How do we best use Scourges?

Bibitybopitybacon wrote:

There is one big reason to take scourges over reavers, scourges are far cheaper $ wise .
I'm wondering at trying to deep strike 10 scourges though. Wouldn't 2 units of five deep striking be better? Less of a foot print and allows you to threaten multiple targets with deep striking meltas which can be very nast.

As a Blood Angel player, this is my preferred option. I usually take 2 10-man assault squads each with 2 meltas and they combat squad to deep strike near enemy armour and wipe it out. Sadly this went horrendously wrong last night. All 4 combat squads arrived perfectly and within melta range (thank you Descent of Angels!). Fired 2 meltas at a Land Raider, both hit but both rolled 4 on 2d6 to penetrate. Fired other 2 meltas at a Rhino, both missed. And that was pretty much game over!

The_Burning_Eye wrote:

As with everything, 6th has put a different slant on them. depends on how many points I've got spare I'd either take a unit of ten to go land raider hunting, or two smaller units, one to use as support for stripping hull points and the other as more of a tank killer with heat lances (and I mean tanks, nothing with a transport capacity unless it's Tau, not particularly scared of charging them!)

I thought that units couldn't charge from a non-assault transport even after it has been destroyed in the enemy turn... Check that, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't have the RB in my workplace

Bibitybopitybacon wrote:

There is one big reason to take scourges over reavers, scourges are far cheaper $ wise

Unless you're buying Battleforces off Ebay for 10 - 25% off GW normal prices, which makes reavers (already marked down because they are in the box) even cheaper.

Are there any ways to make the Scourge more useful as AI, enough so to rededicate other units to AT? I know that is not an issue for us, but I'm curious about possible applications. If only we could give them Dissies...

They can take 4 splinter cannons. It's still expensive in points, and you really aren't getting that much output from them unless they are within range of with their sharcarbines. At that point, they probably moved, so you're only getting one extra poison shot with the cannons. Thumbs down to that option, especially considering the alternative is 9 Reavers with caltrops.

Shredders are a interesting option. On the one hand, they are short range (though better than the melta on heat lances). On the other hand, they are much like caltrops, scoring several S6 hits, but they can also be used against vehicles (lighter ones, or rear armor). The shredders are also cheap, but the Scourges are still a lot of points for what you get. Unless you want to maximize your cheap S6, and you already have Trueborn using shredders for far cheaper, then I wouldn't consider this option either.

Straight shardcarbines is probably their best option, since you're paying for them whether you switch out for another gun or not. Just try to kite things around and use those 3x splinter shots as much as possible. This is where they can actually be decent. Causing 10 wounds from that range means they will take out around 3 MEQs or 6-10 GEQs per volley, which can itself put them beyond assault/double-tap range. Are Reavers still better? Probably, but they are also more expensive.