Necron Tactica 6th

Special Characters HQ

Nemesor

--Probably my second favorite character in the book, Nemesor got some great buffs in 6th. His Adaptive Tactics specifically got much better---Tank Hunters is absolutely perfect for Warrior Phalanx gauss--and his Res Orb fits right at home in that same mob. Stealth is always good--and will come more into play given how Night Fight works (and how common it will become). Night Vision removes Night Fight for a unit as well--which will help with any long range shooting you have during that crucial last turn if Night Fight activates. Of course, he still has his 2+/3++ and with the new Allocation rules--can possibly be used to soak up some hits in combat/shooting if you need him to (even better if a Chronotek is attached).

Imotekh the Stormlord

I'll be the first to admit--I thought this guy was all that when I first started playing Crons. 2+/3++, free Lightning, free NightFight, etc. What a deal! Well, in 6th we get NightFight for free on a 4+--plus a Destructiontek can get us access to a Solar Flare (which is a controlled NightFight). The Lightning is terrific--until you start doing some math. So only 1/6 units will be affected--not counting reserves. So the first turn is when he's most deadly, as you haven't destroyed any units yet. Say they are MSU heavy and go 12 total exposed units on the board (Which is actually pretty heavy even for MSU). So you nab 2 units which take another D6 Str. 8 hits. Not exactly reliable. Now here's the biggest nerf in 6th for Imo--if you take allies they count as enemies. Yep, enemies you can't shoot--but enemies for his Lightning affect. So you have to roll for your own guys as well. I'm not as sold on Imo as I used to be---I think there are better choices.

Anrakyr the Traveller

First, before you ever play with this guy--you need to talk out Chariots with your enemy. Can you draw LOLS from a Chariot or not? I'm on the side of 'you can' and I think a future FAQ will address this--but it's worth a discussion as it will drastically change the way Anrakyr plays with his Mind in the Machine. So basically there are two ways to run Anrakyr--either throw him on a Barge and let him fly around Warscything things and using his Mind in the Machine---or throw in a NightScythe with his Super Immortals and a Chrono. Why a Chrono? Well, let's think about what this unit does when it lands;

Uses Mind in the Machine before shooting and takes control of an enemy tank (or flyer!!). Blast your enemy with his own stuff. (Use the Chrono reroll if need be) Shoots said tank with his Tachyon Arrow and Immortal Rapid Fire Gauss (You can use the Chrono to reroll the Arrow if need be) This is a huge morale hitter to an enemy--when they watch his Russ turn around and blast two enemy tanks (yep Ordinance is full strength with partials and Guard does love to parallel park)--then blow up the Russ.

Also you always-and I mean always have necron warriors to support him. How many times I have got killed by land raider crusader because I didn't have a unit to 'look out sir'. So when building a army always consider expandebles.

Trazyn the Infinite

So--I love this guy's fluff, he's my favorite character from the book--the ultimate Necron Troll. Too bad his rules are rather weak. Goes without saying if you run him, make sure you have several court members spread out over your army when he dies (and he probably will). He's great to eat challenges, as he has Mindshackle Scarabs--and if he dies---hell, you just got trolled son--he's really over here! He's a fun character to play.

Illuminor Szeras

So, you want some Necron ally flyers on the cheap and don't need a Lord. This is the HQ you take--otherwise, cool sculpt wasted. Not a fan.

HQ

Destroyer Lord

This guy got a big boon in 6th--as he confers his Preferred to the unit he's with. Some obvious choices would be Praetorians, Lychguard or really the best utility Deathstar Crons can run---Wraiths! Put this guy in front of the unit so he can LOS wounds one at a time to the Wraiths and what do you have? A multi-wound unit, that's Fearless and has Preferred Enemy (with rending!). That will scare most anything. Downside is--no court!

Overlord

Excellent pick--unlocks a Court and is a tough nut to crack. Throw him on a Barge, give him a Scythe and MSS and you have a very tough, relatively cheap HQ for them to get rid of. I've ran this guy with Nemesor several times--scoot up first turn for a 4+ Jink--give him Stealth for a 3+--and they have a major issue on their hands. It's amazing how much fire a 3+ AV 13 Barge can absorb--and really they can't just 'ignore' him as he'll unload the next turn. You can go all in and give him a 3++ as well--but remember, ultimately you have a 3 attack HQ--so while he won't die--he's not going to wipe units either.

Royal Court

Harbingers of the Storm

--The winners of the Royal Court in 6th edition, they'll be invited to all the parties. Voltaic staffs are just ridiculous now---take three, add a Veiltek and pick a vehicle (Or vehicle Squadron)--it's dead. First turn, see a Land Raider with TH/SS terminators sitting across the table? DS this unit and put them on foot for the rest of the game. Even if you face an infantry army with no armor--this unit drops a Str. 8 AP1 Template and puts out 12 Str. 5 shots a turn. You can either go all in with Lords and make this a nasty unit--or just consider it Meltacide Necron style.

Harbingers of Despair:

--Small buff with the new DS table, which is a bit more friendly with mishaps. Still a great Cryptek and as noted above, adds a lot of synergy with certain units. Hi

Harbinger of Destruction:

--Lost a bit of utility due to the new Night Fight rules---however gained a bit with the AP2 buff on the damage table. Pulse is still worth it--just not as "Of course!" as it was before.

Harbinger of Eternity:

--I'm probably bucking the trend here but I never consider this Cryptek that terrific. The times I actually saved him to...save someone else was far/few in between. He goes well with the Stormlord of course due to the FAQ--and if you decide your 2+/3++ Lord is going to lead your super unit and take hits for them--then you should probably include him. I don't see it happening much though.

Elite

Deathmarks

Deathmarks got two buffs in 6th. One, Rapid fire is improved and helps with their DS scatter. Two, the Sniper rule is better and will help pick out the melta/plasma/etc. in a squad when you strike on them. Combine these with a Veiltek and you have a nasty "What unit do I need dead" unit. More on this in the Court section.

Troop

Warriors

Warriors got better in 6th for a couple of reasons. One, assault is going to be much deadlier against large units. A group of 20 warriors is going to put out some serious shots with the Rapid Fire rules--and then Overwatch you the next turn when you try to assault. I say try, as if you throw a seismic crucible in the unit and enemies are taking 20 Overwatch shots, removing front casualties, then rolling 2d6 for distance then subtracting d3. That's an average 5 inches for assault--which isn't a great deal! Not to mention--the Gauss rule. So a 20 man blob shooting at 24 inches can strip 2-3 hull points from a tank--which wrecks most. If you are really concerned about the tank in question, throw Nemesor's Tank Hunter on the unit for rerolls.

Immortals

Beefed up warriors, essentially a mix of last codex warriors and immortals. Can either take better Gauss weapons or alternatively equip with Tesla carbines for dedicated anti infantry. Can ride in a night scythe and accept Cryptecs/Harbingers/mini Lords for situational buffs and alternate play styles. Max Squad size of 10, best used in conjunction with Warriors.

Fast

Wraiths

I'm kind of down on Wraiths since 6th edition. They really gained little from the new ruleset (Save the Hammer of Wrath--provided you only move 6" and chance the dice!)---and Overwatch hurt them. A 3++ T4 model dies---well like a marine to Dakka and I can see people losing a Wraith before jumping into HTH. Whip Coils did receive a small boost though--and you should be striking before anyone else if properly equipped. Still a solid pick.

Heavy:

Doom Scythe

I think Doom Scythes got a tremendous buff in 6th and answer a lot of questions for Necrons. Deathstar HTH units? (TWC, Nob Bikers--and you will be seeing a lot of those, TH/SS Terms, Parking Lots, etc.). With the friendly reserve rules, their silly speed and the general lack of Skyfire across the books---you should get a hell of an alpha strike with the Scythe. Their weapon functionality is pretty friendly with the new turning restrictions as well--just keep in mind how Flyers work in the new edition and what being off board end game means. Count on a turn 2, turn 3, fly off turn 4, come back turn 5.

Ann. Barge

Twin Linked Tesla Destructors, which were good before, got even better with the removal of the -1 on AP - and the fact glances remove hull points. These guys handle infantry and light tanks and are dirt cheap. 90pts is essentially theft for what these can bring to the table. The Necron Heavy Support section is packed with great choices. This is probably chief among them. Expect Insane damage output at 24" and moderate staying power. AV11 at the rear is good, but keep it turned face first at anything remotely shooty. Best points for cost ratio in game.

Monolith

The workhorse of a Necron army. AV14 all round, heavy skimmer. Comes with a str 8 ap 3 pie plate with 24" range and 4 Gauss Flux arcs. The arcs can only snap fire when the pie plate fires. but each arc can be fired at a different unit (as long as the gun its self can see). Best used in pairs or threes, at 200pts per Lith its a costly enterprise to field them, but when used correctly they will bully an entire battlefield. Dont be fooled by the AV14, these things can die, but keep them centre stage and a little ways back from the enemy melta and watch them create a 24" no-go zone that your Warriors and Immortals can sit inside and fire.

Army Lists

Sample Army Lists

1000 points

2000 points

HQ - Ankarin The Traveler = 165pts

Royal Court

              Harbinger of the Storm = 25pts
              Harbinger of the Storm = 25pts
                  Lightning Field = 10pts
              Harbinger of Despair = 30pts
              = 90pts

HQ - Destroyer Lord = 125pts

        Sempiternal Weave = 15pts
        Mindshackle Scarabs = 20pts
              = 160pts

Tr - 10 x Warriors = 130pts

              Harbinger of the Storm = 25pts
               = 155pts

Transport - Night Scythe = 100pts

Tr - 10 x Warriors = 130pts

              Harbinger of the Storm = 25pts
              = 155pts

Transport - Night Scythe = 100pts

Tr - 10 x Pyrathian Eternals w/ Tesla = 170pts

                Lord = 35pts
                Warsythe = 10pts
                Sempiternal Weave = 15pts 
                Mindshackle Scarabs = 15pts 
                Resurrection Orb = 30pts
                = 275pts

Tr - 10 x Pyrathian Eternals w/ Tesla = 170pts

                Lord = 35pts
                Warsythe = 10pts
                Sempiternal Weave = 15pts 
                Mindshackle Scarabs = 15pts 
                Resurrection Orb = 30pts
                = 275pts

Fast - 3 x Wraiths = 105pts

         3 x Whipcoils = 30pts
             = 135pts

Hv - Monolith = 200pts

Hv - Monolith = 200pts

Hv - Annihilation Barge = 90pts

                                                                    = 2000pts

Tactics