How to deal with Serpent Spam?

[Alezzat]

Hi everybody,

I'm a Necron player since 5th edition, been far from the game with 7th and now back to the tabletop.

I had just a few game in 8th, and guess what? Eldar are still a pain in the a$$. Well, the brand new Eldar flavor, at least: Ynneari.

I faced a serpent-spam list more or less like this:

Ynnead
squad of Dark Reapers in Serpent
squad of Fire Dragons in Serpent
3x5 Wraithguard, each in Serpent.

Every time it was a no-contest.

My most recent list, that lasted 3 turns, was like
2 DLords,
2 Anni Barge
2 doomsday ark
2 Monolith
2 Spyder, with Fabricator Arm

...

After a full turn a fire, I menaged to make 7 (SEVEN!) wounds on barely one of the 5 serpents my oppononent deployed...

Any idea for a way to stop those fracking Serpents?

Pls, help needed!

[Lemt]

Maybe change your tactics entirely and.. NOT deal with the Serpents. Get a few blobs of Warriors with a Cryptek, and play the objectives. Necrons really need bodies on the table to be efficient, IMHO.
From your list I take it you play 2k points, so maybe something like:


2 DLords with Warscythes (these are better IMHO as assault units, the 2 damage per hit is VERY useful)
Cryptek
2 Monolith
2 Spyder w/ Fabricator Claws and Gloom Prisms (unless you KNOW there will be no psykers, but for 5 points it's a nice upgrade to have)
2x10 Immortals
20 Warriors

I've tried to recycle as much of your list as possible. The idea is to keep a Monolith and a unit of Immortals in reserve, and drop them in a far objective to be a pain in the enemy's ***. But to be honest I don't like Monoliths in this edition. Very expensive, and very vulnerable to anti-tank weapons. What units do you have available, or do you not mind completely changing your list?

EDIT: I've mathhammered a bit, and I do believe we have nothing that's GOOD against Wave Serpents. In fact, Immortals appear to be the best unit against them for their points cost. Immortals are pretty good in general, actually, and my troop of choice.

EDIT 2: You could try something like this:

BATTALION DETACHMENT
Cryptek
Catacomb Command Barge with Tesla Cannon and Warscythe
2x10 Immortals with Gauss
10 Warriors
Ghost Ark
OUTRIDER DETACHMENT
Catacomb Command Barge with Tesla Cannon and Warscythe
3x Canoptek Scarabs

This total to a bit over 1250 points, or a bit under 1200 if you swap the CCBs for Destroyer Lords with Warscythes. But the CCBs give you nice buffs for your other units, and I seem to recall the FAQ gave them the Character keyword? Either way this gives you bodies, mobility, and throw-away fast units to assault their shooty units or run for objectives. Plus you still have almost 750 points to add any other units you could like yourself!

[Alezzat]

Thank a lot Lemt!

I'm making my experiments, so for now I have no "favorite" unit.
Mob of warrior is a good catch, with a cryptek, but... I can't stop those damn serpents with gauss blasters and when the wraithguards start fire... Mob is over in no time.

I'm going to try something like 2 mobs of Flayed ones... Really a lot of attack, supported by Anrakyr or Imotek (for re-rolling) and delivered with nightschyte or Monolith, in order to assault as soon as possibile...

What you think?

[Lemt]

Well, he doesn't seem to have much range, so if your mobs are large enough you should be able to survive a round of shooting and assault them back. Maybe carry a Rez Orb to recover as many minis as possible before the assault?

[Alezzat]

I have a different and more nasty tactic in mind...
Tell me if it can work: I'd teleport 20 FO in front of a serpent, possibly with Anrakyr for extra attack or with Imotech for re-rerolling.
Assault one or two serpent, CIRCLING THEM (with 20 bodies is more than possibile).

I made my math and it's possibile to smack down a serpent with all those hits. Then (and here should coma the magic) the passengers would have no room to desembark, so... They're gone. Repeat as many time as possibile...

I don't think I'd win, but with this tactic, I could at the very least survive untill turn 4...

What do you think?

I used to use this trick in 5th edition, with scarabs... Nowadays scarab are a bit meh in my opinion, so... Let's try with Flayed Ones, taking advantage of the new rules for assault from vehicle.

[Mikhail233]

Wouldn't work, Wave Serpents have the fly keyword, they would just leave and shoot the flayed ones dropping off their troops somewhere else

[Lemt]

I've been having some success with 3-man Heavy Destroyer squads. Specially if you have a Lord or Destroyer Lord to boost their chances if hitting and hurting, but they seem pretty good in this edition.
Also, consider Imotekh as an HQ, for when you must deal does last wounds on a vehicle or unit, since he has a really good chance of dealing a bunch of mortal wounds on anything once per game.

On a side note, I've completely abandoned Warriors this edition, they feel like a complete points sink. Immortals with Tesla Carbines, however, seem to be pretty good. Specially, again, with a Lord or Catacomb Command Barge, since the +1 to hit means more extra tesla hits. Gauss Blasters seem to only be better against 2+ armor units according to my mathhammer... but that's what you want Heavy Destroyers for.

[Alezzat]

Wouldn't work, Wave Serpents have the fly keyword, they would just leave and shoot the flayed ones dropping off their troops somewhere else

Hi Mik,
my idea is to kill the serpent on the spot, the turn the FOs attack.
It's not a metter of keeping them engaged in combat: the basic idea is to take advantage of the fact that the serpent must come close to my front line BEFORE the fishheads are able to desembark.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -


I've been having some success with 3-man Heavy Destroyer squads. Specially if you have a Lord or Destroyer Lord to boost their chances if hitting and hurting, but they seem pretty good in this edition.
Also, consider Imotekh as an HQ, for when you must deal does last wounds on a vehicle or unit, since he has a really good chance of dealing a bunch of mortal wounds on anything once per game.

On a side note, I've completely abandoned Warriors this edition, they feel like a complete points sink. Immortals with Tesla Carbines, however, seem to be pretty good. Specially, again, with a Lord or Catacomb Command Barge, since the +1 to hit means more extra tesla hits. Gauss Blasters seem to only be better against 2+ armor units according to my mathhammer... but that's what you want Heavy Destroyers for.


Hi Lemt,
well, warriors IN barge are not so bad, IMO.
But I'm taking at least a squad of immortals, because of the better fire power and saves.

Destroyers? They're good: I'm running them in squad of 4, one upgraded to heavy.
But to maximize the effect you'd better have a DLord.

THX!