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Foxfire's Necron Tactica [Broken HTML]

Submitted By: Date: February 14, 2007, 12:00:00 AM Views: 3695
Summary: PART 1: THE BASICS The Necrons are one of the most intimidating armies in all of Warhammer 40K, able to field rank upon rank of unthinking, unstoppable metal soldiers. Each Necron a husk wrought in living metal, forged in an age long forgotten by all save the Farseers of the Eldar. This article is composed in order to better direct newer players in their attempts to understand and field their Necrons to their greatest efficiency.

<p class="subheader">Basic Principles</p>
   <p class="body">To field Necrons, there are a few primary rules that a new and upcoming player should never forget. The first of these is Unity: Your army should act as a single entity on the field of battle, never let your force rely too much on one of its branches, it should work as a whole in order to best achieve your ends as its commander. Every army is required to take a minimum of twenty Warriors, do not do yourself the disservice of forgetting to include them in your strategies. Given that you must take them, and given their cost, it is unwise to leave them at the back of your formations in hopes that they will keep the rest of your army from Fading Out. Integrate them into your force, and use them to their full ability. Likewise, don’t allow your special units to take the brunt of the enemy attack or the bulk of its defense alone, they should be supported by ample Warrior numbers. Never let elements of your army remain idle if it can be helped, make sure to always use everything at your disposal.

   The next of these rules is Coherency: In most cases, your army should retain relatively close proximity within all of its branches. Warriors should not be left alone without the support of your other units, likewise more specialized units should not generally be left to fulfill their duties without available support from other units in your army. Every unit in the Necron arsenal is meant to fill a certain niche, use these specialized units for what they are meant, and have support ready for them when circumstances change and their abilities are no longer preferable for the conditions at hand. Your units excel in their intended area, so do not waste them by letting an enemy force a situation on them that they weren't designed to cope with. Try not to segment your forces, or leave parts of your army far away from the main mass. Keep most of your units at the disposal of most of your units, and your battles should run more smoothly.

   The third rule is Safety in Numbers: Most units in the Necron army have the ability to rise from the dead, given that they are within six inches of another Necron of the same type. Specialized units are often intended for a niche that may not require very much of them, but in taking only the minimum of what you need, you run the risk of the enemy obliterating them in a single turn. If you take any Necron unit, make certain to take enough of the same type that your opponent cannot simply destroy one unit of them and deprive them of their “We’ll Be Back” save. Keep high numbers of like-Necrons within your army, as well as Tomb Spyders, to ensure “We’ll Be Back” for your soldiers.</p>

<p class="heading">Unit Summary: Basic Units</p>
   <p class="body">Now we will go over the more basic Necron units and the standard methods of employing them. There are more units than just these available to the Necron player, but the following are the most straightforward of them. More advanced unit tactics will be covered later.</p>
   <p class="subheader">Warriors: </p><p class="body">Necron Warriors are the most important element in your army. As any army is required to have at least twenty, there is no point in leaving them out of your battle plans. Think of them as the medium through which the rest of your army flows, the great majority of Necron strategies end with the Warrior line reaching the enemy and delivering the killing blow. All tactics employed by special units work toward achieving this end, and therefore it is imperative that the Warriors not be forgotten. Typically it is wisest to advance them toward the enemy, so as to deliver a rapid fire volley from their Gauss Flayers. Unless the enemy is coming after you, as would be the case with more close combat oriented armies, it is generally wisest to advance and take the initiative with your Warriors. When in doubt, advance, as there is no greater waste then allowing your Warrior ranks to sit idle while the battle rages on before them. Keep in mind that you need not be too careful with them, they are the most resilient troops in the game, and playing them defensively is wasteful in most cases. With their survivability, the player can afford to be aggressive, and he should be.</p>


{mospagebreak}


   <p class="subheader">Scarabs: </p><p class="body">One of the most flexible tools in the Necron arsenal, Scarabs are by far the most prevalent support unit used by Necron players. They move between two and four times as quickly as your infantry will, and each has enough wounds to hold its own against enemy fire and hand to hand engagements. Keep in mind that while they can answer any call to engage an enemy, they are unlikely to win you many melees; they are a support unit meant to spare your more expensive units, not to rid the enemy of his. In most cases, they will not kill their points, as cheap as they may be, but with their movement and their ability to handle most medium-strength adversaries, they are a safe investment. If equipped with Disruption Fields, they can be made into effective tank hunting units, but run the risk of being intercepted by enemy units that will prevent them from finding enemy vehicles and thus waste their newly bought ability. They do have the capacity to Deepstrike, however, which allows them to enter the board anywhere they like with the added expense of only being available after the game’s first few turns have passed.</p>
   <p class="subheader">Immortals:</p> <p class="body">These Elites might be considered a more advanced unit by some, but given their heightened resilience and easy use, they have fallen under the Basic category. Resembling large Necron Warriors, Necron Immortals are harder to kill and provide supporting fire for Warrior ranks on the move. Their weapons may still fire at their maximum efficiency while moving, and therefore they make excellent fire support for your Warriors, whose only other defense is their inherent toughness. A force which includes Immortals will have the ability to strike back at whatever enemy might be shooting them; just be forewarned, the Immortals will likely be the target of much enemy fire after their shooting prowess is discovered. Taking more than one unit often provides Immortals with the numbers they’ll need to survive, though in smaller battles even one full unit can generally take a few rounds of enemy fire before it falls permanently. </p>
<p class="subheader">Lord:</p> <p class="body">This unit is far and away one of the most advanced units you will come by in the Necron arsenal, unfortunately it is a required unit and therefore beginners will have to field one before they fully understand its capabilities. The Necron Lord is the brain of your army, in other words your army benefits from his presence in different ways, according to how you filled out his allotment of wargear. The Resurrection Orb is the most frequently taken item, and for good reason, as it allows your forces to make “We’ll Be Back” saves even if they are killed by weapons which ordinarily would not allow it, either being too strong or ignoring armor saves during melee. Other pieces also prove valuable, however; the Destroyer Body allows your Lord to answer any call for support anywhere in your army if you have become spread out, and the Gaze of Flame has adverse effects on the enemy while engaging the Lord in hand to hand combat. Nightmare Shroud repels the weak of heart who dare to approach the Necron lines, and Solar Pulse blinds enemies who would wish to direct their fire at the Lord and whatever unit he has joined. Chronometron allows Necrons to better escape any combat which is going badly, or better pursue fleeing enemies. The Veil of Darkness allows the Lord to jump to any location on the board, along with any Necron unit he has joined, though this segments the army and therefore is an item best reserved for more advanced players. In short, your Lord is an army unto himself when it comes to support, and can throw new elements into a formation that your enemy could never expect. Using him to counter balance the weaknesses in your formations will allow your army to be that much more survivable when the fighting begins.     
   Using these straightforward units, we can begin to grasp what the Necron army is all about. Keep in mind that the strength of the Necrons comes from their unity, have your force well supported and comprised of units which work well together. Below is an example.
   Suppose we have a new Necron player and he is deciding what he wants to take from the units above. He has twenty four Warriors, six Scarab Swarms, ten Immortals and a Lord. Now, our new player understands that most of his potential lies within his Warriors, but he also knows that this will be wasted if his opponent is allowed to work on his Warriors throughout a game. Therefore he has taken Immortals to counter balance the vulnerability of the Warriors while they advance to get to grips with the enemy and move in for a close ranged fire fight. The Warriors aren’t likely to die entirely, but the enemy should not be allowed to take pot shots at them if it can be prevented. That begs the question, however, what about enemies who pose a ranged threat at greater than 24'? The Immortals can only shoot so far, after all. The answer then, is Scarabs. While our new player doesn’t have very many, if he’s smart he can maneuver them in such a way that they can engage enemy ranged threats by the second or third turn in most cases, stopping them from delivering hails of fire on the heads of his Warriors and Immortals. He is left with the fear of melee-oriented opponents, though, as six Scarab Swarms will not be enough to stave off a dedicated assault for long, and his Warriors will guarantee that they get charged if they stand still to rapid fire an oncoming enemy. Left with this gap in his defenses, our new player decides he wants to outfit his Lord with close combat support gear. He first equips his Lord with a Resurrection Orb, to ensure that his forces will be allowed “We’ll Be Back” rolls even if the enemy uses power weapons. Next he adds Gaze of Flame, to kill the momentum of his adversary’s charge and lower his leadership for a relatively low cost. Reflecting on his vulnerability to the Sweeping Advance rules, our player also decides that he wants a Chronometron, to give his Warriors a better chance of escape should they be defeated by his enemies in hand to hand combat. Lastly, understanding that his Lord can be targeted individually in melee, our player gives his Lord a Phase Shifter, which will bestow an undeniable armor save to protect him against enemy power weapons.
   As can be inferred from the example above, the army works best when it is crafted to compensate for its weaknesses and build on its own strengths. For all the promise any unit may have, it is not worth taking unless it contributes heavily to the primary battle plan. This doesn’t mean that every unit should bear the brunt of the enemy attack or kill its points worth, only that every unit you take plays an integral role in the downfall of your enemy. Next we will move on to more advanced units and how to employ their skills.</p>
<p class="body">The Necrons are one of the most intimidating armies in all of Warhammer 40K, able to field rank upon rank of unthinking, unstoppable metal soldiers. Each Necron a husk wrought in living metal, forged in an age long forgotten by all save the Farseers of the Eldar. This article is composed in order to better direct newer players in their attempts to understand and field their Necrons to their greatest efficiency.
</p>






{mospagebreak}
<p class="heading">Basic Principles</p>
<p class="subheader">Unity   </p>
<p class="body">To field Necrons, there are a few primary rules that a new and upcoming player should never forget. The first of these is Unity: Your army should act as a single entity on the field of battle, never let your force rely too much on one of its branches, it should work as a whole in order to best achieve your ends as its commander. Every army is required to take a minimum of twenty Warriors, do not do yourself the disservice of forgetting to include them in your strategies. Given that you must take them, and given their cost, it is unwise to leave them at the back of your formations in hopes that they will keep the rest of your army from Fading Out. Integrate them into your force, and use them to their full ability. Likewise, don’t allow your special units to take the brunt of the enemy attack or the bulk of its defense alone, they should be supported by ample Warrior numbers. Never let elements of your army remain idle if it can be helped, make sure to always use everything at your disposal.
</p>
<p class="subheader">Coherency</p>
<p class="body">The next of these rules is Coherency: In most cases, your army should retain relatively close proximity within all of its branches. Warriors should not be left alone without the support of your other units, likewise more specialized units should not generally be left to fulfill their duties without available support from other units in your army. Every unit in the Necron arsenal is meant to fill a certain niche, use these specialized units for what they are meant, and have support ready for them when circumstances change and their abilities are no longer preferable for the conditions at hand. Your units excel in their intended area, so do not waste them by letting an enemy force a situation on them that they weren't designed to cope with. Try not to segment your forces, or leave parts of your army far away from the main mass. Keep most of your units at the disposal of most of your units, and your battles should run more smoothly.
</p>
<p class="subheader">Numbers   </p>
<p class="body">The third rule is Safety in Numbers: Most units in the Necron army have the ability to rise from the dead, given that they are within six inches of another Necron of the same type. Specialized units are often intended for a niche that may not require very much of them, but in taking only the minimum of what you need, you run the risk of the enemy obliterating them in a single turn. If you take any Necron unit, make certain to take enough of the same type that your opponent cannot simply destroy one unit of them and deprive them of their “We’ll Be Back” save. Keep high numbers of like-Necrons within your army, as well as Tomb Spyders, to ensure “We’ll Be Back” for your soldiers.
</p>


<p class="heading">Unit Summary: Basic Units</p>
   <p class="body">Now we will go over the more basic Necron units and the standard methods of employing them. There are more units than just these available to the Necron player, but the following are the most straightforward of them. More advanced unit tactics will be covered later.
</p>
<p class="subheader">Warriors: </p>
<p class="body">Necron Warriors are the most important element in your army. As any army is required to have at least twenty, there is no point in leaving them out of your battle plans. Think of them as the medium through which the rest of your army flows, the great majority of Necron strategies end with the Warrior line reaching the enemy and delivering the killing blow. All tactics employed by special units work toward achieving this end, and therefore it is imperative that the Warriors not be forgotten. Typically it is wisest to advance them toward the enemy, so as to deliver a rapid fire volley from their Gauss Flayers. Unless the enemy is coming after you, as would be the case with more close combat oriented armies, it is generally wisest to advance and take the initiative with your Warriors. When in doubt, advance, as there is no greater waste then allowing your Warrior ranks to sit idle while the battle rages on before them. Keep in mind that you need not be too careful with them, they are the most resilient troops in the game, and playing them defensively is wasteful in most cases. With their survivability, the player can afford to be aggressive, and he should be.
</p>
   <p class="subheader">Scarabs: </p>
<p class="body">One of the most flexible tools in the Necron arsenal, Scarabs are by far the most prevalent support unit used by Necron players. They move between two and four times as quickly as your infantry will, and each has enough wounds to hold its own against enemy fire and hand to hand engagements. Keep in mind that while they can answer any call to engage an enemy, they are unlikely to win you many melees; they are a support unit meant to spare your more expensive units, not to rid the enemy of his. In most cases, they will not kill their points, as cheap as they may be, but with their movement and their ability to handle most medium-strength adversaries, they are a safe investment. If equipped with Disruption Fields, they can be made into effective tank hunting units, but run the risk of being intercepted by enemy units that will prevent them from finding enemy vehicles and thus waste their newly bought ability. They do have the capacity to Deepstrike, however, which allows them to enter the board anywhere they like with the added expense of only being available after the game’s first few turns have passed.
</p>
   <p class="subheader">Immortals: </p>
<p class="body">These Elites might be considered a more advanced unit by some, but given their heightened resilience and easy use, they have fallen under the Basic category. Resembling large Necron Warriors, Necron Immortals are harder to kill and provide supporting fire for Warrior ranks on the move. Their weapons may still fire at their maximum efficiency while moving, and therefore they make excellent fire support for your Warriors, whose only other defense is their inherent toughness. A force which includes Immortals will have the ability to strike back at whatever enemy might be shooting them; just be forewarned, the Immortals will likely be the target of much enemy fire after their shooting prowess is discovered. Taking more than one unit often provides Immortals with the numbers they’ll need to survive, though in smaller battles even one full unit can generally take a few rounds of enemy fire before it falls permanently.
</p>



{mospagebreak}
<p class="subheader">Lord: </p>
<p class="body">This unit is far and away one of the most advanced units you will come by in the Necron arsenal, unfortunately it is a required unit and therefore beginners will have to field one before they fully understand its capabilities. The Necron Lord is the brain of your army, in other words your army benefits from his presence in different ways, according to how you filled out his allotment of wargear. The Resurrection Orb is the most frequently taken item, and for good reason, as it allows your forces to make “We’ll Be Back” saves even if they are killed by weapons which ordinarily would not allow it, either being too strong or ignoring armor saves during melee. Other pieces also prove valuable, however; the Destroyer Body allows your Lord to answer any call for support anywhere in your army if you have become spread out, and the Gaze of Flame has adverse effects on the enemy while engaging the Lord in hand to hand combat. Nightmare Shroud repels the weak of heart who dare to approach the Necron lines, and Solar Pulse blinds enemies who would wish to direct their fire at the Lord and whatever unit he has joined. Chronometron allows Necrons to better escape any combat which is going badly, or better pursue fleeing enemies. The Veil of Darkness allows the Lord to jump to any location on the board, along with any Necron unit he has joined, though this segments the army and therefore is an item best reserved for more advanced players. In short, your Lord is an army unto himself when it comes to support, and can throw new elements into a formation that your enemy could never expect. Using him to counter balance the weaknesses in your formations will allow your army to be that much more survivable when the fighting begins.

   Using these straightforward units, we can begin to grasp what the Necron army is all about. Keep in mind that the strength of the Necrons comes from their unity, have your force well supported and comprised of units which work well together. Below is an example.

   Suppose we have a new Necron player and he is deciding what he wants to take from the units above. He has twenty four Warriors, six Scarab Swarms, ten Immortals and a Lord. Now, our new player understands that most of his potential lies within his Warriors, but he also knows that this will be wasted if his opponent is allowed to work on his Warriors throughout a game. Therefore he has taken Immortals to counter balance the vulnerability of the Warriors while they advance to get to grips with the enemy and move in for a close ranged fire fight. The Warriors aren’t likely to die entirely, but the enemy should not be allowed to take pot shots at them if it can be prevented. That begs the question, however, what about enemies who pose a ranged threat at greater than 24'? The Immortals can only shoot so far, after all. The answer then, is Scarabs. While our new player doesn’t have very many, if he’s smart he can maneuver them in such a way that they can engage enemy ranged threats by the second or third turn in most cases, stopping them from delivering hails of fire on the heads of his Warriors and Immortals. He is left with the fear of melee-oriented opponents, though, as six Scarab Swarms will not be enough to stave off a dedicated assault for long, and his Warriors will guarantee that they get charged if they stand still to rapid fire an oncoming enemy. Left with this gap in his defenses, our new player decides he wants to outfit his Lord with close combat support gear. He first equips his Lord with a Resurrection Orb, to ensure that his forces will be allowed “We’ll Be Back” rolls even if the enemy uses power weapons. Next he adds Gaze of Flame, to kill the momentum of his adversary’s charge and lower his leadership for a relatively low cost. Reflecting on his vulnerability to the Sweeping Advance rules, our player also decides that he wants a Chronometron, to give his Warriors a better chance of escape should they be defeated by his enemies in hand to hand combat. Lastly, understanding that his Lord can be targeted individually in melee, our player gives his Lord a Phase Shifter, which will bestow an undeniable armor save to protect him against enemy power weapons.

   As can be inferred from the example above, the army works best when it is crafted to compensate for its weaknesses and build on its own strengths. For all the promise any unit may have, it is not worth taking unless it contributes heavily to the primary battle plan. This doesn’t mean that every unit should bear the brunt of the enemy attack or kill its points worth, only that every unit you take plays an integral role in the downfall of your enemy. Next we will move on to more advanced units and how to employ their skills.</p>


<p class="heading">Unit Summary: Advanced Units</p>
  <p class="body">Now onto the more advanced elements of the Necron army.  It is important to understand that the units listed here are not unusable by new players, but it may take more experienced gamers to take full advantage of the strengths found in these selections.  Though not the best soldiers to take for a player who is still learning the basics of playing the Necrons, the following units make excellent additions to a growing Necron force, and can be used as players become increasingly comfortable with their Necron armies. 
</p>


  <p class="subheader">Flayed Ones: </p>
<p class="body">Skulking figures who adorn themselves with the skins of their enemies, Flayed Ones definitely compliment any Necron player's force if he's going for a ghastly theme.  Nevertheless, their employment in a tactical sense is rarely as straightforward as that of the standard Warrior or the Immortal.  Flayed Ones are similar in build to the Necron Warrior, sporting the same strength, resilience, and weapon skill, but it takes a skilled commander to fully bring out their strengths.  The fact that they forego the typical Gauss Flayer for an added close combat weapon implies a focus on melee, a fair assumption, but the other assumption which goes with this unit is unfounded: the fact that Flayed Ones abandon range for additional close combat prowess does not make them a dedicated assault unit.  Rather, it transforms them into a new kind of Warrior: a new medium through which to execute your strategies.  Much of the Necrons' wargear becomes better when used in correlation with Flayed Ones, based primarily in their preference for melee over ranged warfare.  The Gaze of Flame or the Chronometron are merely precautionary devices when the Lord accompanies a unit Necron Warriors, but they become true utilities when coupled with Flayed Ones.  The "Terrifying Visage" ability is improved by the Gaze of Flame's leadership penalty, the combined strengths of the two simultaneously reducing the chance for enemies to land attacks and reducing the number of attacks the enemy is allowed to make.  The Chronometron has a small chance of allowing fleeing Necron Warriors to survive, a benefit only advisable due to the Chronometron's relatively low cost.  When used with Flayed Ones, there is a greatly improved chance of survival due to the Flayed Ones' heightened initiative, and an improved chance to run down the enemy with a successful sweeping advance result.  In addition, Flayed Ones may infiltrate when the mission allows, and deepstrike even when barred by the mission at hand.  Their extra-movement abilities allow a skilled commander to predict where they will be needed, and to deploy them in accordance with that prediction.  Flayed Ones are best reserved for somewhat experienced players who will understand how best to bounce other units' strengths off of theirs. 
</p>


  <p class="subheader">Pariahs: </p>
<p class="body">The newest model to join the Necron ranks, the Pariah brings a handful of new and potent abilities to the battlefield, while foregoing a few classic Necrons strengths.  Far less common than the other elites, the Pariah's relative vulnerability is discouraging to many players, both experienced and novice.  For access to several powers unavailable to any other unit in the Necron army, the Pariah sacrifices its "We'll Be Back" roll, unbalancing the ratio between offense and survivability in such a way that many commanders feel unnerved and abstain from fielding it, in favor of more survivable forces.  In truth, this caution seen in many Necron players is not without roots: Pariahs are indeed more potent than most Necron units, and this fact, accompanied by their high points cost, makes them a tempting target for the enemy.  Even so, they do sport impressive durability for the world of 40K, and their perceived "vulnerability" is only applicable when compared with other Necrons.  On the battlefield they will function as Immortals, laying down hails of Gauss fire as the Warrior lines march forward; however, their role will change as they grow nearer the enemy.  Unlike Immortals, who excel in the 18-30' range, Pariahs are flexible enough to be useful outside of a fire-support role.  Once they get close enough, they force enemy units to perform at leadership 7 or lower, and they debilitate psykers once they get closer still.  Unlike any other unit in the Necron army, Pariahs make for both an excellent fire support and excellent counter-charge unit, their warscythes achieving a coup de grace on many of the enemies which are commonly resilient to Necron shooting, such as Tyranid Monsters and Daemon Princes.  Furthermore, Pariahs are excellent for coordinated close-in strategies with Flayed Ones and a Lord with the proper accoutrements.  The combined Gaze of Flame and Terrifying Visage tactic is empowered by forcing foes to start with leadership 7, while low leadership enemies are also made much more susceptible to Nightmare Shroud, or being outnumbered at the end of losing a combat if you pair Pariahs with Scarab Swarms.  Though the Pariahs may lack the survivability found in  many Necron soldiers, they are a true tactician's best friend, able to find a role in any pre-planned or un-planned situation. 
</p>






{mospagebreak}
  <p class="subheader">Wraiths: </p>
<p class="body">Another unit whose primary weakness is its durability, the Wraith makes for a lethal but fragile soldier.  Moving about with unmatched speed and ease, passing through terrain like water, the battlefield is the Wraith's playground.  This phantasmal addition to the Necron army functions as an assassin or a snare, often lashing out to take the lives of isolated enemy units, or engaging forward adversaries until the central Necron formation can move forward and engulf the hostile unit.  Wraiths execute these roles in the Necron army by grace of their high strength, high intiative, and highly mobile design.  Though they are possessed of many built-in talents, they are not particularly resilient given their points cost, and if by some means the enemy manages to weather their attack, a unit of Wraiths will generally be too small and too fragile to stand toe-to-toe for long.  Though their armor save is undeniable, and their range of movement is such that they can avoid most--if not all--enemy fire, they cannot be expected to survive much more abuse than can a standard Warrior, despite the fact that they cost considerably more and occupy a very valuable Fast Attack slot in your army.  In the right hands and under the right conditions, Wraiths can be truly devastating for the enemy, sweeping across the board to engage lightly defended heavy fire support or commanders, or being employed as counter-charge units to cause a sudden shift in the tide of an assault, forcing the enemy to take a leadership test after losing(probably at a very penalized leadership providing for the high wound count of accompanying Scarab Swarms) which they are apt to fail, and be run down by the Wraiths' high initiative during a sweeping advance.  It should be said, however, that it usually requires an experienced eye to make use of Wraiths in a wide range of situations, and that newer players would be better suited trying their hand at more straight-forward units before attempting to successfully run Wraiths in their armies.  When the time comes, it would be wise to field them in a few friendly games before using them competitively, to see how best they function and where they are likely to fail.
</p>
<p class="subheader">Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers:  </p>
<p class="body">The most widely utilized of the more advanced units listed here, Destroyers are very effective, but require a player who recognizes their weaknesses to be used to best affect.  While a standard Destroyer provides more devastating fire-power at greater speeds and longer-ranges than an Immortal, it is much more expensive and no more survivable when in the hands of an un-seasoned commander.  To keep Destroyers on the field and effective, Necron players will have to take advantage of the unit's mobility, as well as surrounding terrain.  The Destroyer's Gauss Cannon is an excellent tool for coping with swarms or hordes of weaker adversaries, whittling down well-armored enemies, or even destroying enemy vehicles; nevertheless, this potential is wasted if the Destroyers are left vulnerable to excessive return-fire the following turn.  Unlike Immortals, a unit of Destroyers cannot be expected to withstand concentrated fire from the enemy, the player will have to consider their options during the movement phases with special care if he plans to keep his Destroyers alive.  Keeping Destroyers outside of enemy gun-range is important, and if this is impossible, restricting which enemies have line of sight is essential.  A unit of four or five Destroyers can be expected to survive a round of fire from a hostile Devastator squad or Heavy Weapons squad, but one must be careful not to allow several units to target the Destroyers at once.  Keep in mind that Destroyers need not fire every turn, sometimes it pays to stay one's hand or to use the unit's turboboost ability to get them out of harm's way, sacrificing a turn of shooting for hasty relocation and a temporarily boosted save.

  Most of the same basic guidelines apply to effectively employing Heavy Destroyers, but the squad size is lower and primary target selections differ.  While ordinary Destroyers are best used to cut down masses of infantry or destroy heavy tanks, Heavy Destroyers are better suited to bypassing enemy armor saves or punching through light or medium armor.  Sacrificing the Gauss Cannon for a Heavy Gauss Cannon, the Heavy Destroyer will lack the multitude of shots available to its cousin, while acquiring a vastly increased strength as well as armor penetration.  Though its name suggests a tank-hunting role, the standard Gauss Cannon is more efficient at dealing with tanks with armor value of 14.  Against any lower value, assuming that the vehicle in question is not a skimmer whose movement disallows penetrating hits, the Heavy Gauss Cannon will have an advantage.  Often, Heavy Destroyers will be best employed targeting enemy transports, reducing their mobility and ensuring that they will fall victim to the slower elements of the Necron army.   
</p>

  <p class="subheader">Tomb Spyders: </p>
<p class="body">Large but ponderous constructs, Tomb Spyders are hovering creatures which will spend most of their time at the back or center of your formations.  Given their lack of speed or ranged-weaponry, Tomb Spyders rarely function in an offensive sense; it is the special rules they bring to the table along with their status as monstrous creatures that lend them to the supporting roles where they excel.  In the early turns of any game, the Tomb Spyder is likely to be found bridging a gap between two groups of Warriors, Immortals, or Destroyers.  The reason for this is simple: the Tomb Spyder's presence expands the six inch restriction on "We'll Be Back" when determining if one Necron is close enough to another of its type to make the roll.  Necrons typically need to remain in very close ranks to ensure the continued durability of each model in the army, this restricts tactical flexibility during the game.  The Tomb Spyder gives units the freedom to function individually without fear of being wiped out, forced to look to neighboring units to meet their six inch requirement, a hazard many newer players will overlook after equipping their Lord with a Resurrection Orb.  Though the freedom is welcome, experienced adversaries are likely to understand the effect that a Tomb Spyder has on Necron game mechanics, and apt to target the Spyder early on.  The Spyder's "Artificier" ability should give it the protection it needs to provide its "We'll Be Back" support through most of the game, creating Scarab Swarms to die in its place until the enemy either abandons it as a target, or redirects enough heavy weapons from your other Necrons to take it down.  Furthermore, Tomb Spyders sport a high toughness and strength, as well as the ability to ignore enemies' armor saves, making them a functional counter-charge unit once the enemy reaches your lines.  Keep in mind that the Tomb Spyder is fearless, so that even if the enemy wins combat and your other forces break--far less likely with a Spyder in the fray, adding ten respective models to the tally when determining who outnumbers who--the  the enemy cannot try to destroy any of the broken Necrons with a "Sweeping Advance" so long as the Spyder lives to keep them engaged in combat.
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  <p class="subheader">Monolith:  </p>
<p class="body">As the only true vehicle available to a Necron army, it is fortunate that the Monolith provides a wide range of services, as to be useful in most any Necron force.  Most notable of these is the ability to instantly relocate any one Necron unit per movement phase; be it out of combat or into rapid fire range.  The target of this ability is also allowed to reroll any failed "We'll Be Back" rolls the unit has suffered, an added bonus to bailing them out of their current situation or into a new one.  When no Necrons are in need of this extra roll or relocation, or having more fire-power is simply more important at the moment, the Monolith may also produce a tremendous burst of power, manifesting itself as the particle whip, the only ordnance blast weapon available to the Necrons, with very limited range but amazing strength and armor piercing ability.  Furthermore, this work-horse of the Necron army may Deepstrike into play if the commander decides that an aggressive stance is necessary to defeat his enemy.  Coupled with its ability to teleport Warrior units from reserve into play, the Monolith is capable of terrible mayhem on the battlefield, appearing on the tabletop surrounded by up to twenty Warriors in a single turn, laying down a barrage of firepower between their Gauss Flayers and its own Gauss Flux Arc, and then rapidly relocating  the Necron army unit by unit into its advanced position.  The Monolith is not without related risks, however: coordinating such a maneuver is extremely difficult, and based largely on luck.  Furthermore, there is a very small chance that the Monolith will simply disappear without ever seeing the battlefield, a chance taken by every Deepstriking unit, and this can completely cripple a commander's well-laid plans, putting him at a dire disadvantage for the rest of the game.  Newer players sometimes become dependent on the Monolith, so be forewarned: though the Monolith is immune to most methods of circumventing its armor, sheer strength can still punch through its hull just like that of any other vehicle.  A well-placed lascannon beam or railgun round can put a major hitch in your plans, sometimes leaving your army segmented and without the support provided by the rest of the army.  Straight-forward methods of destroying the Monolith still work, and many armies have high-strength weaponry available to them, including many of the close-combat armies against which its teleportation techniques work so well.   Now that we've gone over the Necron units, as well as some of the more general methods of employing them, it's time to cover some more case-specific tactics.  Every seasoned commander has a bag of tricks that they rely on to save their forces from time to time, and every commander's got a slightly or vastly different repertoire, depending on what sort of experiences they've had with their army up to that point.  Here are some of mine, I'm hoping that they will serve the readers well. 
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<p class="heading">Bag of Tricks  </p>
<p class="subheader">Bait and Switch: </p>
<p class="body">A very basic and well-known tactic, Bait and Switch involves luring close combat opponents into their element, before ripping them out and opening fire on them again.  All it requires is a bait unit--generally warriors--a Monolith, and a lot of firepower.  Once an enemy unit engages your Warriors, and they weather the abuse of a round of combat, the commander uses the power matrix to pull them out of combat, and not only move forward to rapid fire them with the bait unit, but also open up with everything else they've got as well.  This tactic will lure dangerous opponents into the maw of your army, where they will shortly be destroyed if your force is able to amass enough fire, though this shouldn't be a problem given the Necron's volume of short-ranged fire.  Just be sure to keep all other units out of consolidation range of the lured enemy unit--preventing a re-engagement before the shooting phase--and proceed as detailed.
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<p class="subheader">Switchblade:  </p>
<p class="body">Having been altered radically from its original form, the Switchblade tactic now involves the Monolith, though Flayed Ones and the ranged-units are still crucial to the execution of this tactic.  As before mentioned, Flayed Ones aren't to be confused as a truly-dedicated assault unit, they are better than Warriors both at attacking and surviving in a melee environment, but units such as Khorne Berserkers, Assault Marines, and Genestealers will still mop them up without much trouble.  The answer to this is one we see frequently when regarding Necron weaknesses: coordinate the strengths of multiple Necron units to negate the weaknesses of each.  When trying to execute a Switchblade, prepare a full unit of Flayed Ones, probably with a Lord in the unit or nearby, with a Monolith behind their position, and plenty of Warriors nearby, within easy rapid-firing range.  Typically, Flayed Ones will lack the strength to rid your army of the threat of dedicated assault units, but using the Monolith's teleportation portal, in conjuction with standard Gauss rapid-fire, you can guarantee that they receive a charge bonus on every-other combat phase, and that the enemy not only has to weather the extra attacks afforded by this, but also shooting casualties as well.  Charge in with the unit of Flayed Ones, then teleport at the beginning of the next turn, augmenting the Flayed Ones WBB roll, then move them forward again in preparation for another charge before the shooting phase.  Proceed to rapid fire the enemy, and then charge them again.  Teleport, fire, charge, repeat at next opportunity.  Use your own discretion, some enemies will be more vicious than others, at times it may be wise to have a Tomb Spyder nearby while using another unit of Flayed Ones elsewhere on the map, making better use of their mobility while you keep the initial unit back for defense, with the support of a Resurrection Orb, Tomb Spyder, and Gauss fire.  Bear in mind that this tactic can be employed on the march, so one needn't wait for enemies to come to you, necessarily.
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<p class="subheader">Bait and Switchblade: </p>
<p class="body">A simple merging of tactics.  Enemies will be far more willing to charge a unit of Warriors than Flayed Ones, so luring them forward with a large and vulnerable unit of Warriors may be the best way to get enemies within charge range of the Flayed Ones, without giving the enemy the benefit of the charge.  Once the enemy charges your Warriors, teleport them away, move the Flayed Ones and teleported Warriors within rapid-fire range, open fire on the assaulting enemy, and then charge in with the Flayed Ones, while being certain to keep all Warrior units clear of the combat area.
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