Tactics: Water style 40k

As part of my continuing discussion on the different elemental styles of 40k I would like to move forward. Last time, if you recall, we covered fire.  This time we will cover the element directly opposed to a fire list: Water.

WATER:

Style: Slowly but surely (think of a flood), very flexible...redundant lists.
Wins based on: Limiting your options and slowly picking you apart
Loses based on: Not being able to kill enough quickly enough.
Counter: Earth

Water will eat away at your army,
it just depends on how fast.

A large portion of Tournament Lists are Water based, they tend to want to do things like have multiple 'back-up units,' just incase their main line assault doesn't work.  They will also have many "somewhat important," targets presented to you.  They may also make you choose between soft targets that aren't that much of a danger and a hammer unit that is really tough to kill...

The reason these lists are present in a lot of tournaments is simple, they are easy to play and easy to build.  If you are having bad luck you have back up on top of back ups, so the list is naturally forgiving.  Water loves to be RELIABLE! (oh and they love overlapping fields of fire, too)

One common thing you will see with water lists is that as they progress down the field they will cover most of the ground behined them.  Fire (as we covered) generally leaves nothing behind and throws it all on the front lines.  Water, on the other hand, will have one element moving balls-to-the-walls at you while one element moves 6" and fires.  Thus, filling in the space left by the fast unit.

Tips with waves... RUSH IT, or get out of the way!

I grew up in SoCal and obviously we surfed a ton, when your out there on the water you don't talk about single waves coming and going, instead you talk about a particular "set," coming in.  These sets have some uniformity to them, but you have to plan for the whole set...not just one wave.  This is the same with water lists, sure you should worry about the terminators in the Land Raider, but also worry about the 20 tac marines following them in a rhino firing out of the top hatch, and the typhoons raining missiles in the back field.

Some of the water lists favorite units are ones that can do a multitude of roles:

Armies that do Water Particularly well:
- Salamander marines- combat squad Melta tac squads and TH/SS termies with Vulkan makes things VERY water like

- Grey Knights: Argue me all you want on this one, but GK are almost 100% a water list.

- Space Wolves Grey Hunter Spam + Long fangs.

- Imperial Guard!

As I mentioned before, armies that win a lot of tourneys are water based (though may have some other elements mixed in for flavor)



Sample army list: Mech Guard, 2000 pts.

Company Command Squad 165pts

            3x Meltagun

            Astropath

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Flamer

Psyker Battle Squad 155pts

            +4 Psykers

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Bolter

Psyker Battle Squad 155pts

            +4 Psykers

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Bolter

Water can sometimes look unassuming, don't be fooled.

Platoon Command Squad 45pts

            3x Flamers

Infantry Squad 115pts

            Autocannon

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Bolter

Infantry Squad 115pts

            Autocannon

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Bolter

Infantry Squad 110pts

            Flamer

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Flamer

Infantry Squad 110pts

            Flamer

            Chimera

                        Hull Heavy Flamer

Veteran Squad 100pts

            3x Meltagun

            Shotguns

Veteran Squad 100pts

            3x Meltagun

            Shotguns

Valkyrie 130pts

            Multiple Missile Pods

Vendetta 130pts

Vendetta 130pts

Hydra Squadron (2) 150pts

Hydra Squadron (2) 150pts

Hope you all enjoyed this edition of my Elemental tactics nonsense... Next I will likely move on to Earth.

Questions/Comments encouraged!

Duke