Editing Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Necrons (section)

===Buying & Collecting===
The best and easiest way to start is the Battleforce + Catacomb Command Barge combo. This nets you everything you need to play a decent match at 705-955 points depending on how you set up your vehicles and Overlord. The trick is that the Command Barge comes with what amounts to a free HQ character in the included Overlord. That Command Barge alone is one of the best deals out there in the entire Games Workshop lineup. Otheriwse you can just start like with any other army; an HQ, 2 Troops choices, 1 vehicle, and a Fast Attack / Elite choice.

'''HQ Choices:''' 
Your best bet will be a generic Overlord. One of these guys decked out in the right wargear, riding a Command Barge, is probably the most popular HQ selection. Anrakyr, Trazyn, and Nemesor Zahndrekh are all somewhat decent HQ choices, given the right circumstances. Vargard Obyron, Szeras, Orikan, and the Destroyer Lord, not so much (they're more along the lines of support HQ choices). 

Keep in mind that Necron HQ and the Royal Courts they can unlock are incredibly good at buffing your army. Whether it be Anrakyr's Pyrrhian Eternals, Szeras' upgrades, or the Overlord's Phaeron ability, each HQ is tailored for both specific tactics or general enhancement. (Don't start out with Imotekh though. Sure deep striking Flayed Ones may seem nice, but the Stormlord's abilities are grossly overrated.)

'''Troop Choices:''' Warriors are dependable and you can have many of them. Problem is, your opponent will most likely charge them as she/he/it will know Warriors die when assaulted. Many will argue that Warriors is the way to go, while others praise the Immortals more. Truth of the matter is, you need both. Your Warriors should be your objective holders or mid line support, while your Immortals should be at the forefront capturing contested objectives or taking the fight to the enemy (better done with Anrakyr's upgrades.) Use both Troops choices.

'''Elite choices:''' Most of these are on the lower end of mediocre, but there are a few exceptions and niche uses for them. Deathmarks are your best bet to start out with, since they're good at taking out MCs/heavy infantry that the rest of our army has problems with. Pair with Harbingers of Despair for silly amounts of firepower. Lychguard are alright in larger games when you have a combat Overlord who needs an escort (Trazyn, Obyron, and Anrakyr are good for this)
and as tempting as the Warscythes are, the Sword and Shield is usually the better call. Triarch Praetorians are terrible, and you should avoid them. Ditto for Flayed Ones. C'tan also suck, but are fluffy and can be entertaining if you want to try out a Tremor-Crons list. The Triarch Stalker is a model you'll either love or hate. It's twin-linking is useful, but only you can decide if it's worth the points.

'''Heavy Support choices:''' Monolith is tough, but not recommended for low point games. They cost a lot but can do a lot, too. If you absolutely need it, take only 1 (for now). Spyders are decent in close combat, but they're best served in a support capacity. Good for both repairing your vehicles and spawning more Scarabs. Doomsday Arks are powerful, but fickle. Doom Scythes have the strongest weapon the Necrons have at their disposal, but are also the biggest target. If you absolutely have to take it, take two. The Annihilation Barge is one of the best units in the codex. Spam them, if you can.

'''Fast attack choices:''' Arguably the best section in the codex. Scarabs are excellent at destroying vehicles, and they will come for free basically with your Warriors (if you have Spyders in your army, go crazy with Scarabs). Wraiths are realistically the best combat unit Necrons have. Take them if you have the points, or if you want a threatening counter-assault or deep-strike melee threat. <strike>Tomb Blades</strike> and Destroyers are great, too (sorry Tomb Blades, it's just too expensive to make you good). It's hard to know what to take and what to leave from this section.  Unless you're going with scarabs and <strike>spiders</strike> spyders, pick your Fast Attack slots to cover and complement your other choices, not the other way around. 

'''Transports:''' Catacomb Command Barge is considered one of the greatest vehicles in the game. No exaggeration. If you've got an HQ with a Warscythe, get him on one of these. You will not be sorry. Ghost Arks are great, but are for Warriors and Characters only. Keep in mind they can only fit 10 models inside, too. They're nice support if you're fielding lots of Warriors. The Night Scythe is for everything else. Move them flat out 3 feet into the enemy and unleash 10 Immortals with a barrage of fire. 

*'''UPDATE:''' The new Necron Battleforce is now available. It brings 5 Immortals or Deathmarks, 20 Warriors, 5 Canoptek Scarab bases, and a Ghost Ark or a Doomsday Ark. This is a great way to start. Don't buy it from Games Workshop, though. That'll cost you <strike>105</strike> 115 dollars. Find it online for 25% off and you'll have yourself an easy effective start to your army. The Ghost Ark can only carry 10 Warriors which is half of what the battleforce brings, so either have them all on foot with the Ghost Ark floating along side to replenish fallen Warriors, split them up 10 by 10 (half in, half walking), or perhaps the best combo, 5 in and the rest walking. 5 Immortals isn't bad, but is your only source of mobile heavy firepower. Sure the Ark can be made into a Doomsday Ark, but don't. You'll lose your transport (unless you go through the pain and wonders of magnetizing... but even then, don't bring a Doomsday Ark to a low point game). 5 Scarab bases is nice, since the only way you can normally get them is through Warrior set boxes.

**Grade: B+ (pro-tip: buy a Command Barge with this and you'll have a playable army that will actually be able to perform decently). It comes with an Overlord for your HQ and, when built as an Annihilation Barge, provides a good heavy support.