Hi everyone, Michael here with a review of the formation you want if you really love your Land Raiders, the Land Raider Spearhead. For more reviews, analyses and battle reports, check out the Tactics Corner.
Overview:
The Land Raider Spearhead is the ultimate assault vehicle advance. Described as “unstoppable, unshakeable”, the Land Raider Spearhead actually provides some very good bonuses for the good, old Land Raider in the formation. However, it does not mitigate the fact that you are taking a formation of already, very expensive vehicles with an unclear battle role.
Formation:
- The formation consists of three units of either a Land Raider, Land Raider Crusader or Land Raider Redeemer in any combination.
Special Rules:
- Armoured Behemoths- Land Raiders in the formation ignore Crew Shaken, Crew Stunned, Weapon Destroyed and Immobilised results as long as they are within 6″ of another unit in the formation.
- Even the Mightiest Shall Fall- Land Raiders in the formation can re-roll failed To Wound or Armour Penetration rolls when firing at Gargantuan Creatures, superheavy vehicles or building with the Mighty Bulward special rule.
Tactics:
Check out the Tactics Corner for Berent McSavage’s review of the Land Raider. On its own, the Land Raider is overpriced for what it brings to the table and can be too easily destroyed in one shot with dedicated anti-tank weaponry.
The formation rules actually gives some really nice bonuses to the Land Raider, but at a significant cost. The Armoured Behemoth special rule is really good, bringing the Land Raider closer to superheavy vehicles, but not quite all the way. Ignoring most of the results on the damage table means that you will need to blow it up to stop it in one shot. Ignoring the effects of Immobilised actually gives it a modicum of durability against Grav weaponry in some cases. This really boosts the Land Raider, as armour 14 all round is quite tough to deal with if your army does not have widespread access to Melta, Grav, Lance or Haywire weaponry. Most armies will have a tough time dealing with three Land Raiders if their only options are to cause it to explode or be forced to whittle down all 16 hull points.
Ignoring Immobilised and Crew Stunned results is also a big boost for the Land Raider when it is acting as a transport vehicle, ensuring that you will be able to get the unit inside to the enemy as quickly as possible.
Even the Mightiest Shall Fall is a nice bonus for the formation, but probably most effective for the Land Raider when it is armed with Lascannons or a Multi-melta, as many Superheavy Vehicles and Mighty Bulwark buildings have higher armour values. It is also useful against Gargantuan Creatures, but you will still have an invulnerable save and/or Feel no Pain roll to contend with.
The big downside of the Land Raider Spearhead (other than the fact it is made up of Land Raiders) is the cost. At a minimum of 720 points, this is an extremely expensive formation and one of the more expensive formations for the Gladius Strike Force. A single Land Raider is hardly worth 250 pts, so taking three is a very expensive inclusion in an army, even with the special rules that the formation grants.
If I was to use this formation, it would probably be with the Land Raider Crusader or Land Raider Redeemer. I see the Land Raider as an assault vehicle primarily. There are far cheaper and more effective ways to get the firepower of the Land Raider in a Space Marine army, but the Land Raider as a tough, assault vehicle is unbeatable. The formation special rules help remove the chance of the transport being immobilised or Stunned before you can get the troops inside into combat, but requires that you keep the Land Raiders close together to do so.
Once you have purchased the Spearhead and the combat units that you will want to put in them, there will be very little left for the rest of your army in a standard 40k game.
The Land Raider Spearhead could be interesting to use in a casual game, and could certainly shake things up against a regular opponent. It has no place in a competitive list and I doubt will every find its way into one.
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How do you think it fares in the Anvil Strike Force from Angels of Death?
The Anvil Strike Force allows them to ignore the effects of Crew Stunned or Crew Shaken. This is useful if you want to spread out the Land Raiders in the Spearhead, but you probably want to keep them together to ignore Weapon Destroyed and Immobilised results as well.
Getting to shoot again with one of the Land Raiders could also be quite useful under the right circumstances.
I think they will be strong in the Anvil Strike Force. The problem is that the Spearhead is very expensive. I think a unit of 3 Land Raiders will struggle to make back 750 points worth of enemy kills over the course of a game.
I feel like the Spearhead is even less attractive now, since the release of the Mastodon, which does basically the same thing, but with Void Shields, and is even more resistant to being gradually picked apart.
im using this from the old tuesday night fight, with the siege cohort and the 10th company, having some success with this list
Wulfin muder pack
I think with the new Facebook FAQ from GW that the Wulfen Murderpack cannot deploy on board the Land Raiders. So if you don’t get first turn to embark, the enemy can possibly kill the Wulfen turn 1. Though I suppose that would still be really difficult, especially from across the table.