Close combat Robots?

[Zinfandel]

Hi, this may be a dumb question, but I thought I would ask. Does anyone think that the Necrons can be built as a Close Combat army? I know they have been described as a shooty army, but does anyone think it is possible to build a Close Combat Necron Army? If so, how would you do it?

[MelonSmasher]

It is possible and if played right quite effective. Wraiths are quite nasty especially when led by a d-lord. Lychguard with shields are also some of the hardest troops in the game. And scarabs are just rude to your oppenents armour.

You can't build the whole army around the idea of throwing them all into CC, instead have a few powerful units backed up by warriors and immortals who will thin your oppenents ranks for you before your CC units can march forward.

[Asasininja4827]

Well...It is possible to build a CC army, albeit not on the scale of some Khorne Beserkers or Orks, but it should be possible. But I don't think you should tailor a list where every semi-expensive and sometimes low atk count soldier has I2.

Good units:
Wraiths
D-lords
scarabs
LGs + Triarch Ps
Scarabs (provided there isn't alot of mech or the s6+ weapon)
Flayed ones (kinda iffy)
(over)Lords with Warscythes and maybe CC barge

[XIII]

I have been using a CC Necron list for a while at our local shop and it's been doing quite well. However, as an "all-comers" list, it has failed twice now against non-MEQ armies. I'm beginning to realize that it has some serious weakness against certain army types.

Basically, I field a "Lych-bomb", consisting of 10 sword n' board Guard, a Veil-tek, and a decked out Overlord with 'Scythe. I have a D.Lord, Wraiths, Scarabs, and Spyders, supplemented by some Warriors and Immortals. For the most part, against MEQs, this army is vicious. The Scarabs and Spyders eat through any armor they have while the D.Lord and Wraiths take out any annoying targets (like long-range infantry). Meanwhile, my Lych-bomb gets where it needs to go, puts pressure on the opponent to move, and is sturdy enough it can weather a turn of shooting and take on tough groups (including Terminators and ICs). I have won every single game against Marines in our store since Necrons came out. Against other armies... it doesn't do so well.

One of our top players uses a Mad Dok Cyb-Ork list that is absolutely vicious. Even with 3+/4++/4+ RAP, my Lych-bomb can't stand up to the sheer amount of attacks a full group of Nob's can put out. Plus, our single-wound models versus Nob double-wound models makes things really one-sided. Really, some firepower before the inevitable charge might help whittle the group down to a more manageable level.

Recently I went up against a Guard Mech army, thinking this should be easy, what with Scarabs, Spyders, Wraiths, etc. to work as can openers. However, the mobility of a Mech army makes it hard to get close (even with Beasts, Jump Infantry, Deep-Striking, etc.), as they can keep moving and firing back on you as you chase them. There were some very bad rolls (I was rolling far worse than statistically probable), but it made it clear that I needed some more firepower to hamper key targets so I could get close.

I'm thinking of dropping the Spyders (even for their Scarab support) and fielding Anni. Barges, to have some highly mobile firing platforms. In addition, Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers are looking better because of their mobility and versatility; a full squad with regular and heavies is good for MEQ infantry and Mech alike. Also, the Tomb Blades are beginning to look interesting...

In the end, I think a good CC Necron list will actually be closer to a Dark Eldar list, with fast and mobile ranged units hampering the opponent until you can get your CC in their face.

[thegodofnothing]

Wraiths aren't too bad but for me they've always been a great roadblock. I don't have experience with flayed ones but everyone's told me no dice. I would suggest a C'Tan shard or two they may be pricey but MCs are always great in CC. The benefit is if they die they explode and in a CC situation that rocks. Also as one of the few non I2 units it's a good choice. I haven't tried them but a unit of spiders might be good. Likewise if they're there to beef up a squad of scarabs it's a pretty CC oriented theme.

[BossGorestompa]

I think the most manageable approach is a mix of close combat support for a mid-range shooty list. Something as simple as a (Court) Lord with Scythe/Shackle/Orb can turn a unit of 10 Warriors into some serious combat headache for any enemies that wish to assault. Then there's more complicated synergies, such as Worldscape C'tan with Whip-Wraiths and Transmogteks (slow the opponent down on a massive scale, then take full advantage of the Wraiths ignore terrain -> super fast speed). In any case, whether you're more stompy or more shooty, an effective list is going to require support from one side or the other.

[eiglepulper]

I've been trying out the Wraith/Scarab/Lychguard ideas too, with Zahndrekh and a Destroyer Lord as the HQs. Zahndrekh is with the Lychguard and the Destroyer Lord joins the Wraiths, with some Cryptek support for Zahndrekh's unit coming from a Chrontek and a Voltaic'Tek (no Necron Lord with Orb required since Zahndrekh has one). The ChronTek is really useful for re-rolling one of those failed Invulnerable Saves on the Lychguard, ie when the last one goes down, and the Voltaic Tek gives a small amount of firepower protection against vehicles like Dreadnoughts which can make a serious mess of a Lychguard unit even if the unit has Furious Charge initially.

The Scarabs are horribly effective against vehicles, but the bigger the unit the better IMHO purely for survival. A unit of 16 went up against a GK Razorback, destroyed it and then were taken apart by the Purifier unit inside and their colleagues in a Strike Squad with psycannons. Force Weapons just are not good news for T3 multi-wound bases.

Whip-Wraiths with the attached Destroyer Lord are nasty, but if the Lord takes Mindshackle Scarabs, Res Orb and a Warscythe this makes the Wraith unit very dangerous indeed. Its one downfall is the fact that folks get to know how dangerous it is and concentrate their firepower on it as soon as possible. Again, larger units - full units of 6 - are better, but at this point it is the cost which starts to mount up against them. At 45pts each if taking Whip Coils all round you're looking at a unit of around 450-ish points if including the Destroyer Lord. Not a cheap option, and they need to be protected from as much firepower as possible in the initial stages of the game.

Spyders are tough beggars to wound due to high toughness, but I would not be wanting to commit them to combat unless they are being used as a support unit for another element which is already in CC.

It is however nice to be able to have at least some form of fairly decent combat ability now compared to the previous Codex's option of Flayed Ones, Flayed Ones or Flayed Ones with a minor assist from Wraiths.

E.

[FXDX4]

I run a very successful list with double C'tans, Lord on a barge, and a D-lord with Wraiths. It is a very aggressive list that is one dimensional, but wins. I think my record with it is 3-1-4. The one loss was the first time I used it, a close lose against a powerful orc player.

[Stuberman]

I run a very successful list with double C'tans, Lord on a barge, and a D-lord with Wraiths. It is a very aggressive list that is one dimensional, but wins. I think my record with it is 3-1-4. The one loss was the first time I used it, a close lose against a powerful orc player.

That sounds like a good list. How do you tool up your C'Tans in this list? When I field one it tends to get shot up pretty quickly, but maybe two is a better synergy. Here is a mostly close combat list that I have been experimenting with that has been fairly successful. What do you think of it?

The wraith combos are a little weird, but it just happens to be based on the models that I own. It also helps them live through shooting when individual models are taking saves, and not just the group as a whole. I could substitute Flayed ones for something, but I have not had much luck with them in the games I played. The "Lych bomb" in a Night Scythe, as previously mentioned, could another great idea, but it is very expensive point wise such that one might have to lose the C'Tan(s).

2000 Point Necron Close Combat List, 2/22/12

HQ: Overlord In a Command Barge with Warscythe, rez orb, Mind schackle scarabs, temporal weave, phylactery & phase shifter: 300

Royal Court (Retinue):
1 Cryptek with Eldritch Lance & Solar Pulse (attached to Immortals): 55
1 Necron Lord (Rez Orb, warscythe, Mind Shackle Scarabs) (Attached to Immortals): 90
1 Necron Lord (Rez Orb, warscythe, Mind Shackle Scarabs) (Attached to Immortals): 90

HQ: Destroyer Lord with warscythe, rez orb, semi-temp weave, and mindshackle scarabs: 190

Elite: 5 Death Marks: 95
C’Tan Shard with Entropic Strike, Writhing Worldscape and Gaze of Death: 280

Troops:
Immortals x5: 85 (Tesla carbines)
Immortals x5: 85 (Tesla carbines)
Immortals x5: 85 (Tesla carbines)
Immortals x5: 85 (Gauss)

Fast Attack:
6 Wraiths (Three with whiptails, one with particle casters, 1 regular): 245
9 Scarabs: 135
3 Wraiths (one with whiptails): 115

Heavy: Canotek Spyder with Gloom Prism: 65 Total: 2000

1850= Lose phylactery, Plain Wraiths except one particle caster; Lose Spyder, Lose two scarabs.

[Non Marine Player]

Just to say that you can only ever have 2 C'tan powers per C'tan, so you'd have to drop Gaze or E-Strike. As for Combat Newcrons, Wraithwing is very powerful. When you do support this with Worldscape you exert terrain control, thus allowing your scarabs/Lychguard/Praetorians to mob in, and keeping Scythe/Shackle/Orb Lords in Warriors/Immortals keeps them threatening to any units that outmanouver your combat units to attack troops. Bargelords and D.lords are you HQs and you can get away with playing very offensively. Fun to do, hard to do well.