Dropzone Tactics: Scourge Onslaught
More Dropzone today, BoLS fans! Today we take a look at the Scourge Heavy tanks.
While most of my articles for Bell of Lost Souls have worked with the Shaltari Tribes as my playable force, I also have quite the collection of Scourge models, and I’m more than happy to throw them out on the tabletop as well. I have had a recent urge to get the rest of them painted, so that they can feature in a battle report. You can be sure that the vanguard will be accompanied with some of the Tormentors and Slayers!
I liked these tanks before the recent rules update, but they only got better with the points reduction they received. It was a small one, but it only adds to the strength of the model as part of the force’s whole. What better units to begin the Scourge tactics with? Onwards!
The Slayer
This thing is one nasty piece of work. It sports an additional Damage Point and a second Plasma Cannon when compared to the Scourge main battle tank, the Hunter. These seem to be a good addition for a points break, but can also be seen as a negative in light of the potential for the tank to be killed in a single hit. When I first started playing Scourge, I really felt that they weren’t nearly as effective as some of the other factions’ Heavy tanks.
That all changed once I put them on the table. The amount of destruction they can unleash on Buildings is truly awesome to see (unless your toy soldiers are in the Building, of course!). They are also excellent at bringing death to enemy heavy armor; where you might be tempted to split each Hunter to a different target to maximize potential damage, the Slayer brings a very good chance of utterly obliterating an individual target.
The Slayer also plays well when its smaller squad size is considered. You can easily load two of these monsters into a Marauder and send it whistling up the flank as a final activation, ready to catch that isolated Ferrum or Kodiak in the mid-game. The speed will have you quickly in-position to wreak havoc on rear-echelon units that thought themselves safe.
The Tormentor
While I do feel that the Slayer is the better of the two Heavy tanks, the Tormentor has definitely earned its own place on the table. The Acid Streamer is a sickening piece of hardware, and it will definitely have your opponent thinking about where they place their elite infantry.
Scourge Destroyers are an excellent CQB contestant, but they are also expensive, and prone to being shot down due to the frail Dropships they wear into battle. As such, Tormentors can be leveraged to ensure that those charges hit home in the optimal conditions, rather than slamming into enemy CQB artists and bringing about mutually assured destruction. Sirens and Firstborns are more than happy to deploy to counter your Destroyers, if it is done as leverage to support their own Infantry. You can make that decision much more difficult for them by dropping in some Tormentors for support. Two bases of Sirens are nothing but kindling for a pair of these bad boys!
I also think the Tormentor makes a better platform for Razorworm dispersal, since you will feel the effects of a Slayer’s lost shooting much more keenly. This brings me to the last point about these Heavy choices.
Razorworms – Fun for the Whole Family!
You can’t overlook the fact that Slayers and Tormentors bring Razorworms to the party. While Razorworms may not survive a protracted melee, they can definitely give you the turns you need to get other assets into position. If the enemy is about to roll with a good chance of scoring an Objective, drop in the ‘Worms to keep them company until the Destroyers arrive. If nothing else, they might give you the time to shoot down the Dropships that are supporting the evacuation, or at least bring some more plasma rounds into range to shellack the Building!
Razorworms are expendable, and should be treated as such. Use these attack dogs aggressively, to stir the pot and cause the enemy to commit too heavily in an attempt to drive them away.
Have at it, Scourge hosts! What do you think of Slayers/Tormentors on the tabletop? What crafty uses have you found for them?
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