So the Stormraven Gunship is being hailed by many as the new Land Raider of the Grey Knights Codex, but can an armour 12 transport skimmer really be that good? Well the an the face of things the Stormraven and the Land Raider are quite easily comparable...Both come with power of the machine spirit, an assault ramp and the ability to carry up to a 12 man squads, psychic pilot with the fortitude power...
However the things that set the Stormraven apart from it's land dwelling counterpart are that the Stormraven has the ability to carry a unit of 6 jump infantry models and a Grey Knights Dreadnought as well as the 'Shadowskies' manoeuvre and I think every player must be asking the same question...Is this really better than my old faithful Land Raider or just a pretender to the throne?? Lets consider the small list of options and load outs before we answer that though.
Options:
Replace Twin-linked Heavy Bolter with
Multi Melta - Oh yes....So right!!
Typhoon Missile Launcher - Over priced for abilities you're better off sticking with the Heavy Bolter.
Replace Twin-linked Assault Canon with:
Twin-linked Lascanon - Again just screams yes at you from the codex pages!
Twin-linked Plasma Canon - If you feel a bit crazy before a friendly game give it a go.
Take side sponson Hurricane Bolters - Very costly upgrade good against hordes but remember they cease to be defensive weaponry if you take Psybolts too.
May take the following:
Searchlight - If you have a point spare feel free.
Warp Stabilisation field - Pointless without the Librarian, consider that the Stormraven is extremely mobile and would possibly be a waste of points...
Truesilver Armour - Costly upgrade on the off chance of killing enemy psykers.
Extra Armour - Fortitude does almost the same for free...
Teleport Homer - Not a bad idea if your using a lot of Deep striking Grey Knights.
PsyBolt ammunition - Good if going against Horde armies for that extra oomph.
So here are a couple of load outs for you to consider too...
Stormraven 1: 240pts
Hurricane Bolter
Coming in at the less cost than a Land Raider this bad boy is going to be a major target for Horde armies...Load up with the flamer Dreadnought we spoke about previously, add to that 6 Paladins kitted out with Psycanons , maximise on Wound Allocation with Falchions and Halberds and Shadowsky them all into the middle of the enemy lines and unleash the full fury of the Emporer upon the xenos scum!
Stormraven 2: 205pts
Muti Melta
Twin-linked Lascanon
This is a real must have configuration for anyone considering taking a Stormraven in a Gunline Grey Knight formation, this load out means you have a mobile heavy weapon platform capable of reacting quickly to your opponent's armour and (if loaded with a squad) Deep Striking combat units.
Conclusion:
So there we have the run down of the Grey Knight Stormraven Gunship, this seems to us like a really competitive an durable piece of kit to have available to any Grey Knight army...Cheaper than a Land Raider, less susceptible to Melta weaponry thanks to Ceramite Plating and can always get a cover save by turbo boosting.
The only major downfall the Stormraven has is that it is all around armour 12 compared to the Land Raider's armour 14 but if you are mindful of your tactics during your game this shouldn't be an issue and should become a cool addition to any army be it fluffy, cheesy, gunline formation or tailored for your local gaming Meta...
Labels: Grey Knights, List Building, Ordo Malleus, Stormraven, Tactics
Stormraven 1: 240pts
Conclusion: