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Followup: Stealth Marker Teams


So, last week I said I was going to put my money where my mouth is and try out a Stealth Marker Team. While I didn’t get as many opportunities over the Labor Day weekend as I’d hoped, I did manage to get in a 1500-point game against my friend Richard’s Ork Biker army. The game was a Spearhead/Seize Ground mission, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to compile a full battle report, I can happily report that I managed to eke out a victory 2 objectives to 1. The Stealth Marker Team performed well – better, in my opinion, than a Pathfinder team in a similar situation. However, the Stealth Team’s cost did make it considerably harder to fit into my army list, and a few cost-cutting measures had to be taken, so I’m not ditching my Pathfinders completely; I’m sure they’ll show up in other army lists.

A few notes about the Stealth Marker Team:

  • Moving and firing every turn is absolutely worth it, as is still having 12 burst cannon shots every turn while doing so.
  • With only 5 markerlights, I still managed to average 3 hits a turn, which gave me enough to boost my BS to 5 on the units that needed it.
  • Positioning is everything. Between being able to infiltrate into a safe markerlighting position, and being able to Jump-Shoot-Jump into cover or out of assault range, I was able to keep my Stealth Team useful every turn.

Still, at the end of the day, Markerlights can help you score a hit, but it can’t make a wound stick when invulnerable saves or Feel No Pain is involved. They’re far from a panacea, especially against tough units like Nob Bikers. A markerlight is only as good as the weaponry it guides, so remember to keep that in mind when deciding target priority for your markerlight units, be they Stealth Team, Pathfinder, or Sky Ray.

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This entry was posted on September 10, 2009, 3:21 pm and is filed under Tactica. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • 5 Markerlights and 12 Burst Cannon shots means you had to run something like...

    4 Suits, Each w/ Drone Controller, 5 total drones
    270 total, correct? Assuming no team leader upgrades and such.

    My big problem with it is the cost. I can get my usual 8 Pathfinders and kitted-out Devilfish for about 54 points less. They'll also average better on the markerlight hits, and I can hide my required Fire Warriors in the Fish as part of the deal.

    My other note is that you tested it against orks, and while orks CAN bring a decent shooty game, they're not among the top shooters out there. (Barring Lootas, which will be going against tanks). I'd like to see you test them against an enemy with more ranged firepower.

    You make a good point about the markerlight's inherent utility; it is ONLY utility. And, you can always roll a '1' to hit as well.

    I'm looking forward to the batrep, to see how you used them, and what the Orks had.
  • Close. Here's what I was running (from the previous article):

    3 Shas’ui w/ Burst Cannon, Drone Controller, Marker Drone
    1 Shas’ui team leader w/ Burst Cannon, Markerlight, Hardwired Multi-tracker, Drone Controller, Marker Drone
    Cost: 260 points

    The cost is a bit on the hefty side, and it was a bit more painful than I expected to squeeze that in. Pathfinders are definitely the cheaper option. Performance-wise, though, I feel like I got my points worth.

    As far as the game went, orks can defintely bring a decent shooty game. The Nob Bikers were all packing dakka guns - think twin-linked burst cannons - and the volume of Tau-style fire they could put out at 18" was just withering. I had a unit of Fire Warriors go from full to dead from one turn's worth of shooting. I definitely owned the long-range game, but the mid-range game was a dead heat.
  • Naturally, I check out the previous one after hitting this up...

    Mostly it's the cost that gets me. In 1500, I think getting a pair of Crisis Suit Teams in is reasonable (along w/ 2 Hammerheads and the typical 2-man Broadside team, at least).

    Mostly my curiosity was in what the orks had that might threaten the Stealth Suits. Orks have a nasty volume of fire with their guns when they bother to bring something more than a noise whompin' stick (AKA pistol).

    Then again, Nob Bikers are also a bit vulnerable to massed fire and the super-unit issue, but it depends on how he built them and if he did the whole 'I loaded them out EACH UNIQUELY' at which point I might ponder fisticuffs.
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