Wednesday, January 5

New Stormraven and my dastardly plans!


When any new codex comes out a lot of us games seek so hard to try to "unlock," the codex.  We look at combs like FNP/ FC Lightning claw and TH/SS termies and think about how that is the endgame for everything.  We see spamming Dark Lances everywhere and think that Mech is dead.  But every so often there is something neat in the codex that doesn't get its fair shake and is left by the wayside.  In the Blood Angel dex I feel that unit is the Storm Raven.



Mostly I don't think the Raven got any love simply because it cost something like $90 to convert one up using a land-raider and Valk.  But looking at this new model said to be out in Feb gets me thinking about the little Thunderhawk that could.

Lets look over the rules: Stock comes with 4 st 8 AP 1 Missles.  That in and of itself is pretty slick, come on from dawn of war or straight reserves and have at it with those bad boys.  Then next turn move fast/flat out and then activate the machine spirit to blast of a multi-melta shot at close range.  Not to mention that TL Lascannon your packing as well.

Lets look at the math...

VS: AV 14
Each missle has a 1.8% chance of wrecking the thing outright (Thank you AP1) x4 = 8% chance
Each melta shot has a 10.6% chance of exploding it and a 10.6% chance of wrecking it so = 21% chance
Each Lascannon shot has a 2.5% chance of wrecking and exploding. so = 5% chance
Add it all together and that makes 34% chance of wrecking a Land Raider.  Not that great, but acceptable.  That essentially means it would take 3 turns of full firing to pay for itself (including losing the missiles after first shot round)

VS AV 13
4 missles = 3.7% per missle, so about 16% for all four
Melta = 33% chance of destroying
Lascannon = 10% chance of destroying

Total if all shots fired in one round: 59%
Which means it would take four rounds to pay for itself if shooting at a 135 point Predator or 145 point Vindicator.

VS AV 12
4 missles = 13% x 4 = 52% chance of destroying
melta=  37% chance
Lascannon = 15% chance
Total = 104% chance of destroying a Chimera
This would mean about four turns of firing to pay for itself  to destroy 4 chimeras

VS AV 11
4 missles= 18% each x 4= 72%
Melta= 41%
Lascannon= 20%
Total= 133% chance of destroying a Rhino
This would mean 3 turns of full shooting to pay for itself.

No matter how we cut the cake we can see that the Storm raven isn't a gun ship. This is why i think people havent made much use of the storm raven. It seems expensive.  The Las/Auto predator does better for the straight points. But what we aren't considering is this transport abilities and the abilities of: teleport homer, fast, deep strike, assault vehicle and skies of blood and most importantly the armor plating not allowing extra dice to pen. All of these abilities make the storm raven a very flexible unit.

In essence, don't sit back and fire away with your raven!!! First turn should be spent moving 6 and firing its missiles. Peferably at enou distance to avoid return fire, then come screaming in and fire off the melt a with machine spirit and deploy your troops in the mouth of the enemy.

In essence I think the storm raven would be the best units in the game if terrain was better than the 4th Ed junk most tables play with.

As I conclude I see that even I am confused about the raven. In one breath it sounnds great and in another it sounds crappy. The only way to find out? Well like levar Burton said on reading rainbow... "don't take my word for it..." try it yourself!

What are your experiences/opinions on the storm raven? Would it be better if we Ll updated our terrain to be more Los blocking 5th stuff?

Duke

8 comments:

  1. I think lots of players play on tables without enough terrain. If you do the actual 25 percent thing and cover 1/4 of the table and then spread it out, you'd be amazed at how much that really is.

    I think with the Storm Raven, it fits with a certain type of play style. You almost have to use it a certain way it seems to get the most from it. Use it as something else and you're better off replacing it with a unit that can do that particular task better.

    I think it (the model) looks funny myself and to top it off, it doesn;t fit my playstyle either. I wonder if I could get one and convert it into something else though...


    Ron, from the Warp

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  2. Terrain is a huge problem in most games... I have seen tables where the biggest piece of terrain is the defense line from planetstrike with a few trees.And now youve just inspired my next post! Thanks!

    About the SR (71).. I agree 100% I think it is the sort of tool you need to play with and use in a specific way. It isnt a flying predator and it really isnt a flying land raider. Its more of a hybrid vehicle and I think it will require some practice, which I am looking forward to.

    I have a love/hate relationship with the SR... It's almost a relfecton of my day. If I am having a good day I like how it looks, if I'm having a bad day it is hideous. I wonder what cool conversion opportunities will open themselves to this kit.

    Duke

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  3. I have played a significant number of games with a storm raven equiped as follows:
    Storm Raven - Extra armor, multi melta las Cannons
    5 thunder hammer ss termies
    corbulo
    DC Dread with blood talons

    I have taken this to both WarCon and some local tournies.

    My overall impressions were that for the points the storm raven was too delicate. I agree with your analysis of the shooting. It was just not an alpha strike vehicle extrodinaire as I had hoped. What it was outstanding at was delivering a dreadnaught and termie unit that could charge out of it. When it delivered this unit I tended to win games. When it was blown out of the sky on turn one before I got to move or didn;t com on until turn 5 I lost.

    I think the issue with the unit was the fact that I did not really offer my opponent enough to shoot at. I think for these to be effective you will need two. I think the second one should be full of 10 death company, chaplian and a rgular furioso.

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  4. I have a feeling the thing would be absolutely devastating if it delivered that whole load! I would think it would be great in Dawn of War but not so much when going second in a standard deployment.

    I have a feeling your spot on with saying the opponent has to have lots of targets to make the SR less of a loadstone on the shooting

    Indecently I was at Wargames con last year and only saw a couple storm ravens. I know your "anonymous" but what army was yours?

    Duke

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  5. When I started my BA in 2010, I immediately went to 3 SR's. Converted them from a Valk kit and some LR bits.

    I love AirCav and the idea of 3 of these hitting 6 targets with a first turn Alpha strike is immense!

    I run 2 as TLLas, TypML, SSHurB, EA and 1 TLPlasC, TypML, SSHurB, EA. Granted they are 270 a piece but well worth it IMHO.

    I usually run Meph and a Talon Furioso in PlasC and 10 Meltagun x2 RAS in the other two, sometimes with a Talon Dread in each for support.

    Initally my only perceived deployment strategy no matter the mission was reserve all 3 SR's. They would come on and wreck %#$@. They usually survived the game.

    I tried a few games on the board and they would be dead in a turn or two...

    Taking 3 SR's does limit your list development and play style but when you are only playing 3 or 4 turns and assaulting almost all of theose turns, your opponent is shooting much.

    It has been fun with the Stormravens!

    See my conversion here - http://73rd-hellions.blogspot.com/2010/06/blood-angel-storm-raven.html

    I have followed you Duke for awhile here and on BoLS.

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  6. @sandman: thanks for following... Good to know I'm not ranting to an empty Internet, lol.

    Once the new storm raven comes out I 100% will try 1,2 and 3 storm raven lists... I just didn't feel like converting one up (I like your conversions though!)

    I will for sure make some more video bat reps with the raven featured... Perhaps I'll make a cool little event about it and allow people to submit a list for me to use in a video report...hmmm

    Duke

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  7. Thanks Duke.
    I (Edge) have one Batrep vs Tyranids my buddy made last summer, our first foray into youtube Batreps...I'm sporting the floral.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxqyN3NkKvc

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  8. Just got done watching it... Looks Iike your raven list rocked him pretty throughly. Makes me excited to try them out for myself.

    Duke

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