Tuesday, June 4, 2013

They brought a Land Raider!



Everyone seems to harp on the fact that 6th edition made vehicles weaker.  I agree that vehicles can no longer depend on the unlucky penetration rolls to die.  In fact, the 'unkillable Rhino' phenomenon is long dead, admittedly.  But are vehicles really crappy now?

No.  I don't believe so.  Low AV vehicles (usually transports) are more risky to deploy now, but that's the way it's supposed to be.  Almost any vehicle getting touched in the Assault Phase is sure to die.  Thank you rear armour and needing 3's to hit.  And transports have become much slower now, at least when it comes to the troops jumping out and doing anything.  But there's one exception all the way around:


The almight Land Raider!!!  This tank is the king of the battlefield.  It's armoured all the way around with 14, meaning that the lowly Krak Missile or Power Fist is suddenly requiring that lucky 16% roll to even glance it.  It means the age of 'plas-spam' is a detriment to anyone that's jumped on that wagon (again).  And it means that dedicated heavy weapons are forced to focus on that target.  Even better, the Land Raider is an 'assault vehicle', meaning that troops can jump out (after the still-too-slow move) and then commence to dicing up whatever they stop in front of.  Oh yes, it's a gift.

One Land Raider can ruin an opponent's day.  Two can almost guarantee victory against anyone not specifically designed to defeat that combo.  Emperor forgive the player that brings three (or more).  I have been a Land Raider lover for the better part of two decades now, and this edition brought them back to the forefront as worth every freakin' point they cost.

Now, on top of all the advantages inherent to the AV and special rules, there's also a gazillion different weapon loadouts.  I'm a huge fan of the standard Phobos pattern.  After all, what's not to love about two twin-Lascannons and a twin-Heavy Bolter?  But if that doesn't excite you, what about ADDING a Multi-melta?  If that's still not satisfactory, check out the other loadouts.  Each version, from the recent Crusader to the all-too-rare Achilles, has their benefits.  It's all a matter of taste.  Check out all the options here.


Moral of the story?  Land Raiders are back!  And by my estimation, in this current meta (at least until the Eldar hit the shelves again), it's easily one of the 'cheeziest' vehicles in the game.  Do y'all agree?


2 comments:

  1. Gotta agree, especially since a lot of folks aren't bringing as much antitank firepower these days. LR's with dirge casters? Pure win.

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    1. Exactly! I had a great game many years ago against a Nurgle marine army filled with Plasma. I was rocking Deathwing with a couple of Land Raiders. All my Terminators died, but the Land Raiders parked on top of the objectives and I watched as my opponent cried a little bit when he realized he couldn't win. It was glorious (the guy had been talking smack for weeks beforehand). Memories...

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