It's been a while since I've posted, but I am now back in business. Recently upgraded my computer to Windows 7, and life's been throwing a lot of stuff at me recently, so updating the blog has been fairly low on the priority list. But now that I'm here again, I'd like to talk a bit about Destroyers.
Destroyers are the biggest heavy hitters in the Necron codex. At Strength 6 and with 3 shots per Destroyer, you get both high volume (15 shots per squad) and high return per shot (18% chance to kill a marine with each shot fired, or a 27% chance to kill a marine with each hit). What's more, their shooting is good against just about everything: The Gauss rule allows them to become long-range tank hunters for the zombie-robots, even if the target is above Armor 12, and they can annihilate almost any enemy infantry of any type. They're even great for picking out T3 characters, like the super-annoying Eldar Farseer on a jetbike. Then, when you add in the fact that they are jetbikes themselves and have a flat T5, making WBB denial extremely difficult, it's no wonder that these guys are relied on heavily by current Necron players: Many of them see the Destroyer as the only really good model left in the codex.
Of course, there is one fairly major problem with Destroyers, and it counts double against Necrons because of Phase Out: 50 points per model, and only squads of 3-5.
Even with the Destroyer's awesome firepower and mobility, I often find it hard to justify taking large amounts of them (by that, I mean more than 5) in anything under 2000 points...They just hurt the Phase Out number too much, especially if you plan to also use things like the Deceiver or a Monolith. So when you're limited in how many Destroyers you can efficiently field, how do you prioritize targets for their shooting? Well, there are a few ways to go about it.
--> Long range: Destroyers have 36" range, more than anything else in the codex. Therefore, it's often a good idea to use it. Because most 'Crons have an optimum range of 24", they're often forced to take down immediate threats only, dealing with things as they come into range and hoping that one or two volleys is enough to at least slow it down. Destroyers, on the other hand, have the luxury of planning ahead - not only can they help you take down an immediate threat, but if your other units have it under control (tip: resolve Destroyer shooting last in most circumstances to optimize target priority), they are some of the only units in the codex that can actually eliminate a threat before it becomes dangerous - giving the rest of your units time to focus on other things.
--> High value target: Sometimes, there's a unit that simply has to go down now. You might have other troops in the area who could deal with it, but it would be more effective for them to target a different unit - Say, Warriors able to shoot at some nearby Hormagaunts rather than the rampaging Carnifex about to crash into them. Destroyers are clearly the better choice for wounding the 'fex, wounding it on 4's rather than 6's, and their presence also allows the Warriors to soften up the Gaunt squad rather than feebly attempt to destroy the more pressing threat.
Last but not least, never forget the Destroyer's mobility. Moving as a Jetbike is a precious thing in our codex, where movement is a key weakness. Do not hesitate to jump them forward 24" to contest an objective when turn 6 rolls around - unless there's a power fist nearby, they can probably handle any troop squad nearby until the game ends.
Next week I'll go into more detail on Scarab Swarms, and talk a bit about the Destroyer Lord as well.
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