Underdogs. Finding a fit for the unused units: Necron Flayed Ones

My starting disclaimer:

I will not be using MEQ's as a standard. In the large scheme of things I see the guardsmen as the best standard, they're 3 across the board with a basic armor save of 5+. Granted there are tons MEQ's, there are also Eldar/Deldar/Militarum/Tyranids/Kroot/Cultists/Orks and more that do make regular appearances out there in the meta. If you disagree then that's no taco off my truck but please do feel free to comment for the Silent King.

Within the past 2 to 3 editions of 40K we've seen the rise of death-star units and the simultaneous slow bleeding out of take all comers lists. Several blogs that I follow have commented on this and you can read a great article by reecius over at frontline gaming on the subject. The context on which I'll be writing articles from this point on will now be speaking to purely to take all comers lists.

The Unit

For this article I'll be focusing on the marginalized Necron Flayed Ones and before we get to the grits and bits, lets get an overview of the unit.

-MEQ toughness, middling save, low initiative and 3 attacks base.

-Deep strike, Infiltrate and Reanimation Protocols.

-No shooting whatsoever.

-Elites

The Perception

Flayed Ones seem to be slow, have no power weapons, slower than a guardsman in combat and have a lower survivability than their counterparts due to lacking a lord upgrade.

For a book that is renowned for being rock solid and able to create multiple builds these clawed fiends of 40k seem to be the odd man out in an otherwise stellar codex.

What can they actually do?

Lets look at what they can do, which is 3 attacks each. Base. 4 on charge. They are capable of massing up to 20 in a unit. That is 60 attacks from a full unit. 80 on charge. Wowsers!

Having W4/S4 means they're going to be getting reliable rolls to hit/wound on any guard equivalent, as well as most Eldar/Deldar. They will most likely be striking last but a 4+ and then Reanimation Protocols mitigate this fairly well. Even better if a destroyer lord with res orb happens to stroll by. 

The Flayed Ones excel in disassembling speed-bumps like termagaunts due to high rate of attacks, leadership, armor and Reanimation Protocols. They are not heavy armor hunters but when supported they can and will take them down in numbers.

Context and creating room for Flayers in your list:

Now here is where we'll need to speak to Flayed Ones in the context of a Necron army. 

While they have become arguably stronger in 7th with changes to vehicles and chariots, (monoliths coming back baby!) necrons are finally watching the updated books come into their own competitively. The new iteration of 40K very much stresses mobility especially, I'm looking at you maelstrom missions. Necrons have the ability to be very creative in their movement and positioning.

While primarily having 24" reach when shooting and the most effective reach being 12". They are not primarily a close combat oriented army, but do have units that are effective at specific goals and Flayed Ones are no different.

What if there was another way?

Backfield Attack: 

Deepstrike distractions and destruction made simple. 15 to 20 man unit that arrives on the back board and immediately advances (albiet slowly) on an enemy camping unit such as spawning tervigons, havocs and cultists, devastators/centurions and such. Even if you're going to be losing them to shooting you should have enough to last for 2 turns to make it to combat due to saves and RP. Depending on your opponent's army you'll be able to hold them for the remainder of the game or even mulch them. From then there's moving to objectives or continuing down a line to hold others. 

Add Monolith for extra flavor ( >1500 point games):

Deep strike or infiltrate a unit of Flayed Ones into either an area denial role, objective grabber or clean up crew against an MSU squad that needs to be taken out and is either static or close by. 

Deep strike a Monolith into a potential hotspot or by an area of massed troops. Initial shooting from the Monolith will thin the herd and become an immediate target priority. Assuming they are unengaged, teleport a mass of Flayed ones in. You can use this strategy in tandem with the one above and with the numbers/save/t/RP of Flayed and high AV of the Monolith you have a very good chance of surprising your opponent. Especially halfway through the game. This sort of 1-2 immediately drops a horde and a heavy vehicle, both of which require focused fire on their own to reliably neuter. 

You could be doing this with a horde of warriors/immortals but they should be focussing on being objective secured. I would not try this on anything under 1500 though as it is a considerable point sink.

Speed Bump Shennanigans: 

Especially effective against horde armies. Infiltrate a medium size unit into cover as far up the line as possible. Intercept guard equivalent hordes moving up the field towards objectives. Fairly simple tactic as it allows you to engage the enemy on your terms. They can serve as area denial in this fashion as well. Squads of 10 will reliably stand against Termagaunts and Orcs enough to bring rapid fire in the following turns or reposition yourself. Smaller units of 5 are much better at engaging small squads of scouts, or tempestus scions even. 

Effective against Drop Pod armies, and assault armies. While not exclusive to a Walking dead army list it is a particularly effective when used in combination. A middle-large to large unit (15 to 20) can be used as a counter assault force. Receiving/dishing out charges against threats in their midst or joining a combat already in progress adding weight of numbers that will munch down the odds of your opponent's victory. Don't expect a quick resolution but don't expect the enemy unit to be doing much for a while.

Someone call for back up?: 

Lets face it. Everyone loves Wraiths. Most people love Scarabs and spyders because they're great at what they do. Scarabs, however quick they are, will still be reliant on spyders to remain fighting and relevant. They are easily knocked out with S6 and up shooting as well.

Wraiths are most often an auto-take due to their saves, speed and rending. They are resilient to a point but susceptible to instant death and can only bring up to 12 wounds on the table in one unit. They are usually used to rush up the board and speed-bump piecemeal or hunt down enemy units. 

Neither of the units on their own can normally take down a dedicated combat unit or an elite quickly or reliably and tend to get bogged down for far longer than they should be. 

Enter Flayed Ones Deep Striking a small to medium squad by a pivotal combat can either see the enemy combatant's squad destroyed or held even longer by weight of numbers. They can intercept any helpers and tie them as well. 

Scarabs and Flayed ones against MEQs/TEQ's are particularly brutal when the amount of attacks stacking up against an armorless model start to pile up. 

Wraiths entering combat and supporting infiltrated Flayed ones can make for an extremely nasty tactic that may force your opponent to react.

In addition, these tactics can be reversed using the previous Speed-bump tactics and even applied with the Monolith tactic for a deceptively mobile part of your force.

The Conclusion

While they aren't an end all unit. They can be used as game changers, area denial or even as a distraction carnifex unit. They are generally laughed at when placed on a list or table top and are not overly expensive for what they can do. While Triarch Praetorians, Lychguards and C'tan may be specialized MEQ/TEQ killers, they pay an almost inordinate amount of points and are outmatched by Vanilla Terminators.

The Necron army is possibly one of the most synergistically written codices out there and I do believe that you will find the Flayed Ones are no exception. Get out there in the trenches and let me know if these practices are working for you as well. 

I've already had two other requests for both the Pyrovore and the Rough Riders so I've got my work cut out for me! If you'd like to keep my mind juices flowing send me more! Till next time!

Cheers!

Derptau