Riptides
Firstly, let
me say that I built and base coated this model over the weekend. It is an
awesome model. It’s so well designed, goes together relatively simply and has
lots of options for posing it in really exciting ways. Love the model…..the
rules on the other hand…. not (yet) convinced.
Stats are
interesting WS2 BS3 S6 T6 W5 I2 A3
Ld9 Sv2+ Jet Pack Monstrous Creature. Has a Heavy Burst Cannon (HBC) as
standard (Range 36” S6 AP4 Heavy 8) or for 5pts can take an Ion Accelerator
(IA) (Range 72” S7 AP2 Heavy 3 or Overcharged to become Range
72” S8 AP2 Heavy 2 Large Blast, gets Hot). It comes with a TL
SMS as standard that you can swap for a TL Plasma Rifle, or a TL Fusion Gun for
free. It can also take 2 shielded missile drones for 25pts each (essential a
missile drone with a 4++), which crucially are also T6. He can take 2 Support
Systems.
The funky bit
is that the Riptide comes with a Nova Reactor. At the start of the movement
phase it can charge the reactor. On a 3+ you can do one of 4 things. On a 1 or
a 2, you take a wound with no saves (you get FNP if you take a Stim Injector as
one of your support systems). The options are
·
3++
·
Move 4d6 in the assault
phase
·
Fire your secondary weapon
twice
·
Nova charge your primary
weapon. If you do this the HBC becomes Heavy 12, Gets Hot and Rending. The IA
becomes S9 AP2 Heavy 1 Large Blast, Ordinance.
But it costs
180pts base.
If you are
going to run the Riptide to my mind the Ion Cannon is the stand out weapon.
With all it’s modes you can deal with pretty much anything on the board. Hordes
- large blast. Monstrous Creatures – standard shot. MEQ or TEQ – Overcharged
AP2 Large Blast. Armour – Nova Charged S9 AP2 Ordinance Large Blast. The only thing where the
HBC might be better is if you want to give the Riptide an Early Warring
Override (for Interceptor) and a Velocity Tracker (for Skyfire), and use it is
an AA platform. But I think Skyrays and Broadsides do this better.
One
interesting use is taking an Ion Accelerator and giving him an Early Warning
Override to deal with Drop Podding Marines, or Deep Striking Terminators.
So, if I were
to take him, I would pay 5pts for the IA and take a stim injector and an Early
Warning Override. But that’s 225pts….! And it’s still only BS3!
However,
setting aside the lacklustre BS and the high points, the real problem I have is
that he competes for a slot with XV8’s, and I just can’t help feeling that XV8s
are better. For the same points I could get 3 XV8s with plasma rifles and
fusion blasters, upgrade one to a Shas’vre, give him a drone controller, take 4
gun drones and still have points left over.
Now of course
these units are not comparable in the roles they play on the battle field, and
I think that’s the point really. It will depend entirely on what you want your
elite slots to do. Do you want a resilient sit back and shoot gun platform to
support your Gunline – then the Riptide is the guy for you. Do you want a more
flexible unit to go forward and support your D’Fish mounted Firewarriors, then
maybe XV8’s are the
way to go.
I get the
feeling Riptides could be really good, but you would need to build your list
around them.
But the great
thing is……at least we have choices in the Elite Slots now.
Stealth
Team
Stealth Teams
are pretty much the same as they were in the old codex, but a few changes have
happened round about them that make them a little more interesting.
There base
stats and costs have stayed the same (WS2 BS3 S4 T3 W1 A1
Ld8 Sv3+ 90pts for 3). You can upgrade to a Shas’vre (importantly
giving them Ld9) who can take a marker light, a Homing beacon and 2 Drones. You
can add 3 more suits. They come with a Burst Cannon base, and 1 in 3 can take a
Fusion Blaster. Their suits give them both Stealth and Shrouding and they can
infiltrate. Each of them can take one Support System.
The big deal
with these guys is that they have a 2+ save in any cover, and a 4+ out in the
open.
Like
Shadowsun and Darkstrider, I can’t help thinking there is a clever ways to use
Stealth Suits that would justify taking them other XV8s or a Riptide, but I’m
not sure I can see it. The only thing I could come up with is giving them a
Positional Relay, infiltrating them to a far corner, and bringing in some
outflanking Kroot on your opponents board edge. But then what?
Like Riptides,
I think you would need to build your whole Cadre around this concept (probably
with Shadowsun) – might be interesting!
Summary
XV8s are still
to my mind the stand out units. They are so flexible, and pack a huge punch for
their points. You can see them playing a role in any army.
Riptides and
Stealth Suits are less flexible. To make them work I suspect you will needto
build your Cadre around them.
EYIG
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