[Nerdynick]

Hello LO. I've been cruising the forums for a while and I've seen one thing that is consistent. Devastator Squads aren't good. I've seen multiple reasons for this, the most common being that their weapons cost too much compared to other alternatives and that Devastators have no place in 5th edition because they are a static unit in a game that is mostly centered around mobility and usurping objectives. I'm here to address the second point.

If the problem is that they're static, then wouldn't the logical and effective solution be to stick them in a drop pod and place that near the center of the board (or elsewhere if applicable) to give them the largest firing radius? Stick them in the nearest piece of cover?

Anyways, just my two cents.

 

[kevin vanrooyen]

The problem with drop podding them is that it ensures they will not be able to fire their weapons for at least one turn.

If you pod them in on turn one they can't fire, and you have to choose their pod to be one of the 1st turn pods. If you rely on a number of first turn pods to take the initiative then yhour opening drop will be weakened, and your opponent will have an easier time killing what drops in immediately, and what arrives turn by turn.

If you drop them in later in the game they could miss a large amount of shooting, at least two turns. By this time an assault army will most likely be in combat with your forces and the ability to shoot them down before they kill your troops has been forfieted. Other units are able to drop away from the enemy in this situation and have the armour or numbers to contest/take an objective; devastators though are usually taken in squads of 5.

There's also the chance that drop-scatter will screw you over. Devastators don not like moving, and it's hard to drop right behind cover, you might even sactter behind a wall with LOS to nothing, for assault/mobile troops this wouldn't be a problem -but static shooters...

IMO devastator drop pods are a bad idea.

The Emperor Protects

 

[Nerdynick]

However, if you are footslogging them, they'll probably miss 1 turn of firing anyway, just to get into position. If you just leave them in your deployment zone as fire support, they're just as likely to miss several rounds of shooting to blocked LoS and the enemy will get cover due to your troops being in the way anyway. As for the dropping them on first turn, I just have one drop pod sitting around because I don't have the time to paint up any more (as it is, i'm up to my eyeballs in assembling the units I got for christmas/birthday. Don't even ask about painting). The scatter is a decent point however...

 

[And Justice For All]

Agreed with everyone else. Podded Devs are a poor idea. Devs have their place but are not as effective as they once were.

 

[LastDinosaur]

Now I don't like devastators at all..

But if I were to field them I don't think giving them a pod is a bad idea.. Putting them inside the pod most likely is though, for the reasons mentioned by kevin.

Just place the devs as you would if you had no pod, in cover and with some good lanes in which to blast the enemy. And generally, don't move them. Suddenly you have an empty-droppod that's hard to get without decapitating another more important units mobility otherwise.

An empty pod can be great against most armies (not when playing KP-missions though..), it's practically a piece of terrain you get to place after the game has begun.. Drop it infront of the enemy's heavy weapons to block line of sight against shooting armies and place it so that you might win another turn before assault armies get to you.

Sure it mightn't be that competitive for KP-reasons, but I don't consider devastators as such in the first place either.

 

[realitycheque]

It's also another way of getting one more first turn pod. Who cares when the empty pod arrives? 40 points to get another dread/sternguard squad down turn 1 is a bit steep but i'd be tempted in high point games.

 

[kevin vanrooyen]

It's also another way of getting one more first turn pod. Who cares when the empty pod arrives? 40 points to get another dread/sternguard squad down turn 1 is a bit steep but i'd be tempted in high point games.

Don't forget that it can drop as cover or contest an objective. If there's an objective close and you scatter off into a mishap (other than off the table) you don't move away from the mishap, you subtrat the amount of scatter to land safely; this could put you back on the objective. If you drop a pod on thir objective they can't capture it until the pod is destroyed, this will prove a very good distraction and works very well in seize ground missions where your opponent can't commit as much to each objective.

The Emperor Protects