Warp Talons for beginners.

[The Man They Call Jayne]

   One of my favorite units in the new Chaos Codex are the Warp Talons. However, they may not be the easiest of units to use due to a total lack of ranged weapons. Here is a short tactica, and my personal ideas on how to make the most of this unit.

   First, lets have a quick look at what Warp Talons actually are. CC specialists without question. They are fast moving and well armed and armored with both Power Weapons AND Armour. They are Deamons, with all the bonuses a perils that this brings.

   So how many should we take in a unit? Well we can have anywhere from 5-10, and that includes a Champion. Given their cost, which I find very good for what you are getting, I like to take units of 5. This allows them to be small enough to make best use of cover or LOS blocking terrain. A unit of 10 might not be able to make as much use of this.

   Using Warp Talons is a matter of personal preferance. I prefer to Deep Strike them, but this comes with the drawback of being stuck in the open for a turn of enemy shooting as possibly assault. More on that later. The biggest bonus that Warp Talons have when Deep Striking is the Warpflame Strike special rule. This will reduce the BS and WS of any unit within 6" of the Deep Striking Location to 1. Thus allowing you to avoid suffering too much at the hands of assaulters.

   Should you decide to footslog your way around the table, you may find that your Talons become a priority target long before you make it to the intended victim. Making the best use of Cover and LOS blocking terrain is essential here.

   When it comes to finally getting into CC, you will not find the Warp Talons wanting. Even with average WS, these guys get 3 attacks each on the charge, 4 in the champions case and thanks to their Lightning Claws they are able to get as many wounds as posible on their target. Depending on how you used your Jump Packs, you may also benefit from Hammer Of Wrath. And they are tough enough to take a hit in return. With their 5++ save for being Deamonic, even power weapons aren't a sure fire solution to clearing them out. Although be warned, Enemies like Assault Terminator, or Howling Banshees, or anything that can simply put out an immense amount of attacks will rapidly chew through your squad. Also, if you get charged, as Deamons, your enemy will be required to take a Fear test, which will help you out some. Just remember you have no Overwatch AT ALL.

   With this in mind, who should we use these reality warping super Raptors on? Well I find they are best at clearing out units of MEQs that are trying to protect an objective. Flushing out hunkerd down units in cover is also a good use for them as anything  they do attack rarely gets a save. However there is another use that may not be so apparent, or indeed popular. Bait. Scarifice.

   For what you get, these guys are cheap. Very cheap. Cheap enough that 2 units of 5 are not setting you back a vast sum of points. They are also potent enough that you enemy isn't going to want them hopping around slashing his command squad into warp charged ribbons. They need to be stopped before they do too much damage.


   Now, on to the upgrades and other goodies. First off, Veterans of the Long War. Its a good upgrade to take even if you arent going up against Space Marines. The Ld boost is not to be sneezed at. And if you are in a Marine heavy area, Hatred is definatly your friend.

   Next up, Marks. Every Chaosigan has a favorite, and the Talons can benefit from all the marks gifts. Personally, I take the Mark of Slaanesh. Having my Talons strike first against other Marines and at the same time as most Eldar, they gain a significant advantage in CC. The Mark of Nurgle may appeal to the footsloggers among you, as you will be able to shrug off more shots that come at you as you advance. Tzeenchian players will enjoy having a 4++ save against those pesky power weapons and Khornates will enjoy the extra attcks that ignore most armour.

   The Champion is also unique in that he can take Gift of Mutation TWICE before the game even starts. I won't go into this too much as the Mutations are random and you all know what they are.

   Now, back to the point I made earlier about the risks of Deep Striking. When you can't assault on the turn you arrive, you are at significant risk. Warpflame Strike is a help, but you run the risk of Deep Strike Mishaps and losing your whole squad. Fortunatly, we have access to a useful device in the form of the Dimensional Key. This Chaos Artifact, once activated, allows ALL of your Deep Strikers to land without scatter for the rest of the game. This means you can land in the middle of your enemies lines, using them for cover against the big guns that post the biggest threat. It also encourages the enemy to try and assault you, which, now that they are only WS1, is very much in your favor, more so if you have the backing of Slaanesh.


So there it is, my beginners tactica for the use of Warp Talons. Feel free to comment, critisize and correct any errors I may have made, and present your opinions of this unit.

[BigToof]

Hi Jayne,
First off, great post and tactica.
We need more of these, especially for the CSM codex that I feel really has gems, but I've not played with the army (versus plenty but still...) and I'd love to see more of the less used models being put into play.

One question I do have is:
How do you get the Warp Talons into combat safely?
It seems like everyone and their mother hugs terrain, so if you don't have grenades its nigh impossible to get an assault done proper.
Tzeench or Nurgle mark seems to be the best one if this is the case, as you'll take plenty of lumps going in...

Maybe a combo with Masque or another Pavane type to get them out of cover?

Best,
-BT

[The Man They Call Jayne]

Getting them into CC safely is their biggest issue. Terrain hugging is the only way to do it if you want to be the one charging because unless I have missed something in the Relentless/Deamon rules, they cannot assault after Deep Striking.

My preffered method is Deep Striking with a Dimensional Key, which needs to be activated first by the bearer killing someone in CC. So you want that unit to be afast enough to make combat on turn 1 or 2, and hope you dont roll well for your reserves, so it by no means fool proof.

I take small squads and drop them perfectly behind enemy lines so as to catch as many units as possible in the Warpflame Strike. Then the enemy is more likely to charge me just to make sure I am dead because they cannot afford to have Talons jumping arounf the backfield.

I see them as a one shot unit to kill a specific target. After that, anything else they do is a bonus.

If you do intend to footslog, Tzeentch and Nurgle are your friends as you will last a little longer. I take Slaanesh just to boost the odds of me going first in CC.