Everyone seems to be talking about Drop Pods again! Check out 3 Space Marine combos to watch out for with their new codex rules in 8th!
We know that Space Marines are getting a massive overhaul on their rules next. One of the worst units in their armory was the Drop Pod. However, with their rules and specs reworked, they’re back on the menu. Here’s why are the details!
Drop Pods Can Come in Turn One
Spotted in a video from Mob Rules on Youtube, the Drop Pod datasheet was shown with this new rule. Matched Play: This model and any units embarked are exempt from the Tactical Reserves Matched Play rule.
Drop Pods only cost 63 points now, but the main reason why people will be taking them again is that they can come in turn one. They bypass the game-slowing “No reserves until player turn 2” rule.
8th Edition was VERY fast-paced at the beginning with almost no restrictions on what could come in and where. GW pulled the reins back and made it so that nothing could come in from deepstrike until the start of the 2nd turn. This completely killed the Drop Pod. However, it seems fair that if you pay the points for a transport like this, it should do what it’s designed to do. Drop-In.
Drop Pods Take Up A Bigger Footprint
Not only do Drop Pods have the ability to come in anywhere more than 9″ away on turn one. But they also take up a bigger footprint after GW’s Big FAQ ruling on the model.
It really comes down to how you built your model. But if you can deploy the doors down, you don’t have to measure from the hull anymore. That means that when you spider the doors out on the table, you’ll be able to take up a bigger footprint helping to deny any counter-deepstrike and even sit on an objective or two. If you glued your doors together because you were tired of them banging around constantly, you might want to pop those bad boys back open!
The petals do two things, deny your enemy valuable battlefield space, and also hold objectives as well.
What Units Can We Expect to See Coming in Drop Pods?
So while Drop Pods can come in turn one and the units inside can deploy. However, they still have to end their move more than 9″ away. We can make a case for some Black Templar melee squads being loaded up in them and making use of their new “re-roll failed charges” rule.
However, for the most part, it seems like the most effective option is going to be alpha-strike shooting.
Grav May Be Good Again!
One of the hottest bombs we might see are Devastator Squads with Grav-Amps coming in. Thanks to their new Stratagem called Gravitic Amplification. For 1CP, you can reroll all failed wound and damage rolls for Grav weaponry. If you drop down a squad of Grav Devastators, that would be 16 shots at S5 AP-3 and D3 damage (if the save is 3+ or higher).
With a 24″ range, Tank Commanders, Dreadnoughts, and Knights will be melted by these guys. Especially if players bring more than one drop pod full of them.
Deathwatch Can Clear Screens
The next wombo combo that came to mind was a Drop Pod full of Deathwatch Veterans with Storm Bolters. If you drop a squad of ten Veterans downloaded with all the dakka and Storm shields, they’ll be able to pop screens with hellfire rounds and then be a serious speed-bump that the enemy has to deal with. It just comes down to how many points you want to put into these guys. (Obviously, maybe don’t give each one a storm shield).
Keep in mind technically only Codex Space Marine pods can come in turn one right now, until what many expect to be a post chapter codex FAQ update.
While these are just a few tricks we can see players doing with Drop Pods, it’s certainly not all of them. What have you thought about putting in your Drop Pods? Do you think it’s fair that they can come in turn one now?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
