are all drop pods still viable?

[El_Davo]

I want to run an all drop pod list, but i'm not sure how well they perform in the current edition. i feel like mostly see biker armies running along. does anyone have any experience with all drop pods or mostly all drop pods? my list is below. let me know what you think or what i should change. also i'd be using the star phantoms chapter tactics from forge world; which means reroll 1's when deep striking, once per game all weapons are twin linked.

Captain
artificer armour; power weapon; combi-melta.. • Command Squad 4× meltagun. Apothecary • Drop Pod

Venerable Dreadnought power fist (built-in heavy flamer); multi-melta • Drop Pod

Venerable Dreadnought twin-linked lascannon • Drop Pod

10 Tactical Marines plasma gun plasma cannon Veteran Sergeant power weapon plasma pistol • Drop Pod

10 Tactical Marines flamer Veteran Sergeant Power weapon • Drop Pod

10 Tactical Marines melta gun, multi melta Veteran Sergeant power weapon grav pistol • Drop Pod

10 Tactical Marines flamer Veteran Sergeant
power weapon • Drop Pod

Stormtalon Gunship

Whirlwind . Predator

Whirlwind

total 2000 points

thats 7 drop pods in the list, 4 on the first turn and with rerolls i've got a better chance to get the other 3 reserves on the second turn. except for the storm talon, but im not worried about the storm talon. either way, let me know what you think. :)

[chicop76]

It's actually more viable since you can disembark 6" in any direction and can be used to give you a cover save. Not to mention you can now get in close with grav guns.

[El_Davo]

would i be better off with grav guns rather than the plasma?

[DarkLink]

Grav guns aren't nearly as good on non-relentless models. Maybe a unit of them, but really you should never be spamming one of any special weapon type.

[chicop76]

Grav guns aren't nearly as good on non-relentless models. Maybe a unit of them, but really you should never be spamming one of any special weapon type.

I would run grav/ melta and a plasma squad. For example grav is poor against daemons and plasma would be better out the 3 vs some daemons for example.

[El_Davo]

fair enough. maybe i'll drop one of the flamer squads and make them into a grav squad. then i'd one of each. cant get more flexible than that right?

[The Shrike]

Drop Pod lists are very viable. All lists have hard counters. Yours is lots of intercepting Ion Accelerators on Tau Riptides.

Your list does need a lot of honing though.

A few notes; I'll go by section:

HQ: Tigurius is the best HQ for nilla marine pod armies, bar none. That being said, Calgar can also be super good if you want to tac spam but that appears to not be your angle. Smashy captains or CMs don't really work as well without a bike...they're just too easy to escape and gun down.

Elites: Ironclads > Venerables/Regular Dreds. AV13 is CRITICAL. Also, never mix roles. Whatever type of Dreadnought it is, it should never have something like MG+HF. Think about it, one will always be used in a non-optimal manner this way. Suicide Sternguard can also work quite well is pod armies. Something like:

x5 Sternguard: x5 Combi-Plasma, pod- 205

Troops: Brother, taking weapon upgrades on sgts just doesn't work for the points. Against anything worth it's salt you're never going to get to swing. The value of a sgt is to be able to challenge in the stead of a more valuable character, i.e. an HQ. As for the tacs themselves, same rules apply as with the dreads: keep their role focused.

Fast Attack: AA is a typical weakness in a pod list, you caught on nicely with the addition of a talon. But run them in 2s. Also don't neglect the 95 point burner option of a 5-man assault squad with double flamer in a free pod. It comes in, wastes a scoring unit and forces your opponent to deal with a unit that means nothing to you.

Heavy Support: Whirlwinds = Never. Ever. 1) They're bad, 2) More importantly, there are better options. TFCs augment your anti-personnel firepower on the cheap. Grav Centurions provide extremely deadly firepower while providing such a huge and vital distraction early from your T1 podded units who are stranded in front of your opponent's army.

That's a quick run down. Just my .02

[DarkLink]

Actually, intercepting Ion Accelerators are easy to deal with. Interceptor shots won't benefit from markerlights, so BS3 and you get your cover saves. He shouldn't be able to fire a blast, because you should drop right next to one of his units and move 1" away so the blast would hit his own models. And 3 Ap2 shots with cover saves at BS3 is not at all scary. And remember that they can only ever fire one gun, ever, outside of their own movement phase, so units like Broadsides have significantly reduced firepower. Interceptor is overrated as a hard counter to Drop Pods.

[KAPcom]

I've been running pods for about a year now, in pretty competitive tournaments and here's the stuff I've found: Thunderfire cannons are amazing, and almost an autotake for any army (I would take them over your whirlwinds). Sternguard are great, but expensive. Take advantage of the fact they can take heavy flamers for 10 points. Also, adding in space wolf allies for some drop pod rune priests will make short work of MC and riptides.

[DemonFerret]

Also, adding in space wolf allies for some drop pod rune priests will make short work of MC and riptides.

Good tactic for now, but when new wolf codex comes out thats one of first things thats gonna be gone or jaws is a power to be rolled for.

[xTHExCLINCHERx]

An all-pod list is tough to get right, but lots of fun to play... I've found the best success with Ultramarines + Calgar, or Sentinels of Terra bolter spam. Since you're already running Ultramarines, here's a list I've found decent luck with (null deploy):

Calgar (Armour of Antilochus)

Tactical Squad x5
I focus each squad on something specific with a special weapon and a combi on the sgt. I leave one of each type open to fit Calgar depending on what needs to be hit turn 1.
(2 plasma - 8 man, 10 man; 2 melta - 8 man, 10 man, 1 flamer squad)

Sternguard x2 (no upgrades, but you could sprinkle in some combis if you crunch the points somewhere)

Storm Talon x2


The main thing about the list is it's versatility in what you can do turn 1. There's some melta potential, anti MC with plasma and lots of poison shots, you get Calgar's twin-linked Orbital Bombardment since he's in terminator armour, etc.

Calgar also gives all those tactical marines the good ol' "I'm gonna fall back now" rule from the old codex... and if you combat squad them all... that's a lot of small squads to deal with that can pretty much do whatever they want.

I usually drop on turn 1: Calgar with respective squad that has room, both sternguard squads for ignores cover shots or poison (usually the latter), and another pod of tactical marines (usually reinforcing the tactics of the one Calgar has joined).

You can get nuts and drop the storm talons too for stuff if you want, but I like them for anit-air (plus it works with the null deploy theme). Hope that provides some inspiration :D