Codex Deathwatch Review: Part 8- Flyers and Dedicated Transports

Welcome to the final part of my Codex Deathwatch review, looking at the Flyer and Dedicated Transport options available to the Deathwatch. 

Flyers

Corvus Blackstar

The Deathwatch's unique flyer and a fantastic model as well, I just wish it was a bit better to warrant inclusion in most of my armies. 

On paper, the Corvus Blackstar is not too bad. It has T7, 14 wounds and a 3+ save. Not only that, but you get the -1 to hit when it is in supersonic mode. Added up, it is a fairly durable vehicle to have in the army. It also got a 10 pts reduction over the index, which is a nice drop, but not enough for me. 

It also has some decent firepower, with a Twin Assault Cannon and two Stormstrike Missile Launchers as standard. It has the option to take a Hurricane Bolter, swap the Twin Assault Cannon for a Twin Lascannon and/or swap the Stormstrike Missiles for two Blackstar Rocket Launchers. The big problem for me is that it lacks Power of the Machine Spirit, Strafing Run or any other special rule that would boosts its accuracy. 

As most of its weapons options are Heavy, the Corvus Blackstar will be hitting on a 4+ on the move. It is one of the only "big" Space Marine flyers not to get Power of the Machine Spirit, and its lack of this great special rule really does hold it back from being a powerful gunship for the army. You can offset this somewhat by giving the flyer an Auspex Array, allowing it to re-roll 1's to hit. This goes some way to mitigate the effects of moving and shooting, but not enough for me to make up for its price tag. 

For me, I prefer to go for the Twin Assault Cannon, Hurricane Bolter and Blackstar Rocket Launcher. This load out gives you the most firepower for the Corvus, able to take on a number of infantry threats or units with the Fly keyword. With only two shots each for the Lascannons and Stormstrike Missiles, it is too expensive for only to be hitting with half the shots on average. 

The other benefit of the Corvus Blackstar is the transport ability to take almost all non-Primaris Deathwatch models. This is one of the few ways to safely transport Bikes in the army, as well as the only way to transport mixed unit Kill Teams. 

I think the Corvus Blackstar works best as a transport for a combat unit or a unit with short ranged weaponry, such as the Frag Cannon. This is a relatively safe way to transport these units to the heart of the enemy army. 

The new rules for the Infernum Halo Launcher make it -1 to hit against enemy units with the Fly keyword (as per the most recent FAQ). Against many units with the Fly keyword, they will be firing at the Corvus with -2 to hit. This can be quite good for keeping it safe from enemy firepower, but it does nothing to help against the range of ground units that can target it with ease. 

The biggest problem with the Corvus Blackstar for me is that it is a huge fire magnet in the Deathwatch army. As an army with little in the way of vehicles or big individual models to field, it is a prime target for your opponent's anti-vehicle firepower. Every time I have fielded the Corvus Blackstar, it rarely survives past turn 1, being quickly targeted and destroyed. This can leave the squad inside out of positon or at the mercy of the enemy guns, to be quickly wiped out without doing anything. 

I haven't tried this, but I think the best way to run it is with 2 Corvus Blackstars in the army. I've certainly seem many Deathwatch armies running with two of the flyers. This will normally force your opponent to go after the one or the other. However, this can get quite expensive, especially with tooled up Kill Teams inside, eating up a big chunk of points in an already expensive army. 

Dedicated Transports

Rhino

I think the humble Rhino is a bit underappreciated in 8th edition. It is a nice and cheap way to get your infantry squads to the heart of the enemy army. If you are taking the Rhino, always go for the extra Storm Bolter. For only 2 extra points, you can get up to 8 shots from the vehicle at rapid fire range. 

The Rhino is a bit less useful thanks to the introduction of the Teleportarium stratagem, making it easier for the Deathwatch Veterans and Kill Teams to get close to the enemy lines. 

I still think there is a place for the transport vehicle in the army, thanks to the limited number of positions in the Teleportarium or the desire to save command points. 

Razorback

I think the Razorback has a big role in the Deathwatch army. It is one of the few units that can take a Lascannon. I think a Razorback with a Twin Lascannon is a great source of anti-tank firepower for the Deathwatch army. Sitting with a Watch Master or Watch Captain for re-rolls to hit, as well as potential re-rolls to wound from the Tome of Ectoclades, this can be a nice way of getting high strength, high damage in the army. 

As a bonus, it can also be used to transport a unit if you wish, though moving and firing will reduce its accuracy. 

Drop Pod

With the new stratagems, I think there is little use for the Drop Pod in the Deathwatch army now. 

One benefit is that it could potentially allow you to put more units in reserve, outside of the Teleportarium. Another benefit is that it can protect the unit that is inside the drop pod, as any "Auspex Scan"-type stratagems can only be applied to the Drop Pod, not the units inside. 

However, these types of interceptor stratagems can be negated with Special Issue Ammunition, allowing a unit to deploy more than 12" away but still rapid fire with their Bolters. 

I'm not sure the few advantages of the Drop Pod outweigh the cost of including it in the army, as I would rather have more bodies on the field than not. 

Repulsor

The Deathwatch also get access to the shiny new Primaris vehicle. 

The Repulsor is pretty much a flying Land Raider. It stats are comparable, moving 10" at full strength and with a toughness of 8, 16 wounds and a 3+ save. It is going to take a considerable amount of firepower to take it down.

The Repulsor also packs a considerable amount of firepower as well. Its basic load out includes a Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon (30" heavy 12, S5, AP-1), a twin Heavy Bolter, an Ironhail heavy stubber (a S4 heavy bolter), an Icarus heavy stubber (a S4 heavy bolter that gets +1 to hit against Fly units and -1 to hit against other units), two krakstorm grenade launchers (18", assault 1, S6, AP-1, D3 damage) and auto launchers (essentially smoke launchers).

This allows the Repulsor to put out a lot of medium to long range S4-6 firepower, great for taking on hordes of infantry. It also has the option to replace many of its weapons with higher strength firepower such as twin Lascannons or Las-talons, as well as an Icarus Rocket Pod. This allows you to tool up the Repulsor for hunting infantry or for targeting mosters/vehicles. In addition, power of the machine spirit allows it to move and fire to full effect.

The Repulsor also does not suffer one of the big disadvantages of the Land Raider. As it has the Fly keyword, it cannot be tied up in assault and can fall back from combat and crucially still fire to full effect. In addition, it gets to ignore terrain when moving, making it a bit more mobile, able to jump over ruins rather than having to go round them. Enemy units also suffer -2 to their charge roll when attempting to assault the Repulsor, so even better for keeping it safe.

It is also one of the only transport options for Primaris Marines, able to transport 10 Primaris Marines or 5 Inceptor Marines.

It actually works out cheaper than the Land Raider, but still comes in at a huge 287 points for just the base model. If only it could transport something other than Primaris Marines, this would be a fantastic addition to the Space Marine arsenal.

Again, the stratagems for the Deathwatch army mitigate the need for the Repulsor in the army, allowing you to "deep strike" Primaris units and kill teams at the cost of a command point, significantly cheaper than the cost of the Repulsor. 

Overall

I think there are some useful options in terms of flyers and transport vehicles for the Deathwatch army. They are a good way of bringing some anti-tank/anti-monster firepower to the army, as well as providing these on a durable chassis.

If you enjoyed the Deathwatch Codex reviews, check out the links below if you missed any parts. Also, you can follow the blog on the St Andrews Wargaming Facebook page to keep up to date on all the new articles. 

Deathwatch Codex Review
Deathwatch Codex Video Review
Part 1- Special Rules, Relics and Warlord Traits
Part 2- Stratagems
Part 3- HQ Units
Part 4- Troops
Part 5- Fast Attack
Part 6- Elites
Part 7- Heavy Support
Part 8- Flyers and Dedicated Transports