Necrons - 2k Ramblings

[voodoo]

I've got a bunch of models from two Indomitus halves and figured I may as well have a look at doing something with them as a new year, new army.

EDIT: 1st refinement below after some hard looks at units and taking into account some resident advice. Thanks so far guys.

Necron Vanguard Detachment
Nihilak Dynasty: All Units gain Obsec (hooray!), Ignore AP-1 if in my own deployment zone (woo...)
- Circumstance of Awakening: Relentlessly Expansionist (Pre-game 6" move)
HQ:
Skorpekh Lord (Warlord) - Enmitic Annihilator, FLensing Claw, Hyperphase Harvester
- WLT: Thrall of the Silent King
- Relic: Nanoscarab Casket
Chronomancer - Chronotendrils & Entropic Lance

Elites:
Nightbringer
Canoptek Reanimator
Canoptek Reanimator
3x Skorpekh Destroyers
3x Skorpekh Destroyers

Heavy support:
3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyers
3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyers

Necron Patrol Detachment
Nephrek Dynasty - All units gain 6++, When advancing/falling back can "teleport" 6" through terrain, models, etc.
- Circumstance of Awakening: Relentlessly Expansionist (pre-game 6" move)
HQ:
Technomancer - Staff of Light, Canoptek Cloak
- Relic: Veil of Darkness
Technomancer - Staff of Light, Canoptek Cloak

Troops:
18x Warriors
18x Warriors

1998 points
8CP before T1

The idea is the (obsec) Skorpekh Lord, destroyers and Nightbringer (sadly NOT obsec) all rush forward and harass, while the warriors blob down on midfield objectives supported by the Technomancers while the Heavy Destroyers, Reanimators and Chronomancer hold the backfield with all of their Obsec goodness.

[trantos01]

Main thing I'd suggest is seeing about using the same dynasty for the entire army. That way your support characters can buff/repair everyone instead of just part of the army.

Also while the Nightbringer is made of pain and agony, I've found he works best when you have some other melee units charging in with him. Either to divert fire or tank psychic attacks.

Finally with warriors, the larger the individual block you have the better (unless you're stuffing them in a transport).

[Jack Shrapnel]

reanimator won't work with the warriors unless they're the same dynasty

also 10 warriors is not difficult to kill in one volley - but two units of 15 instead (since it's just a patrol) is much more likely to survive a round of shooting to get to reanimate... plus your reanimators can only buff one unit each.

not really sure if the deathmarks are worth it, but I guess having snipers is never a bad thing.

what role are you thinking for the characters... I'm not exactly sure from your list what they're buffing?

[silverwhasp]

For the 15 warriors you just have to be careful of the blast rule. Auto 3 hits on 6 or more models, Auto 6 hits on 11 or more models. Maybe even going to 20 if possible might be good, since its auto 6 anyways?

[raceygaming]

So I don't play crons but have being doing some research into them since Indomitus came out since they were always kinda a maybe for me.

In terms of strong core builds that prioritize function over form, I think 2 units of 20 warriors with the reapers(S5 -2ap is great at mid table) is the core. They are hard to shift, should always be pressing forward with one and have the other hang back a bit to pick up slack and counter play. Easy to stack a couple buffs on a unit that makes it very hard to shift.

Best utility pick is 1-2 units of 5-9 scarbs, keeping below 6 to avoid blasts( but less wounds), super low to the ground to hide, great screens/ mobility blocking and tons of wounds to soak way more fire power then people want to put into them (6 bases held 5 double saw mega nobz for 2 turns...)

For HQs the stand out in my mind is the Overlord in the Barge, it moves fast, can still take all the relics and buffs you need and can be where you need him when you want him.

With that in place I think it becomes choice your own of what you like/ how you play.

I know you are gonna make a crazy Nightbringer or other such C'tan so from a visual stand point I'd stay that's a must (at new points still strong just not auto). Then it gets into some utility picks like the re-animators, a unit of 5 immortals, maybe a unit of tomb blades in the 4-6 range (speed/decent shooting), and something in the melee threat category, I think wraiths use to be the boss here but I think lychguard have over taken them. Most cryptecs feel like they fall here based on what else you bring. I cant speak to the destroyers I didn't love the new models and never looked into them too seriously.
Deathmarks have always been fringe but I can seem some mobility counter play with the waiting in hyperspace or whatever its called.

Excited to see what you can do with the soul powered toasters.

[voodoo]

So, I made some changes to the initial list after giving it some hard thought last night about the way the army "should" work in my head. I feel like the V2.0 above it a bit more cohesive in it's workings, while still utilizing a lot of the units I already own and/or were already planning on custom making.

I feel it's good enough of a jumping off point for a test game, likely on TTS because we can't share models right now, and I'm not sure anyone but Chris has that many heavy destroyers, lol.

[Jack Shrapnel]

you cannot combine a base dynasty with relentlessly expantionist - which is only if you create a custom dynasty (the combo is obsec+expantionist)

You should not split dynasty's across your armies as then you cut out the option of changing your buffs as needed (ie: if the reanimators need to help keep the warriors alive).

the destroyers take a lot of fire - one unit of 6 is better than two units of 3, as then you only have to buff one with the chronomancer.

Your warlord doesn't refund the CP for the vanguard detachment so he needs to be in the patrol... which is also why you want to have a single dynasty for the whole army.

[cmcd]

1

your nihilak spearhead detachment can only have 2 elite choices. I would remove the C’tan and put it in the patrol detachment. Since it doesn’t matter what dynasty it belongs with.

keeping the reanimated only targeting the heavy locusts is nice especially with the nihilak dynasty trait.

2

Change the patrol to a battalion since you have 2 hqs and 3 troops. To accommodate the C’tan.

3.

Scratch 1. And 2.

get rid of the spearhead detachment and make it a vanguard detachment.  Remove 3 locust destroyers for 210 points and invest that into 6 skorptehk destroyers in your other detachment to support your nightbringer (as Jonathon said) .  Convert the 2x 5 man death marks into 1 x 10 man to support the elite slot.

[voodoo]

Edit #2, did some more re-ordering and scratching of previous ideas.

Necron Battalion
- Custom Dynasty
- Eternal Conquerors (units gain obsec)
- Relentlessly Expansionist (pre-game 6" move)

HQ:
Skorpekh Lord (Warlord) - Enmitic Annihilator, Flensing Claw, Hyperphase Harvester
- WLT: - Thrall of the Silent King
- Relic: - Nanoscarab Casket
Chronomancer - Chronotendrils & Entropic Lance
Technomancer - Staff of Light, Canoptek Cloak
- Relic: Veil of Darkness

Troops:
15x Warriors - Gauss Reapers
15x Warriors - Gauss Reapers
15x Warriors - Gauss Reapers

Elites:
C'Tan Shard of the Nightbringer
Canoptek Reanimator
Canoptek Reanimator
6x Skorpekh Destroyers - 2x Hyperphase Reap Blade, 4x Hyperphase Threshers

Fast Attack:
6x Canoptek Scarabs

Heavy Support:
3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyers - 3x Gauss Destructors
3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyers - 3x Gauss Destructors

1995 Points
10CP

[Jack Shrapnel]

I'd split the Lokhust heavies in 2 units of 3 and combine the skorpekh destroyers into one unit for the chronomancer buff

otherwise I think you're good to go (I realize when I said combine "destroyers" earlier that was a little vague lol)

[voodoo]

Feb 23, 2021 12:33:26 GMT -5 Jack Shrapnel said:

I'd split the Lokhust heavies in 2 units of 3 and combine the skorpekh destroyers into one unit for the chronomancer buff

otherwise I think you're good to go (I realize when I said combine "destroyers" earlier that was a little vague lol)

lol, I wondered about that; but being new to crons, I wasn't aware of some kind of savior strat that'd let them shrug massive amounts of damage or some such.

[cmcd]

Aside from needing more monoliths, it looks great.

[trantos01]

Feb 23, 2021 12:42:16 GMT -5 cmcd said:

Aside from needing more monoliths, it looks great.

Hey, another other option is three patrols with a C'Tan each.  Granted you can't take all three named C'Tan at 1500 points (I checked) but you can get two and a Transcendent.

Fun for the whole family.

[voodoo]

Some thoughts from last night... The Skorpekh lord is good, but not great, skorpekh destroyers, definitely good, I've swapped the heavy destroyers to ALL have the gauss destructor as their other gun is a big hot "meh". I think I deployed the scarabs poorly and as Shannon pointed out, was focusing the Reanimators on the wrong units.

Despite all that it was interesting, as it's just a VERY different army than what I'd played before. It's going to take a moment to shift my way of thinking. The necron specific secondaries sound really cool, but they're really easy to shut down, and it's likely better just to take scramblers or banners and engage.

[Jack Shrapnel]

Yeah necrons is a different way of winning... it's more about racking up points than outright killing... stopping the primary game with them is very difficult. In our game if you had taken domination with your super obsec and pregame move, you would have easily maxed that secondary.