Blob Guard choices: Vendettas and Valkyries

So we now move on to the final entries from the fast attack section of the codex... the fliers.. both of which bring very different roles to guard armies. 

Both come on the same Av12/12/10 flier chassis, the ability to turbo boost and a huge model which makes hiding them or getting them on the board after a DOW deployment to be a bit of a challenge. They both have search lights and Extra armour as standard (The extra armour especially is a huge bonus imo) and both have the underused (At least from what I have seen) 'Grav Shute insertion' which can sometimes be a game winner when you fly over an obj drop the squad from inside onto it and continue racing over to contest another objective...

This is of course highly situational, but can really get you a draw or a win in a tight situation. Though there is a slight risk... but if you need to employ it I can assume you need it so the risk is tolerable enough.  

The scout move plus searchlight can really make for a handy addition in night fight situations as you can fly up to 12inches light up a tank and still fire a single Lascannon at something else.  

Oddly but still may be of use to some they can both deep strike, but with such a huge model it confuses me why you would ever do this...  a simple turbo boost from a flank or your deployment can generally get you to where you need with less risk... unless I’m missing a trick with this?

Found this via a google search, looks pretty.

First up I'll look at the Valkyrie (Valk from now on)... Well it comes standard with a multilaser which can become a Lascannon... not a twin linked Lascannon but a standard BS 3 one, and on the wings it comes with 2 single shot Hellstrike missiles, 72inch range, S8, AP3ordanance which is actually not that bad for adding a bit of anti tank, although it can be upgraded to multi rocket pods which makes it become a 24 inch S4 AP6 Heavy 1 large blast.

This really swaps its role form a semi tank hunter to a close range anti horde vehicle which can stay at 24inches easily enough and launch some large blasts onto the enemy. 

Adding on door gunners makes for even better dakka and can thin down huge units when paired with the multilaser and rocket pods. Though it does mean you have to get close which could leave the Valk in anti tank range. 

Thus it could be an option to use the scouts special rule either to A) turbo boost forward with a unit inside with Melta or flamers and as long as the enemy does not steal the ini you hop out frag some vehicles or burn up a large portion of their infantry; or B) outflank it to allow it to come on where you need and be sure of unloading at least 1 payload from it in case the enemy either gets first turn or seizes the ini on you... and the ability to get a squad on semi where you want it can be essential in some cases.

In terms of seeing use in a Blob army, it may struggle as with my usual response it is anti infantry with the hellstrikes, and only semi anti tank with the standard (And even if you add a Lascannon) load out... I feel it honesty has more of a role in mech lists for those wanting the model but not wanting to use vendettas or some anti horde / minor anti tank depending on how they equip it. I do admit the blasts are good to have, but paying 15 points each (30pts total) really is a lot to ask  as you effectively now make it the same price as the Vendetta.



Pic from google again, nice colour scheme on it.



This nicely leads me on to the Vendetta, a 3x Twin linked Lascannon version of the Valk and is essentially anti tank at some of its finest in the codex for the points. it comes with a nose mounted Lascannon (one of the three TL ones) which cannot be upgraded at all, and a single TL Lascannon under each wing which can be changed to a Hellfury missile 72 inch range, S4 AP5 large blast and one shot only... which is not the worst as it is a free upgrade, but is hard to stomach when you consider its removing 2 TL Lascannon to achieve this single shot... I think it’s generally better to sit with this as base and if you have the points add in some door gunners to help with some horde damage after the vehicle threats are gone come later game (Assuming the enemy lets it live that long of course! They normally don’t with mine unless they have short range weapons and can’t reach it).

Overall this could very easily find a place in Blob armies as you can hide the PCS’s inside with 3 meltas and use them either sitting back behind the blobs pinging armour while scoring, or coming on from the flanks behind the enemy advance to hit rear armour on some tanks with the guys inside either sitting happy or hoping out to get more kills.

This gives them a really good role in the blobs as they can get to places quickly depending on how you deploy them and if left alone will cause havoc, which nicely puts the enemy player in the position of having to remove them while your blobs are moving forward buying them time.

And come later turns if they are living and you’re blobs are thinned down you can embark the guys and race them off to other areas of the board.

Again in mech lists they are usually a staple as the mixture of anti tank plus transport allows them to either alpha strike down enemy armour or sit back and shoot while other elements advance, and with a Melta squad of some sort inside (I honestly prefer SWS or PCS as their small and expendable compared to Vets who I don’t like sending out to die, especially as they are scoring!)

So both are usable in lists, but in my opinion and I assume already well known by the community, the Vendetta is the better of the two, but also is the bigger target threat when deployed... whereas the Valk might be spared for a turn or two while other units are targeted.