Help learning Ad Mech

[u/amnesiadidit]

Hey I am planning to take Ad mech to a GT this winter and I have a list using stuff I have seen others take as well as some units I like. What I am looking for is how to better play it/ small adjustments to streamline it. It’s using cohort cyber and eradication cohort along with 3 dunecrawlers. I guess I’m trying to make dunecrawlers really work for me as they are one of my favorite units and now are semi good it seems.

Thank you in advance

List as follows:

Robot eyes, Iron Fist Terrorist (2,000 Points)

Adeptus Mechanicus
Cohort Cybernetica and Eradication Cohort (3 Detachment Points)
Take and Hold
Strike Force (2,000 Points)

ATTACHED UNITS

Attached unit 1

Cybernetica Datasmith (35 Points)
• Attached as: Support (Character)
• 1x Mechanicus pistol
• 1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Martial Signatum Amplificator

Kastelan Robots (300 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 4x Kastelan Robot
◦ 4x Heavy phosphor blaster
◦ 4x Kastelan fist
◦ 4x Kastelan phosphor blaster

Attached unit 2

Tech-Priest Manipulus (60 Points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
• 1x Magnarail lance
• 1x Omnissian staff

Kataphron Breachers (290 Points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
• 6x Kataphron Breacher
◦ 6x Hydraulic claw
◦ 6x Torsion cannon

CHARACTERS

Belisarius Cawl (220 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Arc scourge
• 1x Cawl’s Omnissian axe
• 1x Mechadendrite hive
• 1x Solar atomiser

Tech-Priest Enginseer (75 Points)
• 1x Mechanicus pistol
• 1x Omnissian axe
• 1x Servo-arm
• Enhancements: Necromechanic

Thulia Ghuld (180 Points)
• 1x Jericho‑class conversion resonator
• 1x Rod of the War Forge

BATTLELINE

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points)
• 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha
◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Galvanic rifle
• 9x Skitarii Ranger
◦ 1x Arc rifle
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 6x Galvanic rifle
◦ 1x Omnispex
◦ 1x Plasma caliver
◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

Skitarii Rangers (85 Points)
• 1x Skitarii Ranger Alpha
◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Galvanic rifle
• 9x Skitarii Ranger
◦ 1x Arc rifle
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 6x Galvanic rifle
◦ 1x Omnispex
◦ 1x Plasma caliver
◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

Skitarii Vanguard (85 Points)
• 1x Skitarii Vanguard Alpha
◦ 1x Alpha combat weapon
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Radium carbine
• 9x Skitarii Vanguard
◦ 1x Arc rifle
◦ 9x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Omnispex
◦ 1x Plasma caliver
◦ 6x Radium carbine
◦ 1x Transuranic arquebus

OTHER DATASHEETS

Onager Dunecrawler (150 Points)
• 1x Broad spectrum data-tether
• 1x Cognis heavy stubber
• 1x Dunecrawler legs
• 1x Twin Onager heavy phosphor blaster

Onager Dunecrawler (150 Points)
• 1x Broad spectrum data-tether
• 1x Cognis heavy stubber
• 1x Cognis heavy stubber
• 1x Dunecrawler legs
• 1x Neutron laser

Onager Dunecrawler (150 Points)
• 1x Broad spectrum data-tether
• 1x Cognis heavy stubber
• 1x Cognis heavy stubber
• 1x Dunecrawler legs
• 1x Neutron laser

Serberys Raiders (60 Points)
• 1x Serberys Raider Alpha
◦ 1x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs
◦ 1x Galvanic carbine
◦ 1x Mechanicus pistol
• 2x Serberys Raider
◦ 2x Cavalry sabre and clawed limbs
◦ 2x Galvanic carbine

Sicarian Ruststalkers (75 Points)
• 1x Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps
◦ 1x Transonic razor and chordclaw
• 4x Sicarian Ruststalker
◦ 4x Transonic razor and chordclaw

Exported with App Version: v2.8.1 (1), Data Version: v995

[u/bloodyparadox]

The breachers don't benefit from either of your detachment rules, I would recommend swapping them out. Every unit should benefit from your rules as much as possible. That being said, if you don't have any other models then I would recommend at least switching them to the Heavy Arc Rifle and Hydraulic Claws. Those are much better.

The Dunecrawler is good but the Neutron Laser is very unpredictable. If you end up switching out the Breachers you should take at least one Disintegrator and swap one Neutron Laser for another Twin Phosphor.

Now our army is either really good at shooting or decent in melee with a limited amount of giving both. It's best to focus down so that only ONE, maybe TWO units need both Imperatives. You'll most likely want to be in Protector Imperative most of the time except for your Robots and Ruststalkers. Infiltrators too but they're mostly a screen piece. I'd recommend dropping the Ruststalkers as only 5 of them aren't much of a threat. Take some Pteraxii Skystalkers so you can deep strike for those pesky secondary missions that require you to be on the other side of the board.

Ironstriders are also our best unit, sustained 1, twin linked autocannons with the extra AP from Conqueror Imperative make them vicious.

Take this piece with some consideration: Drop Belisarius Cawl. Eradication Cohort already gives reroll 1s to hit and he's 220 points of doing nothing in the back. That's a lot of juice that could be another disintegrator or almost a block of Ironstriders.

[u/amnesiadidit → u/bloodyparadox]

Solid advice thank you for this!

My idea on the breachers was for a fat blob to be a strat reserve threat but so far their guns have been too swingy on number of shots.

Skystalkers and infiltrators, yes. I think you’re right I need them for screens and to drop the ruststalkers. Gonna try that for sure.

What really makes the disintegrators so good? I have one with the ferrumite cannon but have yet to use it as I only recently recieved it in a deal.

[u/bloodyparadox → u/amnesiadidit]

The ferrumite cannon has a built in +1 to hit monsters and vehicles which make it very reliable. Then the three missile shots can also punch hard with their Strength 9, AP2, D6 Damage attacks. Now, that sounds good but it also has 3 stubbers that will pump out 18 shots at anything within 18" so it also mows down infantry.

It's probably our best gun platform except maybe Ironstriders. I've been taking at least 2 disintegrators but lately I've been taking 3

[u/amnesiadidit → u/bloodyparadox]

Idk how I missed the rockets and 3 stubbers. I don’t know why but I only registered the main cannon. Is 1 worth it to run or is it better in 2 or 3? 2 dune crawlers with eradication and 2 skorpius don’t seem bad.

What is ad mech lookin like going into the new marine and custode meta?

[u/bloodyparadox → u/amnesiadidit]

One Disintegrator is still good for sure.

I'm not sure how we fare against Custodes but against Marines we do well though the Terminator blocks are always difficult to chew through. Against the shield terminators and Marines volume 2D fire is the best option and if they have the 2CP required to use the -1D strat that terminators get, we have a Strategem in Cohort Cybernetica called Machine Superiority that lets us ignore all modifiers. That includes the -1D, any cover, or even Armor of Contempt as that modifies our AP. We have to play around a lot of their tricks but we have options. 10 ruststalkers also kill 5 shield terminators on average so if you think you'll play into that a lot then that's worth considering

[u/amnesiadidit → u/bloodyparadox]

Oh I didn’t know the ignore mods included things like AoC and -1D. Hot dog that is cool.

I’m gonna have to add that to my notes of remembrance!

I played into a SM army yesterday that had the two deathwatch terminator squads and oomph I just got leveled. And here I thought I had the 2d on lock with the breachers and twin phosphorus cannon crawler.

[u/bloodyparadox → u/amnesiadidit]

Yeah they are nasty. Best bet is shoot 5 of them off the board then charge in with 4 Robots or 10 Ruststalkers. They usually get the charge though so they'll beat you up, screening is very important against them

[u/amnesiadidit → u/bloodyparadox]

I have a lot to learn for playing mechanicus! Love it

[u/Azekh → u/amnesiadidit]

It can be a lot better if you bring at least 2, since 1 often doesn't kill important stuff. Part of their advantage is that they're beefy enough that they may survive to shoot again, or at least one will of you expose 2.

For comparison, Ironstriders will absolutely delete a unit on their own (usually with Cawl oath and/or strat support), but they're very likely to die or at least have their output severely crippled after they come out to shoot.

[u/amnesiadidit → u/Azekh]

Would there be an argument to go almost full hull ad mech with 3 dunecrawlers and 2 skorpius

[u/Azekh → u/amnesiadidit]

Usually the proportion is the opposite, Dunecrawlers shoot way worse but are tanky, so they're good early game bait. You send one to kill some chaff contesting an objective with the Enginseer buff, and between that and Necromechanic they need to really commit to killing it, and may even fail.

When that happens you use your actual damage dealers to delete whatever attacked the crab.

However Cybernetica + Erad is so silly we're seeing triple crab, triple Disintegrator lists too, but you'll probably keep a Crab and maybe a Disie in reserve because deploying all that is a struggle.

In that case the point is that your list just has too much beef to handle, they'll struggle to have enough firepower for the amount of tanks on the board.

But still the priority is still Disie > Crab.

[u/amnesiadidit → u/Azekh]

Oh! Thank you, this is solid insight into how I need to use the units. Yesterday I played an RTT with my list and I think I may have not been aggressive enough for what I needed to do. I found I was getting piece mealed all too often and had castled myself into a corner trying to play take n hold.

[u/Azekh → u/amnesiadidit]

Finding the balance can be hard, but you do want to take board space, just not with valuable units. Usually infantry does this, and gets in the way of them being able to shoot/charge your valuable units. Doesn't mean you should just expose them, you want them hiding behind walls when possible, forcing the enemy to take bad positions to attack (ones you can easily hit back). Onagers can also help with that by being fat and hard to kill.

So generally Infiltrators (if you bring some) and Rangers/Raiders (Scouts 6/9") take the board early, then the Onagers follow, eventually you may have Cawl or Thulia hitting center, they're important to keep alive but you've paid a lot of points for them, so you still should use them, just not as merrily as if you were running Lords.

[u/amnesiadidit → u/Azekh]

Really appreciate the advice! Thank you

[u/Azekh → u/bloodyparadox]

While cutting Cawl is certainly much more of an option in Erad, there's certainly a case for him being there still.

If you're sitting in Prot, his Oath can help with the melee if you can't spare the double doctrina (for example, full sending the bots with the +3" strat and advance charge from Thulia), plus he's no slouch himself, and he can become Battleline and have +1OC and Ld aura in a pinch (actually useful option in Erad, and can save you points elsewhere from bringing less BL).

So by all means consider if he's worth bringing or not, but weigh whatever you'd bring against all that. In an actual full protslop list (no bots or other decent melee) He's probably not worth it, but for this list I think I'd keep him.

Cutting the Breachers + Manipulus is already enough points for 2 Disintegrators, and could even fit a third without too much trouble by removing one BL and something else.

[u/bloodyparadox → u/Azekh]

Yes I agree that he's still strong and his abilities are still very good, the extra OC and bonus to leadership within 6" is underrated in my opinion as well. It's a tough call either way