Who plays IG Air Cav?

[Shadoq]

So...who plays IG Air Cav?
Do you run pure Air Cav with just Vendettas and Valks as transports or do you combo with tanks?
Thinking to give the list a try as I already have 2 Vendettas and 1 Valk....

[George Labour]

I'll be dusting off my IA8 and running a elysian list for the next month in a store tournament. I also use two or three vendettas in my Tejasian mechanized sturmjaeger list due to the mass of land raiders and MCs that blow up my chimeras.

I've only had one chance to use them (drop troops that is) before and while most of my army died, they managed to disrupt my opponents so badly my ally just drove over him with his black templars. Just from that one game I learned a few things about deep striking weak units and how they can royally screw with people even if they just sit there hiding. Also, multi melta sentinels are awesome, even if they whiff in the one turn they show up in. :)

AS for my upcoming tournament game It'll be pure Elysian, using steel legion models, with a combination of Drop Sentinels, regular and veteran troops, plus vendettas and a couple valks for mobility and/or supression. I'm confident I can do okay in objective based games, but I'll have to be really on the ball for annihilation.

Really the entire list doesn't strike me as 'better' than the codex, unless you own some thunderbolts and your opponent lets you use them. But it's fun and also challenging, especially considering the elysians don't even win battles in their own fluff. Oh, and did I mention Drop sentinels being awesome yet?

If I get some more first hand experience I'll try and post it up here.

[plasticaddict]

I run an Air Cav Vets list. 2 Sqds of 2 Vendettas and 1 Sqd of 2 Valkyries w/MRPs
HQ Sqd,carapace and Krak, w/3 flamers, 1 Hflamer, Capt w/PP,PF
3x Vet Sqd, Grenadiers, Demolitions, shotguns, 3 Melta, Sgt w/shotgun, PF
2x Stormtrooper Sqd, 2x Pgun, Airborne insertion

They run pretty well, depending on my opponent I can start on the table and scout to a good firing position or reserve and outflank. I use the ST sqds as suicide tank hunters deepstiking behind enemy tanks to hit rear armor with 4 plasma shots or to drop an enemy squad down to size w/ hotshot and plasma fire.

Horde armies are the hardest to deal with but the Valks dropping 4 templates and the HQ flamers can reduce them to a managiable size.

[ivanng]

This is my list that' I'm building at the moment.

HQ
Company Command Squad
Plasma pistol
4 Plasmaguns

Company Command Squad
Plasma pistol
4 Meltaguns
Astropath

Troops
Veterans
3 Plasmaguns
Grenadiers

Veterans
3 Plasmaguns
Grenadiers

Veterans
3 Meltaguns

Veterans
3 Meltaguns

Fast Attack
3 Vendettas with Heavy Bolters

3 Vendettas with Heavy Bolters

3 Valkyries with Heavy Bolters and 2 multiple rocket pods

Basically run the plasma's together and the melta's together.

One squadron of planes empty to roam the battlefield to destroy the enemy while waiting for reserves.

2k chunk full of planes and vets.

[Shadoq]

Ivan:
The list is similar to what I was looking at but a bit different.

I was thinking 2X Comp Commands kitted with quad melta to handle the heavy armor, read Land Raiders, especially tough targets.


3 vets with Flamers and Heavy Flamer to handle infantry.

3 vets with triple melta to handle transport vehicles and squads.

9X Valks/Vendettas as transport.

I wouldn't expect to win with this list, just have fun with it.

[ivanng]

I didn't include any flamers in my list as I'm relying on the heavy bolters to thin down hordes.
But it is a good idea, will have to do a few test games to finalize the list.
I basically went melta and plasma spam to kill anything. I don't expect to win games too.
My sole purpose of doing this army is because I want to own 9 Valks/Vends.
I'm a hoarder. Please keep us all updated on the army. Cheers Mate!

[ElCheezus]

I'm starting to run an air cav element to my armies. I used to field all three of my Plasma vets in Chimeras, and just have the Vendettas as gunboats. Now I've cut some things to free up points, and my Vets are in the Vendettas. The alpha strike potential is enormous, I think. Even mid game, their range to lay down a lot of fire is pretty good.

I'm also starting to toy with the grav chute insertion rule. I've had decent experiences with it so far. Of course, it's easier when I've done it with Stormtroopers and a 5-man squad instead of 10. I wonder, if you take airborne, do you get a reroll for that deepstrike?

[Sandman2663]

As a standard IG list should include 3 Vendetta/Valks, it would not be AirCav.
IMO, AirCav would be entirely made of flyers and insertion.
I did run IA IST with Valks, had 7 Valks with Troops I believe, did pretty well but the footprint on the board was a big issue. Not much room to maneuver unless you have cleared half the board.

I like the idea of 2 Valks with CCS, 2 units of 2 Vendis with Vets but it is difficult to recover from if you get hit in the mouth.

My 1750 AirCav list is:

CCS HF, Mgx3, Carpace, Krak, Astropath
CCS HF, Mgx3, Carpace, Krak, Master Fleet
2 Valkyries MRP's, Las, HB

2 Vets HF, Mgx2, Demolitions
2 Vendettas HB

2 Vets Plasmgx3, Grenadiers
2 Vendettas HB

Difficult to get consistent wins, but fun to play.

[Flammenwerfer13]

I run a Inquistor Chamber Militiant Venteran Air Cav List

CCS
Straken, Kell, Astorpath, two Meltaguns, Medic and Carapace Armour
Ministroum Priest with Evisercator

Inquisitor Lord with Power Weapon, Inferno Pistol, Psychic Hood, Rosarius, Frag & Krak Grenades
3x Crusaders and a Familiur
Ministroum Priest with CCW

Callidus Assassian

Sly Marbo

Veteran Squad with Bastonne, Carapace Armour and 3x Meltaguns
Veteran Squad with a Power Fist, Carapace Armour and 3x Meltaguns
Veteran Squad with a Power Weapon, Carapace Armour and 3x Flamers
Ministroum Priest with a Shotgun

2x Vendettas
1x Vendetta
2x Valkyries with MRP's

[George Labour]

Okay so in the last week I've managed to get three 1k games in with my elysians. Overall both I and my opponents found playing them requires a lot of finesse, a bit of luck, and sometimes dickish manuevering of large aircraft.

1st game: Annihilation: Opponent: Foot IG

Synopsis: I had to make a tough call to blob my one regular platoon up and have it crawl across the board taking fire (hard to DS 30 men into one spot), or hold them in reserve and try to make use of their sudden arrival and demo packs to even the odds.

Unfortunately the bunker of heavy weapons and company commander got lucky, and my inexperience with Elysians basically meant I'd have had to wipe out his whole army, to draw by the end of the game. 3 to 7 when we called it. At least I managed to run his own blob squad (with commisar) off the board due to some bad morale checks and proximity of table edge.

I learned that vendettas will always take the bulk of enemy fire. Sometimes you should just blob up and play dead, and that a heavy flamer in a vet squad is sometimes more useful than three meltas. Also, demo charges are fun.

2 game: Seize ground (five objectives): Opponent: Vanilla Marines with Pedro Kantor

Facing a relative newb who had only played 1500 and up games before, but he had 10 assault termies and a some missile launchers. This time my ability to fall down anywhere payed off, as did the ability to keep a platoon command squad in a vendetta that hovered over one objective.

I learned that demo charges aren't always fun. Hellstrike missiles are NOT blast weapons. Sentinels can make for tarpits even against thunderhammers. Oh, and a weaponless Valkyrie is awesome at keeping transports full of marines from reaching my men easily by becoming a fast skimming wall. Bit of a jerk
move, but hey that's how the elysians have to fight. End result I had three objectives to his one when the game ended in turn 7.

3rd game: Seize ground (Three objectives): Opponent Blood angels

Bit more experience player this time, but again not used to 1000 point games. Though he later said he had lots of fun due to the small sizes of both forces. Managed to just pull out a win because my vet squad and valkyrie didn't come in until the last turn of the game, and managed to land on an objective.

This was sort of planned as I used my vendettas to lure his vehicles (Razorbacks with A.cans, Vindicator, and furioso dread) off away from two of the objectives. Then I dropped my normal infantry all around them alongside my two sentinel squadrons to both cause damage, but also slow down his infantry. The sentinels proved remarkably good at this, with my heavy bolter ones managing to first blow off an arm from the furiosi, then tie it up in close combat for three turns.

I did blow up half of one of my own squads with a demo charge, but the survivors managed to keep in the fight due to the Grenade launcher's range, and a timely use of the iron discipline ability elysians have.

But really the only thing that won me the game was that lucky hit against the dread, and my valkyrie not showing up until turn 5, followed by a game ending dice roll.


Overall I find the list and style to require a lot of preplanning and the ability to manage the hideous casualties you'll have to take. OTOH people seem to get shaken up when a single squad of guardsmen nukes an entire squad of vanguard with a demo charge. Also people seem to focus on the vendettas due to their size and armament, often forgetting about the rest of your army in the process.

[Ben.lamancha]

I can't help but feel like putting all plasma guns or all melta guns in a squad isn't the best idea. I like to spread them out, 2 melta guns and a plasma gun in each squad. Or even better, for real close assault veteran squads I'll give them 2 melta guns and a heavy flamer. Also, shotguns. I've heard a lot of hate against shotguns, but I love being able to blast away at a unit, and then charge. Usually catches them by surprise, helped out by the shotgun/power fist wielding veteran sgt.

[ElCheezus]

Actually, mixing specials is a bad idea. If you do, then no matter what you shoot at you'll have a sub-par weapon. If you have two meltas and a flamer, either the meltas or the flamer will be wasted. Well, the meltas won't be wasted, but if you're firing at something that a flamer is good for, then the one shot from the melta isn't adding anywhere near as much as another flamer would.

I occasionally advocate flexibility on some units. Veterans are not one of them. They're cheap enough that it's better to specialize the unit, and take another veteran unit to add your flexibility.

[AngelsofDeath]

Was looking at an air cav list myself. Problem is the 8 Valk models you have to buy alone is $500. Not the cheapest army to build just for kicks. But would be fun to play.

[I NoSe]

I always take demolitions on my veterans. We may not have the tanks but we sure as hell have the ordinance.

[ElCheezus]

Watch out with that statement, Ordinance has specific rules, like 2d6 pick the highest against vehicles. Demo Charges are Assault weapons.

(I'm picky with words like that)

[w7west]

Ivan:
3 vets with Flamers and Heavy Flamer to handle infantry.

3 vets with triple melta to handle transport vehicles and squads.

9X Valks/Vendettas as transport.

I wouldn't expect to win with this list, just have fun with it.

lolwut?