Competitive Foot

Yup, foot can be competitive. For those of you who aren't thinking outside the box, this is for you. This is related a lot to my recent posts, particularly with Tyranids but this stems from Warseer. See posts here and here in the BA tactica in relation to all JPs being good. So it took many months (years even) of beating into Warseer that Mech is better than foot for rather obvious reasons which have been expounded upon many times here. If you want them again, ask or search. So first off let's all laugh at ork foot being competitive. It still can't deal with mech so it's competitive how? Then let's consider that thinking outside the box is good and foot as been viable for a book since SW. That was months ago and Vanilla bikers has been good...since 5th ed came out.

So what makes SW foot, Bikers, Tyranids and Jumpers good? Individually, a lot but what do they have in common.

They can keep up with mech. This is huge. Mech barely pays to be able move at a minimum 12" a turn and quite often shoot as well. Foot infantry generally can't do this. Bikers w/combat tactics, Calvary, Fleet, Jump Infantry can. Take one advantage of mech away please! This is also important because most of these armies are assault oriented and carry short ranged anti-tank guns (i.e. Warp Lance and meltas). This combines well for their meltas and assault based strength.

But what about the extra protection mech provides? Well each of the mentioned lists has improved survivability in some way. Whether improved T/W or special abilities like invuls/coversaves/FNP, etc. they can withstand being shot for longer. This was designed to be this way. Mech offers you a little mobile piece of cover so effective non-mech lists have to have an extra defense for them to not be disadvantaged too much.

And the crutch, they are either in your face on T1 (or T2 if they reserve) and/or have excellent suppression fire. JP BA drop very accurately with a lot of guys and can assault out of DS with certain units. Stopping that alpha strike can take a bit more skill. Add in you’re eating meltas and decent combat units and they can chase your mech? Hey! That sounds competitive. Bikers boost, get a 3+ cover save and are in your face. What are you going to do? Hope you can outshoot them because you can’t out move them unless you are eldar and if there are Command Squads you don’t want to go into combat because command squads > you. Oh ya and there’s 12+ meltas in there, too. And what about fast’n’slow lists (which are essentially hybrid but a biker base)? Now we’ve got suppression fire! This is good as it slows your mech even more. What about Tyranids and SW? Well both can get into assault quickly with beasts/cavalry, pods/spores and other reserve units (I.e. Trygons) and can walk across the board with good suppression fire (I.e. Hive Guard and Long Fangs).

Again, how do these lists not compete Warseer? Lash isn’t an answer because most of these lists can take psy defense (putting it into pure bikers is hard as you lose a command squad) and they are fast enough to ignore lash (clumping is not the big advantage of lash, it’s movement is). And if you do clump, on no I sure hope I can make a couple extra 3+ saves and don’t pop that DP x2 next turn. Let’s here your rational answers. And let’s see some battle reports. I’m putting this out to my readers as well, I want to see Lash versus these foot lists. I want to see good mech lists versus these foot lists to show they can compete. I know they can, I’ve played them and beat mech but let’s prove it.

P.S. the reason why foot armies like Orks, Necrons and Daemons can't compete? They have no reliable answer to mech and thus get dominated by mech. Mech controls the board against them. Their suppression fire can generally be quite good (Lootas & Destroyers) but that's about it. They can't keep up with mech en masse, they can't mass or heavy armor reliably and don't threaten the mech mentality. Do you see the differences?