How do you kill the deathless? A question that we wrestle with every single time we find ourselves across the table from a Necrons player. Today, I am going to discuss a character that epitomizes the Necron’s ability to survive, Trazyn, The Infinite. As always, for more great 40k articles, be sure to check out the Tactics Corner! Now, sit back, relax, and let Scuba Steve tell you all about it.
Simplicity is Key:
Sometimes, the characters in Warhammer 40k can get really ridiculous with special rules, crazy abilities, or off the hook psychic powers, which can be awesome (there is no argument there), but sometimes you can crave a much smoother ride, something simple… and sometimes, simplicity is key. Trazyn the Infinite is an HQ unit after my own heart, he is simple, effective, and one hell of a Warlord, so let’s pick apart his modest load out and really delve into what makes a unit like him work so well on the table top.
Wargear:
- Empathic Obliterator (Bitchin’ name for a bitchin’ piece of wargear; essentially, a really angry Force Staff, without the Force)
Special Rules:
- Independent Character
- Reanimation Protocols (a better Feel No Pain, it’s nuts, just roll with it)
- Surrogate Hosts (Good luck ever killing him, it’s almost impossible now)
Warlord Trait:
- Enduring Will (Seriously, good luck killing him)
So, as I always do with a character analysis, let’s talk about each of Trazyn’s items and abilities to determine what’s “good” and what’s “just okay”.
Empathic Obliterator (Good): Let’s start off by talking about the man’s party wand. It is easy to talk down about this weapon when you compare it to a Warsythe, but don’t do that, there is an awesome use for the Empathic Obliterator hidden within it’s special ability, “Psionic Shockwaves“. The Psionic Shockwaves state that whenever a character is slain in a combat by a weapon with this special rule, all models of the same faction within 6″ of the character (you’re in combat, everyone will likely be within 6”), each model takes a str 4, AP nothing hit. Though this doesn’t seem like much, it can actually catch a lot of players off guard and do some real damage. Additionally, because Necron units can lack greatly in close combat, Trazyn can (pretty quickly) even up that score. Ultimately, he is your go-to challenge man, surprisingly enough, you want to issue as many challenges with him as you can; because his weapon isn’t unwieldy, he strikes before all of the Power Fists and Power Fist Equivalents, allowing you a solid chance to kill those pesky sergeants before they swing in for a beating. Additionly, this could make your opponent shy away from accepting a challenge from Trazyn, which is always good for you! PLUS, the weapon is concussive, so if your opponent lives through the assault phase, he is much less effective in the following turn.
Reanimation Protocols (Good): This little ability is what makes Trazyn as good as he is, with a 3+ armor save and a 5+ (4+ in the Decurion Detachment) Reanimation Protocols, the likely hood of him biting it to some chump sergeant or a swath of bolter fire is incredibly unlikely. Additionally, this ability works really well with his awarded Warlord Trait and his one special ability!
Surrogate Hosts (Good): Alright, this is where the magic truly happens. If, at any time, Trazyn is removed as a casualty, simply roll a D6 and on the result of a 2+, choose another non-unique Necron infantry character and replace that character with Trazyn (he then has D3 wounds remaining)… now we’re cooking with gas. Have you ever felt like never giving up Slay the Warlord? This is how you accomplish that goal. When you combine this with his Warlord Trait and Reanimation Protocols, you now have an incredibly annoying HQ unit that your opponent has to really work at trying to kill. Additionally, for you ITC tournament players, with the recent change to the “Purge the Alien” mission, every single ITC scenario has Slay the Warlord as a bonus objective; it is good to keep this in mind, preventing your opponent from killing your Warlord in every single round has become a major priority, Trazyn can help you accomplish this priority.
Enduring Will (Good): Last, but not least… Enduring Will. Who can say no to Eternal Warrior? Not only is the big man toughness 5, but he will always have Eternal Warrior, so if he ever gets himself smashed by a Dreadnought, a Warboss, or one of those pesky Demolisher Cannons… you can feel good that your main man wont just bite it. When you look at the combined effectiveness of Enduring Will, Surrogate Hosts, and Reanimation Protocols, it is easy to see how hard Trazyn is to kill.
Let’s take a moment to note… there is nothing in his profile that is “just okay“… wow, usually characters have a few sub-par abilities, but Trazyn seems to be firing on all cylinders today, good on you, big guy!
The Infinitely Sexy:
So, how can we play him? What are the best ways?… I’ve thought about it for some time and it seems that the best way to ensure that he stays alive is by using him inside a Reclamation Legion (as part of a Decurion Detachment). The basic strategy here is “my Warlord is really hard to kill on a regular basis… let’s make it more difficult…”. The strategy holds up, by increasing Reanimation Protocols to a 4+, you dramatically increase Trazyn’s chances of survival throughout the game.
Now… how can we make this even better! Well, I would seriously suggest including a Royal Court in your Decurion Detachment. You can include up to seven additional infantry characters in your Decurion Detachment, which are all useful on their own, but when this gives Trazyn an ample supply of new bodies (which can be spread throughout the battlefield, protected by multiple units) to take form in when his Surrogate Hosts special rule kicks in. Additionally, you get a whole wack of extra tough Necron characters that many players are really worried about. This is one of the most effective ways, that I have found to use Trazyn, if any of you have other awesome ways of using/abusing him, make sure to mention them in the comments section!
Drawbacks…
Every character has them… there is no way around it… for Trazyn, it is his lack of an invulnerable save. If he had access to a Phase Shifter, everything would be awesome…but unfortunately, he does not. This means that AP 2/3 shooting can really put the hurt on him, so make sure that you know where that kind of power resides, in your opponents army, and be sure to take it out. Additionally, beware of D-Weapons, this is not the kind of guy who can go toe to toe with a Bloodthirster and be happy about the outcome; Eternal Warrior means dick when your opponent does 3 wounds at AP 2 (ignoring your Reanimation Protocols). Trazyn is incredibly strong and can mean some serious bad news to players who are unprepared for him, just stay away from Bloodthirsters and Wraithknights. Finally, he can be a little pricey, at 130pts it can be difficult to fit in all those other characters you need to make is ability really work for you, so some clever army construction may be necessary to make it all fit.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I really like Trazyn, the Infinite. With that kind of staying power, it really plays into the whole Necron/Terminator “I’ll be back” thing, so embrace it! As I do with all of my articles, I send out a challenge! I challenge all of the Necron players to play some games with Trazyn, get him on the table, because he likely won’t be taken off once he’s on there! If you’ve never played with him before, give it a shot! As always, let us know your thoughts on Trazyn, the Infinite, in the comments section! And, Frontline Gaming sells Games Workshop product at up to 25% off, every day!
Scuba Steve, Signing Out
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