40K: Top 5 Ad Mech Stratagems
The Adeptus Mechancius have 28 Stratagems to remember. These are the Top 5 most devastating ones to keep an eye on.
We’ve been rocking the Ad Mech all week on our Twitch Channel. They are surprisingly versatile force with some super effective close-combat units and some fierce firepower options, too. If you really want to create a combined firepower force they can really bring the hurt! One of the big boosts for the army comes in the form of all 28 stratagems which open up a world of options for them. As we’ve been playing here are the 5 Stratagems that we’ve been gravitating towards with devastating effect.
Protector/Conquereor Doctrina Imperative
What? A two-fer right off the bat?! Yep. The Doctrina Imperatives are probably the two most important and devastatingly effective stratagems in the book. Why? Because they can grant a unit +1 to hit in either the shooting or fight phase, respectively. Or a +2 if the unit has an enhanced data-tether or braod spectrum data-tether. Here’s the thing…you ALWAYS want to take those two pieces of wargear anyways. Why is that +2 so good? Because of all the things that can trigger off getting a +6 on your to-hit roll. Oh and the fact that it makes your shooting SUPER accurate. Do things like Alpha Legion’s -1 to hit give you a problem? Well see them that -1 and raise it with a +2. Combine with Plasma to taste…
Or use a unit of Sydonian Dragoons with Taser Lances and just CRUSH whatever you charge. That’s been highly effective in our games with them.
Wrath of Mars
Remember all those shots that are getting +2 to hit? Well that probably means you’re going to get a bucket load of hits, right? Well you know what pairs nicely with all those hits? Mortal Wounds. Sure, they “only trigger on a +6” – but when you’re rolling 30+ to wound rolls, you’re statistically going to get 5 rolls of a 6. That’s 5 Mortal Wounds that the target just takes right to the face. They don’t get saves on those and they still have to roll saves vs all your OTHER shots, too. The biggest down side to this strat is that you have to be Forge World Mars…which isn’t really that big of a problem.
Plasma Specialists
Let’s say you’re wanting to bring the heat with Plasma, well Forge World Ryza has a powerful stratagem you can use with Plasma Specialists. This Stratagem adds 1 to the to-wound roll of any Plasma weapons and ups the damage inflicted by 1 as well. Skitarii Vanguard with a Tech-Priest Dominus nearby (or the right Canticle in play) are re-roll 1’s to hit in the shooting phase. Overcharge their 3 Plasma Cavilers for 6 shots that are going to wound most things in a +2 and cause 3 damage each. Face-melting good times!
Divine Chorus
The right Canticle of the Omnissiah at the right time can literally win you the game. Divine Chorus can ensure that you get the one you need, when you need it. You can only use it once per battle, but if you’re timing is right, the fight might be over after that!
Dunestriders
We are becoming big fans of the Sydonian Dragoon unit. This stratagem allows them to get a 2d6 advance for a turn. Now, that might not sound like much; they don’t get to charge after the fact. But they have a base move of 10″ and with that advance that means they can probably clear most of the board and get to where they need to go in record time. The next turn they will be able to get another 10″ move and then charge…and that’s when the magic of the Taser Lance happens.
Bonus: Machine Spirit’s Revenge
Look – explosions are cool. I don’t need to explain this one.
There are LOTS more good (so would say amazing) stratagems in the Ad Mech Book. Stable Abe mentioned a few other in his list of “The Best Stratagems” – one of which we left off this list on purpose. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the Ad Mech!
Are you excited about the Ad Mech release? Have you sworn fealty to our new Robot Overlords?
