Mandrakes minimal units

With the previous post about the ranged weapon efficiency, we saw that mandrakes performed relatively well. That, plus somes other points I'll elabore below made me consider using 3 X 3 mandrakes squads, infiltrated on objectives:

1- It's not a very expensive unit. 3 units will only cost a little more than 100pts.
2- While it won't be tremondous, it can lay a descent amount of hits.
3- It's in the elite slot, nobody use, except maybe for the incubi
4- Having 3 units far away from each other, with 2+ cover save will be hard to remove with NORMAL weapons.

5- Special weapon that ignore cover will destroy them, but if the ennemy waste his shots to kill a 36pts unit and not my venom/reaver, I'm fine with it.

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3- It's in the elite slot, nobody use, except maybe for the incubi

What about Trueborn and Grotesques? 3x3 Mandrakes will take up all elite slots.

Causalis wrote:

Quote :

3- It's in the elite slot, nobody use, except maybe for the incubi

What about Trueborn and Grotesques? 3x3 Mandrakes will take up all elite slots.

Most people use the grotesquerie to field grotesque and not the "usual" elite slot

Not many people use trueborn

Causalis wrote:

Quote :

3- It's in the elite slot, nobody use, except maybe for the incubi

What about Trueborn and Grotesques? 3x3 Mandrakes will take up all elite slots.

Grotesques go better in the Grotesquerie Formation anyway.
About Trueborn, maybe Purge Coterie Formation?

Causalis wrote:

What about Trueborn and Grotesques? 3x3 Mandrakes will take up all elite slots.

Grots should be taken in Formations only imo

Comp or point restrictions can easily make a Grotesquerie unfeasible.

Personally, I think mandrakes are good hole fillers if you don't have anything else.

Of course, if you need the elite slot for something better, use it.

The point of this post is not to determine if we use the elite slot or not. But to determine if it's a good idea to buy mandrake if we have those slots.

So basically for the cost of 1 Grot you get 3 mandrakes in a squad.

The thing about mandrakes (other than needing to avoid Ignores Cover units) is that you need to be facing an army enough 4+ saves to make it worthwhile. Other than Necrons and AM, who fears these guys?

I have used them in the past to good effect, but that was against an army with a lot of 4+ saves.

I use them fairly often (when I'm tight on points they are the first to get cut though), I actually prefer squads of 5, they can be used to block scout moves and stall really aggressive units such as khorne dogs. Other than that I outflank them for late game objective grabbing. They are much better in eternal war missions.
The ignores cover thing is not an issue since ignores cover hurts everything we have so if they are using ignores cover on the mandrakes that means they aren't using it on something better.
They can actually take out back field vehicles really well, since they usually have furious charge by the time they can assault.
The real down side is they aren't any good at taking out back field objective holders who are themselves entrenched in cover, even chaos cultists. In assault they hit pretty decently but can't take a punch back.

5 of them for 60 points is an ok buy, some advantages and disadvantages over 3 reavers with a cluster caltrop (who will equally die to ignores cover).

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Other than Necrons and AM, who fears these guys?

Could we agree to write AM for Astra Militarum and Ad Mech for Adeptus Mechanicus? Because right now, AM can stand for both. The Ad Mech troops all have 4+ armour, except for the Kataphron Breachers who have 3+ armour.

I almost always run a couple units in my lists, but not usually 3. I find even just two units incredibly useful when I need to null deploy against drop pod heavy lists, for example. They also come in handy against several of the local white scar players who are hoping to scout far up the field into my deployment. They're surprisingly hard to displace for 36 points and often get me a couple points in games for things like holding an objective or being in the enemy deployment zone (I play ITC missions almost exclusively). It's rare that they don't kill a couple models too so I feel like they typically earn their points.

I like to run a pair of minimum units. If I run Craftworld allies for a Farseer to escort Reavers around, I like to take Rangers as the troops tax there.

3-4 infiltrating squads is really nice and annoying for grabbing objectives. Mandrakes especially are great, 3 2+ cover saves as well as FNP is a great deal for 36pts.

Starting turn 4 with Furious Charge, S5 on the charge can even do a pretty good job banging up backfield vehicles.