How To Kill Helldrakes (Works On Most Fliers):

[Caitsidhe]

Positioning rather than ruling. Once a flier is on the tail of another flier, it's really hard to switch positions if your opponent doesn't want to.

Well it can be done if you are willing to take the risk of dropping out of Zoom. I've gotten fliers on my tail before where I dropped to Hover so I could turn 180 and Vector Strike back over the guy (although often when they are on your tail you are already dead). It is better to have a fighting chance than none at all. If you go a 2nd Turn with a Flier on your tail you are largely dead. Your only options are to:

1. Go Fast and get off the board to come back in Ongoing Reserves with your tail shaken.
2. Drop to Hover (if you have the rule) and spin around to Vector Strike with the Helldrake.

You also get to spin around in Hover too so you will now be on "their" tail. You can be shot at by everything on the board though now and they won't need 6's to hit you.

[ted1138]

As an IG player I take the Officer of the Fleet, and roll on the Strategic Warlords chart, which helps reduce the enemies chances of reserves coming on in turns 2&3. My Anti Aircraft fire can easily deal with one Heldrake at a time, and if they manage to get two on at once, my Melta Guns dispersed throughout my army can finish them off...

[Caitsidhe]

As an IG player I take the Officer of the Fleet, and roll on the Strategic Warlords chart, which helps reduce the enemies chances of reserves coming on in turns 2&3. My Anti Aircraft fire can easily deal with one Heldrake at a time, and if they manage to get two on at once, my Melta Guns dispersed throughout my army can finish them off...

What specifically are you using for your AA?

[ted1138]

What specifically are you using for your AA?

A Quad gun and A Hydra Flak tank(I heard a plastic Hydra is in the works). I've had some luck putting Inq. Coteaz(GK allies) on the quad gun, using his special rule to get extra shots on top of the interceptor rule.

[ted1138]

I've been looking at the rules for Heldrakes, and they're not as scary as I've been led to believe. Most players seem to be using them wrong, as according to the rules, they can't Vector Strike and fire in the same turn...

[Caitsidhe]

I've been looking at the rules for Heldrakes, and they're not as scary as I've been led to believe. Most players seem to be using them wrong, as according to the rules, they can't Vector Strike and fire in the same turn...

Yes they can. Fliers can fire up to four weapons. The Vector Strike counts as one of those potential four. The Baleflamer as the second. If you want further confirmation of this in black and what you will find that you can even shoot at a different target per the rules than you used the Vector Strike on, which makes it implicit that you can do both.

[Power Klawz]

I've been looking at the rules for Heldrakes, and they're not as scary as I've been led to believe. Most players seem to be using them wrong, as according to the rules, they can't Vector Strike and fire in the same turn...

Wrong forum, trolls are in fantasy.

[Sly]

I've been looking at the rules for Heldrakes, and they're not as scary as I've been led to believe. Most players seem to be using them wrong, as according to the rules, they can't Vector Strike and fire in the same turn...

Didn't we just shoot down this idea a few week ago? It must have the It Will Not Go Away special rule.

[ted1138]

Yes they can. Fliers can fire up to four weapons. The Vector Strike counts as one of those potential four. The Baleflamer as the second. If you want further confirmation of this in black and what you will find that you can even shoot at a different target per the rules than you used the Vector Strike on, which makes it implicit that you can do both.

On page 80 of the BRB: "Zooming Flyers can fire up to four of their weapons using their full Ballistic Skill", it doesn't say they can fire four weapons, it says they can use their full BS on up to four of their weapons, the Heldrake has one weapon, thus it can only fire once, and since the VS counts as one weapon having fired, it has none left to fire in it's shooting phase, so can't shoot.

Also, it says on the VS rule "However, any additional weapons it fires that turn can choose a different target to that of the Vector Strike", ie, any weapons on the model in addition to the one that can't shoot.


PS, Zooming Flyers can fire more than four weapons, but only four of them can be fired at full BS.

[Power Klawz]

No.

Move along now.