Editing Manta (section)

== On the Tabletop ==

Want to field a Manta? That'll be well over 1800 points. The guns increase the cost by nearly 600 points, for a grand total of 2469 points for the entire thing. What do you get for this, aside a massive resin paper press? For starters, a T8 3+ beast with '''60 wounds'''. It deteriorates over time, but you have to lose half your wounds to start noticing anything. And paired with a 4++ save, your life expectancy just went up a lot. And with 20"-60" Supersonic movement, it can be wherever it wants to be during a battle. And with BS2+ that won't drop to 4+ until you have less than 10 wounds, it remains effective in combat. Hilariously it also has 5 attacks at WS5+ S8, so while it's not very effective in combat it can hold its own in a fight. The Manta can also opt to hover, getting a 20" speed and stops being a flyer. It also has the odd rule that it adds 12" to the measured distance of weapons used against non-flyers, to symbolize how high up it is.

The Manta carries an entire army's worth of heavy weapons:
*It comes with a pair of [[Heavy Rail Cannon Array|Heavy Rail Cannons]]. Two shots of S18 AP-5 D2D6 that deal an additional D3 Mortal Wounds on a 6+ Wound roll, and deal double damage against Buildings and Titanic targets, this will really ruin the day of any Titanic unit it hits. Sure, with only 2 shots a single miss will really hamper your damage output, but with S18 you'll need T10 to not get wounded on a 2+. If both hit you're looking at an average of 14 wounds, discounting the extra Mortal Wounds from rolling sixes. Powerful against vehicles and other large units, but nigh useless against blobs. And as a Macro weapon the Manta can move and shoot with the thing.
*Six long-barreled [[Ion Cannon]]s make up for the Manta's secondary armament. Clocking in at 18 S7 AP-2 D2 shots this will really ruin the day of any [[TEQ]] that gets hit by it through sheer attrition alone. While you could opt to overcharge them to turn the weapon into a Heavy D3 gun which is 2D3 against units with 10 or more models, units that are the prime target of the Ion Cannons rarely come in those sizes. And while you could easily tank the Mortal Wounds suffered from rolling ones it's not really worth it.
*'''Sixteen''' [[Long-Barrelled Burst Cannon]]s bring the pain in the form of a grand total of 64 S5 AP0 D1 shots. This can eat several units of [[GEQ]]s in one turn, so assign your shots carefully and don't forget you don't have to blow your entire load in one turn. Aim at the right targets and they'll serve you well. If you're feeling ballsy they could even turn them against vehicles: a tank with less than T10 and with a 3+ save can expect to eat 6 wounds on average. Not your preferred targets, but it can be done.
*Two [[Missile Pod]]s. Nothing special here: four shots of S7 AP-1 DD3 can support your Ion Cannons against targets with worse saves than 2+ and could be used to finish up tanks.
*Ten [[Seeker Missile]]s. Using them is simple: slap 2+ Markerlights on any tanks with a maximum of 8 Wounds, and no matter how tough it is you can evaporate it with a single salvo. You can do this only once per battle, but it's worth it.

Another draw of the Manta is that it's also a transport. If you can somehow still afford an army after this, it can carry 55 models in its upper deck and 145 in its lower deck. 55 models for the upper deck translates into 3 Strike Teams with 2 Drones each and a Pathfinder team with 2 drones as well. The final spot can be filled by an Ethereal, a [[Cadre Fireblade]], an additional Drone for the Pathfinders or, by technicality, [[Shadowsun]].

The lower deck can transport 145 models who are Infantry or Drones. This is a total of 12 Fire Warrior squads with 2 drones each, or a variety of Pathfinders, Stealth Battlesuits (which is allowed) and sniper teams, as well as Ethereals and Fireblades. It can also transport [[Kroot]] Carnivores and Shapers, but no Riders or Hounds. It can additionally carry eight XV8 or XV9 Battlesuits, so no Broadsides or Ghostkeels. Coldstars are allowed however, as is Shadowsun. Because of poor wording it can additionally transport four Devilfish or Hammerheads, on top of the 145 Infantry/Drone units and Battlesuits, meaning that you can fit more than an entire army in there. The double-decked [[Devourer Dropship]] come to mind.

As for tactics: plonk it down and watch your opponent bring everything they have to bear in a failed attempt to kill it. Devour chunks of his army with it, then use the rest of yours to finish the battle. Big targets die first, with units that pose a threat to the rest of your army going next so your other forces are more difficult to deal with.

[[Image:Foam-manta.jpg|300px|thumb|right|For Tau to scratch build, it will be so.]]

=== Power Ratings ===

The Manta has a nice round 100 Power, which makes it an army in its own right. Tactics remain the same: plonk it down and let 'er rip.