Are Fliers Undone by their own strengths?

[DrLove42]

Fliers are win in 6th.

But are they so good that they're becoming bad?

I've previously commented on that I see that Defence lines are essential in a modern army, particularly in flier heavy environment.

Are fliers so good that most armies seem to have the means to kill them before they can do anything. I'm talking defence lines, interceptor weapons, skyfire squads (CSM Havocs soon)

A recent tournement here in the UK is one of the qualifying rounds for the new UKGT. It allows FW so there is a large number of fliers and other AA options. But over 75% of armies used a defence line and a Quad gun.

That means if you have a flier (not one of the AV12 brutes, but a Necron flier, or a DE flier, or anything AV11 or 10) is likely going to explode before it even gets a chance to do anything.

So once again the question is are fliers so good that all lists are able to kill them, thus limiting how useful they are?

[alshrive]

i would agree that currently Fliers are Pure Win Sauce! and People are taking defence lines etc to combat this. I actually quite like it as a concept as it has got people working on terrain (which some hobbyists seldom did before!), i think as 6th developes and codices are released things will start to balance out. I will say it is very annoying when your fliers are destroyed before they do anything but this is the nature of war.

Equally i have played a couple of games where my opponent was completely unprepared for fliers (an ork infantry horde against 2 Night Scythes and 2 Doom Scythes!).

So once again the question is are fliers so good that all lists are able to kill them, thus limiting how useful they are? to answer this i would simply like to state that an all rounded list would be able to cope with anything. Tanks can be awesome,but all lists have something to combat them, so at the end of the day i don't think the situation is that much different for fliers.

Having said this i am now working on a flier free CSM army and will let you know how i find it!

[Cap'nSmurfs]

I think this will change when everyone has access to their own fliers. As it is the easiest thing to do is have an anti-flyer counter - as they become attractive and available for more people, the balance might swing again. It didn't help that flyer spam was popular there for a moment, but it'll even out. :)

[Lost Vyper]

For a 100p an Aegis Line with Quad Gun is pretty much a must have for my Eldar army. It´s kind of a drag, having to take that almost every time, but against TWO Storm Ravens, you do the math...thankfully my opponent switches his army around very much, so it aint always the same sauce :). But Flakk/or similar missiles (or Targeting system or whatever fits the fluff) should become available to every race...

[Caitsidhe]

Games Workshop rigged the release to sell fliers. In short, it allows some people to buy an advantage in the short term. I'm not sure what it says about people who do this, but my opinion on that matter is irrelevant. Don't drink the kool-aid. Don't let yourself be so crassly manipulated.

[Kirsten]

to answer this i would simply like to state that an all rounded list would be able to cope with anything. Tanks can be awesome,but all lists have something to combat them, so at the end of the day i don't think the situation is that much different for fliers.

Having said this i am now working on a flier free CSM army and will let you know how i find it!

I would agree with this, fliers are the new thing so people are whining about them, they are not all powerful, they have severe limitations. I think they are great for the expanded model range and opportunities they are heralding, fliers for everyone means a slew of new models, which can only be a good thing. My chaos space marines wont be adding a heldrake, not keen on the look. The probably will take an aegis line, because they are iron warriors and I can't field iron warriors without fortifications, that would be wrong. will I take a quad gun? probably not.

[wittdooley]

Games Workshop rigged the release to sell fliers. In short, it allows some people to buy an advantage in the short term. I'm not sure what it says about people who do this, but my opinion on that matter is irrelevant. Don't drink the kool-aid. Don't let yourself be so crassly manipulated.

Not sure what this even means.

Fliers are good. But not unbeatable. I use my Assault Rams because they're cool, and I used them before 6E.

I don't think there's any kool-aid drinking going on simply because you bought a flier or two.

[nurglez]

I believe that the point that while most armies have access to flyers, that is their only anti air (apart from aegis defence lines/fortifications). So the best defence against flyers, is to buy more models. IF GW had faqed all armies to have some kind of anti air defence, then less flyers might be sold.

An arms race in other terms :D

I am yet to face massed flyers in 6th, and my Draigowing force doesn't have any flyers, or allies with it, my one concession towards flyers is an inquisitor with prescience to reroll snap shots, although my chaos force shall have a heldrake (I like the look of it, mostly).

[Kyban]

I don't like the fact that it forced a metagame on us. Now if you don't have flyer defense there's a good chance that you'll get mauled by them, but if you do have it you can usually turn your opponent's flyers into a waste of points. Now you have to take the ability to deal with a flyer in your list, currently limiting you to a couple of must-take options, whereas before you might give some thought to the different types of lists you'd encounter but you could generally take what you wanted.

[Lazarian]

There are only two 'problem children' here with flyers; either the Necron troop transport spam list or the Vendetta spam list. Both of them are serious tournament lists and are inappropriate for casual games unless you know your opponent. Both of those lists have counters but are also difficult lists in their own right.

If you run 1-3 flyers they are not as difficult and add to the game.