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Looking for your collective thought and advice regarding troop selection for deployment via drop-pod. What I want to do is use a drop pod to deploy a carnifex distractor squad, with the aim of (1) obtaining a degree of board control / blocking (2) delete or at least very badly deplete some of my opponents heavy/elite infantry or alternatively (3) heavily damage enemy vehicles. My goal is to do with from medium range, rather than melee.

So I’d like some advice on three options:

1. A Plasma Party Party
2. Groovy Gravity Group
3. Mixer Madness

Plasma Party Party

As the name suggests, this is all about bringing a party of plasma marines to crash the my opponents party With this option, I am leanings towards taking the drop pod with the storm bolter, so that it provides at least one more threat to the enemy, and thereby also acting as ‘ablative’ armour of sorts.

As I see it, there are three ways to do this: (A) Devastators, (B) Veterans or (C) sternguard veterans. As I want to use a drop-pod for the flavour, hell blasters are out.

With option A, I am leaning towards at least one squad of Devastators as follows:
• Sergeant with combi-plasma
• Four marines with plasma cannons and
• Armorium cherub.

I’ve seen people suggesting taking a couple of extra marines as ‘ablative armour’. So one of my questions is do people think arming the drop-pod will partly negate the need for a few bolter-only sacrificial marines in the squad?

The other suggestion I’ve seen is having what I will term a ‘re-roll’ factory to boost the durability and damage output of the devastators. Two common combos are captain (re-roll 1s to hit) and lieutenants (re-roll 1s to wound) or an ancient (pop off another shot when being killed) and / apothecary (revive fallen marines). So, if you were doing to jam a drop pod full of a Devastator plasma party, would you just go two squads of 5 as per above, or would you go a larger squad with a few extra marines as ablative armour and a re-roll factory? If you did go a re-roll factory, would you go the captain/lieutenant with both being armed with combi-plasmas or ancient (armed with combi plasma) / apothecary, or all four? (or is that overkill?).

Do you see any value in having a librarian armed with a combi-plasma?

TL;RD: would you go 2 x 5 devastator squads all armed with plasma, or go a squad of between 6 and 8 devastators (5 armed with plasma, a few ‘ablative’ bolter marines) and a re-roll factory? If you went the re-roll factory, which units?

Option B is based on using plasma-equipped company veterans. My thinking was a squad of 5 marines. I’m not sure if the ‘any space marine veteran’ includes the Sergeant. Assuming it doesn’t, then squad load-out would be:
1. Sergeant with combi-plasma
2. Other veteran marines with combi-plasma’s (because, if needed can also shoot the bolter, stats otherwise same as plasma gun)

So question again is: do I go 2 x 5 plasma veteran squads, or do make a couple of 4-marine units and pair them up with a re-roll factory? I see a nice synergy between command squad bodyguard ability and having a nice meaty re-roll factory equipped to add some additional fire-power to the plasma party party Thoughts?

Option C is based on using the drop pod to drop in a stroppy sternguard plasma party into the party. . I’m not sure if the ‘any space marine veteran’ includes the Sergeant. Assuming it doesn’t, then squad load-out would be:
1. Sergeant with combi-plasma
2. 2 marines with plasma cannons (good chance of more than 1 shot at a longer range than the combi/gun rapid fire range), 2 marines with combi-plasma’s (because, if needed can also shoot the bolter, stats otherwise same as plasma gun) OR
3. all the other 4 marines loaded out with combi-plasmas.

So, to my mind a key issue with whether to go 2 x 5 of the above squads, or go a larger squad (say, of 8) with combi-plasmas and have a small re-roll factory to boost their effectiveness. Thoughts?

Groovy Gravity Group

The second over-arching theme I am considering for my drop-pod carnifex distractor squad is to use some grav weapons. I’ve read some interesting articles here and elsewhere (including math hammer related) that suggest that grav weapons can, in some circumstances, produce better anti-heavy infantry outcomes than plasma. Given that one of the primary aims of these drop-pod squads is to liquidate some of my opponents heavy/elite infantry, I was thinking of a couple of different options: devastators or stern guards.

The first option would be to again use Devastators, but have the four marines equipped with grav-cannons and grav-amps, and the sergeant with a combi-plasma. So, as with the plasma party party, would you take 2 x 5 squads, or a larger squad with some ablative marines and a re-roll factory?

The second option would be to go with stern guards with the following load out:
• Sergeant with combi-plasma
• 2 marines with grav-cannons and grav-amps
• 2 marines with combi-plasmas.

Again, interested to see if people would go 2 x 5 of the above squads, or go a single larger squad and a re-roll factory. Also interested in peoples views on combi-grav weapons instead of combi-plasmas.

Mixer Madness

This is my least preferred option. In this option, basically I aim for a mix of weapons. For example, a devastator squad with a las cannon, one grav-cannon and grav-amp, maybe a missile launcher and a healthy dose of plasma. Ditto for the sternguard squad version.

So, now that you’ve read my essay of options, would love to hear your thoughts! by way of a bit of background, I’m a fairly new player, I play a custom chapter (stealthy and master artisan chapter tactics), and I’m just looking to have some fun with a drop-pods and deep striking. I’d like to be competitive locally, but this is more about having a decently competitive and FUN list to play with more than building a meta-winning list, if that makes sense.

Anyway, all comments and thoughts appreciated. Thanks for reading.
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