Looks like Necrons have had enough of Imperial Knights on the table, but does the new Seraptek Heavy Construct’s rules have what it takes to drop Knights?
Forge World unveiled the Seraptek Construct in all its glory last week, and it looks like it’ll be able to punish those boogeyman Knight lists.
Let’s compare the stats of the Seraptek and the Castellan and break down the pros and cons of both units.
Necrons Strike Back: Seraptek Construct Vs. Knight Castellan
This thing sits right at 625 points so it’s cost is most definitely up there. But looking at the damage this thing can dish out, it’s no real surprise.
If you were planning on blasting your opponent’s armor column, you’d want to take the Seraptek with two Singularity Generators. That’s 6D3 shots at S8 AP-3 D6 Damage. This thing might be huge but it moves a massive 16″ at full health. Imagine seeing this thing move 16″ up the board, Shoot 6D3 (basically Lascannon shots) and a D3 shot S16 -4 AP 6 flat damage laser…and then finishing with a charge getting six attacks that do six damage a piece?
The damage potential of this unit is almost unreal.
Where this thing lacks power is its survivability. It’s your standard T8 model with a 3+ armor save and living metal. It does have a whopping 28 wounds but a 5++ invulnerable save isn’t the best.
It most definitely could be worse, but at the end of the day, it’s prone to las cannon fire. If an Imperial Guard player came prepared, he would have no problem at least knocking this thing down a bracket or two. This thing will definitely have to be dealt with early on. It just can’t go unchecked.
Seraptek Vs. the Castellan
Pairing these two up against each other seems like an equal fight in all honesty. Take screens and other differentiating factors out of your mind and imagine a 1v1 between these two units. Obviously, whoever is taking the first turn will have the advantage. Keep in mind that the Castellan is going to do whatever it can to stay out of melee combat.
Based on the Seraptek’s stats, it’s designed to shoot whatever it can until it can close the gap and finish the problem off with its massive forelimbs.
Looking at the Castellan, it’s got enough dakka to pop another Knight on its own and we know that the Necron is a little bit squishier (thanks to it’s 5+ invulnerable and no rotate ion shield stratagem). Which brings us to the point where the Castellan really shines. He’s got all the stratagem support out there to help him deal some massive amounts of damage and become a little bit harder to kill.
Some of the top stratagems that the Castellan player will probably have up his sleeve are:
- Rotate Ion Shields: +1 to Invulnerable save rolls
- Machine Spirit Resurgence: If the Seraptek can’t finish off the Castellan, he can pop this stratagem to use the top bracket for a turn. That could easily be a death sentence.
- Order of Companions: lets the Castellan reroll ANY 1’s in the shooting phase.
On top of all that, he could even have a relic slapped on him to give him even more of an upper hand
The Seraptek Heavy Construct may not have stratagems quite like the Knights in the meta, but it has a constant solid damage output. Regardless of melee or shooting, it’s got disgusting six flat damage weapons that can cripple just about anything.
These models are both in the heavyweight division of tabletop play. We haven’t seen either of them perform on against each other on the tabletop just yet but it looks like it’ll come down to whoever gets the first turn. Seraptek players still need to watch out for those horrifying Slam Captains too. Those are still definitely a thing.
What do you think about Forge World’s newest model for Necrons? Will you be picking up one? Will this model put Necrons back on the competitive bracket? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
