old grudges is immense... I use it on my 3 conquerers, giving them reroll all hits and wounds on the target when within 24". They do insane damage.

Banesword.
Because it looks awesome.