The Crimson King marches... differently....

This weekend I decided to field the Crimson King a little differently. I started off with a minor deviation from my usual list, i.e. the list I'd been using for several months, ever since I got my grubby paws on the Doom Scythes.

So I threw in this guy:

I don't usually use named characters, but I figured it would be cool if the Crimson Guard were in some way actually different from the rest of the herd. So, I made some room to add this guy to the Crimson Guard. For those who don't know about Illuminor Szeras, he can upgrade one unit of Warriors or Immortals to have either +1 BS, +1 T or +1 S, determined randomly before the game begins. As an added bonus, Illuminor Szeras brings an eldritch lance and a gaze of flame to the blob, making it that much more versatile and difficult to charge.

That trial run went rather well, so I fiddled around with the list some more, ending up with something significantly different to the old phalanx. Here's what it looks like:

Overlord with Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe, Sempiternal Weave, Phase Shifter and Resurrection Orb
Illuminor Szeras
A Royal Court of 4 Harbingers of Destruction, one with a solar pulse
20 Warriors (the Crimson Guard) and a Ghost Ark with a Harbinger of Eternity, Chronometron
10 Immortals with tesla carbines, led by Lord with Mindshackle Scarabs, Warscythe and Resurrection Orb
9 Warriors
Night Scythe
Night Scythe
Annihilation Barge
Annihilation Barge
6 Canoptek Wraiths, 2 with Whip Coils

The Crimson King, of course, marches with the Crimson Guard and Szeras. Directly behind them is the Ghost Ark, with the Royal Court inside taking pot shots at whatever needs the attentions of 4 eldritch lances. The Night Scythes are there mainly to take out aerial threats and deposit the Immortals and the Warriors where they can be most disruptive. Once that mission is complete, they can just fly about brutalizing whatever they can reach with their tesla destructors. Coupled with the Annihilation Barges, that's a lot of S7 shooting that will pretty much wipe the board clean of light vehicles and severely threaten light to medium infantry.

I just tested this list today, and I'd say it definitely gets the job done. The thing about Necrons is that 6 Wraiths are absolutely excellent at disrupting any plans your opponent may have. With their ability to pretty much ignore terrain and deep strike, nothing short of a flyer is safe, and anything they can't kill is going to have a lousy time extricating itself out of combat with them.

I like this list. It's a refreshing change from my old phalanx-style list, and I daresay it's time to start kitbashing some new Crypteks and a Szeras...