The terror of the skies and the unit you did NOT want to go second against is the Night Scythe! Is this flying croissant of doom still a thing to be feared or is its recent price increase keeping it to the shelves? Want more tactics? Be sure to check out Frontline Gaming tactics page for more great info that will take your generalship to the next level.
The Night Scythe was the dominant transporting gunship of the Necron force in edition’s past. It terrorized the skies and the ground with its Tesla Destructors and the ability to plop infantry anywhere on the battlefield at a whim. With the release of the new Necron codex though, the price increase hurt the super efficient flyer for sure, but it still certainly has a place in your Necron Force.
Overview:
The Night Scythe is a Fast Attack option that is also one of the main transports of the Necron army. It is a dedicated transport choice for Necron Warriors, Necron Immortals, Deathmarks, Lychguard, and Triarch Praetorians. Armed with its mighty Tesla Destructors it is a threat to most everything on the battlefield, but its true threat comes in the package inside. The Night Scythe can transport up to 15 models and put them just about anywhere it wants on the battlefield. In an objective game, this is key. It can also be taken in a Decurion Detachment, which is a big bonus as that is what most Necron players default to.
Wargear:
The main armament of the Night Scythe is its Twin Linked Tesla Destructors. These can pump out four strength seven shots with the chance to turn each six into two more hits. Since it is a flyer, it can choose each turn to use Skyfire or not making it very effective against flyers and ground targets alike.
Another great feature about the Night Scythe is that like every other vehicle in the Necron army has the Living Metal special rule. It can “shake off” Crew Shaken results and in the Decurion Detachment will also ignore Crew Stunned as well.
Last but not least is the Invasion Beam. This piece of gear is used to transport the Necron forces onto the battlefield up to 36 inches after movement. Unlike other flyers, the Night Scythe can disgorge its cargo even after moving its full 36 inch movement. The transportees can still even shoot or run if needed. Even better, if the Night Scythe is destroyed, since the embarked unit isn’t truly embarked, it does not suffer any ill effects and is instead put into ongoing reserves.
Tactics:
Overall the Night Scythe is pretty simple. Point and shoot or point and disgorge. If there is something you want to injure or kill, point it at them and shoot. With four strength seven shots that can ramp up to as many as 12 hits the Night Scythe can put the hurt on most any unit on the battlefield. It is great for taking out light vehicles and small squads out in the open. It has no AP value, so choose wisely whom you strike at. Just remember that if you are shooting snap shots, then you lose the exploding six feature.
One great feature is that if you take a Night Scythe in the Judicator Battalion then you get to benefit from the Target Designated rule, granting the Night Scythes the ability to re-roll to wound and armor penetrations against a target chosen in line of site from the Triarch Stalker from the same formation. An often overlooked aspect of that formation.
The other main tactic with the Night Scythe is to point and plop. Having the ability to move 36 inches and disgorge Objective Secured units onto an objective is super potent and can mean the difference between victory and defeat. A good Necron with Night Scythes will almost always want to go second as they can go for that bottom of turn five win or constantly put pressure on the Maelstrom missions by taking an objective and scoring a point. Since the embarked unit can re-embark under current ITC rules, if placed properly and the Night Scythe survives, the unit can jump back into the flyer and continue on its way to the next objective.
Once upon a time, the Night Scythe was under costed and super cheap. You could see 3-5 of them easy across the battlefield. Now with the Decurion detachments and other formations you certainly see less of them on the battle field. Having one or two in your list can certainly help and is a valuable tool that you shouldn’t overlook.
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