Raven Guard Review 7: Raptor Wing
Victorus aut Mortis! Reecius here, back with another installment of our Raven Guard review! This time, the Raptor Wing!
Top image painted by STC_LogisEngine
Be sure to check the Tactics Corner for more great articles!
Raptor Wings are deployed in hunter killer pairs of Stormtalons and Land Speeders to destroy targets of opportunity. The units combine to form deadly pairs, with the Speeders marking targets which the Stormtalons then rip apart with coordinated fire!
- Part 1 in this series. Talon Strike Force
- Part 2 in this series. Pinion Battle Demi-Company
- Part 3 in this series. Shadowstrike Kill Team
- Part 4 in this series. Bladewing Assault Brotherhood
- Part 5 in this series. Skyhammer Orbital Strike Force
- Part 6 in this series. Ravenhawk Assault Group
Raptor Wings Basics:
This formation provides you with a simple, fun and effective formation that takes a mediocre unit (Land Speeder) and gives it an awesome force multiplication rule to make respectable Stormtalons even better. That’s what we call a win!
This formation consists of:
- 1 unit of Land Speeders
- 2 Stormtalon Gunships
Special Rules:
- Incoming Support: The Stormtalons in this formation automatically come in on turn 2! Wow, that is fantastic.
- Priority Target Received: Once per shooting phase, the Land Speeder nominates an enemy unit within 18″ to be a priority target. The Stormtalons reroll armor pen and to wound rolls vs. that target until either it is destroyed or another priority target is chosen by the Land Speeder.
Tactics:
I really dig this formation! It takes units I already like very much, Stormtalons and Land Speeders, and makes them quite good. Stormtalons automatically coming in on turn 2 is fantastic! That makes this a great formation for any Chapter Tactics of Marines, but especially in the Talon Strike Force, where you start rolling for reserves on turn 1! With a reroll mechanic, such as with Lias Issodon or a Comms Relay, you have a 75% chance of getting the Talons in on turn 1, and 100% on turn 2, nice! That really helps to pack a nasty punch and get the most out of every point spent on the Little Birds, as I like to call them.
The ability to nominate a key target for essentially Tank Hunter or Shred is also extremely good. Stormtalons are very accurate with Strafing Run and often Twin Linked, but with the ability to reroll damage rolls as well, they become hyper efficient. They will take a bite out of any target with these special rules. The Speeder itself though, is fairly fragile and must be used carefully. Nominate the most important target first, as at 18″ range, there are good odds the Speeder won’t survive into another turn. As it doesn’t have to be alive for the ability to persist, be sure to use it as fast as possible and on the most important target so that the Stormtalons can get the most mileage out of it.
Typically, I always opt for the Land Speeder Typhoon as my first choice load-out. Its superior range means it can often stay at a safe distance while pumping out firepower. However, due to the need to close to 18″, Dual Multi Meltas is also a solid choice (it can fire at a different target than it nominates to be the priority target), as is the Assault Cannon with Heavy Bolter. Or, you can simply keep it cheap and go with a single or pair of Heavy Bolters.
Either way, this formation gives you a very reliable, efficient and affordable detachment that will be very useful against a wide variety of targets.
What’s your Raven Guard armylist look like?
